Moment of Um

Hi friends! For the next two weeks we’re taking a little break. We’re headed to Moment of Um camp, where we organize your questions, interview experts and get ready for more amazing episodes for you. We’ll be back on April 3 with a super fun episode about the oldest story ever told. See you then!

Happy Worm Week! Every episode this week will dig deep into the wonderful world of worms. Have you ever looked at an earthworm and wondered why some of them have a segment that looks like a tiny Band-Aid? Us, too! Luckily, biologist Andrew Gordus of Johns Hopkins University is here to help us find the answer. Got a question that you’re wound-ering about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help put a Band-Aid on your curiosity!

Happy Worm Week! Every episode this week will dig deep into the wonderful world of worms. Today's question comes from a listener who was wondering, “How do silkworms produce silk?” We asked biologist Andrew Gordus of Johns Hopkins University to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s cocooned around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help spin out the answer.

Happy Worm Week! Every episode this week will dig deep into the wonderful world of worms. Today's question comes from a listener who was wondering “Do worms make sounds?” We asked biologist Andrew Gordus of Johns Hopkins University to help us find the answer. Got a question that you can’t keep quiet about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll check the Worm Wide Web for the answer.

Happy Worm Week! Every episode this week will dig deep into the wonderful world of worms. Today's question comes from a listener who was wondering “What do worms do in the winter? Do they hibernate?” We asked biologist Andrew Gordus of Johns Hopkins University to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s making you freeze up? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help wriggle out an answer.

Happy Worm Week! Every episode this week will dig deep into the wonderful world of worms. Worms are everywhere – slithering in your compost pile, wriggling in the forest, even tunneling through farm fields! But have you noticed there are more of them at night? What’s up with that? We asked biologist Andrew Gordus of Johns Hopkins University to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s worming around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t try to wriggle our...

Good morning! Rise and shine! Time to stretch and yawn and…blech! What is that taste? What is that smell?? Morning breath can be especially stinky, even if you brush your teeth the night before. What’s up with that? We asked Dr. Michael Eggert, who teaches in the dental school at the University of Alberta to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s really stinkin’ good? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll sniff out an answer.

When we’re nervous our bodies react in a bunch of different ways. Our hearts might beat faster, our breathing speeds up and sometimes we get all sweaty! But why do we perspire when we’re perturbed? Or get clammy when we’re concerned? We asked Yana Kamberov, a geneticist who studies skin at the University of Pennsylvania, to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s gotten under your skin? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help find the answer, so you don’t have to sweat...

Have you ever seen an egg cooking on a griddle? When you first crack it, it’s clear and gloopy with a yellow yolk in the middle. But as it cooks, the clear part of the egg turns white! So, what gives? We asked Paul Adams, science research editor at Cook’s Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen, to help us crack this eggy mystery. Got an egg-ceptional question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll scramble to find the answer!

Most things cost money, whether it’s a box of cereal, new underwear or sunglasses for your dog. But how do people decide what the value of money is? Does it ever change? We asked Kai Ryssdal and Molly Wood to help us find the answer. Got a question that you really value? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help change your perspective!

Did you know that basketball hoops in the NBA are 10 feet off the ground? That means if you want to dunk, you have to jump really high! Of course, it’s easier to reach if you’re taller, but can working on your jump help you gain more height? Or can tall people just already jump higher? We asked sports doctor Ed Laskowski to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s just out of reach? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll jump on it for you!

Volcano eruptions are a spectacular sight and a reminder of how powerful nature is. Rivers of molten lava can destroy forests, but they can also create new islands and mountain ranges! So why aren’t volcanoes erupting all the time? We asked volcano expert Lissie Connors to help us find the answer. Got a burning question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and find someone who would lava to answer it!

Have you ever had chickenpox? It can be itchy and annoying, but it usually clears up after a week or so. Kids get chickenpox from other kids (definitely not from chickens), so why does it have that weird name? We asked dermatologist Julie Schultz to help us find the answer! Got a question that you’re itching to know more about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll scratch out the answer.

A birthmark is a special spot on your skin that you’re born with. Birthmarks can be different colors and shapes, and can be found anywhere on your body. But how did they get there in the first place? We asked dermatologist Dr. Julie Schultz to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s made a mark on your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help get the skinny on that topic.

Want to hear something wild about whales? Even though they’re some of the biggest creatures in the ocean, they eat some of the smallest sea life out there! Certain types of whales get their food by sucking in big gulps of water along with tiny shrimp – millions of them per day! But how do they filter out the seawater from the food? We asked marine biologist Leanna Matthews to help us find the answer. Got a whale of a question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll sea about an...

Looking for pictures in the clouds is so fun. After all, they come in an infinite number of shapes and sizes! But, most of the time, they all look white to us. Why is that? We reached out to atmospheric scientist Deanna Hence to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s clouding your thoughts? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll clear up the answer.

Elephants use their trunks for everything: sipping water, plucking leaves from trees, even hugging other elephants! But do they kiss each other? We asked elephant scientist Joshua Plotnik to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s a real mouthful? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we promise we won’t tell you to zip your lip!

Have you ever noticed that a bowl of fruit will ripen faster if it has a banana as part of the bunch? Why is that? We asked nutritionist Sara Farhat Jarrar to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s appealing to you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll go bananas all over that answer.

A sunshower is a rare and beautiful thing. Imagine a day when the sun is shining brightly in the sky, but at the same time, light rain is falling from the clouds. Think of it as a surprise rain party in the middle of a sunny day! So how can we get two types of weather at the same time? We asked weather scientist Rosimar Rios-Berrios to help us find the answer. Is your brain lighting up with a great question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll shower you with answers.

If you think bugs and spiders are a bit on the creepy side, you’re not alone. But where did these feelings come from? We asked wildlife ecologist Thaddeus McRae to share a bit of insight into this question. Got a question that’s creeping you out? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact. We promise, it won’t bug us!