How Did The Solar System And All The Planets Get Their Names? Moment Of Um podcast

2:56

We're moving the Brains On Universe Headquarters, and that means we have to stop putting out new episodes until we get settled. We know: not cool. But, our new home is going to be bigger and better and the absolute BEST. We can't wait until it's ready for you to visit. In the meantime, we still have some live shows planned this fall. Brains On Live will be in Dallas, TX on September 13. And Smash Boom Best will bring the debate heat to Princeton, NJ on October 26. Head over to brainson.org/events to get tickets. We can't wait to high five you all in person! And, if you want to be the first to hear about our shiny, new home, sign up for our newsletter . There will be six more bathrooms, 10 more water slides and, we're finally going to fix the doorbell! Also, if you have any questions or want to reach out to us, you can still head to brainson.org/contact to get in touch.…

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How do braces work? 6:19

6 weeks ago6:19

6:19

They come in cool colors, catch popcorn kernels and sometimes even have spacers - it’s braces! Ever wondered how braces magically straighten teeth? We asked Dr. ArNelle Wright - a real life dentist! - to help us break down the science of these tiny metal wonders. Bracing for a tough question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help uncover the tooth .…

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How did the solar system and all the planets get their names? 4:56

6 weeks ago4:56

4:56

The Milky Way! Neptune! Uranus! Halley’s Comet! There are so many cool features in our solar system – but how did they get their names? We asked space scientist and communicator Maggie Aderin-Pocock 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 make space for an answer.…

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How do stoplights know when to change? 5:24

6 weeks ago5:24

5:24

Waiting for a stoplight to turn green can be really annoying, especially when you’re running late. It would be awesome if you had a magic wand you could wave to get the light to change. But alas, such things don’t exist. But how do stoplights know when to switch colors? We asked Jerry Kotzenmacher with the Minnesota Department of Transportation to help us find the answer. Got a nagging question that just won’t yield ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll put you in the express lane to answersville .…

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Can you control your dreams? 5:24

6 weeks ago5:24

5:24

Have you ever had a scary or weird dream and wished you could switch your brain-television to another channel? Great news! You can learn to use “lucid dreaming,” a technique that helps you realize when you’re in a dream. Once you know you’re dreaming, you can teach yourself to shape your own storyline. So how does that work? We asked Dr. Ketema Paul, Professor, Integrative Biology And Physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s keeping you up at night ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help put it to bed .…

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How did people figure out how to make yogurt? 6:57

7 weeks ago6:57

6:57

There are all different kinds of yogurt: Greek, vanilla bean, blueberry, even sheep’s milk yogurt! But how did people first figure out how to make this yummy food? We asked journalist Allison Conroe to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s whey cool? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll find a legen- dairy answer.…

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Why did snakes lose their legs? 4:13

7 weeks ago4:13

4:13

Happy Snake Week! Every episode this week explores a different question about our slithery friends. Here’s a mind blower for you: did you know the ancestors of snakes used to have legs? Somewhere along the zigzag path of evolution, they traded in their lizardy legs for a more streamlined look. But why did snakes go legless? We asked biologist and snake researcher Emily Taylor to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s snaking around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll find a fangtastic answer!…

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How do snakes make venom? 4:08

7 weeks ago4:08

4:08

Happy Snake Week! Every episode this week explores a different question about our slithery friends. Did you know that, out of the roughly 3,000 total species of snakes, only about 10-15% are venomous? But how do those snakes make venom in their bodies? We asked snake scientist Emily Taylor to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s biting at you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll search for the answer-dote!…

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Why are snakes shaped like a stick? 4:47

7 weeks ago4:47

4:47

Happy Snake Week! Every episode this week explores a different question about our slithery friends. Snakes come in all sizes and colors, but they have one thing in common: no arms or legs! In fact, one might argue they kind of look like sticks. We asked snake expert Emily Taylor why our reptilian neighbors are twig-shaped. Got a question that’s slithering around your brain ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll promise we won’t throw a hisssss-y fit !…

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What do zoos feed big snakes, such as pythons? 4:05

7 weeks ago4:05

4:05

Happy Snake Week! Every episode this week explores a different question about our slithery friends. Zoos have to have all kinds of foods available to feed the different species that they care for. Animals like elephants, zebras and buffalo eat plants. Predators like lions, foxes and bears have a much meatier diet. But what’s on the menu at the snake house? Snake cake? Snake steak? Snake grapes? We asked biologist Emily Taylor to help us find the answer. Got a question snaking throughyour brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help squeeze out an answer.…

