If you could turn your hair any color in the world… what color would you choose?! Sapphire blue, hot pink, lime green, neon orange?? There are dyes out there that can turn your hair every color of the rainbow! But how exactly do they work? We asked Chemist Michelle Wall to help us understand. Got a hairy question that needs answering? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll style an answer for you!
Bricks are all around us: in walls, sidewalks, park benches, and more. How are these bodacious blocks made, and what makes them different colors? We asked construction and masonry expert Brian Trimble to help us find the answer. Constructing a question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help you find a solid answer!
People around the world eat with a variety of utensils like forks, chopsticks, and sporks. But what did people do before silverware was invented? We asked human evolution expert Briana Pobiner from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s unFORKgettable ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll spoon-feed you an answer.
Clothes are FUN. We strut our stuff in them. Laugh and play in them. Sometimes we love one article of clothing so much, we never want to take it off! But eventually, all clothes do have to be cleaned. We chatted with Tide Principal Scientist Jennifer Ahoni about how clothes get dirty, even when they still look spotless. Listen and learn about the secrets of body soils and invisible dirt! Got a question in your pocket ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll fashion an answer for you....
Have you ever noticed that when you eat something salty, you feel extra thirsty for a while afterwards? Ever wondered why? Turns out, scientists are wondering why as well, and it’s a perfect example of how science is always changing how we understand the world. Gastroenterologist Dr. Kaveh Hoda tells us the salty story. Thirsting for knowledge? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll conSALT all our resources to find the answer!...
Bread! It’s good stuff, no matter how you slice it. But why do slices of bread have holes in them? Are there bread moles who tunnel through baguettes? Invisible worms in the whole wheat? Chipmunks chewing on the ciabatta? We asked food scientist David Domingues to help us find the answer. Got a question that you knead us to look into? Send it to us at Brains On.org/contact , and we’ll find the answers where you yeast expect them!...
Warts are small bumps that can show up on our skin, especially on our hands, knees, or elbows. What are they? Where do they come from? We asked Dr. Kaveh Hoda to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s got you TOADally stumped? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help sort out wart’s wart.
Platypuses seem like they were put together from other animal’s spare parts. They’ve got a bill like a duck, a flat tail like a beaver, and… venom ? What’s up with that? We asked biologist Imogene Cancellare to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s as confusing as platypus anatomy ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we won’t even bill you for the answer!
Peregrine falcons are the fastest animals on earth. They’re the super sonic jets of the animal kingdom! So what does the word “peregrine” mean and how did these amazing birds get their name? We chatted with conservation biologist Imogene Cancellare to help us find the answer. Got a question soaring through your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help you capture the answer!
When you picture a lion, what do you see? If you thought of a big fluffy mane, you’re not alone! But how come mountain lions don’t have manes? We asked conservation biologist Imogene Cancellare to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s really hairy? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll make finding the answer our mane focus.
Birds have a lot going on. They fly, chirp, sing, make nests, lay eggs. But can they cough or sneeze? We asked biologist Imogene Cancellare to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s f lying around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help quack the case.
Most bear species spend at least part of the winter season snoozing – a.k.a. hibernating! To prepare for that extended nap sesh, bears snuggle up in cozy dens where they can stay safe and hidden. But how does a bear make a den? We asked biologist Imogene Cancellare to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s making you feel a bit grizzled ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help i-DEN-tify the answer!...
Friends rule! The best ones are those that are always there to help you out, embark on a strange adventure, make you laugh so hard you cry and appreciate all the weird and wonderful things that make you… you! We love our friends! But do we humans need them as a species? We talked to psychologist/biologist Lauren Brent to find the answer. Do you and your BFF have a question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll be a friend and help find the answer!...
Most of us have used a glue stick or Elmer’s, but what about the strongest glue in the WORLD? We got a fantastic question from a couple of listeners who wanted to know what the strongest glue is, so we reached out to biomedical engineer Danna Sheridan to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s sticking in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help unglue the answer!
Did you know there are 18 species of penguin in the world? Each species has its own differences and quirks, but one thing all penguins have in common is that it can be tricky to tell if they’re standing up or sitting down. One curious listener wondered if they even sit down at all. We asked Dr. Michelle LaRue from the University of Canterbury to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s knocked you off your feet ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll stand up and find the answe...
