Brain Junk

Series produced by Trace Kerr

Series image

Everything you never knew you wanted to know. We guarantee, you won't be bored.

Amy Barton and Trace Kerr shake up science, history & culture in this once a week show. We hunt for off the wall, totally unexpected answers to questions and bring them to you in two to ten minute short, "Brain Storms" or longer twenty to thirty minute episodes.
We dive into questions like: What are Supernumerary teeth? Do ants pass the Mirror Test? Why do kids in Denmark murder their birthday cakes?
Brain Junk is a fun ride for adults and kids who want to know.


130 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
216: Parachuting Beavers
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
In 1948, Idaho Fish and Game got the bright idea to transport beavers into the back country with PARACHUTES. It was a wild and wacky compromise to ...

  • Added: May 13, 2022
  • Length: 05:06
215: James Madison & the 4 Letters
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
It's 1789 and the beginning of bureaucracy in the United States. James Madison is writing letters to smooth the path of George Washington's disorga...

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: May 13, 2022
  • Length: 05:06
  • Purchases: 1
214: Sky Puppies
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
While baby Egyptian fruit bats start life getting carried around, once they get too heavy, their mothers leave them in a cave while they forage. It...

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: May 13, 2022
  • Length: 04:59
  • Purchases: 1
213: Unexpected Origin of Roller Skates
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
The first roller skates were patented by John Joseph Merlin in 1760. He showed off his new fangled wheeled shoes with an epic entrance to a party t...

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Apr 15, 2022
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
212: Peanut Butter Diamonds
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
With enough pressure and heat, just about anything with enough carbon in it could become a diamond. And thankfully for us, when a scientist was ask...

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Apr 08, 2022
  • Length: 04:56
  • Purchases: 1
201: Ancient Prosthetic Eye
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
In 2007, a woman's 5,000 year old skeleton was found in Burnt City, Iran. She was at least six feet tall and had what researchers think may be the ...

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Apr 07, 2022
  • Length: 05:05
  • Purchases: 1
209: Detachable Tails
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
In cases of emergency, lizards pop off their tails to get away. Evolution made it possible for that tail to stay on when tugged but not twisted. It...

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Mar 31, 2022
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
207: Cockroach Personalities
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
Anything that scatters when you turn on the light...does it have a personality? Is the cockroach urge to run an indicator of a bold or timid world ...

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Mar 30, 2022
  • Length: 05:33
  • Purchases: 1
206 part two: Skeet Shooting Fish
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
Sure, Archerfish can use a squirt of water to knock prey into the water to be eaten. But researchers wanted to know, could they count?

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Mar 11, 2022
  • Length: 04:53
  • Purchases: 1
206 part one: Goldfish FOV
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
You've heard of an ROV, a remotely operated vehicle. But did you ever think you'd see an FOV, a fish operated vehicle? Israeli scientists have atte...

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Mar 11, 2022
  • Length: 04:56
  • Purchases: 1
205: Vatican Women's Rifle Team
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
Amy pulled out all the stops for this shenanigan filled episode. Don't be an April's Fool like Trace.

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Feb 17, 2022
  • Length: 05:33
  • Purchases: 1
204: Baker Miller Pink
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
In 1978, Dr. Alexander Schauss and a research assistant mixed 1 gallon of white latex paint with a pint of shiny red and created P-618 aka Baker Mi...

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Feb 16, 2022
  • Length: 05:06
  • Purchases: 1
202: Honeypot Ants
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
Imagine you're an ant living in an arid climate. There's no grocery stores! How do you keep enough food on hand for when things are scarce? You won...

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Feb 15, 2022
  • Length: 04:48
  • Purchases: 1
201: Rabbit War
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
What happens when you are the Emperor of France and your hunting party plans go completely wrong? You get attacked by rabbits. This isn't a Monty P...

Bought by WRFA-LP and Spokane Public Radio


  • Added: Feb 15, 2022
  • Length: 04:47
  • Purchases: 2
198: Mary McLeod Bethune
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
Mary McLeod Bethune was the daughter of former slaves and a founder of Bethune-Cookman University. She was often the only woman of color with a sea...

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Feb 15, 2022
  • Length: 05:02
  • Purchases: 1
197: Singing Gorillas
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
Give a captive gorilla tasty food, they often vocalize in ways that sound a lot like singing. It's so charming! But scientists thought this "singin...

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Jan 10, 2022
  • Length: 05:08
  • Purchases: 1
194: Iris Sphincters
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
You might think you're special because you can flex your nostrils or flap your ears--but it turns out that there's a person out there who can volun...

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Jan 10, 2022
  • Length: 11:34
  • Purchases: 1
193: Navy Seals
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
The US military uses more than boats to protect our Naval bases. This episode brings a whole new meaning to "Navy seals".

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Jan 10, 2022
  • Length: 09:30
  • Purchases: 1
190: Beard Power
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
Those of you with a thick beard, that hair does more than make you look suave or rugged. Turns out, a beard might be protecting your face. There's ...

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Jan 10, 2022
  • Length: 05:03
  • Purchases: 1
188: Trash Parrots
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
Forget raccoons digging into your trash cans, Australia has giant parrots snacking out of trash bins. Some family groups of Sulfur-crested cockatoo...

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Nov 29, 2021
  • Length: 05:27
  • Purchases: 1

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