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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

Have you ever raced a cheetah? Hopefully not, that sounds dangerous. But if you have, that cheetah probably left you in her dust. We asked Rick Schwartz from the San Diego Zoo to help us figure out why cheetahs are so fast.

Got a question that?s testing you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help you find an answer so you don?t have to be a cheetah!

Onions add zesty flavor to lots of different foods, like soups, salads, omelets, and much more! But sometimes, chopping them up can make your eyes water ? ugh! Why does that happen, anyway? We asked chef and cookbook author Kenji Lopez-Alt to help us find the answer.

Got a question ON-ion your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we?ll find such a great answer, you?ll weep for joy!  

Lizards are awesome creatures. Some have long forked tongues, others can move their eyeballs in opposite directions. And get this: some lizards can even drop their tails and grow new ones. But how and why do they do this? We asked lizard researcher Laura Kojima to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you iguana know the answer to? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help you find the de-tails.

Whether you have a dog, want a dog, don?t like dogs, or are a dog?one thing's for sure. Dogs can?t eat chocolate! Why is it so bad for them? We asked Cassie Panning, a certified veterinary technician from the University of Minnesota, to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s pawing at you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help pup-date you on the topic!

You might have seen someone faint in a movie. It usually happens after they see something shocking. They close their eyes and suddenly fall to the ground. In real life, people faint for many different reasons, not just shock. We asked pediatrician Dr. Wendy Hunter to tell us more about fainting.

Got a question that?s shockingly hard to answer? Send it to BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll find a swoon worthy explanation!

Spinning around in circles is really fun right? And then a weird thing happens. When you stop, it?s like the world is turned upside down and you don?t know which way you?re facing and you feel dizzy and sometimes even fall down! We asked infectious disease physician Dr. Frank Rhame to help understand why that is.

Got a question that?s spinning you around in circles? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help set you straight!

There are caves all over Earth. And people discover more every day!  They?re found in rock, lava, ice, and even sand. But how do caves form? We asked geologist Hazel Barton to help us find the answer.

Got a deep question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help explore the answer? 

This episode is a little bit different from a regular Moment of Um. It?s a story that is specially designed to help you relax. Research shows that using your imagination to picture scenes in a story helps the brain to shake off all the thoughts from the day and cruise into a nice rest. As you listen, take some deep breaths and give your brain a little imagination vacation.

Lots of people talk in their sleep, especially kids!  Have you ever heard anyone babbling away in the middle of the night?  Or maybe someone has told you that you do it?  Sleep talking is totally normal, but why do we do it?  We asked sleep specialist Chris Winter to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you?ve been dreaming about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll search through the night for the answer.

Whales are some of the biggest animals on the planet, and they often migrate incredible distances. But how fast can they go? Like, let?s say a whale swam from California to Japan ? how long would that take? We asked science writer and whale expert Vicky Stein to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s whaley hard to figure out? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll ba-LEAN into finding the answer!

Have you ever had a dream that felt so real you thought it actually happened? Our brain can cook up some really vivid images while we sleep, complete with sounds and even emotions. So how do we tell the difference between dreams and real life? We asked dream researcher Tore Nielsen to help us find the answer.

Got a question that you?re dreaming about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact ? we won?t snooze on finding the answer! 

Lots of people love a good cuddle. Whether it?s snuggling with a teddy bear, or cozying up with family ? cuddles can make folks feel safe and comfortable. But why is that? Why do people cuddle? We asked brain expert India Morrison to help us find the answer.

Got a question snuggled up in your noggin? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll wrap you up in a satisfying answer!

Have you ever used a Polaroid camera? It?s a special kind of camera that takes physical photos almost instantly. As soon as you snap the button, a little piece of paper pops out of the bottom of the camera ? and in just a couple minutes, a photo appears on the paper! So how does it work? We asked chemistry expert Josie Nardo to help us find the answer.

Got a question, but can?t picture the answer? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help find the answer in a jiffy!

Ballet dancers inspire us with their grace, twirls, and leaps. But how do they stand on their tip-toes? We asked contemporary ballet dancer and choreographer Penelope Freeh to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s keeping you on your toes? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll pointe you to some answers!

