You asked, we answered! In this mailbag episode, we're tackling three big kid questions: why does the ground keep spinning after you stop? Do magnets work in space? And could a peacock and a platypus ever be BFFs? We get answers from real experts, as well as reading your reviews and comments!

Also, the Joke-ha-thon is coming up on June 3rd! Go here to donate and pick your champion, and also win some amazing, amazing prizes for yourself and your school.

If you want to have your comment or review read on our show, leave one! Write a review on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ or comment on ⁠Spotify⁠. 

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Submit a science question: ⁠https://www.sciencepodcastforkids.com/contact⁠

This is a rebroadcast of one of our favorite episodes from the past!

It’s a scientific controversy of planetary proportions! Is Pluto a planet, or not? You decide, after we present two sides of an epic astronomy argument. Back in 2006, the International Astronomer’s Union voted on a definition of the word “planet” that excluded Pluto and other newly dubbed “dwarf planets” from planethood status. Astronomers - and everybody else - quickly chose sides. We dive deep into the debate and learn that Pluto’s not the only Space Object Formerly Known As A Planet. Then we’ll ask you to weigh in with your opinion, and see if you can find “consensus” on what should be called a planet. Featuring planetary astronomer Kirby Runyon. We have a present for your birthday!! We’ll be doing birthday shoutouts for our Patreon members, beginning next month. Want to hear a message on the podcast just for your special day? Pledge at the $5 level at patreon.com/tumblepodcast. You’ll be helping us make the show, and we also have extra audio goodies for you. Hear more from our interviews with scientists! For this episode, Kirby Runyon expands on the different types of planets, and the fascinating features you can find on each one. There’s more about planets, on our website at sciencepodcastforkids.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to Tumble and tell your friends!

See the new "Eight Planets in the Solar System" video here.

Both ants and bees work hard. So which one works harder? That’s what our listener Hadi wants to know! So we’re pitting insect against insect in a battle of industriousness. Ants or bees: Who will win?! Tune in as we attempt to crown the Hardest Working Insect!

To help, we’ve recruited Dr. Sammy Ramsey, an entomologist, National Geographic Explorer, and host and producer of the Disney+ documentary, “Secrets of the Bees.” In a series of very competitive rounds, Dr. Sammy shares the research to stack up the habits of ants and bees. Plus, Tumble Patreon members weigh in with who THEY think should win!

When you’re done listening, tell us if you agree with the results! Write a review on Apple Podcasts or comment on Spotify. 

Join on Patreon to help us continue to make Tumble and be featured on future episodes, and help us decide on Season 12 topics: patreon.com/tumblepodcast

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Also go donate to our Joke-ha-thon fundraiser by May 27th at 9 am ET to enter a drawing for AMAZING prizes! https://tumble.science/joke2026

A special “tickle attack” Mailbag edition of Tumble! We’re tackling your questions about whether animals can be tickled, and why we laugh when we’re tickled. David Leavens, a professor of psychology, helps us break down the not-so-silly science of tickling. Plus, a brand NEW SONG from Marshall based on a listener request! 

Want to be on a future mailbag episode? With an adult, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a comment on Spotify, or email us at [email protected]! 

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Do trees think? That’s what our listener Alden wants to know. He has an idea that scientists might study mushroom roots to find out if trees are sending messages. Is that true? And if so, what do trees have to say?!We travel deep into the forest with a young soil scientist named Natalia Mondi from the Mother Tree Project, to find out how and why trees communicate through the ecosystem. Along the way, we’ll discover what trees are asking for, how their “forest buds” help them out, and how Natalia is using this knowledge to restore a forest in Canada, guided by the Kwiakah Nation.

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https://tumble.science/JokeContestant

What is dark matter? Why do scientists think it exists? How are they searching for it, and why are they doing it in an underground lab?! Join us on the search for dark matter with Alvaro Chavarria, a physicist running a dark matter detector underneath a mountain in the French Alps. We’ll take you inside the lab to visit the detector, and find out why everything we think we know about dark matter… could be wrong. 

For more, visit our website!

Our question comes from Jeronimo, a Tumble en Español listener! To listen to Tumble en Español, use this link to subscribe wherever you get  your podcasts: https://pod.link/1521514886

Join on Patreon to help us continue to make Tumble: patreon.com/tumblepodcast

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Shhh! This link is TOP SECRET: https://tumble.science/JokeContestant

Who invented the peanut butter and jelly sandwich? And how did it become one of the most famous lunches in America?

In this episode, a question from listener Leila sends us on a trip through history to find out how peanut butter, jelly, and sliced bread came together to make the classic PB&J. Along the way, we learn about the first written recipe for the sandwich in 1901, how peanut butter went from a fancy food to a lunchbox staple, and why sliced bread changed everything.

To help answer Leila’s question, we turned to our buddy Mick Sullivan, host of the history podcast The Past and the Curious. Mick loved the question so much that he made a whole episode about it—and today we’re sharing it with you.

Join on Patreon to help us continue to make Tumble: ⁠patreon.com/tumblepodcast⁠

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Why do humans usually have five fingers on each hand? And what if one day, we could grow a new finger if we lost one?

In this episode, a question from six-year-old listener Ayla sends us on a journey from tiny developing embryos to one of the most amazing animals on Earth: the axolotl. 

We talk with Dr. Jessica Whited, a Harvard-based biologist who studies how axolotls regrow their limbs - and why humans can’t do the same… for now! Along the way, we discover how our hands develop before we’re born, why evolution settled on five fingers, and axolotls might show us the way to regrow our own limbs. 

Plus: why axolotls have to live in separate tanks (hint: they’re a little too snack-happy).

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In this episode, we talk to two scientists who study animal friendships, in different animals, and in different ways. We’ll hear from Karen Bales, who studies titi monkeys (AKA “fuzzy little guys”) and Annaliese Beery, who studies voles (AKA “the cutest rodents”). Get ready to discover how animal friends play and cuddle - and what they can teach us about our own friendships. 

This episode was produced thanks to a generous grant from the Greater Good Science Center. Check out their website for all kinds of awesome quizzes, information, and more!

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How did Earth get created? What did our planet begin as? Why does our world exist? What started our planet? These questions take us back billions of years to learn how Earth formed in the very beginning - and then, we’ll look to a group of mysterious asteroids that might reveal how Earth became the planet it is today. 

With planetary scientist Bill Bottke, we’ll hear the incredible story of Earth’s earliest days in cinematic style. And get ready for a journey to Jupiter, where a NASA mission you probably haven’t heard of is heading, in hopes of revealing mysteries hidden in the Trojan asteroids. What could they reveal about why our planet came to host life? Listen to find out!

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Submit a science question: https://www.sciencepodcastforkids.com/contact