Ask Dr. Universe

Send us Fan Mail Today I'm talking with Von Walden, an atmospheric scientist at Washington State University. Hear about Earth's bubble of gases AKA the atmosphere Learn why clouds can be weird in the polar regions Find out what an expert thinks about climate change —and how optimistic he is about the future Resources You Can Use Check out AMNH's climate change  resources Watch these...

Send us Fan Mail What up with the small intestine and the large intestine? Join Cosmo and me—and our friend Franck Carbonero , microbiologist at Washington State University—to break down how we break down food. You'll hear: how the intestines differ in size and function all about your gut bacteria the journey food takes through your digestive tract Resources you can use: American Museum of Na...

Send us Fan Mail Purr-haps you'd like a new way to get your claws on science questions sent in by kids like you. That's litter-ally my favorite thing. Today Cosmo and I tackle a question from William, 7, from the United Kingdom: Why is snot green? You'll hear: What mucus is What protein makes mucus green sometimes How immune cells trap irritants and stuff that can make you sick Reso...

Send us Fan Mail Purr-haps you'd like a new way to get your claws on science questions sent in by kids like you. That's litter-ally my favorite thing. Today Cosmo and I tackle a question from Hillary's 1st graders in Washington: What makes snow sparkle? You'll hear: How snowflakes are hexagonal ice crystals About white light and rainbow colors What reflection and refraction mea...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today I'm talking to WSU biological anthropologist Thomas Siek . Hear about all kinds of anthropology Find out how Dr. Siek studied bones from the Middle Ages in Poland Learn how clues in bones help solve crimes with forensic anthropology Resources...

Send us Fan Mail Purr-haps you'd like a new way to get your claws on science questions sent in by kids like you. That's litter-ally my favorite thing. Today Cosmo and I tackle a question from Gabby, 9, in Kansas: Why do bees make honey? You'll hear: What a bee proboscis is and why bees are so adorably hairy Why some people call honey " bee barf " and what trophollaxis is ...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today I'm talking to WSU environmental archeologist John Blong . Hear what environmental archeology is Learn about fossilized poop—AKA coprolites —and what they reveal to scientists Find out when the first people came to North America Resources You...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today, the 4th graders at Palouse Prairie Charter School take Dr. Universe and her cougar cub friend Cosmo back in time to the formation of the universe. Join our intrepid science team as they explore the Big Bang Hear about how the sun works Learn about...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today, the 4th graders at Palouse Prairie Charter School take Dr. Universe and her cougar cub friend Cosmo on an earth science adventure. Join our intrepid science team as they dig for fossils Hear about the supercontinent Pangea Learn about volcanoes and...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today I'm talking to WSU astronomer Michael Allen. Learn what an astronomer does and what their day looks like Hear how people who do astronomy as a hobby contribute to the field Find out what Dr. Allen thinks about aliens Resources You Can Use Chec...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today I'm talking to WSU veterinarian Jessica Bunch. Learn what a veterinarian does and funny things that happen Hear about how Dr. Bunch gives acupuncture to all kinds of animals  Resources You Can Use Check out ag careers with Future Farmers of Am...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today we're talking to nurse practitioner Bevan Briggs. Warning! This episode very briefly mentions intestines, body fluids, shots, stitches, broken bones, surgery, kids putting on pretend wounds (with intestines!) to help EMTs train, and the fact a...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world.   Today we're talking about birds with Wes Dowd , a marine biologist and environmental physiologist at Washington State University.  Learn about tiny crustaceans called copepods , which are a type of plankton — and rock out to this song about zoopla...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world.   Today we're talking about birds with Jennifer Phillips , an ecologist at Washington State University.  Learn about sensory pollution and the difference between a phenotype and a genotype Find out how birds get tagged and measured—and how it's...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world.   Today we're talking about libraries with David Luftig , a science librarian at Washington State University.  Find out what a science librarian is and how to become one Learn how the resources at WSU's Owen Science and Engineering Library and...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world.   Today we're talking about learning with Kira Carbonneau , an educational psychologist at Washington State University.  Find out what educational psychologist is and how Dr. Carbonneau became one Learn the difference between quantitative research a...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world.   Today we're talking about babies with Masha Gartstein , a psychologist who studies infant temperament at Washington State University.  Learn about the individual differences that make up a baby's temperament and how scientists study it in the...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world.   Do you love insects? Me, too. In this episode, we meet Rich Zack , an insect scientist at Washington State University.  Learn about entomology, the study of insects and arthropods like spiders and scorpions, and how to study insects right now. Hear how...

Send us Fan Mail Hey, friends. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world.      In this episode, we meet Adah Crandall. She’s an organizer with the Sunrise Movement . That's a youth-led organization working on solutions for climate change. She started organizing as a middle schooler when she took on the Oregon Department of Transportation. ...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, friends. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world.      In this episode, we meet Emily Erickson. She’s part of the Western Monarch Mystery Challenge team. That’s a community science project that asks people to look for monarch butterflies in early spring and send in pictures to help scientists learn more about the...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world.    It's not enough to just do science—you've got to get the science out so people can read all about it. That's where science writers come in.   In this episode, we meet Sara Zaske, a science writer at Washington State University. She also...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world.    What's a postdoctoral fellow? How do rattlesnakes rattle? What's it like searching for snakes in the field or taking blood samples from a grizzly bear?   In this episode, we meet Blair Perry, a postdoctoral fellow at Washington State Univers...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world.    Do you love our solar system? Today, 4th graders from Palouse Prairie Charter School take me on a space tour in their Boomcrusher space shuttle. Come along! Ask Dr. Universe is a service of Washington State University geared toward an 8- to 13-year-ol...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world.     How do you become a scientist? What does a scientist's day look like? Is being a scientist fun?    In this episode, we meet Nora Hickey, a fish veterinarian at Washington State University. We learn about fish medicine and why it’s important to f...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world.   What was early Earth like? How did life start on Earth? And what’s up with plate tectonics? In part two of this two-part episode, we meet geologist Johannes Haemmerli of Washington State University. We learn about early Earth, some brand-new research o...