Brains On! Science podcast for kids

 We're on a little winter break and we're gonna be back with a new Brains On episode next week. This week we have an episode of our Sister show forever ago to share with you. If you're interested in origin stories or history, this is the show for you. You can subscribe wherever you listen to Brains On. Get ready for an out-of-this-world episode! Joy and co-host Elsa are trapped in a black hole with a baby elephant and a mountain of old junk! They’ll explore the history of a super secret astronaut testing program for women called the “Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees.” This group of bold, highly-trained pilots spent years making a case for why women are just as qualified to become astronauts as men! Want to support Brains On and all of the shows in the Brains On Universe? Sign up for Smarty Pass. You'll get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus content, virtual hangouts, discounts on merch and more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 We're on a little winter break here, but we're gonna be back with a new episode of Brains On January 6th. Until then, we have an episode of our sister podcast, smash Boom. Best to share with you the episode. Features some familiar voices. Me, mark, and Sandon, enjoy the show! Whether you like your wheels big or small, this debate is for you! It’s Monster Trucks vs Hot Wheels. It’s a battle between Brains On besties Marc Sanchez and Sanden Totten. Marc goes full throttle for Team Monster Trucks and Sanden speeds toward victory for Team Hot Wheels. Who will win? Head over to smashboom.org to vote and listen to see who our judge crowns the king of cars. Want to support the show? Join Smarty Pass to listen to ad-free episodes or donate! Click here or a transcript of this episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Brains On crew is hitting the road in 2026, and our first shows have just been announced. If you like fun, games, dancing, optical illusions and... Mystery Sounds, check out Your Brain is Magic. Head to brainson.org/events to get tickets for the following shows: 1/17 Newark, NJ Victoria Theater 1/18 Red Bank, NJ The Vogel 1/23 San Diego, CA The Observitory 1/24 Aneheim, CA House of Blues 2/21 Vancouver, BC Playhouse Theater (JFL Festival) 2/22 Seattle, WA Neptune Theater If you don't see your city listed, we're adding more dates, so keep checking back!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our final look at metal, we explore how metal wires changed the world. Once humans figured out how to send little blasts of electricity through metal, we quickly developed lots of uses for this. One was a new way of communicating called the telegraph. Join Molly and co-host Ava as they team up with Dylan Thuras, co-founder of Atlas Obscura to learn how people laid hundreds of miles of wire in hopes of sending messages across oceans. Plus, the new Brains On Headquarters is having an opening ceremony, and there’s a brand new Mystery Sound to guess! Guest: Dylan Thuras, co-author of The Atlas Obscura Explorer's Guide to Inventing The World. Want to support the show? Join Smarty Pass to listen to ad-free episodes or donate! Click here or a transcript of this episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humans have been fascinated by metal for thousands of years. But it took us a long time to master making things with metal. In this episode we go back in time to learn how Japanese swords were forged, how swings were used to make thin metal wires and why steel cables saved so many lives. Molly and co-host Ava are joined by Dylan Thuras, co-founder of Atlas Obscura for part two of this deep dive on all things metal. Plus, Marc meets some talking boxes and there’s an all new Mystery Sound. Guest: Dylan Thuras, co-author of The Atlas Obscura Explorer's Guide to Inventing the World. Want to support the show? Join Smarty Pass to listen to ad-free episodes or donate! Click here or a transcript of this episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.