Moment Of Um

All of the planets in our solar system, and plenty of the moons, are named after gods or other figures from ancient Roman mythology. Have you ever wondered who picked those names? And why is the theme Roman gods, and not famous kings, favorite cartoon characters, or notable cats? We asked astronomer Mark Popinchalk to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s outta this world? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and you can nepTUNE in to hear the answer!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you’re an only child, it might feel nice to have all the attention for a few years until – DUN DUN DUN! – a little sibling comes along. Sometimes it feels like babies get all the attention. Why is that? To help us find the answer, we asked Dr. Ed Greene, early childhood psychologist and consultant for our sister podcast Charm Words.Got a question that’s grabbed your attention? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an answer. We’re not kid-ding around!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We spend a lot of time on top of our planet, but we don’t spend much time inside it. So it makes sense you might wonder what our planet is made of, deep deep down. Is it more rocks? Is it lava? Is it a gooey caramel center? And what about the other planets, like Mars and Jupiter? We asked astronomer Mark Popinchalk to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s tearing you up on the inside? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help dig up the facts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever seen a snail sliming along, eyestalks a-waving, carrying its whole house on its back? What are snail shells made of, anyway? And how do they make them? We asked biologist Teresa Rose Osborne to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s been creeping around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll escar-GO find you the answer!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many cactuses are covered in spikes - making them terrible to hug. But what about inside a cactus? Is it also spiky? Or is it soft and cuddly? And is it true you can find water hidden in these desert-dwellers?  We asked science communicator and plant expert Brandi Cannon-Force to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s stuck in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help pin down the answer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does painting the most splendid sunset and the most radiant rainbow have in common? They both require lots of beautiful paint colors! We can blend colors to make orange, green, and purple, but how do we make primary colors like red, yellow, and blue? We asked color science professor Stephen Westland to help us find the answer.Got a question that you’re dye-ing to get answered? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help illuminate the answer!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever find yourself staring at a shiny jewel? Or wowed by the glistening paint on a freshly washed car? Or inexplicably drawn to a magazine with a glossy cover? You are not alone. Humans love shiny things. But why is that? We asked Bauer College professor and marketing expert, Vanessa Patrick, to help shine some light on this topic. Is there a question that’s caught your eye? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll reflect on the answer!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discover how many planets exist in space, including the eight in our solar system and the thousands of exoplanets; also, get recommendations for space-related podcasts and solve a playful riddle.

There are hundreds of different plants and animals on Earth that are endangered. That means they’re at risk of going extinct if they’re not protected. Lots of people and organizations all over the world are trying to protect endangered species and keep them from disappearing forever. But how does a species become endangered in the first place? We asked wildlife biologist Sergio Avila to help us find the answer.Got a question that you’ve been saving for us?  Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we promise it won’t vanish from our to do list!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Snails are some of the world’s coolest creatures.  They’ve been around since the dinosaurs walked the Earth – and they carry their houses on their backs! But do our super slimy friends ever need to … use the bathroom? We asked biologist Teresa Rose Osborne to help us track down the answer.Got a question that’s turd-ally awesome? Don’t pee afraid to send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact!  We might even find an answer that’s a real gas!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.