Stuff to blow your mind
Stuff To Blow Your Mind
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Stigmata: Madness or Miracle?
In the previous episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, ...
In the previous episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian explored the Christian tradition of the stigmata and its 13th century originator, Saint Francis of Assisi. But what are we to make of of all the stigmatics to follow in the saint’s footsteps? Are these holy wounds the work of deceptive self-harm, masochistic devotion or psychosomatic anomaly?
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Stigmata: Patient Zero
According to Christian tradition, a stigmatic prays to God so ...
According to Christian tradition, a stigmatic prays to God so zealously, so faithfully that Christ’s crucifixion wounds of manifest in the form of bleeding sores and gory holes. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Christian explore stigmata patient zero in the form of Saint Francis of Assisi. What real-life illness might underlie this 13th century mystic’s legendary condition?
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Grizzly Bears from Outer Space
A region of space barely a thousandth of a square ...
A region of space barely a thousandth of a square degree on the sky contains a whopping 5,500 galaxies. Making the probability that there exists at least one planet that could support life pretty tantalizing. What might that lifeform look like? Robert and Joe discuss cosmologist Fergus Simpson's statistical argument that an extraterrestrial could weigh in at 660 pounds. My friend, can your heart stand the shocking facts of grizzly bears from outer space?
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The Psychedelic Nightmare of Ergotism
Imagine an entire 15th-century town overcome by a collective waking ...
Imagine an entire 15th-century town overcome by a collective waking nightmare. The afflicted walk the streets with blackened limbs and seeping sores, all while psychotic hallucinations assault their fragile hold on sanity. Join Robert and Joe as they explore the world of Ergotism and discuss how a toxic fungus terrorized and inspired generations of Medieval Europeans.
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The Future of Addiction
Highly addictive substances like meth and heroine are formidable enemies ...
Highly addictive substances like meth and heroine are formidable enemies for the recovering addict, but what does the future hold for their treatment? In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie explore the use of electromagnetic stimulation, vaccines and other treatments to help win the battle.
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The Science of Addiction
What is addiction? Why are some people predisposed to it ...
What is addiction? Why are some people predisposed to it and what happens in the brain when addiction takes hold? In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Julie break it all down for you and ponder the addiction-shattered brain.
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The Memory Palace Revisited (with Nelson Dellis)
Stroll into the memory palace, an imagined location that just ...
Stroll into the memory palace, an imagined location that just might expand your brain power. In this classic episode you'll learn all about the Method of Loci, a mnemonic device that allows mental athletes to perform astounding acts of recall. Plus, in this updated publication of the episode, learn the secrets firsthand from 3-time USA memory champion Nelson Dellis.
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Escape from Universe 25
Julie and Robert explore Universe 25, a 101-square-inch tank designed ...
Julie and Robert explore Universe 25, a 101-square-inch tank designed as a utopia for mice and a mirror of human behavior. Every detail of the structure was crafted with comfort in mind: a never-ending supply of food; a constant 68 degree F temperature; a self-cleaning environment and spacious apartments for its inhabitants. So what contributed to Universe 25's spiral into degradation and violence? And why were a subset of mice dubbed "The Beautiful Ones?"
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Detective Story
Everyone loves a good whodunit, but why does the figure ...
Everyone loves a good whodunit, but why does the figure of the fictional detective tower so staggeringly over the modern world? He or she is a seeker of truth, a resolver of conflict, a subcultural liaison and perhaps even a shaman for an increasingly secular world. Join Robert and Christian for dive through the history, science and cultural resonance of the detective story.
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Supernormal Stimuli
No longer limited by the constrains of their environment or ...
No longer limited by the constrains of their environment or biology, humans have remade their world. Why walk when you can soar? Why shout when you can whisper in the ear of a listener halfway round the world? And why limit yourself to normal stimuli when you can condense the sensory world into nuggets of superstimuli. In this classic episode, join Robert and Julie as they discuss junk food, gaming, pornography, the Internet and beauty itself all in the framework of natural biology.
