Moment of Um: Recent Episodes

American Public Media

Moment of Um is your daily answer to those questions that pop up out of nowhere and make you go… ummmmmmm. Brought to you by your friends at Brains On at APM Studios.

People are smart in so many different ways. Some are book smart, while others are good with people, great at solving puzzles, or skilled at drawing. But what about musicians? It takes a lot of brainpower to be able to play music. Are they smarter than others? We asked voice teacher Kristy Bissell to help us find the answer.

Got a really smart question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll re-chord a great answer for you.

Colors have so many different names! Even just one color, like pink, might have a few dozen names. There’s coral pink, fuschia, salmon, rose, mauve, blush or even Barbie pink! But where do these names come from, and who gets to decide which ones we use? We asked color science professor Stephen Westland to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s a pigment of your imagination? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you brush up on the answer.

Happy Bee Week! Each episode this week gives you the buzz on our powerful, pollinating friends. Bees spread pollen from one flower to another, which helps the flowers make seeds and grow new plants. But do they have a favorite flower? We asked Johns Hopkins graduate student Abel Corver to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you may bee wondering about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the answer, honey!

Have you ever noticed that your voice on a video or audio recording sounds totally different from when you’re just speaking? Maybe you’ve recorded yourself talking or singing, and when you play it back…it sounds like a different person! Why is that? We asked voice teacher Kristy Bissell to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s really speaking to you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find a pitch perfect answer.

Mice and rats are some of the most common critters around. You may see them out in your yard, on the street, or even sometimes in your house! It can be hard to tell them apart because they look similar, with twitchy little noses and hairless tails. So what’s the difference between a mouse and a rat? We asked Philadelphia Zoo animal curator Michael Stern to help us find the answer.

Got an a-MOUSE-zing question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll answer it on squeakerphone.

Insects are incredible climbers. Flies, ants, grasshoppers and many others can climb straight up walls using teeny tiny claws on their feet. But what happens if one loses its balance and takes a tumble? Would it get hurt? We asked Johns Hopkins University neuroscience graduate student Abel Corver to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s really buggin’ you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll take the plunge to find an answer!

Fireflies are nature’s fireworks! Depending on where you live, you might see their blue-green lights twinkling in forests, parks, or even your backyard! But how do they make light? We asked Johns Hopkins graduate student Abel Corver to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s lighting up your imagination? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll answer it faster than you can say, “Ready, set, glow!”

Not only can people make all kinds of sounds with our voices, we can make those sounds loud or soft depending on what we’re doing. When we’re out on the playground, we can YELL TO A FRIEND, but in the library, we whisper quietly. How do we change our vocal volume? We asked voice teacher Kristy Bissell to help us find the answer.

Got a question you want to holler about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll yelp you find the answer.

Sharks are truly amazing creatures. They can find prey using electricity. Their skin is made up of tiny teeth that act like scales. And they don’t have any bones! But can sharks smell a tiny drop of blood in the water from miles away? We asked shark scientist Melissa Cristina Márquez to help us find the answer.

Got a JAWSome question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help fish out an answer!

Lots of animals have teeth: walruses, baboons, and of course – humans! Teeth help cut and grind up food into smaller pieces so it’s safe to swallow. But why don’t ducks and other birds have teeth? We asked animal researcher Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.

Got a question you’ve been chewing over? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll quack the case!

Munch, crunch, sluuuurp! Eating is one of the great joys of life! We all know that food goes in one way and eventually out the other, right? But what journey does it take after you swallow it?? We asked dietitian Eva Haldis to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s eating you up? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll chew on it ‘til we find the answer!

There are lots of stellar songs about the night sky, but one of the most popular is this one: Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are. Have you ever wondered why stars twinkle, though?We asked astronomer Mark Popinchalk to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s taking up space in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find a five-star answer!

Humans need sleep! It helps recharge our brains and keeps our bodies running. But what about other animals – do they all sleep?? Do narwhals nap? Do spiders snooze? Do donkeys doze? We asked Philadelphia Zoo animal curator Michael Stern to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you can’t ig-SNORE? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find the answer of your dreams.

It’s Breathe Week – a whole week of episodes about one of the most important things our bodies do to keep us alive and healthy! Do you ever plug your nose when you notice a bad smell? Does it help? Can you still smell at all? We asked pediatrician Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s stinkin’ good? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find someone that nose the answer.

It’s Breathe Week - a whole week of episodes about one of the most important things our bodies do to keep us alive and healthy. If we need oxygen to breathe, and oxygen comes from trees, and there aren’t that many trees in the desert, how do people breathe in the desert? We asked pediatrician Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you just can’t under-sand? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help quench your thirst for the answer.

It’s Breathe Week - a whole week of episodes about one of the most important things our bodies do to keep us alive and healthy. Humans love to swim and play in the water - but we can’t breathe underwater without lotws of heavy scuba gear. Why is that?? We asked pediatrician Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you swimply must know the answer to? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll sea-k out an answer!

It’s Breathe Week - a whole week of episodes about one of the most important things our bodies do to keep us alive and healthy. Every time you take a breath, you’re inhaling oxygen and breathing out carbon dioxide. But how does that work? We asked pediatrician Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s a real gas? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help get it answered – we’re not blowing hot air!

It’s Breathe Week – a whole week of episodes about one of the most important things our bodies do to keep us alive and healthy. When you take a big breath, your lungs fill up with oxygen. But why is oxygen so important? We asked pediatrician Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s a real breath of fresh air? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, because we periodically choose questions to answer!

Every year, billions of birds around the world migrate, moving from one place to another for the season! Some, like geese, travel in groups. Others, like hummingbirds, make their journeys alone. But how do these feathered friends know when it’s time to go? We asked science communicator Lucy Lapwing to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s flying around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help soar-t out the answer!

Red, yellow and blue are primary colors. But they’re not the only primary colors. Exactly what makes colors primary, and what other primary colors exist? Stephen Westland, a professor of color science and technology at the University of Leeds, helped us find the answer.

Got a colorful question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help paint a pretty answer.

Some animals, like whales and wallabies, are wild. Others, like cats and chickens, are domesticated – which means they’ve been bred over many years to be tame. But how did animals get domesticated? We asked Brains On producer and archaeologist Anna Goldfield to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s driving you wild? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find a pawsome answer!

Have you ever started to pour milk into your cereal, only to realize it smells sour?! Or forgotten to eat that banana in the bottom of your backpack before it got brown and spotty? Lots of the foods we eat will eventually go bad. But why does this happen at all, and why does it happen super fast for some foods and really slowly for others? We asked dietitian Eva Haldis to help us find the answer.

Got a very appealing question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact. We won’t spoil your fun!

If you’ve ever played with a cat, you might already know how much they love chasing after lights. Point a flashlight or laser pointer at the ground and your furry friend will probably chase it or even pounce on it! But why are cats so interested in lights? We asked veterinarian Lena Provost to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you need an answer for right meow? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help chase down the answer – we’re not kitten around.

Most birds spend a lot of time up in the air. Some travel long distances or fly super fast. Others, like hummingbirds, can even fly backwards! But do their wings ever get tired while they’re flapping through the air? We asked science communicator Lucy Lapwing to help us find the answer.

Got a question perched on your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help answer it, BEAK-cause we love to learn!

Our big, bright beautiful sun is a wonderful thing … but too much of a good thing can hurt! If you spend too long basking in that warm glow without proper protection, you could end up with a painful sunburn. But what actually happens to our bodies when we get a sunburn? We asked medical researcher Kira Bacal to help us find the answer.

Got a burning question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and just like sunscreen, we’ve got you covered!

Have you ever seen a hot air balloon flying above you? They look like something out of a storybook, but they’re real! People have been flying in them since the 1700s! But how do they work? We asked hot air balloon pilot Sema Mathebula to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s floating around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help you land the answer!

Masked bandits. City-dwelling pests. Trash pandas. All of these phrases are commonly associated with the resilient, ring-tailed cuties we call RACCOONS! They’ve gotten a pretty bad rap, but they’re brilliant little animals! And they’re obsessed with eating our trash. Why is that? Why can’t we keep them out of our garbage bins? We asked animal expert Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.

Got a pesky question rummaging through your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact. We’ll help catch an answer, and release it into the wild!

Our tongues are covered in thousands of taste buds that tell us all about the flavors of different foods. Some of those flavors are more popular than others. Sweet, sugary candy? Lots of people love it. Salty snacks? Yes, please. But what about bitter foods? Why doesn’t this flavor make us drool like others do? We asked food scientist Brittany Towers Lewis to help us find the answer.

Got a FLAVOR-ite question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find a tasteful answer.

Happy butterfly week! It’s a whole week dedicated to beautiful insects with colorful wings that fly around in gardens and meadows. Butterflies start out as caterpillars. When the caterpillar is ready to change into a butterfly, it builds a shell called a chrysalis around itself and then goes through big changes. But can two caterpillars be in there together? We asked biologist Andrew Gordus of Johns Hopkins University to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s DOUBLE the fun? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help wiggle out an answer.

Happy butterfly week! It’s a whole week dedicated to these beautiful insects that fly around in gardens and meadows, showing off their colorful wings. But exactly what’s inside these majestic creature’s wings? We asked biologist Andrew Gordus of Johns Hopkins University to help us find the answer.

Got a question fluttering around your noggin? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll let the truth fly!

Happy butterfly week! It’s a whole week dedicated to these beautiful insects that fly around in gardens and meadows, showing off their colorful wings. But what happens when it rains? What do butterflies do to pass the time? We asked biologist Andrew Gordus of Johns Hopkins University to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s giving you butterflies? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll send your thoughts soaring.

