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.

  • 5 minutes 48 seconds
    How do stethoscopes work?

    Have you ever been to the doctor and had them listen to your body with a stethoscope? It’s that funny looking thing that looks like a long rubbery tube with a round metal circle on one end and two ear pieces on the other. Doctors always seem to have one handy, but what is it and how does it work? We asked pediatrician Emma Gerstenzang to help us find the answer.


    Got a question that you need scoped out? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll prescribe you an answer!

    18 December 2024, 9:00 am
  • 5 minutes 15 seconds
    How many times does our heart beat a day?

    Most of us know that we have a heart. We know that it beats - sometimes faster, sometimes slower. But just how many times does it beat in a day? We asked Dr. Courtney Jordan Baechler to have a heart-to-heart with us about this question. (She is also the host of the podcast Heart-to-Heart Conversations!)


    Got a question that you just love? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t beat around the bush!

    17 December 2024, 9:00 am
  • 6 minutes 4 seconds
    How do sinkholes form?

    Have you ever seen a sinkhole? These are spots in the Earth’s surface where the ground has collapsed and formed a hole. Sometimes they can be more than a hundred feet deep! But how do sinkholes form? We asked geologist Hazel Barton to help us find the answer.


    Got a question that’s a real hole in one? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help dig up the answer!

    16 December 2024, 9:00 am
  • 5 minutes 57 seconds
    What would happen if I went inside a black hole?

    Black holes are super dense spots in space. They have so much gravity that when something falls into a black hole, it can’t escape. We asked UCLA astrophysicist Dakotah Tyler to help us imagine what it would be like if we traveled through one of these dark marvels.


    Is there a question that’s really pulled you in? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll spaghettiFIND you an answer!

    13 December 2024, 9:00 am
  • 4 minutes 43 seconds
    How do 3D glasses work?

    3D glasses. Those little paper spectacles with one red lens and one blue. Put ’em on, and suddenly, POW! Images seem to leap right off the screen! Do these glasses play magical mind tricks on our brain? Do they give our eyeballs multi-dimensional superpowers? For a lens into how it all works, we talked to UW-Madison physicist Pupa Gilbert.


    Got a question that’s really jumping out at you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you put it into focus.

    12 December 2024, 9:00 am
  • 4 minutes 41 seconds
    How do vocal cords work?

    Vocal cords are magical things. They let us speak, sing, squawk and scream. But what are vocal cords and how do they do all that? We asked pediatrician Emma Gerstenzang to help us find the answer.


    Got a question that’s chattering away in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll belt out an answer!

    11 December 2024, 9:00 am
  • 5 minutes 4 seconds
    How does hair dye work?

    If you could turn your hair any color in the world… what color would you choose?! Sapphire blue, hot pink, lime green, neon orange?? There are dyes out there that can turn your hair every color of the rainbow! But how exactly do they work? We asked Chemist Michelle Wall to help us understand.


    Got a hairy question that needs answering? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll style an answer for you!

    10 December 2024, 9:00 am
  • 5 minutes 1 second
    How are bricks made?

    Bricks are all around us: in walls, sidewalks, park benches, and more. How are these bodacious blocks made, and what makes them different colors?  We asked construction and masonry expert Brian Trimble to help us find the answer.


    Constructing a question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you find a solid answer!

    9 December 2024, 9:00 am
  • 6 minutes 28 seconds
    When did people start using utensils?

    People around the world eat with a variety of utensils like forks, chopsticks, and sporks. But what did people do before silverware was invented? We asked human evolution expert Briana Pobiner from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History to help us find the answer.


    Got a question that’s unFORKgettable? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll spoon-feed you an answer. 

    6 December 2024, 9:00 am
  • 4 minutes 12 seconds
    How do our clothes get dirty?

    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.

    5 December 2024, 9:00 am
  • 5 minutes 27 seconds
    Why does salt make you thirsty?

    Have you ever noticed that when you eat something salty, you feel extra thirsty for a while afterwards? Ever wondered why? Turns out, scientists are wondering why as well, and it’s a perfect example of how science is always changing how we understand the world. Gastroenterologist Dr. Kaveh Hoda tells us the salty story. 


    Thirsting for knowledge? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll conSALT all our resources to find the answer!

    4 December 2024, 9:00 am
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