Épisodes

  • Could you make a real-life lightsaber?
    Dec 29 2022

    A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away… we wondered, could you ever build a real lightsaber like the ones in Star Wars? A lightsaber is a glowing sword that can cut through metal – and pretty much anything else you can think of. It’s the favorite tool of heroes like Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, as well as villains like Darth Vader. That’s just in the movies, but could we make them real? We asked mechanical engineering professor Sayan Biswas to help us find the answer.

    Got more questions than Luke when he was training with Yoda? Send them to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help use the force to find an answer!

    Voir plus Voir moins
    7 min
  • Why can’t kids go to space?
    Jan 31 2025

    So far, only adults have been to space. But there are plenty of kids who’d love to travel to space, so what gives? Why can’t kids walk on the moon? Or visit the International Space Station? We asked NASA engineer Varoujan Gorjian to help us find the answer.


    Got a question that’s moonwalking around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll spaceCRAFT an answer for you.

    Voir plus Voir moins
    5 min
  • How do you make clay for pottery?
    Jan 30 2025

    Clay is neat stuff. You can knead it, shape it, carve it, sculpt it, and make all kinds of beautiful creations. It goes from soft and squishy to hard and breakable when it’s baked in a kiln. But clay is…dirt, right? It comes from the ground! So how do you get it out of the ground and into the blocks that you find at an art supply store? We asked ceramic artist and educator Lauren Sandler to guide us through the process.


    Got a question that you just knead an answer to? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help mold an answer into shape for you!

    Voir plus Voir moins
    5 min
  • Why don’t robots have tickle spots?
    Jan 29 2025

    We love when our listeners send in super unique questions. We also love robots. So we had to answer this head-scratcher of a question from listener Lucas: why aren’t robots ticklish? We asked pediatrician Emma Gerstenzang to help us find the answer.


    Got a question that’s tickling your fancy? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find the answer faster than a well-oiled machine!




    Voir plus Voir moins
    5 min
  • What do scientists in Antarctica eat?
    Jan 28 2025

    Antarctica. Home of the South Pole and an incredibly diverse population of sea life. You know what there’s not a lot of in Antarctica? People! But there are some adventurous scientists who go there for research. These folks can’t just zip out to the grocery store when they want to make a meal…so what do they eat? We asked scientist Cameron Hearn to help us find the answer.


    Got a question that’s just the tip of the iceberg? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll give you an ocean of knowledge!

    Voir plus Voir moins
    5 min
  • Why do dogs like to roll in stinky things?
    Jan 27 2025

    If you’ve ever taken a dog on a walk, or let them run around the woods, you know that they LOVE to roll around in stinky stuff! And it’s one heck of a mess to clean up. Why do they do that? We asked researcher Elizabeth Carranza from the Arizona Canine Cognition Center to help us find the answer.


    Got a question that’s rolling around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help sniff out the answer.

    Voir plus Voir moins
    6 min
  • If dragons were real, how would they fly and breathe fire?
    Jan 24 2025

    Dragons are fantastical fairytale creatures that fly and breathe fire. They aren’t real, but there are animals that can do the things dragons do! So … if dragons did exist, how would they fly and breathe fire? We asked science professor Dr. Mark Lorch to help us find the answer.


    Got a question that’s DRAGON you down? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll fire off an answer!

    Voir plus Voir moins
    7 min
  • How does soil get made?
    Jan 23 2025

    We know that soil helps many things grow -- but how is it made? It must come from somewhere, right? We talked to farmer Angel Papineu to find the answer.


    Got a question growing in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll dig for the truth!

    Voir plus Voir moins
    5 min