Moment Of Um

The sound of crickets on a warm summer evening is just so soothing, isn’t it? All those little insects in the grass, talking to each other about… well, we don’t really know! In fact, we don’t know why they chirp at all. We asked neurobiologist Jon Lambert to tell us what’s actually going on out there at night. If you’ve got a question that just won’t let you rest, send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll do our best to find the answer!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever accidentally let go of a helium balloon and watched it float up … up … and away? It drifts way up in the sky until it’s just a tiny speck! But what would happen if a balloon made it all the way to outer space? We asked astrophysicist Amanda Farah to help us find the answer.Got a question that popped into your head? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll float you an answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever noticed that the moon looks different at different times of the month? Not just the shape, whether it’s full and round or a tiny sliver – but the color also looks different sometimes. Maybe it’s dark orange, or silvery white, or even a bluish tinge. We asked astronomer and planetarium educator Sarah Komperud to help us understand. Is there a Moment of Um question you’re mooning over? Launch it our way at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll look for the answer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most bread dough needs yeast to make it rise, so the bread can be light and fluffy when it bakes. But can you put TOO much yeast in bread? What happens if you do? Do you get a bread balloon? We asked food scientist Dave Domingues to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s rising to the top of your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’d LOAF to help you find the answer!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Toothpaste is something that lots of people use to keep their teeth clean. It makes our mouths smell nice and fresh, but that’s not the only thing it does! So, why do we use toothpaste? We asked dentist Dr. Jean Star to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s stuck in your head, like spinach between molars? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help floss out an answer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us are familiar with the taste of something sour – that tart feeling that makes your eyes close and your facial features squint. Lemons, lime juice, kimchi are all sour - but what is the sourest thing in the world? We asked Janelle Clepper who has a Masters of Public Health in Nutrition from the University of Minnesota to help us figure it out.And if YOU have a question, we can help with that! Submit your Moment of Um question at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help find the answer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our teeth are incredible chomping machines. Their strong outer layer helps us crunch carrots, nibble potato chips and chew bubblegum! But what’s inside of them? We asked dentist Dr. Jean Star to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s eating you up inside? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll chew it over!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the winter, most of us are used to seeing bare tree branches  – but some trees, like firs, pines, and spruces, don’t usually lose their needles when it gets cold. We asked forest ecologist Diana Macias to help us understand why.  Got a Moment of Um question for us? Go to BrainsOn.org/contact to send it to us, and we’ll root around for the answer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are 195 different countries in the world, and they all have different flags. Why is that? And where did flags come from? We asked flag expert Michael Green to unfurl the answers. Do you have a vexing question of your own? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help you flag down the answer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you open a book, you’ll see lots of letters that come together to make different words. Sandwiched in between the words are little dots, lines and squiggles called punctuation marks. But why do we need those, when they don’t make any sounds at all? We asked writing teacher Kristin Bauck to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s right on the mark? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact – we can’t punc-tu-WAIT to help you answer it!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.