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Tales of some great shock or fright suddenly turning a person's hair white go back thousands of years. Learn what researchers think is really going on -- and how our hair normally goes grey and white -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/can-hair-turn-white-overnight.htm; https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/aging/aging-process/stress-gray-hair.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brown recluse spiders rarely bite humans, and when they do, it only causes a reaction in about 10 percent of cases. Learn how to identify brown recluses and what their bites do in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/brown-recluse-spider-bite.htm (If your urine turns black, seek medical treatment immediatly.) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Voting is an incredibly important way to make your voice heard, but it's very rare for a candidate to win or lose by just one vote. Learn how rare -- and about a few times that it's happened -- in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/can-single-vote-change-election-outcome.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The largest pumpkins in the world now weigh well over a ton, and the record gets broken just about every year. But how (and why) would you go about growing one? Learn how competitive gourd growing works in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://home.howstuffworks.com/grow-giant-pumpkin.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every movement our bodies make -- from waving at a friend to pumping blood -- is goverened by complex electrochemical handshakes among our nerves and our muscles. Learn how voluntary, involuntary, and reflexive movements work in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/musculoskeletal/muscle.htm; https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nervous-system/nerve.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After years of trench warfare in WWI, France built a line of massive underground bunkers and other defensive fortifications along hundreds of miles of its border. Learn how the Maginot Line worked -- and why it failed to stop the Nazi invasion -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/world-war-ii/maginot-line.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some U.S. cities and states have officially changed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day. Learn why -- and why some Americans disagree with the change -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-other/columbus-day.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The English-language terms for different baked goods vary based on where English is being spoken. Learn why an American cookie is a British biscuit, an American biscuit is a British scone, our muffins have nothing to do with each other, and pudding doesn't have to involve pudding at all in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/great-british-baking-terms-know-scones-from-biscuits.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When dark spots appear on the surface of the Sun, we're actually seeing the result of massive distortions in solar magnetic fields caused by roiling plasma -- and they appear in regular(ish) 11-year cycles. Learn what we know (and don't know!) about sunspots in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/sunspot.htm/printable See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A sunken continent called Lemuria was first proposed as a scientific explanation for lemur populations in the mid-1800s, but it quickly became part of the mythology of Theosophist mystics and Tamil cultural activists alike. Learn the truth and myths behind Lemuria (plus what Darwin had to do with it) in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/lemuria.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Walt Disney based Sleeping Beauty's castle -- the centerpiece of Disneyland and the Disney logo -- on a real castle in the Bavarian Alps of Germany. Learn about Neuschwanstein Castle's strange and tragic history in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/neuschwanstein-castle.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since the early 2000s, the H5N1 bird flu has sickened wild and domestic birds around the world -- and sometimes humans and other mammals, too. Learn how this strain of avian influenza works (and why it seems unlikey to cause a pandemic, but researchers are still watching it closely) in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/bird-flu.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humans started domesticating edible gourds thousands of years ago, but one of today's most popular varieties has been around for less than a century. Learn about the history and science behind butternut squash (plus how big the heaviest on record was) in today's episode of BrainStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In London in the summer of 1858, a Great Stink settled over the city. The sewage from its growing population was baking in the streets -- and infiltrating the city's water supply. Learn how this smelly situation led to some incredible sewer engineering still in use today (plus a change in the understanding of how infection works) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/ridiculous-history-the-great-stink-london.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a good question. The blue whale is the largest known animal to ever grace the planet (they may be twice as big as Megalodon was! Their tongues are as heavy as elephants!), but they're still mysterious. Learn what science knows (and doesn't know) about blue whales in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/blue-whale.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.