Moment of Um

4.4 (102)
EDUCATION FOR KIDS
UPDATED DAILY

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.

13 HR AGO

Why do donuts have “nut” in the name?

If you ask us, donuts are one of the most delicious treats in the world. Chocolate frosted with rainbow sprinkles, cinnamon twists, powdered sugar, strawberry jelly-filled, we love them all! But why are they called donuts? We asked food historian Sarah Lohman to help us find the answer. Got a question that has you feeling glazed and confused? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find an answer you like a hole lot.

7 min
28 MAR

Why is cotton so fluffy?

Cotton is soft and strong. It comes from cotton plants, and gets turned into everything from t-shirts to cotton balls. But why is cotton so fluffy? We asked biologist Candace Haigler to help us find the answer. Got a question threading through your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help spin up an answer for you.

7 min
26 MAR

How is couscous made?

Couscous is a delicious fluffy, starchy food that people enjoy all over the world. You can find the dried version in stores, but what if you wanted to make it fresh? How does couscous actually get made? We asked cookbook author Kenji Lopez-Alt to help us find the answer. Hungry for answers to your questions? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll dish up an answer!

5 min
25 MAR

Why do people stop growing taller?

Kids grow super fast and get taller and taller and taller and then – all of the sudden they stop! How do our bodies know when it’s time to stop? Why don’t we just keep growing until we reach the sky? We asked Dr. Frank Rhame to help us find the answer. Got a question that you think is a tall order? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll answer it shortly.

5 min
24 MAR

Why can’t we feel our hair growing?

Heads up! Your hair is always growing. Like your fingernails, hair is a part of our body that will grow and grow unless you cut it. But how come we don’t feel it growing? We asked pediatrician Dr Wendy Hunter to help us find the answer. Got a question that has you tearing your hair out? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help comb through research for the answer.

6 min
21 MAR

Do plants have DNA?

DNA is the secret recipe that makes you…YOU! The color of your hair…whether you like cilantro…so many traits have something to do with this microscopic, spiralized instruction manual in your cells. But what about plants? Do they have DNA, too? We asked biologist Candace Haigler to help us find the answer. Question gotcha twisted? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help decode it for ya!

6 min
20 MAR

How do flat rocks skip across water?

Throwing a flat rock juuust right so that it skips across the surface of a pond or river is super satisfying. How many hops can you get? Two? Seven? Sixty-five? But how does the right kind of throw cause a rock to NOT sink as soon as it touches the water? We asked Jon Lambert of Splash Lab to help us find the answer. Got questions skipping through your brain? Send your questions to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll throw you some answers.

4 min
19 MAR

Why do flightless birds have wings?

Fish swim. Frogs hop. Birds fly. Well, not all birds. Penguins and ostriches, for instance, can’t spread their wings and soar. So then, why do they have wings? We asked paleontologist Jingmai O’Connor to help us find the answer. Is there a question that’s got your tail feathers all in a twist? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll find a reliable answer – we promise not to wing it!

6 min

See All (100)

4.4

out of 5

102 Ratings

some tips to make this 5 stars!

02/09/2024

this is to good ....

decent but i have some additions you could make to help the podcast grow, 1.my idea is that every 10-20 days they make one giant episode containing all of the episodes over that time period. this would help bring more people to this podcast that are trying to listen to it as they fall asleep because its really hard to fall asleep in 3-10mins 2. also a good idea would be to a episode every week or so debating myths and busting them/proving there true to keep this podcast. thank you for making such a great kid friendly podcast you are a near perfect company well done!
Can you

24 Mar

Beautiful you beautiful

Can you do a episode about why aren’t many people allowed to stand near you Whalen you go to the dentist for an X-ray
Moment of Um

6 Mar

Kiki and Jiji (cat)

I think all these episodes are amazing.
QUESTION 🤔

4 Mar

Bat boy 56

Why do we get asma

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.