 is an award-winning science podcast hosted by Molly Bloom and a rotating cast of kids. Every episode answers questions from listeners like “Why do feet stink?” “What did dinosaurs sound like?” and “What is ADHD?”

Are birds dinosaurs?

When you think of dinosaurs, you might picture giant, scaly creatures that roamed earth millions of years ago. And when you think of birds, you probably picture our fluffy, feathered, chirpy friends. But did you know that birds are actually dinosaurs?

Did you know that birds are actually dinosaurs?

Trends: How do they start?

Collecting Pokémon cards. Trading friendship bracelets. Painting your nails black. All these things have been trendy at some point, somewhere. But how did they become cool? And who made them popular?

Smarty Pass Sneak Peek: Molly’s Inconceivable Preposterous Skateboard

Oh no! Molly’s been bequeathed her great-great grandfather’s skateboard, which unfortunately contains the spirit of dictionary editor Rutherford Williams Webster! Hoping to defeat the skateboard poltergeist, Anna and Marc must attempt to spell and define Webster’s most obscure words!


MOLLY BLOOM: Hi, Molly Bloom here. We love playing games at Brains On. We like tricky trivia, grueling guessing games, and challenging challenges. If you want to play along with us, sign up for the Smarty Pass. For just $5 a month, you'll get access to ad-free versions of Brains On, Smash Boom Best, Forever Ago, and more. 

Plus, you'll get a bonus feat of all new episodes where we play games, like this one. 

MARC SANCHEZ: Hey, Molly. Hey, Anna. What are you up to? 

ANNA GOLDFIELD: Molly got this sick new skateboard, so we're doing tricks. 

MARC SANCHEZ: That skateboard is new? It looks super old. 

MOLLY BLOOM: Well, it's new to us, but you're right, it's really old. I just got it from my Great Aunt Petunia. She says it belonged to her father, Amadeus Bloom. 

MARC SANCHEZ: Wait, your great, great grandfather is Amadeus Bloom, the wealthy oil tycoon who made billions in the early 1920s? 

MOLLY BLOOM: No, my Amadeus Bloom sold beef jerky out of a wagon, but people confuse them for each other a lot. My great, great grandfather traveled the country selling jerky. And the story goes, some old guy couldn't afford his jerky, so he gave him this skateboard instead. 

RUTHERFORD WILLIAMS WEBSTER: That's not what happened at all. 

MARC SANCHEZ: Molly, look out, a ghost just came out of your skateboard. 

ANNA GOLDFIELD: Totally radical. 

MOLLY BLOOM: To hear more, head to smartpass.org and subscribe. A monthly pass costs about the same as an ice cream cone and gets you fun bonus content like this, plus ad-free versions of all of our shows. Again, that's smartpass.org. Thanks for supporting the Brains On universe, smarty pals. 

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

Every episode looks into the surprising and fascinating history of things we think are ordinary, but they’re not -- like ice cream flavors, video games, baths and more. We make learning about the past fun while teaching listeners to think critically about history.


Forever Ago

Other APM Podcasts

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Do spiders have bones? Why do we jump when we’re scared? The Moment of Um podcast offers bite-sized answers to big questions like these. Listen now!


Listen to the Moment of Um podcast!

We’re working on developing more resources to help you use our podcasts with your students. Sign up for our educator newsletter and stay tuned for lesson plans, episode breakdowns, and more.  



Sign up for our educator newsletter!

Introducing Smarty Pass: Your ticket to the Brains On! Universe

Become a Smarty Pass subscriber today to access bonus episodes and ad-free episodes of Brains On!, Smash Boom Best, Moment of Um, and Forever Ago -- all right here in your favorite podcast player.


Become a Smarty Pass subscriber today to access bonus episodes and ad-free episodes of Brains On!, Smash Boom Best, Moment of Um, and Forever Ago -- all right here in your favorite podcast player. Visit smartypass.org/brainson to get your Smarty Pass! It's $4/month or $36/year (a three-month discount!) Don't worry: This feed will stay free and available as it always has. Thank you so much for your support!

