Moment of Um
Where does pepper come from?
Black pepper is in just about everyone’s kitchen. It’s salt’s best buddy. It comes in shakers, grinders, and little paper packets. But where does black pepper come from ? We asked historian Jenna Schultz from the University of St. Thomas to help us find the answer. Want to pepper us with questions? Drop us a line at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll serve you some freshly-ground facts.
8 apr. 2025 - 05 min 25 sek
Why do donuts have “nut” in the name?
If you ask us, donuts are one of the most delicious treats in the world. Chocolate frosted with rainbow sprinkles, cinnamon twists, powdered sugar, strawberry jelly-filled, we love them all! But why are they called donuts? We asked food historian Sarah Lohman to help us find the answer. Got a question that has you feeling glazed and confused? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact , and we’ll find an answer you like a hole lot.
7 apr. 2025 - 07 min 38 sek
Why is cotton so fluffy?
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 .
28 mars 2025 - 07 min 17 sek
How is couscous made?
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!
26 mars 2025 - 06 min 01 sek
Why do people stop growing taller?
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 .
25 mars 2025 - 06 min 35 sek
Why can’t we feel our hair growing?
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.
24 mars 2025 - 06 min 53 sek
Do plants have DNA?
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!
21 mars 2025 - 07 min 12 sek
How do flat rocks skip across water?
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.
20 mars 2025 - 05 min 33 sek
Why do flightless birds have wings?
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 !
19 mars 2025 - 07 min 34 sek
How are cheetahs so fast?
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 !
18 mars 2025 - 05 min 27 sek