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Why do we need bugs?

There are more than a million different species of insects out there, from speedy dragonflies that zip through the air as fast as a car to rainbow-colored beetles living in tropical rainforests. But why does the world need bugs?

Insects can live almost anywhere: backyards, mountaintops, scorching hot deserts, underwater, even on Antarctica! There are more than a million different species out there, from speedy dragonflies that zip through the air as fast as a car to rainbow-colored beetles living in tropical rainforests. Plus, scientists are discovering new ones all the time! But why does the world need bugs? And why do they make us feel a little icky sometimes? In this super buggy episode, Molly and co-host Lorna meet bug scientist Meredith Cenzer and learn more about what we can do to protect our tiny friends.

Why do dogs wag their tails?

Why do we have friends?

Friendship rules! Friends help us work through problems, keep us company and bring joy to our lives. Making friends might have also helped our prehistoric ancestors survive and thrive! 

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

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 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] 



Introducing Smarty Pass!

Brains On has three delightful books! Learn about them here.


Read our books!

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, and we’d love to hear from you! Click here to fill out our very short survey. Thank you!



Educators! We want to hear from you

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


Coronavirus Episodes and Resources

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.


Updates