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
Jun 23, 2017 • 24min
Traffic: Phantom jams and chicken soup (Road trip pt. 4)
On the fourth leg of our road trip, we figure out where traffic comes from and what it would take to make it finally go away.
Jun 20, 2017 • 29min
Monster trucks and car design (Road trip pt. 3)
At the third stop on our road trip series, we coast in for a pit stop and check out car design. We find out how monster trucks are different than cars, how culture influences car design and what it’s like to make car into animated, talking movie stars.
Jun 16, 2017 • 18min
The future of fuel, and the problem with exhaust (Road trip pt. 2)
Our planet needs some carbon dioxide, but cars are pumping more into the atmosphere than our carbon cycle can handle. We’ll explore what all this carbon means for our planet. And we talk to a scientist who is working to change how we fuel our cars, so we can cut back on all this carbon dioxide.
Jun 9, 2017 • 22min
How do engines work? (Road trip pt. 1)
On the first leg of our road trip, we’re exploring the history of engines and how they work, with a little help from Car Talk’s Ray Magliozzi.
Jun 6, 2017 • 32min
Mystery sound extravaganza!
There are a whopping 10 sounds for you to guess in this episode. Are your ears up to the challenge?
May 9, 2017 • 21min
The science of slime: What is it and why are we so obsessed
Homemade slime is sticky, gooey and all the rage, but what is it? When you combine ingredients like glue and laundry detergent you get a strange, flubbery substance. We’ll explain what’s happening on a molecular level to make this stuff.
Mar 14, 2017 • 16min
Why is the ocean salty?
If you’ve ever been the ocean, you’ve tasted that salt. But where does it come from? And why aren’t lakes and rivers salty too? A sea shanty is probably the best way to explain, right?
Feb 14, 2017 • 16min
Do we all see the same colors?
What if the color that you call blue and the color I call blue don’t look the same at all? When our brains see color, we’re really just seeing waves of light. Sure, we may be seeing the same waves when we look at the color blue, but do we know if our brains are interpreting those waves in the same way?
Jan 31, 2017 • 26min
Cats: Glowing eyes, puffy tails and secret purrs
Why do cat eyes look the way they do? Can cats really see in the dark? And what are they trying to tell us with that purr (you know the one)?
Jan 17, 2017 • 19min
Dinosaur bones: How do we know their age?
Fossil dating is a lot like eating a delicious ice cream cake. Well, sort of. We find out how scientists look at the rock and elements AROUND a fossil to figure out its age. Plus: We talk to a scientist who studied one of the coolest fossils discovered recently: a dinosaur tail trapped in amber, complete with feathers!