Happy butterfly week! It’s a whole week dedicated to these beautiful insects that fly around in gardens and meadows, showing off their colorful wings. And today’s episode will help us understand not only how butterflies flap their wings – but bees too! We asked biologist Andrew Gordus of Johns Hopkins University to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s fluttering around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll get the buzz on your topic.

People relax in all kinds of ways: spending time with friends, reading a good book or even petting a super soft cat. But have you ever tried sipping a mug of warm milk? For some people, drinking warm milk can be very relaxing – but why? We asked food scientist Brittany Towers Lewis to help us find the answer.

Got a legen-dairy question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll find an answer that puts you in a good moooood!

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, wait, it is actuallya bird. Flying is pretty amazing, and birds of all kinds swoop through the air with the greatest of ease. How high can those feathery fliers go? We asked science communicator Lucy Lapwing to help us find the answer.

Got a question flapping around in your noggin? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll tweet you to some answers.

If you think about the whole history of our planet, the part that includes humans is just a teeny tiny blip. The Earth was around for more than four BILLION years before there was any life on the planet at all. Thinking about such a huge amount of time can really boggle your brain! How do we understand what happened when? We asked astronomer Mark Popinchalk to help us find the answer.

Got a question that totally rocks? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help reach a geo-LOGICAL conclusion.

Dogs have some pretty great body parts: soft ears, happy tails, adorable paws…but have you ever wondered why they have such wet little noses? Is it so they can leave nose prints on every window? Is it for a fun, chilly surprise when they sniff each other’s butts? We asked animal researcher Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you’d love to nose more about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll sniff out an answer!

Do you have a favorite food that your friend doesn’t like at all? That’s pretty common! People like – and dislike – different foods. But why is that? We asked dietitian Eva Haldis to help us find the answer.

Got a question that tickles your tongue or baffles your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you get a taste for the truth.

Cows make something incredible and edible: milk! They have a unique digestive system that helps them turn grass and other plants into milk. But why do they have four teats on each udder? We asked animal expert Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s udderly fascinating? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll steer you in the right direction.

Birds have a beautiful and vibrant language that we may not be able to understand, but can certainly enjoy. But what about different species of birds – can they understand each other? We asked naturalist and science communicator Lucy Lapwing to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you’d like to communicate to us? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact - we promise it would be a bird-en!

If you’re new to the barnyard, one easy way to tell male roosters from female hens is by the noises they make. Hens like to cluck, so when you hear a chicken go “Bawk bawk BAAAWK,” it’s usually a hen! And a rooster’s crow is unmistakable – who else starts the day with a big “errr-errr-ERRROOO?!” But what happens when hens start to crow? We asked animal expert Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.

Got a question you’ve been brooding over? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll give you something to crow about!

A rooster’s crow is one of the most iconic noises in the animal world. They puff up their chests, stretch out their necks, and belt out a big, beautiful errr-errr-ERRROOO! But why do roosters make this special noise? We asked animal expert Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.

Got a really egg-cellent question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we promise we won’t chicken out!

It’s cherry season! These tart, juicy flavor bombs are one of the best parts of summer. But why do cherries have pits? We asked dietitian Ana Veloso to help us find the answer.

Got a question you just cherry-ish? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t pit until we find the answer.

Asparagus is a delicious and nutritious food. The green, spear-shaped vegetable tickles our taste buds, is full of vitamins and other good stuff, and has one hilarious side effect – it makes our pee smell funny! We asked food scientist Brittany Towers Lewis to help explain the reason behind this stinky phenomenon.

Missing the answer to a question and you feel like that just stinks? If you send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, urine for a real treat!

One of the best parts of spending time outside is listening to all the different beautiful bird calls. It’s like nature’s symphony! But why do birds sing and chirp so much? We asked naturalist and science communicator Lucy Lapwing to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s truly im-peck-able? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we promise we won’t just wing it!

Sugar is everywhere: in our favorite fruits, desserts, even savory things like bread or sauces. But what exactly does sugar do to our bodies? We asked dietitian Ana Veloso to help us find the answer.

Got a sweet question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll treat you to an answer!

Cats can be cute and cuddly, but their tongues are rough and bumpy! Why do our favorite felines have such super scratchy tongues? We asked animal expert Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.

Got a purrrfect question? Send it to us right meow at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help answer it - we’re not kitten around!

Have you ever seen a frog catch a bug with its tongue? The frog spots its prey and – quick as a flash – its tongue shoots out to catch it! But how do frogs make sure their tongues stay sticky, so they can snare delicious snacks? We asked naturalist and science communicator Lucy Lapwing to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s really stuck in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll hop to it!

It’s our last episode of Dinosaur Week! Every episode this week has explored these ancient marvels that walked the Earth millions of years ago. And that’s kind of the sad part about them, right? Dinosaurs are gone, baby, gone. But could they ever come back? Maybe even just a teeny bit? Like maybe just the nice, little ones? We asked paleontologist and science journalist Shaena Montanari to help us find the answer.

Got a question that seems impossible? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help answer the question – it’s in our DNA.

Happy Dinosaur Week! Every episode this week explores the ancient marvels that walked the Earth millions of years ago. And today we’re taking a special dive into what was going on even BEFORE these prehistoric giants existed. Can you even imagine a time so long ago? We asked paleontologist and science journalist Shaena Montanari to help paint us a picture of what was roaming the Earth before dinosaurs.

Got a question that’s roaming around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you out because we’re as smart as a thesaurus!

Happy Dinosaur Week! Every episode this week explores the ancient marvels that walked the Earth millions of years ago. Now, close your eyes and picture a dinosaur. What color is it? Is it green? Blue? Sparkly purple? It’s interesting how we can know what color a dinosaur was when we were never around to see it. We asked paleontologist and science journalist Shaena Montanari to help us dig into this issue.

Got a colorful question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help paint a picture for you.

Happy Dinosaur Week! Every episode this week explores the ancient marvels that walked the Earth millions of years ago. So how many species of dinosaurs were actually alive back then? We asked paleontologist and science journalist Shaena Montanari to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s e-species-ly good? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help type out the answer.

Happy Dinosaur Week! Every episode this week explores the ancient marvels that walked the Earth millions of years ago. Fossilized bones and footprints help scientists figure out what these prehistoric creatures looked like – but how do we know what they sounded like? We asked paleontologist and science journalist Shaena Montanari to help us find the answer.

Got a question that makes you want to roar in frustration? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll find a dino-mite answer.

“Junk food” is a term you might have heard before that refers to foods that have a lot of calories but not much nutritional value - like cookies, candy and chips. But why does food that is often referred to as “junk” taste anything like junk, and what’s up with that term anyway? We asked registered dietitian Eva Haldis to help us find the answer.

Got a question that makes you snicker? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and – donut worry – we’ll help you out.

Did you know that trumpets are the oldest brass instruments? Orchestras rely on them to play the highest notes in the brass section! But how do they make that bbbbrrrrrrr sound? We asked trumpet player and teacher Jim Boyle to help us find the answer.

Got a question you’ve been wanting to brass-k? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find an answer that’s music to your ears.

Remember the last time you were really, really, really excited to see a movie? That might have been because you saw a trailer that showed you amazing scenes from the movie, gave you a little preview of what it was going to be about, and got you pumped to see the full thing. But who puts this mini version of the movie together, and how? We asked Travis Abels, who makes movie trailers, to help answer this question.

Got a question that’s Singin’ in your Brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll give you lights, cameras, ANSWERS!

Humans poop and pee. So do many animals – even fish! (In fact, the ocean is full of fish poop!) But what about trees? Do they create and release waste in the same way we do? We asked tree researcher Natalie Love to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s leaf-ing you confused? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help poop out the answer.

Your body does a lot of things while you’re asleep. Your brain recharges, your muscles rest, you drool charmingly onto your pillow…but do you hear things? We asked sleep scientist Ketema Paul to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s too good to sleep on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find the answer of your dreams.

Most of us have been there: you’re having a roasty toasty day in the sun, making sand castles on the beach or playing at your favorite playground. But then you realize, oops – you forgot the sunscreen! And all that sunshine gives you a not-so-fun sunburn. But could this happen in outer space too? We asked space scientist and communicator Maggie Aderin-Pocock to help us find the answer.

Got a burning question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you get the skin-ny on that topic.

Happy Food Week! We’re excited to bring you a whole week of delicious Moment of Yums leading up to Thanksgiving. Freeze-dried food seems like something that was invented for space travel, but this technique for preserving food is actually more than a hundred years old! Nowadays you might see freeze-dried mangos or strawberries in many grocery stores. You know, the ones that are dry and crispy and light as a feather? But how exactly do you make them? We asked food scientist Dave Dominguez to help us find the answer.

Got an appetite for knowledge? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we promise we won’t give you the cold shoulder!

Happy Food Week! We’re excited to bring you a whole week of delicious Moment of Yums leading up to Thanksgiving. Today’s question was sent in by a curious listener who wondered why fluffy, sugary-sweet cotton candy dissolves on your tongue. We asked food scientist Craig Sherwin to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s cotton you all confused? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find a sweet answer for you.

Happy Food Week! We’re excited to bring you a whole week of delicious Moment of Yums leading up to Thanksgiving. If you’re a movie lover, a snack lover, or just a lover of things that go “POP!”, you might be wondering what makes a kernel of corn pop. We asked food scientist Dave Dominguez for the deets on this tasty treat.

Got a question that’s popped up in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you feel butter about the answer.

Happy Food Week! We’re excited to bring you a whole week of delicious Moment of Yums leading up to Thanksgiving. First up: cheese! Cheese is delicious! It can be stringy, stretchy, stinky, salty, or sweet. It can be eaten fresh or aged for more than a decade. But it only comes in a few different colors. We asked food scientist Craig Sherwin to help us find out why.

Got a question on your rind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help cut through to the answer.