MOLLY BLOOM: Hi, there. Molly here. I'm coming to you with some very exciting news. Starting now, we're offering a new way to engage with Brains On! and get some fun extra perks. It's called Smarty Pass, and it's your ticket to ad free episodes of Brains On!, Forever Ago, Smash Boom Best, and Moment Of Um. 

Plus, a bonus episode of one of our shows every month, and you get to listen to it all right here in your favorite podcast listening app, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Pretty cool, right? 

If you don't subscribe to Smarty Pass, your original free feeds will still be going just as they are now. But if you do choose to subscribe, you'll get an ad free feed for each of our shows and some awesome bonus episodes on top of it. What you're about to hear is a little taste of our first bonus episode for Smarty Pass holders, and it's a creep-tacular story. 

Subscribe now to get your smarty pass at smartypass.org/brainson. That's smartypants.org/brainson. It's just $4 a month or $36 for a whole year. That is three months for free-- an excellent deal Thank you so much for helping us make this show, and now check out this sneak peek. 

SPEAKER: Now entering Brains On! headquarters. 

MOLLY BLOOM: Oh my gosh, hi. Welcome to Brains On! headquarters. We're so glad you're here today. That Smarty Pass you're holding gets you access to all sorts of behind the scenes goodies, including visits to headquarters. Ruby said she had a story she wanted to share with you. I think she's waiting for us in the lab or kitchen. 

It's just a short walk and an elevator ride away. Follow me. So this is where we make Brains On!, Smash, Boom, Best, Forever Ago, Moment of Um. We're cooking up some new stuff, too. We can't wait to tell you all about it. Oh, here comes Gungador. Hey, Gungador. Oh, he has his headphones in. Gungador! 

GUNGADOR: Huh? 

MOLLY BLOOM: Hi! Just taking our friend here to go meet Ruby. 

GUNGADOR: Gungador just came from dance class with Ruby. Gungador show Ruby how to do split kick, side slinky and backwards leapfrog. Gungador exhausted and sweaty. 

MOLLY BLOOM: You sure are. See you later. OK. Through there is the taco farm if you're hungry later, and behind that door is the Tree Hall of Fame. Oh, and that's our saber tooth fact checker. He's awesome. A real stickler for bibliographies, though. Oh, and here is Elevator. 

ELEVATOR: You called? 

MOLLY BLOOM: To the laborkitchen, please, Elevator. 

ELEVATOR: Laborkitchen, coming up. You're new here, so here is a joke I wrote especially for you. What do you call a broken escalator? Stairs. Get it? Tough crowd. Anyway, here's the laborkitchen. 

MOLLY BLOOM: Thanks, Elevator. And here's our pal Ruby Guthrie 

RUBY GUTHRIE: Hi, Molly. And ooh, look at you with that shiny new Smarty Pass. Welcome. 

MOLLY BLOOM: I hear you have a story for us. 

RUBY GUTHRIE: Indeed, I do. It's spooky season around here with Halloween right around the corner, so I thought I would tell you about the teenage girl who invented the genre of science fiction. 

MOLLY BLOOM: Ooh, I can't wait. For the rest of the story, head to smartypass.org/brainson to subscribe now. Whether you choose to subscribe or keep listening in our free feeds, we really, really, really appreciate you listening to our shows and being a part of the Brains On universe. Thank you so much for your support. If you're interested in subscribing, again, it's smartypass.org/brainson. 

[MUSIC PLAYING] 



Did you know we have books? FOUR to be exact! Check out ‘Road Trip Earth’, ‘Earth Friend Forever’, ‘Meet My Micro-Pets’ and ‘It’s Alive’




Check out these Brains On Books

Brains On is back with a picture book about our planetary best friend: Earth! When Earth has a problem it turns to its pals, the humans, for help. This beautifully illustrated story is packed with smarts and humor. Pre-order today!


Pre-order Earth Friend Forever!

As Dominique takes her classmates on a tour through her microbiome, they'll meet some face mites, hang with feet fungi, and visit the fart factory—powered by bacteria in her intestines!


Updates