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Join Dr. Universe and her friends at Washington State University as they investigate science questions from kids around the world. Know a kid with a curious science question? Help them submit it at askDrUniverse.wsu.edu for a chance to be featured on a future episode.
51 Episodes
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Send us a text Cosmo and I learn about microbes, thanks to Eric Lofrgren, an infectious disease expert at WSU. Resources you can use: hear what microbes arewhere they live in the environmenthow some skin bacteria help us outwhat biofilms are...and check out this bellybutton bacteria scientists studyOh, and wash your paws! =^..^= As always, submit burning questions at askdruniverse.wsu.edu. Who knows where your questions will take us next.
Send us a text In this episode, I learn all about what it means to be a pharmacist with my friend, Damianne Brand-Eubanks. She's a pharmacist and professor at Washington State University. Hear about: different kinds of pharmacistsrad new ways to receive medications or shots (like patches that feel like a cat's tongue and jet injectors like you see on Star Trek)why reading and writing are amazing for pharmacists, scientists and everybodyResources you can use: Check out this CrashCourse about h...
Send us a text What happens if you need your third molars removed? Cosmo and I find out, after talking to our friend David Carsten. He's a dentist anesthesiologist who studied at Washington State University and now teaches at Oregon Health and Science University. Find out the real tooth here. Resources you can use: Find out what it's like to be a dentist, a dental hygienist or a dental assistant, thanks to Teeth Talk GirlLearn more about early humans' big jaws with Ted-EdGet the official word...
Send us a text Can Cosmo and I help a cool kid like you face their fear of bugs? Join us—and our friend Paul Strand, psychologist at Washington State University—as we dig into why things freak us out and how to beat-le those fears. Resources you can use: See some beautiful bugs and relatives with All Bugs Go to KevinLearn about parts of the brain like the prefrontal cortexFeeling anxious about something? Let's make a planTry a relaxation trick like this color sorting appSound effects courtesy...
Send us a text Today I'm talking with Von Walden, an atmospheric scientist at Washington State University. Hear about Earth's bubble of gases AKA the atmosphereLearn why clouds can be weird in the polar regionsFind out what an expert thinks about climate change—and how optimistic he is about the futureResources You Can Use Check out AMNH's climate change resourcesWatch these polar bear camsLearn more about the polar regionsFind out more about clouds and make a cloud in a jar As always, s...
Send us a text What up with the small intestine and the large intestine? Join Cosmo and me—and our friend Franck Carbonero, microbiologist at Washington State University—to break down how we break down food. You'll hear: how the intestines differ in size and functionall about your gut bacteriathe journey food takes through your digestive tractResources you can use: American Museum of Natural History's microbiology resourcesFrontiers for Young Minds' explainer on fermentationNational Geographi...
Send us a text Purr-haps you'd like a new way to get your claws on science questions sent in by kids like you. That's litter-ally my favorite thing. Today Cosmo and I tackle a question from William, 7, from the United Kingdom: Why is snot green? You'll hear: What mucus isWhat protein makes mucus green sometimesHow immune cells trap irritants and stuff that can make you sickResources you can use: Check out Operation Ouch's Science of SnotLearn about the nursing career As always, submit burning...
Send us a text Purr-haps you'd like a new way to get your claws on science questions sent in by kids like you. That's litter-ally my favorite thing. Today Cosmo and I tackle a question from Hillary's 1st graders in Washington: What makes snow sparkle? You'll hear: How snowflakes are hexagonal ice crystalsAbout white light and rainbow colorsWhat reflection and refraction meanResources you can use: Check out Von Walden's research near the North Pole and South PoleLearn about atmospheric science...
Send us a text Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today I'm talking to WSU biological anthropologist Thomas Siek. Hear about all kinds of anthropologyFind out how Dr. Siek studied bones from the Middle Ages in PolandLearn how clues in bones help solve crimes with forensic anthropologyResources You Can Use Watch this NPR team use forensic anthropology to figure out info about a skeleton from a hi...
Send us a text Purr-haps you'd like a new way to get your claws on science questions sent in by kids like you. That's litter-ally my favorite thing. Today Cosmo and I tackle a question from Gabby, 9, in Kansas: Why do bees make honey? You'll hear: What a bee proboscis is and why bees are so adorably hairyWhy some people call honey "bee barf" and what trophollaxis is How bees make foods like bee bread and honeyResources you can use: Check out these baby beesLearn how to make homes for nat...
Send us a text Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today I'm talking to WSU environmental archeologist John Blong. Hear what environmental archeology isLearn about fossilized poop—AKA coprolites—and what they reveal to scientistsFind out when the first people came to North AmericaResources You Can Use Follow these interactive digs or talk to your grownup about skyping with a scientist from the Ar...
Send us a text Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today, the 4th graders at Palouse Prairie Charter School take Dr. Universe and her cougar cub friend Cosmo back in time to the formation of the universe. Join our intrepid science team as they explore the Big BangHear about how the sun worksLearn about the Chicxulub asteroid that wiped out the dinosaursAll sound effects courtesy of Freesound. Explosio...
Send us a text Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today, the 4th graders at Palouse Prairie Charter School take Dr. Universe and her cougar cub friend Cosmo on an earth science adventure. Join our intrepid science team as they dig for fossilsHear about the supercontinent PangeaLearn about volcanoes and earthquakesAll sound effects courtesy of Freesound. Radio static: eddy15Steps on the sand field: ro...
Send us a text Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today I'm talking to WSU veterinarian Jessica Bunch. Learn what a veterinarian does and funny things that happenHear about how Dr. Bunch gives acupuncture to all kinds of animals Resources You Can Use Check out ag careers with Future Farmers of America and 4-HBrowse the House Rabbit Society or the Humane SocietySome veterinarians use fear-fr...
Send us a text Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today we're talking to nurse practitioner Bevan Briggs. Warning! This episode very briefly mentions intestines, body fluids, shots, stitches, broken bones, surgery, kids putting on pretend wounds (with intestines!) to help EMTs train, and the fact animals are butchered for food in some homes. If that doesn't sound like something you'd like to h...
Send us a text Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today we're talking about birds with Wes Dowd, a marine biologist and environmental physiologist at Washington State University. Learn about tiny crustaceans called copepods, which are a type of plankton— and rock out to this song about zooplanktonCheck out ocean mussels and their freshwater cousinsDiscover how to explore tide pools ...
Send us a text Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today we're talking about birds with Jennifer Phillips, an ecologist at Washington State University. Learn about sensory pollution and the difference between a phenotype and a genotypeFind out how birds get tagged and measured—and how it's a little bit like an alien abductionHear Dr. Phillips' journey to be a scientist, her favorite ...
Send us a text Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today we're talking about libraries with David Luftig, a science librarian at Washington State University. Find out what a science librarian is and how to become oneLearn how the resources at WSU's Owen Science and Engineering Library and Holland and Terrell Libraries are there for everyone in WashingtonHear how everyone is a scienti...
Send us a text Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today we're talking about learning with Kira Carbonneau, an educational psychologist at Washington State University. Find out what educational psychologist is and how Dr. Carbonneau became oneLearn the difference between quantitative research and qualitative researchHear Dr. Carbonneau's advice for being a good learner—and what it ha...
Send us a text Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today we're talking about babies with Masha Gartstein, a psychologist who studies infant temperament at Washington State University. Learn about the individual differences that make up a baby's temperament and how scientists study it in the lab with real babies (Hint: It involves Halloween masks!)Hear about Dr. Gartstein's job and he...
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