Jellyfish are some of the most unique creatures on the planet. They’ve been around longer than the dinosaurs. They don’t have brains, bones or blood. And they’re not even fish! So what are they?

Float along with Molly and cohost Rosie as they learn about the different parts of a jellyfish, hear from a jellyfish superhero, and talk to scientist Dr. Rebecca Helm about how jellyfish have babies. Plus, a tantalizing new Mystery Sound!

This episode was sponsored by:

• Buy a Toyota (BuyAToyota.com - To explore Toyota SUVs.)
• Indeed (Indeed.com/BRAINS - To claim your ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post. Terms and conditions apply.)
• Six Minutes (wondery.com/shows/six-minutes/ - Follow Six Minutes wherever you get your podcasts.)

*****
Do you have your Smarty Pass yet?? Get yours today for just $4/month (or $36/year) and get bonus episodes every month, and ad-free versions of every episode of Brains On, Smash Boom Best, Moment of Um, and Forever Ago. Visit www.smartypass.org to get your Smarty Pass today!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy birthday to us! Brains On is celebrating its tenth birthday and we’re throwing a big party. Molly is putting up decorations, Sanden has made his special Super Salty Party Punch and Gungador is ready to dance his pants off! But why is Marc hiding out in a closet?

Join Molly and co-host Olive as they explore what makes parties so fun – and why they make some of us nervous sometimes. Plus a snazzy new Mystery Sound! 

This episode was sponsored by:

• Buy a Toyota (BuyAToyota.com - To explore Toyota SUVs.)
• Indeed (Indeed.com/BRAINS - To claim your ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post. Terms and conditions apply.)
• Six Minutes (wondery.com/shows/six-minutes/ - Follow Six Minutes wherever you get your podcasts.)

*****
Do you have your Smarty Pass yet?? Get yours today for just $4/month (or $36/year) and get bonus episodes every month, and ad-free versions of every episode of Brains On, Smash Boom Best, Moment of Um, and Forever Ago. Visit www.smartypass.org to get your Smarty Pass today!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey, Smarty Pal, want more Brains On? Check out this sneak peek of Gungador Hosts a Dinner Party! Gungador is having a party at Brains On! HQ, and everyone’s invited! He’s whipping up special dishes for all of his guests: a tater tot hot dish, caramel coated honey gummies, even a cheese board! But he forgot to call Barbara Toddes from the Philadelphia Zoo before he started prepping meals for his animal friends... and some of his assumptions about what animals eat aren’t exactly right. Will Gungador pull off his festive feast AND keep his cool?! Grab your SmartyPass and listen to find out!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Molly, Marc and Sanden are hitting the road to perform the show Your Brain is Magic in Portland on June 17th and Seattle on June 18th. Plus, we'll be in Pasadena on June 25th celebrating our 10th birthday. Tickets for all events are at brainson.org/events - hope to see you there!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chirp chirp, y’all! Ever wondered what birds mean when they’re singing their little birdy hearts out? This week, Molly and cohost Bessie explore the kinds of sounds birds can make, and how those sounds are used. Birdsong researcher Kristin Brunk breaks down some sweet tweet science, and we learn how human noise has affected our feathery friends. Plus, a groovy new Mystery Sound!

This episode was sponsored by:

• Liquid I.V. (LiquidIV.com - Use code BRAINS at checkout to receive 20% off anything you order when you order.)
• Buy A Toyota (BuyAToyota.com - Explore Toyota SUVs.)
• Indeed (Indeed.com/BRAINS - To claim your ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post. Terms and conditions apply.)

Bird sounds in this episode came from Xeno-Canto:

• Emily Brhel, XC760144. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/760144. 
• Manuel Grosselet, XC663795. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/663795. 
• Elias A. Ryberg, XC791170. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/791170.
• Sunny Tseng, XC749764. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/749764. 
• Sunny Tseng, XC753147. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/753147
• Russ Wigh, XC573211. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/573211. 
• Russ Wigh, XC692169. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/692169.

*****
Do you have your Smarty Pass yet?? Get yours today for just $4/month (or $36/year) and get bonus episodes every month, and ad-free versions of every episode of Brains On, Smash Boom Best, Moment of Um, and Forever Ago. Visit www.smartypass.org to get your Smarty Pass today!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humans and every other living thing on Earth are perfectly suited to our wonderful planet. There’s life everywhere, from boiling-hot ocean vents to chilly mountain peaks. But what would life look like in other parts of the galaxy, or beyond? What would happen to our bodies if we lived in space?

In an out-of-this-world episode, Molly and cohost Jaxson moonwalk through the possibilities of life in outer space. They learn what scientists look for when they want to know if a planet or moon could support life. And they explore how science fiction can help actual scientists think about what alien life might look like. Plus, a spiffy new Mystery Sound!  

