Hello From the Van

Ever wonder what's happening inside your body when you get scared? This week we take a  family-friendly approach to the science and function of fear! 

SOURCES: 

Adolphs R. The biology of fear. Curr Biol. 2013 Jan 21;23(2):R79-93. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.11.055. PMID: 23347946; PMCID: PMC3595162.

Albrecht, K., PhD. (2012b, March 22). When we know where they really come from, we can start to control them. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brainsnacks/201203/the-only-5-fears-we-all-share 

fear. (2026). In Merriam-Webster Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fear

Jacobson, Rae., MS (2025, Sept 15). How to Help Kids Manage Fears. Child Mind Institute. 

Kids, P. (n.d.-b). Becoming Brave: Help your child move past fear | Parenting tips & advice. PBS KIDS for Parents. https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/becoming-brave-help-your-child-move-past-fear

LaffGaff. (2025, December 19). Scary Jokes And Puns So Funny It’s Frightening! LaffGaff. https://laffgaff.com/jokes/halloween/scary-jokes-puns

Professional, C. C. M. (2025, December 19). Dopamine. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22581-dopamine

Staff, BrainFoundation. (2025, October 28). Why do we like being scared? American Brain Foundation. 

Well, B. N. M. (2023b, July 12). This is your brain (and body) on fear | The Well. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. https://www.unc.edu/discover/this-is-your-brain-and-body-on-fear/

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Ever wonder where the words Monday, Tuesday, etc come from?? Us too! In this episode we break down the science of etymology, and the history of the English days of the week. 

SOURCES: 

Almaden, S. A. (2026, July 21). Learning the days of the week in Norwegian and their meanings. Beelinguapp Blog. https://beelinguapp.com/blog/%20learning-the-days-of-the-week-in-norwegian-and-their-meanings

Arabic Homeschool - Complete children’s Arabic learning program. (n.d.). Arabic Homeschool. https://www.arabichomeschool.com/post/days-of-the-week-in-the-arabic-language

Berges, D. (2026, October 22). Days of the week in Spanish. Berges Institute Spanish Classes. https://www.bergesinstitutespanish.com/blog/days-of-the-week-in-spanish

Contributors, What's The Origin of the Days of the Week in Your Language, Ask Europe/Reddit. 

French days of the week (with audio pronunciation) - Learn French. (n.d.). https://www.thefrenchexperiment.com/learn-french/days-of-week

Greek Gods & Goddesses | Theoi Greek Mythology. (n.d.). https://www.theoi.com/greek-mythology/greek-gods.html

Japanese Days fo the Week. (Staff of Bussu Ltd.). Busuu. https://www.busuu.com/en/japanese/days-of-the-week

Nnawɔtwe nna (Days of the Week) | The 200 Word Project. (n.d.). © 2026 Boston University. https://www.bu.edu/200word/akan-twi/days/

Schantl, S., MA. (2026, September 30). The surprising origins behind the names of the days of the week. Duolingo Blog. https://blog.duolingo.com/days-of-the-week-names/

Staff, Real Language Expert Magazine . (2026, July 2). The Secret Life of the Days of the Week: a journey through language, myth, and history. Real Language Experience. https://www.reallanguageexperience.com/post/the-secret-life-of-the-days-of-the-week-a-journey-through-language-myth-and-history 

The origins behind English weekday names | EF English Live. (2024, March 6). EF English Live. https://englishlive.ef.com/en/blog/language-lab/origins-behind-english-weekday-names/

Y, A. (2026, March 20). Days of the week in Arabic – pronunciation, meanings, and usage. Language learning with Preply Blog. https://preply.com/en/blog/days-of-the-week-in-arabic/

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It's fall time here in the US and in some regions the leaves are changing to fantastic yellows, golds, and reds. This week we answer the question, "Why do leaves change color?" and explore the growth cycle of trees. 