Many people take vitamins along with the normal food they eat in a day. But what if you ate ONLY vitamins? Could you survive? We asked Craig Sherwin from the biotechnology company Novozymes to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s vita-l to your life? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help feed you the answer.

Food gives us energy, so we can bounce! Run. Wiggle! Jiggle!! But all that energy… does it have a name? We talked with food scientist Dave Dominguez about it and he served up a very satisfying answer!

Got a question that’s eating you up? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll whip up an answer that’s easy to digest!

Have you ever been to the circus and seen the super-bendy performers that can move their bodies in all sorts of amazing ways? You might be wondering, how did they get so flexible? We were wondering that too, so we asked Cami Biggar, a contortionist at Circus Juventas, to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s a real brain bender? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you wrap your head around it.

Ah, sweet sleep. From the quick catnap to the full drool-and-snore session, we humans cherish our sleepy time. But how much sleep is enough? Does everybody need the same amount? Does a person’s amount change as they age? Is it nap time yet? We asked sleep scientist Ketema Paul to help us find the answers.

Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help put it to bed.

Growing fruits and vegetables looks pretty easy, right? Poke a hole in the dirt, drop in a seed, add a little sunshine and water — and violà! But how do farmers grow veggies that don’t seem to have seeds, like cabbages and broccoli? We asked Annie Klodd, fruit and vegetable expert from University of Minnesota Extension, to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s eating away at you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help produce the answer!

Volcanoes can lie dormant for thousands of years without erupting – almost like they’re sleeping. But how do they decide when it’s time to blow? We asked volcanologist Lissie Connors to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s erupting from your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help blow your mind with the answer.

Sometimes bad things happen – to starfish arms. A hungry bird takes a nibble and suddenly, that starfish is missing an arm! But in many cases, these resilient creatures can regrow a brand new one. We asked marine biologist Sophie Wolvin how that works.

Got a question that’s left you in limb-o? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and if the stars align, we’ll find an expert to answer it!

How do you like to wear your hair? Do you cut it short? Get it braided? Dye it every color of the rainbow? Hair can be an amazing tool for self-expression, but does it also serve another purpose? We asked biological anthropologist Habiba Chirchir to help us find the answer!

Have a hairy question you’ve been thinking about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll comb around for the answer.

The Milky Way! Neptune! Uranus! Halley’s Comet! There are so many cool features in our solar system – but how did they get their names? We asked space scientist and communicator Maggie Aderin-Pocock to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s out of this world? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll make space for an answer.

Have you ever had a scary or weird dream and wished you could switch your brain-television to another channel? Great news! You can learn to use “lucid dreaming,” a technique that helps you realize when you’re in a dream. Once you know you’re dreaming, you can teach yourself to shape your own storyline. So how does that work? We asked Dr. Ketema Paul, Professor, Integrative Biology And Physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles 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’ll help put it to bed.

Have you ever heard of a mood ring? It’s a little piece of jewelry that supposedly tells you what kind of a mood you’re in. But how the heck can it know? We asked scientist Edwin Thomas to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s getting you in the mood to learn? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help w-ring out an answer.

Quick, picture a brain! Did you imagine a rosy-colored little meatball? Us too! But are brains actually pink when they’re inside our skulls? We asked brain expert Gwenaëlle Thomas to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s giving you a real headache? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll wrap our brains around it!

We chew our food, swallow it, and our stomach goes to work on digesting! Our bodies absorb the nutrients they need and then we poop out the rest. Here on Earth, the whole process takes somewhere between one to three days. But what about in space? Do astronauts digest food as quickly as they do on Earth? We reached out to space scientist and science communicator Maggie Aderin-Pocock to get the answer!

Got a question you’re chewing on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we'll spit out the answer

Did you know the tallest building in the world is a skyscraper in Dubai called the Burj Khalifa? It has 163 floors and weighs as much as 100,000 elephants! But how can the Earth even support such a huge building?! Why doesn’t the ground just collapse underneath it? We asked geologist Rónadh Cox to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s weighing heavily on your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help build you up with a great answer!

Decades ago, making a fake phone call to someone used to be a hilarious prank to play, such as, “Is your refrigerator running? Well, you better go catch it!”. But where did this trend come from and why did people think it was so funny? And what about caller ID? We asked science writer Cara Giaimo to help us find the history behind it all.

Got a question that’s calling to you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the answer - no joke!

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If you’ve ever smacked a mosquito on your arm, you might have seen a little smear of red blood on your skin afterward. But just whose blood was it? Do we have the same blood as insects? We asked biologist Claire Rusch from the University of Washington to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s buzzing around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, because we’re the type to help you find an answer!

Quick: close your eyes and picture the moon! I bet you imagined it at night, didn’t you? That’s because we’re used to associating the moon with nighttime. But why is it that sometimes we can see the moon during the day? We asked astronomer and planetarium educator Sarah Komperud from the Bell Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you’re over the moon for? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help shed some light on the topic.

If you’ve ever seen a spider’s web up close, you probably noticed its intricate pattern and level of detail. It’s like a work of art! Spiders use their webs to ensnare flies and other insects, but why don’t they get caught in their own sticky traps? We asked biologist Andrew Gordus of Johns Hopkins University to help us find the answer.

Stuck on a question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll search the web for the best expert to answer it.

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.

Mwa ha ha ha! Welcome to Eeek Week – a whole week of spooky, creepy, crawly episodes to get you in the mood for Halloween! Listener Emery wanted to know why bugs are attracted to light, and Pam Welisevich from the Dodge Nature Center in St. Paul, Minnesota helped us find the answer.

Got a question that’s really bugging you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help shed light on the truth.

Avast, ye seafaring scallywags! Have you ever wondered how pirates communicated with each other? Walkie-talkies hadn’t been invented yet, and even the world’s biggest megaphone wouldn’t have been very helpful. So how did they do it? We asked Mary K. Bercaw Edwards from the Mystic Seaport Museum to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s shivering your timbers? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll follow our treasure map to the answer.

Flamingos are bird fashion icons. Those long legs! That distinctive beak! The glorious pink hue! But why do they have pink feathers? It’s not to blend into their environment, since they don’t live among clouds of cotton candy. What gives? We asked Flora Lichtman, science journalist and host of Every Little Thing from Gimlet Media, to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you can’t stop pinking about?? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you find the answer that’s pig-meant to be.

If you’ve ever seen a jellyfish, you’ve probably noticed its long, trailing tentacles. Or maybe you’ve accidentally touched one – ouch! In the ocean, jellyfish often swim together in big groups and touch each other’s stinging tentacles. So can they sting each other? We asked marine biologist Sophie Wolvin to help us find the answer.

Got a question, but you just can’t sea the answer? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find an intere-sting answer for you.

As long as there’s a light source, your shadow is with you wherever you go. If you jump, your shadow jumps. If you do the funky chicken, your shadow will flap its wings, kick its feet and bob its head right along with you. But there’s something your shadow can do that you can’t – depending on where you are, your shadow might bend and stretch from one surface onto another. How does it do that?! We asked science writer Rebecca Boyle to help us find the answer.

Got a question following you around? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll shed some light on the answer.

Human bodies are all so different. But how did our skeletons evolve to be the way they are? We asked biological anthropologist Habiba Chirchir to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s hard to handle? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find someone whose body of work reflects that topic.

The largest pumpkin ever grown was over 2,700 pounds – the same weight as four adult grizzly bears! Even though lots of pumpkins are heavy, they can still float! How is that possible? We asked Annie Klodd, fruit and vegetable expert from University of Minnesota Extension to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s weighing heavily on you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help you out, pumpkin!

Black Holes seem like the stuff of science fiction. Their gravity is so strong that once anything, even light, is sucked in, it can’t get back out. But what would happen if a person went through? Would you end up in a different place, a different time, or even a different universe? We asked space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock to help us find the answer.

Got a question taking up space in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll explore the answer!

We know deserts have sand, but why oh why is there so much of it? And how oh how did all that sand get there? We asked Georgia State University scientist Katy Sparrow to help us solve the mystery.

Got a question that’s making you thirst for knowledge? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you under-sand.

Pretzels are yummy, fun to eat, and even more fun to look at! What other object in the world is shaped like that? And how did the shape come to be? We asked historian Dr. Ashley Rose Young from the Smithsonian to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s twisting your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t be salty about it.

We’ve all been there: you’re poking your head into the freezer at the grocery store, trying to pick out the perfect popsicle flavor, and suddenly — brrrrr! Your body is covered in goosebumps! But why do we feel cold if our bodies are always 98 degrees inside? We asked Dr. Jonathan Dickman to help us find the answer.

Got a question but you don’t have a degree in that subject yet? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll find a pretty cool answer for you.

Happy Derm Week! It’s an epidermis extravaganza! Every episode this week helps you learn about the skin you’re in. Today’s question is “Why does my skin itch in a hot bath?”. We asked dermatologist Elizabeth Farhat to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s landed you in hot water? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll scrub out the answer.

Happy Derm Week! It’s an epidermis extravaganza! Every episode this week helps you learn about the skin you’re in. Today’s question is “Why do older people get wrinkles?”. We asked dermatologist Elizabeth Farhat to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s wrinkling your brow? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you line up an answer.

Happy Derm Week! It’s an epidermis extravaganza! Every episode this week helps you learn about the skin you’re in. Today’s question is “Why does it sting when salt gets in a cut?” We asked Dr. Jonathan Dickman to help us find the answer.

Got a question that DERMands our attention? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll get the skinny on the answer.

Happy Derm Week! It’s an epidermis extravaganza! Every episode this week helps you learn about the skin you’re in. Now, if we go swimming, or take a shower, or get caught in the rain, we definitely get wet. But we don’t seem to absorb that water inside of our body unless we drink it! So does that mean our skin is waterproof? One listener had this question, so we reached out to dermatologist Elizabeth Farhat to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s got you dripping with curiosity? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help wring out the answer!

