Episodios

  • Are Animals Ticklish? (Mailbag + New song!)

    Are Animals Ticklish? (Mailbag + New song!)
    Apr 17 2026
    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 tumblepodcast@gmail.com! Join on Patreon to help us continue to make Tumble: patreon.com/tumblepodcast Shop official Tumble merch: https://tumblepodcast.dashery.com/ Listen to Tumble en Español: https://pod.link/1521514886Submit a science question: https://www.sciencepodcastforkids.com/contact
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    21 m
  • Do Trees Think?

    Do Trees Think?
    Apr 3 2026
    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. Join on Patreon to help us continue to make Tumble: patreon.com/tumblepodcast Shop official Tumble merch: https://tumblepodcast.dashery.com/ Listen to Tumble en Español: https://pod.link/1521514886 Submit a science question: https://www.sciencepodcastforkids.com/contact https://tumble.science/JokeContestant
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    23 m
  • What's Dark Matter?

    What's Dark Matter?
    Mar 20 2026
    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 Shop official Tumble merch: https://tumblepodcast.dashery.com/ Submit a science question: https://www.sciencepodcastforkids.com/contact . . . . . Shhh! This link is TOP SECRET: https://tumble.science/JokeContestant
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    25 m
  • Who Invented the Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich? (with The Past and the Curious)

    Who Invented the Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich? (with The Past and the Curious)
    Mar 6 2026
    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 Shop official Tumble merch: ⁠https://tumblepodcast.dashery.com/⁠ Listen to Tumble en Español: ⁠https://pod.link/1521514886⁠ Submit a science question: https://www.sciencepodcastforkids.com/contact
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    38 m
  • Can Axolotls Teach Us to Grow New Hands?

    Can Axolotls Teach Us to Grow New Hands?
    Feb 20 2026
    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). Join on Patreon to help us continue to make Tumble: patreon.com/tumblepodcast Shop official Tumble merch: https://tumblepodcast.dashery.com/ Listen to Tumble en Español: https://pod.link/1521514886 Submit a science question: https://www.sciencepodcastforkids.com/contact
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    23 m
  • Do Animals Have Friends?

    Do Animals Have Friends?
    Feb 6 2026
    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! Join on Patreon to help us continue to make Tumble: patreon.com/tumblepodcast Shop official Tumble merch: https://tumblepodcast.dashery.com/ Listen to Tumble en Español: https://pod.link/1521514886 Submit a science question: https://www.sciencepodcastforkids.com/contact
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    27 m
  • How Did Earth Begin?

    How Did Earth Begin?
    Jan 23 2026
    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! Join on Patreon to help us continue to make Tumble: patreon.com/tumblepodcast Shop official Tumble merch: https://tumblepodcast.dashery.com/ Listen to Tumble en Español: https://pod.link/1521514886 Submit a science question: https://www.sciencepodcastforkids.com/contact
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    24 m
  • The Science of Fungi

    The Science of Fungi
    Jan 9 2026
    This is a rebroadcast of one of our favorite episodes from season 9! Do fungi breathe? That’s what listener Alice wants to know - and we’ll find out in our punniest episode yet! We visit the Fungarium - the largest and oldest collection of fungi in the world with curator Lee Davies, who describes himself as a “librarian” of mushrooms. We’ll explore how fungi live and die, and why there’s so many species left to discover. Watch out for the zombie fungi! And beware, Lindsay and Marshall don’t hold back on the “fun guy” puns! To support Tumble on Patreon, visit patreon.com/tumblepodcast. Our merch store is at tumblepodcast.dashery.com. Go here to get more details about Tumble's appearance at Lincoln Center this February 7th at 11 am! It's totally free to the public!
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    27 m