A podcast from Stupid Human Ltd

I really should know that...

Ten things you should probably understand by now. One theme, about twelve minutes, no condescension.

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Season one

Episodes

New episode every week

Episode 5: Brain Glitches - 10 weird things your brain does to you without asking

Things your brain does to you, without ever asking permission. Half your brain stays awake the first night in a new place. You can't remember being a baby. Sleep paralysis is the most terrifying experience your brain can throw at you. Here's the neuroscience behind all ten.I'm Ian Harris. This is "I Really Should Know That..." — adults catching up on the science they forgot.Chapters:0:00 Intro — 10 things your brain quietly does0:40 1. The first-night effect1:51 2. Sleep paralysis3:04 3. Why you can't remember being a baby4:19 4. Hypnic jerks — the falling feeling5:37 5. Why you copy accents6:51 6. How to unstick a song8:00 7. Why you check your phone with no reason9:10 8. Why you talk to yourself10:31 9. Why you feel watched11:48 10. Why crying makes you feel better13:01 Series 6 — vote in the comments#science #podcast #brain #neuroscience

30 Jun 2026 · 13 min

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Episode 4: Things You Stopped Questioning

The everyday phenomena you witness constantly and never ask about. Why the sky is blue. Why mirrors don't actually flip left and right. Why ice floats (and why life only exists because of it). Ten things you probably stopped questioning when you were six.I'm Ian Harris. This is "I Really Should Know That..." — adults catching up on the science they forgot.Chapters:0:00 Intro0:34 1. Why the sky is blue (and sunsets are red)1:48 2. Mirrors don't actually flip left and right3:00 3. Why ice floats (and why life depends on it)4:13 4. Why you can't tickle yourself5:28 5. Why yawns are contagious6:46 6. Why metal feels colder than wood8:01 7. Why clouds float when they weigh a million pounds9:16 8. The Moon Illusion10:27 9. Why you forget why you walked into a room11:38 10. Every rainbow is a full circle12:13 Series 5 — vote in the comments#science #physics #podcast #didyouknow

30 Jun 2026 · 12 min

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Episode 3: Your Weird Brain — 10 things it does that nobody explains

Ten things happening between your ears right now that you've stopped questioning.Why time speeds up as you get older. Why music gives you chills. Why you remember song lyrics from 1998 but not what you had for lunch on Tuesday. Why dreams feel real while you're in them.The last one — about a famous experiment with a gorilla — is going to make you slightly distrust your own eyes.About 12 minutes. Hosted by Ian Harris. Perfect for a commute or a walk.⏱ Chapters0:00 Welcome0:38 Three theories about déjà vu1:45 Why time speeds up as you age2:45 Why you remember old songs but not lunch3:48 Phantom limbs4:49 Why music gives you chills6:00 Why faces are easier than names7:03 The Mandela Effect (fake memories)8:06 Why dreams feel real9:14 Mirror neurons10:19 The gorilla experiment11:25 More coming🎧 Also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.About the showI Really Should Know That… is a show for adults who feel they should know the basic stuff and quietly don't. Each episode covers ten things on a theme — your body, kitchen chemistry, your weird brain, the things you stopped questioning — in about twelve minutes. No textbook tone. No condescension.Hosted by Ian Harris. New episodes weekly.#science #podcast #brain #neuroscience #psychology

11 Jun 2026 · 11 min

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Episode 2: Kitchen Chemistry — 10 things on your countertop

Ten things happening on your countertop right now that you've stopped asking questions about.Why soap actually works (it's not magic — it's molecular two-facedness). What fire is, chemically (a process, not a thing). Why bread rises (a tiny fungus is farting CO₂ into your dough). Why salt melts ice (a probability trick, not heat). What microwaves actually do to your food.The two best ones land at the end: why onions evolved to make you cry, and why the white crust in your kettle is the dissolved skeletons of prehistoric sea life.About 12 minutes. Hosted by Ian Harris. Perfect for a commute or a walk.⏱ Chapters0:00 Welcome0:40 Soap1:37 Baking soda vs baking powder2:35 Fire3:36 Salt + ice4:35 Rust5:43 Bread rising6:44 Microwaves7:50 Why onions make you cry8:55 Oil + water10:02 Kettle scale (fossil seabed)11:09 More coming🎧 Also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.About the showI Really Should Know That… is a show for adults who feel they should know the basic stuff and quietly don't. Each episode covers ten things on a theme — your body, kitchen chemistry, space, the history of medicine — in about twelve minutes. No textbook tone. No condescension.Hosted by Ian Harris. New episodes weekly.Note: this episode uses an AI-cloned narration of the host's own voice. Scripts are human-written.#science #podcast #kitchen #explainer #chemistry

27 May 2026 · 11 min

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S1E01

Episode 1 : Your body - 10 things it does that nobody explains

Ten things your body does every day that nobody ever explained to you.We start with goosebumps — why you get them when you're cold AND when you're scared AND when you hear a song you love. Then blushing (only humans do it, and there's a strange evolutionary reason). Pins and needles. Why yawns are contagious. Sneezing at 100 miles an hour. Why you can't tickle yourself.Hangovers — turns out it's not dehydration. The two best ones are saved for the end: your brain is being literally washed every night while you sleep, and your immune system is doing a security ID check on every single cell in your body right now.About twelve minutes. Perfect for a commute or a walk.

18 May 2026 · 9 min

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