THE PODCAST
MOST RECENT EPISODES
Purestock/Thinkstock

How PTSD Works

With Post-traumatic Stress Disorder the sufferer relives, over and over again, the worst moment of his life. What’s worse is medicine still doesn’t know how to treat it. Learn about this condition and how it’s leading to an understanding of memory.

chuck-600x350

How Cicadas Work

Cicadas are crawling out from underground, where they have been hiding in the darkness for almost two decades. As of May 2013, they're invading the East Coast from North Carolina to New York. But why? Learn more about cicadas with Josh and Chuck.

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

How Aerosol Cans Work

In the 87 years since they were invented aerosol cans have protected soldiers, temporarily fixed flat tires, killed a boy who used too much deodorant and had their contents banned by most countries for wrecking the ozone layer. Tune in to learn more.

© Bettmann/CORBIS

How Electroconvulsive Therapy Works

With the exception of lobotomies, no other psychological treatment has a worse reputation. But thanks to some thoughtful tweaks, ECT has lately emerged from the dark ages and toward the respectable forefront of treatment for major depression.

foot-binding-600x350

How Foot Binding Worked

Once in a while, all the necessary factors converge to produce a peculiar nationalized sexual fetish. In China, that fetish was foot binding and over a millennia three billion Chinese women’s feet were brutally disfigured for men’s pleasure.

© Andrew Fox/Corbis

How Fair Trade Works

The West has gotten rich off the backs of underpaid labor living elsewhere; people who are dedicated to Fair Trade feel it’s time people at a disadvantage should stop being exploited. The concept is simple – just pay workers fairly for their labor.

d&d-600x350

How Dungeons and Dragons Works

Despite what you’ve heard, Dungeons and Dragons isn’t just for geeks, it isn’t satanic and it’s actually a pretty great way to exercise your imagination. Find out about the basics of D&D, its place in pop culture and the controversy the classic role playing game has stirred.

serum-600x350

Is there such a thing as a truth serum?

Ever since people have had secrets, other people have been looking for ways to get it out of them. Law enforcement and chemistry alike have searched for a drug that can remove the ability to lie. Join Josh and Chuck as they check in to see how it’s going.

Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock

What makes us yawn?

What is it that makes us suddenly draw in a deep breath through a wide-open mouth? The beautiful thing about yawning is that researchers really don’t know. Whether the answer is physical, mental or even contagious there is pretty much no chance you won’t yawn during this episode.

Stockbyte/Thinkstock

How Magnets Work

You can stick them to the fridge or use them to transpose sound to tape, whatever they are used for magnets are surprisingly interesting. And knowing just exactly how and why magnets work will make you more interesting, which is why you should listen to this episode of SYSK.

About the TV Show
TV Show Stuff You Should Know … on Science Channel!

Read all about the TV show on Science Channel.

Read Now   »
SYSK Shorts
Video Clips Josh & Chuck’s Short Clips

Clips from the show, behind-the-scenes stuff, SYSK shorts, and so much more.

Watch Now   »
Meet the Guys
Josh and Chuck About Josh & Chuck

Get to know the guys behind the microphone.

Read Now   »