Listener Graham wanted to know what solar flares are and what causes them, so we reached out to NASA Heliophysicist Nicola Fox to help us figure out why these bright flashes on the sun’s surface occur. Got a question that’s been flaring up in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help make you brighter !
Did you know that trumpets are the oldest brass instruments? Orchestras rely on them to play the highest notes in the brass section! But how do they make that bbbbrrrrrrr sound? We asked trumpet player and teacher Jim Boyle to help us find the answer. Got a question you’ve been wanting to brass- k? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll find an answer that’s music to your ear s.
On Earth, water gets evaporated by the sun from the planet’s surface, and then drops back down from the clouds when it rains. That’s a great source of water, but..is that water safe to drink? We asked environmental researcher Dr Jonathan Sexton to help us find the answer. Got a question in your bRAIN ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help filter out the answer.
Let’s say you want to measure something really, really, really tiny. How do you do that? With inches? Centimeters? Millimeters? What if it’s so tiny you can’t even see it? Particle physicist Jessica Esquivel helps us solve this teeny tiny mystery! Got a question that seems too big to answer? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll try to measure up !
Black holes are areas in outer space that have gravity so strong that not even light can escape its pull! Some black holes are formed from stars…so how does a star go from a burning ball of gas to a light-swallowing void? We asked UCLA astrophysicist Dakotah Tyler to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s really pulled you in ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help you gravitate towards the answer....
Whether you’re a fan or not, one thing is for sure - most of us have had an encounter with a daddy long legs. They’ve got super duper long legs, and a TON of nicknames, including cellar spider, carpenter spider, daddy long-legger, vibrating spider, gyrating spider, long daddy, and skull spider. But why are their legs so long? Guilherme Gainett helps us solve this mystery. Got a question crawling around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help figure it out!...
Fireworks are loud and exciting! You light a fuse and the firework rockets up into the air, and then BLAM! It explodes into colorful, sparkling bouquets of light. How the heck does a firework do that? We asked chemist David Chavez to help us find the answer. Got a question exploding in your noggin? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we certainly won’t reFUSE it!
Batteries power lots of stuff that people use everyday, like cellphones, toys and laptop computers. Some batteries can even be recharged after they run out of juice. But how do batteries store electricity? We asked chemistry professor James McKone to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s got you all charged up ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll run a whole battery of tests to find the answer....
It seems universal that when a person - old or young - is tired, they rub their eyes. It’s even a way that babies communicate to their adults that they are ready for bed. Are we just born understanding that signal? Or is there something going on with our eyes that they need to be rubbed when we’re sleepy? Otolaryngologist Dr. Laura Orvidas helps us understand the connection in this episode. And stay tuned for the week of May 30, when all of our episodes will be sleep-themed. It’ll be a real “sno...
Have you ever turned on a light and wondered, “How does that thing light up, anyway?” Us, too! We asked Tim Pula of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to help us find the answer. Got a question that has you glowing with joy? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help illuminate an answer for you!
Ostriches are super neat! They’re the world’s heaviest birds, and they lay the largest eggs of any bird on Earth. They grow up to 8 feet tall, and can run as fast as 45 miles per hour. But you know what they don’t do? They don’t stick their heads in the ground to hide! There are a few reasons why this misunderstanding is so popular, and Sushma Reddy from the Bell Museum helps us understand. Up to your neck in questions? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll find someone who can answe...
Sometimes, doctors use something called anesthesia to help them treat patients. Anesthesia can be different substances, but they all prevent our bodies from feeling pain during a medical treatment or surgery. So how does anesthesia stop us from feeling pain? We asked Dr. Kaveh Hoda to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s topical ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll find a painless answer!...
We all have a belly button. Right there, in the middle of our belly, there’s a nub. Some go in, some stick out, but what exactly are they for? We asked pediatrician Emma Gerstenzang to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s hard to stomach ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll help digest the answer for you!
Have you ever woken up in the morning with the corners of your eyes filled with crud? Sleepy sand? Eye goblins? Dozy dust? Bed boogers? Why do our eyes make this stuff, anyway? And why does it build up when we’re asleep? We asked Yale eye doctor Soshian Sarrafpour to help us get to the bottom of this issue. Got a question that you can’t keep a lid on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll find someone who can answer it in the blink of an eye ....
Bug spray helps us keep mosquitoes and other insects away. But how does it work? We asked insect expert Meredith Cenzer to help us find the answer. Got a question buzzing around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll bug some experts until we get an answer!
