Moment Of Um

Latest Episodes:

How do trees make rings? Jan 18, 2024

Show notes

Tree rings are kind of like a tree’s personal diary – they record everything that happens to them - from the weather, to fires and insects. One of our listeners wanted to know how tree rings form, and if you can actually tell the age of a tree by counting the rings. We asked forest ecologist Diana Macias to help us with the answer.

Do you have a stumper of a question for Moment of Um? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll get to the root of the problem.

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Why does steam travel up instead of down? Jan 17, 2024

Show notes

It seems like water always falls down. Rain and snow fall down from the sky. Watering cans pour water down on plants. Waterfalls – well, the water falls down! But when water is steam, it rises up. Why is that? We asked aerospace engineer Nicole Sharp to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s weighing you down? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find what’s up.

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How do fish get into lakes? Jan 16, 2024

Show notes

Here at Moment of Um, we love fishing for questions, and the one we’re answering now is a great catch. It comes from Marc, in Miami Florida: When lakes form, how do fish get in them? Associate Professor Megan McPhee from the University of Alaska Fairbanks helps us get to the bottom of this topic. If you have a Moment of Um question, send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and you could hear the answer on a future episode!

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Do butterflies sleep? Jan 15, 2024

Show notes

Sleep helps our brains and bodies rest. Lots of animals need sleep to survive, like birds, mice and even humpback whales! But what about insects, like butterflies? Do they doze off, too? We asked insect expert Meredith Cenzer to help us find the answer.

Got a question fluttering around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t sleep on it!

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Why do I get so sleepy riding in a car? Jan 12, 2024

Show notes

If you’ve ever been on a long car trip, you may have noticed that you start to feel sleepy as the car moves. Is it because the seats are so comfy? Is the radio hypnotizing you? Are the floor mats sprinkled with secret sleepy dust? We asked neuroscientist Aurore Perrault to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s driving you nuts? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help dream up an answer.

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Can one black hole eat another black hole? Jan 11, 2024

Show notes

Black holes are one of the strangest things in space: gravity is so strong that nothing gets out, not even light, so learning about them is a big challenge for scientists. If black holes “eat” everything around them, could one black hole eat another black hole? We talked with astrophysicist Marcos Flores to shed some light on the subject.

Are you in the dark with a Moment of Um question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and you could hear the answer on a future episode!

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Where do the insects go when Venus flytraps eat them? Jan 10, 2024

Show notes

Have you ever seen a Venus flytrap in action? An unsuspecting insect lands inside and BAM! The plant’s toothy leaves snap shut in a fraction of a second! But what happens to the insects that get stuck inside a Venus flytrap? We asked insect expert Meredith Cenzer to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s trapped in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help break down the answer!

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How do narwhal tusks grow? Jan 09, 2024

Show notes

Narwhals are sometimes called “the unicorns of the sea” because of their giant spiral tusks. It turns out that those tusks are actually a big tooth that grows right out of the narwhal’s mouth! One of our listeners wanted to know if narwhals were born with a hole in their head for the tusk, and if not, does it hurt the narwhal when the tusk comes through? We spoke with marine biologist Kristin Laidre to get the tooth – er, the truth.

If you’ve got a whale of a question for Moment of Um, you can send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact!

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Why do our personalities change when we’re teenagers? Jan 08, 2024

Show notes

Some teens’ personalities seem to change more frequently than the weather in April! Why is that? What’s going on in the brains and bodies of growing humans that changes how they interact with friends and family? We asked child development expert Dr. Ed Greene to tell us about the mighty forces that shape a young person’s personality.

Got a question that will boost your mood? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help you feel out an answer!

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Why do fish jump out of the water? Jan 05, 2024

Show notes

Picture this: you’re enjoying a perfect day by your favorite lake. The sun is shining, the water is calm, and everything is peaceful … until SPLASH! A fish flies out of the water like a silver torpedo and flops back down into the lake. Why do fish do that, anyway? We asked aquatic biologist Keegan Lutek to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you’re POND-ering? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an answer that really makes a splash!

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