Brains On! Science podcast for kids American Public Media

That fuzzy sandwich in your fridge? Yeah, don't eat that kind of fungus. But the mushrooms in your stir fry? Or the yeast in your bread? Or the rind on your brie? Or the miso in your soup? All of those delicious foods are possible thanks to fungus!



In this episode, we'll learn about how our ancestors first figured it out some mushrooms were safe to eat, we'll learn about the microbes that make cheese possible, and we'll meet some fungal chefs who are key to cooking up some of our favorite foods. Plus a brand new mystery sound and a Moment of Um that answers the question: "How does rubbing two sticks together make fire?"



This episode was sponsored by:

Mathnasium (mathnasium.com)

Sakara (sakara.com/brainson)

Indeed (indeed.com/brainson)

Fungus deserves a party because it’s everywhere and super important to life on this planet. The kingdom of fungus includes mushrooms and molds, but also yeasts, like the kinds that help make bread. So today, we’re embracing the ick, we’re snuggling up to the slimy, we’re making friends with mold and mushrooms… It’s a full on Fung-o-Rama! We'll learn about a day in the life of mold, a fungus that turns ants into zombies, and how fungi will help us in the fight against climate change. All that, plus a brand new mystery sound and a Moment of Um that answers the question: "How does air fry?"



This episode is sponsored by:

Purple(purple.com/brainson10 promo code brainson10)

KiwiCo (kiwico.com promo code brainson)

ID Tech (idtech.com/brainson code brainson)

Will we ever get to rewind time, or fast forward through it? Sanden stops by to tell us all about how time works. He also has a couple ideas about how we might make time travel a reality! But one tricky thing about time travel is that it’s full of paradoxes — so we look into those, too. And science fiction expert Lisa Yaszek swings by to tell us just how long humans have been thinking about time travel (hint: a really long time).



Listen closely for the mystery sound, and the moment of um: how do clothes get dirty even though you can’t see it?



Today’s episode is sponsored by: Mathnasium: (mathnasium.com) and Sun Basket (sunbasket.com/brainson - promo code: brains on)

What's that you hear? That's right, It's an episode of nothing but mystery sounds! Are your ears up to the challenge? Plus, we'll hear an answer to the question: "How do squirrels find their nuts after they bury them?"

If you'd like to submit a mystery sound, you can share it with us here: brainson.org/contact.

And, you can support the show at brainson.org/fans.

Or, you can also buy our book, complete with Mystery Photos, at brainson.org/shop or at your favorite local bookstore.



Today’s episode was sponsored by:

Sitka Salmon Shares (sitkashares.com/brainson)

Purple (purple.com/brainson10)

Screens are everywhere these days! We’re taking a look at why smartphones are so addictive, and how our devices affect us. Our co-hosts took on a bold challenge for this episode: they went a week without phones or tablets. We’ll hear how their experiment went, then Sanden will fill us in on the brain chemical that trains us to love our screens. We'll also learn why the predictability of messages and alerts on smartphones makes them extra hard to put down. Plus, we’ll get a few tips from Catherine Price, the author of How to Break Up With Your Phone. And! A our Moment of Um answers: why are bruises blue, and how do we get them? This episode is sponsored by Wondery’s Little Stories Everywhere (https://wondery.com/shows/little-stories-everywhere/) and the FDA (fda.gov/FeedYourMind).

Did dinosaurs roar? Or meow? And how do we know? Paleontologist Julia Clarke stops by to talk about sounds T-Rex might’ve made. We know a bit more about other dino sounds, and dinosaur expert Riley Black fills us in on those. Plus, a game about dinosaur names, and a look at how dinos might’ve moved with paleontologist Jingmai O’Connor.

Stick around for the mystery sound, and a Moment of Um that answers this head-scratcher: How does hair dye work?



This episode was sponsored by:

Sun Basket (sunbasket.com/brainson promo code: brainson)

Mathnasium (mathnasium.com)

FDA (fda.gov/feedyourmind)