DiscoverMoment of Um
Moment of Um
Claim Ownership

Moment of Um

Author: American Public Media

Subscribed: 1,103Played: 65,923
Share

Description


Moment of Um is your daily answer to those questions that pop up out of nowhere and make you go… ummmmmmm. Brought to you by your friends at Brains On at APM Studios.
245 Episodes
Reverse
We're moving the Brains On Universe Headquarters, and that means we have to stop putting out new episodes until we get settled. We know: not cool. But, our new home is going to be bigger and better and the absolute BEST. We can't wait until it's ready for you to visit.In the meantime, we still have some live shows planned this fall. Brains On Live will be in Dallas, TX on September 13. And Smash Boom Best will bring the debate heat to Princeton, NJ on October 26. Head over to brainson.org/events to get tickets. We can't wait to high five you all in person!And, if you want to be the first to hear about our shiny, new home, sign up for our newsletter. There will be six more bathrooms, 10 more water slides and, we're finally going to fix the doorbell! Also, if you have any questions or want to reach out to us, you can still head to brainson.org/contact to get in touch.
How do braces work?

How do braces work?

2025-06-0606:50

They come in cool colors, catch popcorn kernels and sometimes even have spacers - it’s braces! Ever wondered how braces magically straighten teeth? We asked Dr. ArNelle Wright - a real life dentist! - to help us break down the science of these tiny metal wonders.Bracing for a tough question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help uncover the tooth. 
The Milky Way! Neptune! Uranus! Halley’s Comet! There are so many cool features in our solar system – but how did they get their names? We asked space scientist and communicator Maggie Aderin-Pocock to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s out of this world? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll make space for an answer.
Waiting for a stoplight to turn green can be really annoying, especially when you’re running late. It would be awesome if you had a magic wand you could wave to get the light to change. But alas, such things don’t exist. But how do stoplights know when to switch colors? We asked Jerry Kotzenmacher with the Minnesota Department of Transportation to help us find the answer.Got a nagging question that just won’t yield? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll put you in the express lane to answersville.
Have you ever had a scary or weird dream and wished you could switch your brain-television to another channel? Great news! You can learn to use “lucid dreaming,” a technique that helps you realize when you’re in a dream. Once you know you’re dreaming, you can teach yourself to shape your own storyline. So how does that work? We asked Dr. Ketema Paul, Professor, Integrative Biology And Physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help put it to bed.
There are all different kinds of yogurt: Greek, vanilla bean, blueberry, even sheep’s milk yogurt! But how did people first figure out how to make this yummy food? We asked journalist Allison Conroe to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s whey cool? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find a legen-dairy answer.
Happy Snake Week! Every episode this week explores a different question about our slithery friends. Here’s a mind blower for you: did you know the ancestors of snakes used to have legs?   Somewhere along the zigzag path of evolution, they traded in their lizardy legs for a more streamlined look. But why did snakes go legless? We asked biologist and snake researcher Emily Taylor to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s snaking around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find a fangtastic answer!  
Happy Snake Week! Every episode this week explores a different question about our slithery friends. Did you know that, out of the roughly 3,000 total species of snakes, only about 10-15% are venomous? But how do those snakes make venom in their bodies? We asked snake scientist Emily Taylor to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s biting at you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll search for the answer-dote!
Happy Snake Week! Every episode this week explores a different question about our slithery friends. Snakes come in all sizes and colors, but they have one thing in common: no arms or legs! In fact, one might argue they kind of look like sticks. We asked snake expert Emily Taylor why our reptilian neighbors are twig-shaped. Got a question that’s slithering around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll promise we won’t throw a hisssss-y fit!
Happy Snake Week! Every episode this week explores a different question about our slithery friends. Zoos have to have all kinds of foods available to feed the different species that they care for. Animals like elephants, zebras and buffalo eat plants. Predators like lions, foxes and bears have a much meatier diet. But what’s on the menu at the snake house? Snake cake? Snake steak? Snake grapes? We asked biologist Emily Taylor to help us find the answer.Got a question snaking throughyour brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help squeeze out an answer.