Have you ever seen a dinosaur fossil from millions of years ago and wondered how scientists figured out the age of those big ol? bones? Us too! So we asked paleontologist Jingmai O?Connor to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s absolutely petrifying? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help excavate the answer!

Have you ever been really thirsty on a hot day? Nothing beats that thirst better than a cold glass of good old H2O. We can?t live without it! Water quenches our thirst, but does it tickle our taste buds? Does water from different places taste different? We asked Martin Riese to help us find the answer.

Are you thirsting for knowledge? Send your questions to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll pour you a nice tall glass of facts.

Have you ever gotten a new toy or pair of sneakers and noticed there?s a little white paper packet inside the box filled with tiny clear balls? It?s called silica gel. But what is this stuff? And why are the little packets labeled ?Do not eat?? We asked science professor Mark Lorch to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s left you high and dry? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll offer up a fresh answer!

Scientists develop medicines to help fight disease and keep people healthy. Some medicines are made in a lab, some come from plants, and some?even come from mold! So how does that work? We asked microbiologist Christine Salomon to help us find the answer.

Got a question that totally breaks the mold? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll send you our most cultured answer.

Have you ever been on an airplane and noticed that pressure in your ears? And then, as you?re taking off?they pop! Just like a balloon or a bubble or a freshly opened can of dough! Why does that happen? We asked infectious disease physician Dr. Frank Rhame to help us find the answer.

Got a question that popped in your head? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll fly in to help answer it for you.

If you?ve ever grabbed a flaming hot bowl of soup out of the microwave and then slurped a spoonful of icy liquid from the middle of it, you?re not alone. In fact, it feels like one of life?s great mysteries! Why does this happen to food in the microwave? We asked ceramic artist Matthew Katz to help us find the answer.

Got a scalding hot question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll bowl you over with the answer. 

Ever wish you had a frog's tongue? You wouldn?t even have to pick up a cookie with your hand?your tongue would grab it for you! How amazing is that? But really, how DO frog tongues stretch so far? We asked Kiisa Nishikawa, a professor at Northern Arizona University, to help us find the answer.

Got a sticky question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll slurp up an answer for you!

Colored eyeshadow, glossy lipstick, rosy blush ? people use all sorts of makeup to change how they look. But when did we start using makeup? And how has it changed over time? We asked archaeologist and Brains On producer Anna Goldfield to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s making you blush? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help you face the answer!

Caves are full of amazing stuff: bats, hidden passageways and of course ? spectacular rock formations! So where do these rock structures come from? We asked geologist Hazel Barton to help us find the answer.

Got a rock-solid question?Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help find the answer under the surface.

People rubbing two sticks together and a fire magically appearing is a common thing you might see in movies or on television. But does it actually work? We asked engineer Vi Rapp to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s flickering in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help put out the fire.

Movies can take us to extraordinary places, sometimes using technology! Filmmakers create new worlds, incredible creatures, and mind-bending action scenes using something called a green screen. A green screen is just what it sounds like: a bright lime green background used to create special effects! So how does a green screen make movie magic? We asked movie-maker and film professor Jeremy Royce to help us find the answer.

Got a question playing in the theater of your mind? Direct it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help screen out the answer. 

Babies. They?re cute little peanuts, huh? Babbling and drooling while their parents talk to them in widdle baby voices. But do babies understand what people say to them? When do they start learning how to communicate with language? We asked child psychologist Dr. Beverly Goldfield to help us find the right words to explain the answer. 

Got a question that?s really verbing your noun? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help you find an adjective answer.

Mold is a type of fungus, which means it?s related to mushrooms. And it can be kind of pretty, if you?re not grossed out by it. Sometimes mold is green or white or even pink! Why does it have so many colors? We asked professor Jonathan Schilling from the University of Minnesota to help us find the answer.

Got a question in your brain that?s taking up too mushroom? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we?ll find an answer that isn?t past its expiration date.

Ever wandered around the supermarket and noticed that some of the food is marked ?organic?? What does that mean? And why are the organic fruits and veggies in their own special section? We asked organic food expert Chris Schreiner to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s food for thought? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help you arrive at the answer organically.

We know how important it is to wash our hands with soap and warm water. Get between the fingers, under the nails, all that good stuff. But why does soap get all foamy when you add water? Where do those bubbles come from? We asked University of Minnesota professor Frank Bates to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s bubbling up in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help pop the question!

