Moment Of Um

Latest Episodes:

How are alligators and crocodiles different? Jun 13, 2024

Show notes

People think alligators and crocodiles are really scary - and lots of people don’t understand the difference between them. But wildlife biologist Venetia Briggs-Gonzalez says they are very cool and helps us get to the bottom of their distinctive qualities!

Got a Moment of Um question that’s chomping away at your curiosity? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help hunt the answer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do microbes sleep? Jun 12, 2024

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Our world is FULL of microorganisms, or microbes for short! They’re tiny microscopic living things like bacteria– and they do so much for us! They help us digest our food. They help make some medicines– like antibiotics. They even help make some of our favorite foods like bread and cheese. Microbes sure are busy, but do they ever sleep? We asked microbiologist Daniel Bond to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t sleep on it!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do beehives look like hexagons? Jun 11, 2024

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If you’ve ever taken a close look at a beehive you can see that it is covered in tiny hexagons! But why is that? We asked bee researcher Jessica Kevill to help us find the answer.

Got a Moment of Um question that’s buzzing around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help get it all sorted out.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's inside a black hole? Jun 10, 2024

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A black hole is an area of outer space where gravity is so strong that nothing can get out … not even light! But what’s actually inside a black hole? Are there asteroids? Whole planets? A 1988 Buick LeSabre? We asked astrophysicist Amanda Farah to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s just your cup of gravi-TEA? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the hole truth!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do we have bones? Jun 07, 2024

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Bones! We’ve got lots of them. Leg bones, arm bones, face bones, even ear bones! But…not all animals even have bones inside their bodies. So what are our skeletons for? Why do we have them? We asked pediatrician Dr. Emma Gerstenzang to help us find the answer.

Got a topic you’d like to bone up on? Send us a question at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll paTELLa you the answer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do you lose your voice when you yell? Jun 06, 2024

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Have you ever stayed up late talking to your friends while watching movies, or yelled for your teammates at a soccer match, or screamed at the top of your lungs walking through a haunted house? Maybe you woke up the next day with a hoarse, scratchy voice that you didn’t even recognize. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Jennifer Long, an otolaryngologist, about why we lose our voice when we yell or talk loudly.

Do you have a Moment of Um question that’s so good it makes you want to scream? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help vocalize the answer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why are diamonds so rare and valuable? Jun 05, 2024

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Lots of people love sparkly, pretty things – especially precious stones, like diamonds. But who decides which stones are precious? And what makes diamonds so special? We asked geologist Marc M. Hirschmann to help us find the answer.

Got a priceless question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find a jewel of an answer!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why does your tongue stick to ice? Jun 04, 2024

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Have you ever been tempted to lick something frozen? Hopefully not, because your tongue could get stuck! But don’t worry, we talked to engineer Alexis Noel all about why our tongue sticks to ice, and what to do about it if that happens to you!

Do you have a Moment of Um question that’s so good it’s giving you the chills? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help unfreeze your brain.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did people make cave paintings? Jun 03, 2024

Show notes

In places all over the world, there are ancient paintings in caves and on cliff walls that were made thousands of years ago by the people living there. But this was way before modern paints, and those people couldn’t mosey down to the craft store to buy their brushes…so how did they make their paintings? We asked anthropologist David Ian Howe to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s close to your heART? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll draw on all our knowledge to find the answer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do bubbles pop? May 31, 2024

Show notes

Bubbles are everywhere! Soap bubbles, fizzy seltzer bubbles, underwater bubbles – even bubblegum bubbles! But how do bubbles pop? We asked mechanical engineer Jacy Bird to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you’re bursting to share? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll POP by with the answer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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