Was there ever nothing in the universe? What is nothing? That’s what listener Aviva wants to know. We turned to particle physicist Dr. Jessica Esquivel to find out! She takes us on a mind-bending journey to ask what existed before the universe began, and how a quantum dance party might have started the Big Bang! This story about subatomic particles, giant magnets, and quantum physics is something that will blow your mind. 

You can find a transcript of the episode and learn more about the particle party in nothing on  the blog at sciencepodcastforkids.com

Send us your science questions, ideas and songs to [email protected]

Support the show by becoming a Patreon member, or making a tax-deductible donation to Tumble Education, a 501c3 organization.

We also have a new merch store! Go get yourself some stuff!

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number # 2415575 - Culturally Situated STEM Podcasts for Kids.

Have you ever wondered what life on Earth would be like without trees? In this episode of Tumble Science Podcast for Kids, we’re exploring that big question with the help of two curious listeners, Rowan and Neesha! 

Join Lindsay and Marshall as they talk to plant ecophysiologist Angelica Patterson to uncover the essential role trees play in our world. From providing oxygen to supporting animals and keeping water clean, trees are a crucial part of life as we know it. But could they disappear? And what happens when trees move? Plus, Angelica shares her unique (and surprising!) method for studying trees—spoiler alert: it involves a shotgun!

Get ready for a wild journey into forests, photosynthesis, and the impact of climate change on trees. Don’t miss this leafy adventure!

Support Tumble on Patreon by visiting patreon.com/tumblepodcast.

OR donate to our new non-profit by visiting bit.ly/donatetumble

What does it take to become an inventor? To find out, we spoke with an inventor named Josh Miele about one of his greatest inventions: tactile maps! Tactile maps use braille technology to help blind people explore their neighborhoods with their fingers first. But how does Josh create brand-new inventions? Tune in to find out how inventors bring new ideas to life, and stick around to find out whether birds like wearing denim.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number # 2148711 - Engaging Blind, Visually Impaired, and Sighted Students in STEM with Storytelling through Podcasts.

If you want to learn more about Josh and all his inventions, go to our blog at sciencepodcastforkids.com, where we've got lots of awesome resources!

If you want to make a recurring $5 donation to Tumble, you can go to bit.ly/donatetumble. Or you can support us at any level you like by going here.

Or support us on Patreon at patreon.com/tumblepodcast

Tumble is brought to you with support from IXL Learning. For a special discount for tumble listeners, go to IXL.com/tumble!

Why do some animals play - and some don’t? That’s what Meredith wants to know. In this special collaboration with Outside/In, we investigate how and why animals - and people! - of all shapes and sizes play. Play scientists Junyi Chu and Jackson Ham help us ask the important questions like: Can you tell an octopus to play? And what can rats teach us about why taking turns is important? It turns out that play is serious science! 

This episode is a collaboration with Outside/In from New Hampshire Public Radio, and co-reported with executive producer Taylor Quimby. Taylor recommends the show for older kids and teens, and suggests these family-friendly episodes for listening together.

The $1,000 balloon

What's living under your porch

You can make kids hike, but you can't make them hikers

Learn more about animal play on the blog on our website, sciencepodcastforkids.com

Support Tumble on Patreon at patreon.com/tumblepodcast. 

Why do capybaras have such big teeth? Adrian had to know! To get to the bottom of this, we spoke to a biologist named Santiago Herrera Alvarez. Capybaras are Internet sensations, and Santiago can't get enough of them! Santiago's questions were even bigger than capybara teeth: how did capybaras, a relative of rodents like mice and rats, get to be so enormous? Tune in for a capybara rodeo, and stick around to find out how one little animal can grow to superstardom.

Want to learn more? Go visit us at sciencepodcastforkids.com for videos, resources, and so much more about the world's biggest rodents! If you want to support Tumble on Patreon, go to patreon.com/tumblepodcast.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number # 2415575 - Culturally Situated STEM Podcasts for Kids.

How does vision work? That’s what Junie wants to know. And is it possible to create vision for people who don’t see? We’ll dive into the mysteries of how we see with Lucas Nadolskis, a scientist who became blind when he was five. Lucas is studying how vision works in the brain to understand if it’s possible to see without using your eyes! Intrigued? Listen in to find out more of the mysteries behind the science of vision!

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number # 2148711 - Engaging Blind, Visually Impaired, and Sighted Students in STEM with Storytelling through Podcasts.

Why are there so many axolotls in fishtanks, and so few in the wild? That’s what Maximiliano wants to know. You may have found axolotls in the lush caves of Minecraft, but in real life, they live in the lakes and canals of Xochimilco, near Mexico City. But the species is slowly disappearing from its native habitat. Axolotl veterinarian Horacio Mena takes us on a journey to Xochimilco to find out what scientists are doing to save these adorable amphibians.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2415575.

Happy New Year! This is a rebroadcast of “Polar Bear Adventure” from Season 8!

Join us on an Arctic adventure as we head out onto the sea ice with a polar bear scientist! Andrew Derocher shares exciting stories of flying in helicopters, getting bit by a polar bear cub, and discovering how polar bears are surviving in a warming world.

Andrew explains what happens when polar bears move into human towns, in the bonus interview episode. It’s available to Patrons who pledge just a dollar or more a month on patreon.com/tumblepodcast.

Teachers! Find a toolkit to share polar bear science with students, on the World Wildlife Fund’s WildClassroom.org. A transcript for this episode and other resources are available on the blog on our website, sciencepodcast.com

Happy holidays! This is a rebroadcast of our chilly Season 7 episode, The Great Seal Count.

How do you count the cutest seals on the planet? With the help from thousands of people around the world! Conservation scientist Leo Salas explains the story behind the first-ever global count of Weddell seals in Antarctica. Plus, you’ll find out what counting seals shares with searching for ancient tombs!

Learn more about Weddell seals in our special bonus episode with Dr. Leo Salas, available to Tumble Patrons who pledge just $1 or more a month - along with an ad-free episode feed! Support us today at patreon.com/tumblepodcast.

We’ll have free resources to learn more about Weddell seals (or the ‘widdle Weddells’) on the blog on our website, sciencepodcastforkids.com.

Do you speak Spanish, or are you a Spanish language learner? Subscribe to Tumble En Español to listen to episodes adapted to Spanish! 

Weddell seal recordings in this episode were obtained under NMFS Permit No. 1032-1917.

This is a rebroadcast of one of our favorite episodes from Season 8!

When did smartness begin? We’ll find out how a neuroscientist blends up brains, and cracks the case of the Tyrannosaurus Rex smarts! Suzana Herculano-Houzel helps us answer listener Penny’s question by explaining how “smartness” might not mean what you think - and how all animals have shown off their intelligence over time.

Listen to our bonus interview with Suzana on our Patreon when you pledge just $1 a month or more! patreon.com/tumblepodcast.

Learn more about Suzana and her work on the evolution of intelligence on the blog on our website, www.sciencepodcastforkids.com.