The Conversation's Curious Kids

When all we have left of dinosaurs is their fossilised bones, how do we know what they looked like on the outside? That’s what nine-year-old Kara from London wanted to know.

She joined our host Eloise to get some answers from paleobiologist Neil Gostling at the University of Southampton in the UK and find out all the ways scientists work out what dinosaurs looked like – from the way they walked, to their muscles and even what colour they were.

A podcast from The Conversation, the independent not-for-profit news organisation that brings you news and analysis straight from academic experts. Full credits available here.

This season is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, a world-leading research-intensive university with a global network of international students and campuses in Malaysia and Delhi.

Are you a curious kid with a question? Pop it in an email, or record it and send us the audio to [email protected].

• Curious Kids: what was the biggest dinosaur that ever lived?
• If an asteroid hit Earth and all the humans died, would the dinosaurs come back? The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast
• Curious Kids: could dinosaurs evolve back into existence?

Nine-year-old Eva was watching an episode of the children’s show Horrible Histories about the stone age recently when a question popped into her head. The cave men were speaking a broken form of English, but Eva thought that didn’t sound right and she wondered: how was the first language formed?

She joined our host Eloise to get some answers from anthropologist April Nowell from the University of Victoria in Canada.

A podcast from The Conversation, the independent not-for-profit news organisation that brings you news and analysis straight from academic experts. Full credits available here.

This season is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, a world-leading research-intensive university with a global network of international students and campuses in Malaysia and Delhi.

Are you a curious kid with a question? Pop it in an email, or record it and send us the audio to [email protected].

• Curious Kids: who was the first person to speak English?
• Curious Kids: how did humans think about things, before they had language to think with?
• Curious Kids: are some languages more difficult than others?

There are currently 118 chemical elements on the periodic table. The last one added was oganesson, which was first created by scientists in 2002.

Seven-year-old Robyn wants to know whether scientists will be able to make any more new elements to add to the periodic table, and how they'll do it! He joined our host Eloise to ask biochemist Mark Lorch from the University of Hull in England.

A podcast from The Conversation, the independent not-for-profit news organisation that brings you news and analysis straight from academic experts. Full credits available here.

This season is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, a world-leading research-intensive university with a global network of international students and campuses in Malaysia and Delhi.

Are you a curious kid with a question? Pop it in an email, or record it and send us the audio to [email protected].

Have you noticed that something you find absolutely delicious might taste disgusting to someone else? Well nine-year-old Leo from Wigan in the UK wanted to know why that is – and why our taste for certain foods changes?

Leo joined our host Eloise to put his question to taste researcher Linda Bartoshuk from George Washington University. If you'd like to join in with the experiment in this episode, make sure you have packet of jelly beans or jelly babies to hand!

A podcast from The Conversation, the independent not-for-profit news organisation that brings you news and analysis straight from academic experts. Full credits available here.

This season is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, a world-leading research-intensive university with a global network of international students and campuses in Malaysia and Delhi.

Are you a curious kid with a question? Pop it in an email, or record it and send us the audio to [email protected].

• Curious Kids: how do tongues taste food?
• Why does orange juice taste bad after you brush your teeth?

itA few years ago, 10-year-old Guy was driving along the Australian coast when he saw whales, spouting water up into the air. He was amazed. “Then my brother farted, and then I wondered if whales fart,” says Guy.

Guy joined our host Eloise to put his question to Vanessa Pirotta, a wildlife scientist at Macquarie University in Australia on this episode.

A podcast from The Conversation, the independent not-for-profit news organisation that brings you news and analysis straight from academic experts. Full credits available here.

This season is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, a world-leading research-intensive university with a global network of international students and campuses in Malaysia and Delhi.

Are you a curious kid with a question? Pop it in an email, or record it and send us the audio to [email protected].

• Curious Kids: why do elephants have tusks?
• Curious Kids: which is smarter – a blue whale or an orca?
• Curious Kids: How did some animals evolve wings to fly?
• Curious kids: do whales fart and sneeze?

