Moment of Um

Ever wondered how trees keep track of time? They don’t wear wristwatches, so…do they have a tree calendar? Or count their rings like candles on a birthday cake? We asked arborist Casey Clapp to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s budding in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help sprout the answer!

Antarctica. Home of the South Pole and an incredibly diverse population of sea life. You know what there’s not a lot of in Antarctica? People! But there are some adventurous scientists who go there for research. These folks can’t just zip out to the grocery store when they want to make a meal…so what do they eat? We asked scientist Cameron Hearn to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s just the tip of the iceberg? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll give you an ocean of knowledge!

The paper money that we use in the United States is printed by the Department of the Treasury. But if money is printed…well, then why couldn’t someone print hundreds of dollars for themselves? How do you know if the crisp five dollar bill in your hand is the real deal or a fake-a-rooni? We asked money expert and Million Bazillion co-host Bridget Bodnar to help us find the answer. Got a question banked in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll spend our time on the answer!

Have you ever picked up a peach in the supermarket and noticed that its skin is covered in soft fuzz? What’s that about? Should we be taking our peaches to barbershops? And what about kiwis? They’re covered in scratchy hairs! Why do some fruits have fuzz while others have smooth skin? We talked to Dario Chavez from the University of Georgia to find out. Got a fresh ‘n’ fruity question? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an a-peeling answer.

Human butts are divided into two cheeks that come in all shapes and sizes. Plus, they help us stand upright and move around! But what about dogs and cats? Why don’t they have butt cheeks like ours? We asked dog researcher Alexandra Horowitzto help us find the answer. Got a question you’ve been sitting on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you crack it open!

There are lots of things we can do to relax and get ready for bed at the end of the day: take a warm bath, curl up with a book, or even sip a steaming mug of chamomile tea! But why does chamomile tea make us feel so sleepy? We asked brain doctor and sleep expert Chris Winter to help us find the answer. Got ZZZZZ-illions of questions? Send them to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the answers in a sNAP!

If you’ve ever had a ball tossed at your face, you probably flinched, tried to knock it away from your face, or jumped out of the way, right? That’s called a reflex, and most humans have them including tiny babies. We asked physical therapist Karen Litzy why that is. Got a question for us? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the answer!

People all over the world have little brown dots called freckles on their skin. You might notice that you get new freckles if you spend time out in the sun. So what are the deets on these dots? We asked dermatologist Kristen Kelley to help us find the answer. Got a question about something and you need help connecting the dots? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help spot the answer.

Who doesn’t love a dog nose? They’re cute, often very wet and way better at smelling the world than our puny human noses. Dog noses are one of the few places dogs don’t have hair. But what about inside? Do they have nose hair like we do? We asked dog researcher Alexandra Horowitz to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s giving you a ruff time? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll bark up the right tree for an answer!

The Earth is made up of giant masses of land called continents. There are seven continents, but which one came first? Where did it come from? We asked geologist Annie Bauer to help us find the answer. Got a groundbreaking question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll dig into it!

Have you ever noticed how we usually wear lighter colors in the warmer months, and darker colors once it gets cold? Like how your black shirt is perfect at keeping cozy in the winter, but far too sweaty for the summer. But why is that? We asked physicist Dr. Desiré Whitmore, aka the Laser Chick, to help us understand why black absorbs heat. Got a Moment of Um question that’s absorbing your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help answer it.

Lots of people talk in their sleep, especially kids! Have you ever heard anyone babbling away in the middle of the night? Or maybe someone has told you that you do it? Sleep talking is totally normal, but why do we do it? We asked sleep specialist Chris Winter to help us find the answer. Got a question that you’ve been dreaming about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll search through the night for the answer.

Zippers are everywhere – holding your backpack closed, keeping you snug in your sleeping bag and of course, on your pants! But how exactly does a zipper work? We asked Bryon Robinson of YKK (the world’s largest zipper manufacturer!) to help us find the answer. Got a question that you’d like to sink your teeth into? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find a fasten-ating answer.

A nosebleed is just what it sounds like: it’s when blood comes out of your nose. Lots of people get nosebleeds, but what causes them? We asked pediatrician Emma Gerstenzang to help us find the answer. Got a scent-sational question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we promise we won’t turn our noses up at it!

Have you ever tried stirring a liquid really fast with a spoon? Sometimes, it looks like it creates a tiny tornado in the cup! Why does that happen? We asked mechanical engineer Jacy Bird to help us find the answer. Got a question that has your brain spinning? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll TEAm up to find the answer!

Have you ever experienced the term "time flies when you’re having fun"? It’s an unfortunate reality of life that time seems to crawl by when we’re waiting for something to happen, and go too fast when we’re having a blast. We asked Ruth Ogden, a psychologist at John Moores University, why this happens. Is there a question you’ve been pondering for a minute? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll set aside the time to get it answered.

Believe it or not, plants are sensitive things. They know when the sun is shining. They get stressed when an insect is munching on them. But do they feel things like an electric shock? We asked arborist Casey Clapp to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s firmly planted in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t leaf you hanging

If you’ve ever been caught in the rain, it probably wasn’t a big deal, right? Lucky for us, rain typically falls from the sky in small droplets. Listener Joe was wondering why that is, so we reached out to Monique Robinson of Mississippi State University to help us find the answer. Got a Moment of Um question that’s raining on your parade? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help weather the storm.

Have you ever started to fall asleep and then suddenly – whoa! – you jolt awake? What’s up with that? We asked sleep specialist Chris Winter to help us find the answer. Got a question that has you losing sleep? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll pull an all-nighter to find the answer!

Octopuses are some of the most incredible animals on Earth. They have three hearts and their blood is blue! Plus, they can taste and smell things with the suction cups on their powerful arms. But do octopuses have brains? We asked wildlife expert Paul Bartell to help us find the answer. Got a question for this cephalo-PODcast? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll blow your mind with the answer!