Moment Of Um

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Latest Episodes:

Why can’t we feel our hair growing? Mar 24, 2025

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Heads up! Your hair is always growing. Like your fingernails, hair is a part of our body that will grow and grow unless you cut it. But how come we don’t feel it growing? We asked pediatrician Dr Wendy Hunter to help us find the answer.

Got a question that has you tearing your hair out? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help comb through research for the answer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do plants have DNA? Mar 21, 2025

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DNA is the secret recipe that makes you…YOU! The color of your hair…whether you like cilantro…so many traits have something to do with this microscopic, spiralized instruction manual in your cells. But what about plants? Do they have DNA, too? We asked biologist Candace Haigler to help us find the answer.

Question gotcha twisted? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help decode it for ya!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do flat rocks skip across water? Mar 20, 2025

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Throwing a flat rock juuust right so that it skips across the surface of a pond or river is super satisfying. How many hops can you get? Two? Seven? Sixty-five? But how does the right kind of throw cause a rock to NOT sink as soon as it touches the water? We asked Jon Lambert of Splash Lab to help us find the answer.

Got questions skipping through your brain? Send your questions to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll throw you some answers.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do flightless birds have wings? Mar 19, 2025

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Fish swim. Frogs hop. Birds fly. Well, not all birds. Penguins and ostriches, for instance, can’t spread their wings and soar. So then, why do they have wings? We asked paleontologist Jingmai O’Connor to help us find the answer.

Is there a question that’s got your tail feathers all in a twist? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll find a reliable answer – we promise not to wing it!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How are cheetahs so fast? Mar 18, 2025

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Have you ever raced a cheetah? Hopefully not, that sounds dangerous. But if you have, that cheetah probably left you in her dust. We asked Rick Schwartz from the San Diego Zoo to help us figure out why cheetahs are so fast.

Got a question that’s testing you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you find an answer so you don’t have to be a cheetah!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why does cutting onions make you cry? Mar 17, 2025

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Onions add zesty flavor to lots of different foods, like soups, salads, omelets, and much more! But sometimes, chopping them up can make your eyes water – ugh! Why does that happen, anyway? We asked chef and cookbook author Kenji Lopez-Alt to help us find the answer.

Got a question ON-ion your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll find such a great answer, you’ll weep for joy!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do lizards detach their tails? Mar 14, 2025

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Lizards are awesome creatures. Some have long forked tongues, others can move their eyeballs in opposite directions. And get this: some lizards can even drop their tails and grow new ones. But how and why do they do this? We asked lizard researcher Laura Kojima to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you iguana know the answer to? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you find the de-tails.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why is chocolate poisonous for dogs? Mar 13, 2025

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Whether you have a dog, want a dog, don’t like dogs, or are a dog…one thing's for sure. Dogs can’t eat chocolate! Why is it so bad for them? We asked Cassie Panning, a certified veterinary technician from the University of Minnesota, to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s pawing at you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help pup-date you on the topic!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do we faint? Mar 12, 2025

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You might have seen someone faint in a movie. It usually happens after they see something shocking. They close their eyes and suddenly fall to the ground. In real life, people faint for many different reasons, not just shock. We asked pediatrician Dr. Wendy Hunter to tell us more about fainting.

Got a question that’s shockingly hard to answer? Send it to BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find a swoon worthy explanation!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do we feel dizzy when we twirl around? Mar 11, 2025

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Spinning around in circles is really fun right? And then a weird thing happens. When you stop, it’s like the world is turned upside down and you don’t know which way you’re facing and you feel dizzy and sometimes even fall down! We asked infectious disease physician Dr. Frank Rhame to help understand why that is.

Got a question that’s spinning you around in circles? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help set you straight!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.