How the La Brea Tar Pits Work

FromStuff You Should Know

View podcast show

Currently unavailable

How the La Brea Tar Pits Work

FromStuff You Should Know

ratings:

Length:

37 minutes

Released:

Jun 24, 2014

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

It's surprising that a few 12-feet-deep pools of asphalt have proven to be one of the most significant troves of Pleistocene fossils, but the La Brea Tar Pits, located in the heart of Los Angeles, are giving science a clear picture of a puzzling time. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Released:

Jun 24, 2014

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Skip carousel

Are Dogs Really Man's Best Friend?: Check out the story of Hachiko, a loyal Akita who waited for over ten years for his master to return. Learn more about Hachiko and loyalty in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by Stuff You Should Know
5 min listen
How Trolley Problems Work: The trolley problem is an ethical dilemma that proposes a difficult decision about choosing whether a group of strangers lives or dies. Learn more about ethics and the nature of sacrifice in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by Stuff You Should Know
6 min listen
How Grassoline Works: Could switch grass become the car fuel of the future? Learn more about alternative fuel in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by Stuff You Should Know
5 min listen
How Personal Rapid Transport Works: Personal rapid transport combines the best traits of subways and taxis, and costs less to build than light rail. Could this be the future of transportation? Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast and learn more about personal rapid transport. by Stuff You Should Know
6 min listen
How The Eye of a Tornado Works: In recorded history, only two people have entered the eye of a tornado and returned to tell the tale. Learn more about the inside of tornadoes in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by Stuff You Should Know
6 min listen
Why Does Toothpaste Make Orange Juice Taste Bad?: Why does toothpaste make orange juice taste bad? Chuck recounts his first-hand experience, and how it works. by Stuff You Should Know
5 min listen
How Lame Ducks Work: In U.S. politics, a lame duck is a president who will not be re-elected because he or she has been passed over for election, or already served the maximum two terms. Learn more about the origin of lame duck presidents in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by Stuff You Should Know
6 min listen
Are Nazi War Criminals Still At Large?: After the close of World War II, Nazi war criminals fled Europe and attempted to hide under assumed identities. Some may still be at large. Learn more about Nazi war criminals in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by Stuff You Should Know
5 min listen
Exactly what happens if we run out of water?: In 1995, World Bank vice president Ismail Serageldin declared that "the wars of the next century will be about water." Check out our HowStuffWorks article to learn what happens once we run out of water. by Stuff You Should Know
13 min listen
How Murphy's Law Works: Murphy's law originates in 1949, and states 'anything that can go wrong, will.' Check out this HowStuffWorks to learn more about how the Air Force discovered Murphy's law. by Stuff You Should Know
6 min listen
Can People Really Get Hysterical Strength?: During times of emergency, people have been known to preform feats of great strength. Learn more about going from the dull stare of the dairy cow to the eye of the tiger in seconds flat. by Stuff You Should Know
6 min listen
Are Dogs a Shark's Favorite Meal?: In 2005, The Sun reported that dogs were being used as live bait in the Indian Ocean. Is it possible that dogs are a delicacy to sharks? Take a look at our HowStuffWorks article to learn more about the diet of sharks. by Stuff You Should Know
6 min listen
Can I Survive a Shark Attack by Gouging Out Its Eyes?: Although it can be intimidating, a shark is not invulnerable. Punching its nose, gouging its eyes, or grabbing its gills can stun the shark and give victims a chance to escape. Check out our HowStuffWorks article to learn more about shark attacks. by Stuff You Should Know
6 min listen
Can I feel pregnant when my wife is?: Sympathy pregnancy is the condition where a man feels pregnant while his wife actually is. Learn more about the symptoms for sympathy pregnancy in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by Stuff You Should Know
6 min listen
