Brain Candy

A block of Tomme de Savoie cheese ages with a sweater of Mucor lanceolatus fungal mold. Mucor itself doesn't have a strong taste, but more flavorful bacteria can travel far and wide along its hyphae â the microscopic, branched tendrils that fungi use

Science

The Cheese Does Not Stand Alone: How Fungi And Bacteria Team Up For A Tastier Rind

11:32am January 29, 2018

by Menaka Wilhelm

Cheese rinds may seem simple, even discardable, but the microbial world they contain is complex. Among their inhabitants: bacterial swimmers that hop on highways of fungal tendrils to get around.

Kim Kardashian and Donald Trump exemplify our contradictory feelings about the rich and famous. As Hidden Brain explores this week, we idolize the powerful, but also relish their downfall.

The Power Hour

6:00pm January 23, 2018

This week on Hidden Brain's radio show, we tackled a big topic: power. From our conflicted feelings toward the powerful, to the ways we gain and lose power ourselves, and how power really can corrupt.

Color really does impact our perception of taste — even if the ingredients are otherwise the same, scientists say. It's something candy companies use to their advantage.

Science

Are Gummy Bear Flavors Just Fooling Our Brains?

5:39pm January 08, 2018

by Ashlie Stevens

Color really does impact our perception of taste — even if the ingredients are otherwise the same, scientists say. It's something candy companies use to their advantage.

Researcher Elizabeth Currid-Halkett says celebrity can be boiled down to a simple formula.

Arts

Never Go To Vegas, And Other Unspoken Rules Of Being An A-Lister

9:00pm December 18, 2017

It can seem arbitrary the way certain people fascinate us. But researcher Elizabeth Currid-Halkett says celebrity has a formula. So does being part of any social group — perhaps even your own.

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Arts

Jamie Bartlett: What Goes On In The Secrecy Of The Dark Web?

10:37am December 15, 2017

by NPR/TED Staff

When journalist Jamie Bartlett dove into the secret, hidden part of the Internet known as the Dark Web, he was surprised by what he found lurking there.

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Science

How Scientists Are Growing Mini Brains In Petri Dishes For Experiments

4:34pm December 12, 2017

by Jon Hamilton

All week, All Things Considered is offering Highly Specific Superlatives in honor of the year that was. On Tuesday, we look at the weirdest leap forward in brain science. Researchers can now grow mini brains in a petri dish and then experiment on them.

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Cavitation produces a bubble that rapidly collapses and becomes hotter than the sun's surface. The mantis shrimp uses it, and now so do food and drink firms, to improve flavors — from yogurt to beer.

How The Food Industry Uses Cavitation, The Ocean's Most Powerful Punch

2:47pm December 11, 2017

by Ian Graber-Stiehl

Cavitation produces a bubble that rapidly collapses and becomes hotter than the sun's surface. The mantis shrimp uses it, and now so do food and drink firms, to improve flavors — from yogurt to beer.

Ben Anderson collects grass samples in Western Australia. Spinifex tastes to some like salt and vinegar chips — but it's so hard and spiky that scientists say collecting samples can be painful.

Science

Scientists Discover Grass Species With Intriguing 'Salt And Vinegar' Chip Flavor

12:24pm December 08, 2017

by Angus Chen

Alas, you wouldn't want to eat this native of Western Australia — Spinifex grasses are often so hard and spiky that scientists say collecting samples can be painful.

Dishwashers have come a long way since this 1921 model, which was designed mainly to help minimize the drudgery of housework. But today's sleek models are also designed with water conservation in mind.

To Save Water, Should You Wash Your Hands Of Hand Washing Dishes?

4:51pm November 24, 2017

by Natalie Jacewicz

The sustainable choice between the dishwasher and a manual scrub-down may just boil down to your washing style — but it's hard to beat today's efficient machines.

Amos Winter: How Do You Build An All-Terrain Wheelchair For Under $200?

9:38am November 17, 2017

by NPR/TED Staff

In many countries, uneven and unpaved roads make it hard to get around in a standard wheelchair. MIT engineer Amos Winter describes his design for a lever-powered all-terrain wheelchair under $200.

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