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What do snakes do when they hibernate? 4:56

8 weeks ago4:56

4:56

Happy Snake Week! Every episode this week explores a different question about our slithery friends. Did you know snakes hibernate in the winter just like bears, chipmunks and geckos? But what do they do while they’re hibernating? Do they have dreams? Do they wake up for mid-hibernation snacks? We asked snake scientist Emily Taylor to help us find the answer! Got a question you just can’t ssssssleep on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and maybe we’ll bite !…

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Why am I allergic to raw egg but not cooked egg? 6:27

8 weeks ago6:27

6:27

Some people have allergic reactions to foods like peanuts, sesame, and raw eggs. But when people with egg allergies eat cooked eggs, there’s no reaction. What’s up with that? We asked pediatrician Liz Placzek to help us find the answer. Have you hatched a really great question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help find EGG-xactly what you need.…

1
How do mood rings work? 6:43

8 weeks ago6:43

6:43

Have you ever heard of a mood ring? It’s a little piece of jewelry that supposedly tells you what kind of a mood you’re in. But how the heck can it know? We asked scientist Edwin Thomas to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s getting you in the mood to learn? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help w- ring out an answer.…

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Why do we have weird dreams when we’re sick? 5:56

8 weeks ago5:56

5:56

When you’re sick, it’s important to get plenty of rest to help your body heal. But it can be hard to sleep when your brain keeps showing you bizarre fever dreams (Like being chased by a giant fireball! Or swimming in nacho cheese!) Why do we have strange dreams when we’re sick, anyway? We asked dream researcher Michael Schredl to help us find the answer. Got any burning questions? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll search feverishly for the right answer!…

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Are brains really pink? 5:01

8 weeks ago5:01

5:01

Quick, picture a brain! Did you imagine a rosy-colored little meatball? Us too! But are brains actually pink when they’re inside our skulls? We asked brain expert Gwenaëlle Thomas to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s giving you a real headache ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll wrap our brains around it!…

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Where do poop and pee go on airplanes? 5:03

9 weeks ago5:03

5:03

Dogs come in so many different sizes, from the tiniest teacup terrier to the giant Great Dane. How did we get such a delightful assortment of these furry best buddies? We asked Brains On producer and archaeologist Anna Goldfield to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s been hounding you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll make sure to bark up the right tree !…

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Could you make a candle out of earwax? 6:45

9 weeks ago6:45

6:45

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Does space affect an astronaut’s digestion? 4:08

9 weeks ago4:08

4:08

We chew our food, swallow it, and our stomach goes to work on digesting! Our bodies absorb the nutrients they need and then we poop out the rest. Here on Earth, the whole process takes somewhere between one to three days. But what about in space? Do astronauts digest food as quickly as they do on Earth? We reached out to space scientist and science communicator Maggie Aderin-Pocock to get the answer! Got a question you’re chewing on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we'll spit out the answer.…

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Why are some dogs so small and some so large? 6:22

9 weeks ago6:22

6:22

1
How does the earth support heavy buildings? 3:50

9 weeks ago3:50

3:50

Did you know the tallest building in the world is a skyscraper in Dubai called the Burj Khalifa? It has 163 floors and weighs as much as 100,000 elephants! But how can the Earth even support such a huge building?! Why doesn’t the ground just collapse underneath it? We asked geologist Rónadh Cox to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s weighing heavily on your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help build you up with a great answer!…

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Why is the moon white and why does it have different shapes? 6:31

10 weeks ago6:31

6:31

Some planets have lots of moons. Others have none. Earth has just one moon, but it’s a really great one. It can glow bright and white and sometimes it’s shaped like a big round ball. Other times it’s skinny like the white tip of a fingernail. Makes you wonder, why does the moon look the way it does? We asked Preston Dyches from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to help us find the answer. Got a question orbiting around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll illuminate an answer.…

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Did dinosaurs fart? 8:05

10 weeks ago8:05

8:05

You fart. I fart. Your dog farts. We all fart! Or do we…? Birds don’t fart, and they’re the closest living descendants of the dinosaurs. So, did dinosaurs fart? We asked paleontologist Kallie Moore to help us find the answer. Got a question rumbling around in your brain ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we'll find you an answer TOOT-suite!…

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What was the very first dinosaur? 6:56