Happy Derm Week! It’s an epidermis extravaganza! Every episode this week helps you learn about the skin you’re in. Today’s question is “Why does our skin wrinkle in the tub?”. We asked dermatologist Elizabeth Farhat to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s wrinkling your brow? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help point a finger at the answer!

Ever gone on a road trip or hopped on a boat, only to feel queasy? Yuckaroo. Us too! It’s called motion sickness and it’s really common. But how does it happen – and why do so many people get it? We asked Dr. Jonathan Dickman to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s making your head spin? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact. We’ll ear you out!

Ever watched a squirrel scrabbling around in the dirt, burying nuts? We have too. ‘Cuz squirrels are nuts for nuts! But how do our furry little neighbors remember where these nuts are hidden? We asked Berkeley psychology professor Lucia Jacobs 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 you dig up the answer!

Lots of people have allergies! Some people can’t be around specific foods, like peanuts, or certain fabrics or metals. Others might notice that they start sneezing or coughing in the springtime, because of all the pollen in the air. But what are allergies, anyway? And what causes them? We spoke to allergy expert Dr. Purvi Parikh to find out!

Got a question that you’re itching to get answered? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find someone who nose the answer!

As dog owners, it’s our job to take care of and protect our little buddies. But sometimes doesn’t it feel like they’re the ones taking care of us? We asked Dr. Lena Provost to help us discover why dogs can be so protective of their owners.

Got a question that’s pawing at your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help dig up an answer.

We know that whales swim in the water. They eat underwater. But do they…drink water? We got this fantastic question from a listener, so we reached out to whale expert Joy Reidenberg from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s leaving you parched? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help quench your thirst for knowledge.

For over 200 years now, astronomers have seen a Great Red Spot hanging out in the atmosphere above Jupiter. We now know this “spot” is really a giant storm. But how long has it been there? We reached out to planetary scientist Shawn Brueshaber to get the answer!

Have a question storming your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll search the planet for the answer!

We’ve all been there: on a long car trip with no rest stop in sight, but you really have to pee! Listener Aya wanted to know what happens if you hold it for too long, and we asked Dr. Jonathan Dickman to help us find the answer.

Have a question that you just can’t hold in? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll flush out the answer!

Zippers are everywhere – holding your backpack closed, keeping you snug in your sleeping bag and of course, on your pants! But how exactly does a zipper work? We asked Bryon Robinson of YKK (the world’s largest zipper manufacturer!) to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you’d like to sink your teeth into? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find a fasten-ating answer.

Everyone eventually loses their baby teeth – but how does your mouth know when it’s time for a new tooth to come in? Is there a little toothy calendar in there that’s setting the pace? We asked Dr. Jonathan Dickman to give us the lowdown on baby teeth.

Have a question that you want to sink your teeth into? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help you bite into this topic.

Maybe you’re one of those lucky pet parents who has a dog and a cat that magically get along. It does exist out there! But some cats and dogs truly don’t seem to like each other. Is this true? We asked veterinarian Dr. Carlo Siracusa to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you hate not knowing the answer to? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t be kitten around with the answer!

Happy Eye Week! We heard from a listener who asked “How do you move your eyes?” and we asked optometrist Dr. Kelsea Brown to shed some light on this answer.

Got a question that really moves you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and eye will try to help!

Happy Eye Week! Sometimes it feels like screen time, all the time! From the phone, to the TV, to the computer… It makes a person wonder: is all that blue light damaging my eyes? We reached out to optometrist Dr. Kelsea Brown to help us find the answer.

Got a question unlike any we’ve ever screen? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll do our best to shed light on the answer!

Happy Eye Week! Jeepers creepers, let’s learn about peepers! Everyone has their own unique eye color, from blue to brown to green and everywhere in between! Sometimes, people can even have two different-colored eyes. So where does that color come from? We asked Dr. Kelsea Brown to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you’ve been eyeballing? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find an answer in the blink of an eye.

Happy Eye Week! We got a wonderful question from a listener - “Do your eyes close all the way every time you blink?” and we asked optometrist Dr. Kelsea Brown to help us find the answer.

Curious about something that makes you feel like a smart pupil? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help you in the blink of an eye!

Happy Eye Week! We are excited to bring you a whole week of episodes all about the spectacular ocular eye. For today’s episode, we know that glasses help people see, but exactly how do those little lenses work? We reached out to optometrist Dr. Kelsea Brown to help us find the answer.

Got a question whose answer you just can’t see? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help lens a hand!

Pucker up, pals, let’s learn about lipstick! Applying tinted goop to make your face fancy and your mouth mesmerizing has been in style for thousands of years. But what’s in that stuff? Crayons? Strawberries? Petunias? We asked cosmetic chemist Amanda Lam to help us find the answer.

Got a question and can’t makeup your mind whether to ask for help? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help lip-stick the landing.

Turtles often look like they’re walking in slow motion, using their stubby little legs to scoot across the ground. But why do they move so slowly? We asked scientist Nicole Mazouchova to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s slowing you down? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll shell out the answer.

Picture a delicious, juicy mango. Mmmm. Now, picture the shiny, itchy-rash-causing leaves of poison ivy. Ack! Couldn’t be more different, right? Well, get ready for a fact that’s going to boggle your bean! Mangoes and poison ivy are actually plant cousins! How does that work? We asked botanist Dr. Eve Emshwiller to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s making your mind itch? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll scratch up an answer.

We get so many fantastic questions sent in to Moment of Um, but today’s is a real sight for sore eyes! One listener wrote in asking what is the farthest distance a human can see, and we asked Sue Keirstead from the University of Minnesota to help us search for the answer.

Got a question whose answer is hard to envision? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and eye personally will help you find the answer!

If you’re an adventurous eater you might have tried spicy cuisine, or maybe added hot sauce to your meals. Did your eyes water? Did your nose run? If so, that’s a totally normal response, and Otolaryngologist Erich P. Voigt is here to help us understand why that is.

Got a burning Moment of Um question for us? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you find the answer.

Woof woof woof! It’s Woof Week here on Moment of Um, where we’re ready to learn about all things related to dogs! In today’s episode, Dr. Carlo Siracusa answers the question “Do dogs always lift the same leg to pee?”

Got a topic that urine-to? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help get you a leg up on the answer!

Woof woof woof! It’s Woof Week here on Moment of Um, where we’re ready to learn about all things related to dogs! In today’s episode, Dr. Carlo Siracusa answers the question “How do dogs sense emotions like fear or tenderness?”

Got a question you’ve been chewing on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help dig up the answer.

Woof woof woof! It’s Woof Week here on Moment of Um, where we’re learning about all things related to dogs! In today’s episode, Dr. Carlo Siracusa answers the question “Why do dogs sniff each other’s butts?”

Got a question that’s hounding you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you answer it–it’s the leash we can do.

Woof woof woof! It’s Woof Week here on Moment of Um, where we’re ready to learn about all things related to dogs! In today’s episode, Dr. Lena Provost answers the question “Why can dogs learn tricks but cats can’t?”

Got a tricky question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you fetch the answer.

Woof woof woof! It’s Woof Week here on Moment of Um, where we’re ready to learn about all things related to dogs! In today’s episode, Dr. Lena Provost answers the question “Why are dogs so energetic?”

Got a question that you’re excited about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you embark on the journey to the answer!

We hope you’ve enjoyed the episodes this week because for the next two weeks we’re taking a short break. We’re headed to Moment of Um camp, where we organize all of your questions, interview a whole bunch of experts, and get ready for a fall and winter FULL of amazing episodes for you. We’ll be back on August 29! Now, on with the show.

Snoring isn’t boring – usually it’s kinda funny and harmless! But it can also be disruptive and a sign of breathing troubles. We wanted to find out WHY it happens, so we asked sleep medicine physician Dr. Andrew Stiehm to explain snoring mechanics.

Got a question keeping you awake at night? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact. We’ll get you an answer you can’t ig-snore!

We’re all familiar with that icky feeling of a sickness creeping in. It could be a tummy ache or a headache, maybe a tickle in the throat, or a drippy nose. But what about our tree friends? Can they get sick too? One listener wanted to know, so we asked Anna Yang from the University of Minnesota to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s tree-mendously hard to answer? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help a-leaf-iate your curiosity.

Dogs love to chase things! Squirrels, balls, other dogs in the park. But why do they sometimes get stuck in a loop chasing their own tail? We asked Dr. Carlo Siracusa to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s taking furever to answer? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help chase down the answer.

P-U! Today on Moment of Um, we’re talking trash! More specifically, a listener wanted to know why trash gets so darn smelly in the bin! We asked Tim Bennet, the owner of a compost company, to help us find the answer.

Got a question that isn’t a waste of time? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help dig around for the answer.

Boo! Ahhhh! When we’re scared, we often can’t help letting out a scream. But how and why did humans develop this instinct? We got the scoop from neuroscientist Luc Arnal.

Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help scare up an answer for you!

Hey, hi, howdy y’all! Depending on where you go, the words people use and the ways they pronounce them varies widely. But where did these different accents originate and how do we get them? We talked it over with linguist Nicole Holliday!

Got a question on the tip of your tongue? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you find the answ

One of the most beautiful things on Earth is a sunset, wouldn’t you agree? But what exactly is creating this rainbow of different colors? We asked physics and astronomy teacher Darik Velez to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s lighting up your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you breathe a sky of relief.

Most of us have gotten little cuts here and there and noticed that blood comes out. Sometimes we need a Band-Aid to stop it. But why does bleeding need to happen? It must serve a purpose, right? We asked Dr. Emily Downing to help us find the answer.