Happy Snake Week! Every episode this week explores a different question about our slithery friends. Did you know snakes hibernate in the winter just like bears, chipmunks and geckos? But what do they do while they’re hibernating? Do they have dreams? Do they wake up for mid-hibernation snacks? We asked snake scientist Emily Taylor to help us find the answer! Got a question you just can’t ssssssleep on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and maybe we’ll bite!
Some people have allergic reactions to foods like peanuts, sesame, and raw eggs. But when people with egg allergies eat cooked eggs, there’s no reaction. What’s up with that? We asked pediatrician Liz Placzek to help us find the answer.Have you hatched a really great question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find EGG-xactly what you need.
Have you ever heard of a mood ring? It’s a little piece of jewelry that supposedly tells you what kind of a mood you’re in. But how the heck can it know? We asked scientist Edwin Thomas to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s getting you in the mood to learn? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help w-ring out an answer.
When you’re sick, it’s important to get plenty of rest to help your body heal. But it can be hard to sleep when your brain keeps showing you bizarre fever dreams (Like being chased by a giant fireball! Or swimming in nacho cheese!) Why do we have strange dreams when we’re sick, anyway? We asked dream researcher Michael Schredl to help us find the answer.Got any burning questions? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll search feverishly for the right answer! 
Quick, picture a brain! Did you imagine a rosy-colored little meatball? Us too! But are brains actually pink when they’re inside our skulls? We asked brain expert Gwenaëlle Thomas to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s giving you a real headache? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll wrap our brains around it!
Dogs come in so many different sizes, from the tiniest teacup terrier to the giant Great Dane. How did we get such a delightful assortment of these furry best buddies? We asked Brains On producer and archaeologist Anna Goldfield to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s been hounding you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll make sure to bark up the right tree!
Dogs come in so many different sizes, from the tiniest teacup terrier to the giant Great Dane. How did we get such a delightful assortment of these furry best buddies? We asked Brains On producer and archaeologist Anna Goldfield to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s been hounding you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll make sure to bark up the right tree!
We chew our food, swallow it, and our stomach goes to work on digesting! Our bodies absorb the nutrients they need and then we poop out the rest. Here on Earth, the whole process takes somewhere between one to three days. But what about in space? Do astronauts digest food as quickly as they do on Earth? We reached out to space scientist and science communicator Maggie Aderin-Pocock to get the answer!Got a question you’re chewing  on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we'll spit out the answer.
Dogs come in so many different sizes, from the tiniest teacup terrier to the giant Great Dane. How did we get such a delightful assortment of these furry best buddies? We asked Brains On producer and archaeologist Anna Goldfield to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s been hounding you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll make sure to bark up the right tree!
Did you know the tallest building in the world is a skyscraper in Dubai called the Burj Khalifa? It has 163 floors and weighs as much as 100,000 elephants! But how can the Earth even support such a huge building?! Why doesn’t the ground just collapse underneath it? We asked geologist Rónadh Cox to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s weighing heavily on your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help build you up with a great answer!
loading
Comments (48)

陆茗

Maging bahagi ng luxebet - https://luxebet-ph.com at simulan ang panalo! Mag-sign up at tanggapin ang $100 bonus na magpapasaya sa iyong unang laro.

Dec 19th
Reply

陆茗

Huwag palampasin ang alok ng scorpion - https://scorpion-ph.com! Magparehistro na at tanggapin ang $100 bonus para sa iyong unang taya.

Dec 19th
Reply

陆茗

Ang $100 bonus ay naghihintay sa iyo! Mag-sign up na sa stake - https://stake-ph.com at gawing mas kapana-panabik ang bawat laro.

Dec 19th
Reply

陆茗

Bagong simula, bagong swerte! Magparehistro sa marvel - https://marvel-ph.com ngayon at kunin ang iyong $100 welcome bonus. Mas malaking panalo, mas masayang laro!

Dec 19th
Reply

陆茗

Ang $100 bonus ng drip - https://drip-ph.com ay para sa iyo! Maging bagong miyembro at i-enjoy ang libreng pondo para sa mas masayang paglalaro.

