podcasts

Could a bird or fish live on the International Space Station?

Hundreds of people have visited the space station over the past 25 years, but what about animals? 

What happens when lightning strikes water?

What makes a good paper airplane?

How do you make sure that your plane zooms across a room instead of nose-diving into the couch cushions? 

Why is there so much plastic in the ocean?

In small ways, we can make choices that avoid plastics. In big ways, we can clean beaches and send letters to companies to make change.

Do animals see differently than we do?

Do insects see the world in slow motion? Do animals see the same rainbow we do? How do eagles see so far away?

Flush! Where does our waste go?

Every time you flush, your poo and pee start an epic journey. From the toilet, to the sewers, to a treatment plant, our waste travels quite a distance only to end up cleaner by the end.

What makes tiny tardigrades tick? (29 minutes)

You can find microanimals everywhere! This episode dives into the amazing microanimal the tardigrade, also known as water bear or moss piglet!

Do we live in a multiverse? (38 minutes)

Can there be more than ONE universe at a time?!

How do computers store so much info in such a tiny space? (41 minutes)

Binary code and the earliest computer. (10 minutes in)

Is mold alive? (36 minutes)

A story about the fascinating Kingdom of Fungi. 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (22 minutes)

A story about Supreme Court Justice. 

Nervous: All about feelings. Pt 4

Part of a series describing why some bad feelings are actually good for us and can be helpful.

The Birds and the Trees

In today's story, we'll meet a character who's so brave, she's willing to give up everything she's ever known. Everything! Our story is called "The Birds and the Trees." Versions of this tale come from New Zealand, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean. 

Check out New Zealand Animals Augmented Reality coloring pages

The True Mother (20 minutes)

An old tale retold about about 2 Japanese mothers fighting over a baby boy.

Absurd Solutions for Real World Problems: Chicken Pox Party (9 minutes)

Randall Munroe 

The Eliza Effect (Listen)

Can a simple computer program help us feel better? 

Built on Sand Episode (Listen)

“Sand is actually the most important solid substance on Earth,” he argues. “It’s the literal foundation of modern civilization.” ...

Middle School Home-cooked Meal Start-Ups(Listen)

“Willard Middle School in Berkeley, Calif., is in its second year of partnering with Josephine to make and sell hundreds of meals every month — with some adult supervision. ... "

A Spectacular Spacesuit (Listen)

“We’ll give you a tour of all the features of NASA’s iconic EMU suit and explain why it looks like a squishy marshmallow."