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Moment of Um

Moment of Um

American Public Media

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.
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Top 10 Moment of Um Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Moment of Um episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Moment of Um for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Moment of Um episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Moment of Um - How do our clothes get dirty?
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06/09/22 • 4 min

Clothes are FUN. We strut our stuff in them. Laugh and play in them. Sometimes we love one article of clothing so much, we never want to take it off! But eventually, all clothes do have to be cleaned. We chatted with Tide Principal Scientist Jennifer Ahoni about how clothes get dirty, even when they still look spotless. Listen and learn about the secrets of body soils and invisible dirt!
Got a question in your pocket? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll fashion an answer for you.

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Moment of Um - Why do we itch?

Why do we itch?

Moment of Um

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10/29/24 • 3 min

A mosquito bites you. Your grandma knits you a scratchy blanket. Your friend tickles you with a feathery cat toy. What do all of these things have in common? They make you itch! Listener Samantha was wondering just why that is, and neuroscientist Sonali Mali says she’s always wondered the same thing, so that’s why she studies it!


Got a question tickling at your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, because we’re just itching to help you find the answer!

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Moment of Um - How and why do we produce saliva?
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10/22/24 • 3 min

Our mouths have a lot going on. They have teeth and a tongue and they help us talk and eat. But what about saliva? It seems important, right? How do our bodies know to make it? We asked otolaryngologist Dr. Laura Orvidas to help us learn all about saliva.


Got a question that you just can’t lick? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an answer.

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Woof woof woof! It’s Woof Week here on Moment of Um, where we’re ready to learn about all things related to dogs! In today’s episode, Dr. Carlo Siracusa answers the question “How do dogs sense emotions like fear or tenderness?”


Got a question you’ve been chewing on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help dig up the answer.

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Moment of Um - Why does dust make us sneeze?
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09/26/24 • 4 min

There are lots of reasons to sneeze - you have a cold, you get a whiff of pepper or someone tickles your nose with a feather! But why is it that dust makes us sneeze? We asked otolaryngologist Laura Orvidas to help us find the answer.


Got a question that’s gathering dust in your brain? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you sniff out the answer.

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Moment of Um - Why do pugs have such scrunched faces?
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10/24/24 • 4 min

Pugs! They’re adorable! The internet loves them for their sassy personalities and squishy faces. But how did the pug’s face get so smushed? Why are pug noses different from terrier sniffers or German shepherd snoots? We asked animal geneticist Jeffrey Schoenebeck to help us sniff out the answer.


Got a question that’s right in front of your schnozz? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find someone who NOSE the answer.

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Moment of Um - What makes us sleepy?
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05/30/22 • 5 min

Get ready for a snooze fest because it’s sleep week! We get so many questions from curious kids about sleeping, going to sleep, not sleeping, what happens to your body when you sleep, etc. that we decided to devote an entire week to the art of the slumber! In today’s episode, sleep specialist Andrew Stiehm answers the question “What makes us sleepy?”


Is the act of searching for a question making you feel exhausted? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t sleep on the answer!

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Moment of Um - What produces eye gunk when we sleep?
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10/31/24 • 5 min

Have you ever woken up in the morning with the corners of your eyes filled with crud? Sleepy sand? Eye goblins? Dozy dust? Bed boogers? Why do our eyes make this stuff, anyway? And why does it build up when we’re asleep? We asked Yale eye doctor Soshian Sarrafpour to help us get to the bottom of this issue.


Got a question that you can’t keep a lid on? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find someone who can answer it in the blink of an eye.

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Moment of Um - What is the strongest glue?
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04/20/23 • 7 min

Most of us have used a glue stick or Elmer’s, but what about the strongest glue in the WORLD? We got a fantastic question from a couple of listeners who wanted to know what the strongest glue is, so we reached out to biomedical engineer Danna Sheridan to help us find the answer.


Got a question that’s sticking in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help unglue the answer!

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Moment of Um - Why is pee yellow?

Why is pee yellow?

Moment of Um

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05/30/24 • 3 min

Pee is super cool! It’s 95% water. It’s sterile. And it can be a window into our overall health. But why is it yellow? We asked mechanical engineer Patricia Yang to help us find the answer.


Got a Moment of Um question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the answer.

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FAQ

How many episodes does Moment of Um have?

Moment of Um currently has 580 episodes available.

What topics does Moment of Um cover?

The podcast is about Education For Kids, Kids & Family and Podcasts.

What is the most popular episode on Moment of Um?

The episode title 'Why do we itch?' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Moment of Um?

The average episode length on Moment of Um is 5 minutes.

How often are episodes of Moment of Um released?

Episodes of Moment of Um are typically released every day.

When was the first episode of Moment of Um?

The first episode of Moment of Um was released on Jan 10, 2022.

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LOOP

@loopleadershippodcast

Nov 9

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JW
Joseph W

@teachergoals

May 14

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