Moment Of Um

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Latest Episodes:

How do ping-pong balls bounce so high? Jan 13, 2025

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Ping pong is a super fun game. It’s like miniature tennis, where people use paddles to make balls fly across a table., and sometimes way, way up in the air! But how do those tiny plastic balls manage to bounce so high? We asked physicist Dr. Kiley Kennedy to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s bouncing around your brain? Ping us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll serve up the answer!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How does gasoline turn into exhaust? Jan 10, 2025

Show notes

Lots of cars, trucks and buses are powered by gasoline. You put the gasoline in a little hole on the side of the vehicle, it powers the engine and then it comes out of the tailpipe as exhaust fumes. But what’s going on inside that engine? And how does gas turn into exhaust anyway? We asked chemistry professor Dr. Josie Nardo to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s really exhausting you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll steeryou toward the answer!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens in our bodies when we are sick? Jan 09, 2025

Show notes

Let’s say you wake up on a Tuesday morning feeling fine and fresh. But by the end of the night your throat hurts, you’re coughing, and there’s snot dripping from your nose. What happened in the course of that one day to make you feel so sick? Dr. Courtney Jordan Baechler helps us stick our noses in this (t)issue.

Got a question you can’t fever out? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and then be patient! We’ll help find the answer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do some trees grow taller than others? Jan 08, 2025

Show notes

There are all different kinds of trees in the world, from towering redwoods to tiny willow trees smaller than an action figure. Why are there so many different sizes of trees, anyway? We asked tree expert Jake Miesbauer to help us find the answer.

Got a tree-mendous question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll ginkGO find the answer!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why are peaches and some other fruits fuzzy? Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

Have you ever picked up a peach in the supermarket and noticed that its skin is covered in soft fuzz? What’s that about? Should we be taking our peaches to barbershops? And what about kiwis? They’re covered in scratchy hairs! Why do some fruits have fuzz while others have smooth skin? We talked to Dario Chavez from the University of Georgia to find out.

Got a fresh ‘n’ fruity question? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an a-peeling answer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How were black holes first discovered? Jan 06, 2025

Show notes

Black holes are mysterious. They are so dense that no light can escape them, which makes them super hard to find! So how did we discover the first black hole? We asked NASA engineer Varoujan Gorjian to help us find the answer.

Got a mystery you’d love to shed some light on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help search the skies for an answer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do records work? Dec 20, 2024

Show notes

Records are big flat discs with circular lines on them that you can use to play music. But how does a record work, anyway? We asked audio engineer Josh Bonati to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s spinning around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an answer that’s music to your ears!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do airplanes have a speed limit? Dec 19, 2024

Show notes

Airplanes fly high in the sky and at super fast speeds. But is there a limit to how fast they’re allowed to fly? You know, in the way cars have speed limits? For this episode, we talked to Bobby Sharp, an air traffic controller, who helps us understand if airplanes have a need for speed.

Got a question you need answered fast? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll try our plane old best to get it answered!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do stethoscopes work? Dec 18, 2024

Show notes

Have you ever been to the doctor and had them listen to your body with a stethoscope? It’s that funny looking thing that looks like a long rubbery tube with a round metal circle on one end and two ear pieces on the other. Doctors always seem to have one handy, but what is it and how does it work? We asked pediatrician Emma Gerstenzang to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you need scoped out? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll prescribe you an answer!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How many times does our heart beat a day? Dec 17, 2024

Show notes

Most of us know that we have a heart. We know that it beats - sometimes faster, sometimes slower. But just how many times does it beat in a day? We asked Dr. Courtney Jordan Baechler to have a heart-to-heart with us about this question. (She is also the host of the podcast Heart-to-Heart Conversations!)

Got a question that you just love? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t beat around the bush!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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