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Like bread and cheese? Thank fungus!

Picnics wouldn’t be picnics without fungus. Bread, cheese and salami all incorporate our fungal friends!


That fuzzy sandwich in your fridge? Yeah, don't eat that kind of fungus. But the mushrooms in your stir fry? Or the yeast in your bread? Or the rind on your brie? Or the miso in your soup? All of those delicious foods are possible thanks to fungus!

In this episode, we'll learn about how our ancestors first figured it out some mushrooms were safe to eat, we'll learn about the microbes that make cheese possible, and we'll meet some fungal chefs who are key to cooking up some of our favorite foods. Plus a brand new mystery sound and a Moment of Um that answers the question: "How does rubbing two sticks together make fire?"

Is mold alive? A look at fascinating fungus

Molds and fungi have been responsible for everything from medicines to that mystery that’s been in your fridge for too long. This episode looks at how the kingdom of fungus thrives.


Fungus deserves a party because it’s everywhere and super important to life on this planet. The kingdom of fungus includes mushrooms and molds, but also yeasts, like the kinds that help make bread. So today, we’re embracing the ick, we’re snuggling up to the slimy, we’re making friends with mold and mushrooms… It’s a full on Fung-o-Rama! We'll learn about a day in the life of mold, a fungus that turns ants into zombies, and how fungi will help us in the fight against climate change. All that, plus a brand new mystery sound and a Moment of Um that answers the question: "How does air fry?"

How Mushrooms Are Turned Into Bacon And Styrofoam | World Wide Waste

Is time travel possible?

Who hasn’t dreamed of going to the past or taking a peek into the future? This episode takes a look at the ins and outs of time travel. 


Will we ever get to rewind time, or fast forward through it? Sanden stops by to tell us all about how time works. He also has a couple ideas about how we might make time travel a reality! But one tricky thing about time travel is that it’s full of paradoxes — so we look into those, too. And science fiction expert Lisa Yaszek swings by to tell us just how long humans have been thinking about time travel (hint: a really long time).Listen closely for the mystery sound, and the moment of um: how do clothes get dirty even though you can’t see it?

Brains On Podcast

Smash Boom Best is a debate show for kids and families from the makers of the award-winning podcast, Brains On! Every episode takes two cool things, smashes them together and lets you decide which is best.


Smash Boom Best

Julie and her daughter, children’s author and educator Emma Walton Hamilton, invite you into their library to read their favorite children's books. Every story comes to life with sound, music and activities. Authors, kids and other special guests chime in, too! 


Julie's Library

A history show for the whole family! Every episode explores the origin of just one thing — like sandwiches, video games, clocks and more — while teaching listeners to think critically about history.


Forever Ago

Other APM Podcasts

Listen to all the episodes in our series on the coronavirus, get resources and more.


Coronavirus Episodes and Resources

Earlier this year, Brains On teamed up with the Science Museum of Minnesota, with funding from the National Science Foundation, to launch a study on how shows like ours can provide families with science-based information to help ease children’s worries during a pandemic.


Scrapbook to remember what it's like right now

Brains On Coronavirus Research!

Brains On teamed up with the Science Museum of Minnesota, with funding from the National Science Foundation, to launch a groundbreaking study looking at how families use podcasts.


PHASE 1: Analysis of Secondary Data (Click Here)

PHASE 2: Listener Survey (Click Here)

PHASE 3: Family Interviews (Click Here)

Brains On Research!

Brains On is an award-winning science podcast for kids from American Public Media.  Each week, joined by a different kid co-host, we ask fascinating questions about science and go wherever the answers take us.  Sometimes this means hearing skits about sound waves, songs about slime or interviews with astronauts.


Introducing Debate with Smash Boom Best

Brains On Curiosity Kit Books

Brains On Curiosity Kit Animal Farts

Brains On Curiosity Kit Colds

Brains On Curiosity Kit Deep Sea vs Outer Space

Brains On Curiosity Kit Slime

Resources for Educators

Going on a trip and need to keep the fun going over the long weekend? Here's a list of interactive podcast episodes filled with songs and audio games that will keep you laughing, clapping, and playing until you reach your destination.


Listen On: Fun! Fun! Fun!

Gearing up for a long trip and want to keep the gross out fun going? Check out our handy podcast playlist, featuring episodes of shows that answer questions like: Where does your poop go? What do you think a pig fart sounds like? And just how much did dinosaurs fart, poop, and pee?


Listen On: Gross Out

Going on a long trip and looking for some podcasts to go with the latest Brains On! water show? We've got a fun podcast playlist filled with audio goodies by Tumble, Ear Snacks, and more.


Listen On: Water

Hitting the road this weekend to do a little exploring? Go on a little audio adventure as you prep for your journey with our podcast playlist. You'll learn about Australia's youngest female pilot, discover underground cities in Canada, and so much more.


Listen On: Exploration and Adventure!

Switch up your audio queue with this playlist of podcasts all about music. You’ll learn what it’s like to be a conductor, who was the first music superstar, and so much more.


Listen On: All About Music

Headed out on a summer road trip? Keep the kids happy in the backseat with this podcast playlist. It will take you on an aural adventure around the cosmos.  


Listen On: Out of This World!

Going on a road trip? Keep the fun going with this playlist of podcast episodes all about books (plus a few bonus videos, too). 


Listen On: Book Extravaganza!

Here's something a little new! We're working on a few podcast playlists for the summer to keep the fun and learning going when you're on the road. (By: Rion Nakaya of The Kid Should See This)


Resources