10 weeks ago6:56

6:56

Dinosaurs went extinct around 65 million years ago after an asteroid crashed into Earth. So we know when dinosaurs disappeared from the planet, but when did they appear? What was the first dinosaur, and how long ago did it live? We asked paleontologist Kallie Moore to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s got you full of veloci-RAPTURE? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll TRY(ceratops) to answer it!…

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How do we know what dinosaurs sounded like? 5:04

10 weeks ago5:04

5:04

Happy Dinosaur Week! Every episode this week explores the ancient marvels that walked the Earth millions of years ago. Fossilized bones and footprints help scientists figure out what these prehistoric creatures looked like – but how do we know what they sounded like? We asked paleontologist and science journalist Shaena Montanari to help us find the answer. Got a question that makes you want to roar in frustration? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll find a dino-mite answer.…

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How did Megalodon sharks go extinct? 7:49

10 weeks ago7:49

7:49

Megalodon was the biggest shark species that ever lived. The biggest ones were almost 60 feet long, which is longer than a school bus! These gigantic sharks went extinct millions of years ago, but why? We asked paleontologist Kallie Moore to help us find the answer. Got a question that you megalo-don’t know how to answer? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll hunt down an expert to explain!…

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Did dinosaurs lay colorful eggs? 6:13

11 weeks ago6:13

6:13

Dinosaurs were reptiles, which means they laid eggs! But what did these eggs look like? Were they big? Small? Speckly? Colorful? We asked paleontologist Kallie Moore to help us find the answer. Got a question you just can’t egg-nore ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help unscramble the answer!…

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How does an immortal jellyfish go back to being a baby? 6:41

11 weeks ago6:41

6:41

Way out in the deep blue sea, there is a remarkable creature called the immortal jellyfish. This buoyant little blob can deal with being hurt or stressed by going from its adult form back to a baby !! Then it grows up all over again. Holy moly. How does that work? We asked science writer Christina Couch to tell us all about it. Got a question that’s a ten out of TENtacles ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , ‘cause we are READY for that jelly!…

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Why can you hear the ocean in a seashell? 3:25

11 weeks ago3:25

3:25

The sounds of the ocean are so relaxing… the waves crashing on the sand, the gentle roar of the surf. And if you pick up a big seashell and put it to your ear, you can almost hear the ocean there too! One of our listeners wanted to know why, so we asked physicist Steve Errede to help us catch that wave. Do you have a great question for Moment of Um? Surf on over to BrainsOn.org/contact and share it with us.…

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Why are we more closely related to fungi than plants? 6:14

11 weeks ago6:14

6:14

All living things on Earth are related. To help keep track of how close those relationships are, scientists organize life on Earth into groups using a system called taxonomy. Sometimes, taxonomy can be surprising – like, did you know that humans are more closely related to mushrooms and other fungi than we are to plants? How does that work? We asked microbiologist Christine Salomon to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s in a class by itself ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll find an answer that’ll really grow on you .…

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Would a poisonous snake die if it bit itself? 3:50

11 weeks ago3:50

3:50

We all know that bites from poisonous snakes can be really dangerous, but can a poisonous snake poison itself? We asked snake expert Lawrie Arends to give us the factssssssssss. If you’ve got a Moment of Um question for us, slither your way over to BrainsOn.org/contact to submit it.

Moment of Um

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What are birthmarks? 4:50

12 weeks ago4:50

4:50

Our skin is pretty incredible. It protects us and helps us sense the world around us. Some people have colored patches or dots on their skin called birthmarks. We wanted to know what birthmarks actually are, so we asked dermatologist Liz Farhat to help us find the answer. Got a question that makes you say “ holy MOLE-y!” Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help spot the answer.…

Moment of Um

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What makes dolphins so smart? 5:12

12 weeks ago5:12

5:12

Dolphins are super cool sea creatures that can swim fast, jump high, and make all kinds of nifty noises. But did you know that they also have big complicated brains like humans do? How did they get those big brains, and what do they use them for? We asked science writer Vicky Stein to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s FIN- tastic? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll set out with a great sense of porpoise to find the answer!…

Moment of Um

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Do we sneeze in our sleep? 3:58

12 weeks ago3:58

3:58

Being asleep is kind of a funny thing, because you don’t know if you’re doing anything in your sleep – because you’re asleep! Some people talk in their sleep, others get out of bed and walk around… but do we ever sneeze in our sleep? We asked neurologist Michael Hall if it was even possible. Got a Moment of Um question that’s keeping you awake? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and you could hear the answer on a future episode!…

Moment of Um

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Do lizards smell with their tongues? 5:28

