Moment Of Um

What does painting the most splendid sunset and the most radiant rainbow have in common? They both require lots of beautiful paint colors! We can blend colors to make orange, green, and purple, but how do we make primary colors like red, yellow, and blue? We asked color science professor Stephen Westland to help us find the answer. Got a question that you’re dye-ing to get answered? Send it to us...

Ever find yourself staring at a shiny jewel? Or wowed by the glistening paint on a freshly washed car? Or inexplicably drawn to a magazine with a glossy cover? You are not alone. Humans love shiny things. But why is that? We asked Bauer College professor and marketing expert, Vanessa Patrick, to help shine some light on this topic.  Is there a question that’s caught your eye? Send it to us at Brai...

When you look up at the night sky, what do you see?  A few stars, or a satellite, maybe even one of the seven other planets in our solar system?  But how many planets are there in all of outer space? We asked astronomer Mark Popinchalk 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 launch an investigation for the answer! S...

There are hundreds of different plants and animals on Earth that are endangered. That means they’re at risk of going extinct if they’re not protected. Lots of people and organizations all over the world are trying to protect endangered species and keep them from disappearing forever. But how does a species become endangered in the first place? We asked wildlife biologist Sergio Avila to help us fi...

Snails are some of the world’s coolest creatures.  They’ve been around since the dinosaurs walked the Earth – and they carry their houses on their backs! But do our super slimy friends ever need to … use the bathroom? We asked biologist Teresa Rose Osborne to help us track down the answer. Got a question that’s turd-ally awesome? Don’t pee afraid to send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact!  We might...

To us Earthlings, the moon is the ultimate cosmic chameleon. It’s always changing! Some nights it’s waxing, some nights waning, one day it’s full, and just two weeks later, it looks like there’s no moon at all. This is called a new moon, when the face of the moon is entirely in shadow. During a new moon, the moon doesn’t really go away. It’s just too dark to see. But… what would actually happen if...

Do you ever have trouble putting away your tablet or turning off the TV? Us, too! Lots of people end hours every day using screens – but why do we like them so much? And why is it so hard to turn them off? We asked University of Minnesota professor Jodi Dworkin to help us find the answer. Got a question that you just can’t put down? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll screen some expe...

It’s a colorful world out there! When light from the sun hits surfaces on Earth, those surfaces reflect different wavelengths of light. Our eyes collect those waves and send them to our brains, which interpret the waves as colors! It’s an incredible process, and it happens in…well, the blink of an eye. But how many different colors can our eyes and brains identify? We asked University of Leeds col...

Fall is finally here!  For much of the world, that means falling leaves, cozy sweaters, and lots and lots of apples!  There are over 7,000 species of apples grown worldwide, and they’re all unique!  But how are they able to come in so many different colors? We asked Lee Kalcitsto help us find the answer. Have a question that’s got you stumped? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help...

Throughout history, people all over the world have pictured our planet in different ways, including as a flat disc. It can be hard to see the Earth’s curve when you’re standing on the ground, but mathematical calculations and information from space voyages have confirmed that the Earth is a sphere. But…what would it actually be like if the planet was shaped like a big pancake instead? We asked ast...

The ocean has multiple layers, like a big, watery, salty cake. The deeper underwater you go, the more water above you – and the weight of all that water creates super strong pressure. So how do the fish that live in the deepest levels of the ocean survive without being squished? We asked marine biologist Keegan Lutek to help us find the answer. Got a question that you want to shellebrate? Send it...

When was the last time you laughed so hard your stomach hurt? Or cried so hard you couldn’t breathe? Sometimes it’s hard to tell if our emotions are in control or we are! To help find the answer, we asked Dr. Ed Greene, early childhood psychologist and consultant for our sister podcast Charm Words. Have a question that’s got you all emotional? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help...

The International Space Station is the largest structure that humans have ever launched into space. Hundreds of people have visited the space station over the past 25 years, but what about animals? Could birds or fish live there? We asked astronomy professor Chris Impey to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s launched you into a tizzy? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll spa...

Have you ever put a bag of delicious crunchy apple slices in your backpack, only to discover they’ve turned brown by lunchtime? What’s up with that? We asked fruit tree expert and Washington State University associate professor Lee Kalcsits to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s apple-solutely awesome? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help color in the answer! See omnyst...

The universe can be a very mysterious place. It’s so big! And so full of incredible things! But what’s it made of? We asked astronomy professor Chris Impey to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s really out of this world? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help the stars align to find an answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever felt a little twinge or ache in your body, but you’re not sure where it came from? It might have been a growing pain! Just like a plant stretches toward the sun, your body might stretch too as you grow bigger. We asked medical researcher Kira Bacal about the science behind these pains. Got a question that’s growing in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact – it won’t be a p...

We eat food to power our bodies and keep us healthy. After all, food is full of the vitamins we need to survive. If you need vitamin C, try an orange. Vitamin B? Eggs or meat. But why do some foods have certain vitamins and other foods don’t? What determines which foods have which vitamins? We asked nutritionist Ana Veloso to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s chewing at you? Send it t...

It’s pretty easy to tell when someone didn’t get enough sleep and you may have even felt the warning signs yourself. Simple things might feel annoying, or more difficult and you might not feel like dealing with anything or anyone. Have you ever asked yourself why we feel so irritable when our bodies and minds are weary? We asked medical researcher Kira Bacal to help us find the answer. Got a quest...

Lots of animals feel itchy sometimes! Bears rub their backs on rough tree trunks, dogs love a good belly scratch and birds itch themselves with their feet. But what about flies? Do they get itchy, too? We asked Johns Hopkins graduate student Abel Corver to help us find the answer. Got a question that you’re itching to know the answer to? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll come up wit...

Our solar system is full of incredible things, from rocky asteroids to Saturn’s spectacular rings. But most of these things are millions or even billions of miles away. Is it even possible to reach the furthest corners of our solar system? We asked NASA aerospace engineer Erik Axdahl to help us find the answer. Got a question that you keep gravitating towards? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact...

Rocket engines have to push REALLY hard against Earth’s gravity to get up off the ground. The rockets that NASA sends into space weigh over a million pounds! That is a LOT to try to lift into the air! So what kind of fuel do those powerful rocket engines use? We asked NASA scientist Erik Axdahl to help us find the answer. Got a question orbiting your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, an...

3…2…1… Blast off! Rockets launch things into space, which is no easy task. They have to push off from the Earth and zoom at great speeds to break free from gravity. But how do they do it? What makes them different from airplanes? We asked NASA aerospace engineer Erik Axdahl to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s launched you into a tizzy? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll...

In movies and TV shows spaceships can often travel faster than the speed of light. It’s an idea often called a hyperdrive or warp speed, and it would let you explore the whole universe! So is hyperdrive possible in real life? We asked NASA aerospace engineer Erik Axdahl 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 bring the a...