How Altruism Works: Is there such a thing as a truly unselfish act? Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast and learn more about the nature of altruism. by Stuff You Should Know
6 min listen
How Antibacterial Soap Works: Could the routine use of antibacterial soap increase the presence of drug-resistant bacteria in your home? Learn more about the disadvantages of anti-bacterial soap in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by Stuff You Should Know
6 min listen
How Prayer Healing Works: Studies have shown that prayer has a positive effect on individuals, but can your prayer heal someone else? Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to find out how science weighs in on the power of intercessory prayer -- and if it should at all. by Stuff You Should Know
17 min listen
How Flirting Works: Flirting is an ancient -- and, at times, unconscious -- form of communication used to indicate interest in and receptivity to another person. Learn about the science of flirting and find out how to flirt in this podcast from HowStuffWorks. by Stuff You Should Know
18 min listen
How Swearing at Work Works: Swear words are usually considered workplace taboos -- yet the debate continues over whether these words are inappropriate, or examples of free speech. Learn more about using swear words at work in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by Stuff You Should Know
5 min listen
How Death-Proof Cars Work: Could high-end digital auto systems such as blind-spot detection and collision prevention overcome the errors of human drivers? Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about the death-proof cars of the future. by Stuff You Should Know
6 min listen
How Alien Hand Syndrome Works: When a person has alien hand syndrome, his or her hand can move involuntarily, and seemingly of its own volition. Tune in and learn more about this misunderstood syndrome in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. by Stuff You Should Know
16 min listen
Is knife hunting the fairest way to hunt?: Fair chase is the idea that a balance should be struck between the hunter's ability to kill prey and the prey's ability escape. Take a look at our HowStuffWorks article to learn more about knife hunting, and whether or not it's the fairest way to hunt. by Stuff You Should Know
7 min listen
10 Terribly Bungled Crimes: Ten terribly bungled crimes throughout history are explored, such as drug deals gone wrong. Find out which ones are at the top of the list for Josh and Chuck in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by Stuff You Should Know
11 min listen
Does Gum Stay in your Stomach for Seven Years?: Does gum really stay in your stomach for Seven Years? Josh and Chuck take on the parental myth of gum swollowing. by Stuff You Should Know
6 min listen
How Contagious Yawning Works: Yawning is contagious, but why? Check out the leading theories on contagious yawning and empathy in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by Stuff You Should Know
6 min listen
How Ripperology Works: The unsolved murder spree of Jack the Ripper has captivated generations of amateur investigators, each with their own theory of the killer's identity. Learn more about one particularly thought-provoking suspect in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by Stuff You Should Know
6 min listen
How Can I Erase My Identity and Start Over?: Everyone dreams of snagging a fresh start at life. Whether you've thought of changing your dull given name, or just disappearing entirely, this HowStuffWorks podcast will tell you what it takes to erase your identity. by Stuff You Should Know
11 min listen
How Albert Einstein's Brain Worked: Albert Einstein is one of the world's most recognizable geniuses. But was his brain any different from that of an average person? Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about Thomas Harvey, the man who set out to decipher Einstein's brain. by Stuff You Should Know
19 min listen
What's the most expensive toilet in the world?: The most expensive toilet in the world is made of solid gold and can be found in Hong Kong. Learn more about the world's most expensive toilet in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by Stuff You Should Know
5 min listen
How Blood Pressure Works: High blood pressure -- or hypertension -- is elevated pressure of the blood in the arteries. Hypertension results from two major factors. Check out our HowStuffWorks article to learn more about the causes of and treatment for hypertension. by Stuff You Should Know
14 min listen