If you?ve ever gotten a cut or a scrape, you might?ve noticed that your skin feels itchy while it?s healing. Why does that happen, anyway? We asked pediatrician Dr. Emma Gerstenzang to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s a cut above the rest? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll scratch our heads ?til we find the answer!

Sometimes we get questions from listeners that are so intertwined that we just have to include them both in one episode, and today is one of those days! Cardiologist Dr. Courtney Jordan Baechler helps us figure out the answer to two questions ? why does blood taste like metal, and why are we not magnetic? And as a bonus, Dr. B. includes a super fun experiment that you can do at home.

Got a question that?s meddling with your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help iron out the answer.

Isn?t it cool that cars can go forwards and backwards? Backwards and forwards go can cars that cool it isn?t? All joking aside, these huge, heavy machines can switch directions with just the push of a lever! But how do they do it? We asked car expert Chaya Milchtein to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s driving you wild? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll steer you in the right direction!

So far, only adults have been to space. But there are plenty of kids who?d love to travel to space, so what gives? Why can?t kids walk on the moon? Or visit the International Space Station? We asked NASA engineer Varoujan Gorjian to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s moonwalking around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll spaceCRAFT an answer for you.

Clay is neat stuff. You can knead it, shape it, carve it, sculpt it, and make all kinds of beautiful creations. It goes from soft and squishy to hard and breakable when it?s baked in a kiln. But clay is?dirt, right? It comes from the ground! So how do you get it out of the ground and into the blocks that you find at an art supply store? We asked ceramic artist and educator Lauren Sandler to guide us through the process. 

Got a question that you just knead an answer to? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help mold an answer into shape for you!

We love when our listeners send in super unique questions. We also love robots. So we had to answer this head-scratcher of a question from listener Lucas: why aren?t robots ticklish? We asked pediatrician Emma Gerstenzang to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s tickling your fancy? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll find the answer faster than a well-oiled machine!

Antarctica. Home of the South Pole and an incredibly diverse population of sea life. You know what there?s not a lot of in Antarctica? People! But there are some adventurous scientists who go there for research. These folks  can?t just zip out to the grocery store when they want to make a meal?so what do they eat?  We asked scientist Cameron Hearn to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s just the tip of the iceberg? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll give you an ocean of knowledge!

If you?ve ever taken a dog on a walk, or let them run around the woods, you know that they LOVE to roll around in stinky stuff! And it?s one heck of a mess to clean up. Why do they do that? We asked researcher Elizabeth Carranza from the Arizona Canine Cognition Center to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s rolling around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help sniff out the answer. 

Dragons are fantastical fairytale creatures that fly and breathe fire. They aren?t real, but there are animals that can do the things dragons do! So ? if dragons did exist, how would they fly and breathe fire?  We asked science professor Dr. Mark Lorch to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s DRAGON you down? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll fire off an answer!

We know that soil helps many things grow -- but how is it made? It must come from somewhere, right? We talked to farmer Angel Papineu to find the answer. 

Got a question growing in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll dig for the truth! 

There are more than 8 billion people living on our big wonderful planet. What if all of those people traveled to the exact same spot on Earth and jumped at the same time? What would happen? Would we move the Earth? We asked physicist Dr. Kiley Kennedy to help us find the answer.

Got a question jumping around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll find an answer that moves you!

Teething, losing teeth, growing new teeth. It?s a part of life that every human goes through! But what about dinosaurs? Did they experience the same thing? We asked paleontologist Shaena Montanari to help us find the answer.

Got a dinomite question for us? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we?ll help you out because we?re as smart as a thesaurus!

Energy powers our entire universe, whether it?s light from a star or energy stored in the food we eat. But could we ever run out? Will there be a time, far in the future, when the last drop of energy is used up?  We asked physicist Dr. Kiley Kennedy to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s draining your mental battery? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we?ll find the answer for you, because knowledge is power!

Have you ever noticed how sometimes when you wash and dry a piece of clothing, it comes out a little smaller? Why does that happen? We asked science professor Dr. Mark Lorch to help us find the answer.

Got a question that?s tumbling around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won?t shrink away from answering it!