12 weeks ago5:28

5:28

The sense of smell is so powerful. Without it, we couldn’t sniff out freshly-baked muffins, stinky garbage, or smoky campfires. Some animals use their noses, others use antennae or even their feet to smell. But what about lizards? They have nostrils, but do they use them to smell? We asked lizard researcher Laura Kojima to help us answer this question. Got a question that you need to make scents of? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help you sniff it out.…

Moment of Um

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Do we have our own gravity? 4:25

12 weeks ago4:25

4:25

You might have heard of gravity as the force that keeps us firmly on the ground and not floating off the planet. Big things (like planets, moons, and stars) have gravity that pulls other objects toward them. But what about smaller things? Like… us? Do we have our own gravity? If there’s a question pulling at you like a powerful force, we can help with that! Submit your Moment of Um question at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll find the answer.…

Moment of Um

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Why do beans give us gas? 6:07

13 weeks ago6:07

6:07

Beans are delicious. From edamame to lentils, there’s a bean for everyone! But they can also make us a little tooty. Why is that? We asked pediatrician Wendy Hunter to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s a real gas? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll rip a good one (answer, that is)!…

Moment of Um

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Why don’t scars go away? 5:41

13 weeks ago5:41

5:41

If you get a cut or scratch that goes deep enough into your skin, your body will form a scar. But why don’t scars themselves heal and go away? We asked dermatologist Liz Farhat to help us find the answer. Got a question that cuts deep ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help stitch together an answer.…

Moment of Um

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How do boomerangs return? 5:37

13 weeks ago5:37

5:37

A boomerang is a specially curved wooden throwing stick that was originally used as a hunting tool by Indigenous Australians. Nowadays, you can find toy versions along with the real thing, and if you throw them just right, they’ll curve around in the air and head right back to you. At least…it works for some people. So how exactly does a boomerang fly? We asked boomerang champion Logan Broadbent to help us find the answer. Got a question that keeps coming back to you ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll booma-wrangle some answers for you.…

Moment of Um

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What happens when paleontologists find a fossil? 6:27

13 weeks ago6:27

6:27

Make no bones about it – fossils are super cool! But what do you do if you find a fossil? We asked Jingmai O’Connor, the Associate Curator of Fossil Reptiles at the Field Museum in Chicago, to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s buried in your brain ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help dig up the answer!…

Moment of Um

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What is plastic made of? 6:36

13 weeks ago6:36

6:36

Plastic is a part of so many of the things we use every day. But just what IS it? We asked University of Minnesota professor Frank Bates to help us find the answer. Got a question you’ve been bottling up ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll pla-stic to the topic.

Moment of Um

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How does pasta turn from hard to tender? 5:23

14 weeks ago5:23

5:23

Pasta is delicious, whether it’s rigatoni, linguine, macaroni or any shape at all! When you buy pasta from the store, it’s usually hard, crunchy, and dry. But after cooking it, the pasta is tender and toothsome! How does that work? We asked cookbook author and cooking teacher Julia Turshen to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s spa-GHETTING you all worked up? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll explore the PASTAbilities to find the answer…

Moment of Um

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How are our brains different from other animals' brains? 7:02

14 weeks ago7:02

7:02

Have you ever looked at an animal and wondered what they were thinking? Us, too! What’s going on in a bobcat’s brain, a newt’s noggin, or a mouse’s mind? We asked science writer and author of Innovative Octopuses, Half-Brained Birds, and More Animals with Magnificent Minds Christina Couch to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s a real thinker ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll enter our mind palace to find the answer!…

Moment of Um

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Do zookeepers work at night? 6:58

14 weeks ago6:58

6:58

If you go to the zoo during the day - you can see that things are hopping! Animals are being cared for, people are milling about, and there’s a lot of action to observe. But what happens at night? Who takes care of the animals then? Or is everyone just sleeping? We asked Nancy Hawkes, Director of Animal Care at Woodland Park Zoo to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s zoo keeping you up at night? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help you find the truth – we won’t be lion !…

Moment of Um

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Why does corn have hairs on it? 5:14

14 weeks ago5:14

5:14

Have you ever peeled the leaves off of an ear of corn and noticed the white hairy-looking stuff tucked inside? What is that, anyway? We asked chef and cookbook author Kenji Lopez-Alt to help us find the answer. Got an a-MAIZE-ing question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help find an answer that’s a cut above the rest!…

Moment of Um

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Where does pepper come from? 4:09

14 weeks ago4:09