Brains On! Science podcast for kids
Brains On!® is a science podcast for curious kids and adults from American Public Media. Each week, a different kid co-host joins Molly Bloom to find answers to fascinating questions about the world sent in by listeners. Like, do dogs know they’re dogs? Or, why do feet stink? Plus, we have mystery sounds for you to guess, songs for you to dance to, and lots of facts -- all checked by experts.
Smarty Pass Sneak Peek: Mystery Animal Poetry Slam
Smarty Pass Presents: Noun Noun
The real vampires of the animal world
Smarty Pass Sneak Peek: Game Show Molly
Achoo! How fast does a sneeze travel?
Navigating the world with White Canes
How do animals pick their leaders?
Smarty Pass Sneak Peek: Eye-Eye, Captain!
How does the internet work?
Why do some of us have food allergies?
Why do some people need glasses?
How do we name things in space? The quest to name a quasi-moon!
Smarty Pass Sneak Peek: SPORTSBALL Impression Sound
Phones: The fun, the annoying and the confusing
Auroras: Nature's light show
Smarty Pass Sneak Peek: Me and my pet
Seahorses! Curly-tailed wonders of the sea
Everybody sings! The how and the wow of your voice
Catnip, cat naps, and the history of house cats
Smarty Pass Sneak Peek: Rhyme or Reason
How do trees help our cities?
If our bodies are 98 degrees, why does it feel so hot outside?
It’s a mystery sound extravaganza!
How do vacuums work?
How do stringed instruments make sounds?
Smarty Pass Sneak Peek: Radical Design
How to build a house on the Moon
Are there insects in Antarctica?
How can you tell when food is expired?
How does ibuprofen help stop pain?
Smarty Pass Sneak Peek: Mystery Sound Investigation
Everything you need to know before the 2024 solar eclipse
Are UFOs real?
Join us for Brains On live in April!
Why do we laugh?
How do satellites work?
Tooth or Dare: A Smarty Pass Sneak Peek
How does a match make fire?
How deep does the sand go on the beach?
Is hypnosis real?
Why do we get cavities?
Baby Mystery Sound: A Smarty Pass Sneak Peek
How did ferns survive the dinosaur extinction?
What happened to the Neanderthals?
Taxonomic Ticklers: A Smarty Pass sneak peek
Where does lightning come from?
Brains On presents Forever Ago - Superman: An immigrant's story
Why do our bodies take so long to grow?
How and why do chameleons change color?
Why are we afraid of the dark?
Why isn’t Pluto a planet anymore?
What is ADHD?
Going Viral: What is a Computer Virus?
Ancient beasts: A prehistoric game show!
How do animals build their homes?
How do apples grow?
Where does all our energy come from?
What is artificial intelligence?
How do our eyes, skin and hair get their colors?
How much can your brain hold?
Can boredom be good for you?
What’s inside a jellyfish?
Hip hip hooray! Why are parties so fun?
Smarty Pass Bonus: Gungador Hosts a Dinner Party!
Come see Brains On live!!!
How do birds communicate?
How would life evolve in space?
Do video games really rot your brain?
Flies on a bus, space elevators, and other brain benders!
Why do we like some foods, but not others?
How do we learn to read - and why is it hard?
Million Bazillion: Why are there so many of the same stores?
The Trash Trail: Why is there so much plastic in the ocean?
Why do we need bugs?
Why do dogs wag their tails?
Why do we have friends?
Do plants sleep?
How heavy is the sky?
Glow for it! How do creatures make light?
How do hearing aids work?
Do scientists have superpowers?
Is it possible to clone yourself?
How is concrete made? And why does it matter?
How were people mummified?
Do insects see the world in slow motion? Looking through animal eyes
Space: The ultimate intergalactic game show
Flush! Where does our poo and pee go?
Why are we so sweaty?
Introducing Smarty Pass: Your ticket to the Brains On! Universe
Moon Myths: Why are there so many scary stories about the full moon?
AHH! How music can make scary movies even scarier
Blood: The superhighway of the body
Did the Brontosaurus really exist?
What happens at zoos after dark?
Where does your imagination come from?
Where do accents come from?
Get a whiff of that: Why you smell like you
Why is glass see-through?
Body Bonanza 2.0 - Your body questions answered
Can stress be helpful?
Underwater volcanoes and lots of salt: A deep dive into the ocean
Why can't we remember when we were babies?
Million Bazillion: How do big video platforms make money?
The Mosties!
Forever Ago is back June 1!
Dreams: The science of a sleeping brain
Tongue twisters: Terribly terrific and truly tantalizing
How does a caterpillar become a butterfly?
What makes tiny tardigrades tick?
Into the eye of a storm: How hurricanes form
Is mind-reading real?