SOURCES: 

Moore, A. (2024, February 15). How trees survive in winter | College of Natural Resources News. College of Natural Resources News. https://cnr.ncsu.edu/news/2024/02/how-trees-survive-in-winter/ 

The Student Conservation Association. (2021, October 15). Why leaves change color in the fall. https://thesca.org/newsroom/why-leaves-change-color-fall?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=170347181&gbraid=0AAAAADygmdNw-v5GF97Fz70fX4--xhsOg&gclid=CjwKCAjw3NHWBhANEiwAtpwId3y-F3EGu8EuQ7IjH1_s1kEvDs3V-VlkHVsOEpNE-6Scr6pD_nWmPBoC0hEQAvD_BwE

TreeHelp. (n.d.). Leaves. https://www.treehelp.com/pages/leaves?srsltid=AU7gw4VnZEmfTfm8I95KtVdhIcyq1PfcBBme_6RfDUEmDv003GDe0bD8

Why do leaves change color? (n.d.-b). National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/about/k-12-education/understanding-our-planet/why-do-leaves-change-color

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Last week it was dogs and this week, we're talking about cats! You'd think after 10,000 years of domestication we'd know more about them, but so much of their feline world remains a mystery. Find out some of what we know and what we don't know this week on Hello From the Van!

SOURCES: 

Jiang, Peihua; Josue, Jesusa; Li, Xia; Glaser, Dieter; Li, Weihua; Brand, Joseph G.; Margolskee, Robert F.; Reed, Danielle R.; Beauchamp, Gary K. (12 March 2012), "Major taste loss in carnivorous mammals", PNAS, 13 (109): 4956–4961, doi:10.1073/pnas.1118360109, PMC 3324019, PMID 22411809

McGrane, Scott J.; Gibbs, Matthew; Hernangomez de Alvaro, Carlos; Dunlop, Nicola; Winnig, Marcel; Klebansky, Boris; Waller, Daniel (1 January 2023). "Umami taste perception and preferences of the domestic cat (Felis catus), an obligate carnivore". Chemical Senses. 48 bjad026. 

Beadle, Muriel (1979). Cat. Simon and Schuster. pp. 93–96. ISBN 978-0-671-25190-1 

Schelling, Christianne. "Do cats have a sense of taste?". CatHealth.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016 

Vigne, J.-D.; Evin, A.; Cucchi, T.; Dai, L.; Yu, C.; Hu, S.; Soulages, N.; Wang, W.; Sun, Z. (2016). "Earliest 'domestic' cats in China identified as leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)". PLoS One. 11 (1) e0147295. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1147295V. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147295. PMC 4723238. PMID 26799955. 

Wikipedia contributors. (2026g, October 1). Cat. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat

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Have you ever wondered HOW dogs are trained to smell the undetecable or what it takes to be a true service dog?? This week we learn all about how and why dogs smell so well and what it legally takes to be a working dog in the world. 

Sources:

Cpdt, S. G. M. (2025, August 29). What is a diabetic alert dog? Understanding their Life-Saving abilities. American Kennel Club. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/diabetic-alert-dog/

N.D. (2026, June 29) Dogs Leave Antarctica.  National Museum Australia. https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/dogs-leave-antarctica

How dogs use smell to perceive the world | VCA Animal Hospitals. (n.d.). Vca. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/how-dogs-use-smell-to-perceive-the-world 

Kokocińska-Kusiak, A., Woszczyło, M., Zybala, M., Maciocha, J., Barłowska, K., & Dzięcioł, M. (2021). Canine olfaction: physiology, behavior, and possibilities for practical applications. Animals, 11(8), 2463. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082463

Seizure Alert Dogs | Epilepsy Foundation. (n.d.). Epilepsy Foundation. https://epilepsyfoundation.org.au/understanding-epilepsy/epilepsy-and-seizure-management-tools/seizure-alert-dogs/ 

"Using Canines to Detect Spotted Knapweed: Field Surveys & Characterization of Plant Volatiles". Goodwin, Kim Marie. 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.