This episode was sponsored by:

• Liquid I.V. (LiquidIV.com - Use code BRAINS at checkout to receive 20% off anything you order when you order.)
• Buy A Toyota (BuyAToyota.com - Explore Toyota SUVs.)

*****
Do you have your Smarty Pass yet?? Get yours today for just $4/month (or $36/year) and get bonus episodes every month, and ad-free versions of every episode of Brains On, Smash Boom Best, Moment of Um, and Forever Ago. Visit www.smartypass.org to get your Smarty Pass today!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Video games are fun, challenging and sometimes hard to put down. But are they good for you? Or do they rot your brain, like some people say? In this episode, Molly and cohost Colden (along with sassy alien hero Fuzzbutt Picklestar) explore how video games affect your brain, for better or worse. Plus, we look at other technologies that adults used to think were bad for kids, like novels and radio. And an extra mysterious Mystery Sound!

This episode was sponsored by:

• Liquid I.V. (LiquidIV.com - Use code BRAINS at checkout to receive 20% off anything you order when you order.)
• Buy A Toyota (BuyAToyota.com - Explore Toyota SUVs.)

*****
Brains On! is hitting the road to celebrate the show’s 10th birthday! Hosts, Molly Bloom, Marc Sanchez and Sanden Totten will be performing in person to take you on an adventure through our brains. Get your tickets now to see Brains On! live at brainson.org/events

Our Smarty Pass subscribers get a special discount to see our live show! Get your Smarty Pass today for just $4/month (or $36/year) to receive bonus episodes every month, and ad-free versions of every episode of Brains On, Smash Boom Best, Moment of Um, and Forever Ago and special ticket discounts. Visit www.smartypass.org to get your Smarty Pass today!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you love big thoughts, this is the episode for you. We’ll ponder what would happen if a fly flew into the window of a moving bus. Would it have to keep flying forward to avoid crashing into the back window? Or could it just hover inside the bus? Plus we’ll unpack one of the most important ideas in science, the Theory of General Relativity. You’ll learn how creative thinking helped Albert Einstein change the world and get a little creative yourself guessing an all-new Mystery Sound!

This episode was sponsored by:

• Liquid I.V. (LiquidIV.com - Use code BRAINS at checkout to receive 20% off anything you order when you order.)
• Buy A Toyota (BuyAToyota.com - Explore Toyota SUVs.)

*****
Do you have your Smarty Pass yet?? Get yours today for just $4/month (or $36/year) and get bonus episodes every month, and ad-free versions of every episode of Brains On, Smash Boom Best, Moment of Um, and Forever Ago. Visit www.smartypass.org to get your Smarty Pass today!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you have a favorite food that your friend doesn't like at all? Do you look at what your parents are eating and say, "No, thank you!" Well, you’re not alone! Lots of people have different food preferences. But why do some people like certain foods and others don’t? And what’s a supertaster? In this tasty treat of an episode, Molly and cohost Nishka visit a cooking class for kids and talk with food expert Jennifer Anderson from Kids Eat in Color (https://kidseatincolor.com/) to learn how to make it easier to try new foods. Plus a brand-new mystery sound!

This episode was sponsored by:

• Liquid I.V. (LiquidIV.com - Use code BRAINS at checkout to receive 20% off anything you order when you order.)
• Indeed (Indeed.com/BRAINS - Terms and conditions apply. Cost per application pricing not available for everyone.)
• Buy A Toyota (BuyAToyota.com - Explore Toyota SUVs.)

*****
Do you have your Smarty Pass yet?? Get yours today for just $4/month (or $36/year) and get bonus episodes every month, and ad-free versions of every episode of Brains On, Smash Boom Best, Moment of Um, and Forever Ago. Visit www.smartypass.org to get your Smarty Pass today!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reading is your one-way ticket to adventure! You can ride fire-breathing dragons, explore outer space, or even save the world – all within the pages of a book. But have you ever wondered how we learn to read? And why it can sometimes feel hard to do? Molly and co-host Anna talk to American Public Media reporter Emily Hanford, host of the podcast Sold a Story (https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/) about how some teaching techniques make it harder to learn how to read. Plus tips on how to become a rockstar reader and a brand-new Mystery Sound!

Listen to our episode about dyslexia here: https://www.brainson.org/episode/2019/08/20/what-is-dyslexia-and-how-do-our-brains-read

This episode was sponsored by:

• Liquid I.V. (LiquidIV.com - Use code BRAINS at checkout to receive 20% off anything you order when you order.)
• Indeed (Indeed.com/BRAINS - Terms and conditions apply. Cost per application pricing not available for everyone.)
• Buy A Toyota (BuyAToyota.com - Explore Toyota SUVs.)

*****
Do you have your Smarty Pass yet?? Get yours today for just $4/month (or $36/year) and get bonus episodes every month, and ad-free versions of every episode of Brains On, Smash Boom Best, Moment of Um, and Forever Ago. Visit www.smartypass.org to get your Smarty Pass today!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.