Tumble Science Podcast For Kids

Why are there so many different species of ants? That’s what entomologist Corrie Moreau wants to know. There are more species of ants than there are species of mammals and birds - combined! Her quest starts in the jungle and ends in a lab, where she unravels the story of ants conquering the earth. Plus, listeners tell us what THEY know about ants! Take Corrie’s advice: Get outside and play with bugs! Then tell us about it. What did you see and observe? Take photos and make drawings. Email them to us at tumblepodcast@gmail.com Subscribe on iTunes! itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tumble-podcast/id984771479 Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/tumblepodcast And visit us on our website, www.sciencepodcastforkids.com Photo from Wikipedia

Are cats evil, or just misunderstood? That's what our friends at Brains On debate for a panel of kid judges. Find out what they decide in this special guest episode! Plus, Lindsay and Marshall weigh in on their conclusions.  What do you want to know about cats? Let us know on our Facebook or Twitter pages, or email us at tumblepodcast@gmail.com. Support Tumble on Patreon, and you can have your name read on the show (and get more great stuff!) Pledge at patreon.com/tumblepodcast. Subscribe on iTunes and leave us a review! itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tumble-podcast/id984771479

Why do fireflies flash their lights on and off, on and off? That’s what four curious kids want to know. Biologist Sara Lewis has studied fireflies for decades, and she’s cracked the code of their spectacular light displays. She explains why fireflies light up at night with a story of an undercover experiment. Sara tells us how she “spoke firefly” and learned that female fireflies are surprisingly hard to please. To learn more about fireflies, see Sara’s website and book at www.silentsparks.com. We're proud that Tumble is a free podcast! But we need your support to keep it going and growing. We’ve launched a Patreon campaign to offer you awesome rewards in exchange for a monthly pledge! Find out what our next episode is about in advance, get notified of opportunities to be on the show, receive exclusive educational content and so much more. Find the link on our website, www.tumblepodcast.com. Subscribe and review Tumble on iTunes, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter. We want to hear from you at tumbl

We have a short and sweet summer episode for you! Charles Darwin is known as the father of evolution, but he got his start as a naturalist as a young man. He took an ambitious five year journey around the year, studying thousands of species of plants and animals. Many years after his return to England, he wrote The Origin of Species, one of the most famous and influential scientific books ever written.  Áki Jarl Láruson tells the story, at a meeting of evolutionary biologists in Austin, Texas.   Learn more at tumblepodcast.com   Have you answered our listener survey? Help shape the future of Tumble at bit.ly/tumblesurvey    Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher! Like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter!

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a vast, swirling soup of trash, twice the size of Texas. Can we ever clean it up? That’s what 8 year old Ila wants to know. She lives in Hawaii and likes to pick up trash whenever she goes to the beach. She lives closer to the garbage patch than most of us. We talk to Jenni Brandon, a researcher who has been to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch - a place where few people will visit, but where we all have an impact. She tells us how surreal it is to sail through trash, why the garbage patch exists, and what scientists are doing about it. To find out more, visit tumblepodcast.com Marine debris photo courtesy of Jenni Brandon.

What are invisibility cloaks made of, and when can we buy them in gift shops? That's right, invisibility cloaks are not just for wizards anymore. We get into the very real science of invisibility with Dr. Andrea Alu. Dr. Alu is one of the leading scientists working on "cloaking." We learn how scientists are playing with the laws of physics and optics to turn fantasy into scientific reality.  Have a question for Tumble? Send us a recording with your name, age, question, what you think the answer is, and how scientists might find out. Email it to tumblepodcast@gmail.com! If you love Tumble, support us by writing a review on iTunes or donating on our website. For more about Kids Listen, a new awesome organization for kids podcasts, visit kidslisten.org.

Where is the deepest part of the ocean, and have we been there in person? Ocean explorer Gaelin Rosenwaks answers with an amazing story of the first explorers to dive to a mysterious place called Challenger Deep. It's filled with awesome adventure, incredible risk, and awe-inspiring reward. This is a journey that changed the way we understand the ocean. Love Tumble? Leave us a review on iTunes! Want to be on the show? Send us a question! Record yourself asking the question, and tell us what you think the answer is and how scientists might find the answer. Would you support Tumble? Donate on our website, www.tumblepodcast.com.

How do black holes work? And how do we learn about them, if they're impossible to see? We talk to Dr. Karl Gebhardt, who has helped discover over half of the black holes that astronomers have ever found. Light cannot escape from a black hole, which means that they are impossible to see. We find out the secret to finding black holes, and how what happens inside might explain mysteries of gravity. Astronomy adventures are ahead in this episode!    Music in this episode is by Secret Agent 23 Skidoo from his upcoming album, Infinity Plus One.   Ask us a question, listen to more episodes, and donate at tumblepodcast.com. Subscribe to Tumble Science Podcast for Kids and review on iTunes. Follow on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks for listening!

