Quick! Imagine a beaver. Did you picture a furry, water-loving creature with long teeth and a pancake-flat tail? Us, too! A beaver’s thick, wide tail is one of its most iconic features, but why does it have one? We asked naturalist and science communicator Lucy Lapwing to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s really gnawing at you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact – we wood love to help you answer it!

“Junk food” is a term you might have heard before that refers to foods that have a lot of calories but not much nutritional value - like cookies, candy and chips. But why does food that is often referred to as “junk” taste anything like junk, and what’s up with that term anyway? We asked registered dietitian Eva Haldis to help us find the answer. Got a question that makes you snicker? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and – donut worry – we’ll help you out. 

Human babies are born not knowing how to do a whole lot, besides eating, crying and pooping. But frog babies are born with a special power - they can jump really high! So how do they do it? We asked naturalist Lucy Lapwing to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s toad-ally confusing? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll hop to it!

Have you ever wondered why cats make that delightful, soft rumbling sound? Is it because they’re happy? Relaxed? Trying desperately to tell us it’s dinnertime? We asked animal expert Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.    Got a question that’s just purr-fect for Moment of Um? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, because we’re feline pretty paw-sitive that we can help. 

Weather forecasts can be super helpful. They can tell you how to dress for the day, whether to bring an umbrella to the park or if you’ll need extra sunscreen for your beach day! But how on Earth do the people who predict the weather know how to work their magic? We asked meteorologist Alan Sealls to help us find the answer. Got a question blowing around in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help forecast an answer!