Erupting volcanoes spew molten lava, gas and rocks up into the air. But just how high can the lava go and how do eruptions work? That’s what eight-year-old Thomas from Leeds in the UK wanted to know.

Thomas joined our host Eloise to put his question to volcanologist Martin Mangler from the University of Southampton.

If you'd like to join in with the experiment in this episode, you'll need some bicarbonate of soda, some vinegar, honey, a bottle or mug and a straw, to hand.

A podcast from The Conversation, the independent not-for-profit news organisation that brings you news and analysis straight from academic experts. Full credits available here.

This season is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, a world-leading research-intensive university with a global network of international students and campuses in Malaysia and Delhi.

Are you a curious kid with a question? Pop it in an email, or record it and send us the audio to [email protected].

• We’ve discovered how diamonds make their way to the surface and it may tell us where to find them
• What causes volcanoes to erupt?
• Curious Kids: How can we tell when a volcano is going to erupt?

It’s a question big enough to make your head spin! Eight-year-old Ellie from Atlanta, Georgia, wants to know what came before the Big Bang?

Ellie joins our host Eloise to delve into the origins of our universe with astronomer Michael Lam from Rochester Institute of Technology.

If you'd like to join in with the experiment in this episode, make sure you have a balloon and a pen on hand while you listen.

A podcast from The Conversation, the independent not-for-profit news organisation that brings you news and analysis straight from academic experts. Full credits available here.

This season is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, a world-leading research-intensive university with a global network of international students and campuses in Malaysia and Delhi.

Are you a curious kid with a question? Pop it in an email, or record it and send us the audio to [email protected].

• Curious Kids: how likely is it that there are parallel universes and other Earths?
• Curious Kids: how are galaxies formed?
• How could an explosive Big Bang be the birth of our universe?
• What if the Big Bang wasn’t the beginning? Our research suggests it may have taken place inside a black hole

Have you ever stayed in the bath or swimming pool for ages and noticed that your fingers and toes went all wrinkly? Well, 11-year-old Maya from London wanted to know why that happens.

She joins host Eloise to get the answer from biologist Tom Smulders from Newcastle University on the first episode of our second season! There’s an experiment in this episode which you can try out too while you listen. If you want to join in, prepare a bowl of warm water.

A podcast from The Conversation, the independent not-for-profit news organisation that brings you news and analysis straight from academic experts. Full credits available here.

This season is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, a world-leading research-intensive university with a global network of international students and campuses in Malaysia and Delhi.

Are you a curious kid with a question? Pop it in an email, or record it and send us the audio to [email protected].

We've had some fantastic questions sent in by listeners around the world and now we're back with a second season of The Conversation's Curious Kids! And we're beaming at being named Best Kids podcast at the British Podcast Awards 2025 too.

Each episode, a curious kid joins host Eloise to ask a top researcher their burning question, such as: why do your fingers and toes go wrinkly in the bath? Why our taste in food changes as we get older? How high can volcanoes actually send molten lava up into the air?

New episodes from June 9th.

A podcast from The Conversation, the independent not-for-profit news organisationthat brings you news straight from academic experts.

This season is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, a world-leading research-intensive university with a global network of international students and campuses in Malaysia and Delhi.

Are you a curious kid with a question? Pop it in an email, or record it and send us the audio to [email protected].

Seven year old Julia in London thinks that rainbows and the recent Northern Lights are magical. But if a scientist tells her how they work, will she still believe they are? Join us to find out!

Featuring Partha Chowdhury, professor of physics at UMass Lowell in the US.

The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast is published in partnership with FunKids, the UK’s children’s radio station. It’s hosted and produced by Eloise. The executive producer is Gemma Ware.

Email your question to [email protected] or record it and send your question to us directly at funkidslive.com/curious.

And explore more articles from our Curious Kids series on The Conversation.

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