American Public Media
Moment of Um
Moment of Um answers those questions that pop up out of nowhere. You know, the ones that make you squint a little and go ummmmmmm.
Go to episode one
There are 61 episodes
Episode One: How do bears make their dens?
This is an Episodic show. You can listen to it in any order, but episode one is always a great place to start.
About
Created by: American Public Media
Started: November 25th, 2024
Status: Active, 61 episodes
Kind: Episodic
Language: English
Link to this Podcast
<a href="https://soundcarrot.com/shows/shows/moment-of-um/" title="SoundCarrot.com - Children's podcasts"><img src="https://soundcarrot.com/img/sc-sm.png" alt="Listen On SoundCarrot" style="width: 200px; height: auto" /></a>Creators website
American Public Media
Content, Artwork and advertising within this podcast is not owned or affiliated with Sound Carrot.
American Public Media
Content, Artwork and advertising within this podcast is not owned or affiliated with Sound Carrot.
Episodes
Why are we more closely related to fungi than plants?
00:06:14 | April 30th, 2025
All living things on Earth are related. To help keep track of how close those relationships are, scientists organize life on Earth into groups using a system called taxonomy. Sometimes, taxonomy can be surprising – like, did you know that humans are more closely related to mushrooms and other fungi than we are to plants? How does that work? We asked microbiologist Christine Salomon to help us find the answer.
What are birthmarks?
00:04:50 | April 28th, 2025
Our skin is pretty incredible. It protects us and helps us sense the world around us. Some people have colored patches or dots on their skin called birthmarks. We wanted to know what birthmarks actually are, so we asked dermatologist Liz Farhat to help us find the answer.
What makes dolphins so smart?
00:05:12 | April 25th, 2025
Dolphins are super cool sea creatures that can swim fast, jump high, and make all kinds of nifty noises. But did you know that they also have big complicated brains like humans do? How did they get those big brains, and what do they use them for? We asked science writer Vicky Stein to help us find the answer.
Do lizards smell with their tongues?
00:05:28 | April 23rd, 2025
The sense of smell is so powerful. Without it, we couldn’t sniff out freshly-baked muffins, stinky garbage, or smoky campfires. Some animals use their noses, others use antennae or even their feet to smell. But what about lizards? They have nostrils, but do they use them to smell? We asked lizard researcher Laura Kojima to help us answer this question.
Why do beans give us gas?
00:06:07 | April 21st, 2025
Beans are delicious. From edamame to lentils, there’s a bean for everyone! But they can also make us a little tooty. Why is that? We asked pediatrician Wendy Hunter to help us find the answer.
Why don’t scars go away?
00:05:41 | April 18th, 2025
If you get a cut or scratch that goes deep enough into your skin, your body will form a scar. But why don’t scars themselves heal and go away? We asked dermatologist Liz Farhat to help us find the answer.
What happens when paleontologists find a fossil?
00:06:27 | April 16th, 2025
Make no bones about it – fossils are super cool! But what do you do if you find a fossil? We asked Jingmai O’Connor, the Associate Curator of Fossil Reptiles at the Field Museum in Chicago, to help us find the answer.
How does pasta turn from hard to tender?
00:05:23 | April 14th, 2025
Pasta is delicious, whether it’s rigatoni, linguine, macaroni or any shape at all! When you buy pasta from the store, it’s usually hard, crunchy, and dry. But after cooking it, the pasta is tender and toothsome! How does that work? We asked cookbook author and cooking teacher Julia Turshen to help us find the answer.
Thoughts and reviews on Moment of Um episodes...
If this Episodes in this show have reviews, they'll appear here.
If this Episodes in this show have reviews, they'll appear here.
Created by: American Public Media
Started:
November 25th, 2024
Status: Active, 61 episodes
Kind: Episodic
Language: English