Are you vesseling with a big question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll circulate it around!wer.

Lots of people are allergic to cats and dogs. All their fur and dust can make our eyes itch, our noses tingle, and our throats scratchy. But can pets be allergic to each other? What happens when a dog sniffs a cat and gets a snootful of kitty fuzz? We asked Dr. Christine Cain, a veterinary dermatologist, to help us find the answer.

Questions got you chasing your tail? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help fetch you an answer.

Humans have so many different hair colors – black, brown, red, blonde – and almost every shade in between. As we get older, our hair usually starts to lose its color. But why is that? We asked Dr. Emily Downing to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s pretty hairy? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll answer it in style.

All humans have blood, but not all blood is the same! We each have our own blood type, which depends on DNA passed down from our parents. But what does it actually mean to be Type O-positive or Type AB-negative? Why is it sometimes really important to know your blood type? We asked Dr. Emily Downing to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s so hard it makes your blood boil? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we are positive we’ll find an answer.

Cookies, cakes, candy, soda pop. It can be very fun to snack on sweet treats - in moderation. But just what makes these sweets so sweet? It’s the sugar, right? We asked scientist Ann-Marie Torregrossa to help us figure out why sugar tastes so sweet.

Got a question that you’re pretty sweet on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll treat you to the answer.

Have you ever spent time with your grandparents and noticed that sometimes they’re a little on the forgetful side? Is this a typical part of life? We weren’t sure, so we asked Dr. Emily Downing to help us learn more about memory loss.

Got a question that you simply forgot the answer to? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you remember!

You’re taking your beloved doggie on a walk in the park – lucky girl! But then the skies open up and it starts to rain. You both forgot your rain jackets, but it’s not a huge deal because your dog is loving the time outside with you! Then you get home, and wow it’s a whole different story. That dog STINKS. We asked Dr. Christine Cain, a veterinary dermatologist, to help us figure out why wet dogs stink so much!

Got a question that’s pawing at you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help stink of a really good way to answer it!

We know that soil helps many things grow -- but how is it made? It must come from somewhere, right? We talked to farmer Angel Papineu to find the answer.

Got a question growing in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll dig for the truth!

Teething, losing teeth, growing new teeth. It’s a part of life that every human goes through! But what about dinosaurs? Did they experience the same thing? We asked paleontologist Shaena Montanari to help us find the answer.

Got a dinomite question for us? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you out because we’re as smart as a thesaurus!

A boomerang is a specially curved wooden throwing stick that was originally used as a hunting tool by Indigenous Australians. Nowadays, you can find toy versions along with the real thing, and if you throw them just right, they’ll curve around in the air and head right back to you. At least…it works for some people. So how exactly does a boomerang fly? We asked boomerang champion Logan Broadbent to help us find the answer.

Got a question that keeps coming back to you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll booma-wrangle some answers for you.

Plastic is a part of so many of the things we use every day. But just what IS it? We asked University of Minnesota professor Frank Bates to help us find the answer.

Got a question you’ve been bottling up? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll pla-stic to the topic.

If you go to the zoo during the day - you can see that things are hopping! Animals are being cared for, people are milling about, and there’s a lot of action to observe. But what happens at night? Who takes care of the animals then? Or is everyone just sleeping? We asked Nancy Hawkes, Director of Animal Care at Woodland Park Zoo to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s zookeeping you up at night? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you find the truth – we won’t be lion!

Black pepper is in just about everyone’s kitchen. It’s salt’s best buddy. It comes in shakers, grinders, and little paper packets. But where does black pepper come from? We asked historian Jenna Schultz from the University of St. Thomas to help us find the answer.

Want to pepper us with questions? Drop us a line at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll serve you some freshly-ground facts.

Whether you know exactly where it came from, or it suddenly appears on your skin and you don’t remember it happening, it’s just a fact of life…we all get bruises! But why are they there, and what’s inside of them? We asked Dr. Frank Rhame to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s really getting under your skin? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and – don’t be blue – we’ll help solve the mystery!

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!

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.

Kids grow super fast and get taller and taller and taller and then – all of the sudden they stop! How do our bodies know when it’s time to stop? Why don’t we just keep growing until we reach the sky? We asked Dr. Frank Rhame to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you think is a tall order? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll answer it shortly.

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!

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!

Ballet dancers inspire us with their grace, twirls, and leaps. But how do they stand on their tip-toes? We asked contemporary ballet dancer and choreographer Penelope Freeh to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s keeping you on your toes? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll pointe you to some answers!

Have you ever been really thirsty on a hot day? Nothing beats that thirst better than a cold glass of good old H2O. We can’t live without it! Water quenches our thirst, but does it tickle our taste buds? Does water from different places taste different? We asked Martin Riese to help us find the answer.

Are you thirsting for knowledge? Send your questions to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll pour you a nice tall glass of facts.

Have you ever been on an airplane and noticed that pressure in your ears? And then, as you’re taking off…they pop! Just like a balloon or a bubble or a freshly opened can of dough! Why does that happen? We asked infectious disease physician Dr. Frank Rhame to help us find the answer.

Got a question that popped in your head? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll fly in to help answer it for you.

Ever wish you had a frog's tongue? You wouldn’t even have to pick up a cookie with your hand…your tongue would grab it for you! How amazing is that? But really, how DO frog tongues stretch so far? We asked Kiisa Nishikawa, a professor at Northern Arizona University, to help us find the answer.

Got a sticky question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll slurp up an answer for you!

People rubbing two sticks together and a fire magically appearing is a common thing you might see in movies or on television. But does it actually work? We asked engineer Vi Rapp to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s flickering in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help put out the fire.

Babies. They’re cute little peanuts, huh? Babbling and drooling while their parents talk to them in widdle baby voices. But do babies understand what people say to them? When do they start learning how to communicate with language? We asked child psychologist Dr. Beverly Goldfield to help us find the right words to explain the answer.

Got a question that’s really verbing your noun? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you find an adjective answer.

We know how important it is to wash our hands with soap and warm water. Get between the fingers, under the nails, all that good stuff. But why does soap get all foamy when you add water? Where do those bubbles come from? We asked University of Minnesota professor Frank Bates to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s bubbling up in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help pop the question!

Sometimes we get questions from listeners that are so intertwined that we just have to include them both in one episode, and today is one of those days! Cardiologist Dr. Courtney Jordan Baechler helps us figure out the answer to two questions – why does blood taste like metal, and why are we not magnetic? And as a bonus, Dr. B. includes a super fun experiment that you can do at home.

Got a question that’s meddling with your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help iron out the answer.

Clay is neat stuff. You can knead it, shape it, carve it, sculpt it, and make all kinds of beautiful creations. It goes from soft and squishy to hard and breakable when it’s baked in a kiln. But clay is…dirt, right? It comes from the ground! So how do you get it out of the ground and into the blocks that you find at an art supply store? We asked ceramic artist and educator Lauren Sandler to guide us through the process.

Got a question that you just knead an answer to? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help mold an answer into shape for you!

Antarctica. Home of the South Pole and an incredibly diverse population of sea life. You know what there’s not a lot of in Antarctica? People! But there are some adventurous scientists who go there for research. These folks can’t just zip out to the grocery store when they want to make a meal…so what do they eat? We asked scientist Cameron Hearn to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s just the tip of the iceberg? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll give you an ocean of knowledge!

Are your ears burning? ‘Cause we’ve been thinking about them. Sure, they’re an incredible self-cleaning marvel that we can wax poetic about all day. Sure, they’re a great place for dads to store all kinds of hairs. But do ears have bones? We asked Olivia Bermingham-McDonogh from the University of Washington to help us find the answer.

Heard a good question recently? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, because we’re ear for you.

Have you noticed that there’s a kind of cheese that’s holier than all the rest? Swiss! Why does it have all those holes anyway? We asked Jenny Eastwood of Small Goods to help us answer this delicious question.
Hungry for some answers? Send your questions to BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll briepare an answer justfor you.

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.

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.

Ever look up at the moon and wonder what it’s doing up there? And whether it could drop out of the sky and fall to earth’s surface? In this episode, astrophysicist Smadar Naoz helps us understand what would happen if the moon decided to give Earth a visit, and teaches us a thing or two about the forces keeping the moon in its place.

Searching the skies for answers? Send your questions to BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an answer that will rock your world.

If sharks were around in the time of dinosaurs, how are they still here today when dinosaurs have gone extinct? Were some just really, really good at hiding from the asteroid that hit Earth? For this episode, we talked to Karen Chin, a professor of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado.

Got a question you want to sink your teeth into? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll try our best to fin-ish what you started!

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!

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!

3D glasses. Those little paper spectacles with one red lens and one blue. Put ’em on, and suddenly, POW! Images seem to leap right off the screen! Do these glasses play magical mind tricks on our brain? Do they give our eyeballs multi-dimensional superpowers? For a lens into how it all works, we talked to UW-Madison physicist Pupa Gilbert.

Got a question that’s really jumping out at you? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you put it into focus.

If you could turn your hair any color in the world… what color would you choose?! Sapphire blue, hot pink, lime green, neon orange?? There are dyes out there that can turn your hair every color of the rainbow! But how exactly do they work? We asked Chemist Michelle Wall to help us understand.

Got a hairy question that needs answering? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll style an answer for you!

Clothes are FUN. We strut our stuff in them. Laugh and play in them. Sometimes we love one article of clothing so much, we never want to take it off! But eventually, all clothes do have to be cleaned. We chatted with Tide Principal Scientist Jennifer Ahoni about how clothes get dirty, even when they still look spotless. Listen and learn about the secrets of body soils and invisible dirt!
Got a question in your pocket? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll fashion an answer for you.

