Moment of Um
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Moment of Um
Moment of Um is your daily answer to those questions that pop up out of nowhere and make you go… ummmmmmm. Brought to you by your friends at Brains On at APM Studios.
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We’re back! Brains On Universe has a new headquarters
We’re back! We’ve officially moved into our new headquarters! Come unpack with us and get a tour while we fill you in on some big news. Plus, new epis...
A big update about Moment of Um and the Brains On Universe
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...
How do braces work?
They come in cool colors, catch popcorn kernels and sometimes even have spacers - it’s braces! Ever wondered how braces magically straighten teeth? We...
How did the solar system and all the planets get their names?
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...
How do stoplights know when to change?
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 cou...
Can you control your dreams?
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...
How did people figure out how to make yogurt?
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 thi...
Why did snakes lose their legs?
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 anc...
How do snakes make venom?
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...
Why are snakes shaped like a stick?
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...
What do zoos feed big snakes, such as pythons?
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...
What do snakes do when they hibernate?
Happy Snake Week! Every episode this week explores a different question about our slithery friends. Did you know snakes hibernate in the winter just l...
Why am I allergic to raw egg but not cooked egg?
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 reacti...
How do mood rings work?
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 kn...
Why do we have weird dreams when we’re sick?
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 f...
Are brains really pink?
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...
Where do poop and pee go on airplanes?
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 fu...
Could you make a candle out of earwax?
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 fu...
Does space affect an astronaut’s digestion?
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...
Why are some dogs so small and some so large?
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 fu...
How does the earth support heavy buildings?
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 eleph...
Why is the moon white and why does it have different shapes?
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...
Did dinosaurs fart?
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 dinos...
What was the very first dinosaur?
Dinosaurs went extinct around 65 million years ago after an asteroid crashed into Earth. So we know when dinosaurs disappeared from the planet, but wh...
How do we know what dinosaurs sounded like?
Happy Dinosaur Week! Every episode this week explores the ancient marvels that walked the Earth millions of years ago. Fossilized bones and footprints...
How did Megalodon sharks go extinct?
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...
Did dinosaurs lay colorful eggs?
Dinosaurs were reptiles, which means they laid eggs! But what did these eggs look like? Were they big? Small? Speckly? Colorful? We asked paleontologi...
How does an immortal jellyfish go back to being a baby?
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 stres...
Why can you hear the ocean in a seashell?
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...
Why are we more closely related to fungi than plants?
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...
Would a poisonous snake die if it bit itself?
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...
What are birthmarks?
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 bi...
What makes dolphins so smart?
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 comp...
Do we sneeze in our sleep?
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 thei...
Do lizards smell with their tongues?
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...
Do we have our own gravity?
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...
Why do beans give us gas?
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 pediatricia...
Why don’t scars go away?
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 aske...
How do boomerangs return?
A boomerang is a specially curved wooden throwing stick that was originally used as a hunting tool by Indigenous Australians. Nowadays, you can find t...
What happens when paleontologists find a fossil?
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 R...