Dec 18th
Reply

陆茗

Simulan ang iyong panalong kwento sa inplay - https://inplay-ph.com! Mag-sign up na at tanggapin ang $100 bonus na magdadagdag sa iyong mga pagkakataong manalo.

Dec 18th
Reply

陆茗

Ang swerte ay nasa iyong kamay! Magparehistro sa eclipse - https://eclipse-ph.com ngayon at tanggapin ang eksklusibong $100 bonus para sa mga bagong miyembro.

Dec 18th
Reply

陆茗

Magsimula ng tama sa wish - https://wish-ph.com! Mag-sign up at tanggapin ang $100 welcome bonus para magamit sa slots, live casino, o sports betting.

Dec 18th
Reply

陆茗

Ikaw ba’y naghahanap ng masuwerteng simula? Narito na ang jet - https://jet-ph.com na may $100 bonus para sa lahat ng bagong miyembro! Magparehistro na at tamasahin ang dagdag na pondo.

Dec 18th
Reply

陆茗

Panalo mula sa simula! Sumali sa daddy - https://daddy-ph.com bilang bagong miyembro at makatanggap ng $100 bonus na magagamit sa paborito mong laro.

Dec 17th
Reply

陆茗

Huwag nang maghintay pa! Ang $100 welcome bonus ng fresh - https://fresh-ph.com ay para lamang sa mga bagong miyembro. Mag-register na at simulan ang kasiyahan online.

Dec 17th
Reply

陆茗

Ang kasiyahan ay nagsisimula sa sherbet - https://sherbet-ph.com! Mag-sign up na at tamasahin ang iyong $100 welcome bonus para mas maraming panalo. Siguradong sulit ang bawat taya!

Dec 17th
Reply

陆茗

Magsimula ng masaya at panalong adventure sa supernova - https://supernova-ph.com! Mag-register ngayon at makakuha ng eksklusibong $100 bonus na magbibigay sa’yo ng edge sa bawat laro.

Dec 17th
Reply

陆茗

Ang howl - https://howl-ph.com ay para sa mga panalo! Maging bagong miyembro at tanggapin ang iyong $100 welcome bonus. Simple lang ang proseso—mag-register, mag-deposito, at simulan ang kasiyahan!

Dec 16th
Reply

陆茗

Bagong miyembro? Narito na ang iyong pagkakataon na maglaro gamit ang dagdag na $100 bonus. Magparehistro lamang sa jazz - https://jazz-ph.com at tangkilikin ang walang kapantay na gaming experience.

Dec 16th
Reply

陆茗

Huwag palampasin ang pagkakataon! Sumali sa 500 casino - https://500-ph.com ngayon at tanggapin ang $100 bonus para sa iyong unang laro. Maglaro ng slots, roulette, o kahit sports betting gamit ang libreng pondo!

Dec 16th
Reply

陆茗

Panalo agad sa highway - https://highway-ph.com! Magparehistro at makatanggap ng $100 bonus na maaari mong gamitin sa slots, table games, at marami pang iba. I-unlock ang iyong maswerteng simula at maglaro na!

Dec 16th
Reply

陆茗

Ang swerte mo’y magsisimula sa sol - https://sol-ph.com! Mag-sign up bilang bagong miyembro at awtomatikong makakuha ng $100 bonus. Punan lamang ang simpleng form ng registration at i-enjoy ang mga premium na laro online.

Dec 16th
Reply

陆茗

Magparehistro ngayon sa exclusive - https://exclusive-ph.com at tanggapin ang iyong $100 welcome bonus! Napakadaling sumali, at siguradong panalo ka na agad mula sa simula. Subukan ang slots, live casino, at sports betting na may dagdag na pondo para sa mas malaking pagkakataong manalo.

Dec 15th
Reply

陆茗

Huwag magpahuli! Mag-sign up na sa pera play - https://pera-play-ph.com at gawing mas exciting ang iyong gaming journey gamit ang $100 welcome bonus.

Dec 15th
Reply