Bread! It’s good stuff, no matter how you slice it. But why do slices of bread have holes in them? Are there bread moles who tunnel through baguettes? Invisible worms in the whole wheat? Chipmunks chewing on the ciabatta? We asked food scientist David Domingues to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you knead us to look into? Send it to us atBrains On.org/contact, and we’ll find the answers where you yeast expect them!

Most of us have used a glue stick or Elmer’s, but what about the strongest glue in the WORLD? We got a fantastic question from a couple of listeners who wanted to know what the strongest glue is, so we reached out to biomedical engineer Danna Sheridan to help us find the answer.

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

If there’s one thing most people know about skunks - it’s that they spray! We know the spray smells bad and that we’re supposed to stay away from it. But just how do they spray? And why? We asked biologist Katelyn Amspacher to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s so tough it’s a real stinker? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help earn our stripes by finding an answer.

Continuing with our snooze fest…it’s sleep week, and today is our final episode! Sleep specialist Andrew Stiehm answers the question “Why are stuffed animals connected to sleeping?”

Got a question that you can’t bear not knowing the answer to? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find an expert who isn’t too stuffy to answer!

Continuing with our snooze fest…it’s sleep week! We get so many questions from curious kids about sleeping, going to sleep, not sleeping, what happens to your body when you sleep, etc. that we decided to devote an entire week to some sweet shut eye! In today’s episode, sleep specialist Andrew Stiehm answers the question “Why do we drool when we're asleep?”

Got a question that’s so good you could just drool over it? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the answer!

Continuing with our snooze fest…it’s sleep week! We get so many questions from curious kids about sleeping, going to sleep, not sleeping, what happens to your body when you sleep, etc. that we decided to devote an entire week to some sweet shut eye! In today’s episode, sleep specialist Andrew Stiehm answers the question “How do we breathe while we're asleep?”

Got a question so big you’re just breathless with anticipation? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find the answer!

Continuing with our snooze fest…it’s sleep week! We get so many questions from curious kids about sleeping, going to sleep, not sleeping, what happens to your body when you sleep, etc. that we decided to devote an entire week to some sweet shut eye! In today’s episode, sleep specialist Andrew Stiehm answers the question “Why are yawns contagious?”

Got a question so big you’re losing sleep over it? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll wake up an answer!

Get ready for a snooze fest because it’s sleep week! We get so many questions from curious kids about sleeping, going to sleep, not sleeping, what happens to your body when you sleep, etc. that we decided to devote an entire week to the art of the slumber! In today’s episode, sleep specialist Andrew Stiehm answers the question “What makes us sleepy?”

Is the act of searching for a question making you feel exhausted? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t sleep on the answer!

Listener Graham wanted to know what solar flares are and what causes them, so we reached out to NASA Heliophysicist Nicola Fox to help us figure out why these bright flashes on the sun’s surface occur.

Got a question that’s been flaring up in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help make you brighter!

Let’s say you want to measure something really, really, really tiny. How do you do that? With inches? Centimeters? Millimeters? What if it’s so tiny you can’t even see it? Particle physicist Jessica Esquivel helps us solve this teeny tiny mystery!

Got a question that seems too big to answer? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll try to measure up!

Whether you’re a fan or not, one thing is for sure - most of us have had an encounter with a daddy long legs. They’ve got super duper long legs, and a TON of nicknames, including cellar spider, carpenter spider, daddy long-legger, vibrating spider, gyrating spider, long daddy, and skull spider. But why are their legs so long? Guilherme Gainett helps us solve this mystery.

Got a question crawling around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help figure it out!

It seems universal that when a person - old or young - is tired, they rub their eyes. It’s even a way that babies communicate to their adults that they are ready for bed. Are we just born understanding that signal? Or is there something going on with our eyes that they need to be rubbed when we’re sleepy? Otolaryngologist Dr. Laura Orvidas helps us understand the connection in this episode. And stay tuned for the week of May 30, when all of our episodes will be sleep-themed. It’ll be a real “snooze fest”!

Got a question you’ve been eyeing? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t sleep on the answer!

Ostriches are super neat! They’re the world’s heaviest birds, and they lay the largest eggs of any bird on Earth. They grow up to 8 feet tall, and can run as fast as 45 miles per hour. But you know what they don’t do? They don’t stick their heads in the ground to hide! There are a few reasons why this misunderstanding is so popular, and Sushma Reddy from the Bell Museum helps us understand.

Up to your neck in questions? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find someone who can answer it in the shake of a tailfeather!

Have you ever woken up in the morning with the corners of your eyes filled with crud? Sleepy sand? Eye goblins? Dozy dust? Bed boogers? Why do our eyes make this stuff, anyway? And why does it build up when we’re asleep? We asked Yale eye doctor Soshian Sarrafpour to help us get to the bottom of this issue.

Got a question that you can’t keep a lid on? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find someone who can answer it in the blink of an eye.

A mosquito bites you. Your grandma knits you a scratchy blanket. Your friend tickles you with a feathery cat toy. What do all of these things have in common? They make you itch! Listener Samantha was wondering just why that is, and neuroscientist Sonali Mali says she’s always wondered the same thing, so that’s why she studies it!

Got a question tickling at your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, because we’re just itching to help you find the answer!

Pugs! They’re adorable! The internet loves them for their sassy personalities and squishy faces. But how did the pug’s face get so smushed? Why are pug noses different from terrier sniffers or German shepherd snoots? We asked animal geneticist Jeff Schoenbeck to help us sniff out the answer.

Got a question that’s right in front of your schnozz? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find someone who NOSE the answer.

Our mouths have a lot going on. They have teeth and a tongue and they help us talk and eat. But what about saliva? It seems important, right? How do our bodies know to make it? We asked otolaryngologist Dr. Laura Orvidas to help us learn all about saliva.

Got a question that you just can’t lick? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an answer.

A lot of people like root beer! But it’s kind of hard to describe, right? It’s really got a unique taste. We asked Ashley Rose-Young, a historian from the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History, to help explain exactly what the flavor of root beer is, and share a little of the history behind this yummy drink.

Got a question that’s poppin’ around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help get to the root of the issue.

There are lots of reasons to sneeze - you have a cold, you get a whiff of pepper or someone tickles your nose with a feather! But why is it that dust makes us sneeze? We asked otolaryngologist Laura Orvidas to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s gathering dust in your brain? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you sniff out the answer.

If you’ve ever had the unfortunate experience of breaking a bone, it’s not the most fun. But can muscles break in the same way bones can? One listener was wondering about this, and physical therapist Karen Litzy helps us get a leg up on the issue.

Do you have a question you’d like to ask? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the answer!

Are you left-handed or right-handed? Chances are you’re right handed, because more people are (though if you’re left-handed, that’s cool too!). So why are more people right-handed? We asked paleontologist Alexander Claxton to help us get to the bottom of this question.

Got a question whose answer you can’t quite put your finger on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help point out the answer.

An inevitability of life is that humans have to go to the dentist. Some people love it, some hate it! But taking care of our teeth is super important. Do our kitty friends have to do the same thing? Large animal surgeon Whitney Cutrone answers this very question.

Got a question that’s got some bite? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an answer right meow!

Lots of plants are smooth to the touch, and some are even soft and feathery like flowers! So why are cactuses prickly and sometimes even painful? We asked botanist Rachel Jabaily from Colorado College to answer this spine-tingling question.

Got a question that’s prickling at your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help sharpen you up.

If you’ve ever stood up quickly and felt a little wobbly and tingly in your legs, you might be familiar with the sensation of having a body part that has fallen asleep! Why does that happen and how can we fix it? Otolaryngologist Karen Litzy helps us get to the bottom of this mystery.

Got a question that you just can’t stand not knowing the answer to? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you get a leg up on that topic!

You don’t see most horses wearing pants, jackets or hats but one thing is for sure - they’re almost always wearing shoes! You know, those u-shaped things attached to their hooves. Why is that? Large animal surgeon Whitney Cutrone helps us find the answer.

Are you saddled with a big equestrian? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll get to the mane issue.

If you plant certain seeds in the right condition - a plant or tree might grow. But what happens if you plant a popcorn kernel? Will a bowl of popcorn grow right out of the ground? We needed to know, so we asked Phil Fox of Popcornopolis to help us find the answer.

Are you searching for a kernel of truth? Send your question to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and you butter believe we’ll help find the answer.

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.

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!

Is it the wings? Is it the feathers? Is it how light they are? If you’ve ever wondered why birds can fly, this is the episode for you! We asked ornithologist Drew Lanham to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you’re egg-cited about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll do more than wing it.

In the United States, you can’t get a tattoo until you’re 18 years old. If that seems unfair, just think about it - it’s permanent! As in…forever and ever! For all time! So how does it actually stay on your skin? We asked dermatologist Roopal Kundu to help us find the answer.

Got a question that feels like it’s permanently etched in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help (th)ink of an answer.

Sloths are really, really good at hanging upside down. They practically make it seem effortless! Why is that? Do they love it? Is the world just more fun from that angle? We asked zoologist Lucy Cooke to help us figure it out.

Got a question that’s clawing at your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and hang in there - we’ll help you find the answer.

Nails – we clean them, trim them, paint them, and sometimes even wear fake ones! But why do we have them in the first place? We talked to paleontologist Alexander Claxton about the evolutionary reasons behind having nails.

Got a question that you just can’t nail down? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help point afinger at the answer.

For the most part, flowers smell really great, right? They give off scents that are sweet, syrupy, perfumy and fresh. But they don’t all smell the same. We asked botanist Josh Felton from Colorado College why that is.

Got a question you’d like to sniff out? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find a budding expert to give the answer.

Whale sharks are big. They’re the biggest fish in the whole ocean! Have you ever wondered how they got so big? We asked shark expert Amani Webber-Schultz to help us find out.

