Moment Of Um

Latest Episodes:

How does the internet work? Sep 02, 2024

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The internet has been around since the 1960s, and since then it has become a huge part of our lives. We use it to look up cool facts, send messages, order pizza…and listen to podcasts! But how does the internet actually work? We asked computer scientist Vikram Iyer to help us find the answer.

Got a question written in your search bar? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help connect you with the answer!

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Where does the metal in meteors come from? Aug 30, 2024

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Outer space is far from empty. There are chunks of space rock zipping around, and occasionally one of them finds its way through our atmosphere to smack into Earth’s surface. There’s usually metal contained within those space rocks…but where does the metal come from? We asked planetary geologist Paul Byrne to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s totally metal? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll STARt looking for an answer!

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What are tongues for? Aug 29, 2024

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So there’s this big, bumpy muscle inside of our mouths and we know it’s important and that we have to take great care of it. But what’s it even for? We asked Otolaryngologist Laura Orvidas from the Mayo Clinic to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s got you all tongue tied? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll muscle an answer out of an expert.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How does coffee keep you awake? Aug 28, 2024

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Coffee is known for giving people energy. In fact, some say they can’t start their day without coffee! It made us wonder why coffee helps us stay awake. We asked dietician and nutritionist Maria Cruz to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s percolating in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find an answer and spill the beans for you.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do raspberries have little hairs on them? Aug 27, 2024

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Mammals have hair to help keep warm in the cold, and in some cases - to look awesome! But why do raspberries have those little hairs all over them? They don’t get cold - do they? We asked Emily Hoover from the University of Minnesota to help us understand.

Got a question that’s berry hard to answer? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll pick an expert to answer it!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where does blue raspberry flavor come from? Aug 26, 2024

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There are lots of foods that are blue-raspberry flavored, like candy, popsicles, or fizzy drinks. But there’s no such thing as a blue raspberry…so where does that flavor come from? We asked food scientist Adam Johnson to help us find the answer.

Got a TASTEful question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll do you a flavor and find the answer.

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Why do people have common dreams? Aug 23, 2024

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Sometimes people dream about similar things, like losing teeth, being chased by monsters, or forgetting to study for a test. Why are there some kinds of dreams that people share? We asked dream researcher Tore Nielsen to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s just dreamy? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll share the answer with you.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do we have nightmares? Aug 22, 2024

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Ahhh! There is nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night after a nightmare. Your heart is pounding, you’re all sweaty and suddenly your room seems so dark. Sometimes, you’re almost too scared to close your eyes and try to fall back asleep. What’s the point of these scary dreams anyway? Is there a reason we have them at all? We reached out to sleep scientist Ketema Paul to get the answer.

Got a question keeping you up at night? Send it to us at brains on dot org slash contact and we’ll wake you up with the answer.

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How do we know dreams aren’t real? Aug 21, 2024

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Have you ever had a dream that felt so real you thought it actually happened? Our brain can cook up some really vivid images while we sleep, complete with sounds and even emotions. So how do we tell the difference between dreams and real life? We asked dream researcher Tore Nielsen to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you’re dreaming about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact – we won’t snooze on finding the answer!

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What happens to dreams we don’t remember? Aug 20, 2024

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Dreams can be fun, scary or just plain weird. We typically dream for around two hours a night, but we usually don’t remember what we dreamt about. So what happens? We asked dream researcher Tore Nielsen to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s haunting your dreams at night? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t rest until we find an answer!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.