Lauren Ober is the host of WAMU's The Big Listen. She wanted to know the answer to a relatively simple question - what is wind? With help from UCLA mathematician Marcus Roper, she got an answer plus something unexpected: the fascinating way mushrooms catch a breeze by making it themselves.

What Is Wind?

The podcast where we answer the questions you never knew you had. Produced by Andrew Norton with music by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Science

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An Update & Exciting News!

Brigitta Green from the perennial winter wonderland of Minnesota has a fitting question for us about ice. After a mysterious, late night howling sound caused “mass slight curiosity” on the streets of St. Paul last winter, she wants to know how it is that a frozen body of water can produce such an eery noise. Chris Polashenski, Arctic researcher and expert on all things cold, has our answer.

Why Do Frozen Lakes and Rivers Sound So Creepy?

What's the coolest or weirdest official name for a species of plant or animal? And how do they get those funny sounding Latin names anyway?

What's The Coolest Species Name?

Is a watermelon a vegetable? Biologically it’s logical, but does the answer depend where you live?

Why Distinguish Between Fruits and Vegetables?

Zookeeper Rick asks why why animals see color differently?  Dr. Jay Neitz of the University of Washington Department of Ophthalmology says there is more than one factor that accounts for how animals perceive color. Some plants and animals present vibrant colors we can’t even see and for reasons they don't want us to know.

What Is Wind?

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