Do you have an ocean-sized question sloshing around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll SEA what we can find!

If you’ve ever had a ball tossed at your face, you probably flinched, tried to knock it away from your face, or jumped out of the way, right? That’s called a reflex, and most humans have them including tiny babies. We asked physical therapist Karen Litzy why that is.

Got a question for us? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the answer!

Owls are amazing. Most are nocturnal and hunt at night. They have incredible eyesight. And a group of them is called a parliament! One of our listeners was wondering how far they can turn their heads around. We asked Lauren Smith from the Owl Research Institute to help us find the answer.

Got a Moment of Um question that’s turning you upside down? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help get it all sorted out.

Have you ever noticed how we usually wear lighter colors in the warmer months, and darker colors once it gets cold? Like how your black shirt is perfect at keeping cozy in the winter, but far too sweaty for the summer. But why is that? We asked physicist Dr. Desiré Whitmore, aka the Laser Chick, to help us understand why black absorbs heat.

Got a Moment of Um question that’s absorbing your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help answer it.

Maybe you’ve never thought twice about rocks, but there has to be a reason that they are covering the Earth’s surface right? We just had to know how they got here, so we asked rock expert Mary Leech to help us find the answer.

Got a question that really rocks? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help unEarth the answer.

Have you ever experienced the term "time flies when you’re having fun"? It’s an unfortunate reality of life that time seems to crawl by when we’re waiting for something to happen, and go too fast when we’re having a blast. We asked Ruth Ogden, a psychologist at John Moores University, why this happens.

Is there a question you’ve been pondering for a minute? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll set aside the time to get it answered.

If you’ve ever been caught in the rain, it probably wasn’t a big deal, right? Lucky for us, rain typically falls from the sky in small droplets. Listener Joe was wondering why that is, so we reached out to Monique Robinson of Mississippi State University to help us find the answer.

Got a Moment of Um question that’s raining on your parade? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help weather the storm.

Let’s say you’re watching a bunch of people run a marathon. The runners are pumping their legs, sure. But they’re also swinging their arms. Why is that? And why do we swing them when walking too? We asked Rachel Adenekan of Stanford University to help explain why that swinging motion is so universal.

Got a Moment of Um question that’s keeping you at arm’s length? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll point a finger at the answer.

In fall we like to change up our wardrobe from shorts and T-shirts to pants and sweaters. And guess what, trees do that too! Except they change the color of their leaves. Why is that? We asked Marlyse Duguid from the Yale School of the Environment to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s leaf-ing you stumped? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll put your mind at (for)rest.

People think alligators and crocodiles are really scary - and lots of people don’t understand the difference between them. But wildlife biologist Venetia Briggs-Gonzales 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.

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.

Pee is super cool! It’s 95% water. It’s sterile. And it can be a window into our overall health. But why is it yellow? We asked mechanical engineer Patricia Yang to help us find the answer.

Got a Moment of Um question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the answer.

If there’s one thing that’s generally known about sharks, it’s that they have sharp teeth. But have you heard they have to keep moving to stay alive? Why is that? In this episode we talk to shark scientist Melissa Cristina Marquez about this very question.

Do you have a Moment of Um question that seems kind of fishy? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll chew on the answer.

If you’ve ever banged your knee pretty badly, you might have noticed the knee swells up to larger than its normal size. To ease your pain and make the swelling go down, maybe someone handed you an ice pack. But why is it ice that does the trick to reduce swelling, and does anything else work? We asked physical therapist Karen Litzy to help us find the answer.

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

Earth is always moving around the sun, but does the sun move too? Or is it fixed in one place in the cosmos? In this episode, we talk to astrophysicist Brittany Kamai to get to the heart of this issue!

Do you have a Moment of Um question that’s burning in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help shine a light on the answer.

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.

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.

Bees are incredible! There are 20,000 species, and so much to learn about them. But have you ever wondered why they are black and yellow? Such a specific color palette, right? We asked Entomologist Dan Cariveau 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 you BEE informed.

Shells come in so many amazing shapes and sizes - spirals, sand dollars, sundials, ones that whirl around, ones that twirl around, ones that twist to the side and some that even look like cookies! Our listener Lily had a great question about these shapes, and Mike Sanchez, a Naturalist at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, helps us get to the bottom of this twisted subject!

Got a Moment of Um question whose shell you just can’t crack? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help get to the bottom of it.

You might have heard a rumor that snails have a big reaction when you pour salt on them. But curator Tim Pearce from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History wants you to know that it’s cruel to do so. And he’ll tell you why!

Got a Moment of Um question that wants to come out of its shell? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help slug out an answer.

Even though fish can be very small, it’s obvious that they have mouths. But what’s inside that mouth? Tiny teeth? A little tongue? A uvula hangy ball at the back of their throat? Tierney Thys, a marine biologist and National Geographic explorer, helps us understand at least one element of a fish’s mouth - whether they have tongues!

Got a burning Moment of Um question that you just can’t lick? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you get a taste for knowledge!

We already know that bats are amazing creatures. They are the only mammals that can fly. The bones in their wings resemble our fingers. They account for about one in five of all mammals living on the planet. And some can fly up to 99 miles per hour! But have you ever asked yourself why the heck they sleep upside down? We asked biologist DeeAnn Reeder to help us find the answer.

Got a Moment of Um question that’s turning you upside down? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help get it all sorted out.

We know why candles melt - from being lit, of course! But where do candles go when they melt? Do they just disappear into thin air? We asked scientist Fabien Goulay from West Virginia University to help us understand.

Got a flicker of a Moment of Um question for us? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you light up an answer.

Have you ever stared in the bathroom mirror and flicked the light on and off and watched what happens to your pupils? They get bigger, then smaller, then bigger, then smaller, right? One of our listeners was wondering what happens to our pupils when we close our eyes. Since we can’t see through our own eyelids, we called on Sasha Strul, University of Minnesota Pediatric Ophthalmologist, to help us discover the answer.

Do you have a Moment of Um question for us? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help open your eyes to the answer.

It’s one thing to watch a storm roll in from the safety of your own home, but what if you’re out in the middle of the ocean and things start to head in a stormy direction? Jonathan Smith, a faculty research assistant at University of Maryland, will help us understand what happens when lightning strikes water.

Do you have a strikingly good Moment of Um question for us? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help spark an answer!

Worms! Some of us love them - some of us are terrified of them! But have you ever wondered how they get their rest? Physicist Daniel Gonzales is the expert on all things worms and sleep and he’s here to fill us in.

Got a Moment of Um question for us that’s been slithering around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you find the answer.

One of the best things about looking up at the night sky is gazing at our big, beautiful moon. But why do we get to have all the fun? Can a moon have its own moon? Harvard graduate student Chantanelle Nava helps us understand.

Do you have a Moment of Um question for us that’s totally far out? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you find the answer.

If you’ve ever hugged a tree (and we hope you have!) you’ll know that the outside of a tree can be bumpy, prickly, and can even scrape your skin. That’s because trees are covered in tree armor – otherwise known as bark. One of our listeners wanted to know what tree bark is made of, so we asked forest ecologist Diana Macias to explain.

Do you have an evergreen question for Moment of Um? Leaf it for us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll try to find the answer.

If you’ve ever jumped right out of your seat when watching a scary movie, you know that sometimes your body has a reaction to being surprised or frightened. One of our listeners wanted to know why that happens, and we asked neurologist Sarah Benish to help us understand.

Got a startlingly good Moment of Um question for us? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll try to be brave enough to find the answer.

We’ve all suffered with chapped lips in the winter: itchy, flaking, sometimes even bleeding. Yikes! One of our listeners wanted to know how this happens, so we asked dermatologist Roxana Daneshjou to explain.

Got a Moment of Um question for us? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll ask around for the answer.

Most of us have some experience with allergies: maybe it’s pollen or a pet that makes us sneeze, or maybe there are certain foods we can’t eat. But do other creatures have allergies too? Are fish sniffling and sneezing underwater? We asked biologist Laura Zimmerman to help us understand.

Got a Moment of Um question for us? Go to BrainsOn.org/contact to send it to us, and we’ll go fishing for the answer.

We’ve all seen pictures of the planet Saturn, with its beautiful rings. But what if the Earth had rings? Could you look out your window and see them? We asked planetary scientist Linda Spilker to help us imagine what that might look like.

Got a Moment of Um question taking up space in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and you could hear the answer on a future episode!

You might not think about your eyebrows much, but if they weren’t there, you’d definitely notice! So how did those patches of hair come to be above our eyes? Why can we wiggle them? What are they for? We asked Penny Spikins, Professor of Human Evolution at the University of York in the UK, to help us answer our questions.

If there’s a question that’s made you raise your eyebrows, we can help with that! Submit your Moment of Um question at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll find the answer.

Do you know why it doesn’t hurt to get a haircut? Because the hair on your head is actually dead. But if it’s dead, how does it grow? Dermatologist Roxana Daneshjou explained it to us.

Send your hairiest questions for Moment of Um to BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll comb for the answers.

Air – we can’t breathe without it, we can’t live without it, we know it’s made up of molecules, so why is it invisible? Chemist Vicky van der Geer-Bock will help us answer this question.

If there’s a question whose answer feels invisible to you, we can help with that! Submit your Moment of Um question at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help find the answer.

Have you ever been walking around when you notice that your shoelaces have come untied, even though you just tied them? What’s up with that? We asked engineer Christine Gregg to help us understand.

Send us your questions for Moment of Um at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll do all the footwork to find the answer.

Most of us are familiar with the taste of something sour – that tart feeling that makes your eyes close and your facial features squint. Lemons, lime juice, kimchi are all sour - but what is the sourest thing in the world? We asked Janelle Klepper who has a Masters of Public Health in Nutrition from the University of Minnesota to help us figure it out.