More Episodes from Stuff You Should Know

Skip carousel

Hitchhiking: Two thumbs out! by Stuff You Should Know
51 min listen
Short Stuff: The Amazing Tale of Juliane Koepcke by Stuff You Should Know
13 min listen
The Dubious Science of Arson Investigation by Stuff You Should Know
47 min listen
Selects: How Famines Work by Stuff You Should Know
49 min listen
Testosterone and Estrogen: Wondrous Hormones by Stuff You Should Know
49 min listen
Short Stuff: Straitjackets by Stuff You Should Know
13 min listen
The 1977 Women's Conference That Changed America by Stuff You Should Know
50 min listen
Selects: All the Gold In Fort Knox: Meh by Stuff You Should Know
52 min listen
The Everglades: Wowee by Stuff You Should Know
54 min listen
Short Stuff: Knock on Wood by Stuff You Should Know
11 min listen
Greedflation Is Real by Stuff You Should Know
56 min listen
Selects: Who is The Man of the Hole? by Stuff You Should Know
38 min listen
The Pulitzer Prize: A major award! by Stuff You Should Know
49 min listen
Short Stuff: Ramree Island Crocodile Massacre by Stuff You Should Know
11 min listen
Love Canal: Even Dirtier Than It Sounds by Stuff You Should Know
47 min listen
Selects: MOVE: Or When the Philly Police Dropped a Bomb on a Residential Neighborhood by Stuff You Should Know
52 min listen
Peanuts (the comic) Part II by Stuff You Should Know
45 min listen
Short Stuff: Mariko Aoki Phenomenon by Stuff You Should Know
12 min listen
Peanuts (the comic) Part I by Stuff You Should Know
45 min listen
Selects: How Dyslexia Works by Stuff You Should Know
43 min listen
The Alien Abduction Phenomenon of the Mid-20th Century by Stuff You Should Know
51 min listen
Short Stuff: Skittles and TIO2 by Stuff You Should Know
12 min listen
Leave Brutalism Alone! by Stuff You Should Know
49 min listen
Selects: The Science of Break-Ups by Stuff You Should Know
51 min listen
The Smiley, Stubborn Llama by Stuff You Should Know
41 min listen
Short Stuff: Roly Poly...Bugs? by Stuff You Should Know
11 min listen
Mulititasking: Working slower with worse results by Stuff You Should Know
46 min listen
Selects: The Case of Sacco and Vanzetti by Stuff You Should Know
56 min listen
Wireless Electricity: When Can We Unplug Our TVs? by Stuff You Should Know
47 min listen

