Brains On! Science podcast for kids
American Public Media
Brains On!® is a science podcast for curious kids and adults from American Public Media. Each week, a different kid co-host joins Molly Bloom to find answers to fascinating questions about the world sent in by listeners. Like, do dogs know they’re dogs? Or, why do feet stink? Plus, we have mystery sounds for you to guess, songs for you to dance to, and lots of facts -- all checked by experts.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 26, 2017 • 25min
The nerve! Electricity in our bodies
Your body is making and using electricity all the time — but how do we do it? We’ll take a look at how bioelectricity helps our brain sends signals and our hearts pump blood. And we’ll learn about some amazing animals that use electricity in weird and wild ways.
Dec 19, 2017 • 31min
Charged up! The science of batteries
Batteries are everywhere — they’re in our phones, our computers, our cars, our toys. But how do they work? To find out, we talk to a scientist who’s making really big batteries to store renewable energy, another who’s working on really small ones to power our phones, and we play in a park with a dog.
Dec 12, 2017 • 36min
High voltage! How electric power reaches your outlet
We use electricity all the time, but where exactly does it come from? How does it get to our homes? It’s a fascinating journey that can start hundreds of miles from your outlet.
Dec 5, 2017 • 29min
Shocking! The science of static (Electricity series pt. 1)
What makes your hair stand on end? Why does your skirt stick your tights? Why do you get zapped by electric shocks when you go to touch a doorknob?
Nov 27, 2017 • 29min
Where did language come from?
Where did language come from? Is it possible to know without traveling back in time? And how do babies learn to speak? Plus: We’ll hear how the word “silly” has evolved over the last several hundred years.
Nov 14, 2017 • 9min
Curio: Flies on the bus
A few weeks ago, we got two emails that were so similar and so intriguing we had no choice but to investigate.
Nov 7, 2017 • 23min
What's smaller than an electron?
The natural world can be broken down into atoms. And those atoms can be broken down even further. Will the discovery of smaller and smaller particles ever stop?
Oct 30, 2017 • 27min
Healing skin and regrowing limbs: The science of regeneration
What superpowers does our skin have to repair itself? And what about other animals like salamanders that can do some pretty extreme healing? We’re going under the skin for this one.
Oct 22, 2017 • 21min
Bonus: Kidcast sampler
Looking for more awesome podcasts to listen to? We're bringing you a special bonus episode today to let you know about some of the other podcasts that you might want to check out. And if you want to find lots of other podcasts for kids you can always head to applepodcasts.com/kids
Oct 17, 2017 • 11min
Curio: Vampire of the Great Lakes
The sea lamprey, with its concentric rows of sharp teeth, is part vampire and part alien invader. Would you let it suction to your arm? Reporter Dan Kraker did. Find out if he lived to tell about it.