And if YOU have a question, we can help with that! Submit your Moment of Um question at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help find the answer.

In the winter, most of us are used to seeing bare tree branches – but some trees, like firs, pines, and spruces, don’t usually lose their needles when it gets cold. We asked forest ecologist Diana Macias to help us understand why.

Got a Moment of Um question for us? Go to BrainsOn.org/contact to send it to us, and we’ll root around for the answer.

Have you ever noticed that when you say the same word over and over, it starts to sound funny? It’s like the word loses its meaning and just becomes weird, disconnected sounds. One of our listeners wanted to know why, and we went to linguist Shohini Battasali for the answer.

Got a Moment of Um question for us? Go to BrainsOn.org/contact to send it to us, and we’ll go in search of a solution, solution, solution, solution…

When you have a pet, part of taking care of that pet is cleaning up after them. Whether it’s scooping dog doo-doo from the yard, cleaning caca from your cat’s litter box, or picking out the pellet sized poops from a hamster’s cage, dealing with dookie is part of living with animals. But one of our listeners is wondering…do spiders poop? Paul Shamble of Harvard University helps us understand.

If you’ve got a Moment of Um question that’s itching to get out, send it our way at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll scoop up the answer.

Cephalopods are a group of marine creatures who all have a big head, a set of arms or tentacles, and can squirt ink. This group includes animals like squids and octopuses, but how do you know which is which? Marine biologist Sarah McAnulty gave us a few things to look for.

If you’ve got a Moment of Um question inked in your brain, send it our way at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll search for the answer.

Goats are extremely important animals for lots of cultures around the world – they provide milk, meat, and even warm wool. Have you ever noticed that their eyes are unusual? Instead of round pupils like you and me, their pupils are shaped like horizontal lines. We asked vision scientist Martin Banks to explain why.

If you’ve got an eye-opening question for Moment of Um, send it our way at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll try to find the answer.

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.

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!

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!

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!

Picture this: you’re outside with a friend, and you both see a little insect flying around. It’s got a small dark body, some tiny antennae, and big colorful wings. You say, “What a beautiful butterfly!” But your friend says, “No, that’s a moth!” How can you tell the difference? We got entomologist Brian Brown to give us the key.

If you’ve got a Moment of Um question fluttering around in your brain, send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll try to catch the answer.e.

Do you know how to wiggle your ears? It might seem like one of those things that some people can do and other people just can’t, but neuroscientist Steve Hackley says he thinks anyone can learn – and he’s got your instructions! Plus, he tells us why it’s potentially an important skill.

If you’ve got a question for Moment of Um wiggling around in your brain, send it our way at BrainsOn.org/contact, and you might hear the answer on an upcoming episode.

Have you ever noticed that the moon looks different at different times of the month? Not just the shape, whether it’s full and round or a tiny sliver – but the color also looks different sometimes. Maybe it’s dark orange, or silvery white, or even a bluish tinge. We asked astronomer and planetarium educator Sarah Komperud to help us understand.

Is there a Moment of Um question you’re mooning over? Launch it our way at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll look for the answer.

The sound of crickets on a warm summer evening is just so soothing, isn’t it? All those little insects in the grass, talking to each other about… well, we don’t really know! In fact, we don’t know why they chirp at all. We asked neurobiologist Jon Lambert to tell us what’s actually going on out there at night.

If you’ve got a question that just won’t let you rest, send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll do our best to find the answer!

We’ve all seen cartoon images of a mousetrap loaded with a big wedge of delicious cheese, but is that what mice actually like to eat? Maybe they like spaghetti, or tacos, or chocolate pudding. We asked veterinarian Kate Pritchett-Cornett what we should serve next time we’re having a family of mice over for dinner.

Got another cheesy question for us? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll try to do a gouda job of answering it.

Have you ever screamed when you saw a spider in the house? First of all, don’t be scared, that spider isn’t looking for you. But second of all, did you wonder if the spider even heard you? Most of us haven’t gotten close enough to a spider to see if it has any ears at all. We asked spider expert Paul Shamble to explain how spiders hear.

If you’ve got a question about spiders or anything else, send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll do our best to find the answer.

You might have heard of gravity as the force that keeps us firmly on the ground and not floating off the planet. Big things (like planets, moons, and stars) have gravity that pulls other objects toward them. But what about smaller things? Like… us? Do we have our own gravity?

If there’s a question pulling at you like a powerful force, we can help with that! Submit your Moment of Um question at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll find the answer.

Being asleep is kind of a funny thing, because you don’t know if you’re doing anything in your sleep – because you’re asleep! Some people talk in their sleep, others get out of bed and walk around… but do we ever sneeze in our sleep? We asked neurologist Michael Hall if it was even possible.

Got a Moment of Um question that’s keeping you awake? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and you could hear the answer on a future episode!

We all know that bites from poisonous snakes can be really dangerous, but can a poisonous snake poison itself? We asked snake expert Laurie Aarons to give us the factssssssssss.

If you’ve got a Moment of Um question for us, slither your way over to BrainsOn.org/contactto submit it.

The sounds of the ocean are so relaxing… the waves crashing on the sand, the gentle roar of the surf. And if you pick up a big seashell and put it to your ear, you can almost hear the ocean there too! One of our listeners wanted to know why, so we asked physicist Steve Errede to help us catch that wave.

Do you have a great question for Moment of Um? Surf on over to BrainsOn.org/contact and share it with us.

It’s always fun to sip a drink through a straw, whether it’s a frosty milkshake or an ice-cold lemonade. But did you know that the earth’s atmosphere actually plays a part in how liquid travels up a straw? Aerospace engineer Nicole Sharp explains it for us.

If you’ve reached the last straw on a question you need quenched, send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact.

Do you crack your knuckles? You know, you pull back on your fingers until you feel a pop or a snap? Some people will tell you that cracking your knuckles is actually bad for your hands, but one of our listeners wondered if that’s really true. We asked Dr. Rowland Chang, who studies joints like knuckles, what’s happening inside your body when you crack your knuckles, and if it’s causing any harm.

If you’ve got a great Moment of Um question at your fingertips, send it our way at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll do our best to handle it.

When it’s time to clean your kitchen or bathroom, there are lots of tools that can help you – mops, brooms, dustpans, buckets – but only one of them has its origins in the ocean. We’re talking about the versatile sponge: marine creature AND great for scrubbing dishes. But does the sponge in your sink actually come right out of the sea? Dr. Jennifer Quinlan, who studies food safety, has the answer.

If you’ve got a salty question you’d like us to answer on a future Moment of Um, submit it to us BrainsOn.org/contact.

What do you think the world smells like to a snake? Do smells help them find their prey, or a safe place to rest? Can they smell danger? Can they smell pizza? We asked reptile expert Carol Spencer to help us sniff out the answer to how snakes use their noses.

Are you hot on the scent of a great Moment of Um question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact.

Are there certain sounds that you just can’t stand? Maybe it’s the sound of someone chewing, or brakes screeching on a bus. Most of us really dislike the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard, but what is it about that sound that sets us on edge? We asked Adrian KC Lee, a neuroscientist who specializes in hearing, to explain why that squeal is so particularly painful.

Do you have a question that sounds like a good fit for Moment of Um? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contactand we’ll take a listen.

Bird eggs come in lots of different colors: white, brown, green, lavender, pink, and more. Splotches and speckles abound, too. If you’re in North America, maybe you’ve seen tiny bright blue robin’s eggs in a springtime nest. But did you ever wonder what makes that blue color? And why are robin’s eggs blue in the first place? We talked to biologist Bob Montgomerie about the reason for the hue.

If you’ve got a Moment of Um question that’s cracking you up, send it to the egg-heads at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll scramble to find the answer.

From glow-in-the-dark stickers to bioluminescent bacteria, twinkling fireflies to radiant jellyfish, the world is full of things that have the power to shine a light in the darkness. But how do glow-in-the-dark things actually work? We asked chemistry professor Aleeta M. Powe to illuminate this question for us.

If you’ve got a question that we could shine some light on, send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll do our best to brighten your day.

We take pencils for granted. They’re kicked around, thrown in the garbage and chewed on like yesterday's fast food. But think about how integral they are to our lives. They help us create art and write letters. They are vital tools of communication. In this episode, we pay respect to the humble pencil. With the help of Joya Cooley, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Cal State Fullerton, we pay respect to the humble pencil. Not only does she reveal how it sticks to paper, but she also tells us the secrets of erasing too.

Do you have a head-scratcher you want us to answer? Submit your own Moment of Um questions at BrainsOn.org/contact.

The T. rex is the embodiment of ferocious: razor sharp teeth, claws and a taste for blood. If you were running away from one of these beasts, you might not even notice its tiny arms. But there they are, in every recreation, almost comically small arms. So what gives? Paleontologist Bhart-Anjan Bhullar sets us straight on this not-so-tiny question.

Do you have a head-scratcher you want us to answer? Unlike T. rex, you can scratch your head, and when you’re done, submit your Moment of Um question at BrainsOn.org/contact.

Giraffes are known for a few key features: their long necks, beautiful camouflage and the dark tongue they use to strip leaves off branches. Steve Gerkin, interpretive programs manager at the North Carolina Zoo, visits the show to tell us why we think their tongues are that shade. Hint: humans share this trait with giraffes!

Do you have a head-scratcher you want us to answer? Submit your own Moment of Um questions at BrainsOn.org/contact.

Say hello to the Moment of Um, the new podcast from the makers of Brains On, Smash Boom Best and Forever Ago. Find the answers to those head-scratching questions that seem to pop up out of nowhere. Bite-sized episodes come out every weekday - the perfect brain snack!