Moment of Um

4.4 (92)
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.

10 HR AGO

Why do ostriches stick their heads in the ground?

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 answer it in the shake of a tailfeather!

4 min
1 DAY AGO

How does anesthesia work?

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!

5 min
4 DAYS AGO

Why do we need belly buttons?

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!

5 min
5 DAYS AGO

What produces eye gunk when we sleep?

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 atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find someone who can answer it in the blink of an eye.

5 min
6 DAYS AGO

How does bug spray work?

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!

6 min
29 OCT

Why do we itch?

A mosquito bites you. Your grandma knits you a scratchy blanket. Your friend tickles you with a feathery cat toy. What do all of these things have in common? They make you itch! Listener Samantha was wondering just why that is, and neuroscientist Sonali Mali says she’s always wondered the same thing, so that’s why she studies it! Got a question tickling at your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, because we’re just itching to help you find the answer!

4 min
28 OCT

What are antibiotics and probiotics?

Antibiotics are a kind of medicine that a doctor might give you to help you fight off an infection. But there are also things called probiotics in food and vitamins. So what’s the difference between probiotics and antibiotics? We asked Dr. Kaveh Hoda to help us find the answer. Got a question that your gut tells you is a great one? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll send you a small-batch, artisanally fermented answer!

5 min
25 OCT

How do music boxes work?

Music boxes are hand-cranked toys that play a tinkly little tune. How do they make their music? We asked music box maker Richard Upchurch to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s making you cranky? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find a harmonious answer.

6 min

See All (100)

4.4

out of 5

92 Ratings

some tips to make this 5 stars!

2 Sept

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!
Great pod but too many ads

29 May

Cutemom101

Love the actual content but there’s only about 3-4 mins of it in a 8 min episode- the rest is ads which is really annoying. Great bite sized-bits of info in between the ads and is genuinely interesting and educational while still being fun!
Question🤔

3 Feb

Cordelia coder

Why do people snore
2 short

17 Mar

F.K!

Should be llllllllllllllloooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggg not short😒 MAKE THEM LONGER👱🏻‍♀️🩴 🙄💅🏻

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.