Explore Your Curiosity

Scientists have long known that different people experience different smells, well...differently! But Why? And How? Join Mindy and Guy Raz in their new backyard Ol'Factory of bottled up odors, as they explore the Who, What, When, Where, Why, How, and Wow in the World of SMELL!

This is the last episode of Season 4, but stay tuned for our special summer lineup! We’ll be back for Season 5 in fall 2019. Why are butterflies so colorful? That’s what Zed, from The Petit Punk Podcast, wants to know. So we went on a family podcast field trip to the Museum of Natural History in Paris, where we met Zed, his mom Dana, and a butterfly scientist named Marianne Elias. Come with us as we visit the museum’s private “butterfly library,” and find out why some butterflies are toxic! Plus, we’ll learn why Marianne climbs trees when she’s not in her office. Also, a special original butterfly song from Dana & The Petit Punks! Love Tumble? Supporting us on Patreon is a great way to show it! Pledge at patreon.com/tumblepodcast. $5 a month gets you a shoutout and birthday greeting on the show, plus special messages from Lindsay & Marshall! Just $1/month gets you our bonus interview episodes featuring scientists on the show. Don’t worry, summer birthdays - we’d never forget you! (One of us has a summer birthday, so we know how it can be.) Listen for your shoutout airing across ALL episodes this summer....moreCopy Link

Finn finds himself in a cave, with no way out. Here’s the riddle: “I am taken from a mine, and encased in wood, I can never get out, but I always stay sharp.” Check out our Patreon and consider supporting the show! Thanks! Also, contain your excitement, but we're starting up a monthly newsletter! It'll contain book recommendations, podcast recommendations, puzzles, jokes, news and more! Sign up here.We always love sounds, art and jokes sent to earth@finncaspian.com. And don't forget about Griffin's Sound Club! Send yours! You can also, of course, call our voice mail: 773-683-3166. If you have a second, and can rate or review the show in iTunes, we would be so grateful! It really helps get the word out. Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! Many thanks to Mark Greenberg of the Mayfair Workshop for his theme music. Other music is by Visager, used via Creative Commons. The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian is a sci-fi story podcast for kids, and is proud to be part of the Kids Listen collective of makers of quality audio for kids. And please do send us anything you like. We'll use it on the show! You can also shoot us an email or call 773-683-3166....moreCopy Link

The long awaited episode to coincide with the release of our book "The Meatshower!" Mr. Eric from What If World tells he's tory of Boston's Great Molasses Disaster and Mick Sullivan tells the story of the Kentucky Meatshower of 1876. To purchase the book visit www.earlyworkspress.com/shop

Lots of people are afraid of the dark, including many kids who have shared that fear with us. In today's episode we explore the fear of the dark with Daniel Handler, better known as Lemony Snicket, the author of the Series of Unfortunate Events books, and a picture book for young kids called The Dark. Then we go on a night hike with Vermont Fish and Wildlife biologist Steve Perren, to talk about ways to embrace the darkness. We practice our night vision by not using flashlights and we think about how our other senses can help us navigate. Steve also answers questions about how animals see in the dark and why it sometimes look like animals' eyes are glowing back at us in the darkness....moreCopy Link

You may have noticed some strong smells coming from your feet, your friend's breath, or your brother's armpit. Where do these body odors come from? We'll meet the microscopic organisms responsible and visit the kingdom of Footsteros. We'll also find out why we might find these naturally occurring smells so disgusting. Plus: A brand new Moment of Um answers the question: Why do stink bugs stink? This episode is sponsored by Cloud Control Cat Litter by Arm & Hammer, Bona Premium Spray Mop (bona.com/brainson), and Quip (getquip.com/brainson). You can support the show at brainson.org/donate...moreCopy Link

Ella asks what is the difference between a rock and a mineral.  And Private asks about being afraid of things

Fungus farming ants, digital bees, composting worms, metamorphic caterpillars -- how can these all be bugs? In this episode, Andrew & Polly dive deeper into the world of the squiggly and the wriggly, parsing out the differences between insects and other things that crawl around a garden.   Avery talks to us about bugs in computer code and how she built a pollination video game with a Raspberry Pi. Izaiah updates us about the worms in the compost pile on his farm. And our friends at Valle de Niños in San Francisco take us on a tour of the life cycle of caterpillars. Thanks to Christina Foust of the Raspberry Pi Foundation (www.raspberrypi.org) for connecting us with young coders participating in Coolest Projects USA, a technology science fair celebrating digital making. Thanks again to entomologist Chris Wheeler, conservation scientist Sergio Avila from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and friends Izaiah, Avery, Ada, Ainsley, Dominic, Teacher Zoe, Nathan, Harrison, Alex, Zoe and Luke for deep diving into so many bugs!...moreCopy Link

The death of Tai’s grandfather gets him thinking about the afterlife. The idea that our bodies and consciousness become nothing is really weird and confusing. So Tai turns to different religions for answers. This podcast called Tai Asks Why comes from our friends in Canada at the CBC. Hope you like it!

"Do House-Elves Clean Your Brain While You Sleep?" That's the title of an exciting new article featured in Frontiers for Young Minds by Ken Paller. Ken is a professor at Northwestern University where he designs experiments that can provide insights into memory and our conscious experiences. On this episode, he visits The Show About Science Studios to talk about his article, cognitive neuroscience, memory, and how sleep affects our brains.

In this episode we talk about why we feel different emotions and why it's important to talk about those feelings. We also meet a doctor who can help us if we are having a hard time understanding different feelings.