Owl about Owls
How are we related to stars?
Why are butts and poop so funny?
Inside the immune system: Bad robots and friendly monsters
What's up with worms?
Mountain life: How's the air up there?
Chilling out with snow
Could you walk around the world?
Why do we like sugar so much?
Do we live in a multiverse?
Why are giraffe tongues blue? - A Moment of Um extra
Introducing Moment of Um!
What happens if you drop a feather in space?
The innies and outies of belly buttons
A guide to getting your COVID shot
Shark teeth: The sharp bits of a squishy animal
Spooky superstitions! Why we think 13 is bad luck
Crystals: More than just shiny rocks
Squirrelsperience: Trying out squirrel skills
The heroes we need to defeat the coronavirus
How to conquer Garbage Mountain
The invention of trash
Take a deep breath: How does breathing work?
What does the giraffe say? Our animal mystery sound extravaganza!
Why do we lose teeth?
What causes wildfires?
Million Bazillion answers your questions about money
Why do mosquitoes bite? Scratching that itch
Why do songs get stuck in our heads?
Vaccines for kids and silver linings: Our second COVID summer
Do dogs know they're dogs?
Our 200th episode is SUN-sational!
How far can a cloud travel?
Totally Slothsome: All about sloths
How do computers store so much info in such a tiny space?
How does taste work? We react to our very first episode!
Like bread and cheese? Thank fungus!
Is mold alive? A look at fascinating fungus
Is time travel possible?
Mystery Sound Extravaganza 2021
Why are smartphones so hard to put down?
What did dinosaurs sound like?
Dino Edition: How do we know what dinosaurs looked like?
What's in the COVID vaccine?
What's behind the waves and tides?
Why do we have crushes?
Let's go bananas!
A super special shot: All about coronavirus vaccines
Meet Gitanjali Rao, Time Magazine's first-ever Kid of the Year
How do synthesizers work?
Why is it so hard to break a habit?
Smash Boom Best: Flowers vs Rainbows
Bones from the inside out
Why do siblings annoy each other?
How do flu vaccines work?
Past, present and future: Using time to understand this pandemic
Smash: When continents collide!
Behind the scenes: See how we make the show
The buzz on bees, pt. 2
The buzz on bees, pt. 1
Stars: Twinkling, glowing, giant balls of gas
What makes gross things gross?
Poop Party: Answers to your poo questions
Introducing: Million Bazillion
Masks and mouth mist: What we know about the coronavirus now
The world of tiny robots
Why do kids have more energy than adults?
Why does green mean go? And other color conundrums
Injustice and Anger: Understanding your emotions
Introducing: Julie's Library
Coronavirus: How to be a helper from home
Thinking ink: The scoop on this colorful stuff!
Mystery Sound Extravaganza 2020
Can you dig to the center of the Earth?
Joy Overload! The science of tickles and cuteness
Virus Busters: How scientists are working to stop the coronavirus
Do plants have feelings?
Nervous: All about feelings, pt. 4
Staying home: How social distancing helps fight coronavirus
Narwhals: Unicorns of the sea?
Understanding coronavirus and how germs spread
Weather Watching: The birth of forecasts
The secret world of dust
For crying out loud: All about tears
Canine club: From wolves to dogs!
Mirrors, sequins and glitter: what makes them shine?
Aliens and UFOs: Making Sense of Myths, pt. 4
Mermaids, Kraken and the Loch Ness Monster: Making Sense of Myths, pt. 3
Lost Cities: Making Sense of Myths, pt. 2
Bigfoot, Unicorns and Dragons: Making Sense of Myths, pt. 1
How do pianos work?
Flavor facts: Why food is so delicious
What was the first life on earth?
Ask-A-Scientist: Bird Bonanza!
Books: How they're made and how your brain reads them
Why do we like getting scared?
Wonderful Wool: The secrets of this amazing fluff
How does the internet get to us?
Why do we lie?
The secrets of the spectacular spacesuit
What is dyslexia? And how do our brains read?
How do elevators work?
Hey, where did you get those genes?!?
Plastic: Why it's everywhere
Ants: Who's in charge here?
Tree, Myself and I: All about our leafy green friends
Going underground at Wind Cave National Park
Angry: All about feelings, pt. 3
Sad: All about feelings, pt. 2
Happy: All about feelings, pt. 1
Thinkin stinkin: Why we smell
Forever echo: Can a sound wave go on forever?
The hows and whys of hair
Mystery Sound Extravaganza 2019
Carnivores: Plants and animals that bite back
Black Holes, Wormholes and Donut Holes
Walking on walls: How ants and spiders do it
My air came from where?! How oxygen gets around
How do airplanes fly?
Memory and deja vu
Are we still evolving?