Related podcast episodes

Skip carousel

Episode #011: Younger Dryas - Catastrophe and Megafauna: Randall transitions into the first stages of the many-tiered discussions that will follow regarding the period that Plato pegged long ago as the time when the fabled Atlantis was destroyed – what scientists now refer to as the Younger-Dryas Boundary... by Kosmographia
94 min listen
The Lascaux Cave Art: The Lascaux Cave Art by Who Arted: Weekly Art History for All Ages
8 min listen
Ep. 154 - Catacombs of Paris: Paris is the City of Lights, but deep in the darkness, beneath the streets, in the underground, lie hundreds of miles of tunnels that make up a vast ossuary for the dead. These tunnels are dangerous and largely unmapped, with pitfalls and areas filled... by History Goes Bump: Ghost Tours For The Mind
36 min listen
El Canal de Panamá by Simple Stories in Spanish
20 min listen
Are the Dare Stones Forgeries or the Key to the Roanoke Mystery? by BrainStuff
6 min listen
The Only Human In The La Brea Tar Pits: La Brea Woman is the name given to the only human ever excavated from the La Brea Tar Pits, but how did she end up there? by Eons: Mysteries of Deep Time
17 min listen
#258 Tales from Tribeca History by The Bowery Boys: New York City History
60 min listen
From the Vault: Prehistoric Transylvania by Stuff To Blow Your Mind
42 min listen
Water on Mars: You may have heard that NASA discovered evidence of flowing water on Mars. We take a look at previous discoveries involving H2O and the Red Planet as well as ask what does this new discovery mean? by Fw:Thinking
49 min listen
Raf De Bont, “Stations in the Field: A History of Place-Based Animal Research, 1870-1930” (U of Chicago Press, 2015): While museums, labs, and botanical gardens have been widely studied by historians of science, field stations have received comparatively little attention.Raf De Bont‘s new book rectifies this oversight, turning our attention to the importance of biolog... by New Books in Science
62 min listen
Kaatedocus - Episode 226: A juvenile T. rex chewing on bone, Quadrupedal theropod tracks, and a new ornithopod by I Know Dino: The Big Dinosaur Podcast
37 min listen
Episode #015: Younger Dryas - Fossils - Part 2: RC reviews the species loss and timings of the "Great Five" extinction events throughout Earth history, then provides more examples from the scientific literature regarding the taphonomic circumstances under which some of the recovered Pleistocene... by Kosmographia
82 min listen
Ep 124: Science... sort of - The Lake Lake Show: 00:00:00 - Lake Vostok is perhaps the most difficult to get to lake in the world. Yet the Russians have spent over a decade attempting to tap it. What's the deal? Why so interesting? And is it even a good idea? There's a lot to say... by Science... sort of
60 min listen
Siva Linga off the Spain Coast National Geographic Reference by Hinduism History Practices Mantras
5 min listen
Understanding LA’s Past, Present and Future at La Brea Tar Pits by How To LA
24 min listen
Fish Tanks and Aquariums by Patented: History of Inventions
31 min listen
Ep. 165 - Windsor's Capitol Theater and Texas Road: Windsor, Ontario is a mid-sized city on the southwest tip of Ontario, Canada, across the river from Detroit, Michigan. It's a multi-cultural city with a strong history in manufacturing. The French founded the early settlement here and this is... by History Goes Bump: Ghost Tours For The Mind
33 min listen
Bottles in the Basement: Deep in the cellars of one of England's grandest country homes, covered in dirt and cobwebs, lay dozens of bottles of ancient rum. Their... by Stuff The British Stole
37 min listen
The Devil's Sea by Unexplained Mysteries
39 min listen
Colosseum by The Ancients
44 min listen
Death on the Dance Floor: How one tiny error brought 60 tons of glass, concrete and steel crashing down on a packed hotel lobby. by Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford
37 min listen
Arlene Gould and Kelli West - Historic Homes and Gardens in Natchitoches, Louisiana: From pocket parks and gardens to historic sites and architectural walking tours, this episode of Big Blend Radio's 3rd Tuesday 'Go Natchitoches' Show focuses on historic homes and gorgeous gardens in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Featured guests are Arlene... by Big Blend Radio: Garden Gossip Home & Garden
45 min listen
A NEW POTTERY DATING TECHNIQUE | Prehistory Guys Investigate | PODCAST #30 by The Prehistory Guys
16 min listen
Best of Summer: The Loudest Sound: Imagine if an explosion in California was so loud that it could be heard in New York City. This is the story of a real event that was just as loud — the loudest sound ever recorded in human history. by Endless Thread
40 min listen
Rise of Atlantis and Fall of the Lemuria: The War that Sank a Continent by The Why Files: Operation Podcast
30 min listen
The Mean, Green, Water-Cleaning Machine: One man's journey to fight pollution with his algal solution. by Sidedoor
23 min listen
Episode #101: Atlantis Quest; Hapgood Crust/Pole Shifts; Bronze Age Collapse; Science Censored: “The Randall Carlson” socials, VoD titles, tours, events, podcasts, merch shop, donate: https://randallcarlson.com/links Some brief recollections of the Montana megafloods tour and RC 1st trip into Scablands region, then looking ahead to future... by Kosmographia
108 min listen
Episode #34: Rivals- Pollock vs. de Kooning (Season 3, Episode 3): This episode is sponsored by The Great Courses Plus. Get a FREE month of unlimited access to over 9,000 lectures presented by engaging, award-winning experts on everything from art to physics, interior design and world languages. Sign up today... by ArtCurious Podcast
31 min listen
Episode 67 - The La Brea Tar Pits: How odd that one of the world’s richest and most famous fossil sites isn’t on a mountain or in a desert, but in the heart of one of the world’s largest cities. In this episode, we’ll dive into the history of the La Brea Tar Pits, explore how the site cam... by The Common Descent Podcast
99 min listen
La Brea Tar Pits (Ice Age California!) with Sean Campbell by Golden State Naturalist
64 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

How the La Brea Tar Pits Work

How the La Brea Tar Pits Work

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Stuff You Should Know

Related podcast episodes