Stuff To Blow Your Mind

Beavers are incredible creatures and significant ecosystem manipulators, but they’ve also been subject to various written and illustrative inaccuracies. Medieval bestiaries often depict the common beaver as a weird-looking dog that bites off its own testicles when pursued by mounted hunters. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Rob and Joe explore the meaning of these inaccuracies as well as the actual biological wonder of North American and Eurasian beavers. (part 2 of 2, originally published 05/18/2023) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss Kinji Fukasaku’s weird 1968 super-criminal romp “Black Lizard,” starring Japanese drag queen Akihiro Miwa, based on the novel by Edogawa Ranpo and the stage adapation by Yukio Mishima. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Rob and Joe explore the world of the periodical cicada, from their curious lifecycle to their mythological and culinary roles in human cultures. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses Colossus, the metal-skinned mutant from Marvel’s X-men… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, neuroscientist and author David Eagleman drops by the show to discuss his new podcast series “Inner Cosmos” with Robert and Joe, along with some general discussion on the human brain. (Originally published 04/13/2023) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Beavers are incredible creatures and significant ecosystem manipulators, but they’ve also been subject to various written and illustrative inaccuracies. Medieval bestiaries often depict the common beaver as a weird-looking dog that bites off its own testicles when pursued by mounted hunters. In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Rob and Joe explore the meaning of these inaccuracies as well as the actual biological wonder of North American and Eurasian beavers. (part 1 of 2, originally published 05/18/2023) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss the 1966 sci-fi adventure film “Evil Brain from Outer Space,” an American release edited together from three late-50s installments of the Japanese “Super Giant” film series. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the weird and wonderful parrotfish: changers of sex, poopers of sand and – if the myths and legends are true – great friends and a parent of fishes. (part 2 of 2) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses the alien Horta of the Star Trek universe, a silicon-based organism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the weird and wonderful parrotfish: changers of sex, poopers of sand and – if the myths and legends are true – great friends and a parent of fishes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the so-called “telephone game,” in which a whispered message travels through a chain of individuals and is eventually announced again in an altered form. What does this game reveal about communication and what else can we learn from it? (part 2 of 2, originally published 05/04/2023) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss one of the towering monoliths of Japanese weird cinema: Nobuhiko Obayashi’s “House” AKA “Hausu.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before the dawn of the iron age, ancient humans had but one source of workable iron for their artifacts and weapons: meteorites. In this very-metal episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss various examples of meteoric metal artifacts, including several precious sky-weapons of antiquity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses the Ceti eels of the Star Trek universe, a form of fictional brain parasite… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert chats with evolutionary biologist and historian of science Lee Alan Dugatkin about his new book “The Well-Connected Animal: Social Networks and the Wondrous Complexity of Animal Societies.” You'll learn about the complex social networks of vampire bats, dolphins, bees and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once more, it's time for a weekly dose of Stuff to Blow Your Mind and Weirdhouse Cinema listener mail... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the so-called “telephone game,” in which a whispered message travels through a chain of individuals and is eventually announced again in an altered form. What does this game reveal about communication and what else can we learn from it? (part 1 of 2, originally published 05/02/2023) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob is joined by Seth Nicholas Johnson of Rusty Needle’s Record Club to discuss 2000’s “Psycho Beach Party,” a sendup of 1960s beach party movies and their cultural ideals, starring Lauren Ambrose and written by Charles Busch, who also co-stars. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.