Moment Of Um

Mold is a type of fungus, which means it’s related to mushrooms. And it can be kind of pretty, if you’re not grossed out by it. Sometimes mold is green or white or even pink! Why does it have so many colors? We asked professor Jonathan Schilling from the University of Minnesota to help us find the answer.Got a question in your brain that’s taking up too mushroom? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll find an answer that isn’t past its expiration date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever wandered around the supermarket and noticed that some of the food is marked “organic?” What does that mean? And why are the organic fruits and veggies in their own special section? We asked organic food expert Chris Schreiner to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s food for thought? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you arrive at the answer organically.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve ever gotten a cut or a scrape, you might’ve noticed that your skin feels itchy while it’s healing. Why does that happen, anyway? We asked pediatrician Dr. Emma Gerstenzang to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s a cut above the rest? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll scratch our heads ‘til we find the answer!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Isn’t it cool that cars can go forwards and backwards? Backwards and forwards go can cars that cool it isn’t? All joking aside, these huge, heavy machines can switch directions with just the push of a lever! But how do they do it? We asked car expert Chaya Milchtein 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 steer you in the right direction!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So far, only adults have been to space. But there are plenty of kids who’d love to travel to space, so what gives? Why can’t kids walk on the moon? Or visit the International Space Station? We asked NASA engineer Varoujan Gorjian to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s moonwalking around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll spaceCRAFT an answer for you.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We love when our listeners send in super unique questions. We also love robots. So we had to answer this head-scratcher of a question from listener Lucas: why aren’t robots ticklish? We asked pediatrician Emma Gerstenzang to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s tickling your fancy? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find the answer faster than a well-oiled machine!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.