Cloudy with a Chance of Answers

Luna asks: ‘Are straws made out of microplastics so it’s bad?’ We learn what straws are really made of (polypropylene plastic, not microplastics), how they can break down into microplastics over time, and why straws are actually a tiny piece of a much bigger puzzle. Fishing nets, bottles, and bags are way bigger ocean plastic problems — so skipping straws is nice, but the biggest wins come from the bigger pieces.

Luna asks: Is glue made out of hydrogen and oxygen and water? We zoom all the way down to atoms, the tiny Lego blocks of everything, and discover that water is H2O (two hydrogen, one oxygen). But glue is something else entirely. The real star of glue is carbon, the atom with four little arms that builds long sticky chains called polymers. Without carbon, there’d be no glue, no you, no me, no podcast! Featuring a catchy synth-funk song: ‘Sticky Sticky Polymer.’

Luna asks whether mosquitoes can talk to each other. This episode explains how mosquitoes use buzzing and smell to send signals, then turns the answer into a playful electro-buzz song.

Luna asks where Earth’s water came from in the very beginning. We look at heat, volcanoes, rain, and a little help from space.

Luna asks why circles appear in the water when we throw a rock in. The episode explains ripples, waves, and how a splash spreads outward in rings.

Luna asks why hands get wrinkly in water and whether water is made of raisins. A kid-friendly explainer about why skin wrinkles and how the body helps us grip wet things.

Luna asks why kids cannot drink alcohol and why grownups sometimes do. We explain that alcohol changes the brain and body, why growing kids need to stay away from it, and why adults still need to be careful too.

Luna asks a wonderfully weird question about seashells: what are they made of, and why do some smell bad? We explore how mollusks build shells from calcium carbonate and why odors usually come from leftovers, not the shell itself.

Thomas asks how babies get papa’s genetics. We explain sperm, egg, genes, and how babies get a mix from both parents.

Luna asks how hardcover books are made and why the covers feel hard. We explain signatures, text blocks, stiff board, cover paper, and endpapers in a kid-friendly way.