Tumble Science Podcast for Kids

Why do humans usually have five fingers on each hand? And what if one day, we could grow a new finger if we lost one?

In this episode, a question from six-year-old listener Ayla sends us on a journey from tiny developing embryos to one of the most amazing animals on Earth: the axolotl. 

We talk with Dr. Jessica Whited, a Harvard-based biologist who studies how axolotls regrow their limbs - and why humans can’t do the same… for now! Along the way, we discover how our hands develop before we’re born, why evolution settled on five fingers, and axolotls might show us the way to regrow our own limbs. 

Plus: why axolotls have to live in separate tanks (hint: they’re a little too snack-happy).

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Submit a science question: https://www.sciencepodcastforkids.com/contact

In this episode, we talk to two scientists who study animal friendships, in different animals, and in different ways. We’ll hear from Karen Bales, who studies titi monkeys (AKA “fuzzy little guys”) and Annaliese Beery, who studies voles (AKA “the cutest rodents”). Get ready to discover how animal friends play and cuddle - and what they can teach us about our own friendships. 

This episode was produced thanks to a generous grant from the Greater Good Science Center. Check out their website for all kinds of awesome quizzes, information, and more!

Join on Patreon to help us continue to make Tumble: patreon.com/tumblepodcast

Shop official Tumble merch: https://tumblepodcast.dashery.com/

Listen to Tumble en Español: https://pod.link/1521514886

Submit a science question: https://www.sciencepodcastforkids.com/contact

How did Earth get created? What did our planet begin as? Why does our world exist? What started our planet? These questions take us back billions of years to learn how Earth formed in the very beginning - and then, we’ll look to a group of mysterious asteroids that might reveal how Earth became the planet it is today. 

With planetary scientist Bill Bottke, we’ll hear the incredible story of Earth’s earliest days in cinematic style. And get ready for a journey to Jupiter, where a NASA mission you probably haven’t heard of is heading, in hopes of revealing mysteries hidden in the Trojan asteroids. What could they reveal about why our planet came to host life? Listen to find out!

Join on Patreon to help us continue to make Tumble: patreon.com/tumblepodcast

Shop official Tumble merch: https://tumblepodcast.dashery.com/

Listen to Tumble en Español: https://pod.link/1521514886

Submit a science question: https://www.sciencepodcastforkids.com/contact

This is a rebroadcast of one of our favorite episodes from season 9!

Do fungi breathe? That’s what listener Alice wants to know - and we’ll find out in our punniest episode yet! We visit the Fungarium - the largest and oldest collection of fungi in the world with curator Lee Davies, who describes himself as a “librarian” of mushrooms. We’ll explore how fungi live and die, and why there’s so many species left to discover. Watch out for the zombie fungi! And beware, Lindsay and Marshall don’t hold back on the “fun guy” puns!

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Go here to get more details about Tumble's appearance at Lincoln Center this February 7th at 11 am! It's totally free to the public!

This is a re-broadcast of a favorite episode from 2019. We actually won our first AAAS Kavli Award for this episode, along with The Cave of the Underground Astronauts. Check it out!

Why do seals have whiskers? Listener Karah’s question dives into the wonderful world of whisker science. Robyn Grant, a self-described “whisker biologist” shares her discoveries of how whiskers work, from training a friendly seal named Moe to making slow-mo movies of super speedy “whisking.” (You will find no cuter field of research… but if you do, tell us about it!) Listen to learn about humans’ hidden whisker muscles and find out to rank whiskers like the pros!

Want to learn more about whisker science? We have more from our interview with Robyn on our Patreon podcast feed! Subscribe for $1/month at patreon.com/tumblepodcast. You can also tune in on the Castbox podcast app by tuning into our Premium Channel.

Find more whiskery educational resources on our blog, at sciencepodcastforkids.com.

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