What happens to your brain when you get a concussion? It's common to get hit in the head when you play rough or risky sports. Everyone knows a concussion makes you woozy for a while. But the impacts of repeated concussions can last much longer. Learn how American football players have helped scientists unravel a mystery that could change the way that sports are played. With Dr. Kiki Sanford, host of the wonderful podcast This Week in Science. We want to see your ideas about how to keep your brain safe while playing sports or walking down the street! Email us at tumblepodcast@gmail.com. Enjoy the show? Rate us on iTunes, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.

We take you inside the famed Explorers Club in New York City, where we meet a real explorer! Richard Garriott de Cayeux has been around the world and into space on scientific expeditions. He shares the stories of famous explorers and his own family expeditions – beginning with his astronaut dad. Plus, he explains on how to find a real meteorite near your house! If you want to see some of the amazing collections of Explorer’s Club history, watch video tours on our blog at http://www.tumblepodcast.com We’re looking for your questions for ocean explorer Gaelin Rosenwaks. Send a recording of your question to tumblepodcast@gmail.com by April 26, 2016. Love our show? Leave us a review on iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tumble-podcast/id984771479

Does the universe go on forever? Or does it have an edge? Jack and Kate have a few ideas about how to find out, involving a GoPro and a rocket. We ask astrophysicist Katie Mack if the universe is infinite and if a robot explorer will ever send us a selfie from the very edge of its expansion. Her answer will boggle your mind. Visit tumblepodcast.com to learn more! Subscribe on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tumble-podcast/id984771479, and leave us a review. Music by Marshall Escamilla and Podington Bear. Photo of a distant galaxy cluster courtesy of NASA, ESA, CXC, NRAO/AUI/NSF, STScI, and R. van Weeren (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics).

What makes dogs loyal? This question comes from Amalia, a sixth grade student. We ask two different dog scientists, and their answers will surprise you. We learn about an experiment that tests dogs’ loyalty - or does it? Get ready to get inside the head of a dog! We want to hear about your dogs! Email us at tumblepodcast@gmail.com, visit us at tumblepodcast.com, and like us on Facebook. Photo courtesy of Mia Cobb.

Why do bats hang upside down? That's what fifth graders living in the Bat Capital of the World - Austin, Texas - want to know. We visit Micaela Jemison at the world headquarters of Bat Conservation International to figure out why bats have such weird sleep habits. Plus, why would bats walk on treadmills? They're mysterious creatures. This is the first in a series of shows featuring kids' questions. We want to hear what you think! Email us at tumblepodcast@gmail.com, message us on Facebook, and tweet us on Twitter. Send us your bat t-shirt designs and we'll share them!

Sarah Richardson, a biologist, dreams of being of a farmer. Instead of tending to barns full of cows making milk, she'll have petri dishes full of bacteria. They'll be making a brand new kind of fuel that could replace gas we put in our cars. But just like the first human to milk a cow, Sarah has a difficult job to do. In this episode, she explains how she's trying to convince bacteria to make the things we need - but will they listen? Learn more about Sarah's story at www.tumblepodcast.com, and sign up for our weekly kid-friendly podcast recommendation newsletter. Subscribe on iTunes and leave us a review. Want to ask a question on Tumble? Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, or email and ask away. Photo credit: Microbe World

What would the world be like if there were no parasites? You might actually miss those mind-controlling blood suckers. Science writer Carl Zimmer tells us how scientists are discovering the hidden importance of parasites' dirty work.

[Now, with new information on decoy spider research!] One dark night in the Amazon, three guys stumble face first into a new discovery - and capture it all on video. Joe Hanson, from It's Okay to Be Smart, tells the story. Music in this episode by Broke for Free.

No one knows what dark energy is or why it exists. So how did astronomers discover the mysterious force that's pulling the universe apart? Astronomer Jeff Silverman explains one of the universe's biggest mysteries. Learn more at www.tumblepodcast.com! Subscribe on iTunes and leave us a review. Music by Noveller and YACHT, courtesy of the Free Music Archive.

Emily Graslie, host of the YouTube science show The Brain Scoop, explains how an encounter with a dead mouse at a natural history museum steered her toward one of the most important discoveries of her life. (This episode contains references to preserving dead animals.) Music in this episode is by Podington Bear. Brain Scoop clips used with permission

Dinosaurs never went extinct. They're living in our backyards. How did scientists discover that birds are secretly dinosaurs? Science writer Riley Black tells us how some suspicious fuzz on a farmer's fossil find cracked open the biggest case in dinosaur paleontology. Note, Riley Black is referred to in this episode as Brian Switek. Music in this episode by Podington Bear, Noveller, and Johnny the Ripper, courtesy of the Free Music Archive.

A mystery that began with an unusual star spotted in the year 1054 took almost a thousand years to solve. In this episode, supernova expert Jeffrey Silverman explains how astronomers cracked the case and discovered what happened in the ancient night sky. Hint: It involves a massive explosion. Music by Podington Bear and Broke For Free.