Brains On: Behind the scenes
Earthrise: The picture of our planet that changed the world
Soil: Can you dig it?
Voices: How do we make sound?
Roller coasters: from dream to extreme
Finding your way without a map
Video Games: A Tale of Two Pongs
Body Bonanza: Yawns, hiccups, goosebumps and more!
How to find the facts (Prove It: Part 4)
The scoop on journalism (Prove It: Part 3)
Science under the microscope (Prove It: Part 2)
A Brief History of Facts (Prove It: Part 1)
Brains On! + The Story Pirates: What makes fun things fun?
Keeping water healthy, one clue at a time
Burning rivers of fire
How does GPS know where you are?
Salty snack science: Popcorn, nachos and the origins of salt
Wanna see Mars' close approach? Just look up!
Smash Boom Best: Books vs Movies
How to cook for an alien
Mix: The science cooking, pt. 4
Chop: The science of cooking, pt. 3
Chill: The science of cooking, pt. 2
Heat: The science of cooking pt. 1
Boogers and sun sneezes: Know your nose
The wonderful weirdness of water
Smash Boom Best: Bats vs. Owls (new show alert!)
Robots take over (the show)! Live from Robotstravaganza
What's in your water?
What makes paint stick?
Allergy Attack: How our bodies can overreact
Mystery Sound Extravaganza 2018
How do animals breathe underwater?
'The Rice Cakes and the Oni': A story from Circle Round
Circadian rhythm pt. 2: Beyond human
From 8-bit to orchestras: How does video game music affect you?
The tick-tock of our circadian clock
‘Is it opposite day?’ and other mind-bending paradoxes
Our 100th episode! What's the big deal?
Meet Sandy, the left-handed mutant snail
Dolphins vs. Octopuses: Showdown in the sea!
Dogs: What's the secret of their sense of smell?
Mary Shelley and the science of Frankenstein
Super-size-asaurus: How did dinosaurs get so big?
Mysteries of the universe: Expansion and gravity
The nerve! Electricity in our bodies
Charged up! The science of batteries
High voltage! How electric power reaches your outlet
Shocking! The science of static (Electricity series pt. 1)
Where did language come from?
Curio: Flies on the bus
What's smaller than an electron?
Healing skin and regrowing limbs: The science of regeneration
What is Down syndrome?
Bonus: Kidcast sampler
Curio: Vampire of the Great Lakes
How do volcanoes erupt?
Curio: Quindar tones and talking in space
Mars: Our next home planet?
Thunder, lightning and tornadoes: Where do they come from?
Animal farts: A mighty wind
Sunburns: The why behind the ouch (and how to avoid them)
Everything you need to know before the solar eclipse
Deep Sea vs. Outer Space
Fart Smarts: Understanding the gas we pass
Riding in the car: Motion sickness and optical illusions (Road trip pt. 5)
Traffic: Phantom jams and chicken soup (Road trip pt. 4)
Monster trucks and car design (Road trip pt. 3)
The future of fuel, and the problem with exhaust (Road trip pt. 2)
How do engines work? (Road trip pt. 1)
Mystery sound extravaganza!
The science of slime: What is it and why are we so obsessed
Why is the ocean salty?
Do we all see the same colors?
Cats: Glowing eyes, puffy tails and secret purrs
Dinosaur bones: How do we know their age?
Lighting the way for sea turtles at Gulf Islands National Seashore
Surviving the desert at Joshua Tree National Park
Making the sands sing at Great Sand Dunes National Park
Tracking wild horses at Assategue Island National Seashore
What makes cute things cute?
Fire vs. Lasers!
How do whales communicate?
Could it rain lemonade?
How do invisible x-rays help us see?
Carnivorous plants: How they lure, trap and digest
How is glass made?
Mosquitoes: What are they good for?
Big universe, big questions
Why don't carnivores need to eat their vegetables?
How do you catch a cold?
Is there life on other planets?
Extinction!
Brains On! Besties
Living Large with the International Space Station
Mystery sound extravaganza!
Spider sense
Why are no two snowflakes the same?
The science of baking
Barks, growls, meows and purrs: Translating cats and dogs
How do meteorologists predict the weather?
The great cat debate: Evil or misunderstood?
Your booger questions, answered
Why does tickling make you laugh?
Bridges vs. Tunnels
Mission to Pluto!
Cuttlefish: Ultimate Shapeshifters!
Trees: From seed to shining seed
Why does the sun make some people sneeze?
How and why do jellyfish sting?
Volcanoes in space!
When parasitoids attack!
The mystery of gravity
How do monarch butterflies travel so far?
Water, water everywhere - but how does it get there?
Numbers!
Secrets!
Sleeping!
Music!
Growing!