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Ever wonder what causes a brain freeze? In this episode we go into the science of a brain freeze, different cultural views on icy foods, and the statistics of ice cream. It's a super cooool episode of Hello From the Van! 

Sources: 

Brain freeze. (2025, September 24). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21478-brain-freeze

Golen, T., MD. (2023, June 1). What causes brain freeze? Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/what-causes-brain-freeze

Ice cream consumption melts from 2000 to 2021 | Economic Research Service. (n.d.). https://ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/106814

Minassian, L. (2026, August 9). The country that eats the most ice cream per person (And it’s not even close). Yahoo Life. 

Tuohetibake, R., & Hong, Z. (2026). The logic of hot and cold: cognitive and cultural dynamics of food beliefs in a Uyghur community. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-07038-w

韩晶晶. The Chinese ways of drinking water. China Story. (Selected from 101 Stories for Foreigners to Understand Chinese People by Yi S. Ellis and Bryan D. Ellis, published by China Intercontinental Press in 2012)

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Ever wonder why peppers are painful? In this episode we take a look at the fascinating world of plant evolutions, digestive designs, and the history of the pepper plant. 

Sources: 

Borrell, B. (2013, November 18). What's So Hot About Chili Peppers? Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/whats-so-hot-about-chili-peppers-116907465/

Farr, K. (2019, May 3). The Scoville rating scale. MySpicer | Spices, Herbs, Seasonings. https://www.myspicer.com/scoville-rating-scale/

Hulick, K. (2019, December 3). The cool science of hot peppers. Science News Explores. https://www.snexplores.org/article/cool-science-hot-peppers

Kaiserman, B. (2014, December 5). Hungry for spice: The Story of Hot Sauce in America | Highbrow Magazine. Highbrow Magazine. https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/4481-hungry-spice-story-hot-sauce-america

Wikipedia contributors. (2026e, August 29). Ed Currie. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Currie

Wikipedia contributors. (2026e, September 16). Scoville scale. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale

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Ever wonder why some people have life threatening allergies and others do not? In this episode we take a dive into the world of antigens and antibodies as we explore the world of allergies. 

Sources: 

Allergies. (2026, May 7). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8610-allergies

Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). Allergies explained. Better Health Channel. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/allergies

Johns Hopkins Medicine, Allergies and the Immune System. 

Healthdirect Australia. (2026, July 28). Allergies and hypersensitivities. Healthdirect. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/allergies-and-hypersensitivities

What is a food allergy? (n.d.). FoodAllergy.org. https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/what-food-allergy

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Happy Labor Day to those in the United States and Canada. To those of you outside of North America...Happy May Day when the time comes around! 

This week we talk about the history and cultural significance of Labor Day as well as it's mysterious origins. 

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One of the most important discoveries of the last century has been blood typing and donation. This week we dive into how blood types got their names, why blood typing is important, the history of the man responsible for it all. 

Sources: 

Stanford Blood Center. (2019, September 13). Blood types — Stanford Blood Center. https://stanfordbloodcenter.org/donate-blood/blood-donation-facts/blood-types/

Blood types. (n.d.) American Red Cross. https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/blood-types.html

Blood typing: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (n.d.). https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003345.htm

Wikipedia contributors. (2026d, August 27). ABO blood group system. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABO_blood_group_system

Schreiber BA, Curley R, Gaur A, Rodriguez E, Rogers K, Sinha S (18 July 2017). "ABO blood group system". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 

Kantha SS (September 1995). "The blood revolution initiated by the famous footnote of Karl Landsteiner's 1900 paper" (PDF). The Ceylon Medical Journal. 40 (3): 123–5. PMID 8536328. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 August 2018. 

Rhesus (RH) factor incompatibility in pregnancy | Nemours KidsHealth. (n.d.). https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/rh.html

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