WFIU: A Moment of Science Podcast

On today's Moment of Science, we'll learn about the Earth's crystalline inner core.

On today's Moment of Science, we'll learn about the Earth's crystalline inner core.

Eating is serious business for caterpillars, and many of them approach it with the gusto you might expect, chewing indiscriminately through the juicy leaves. Some caterpillars, however, have table manners that would make Miss Manners proud. On today's Moment of Science, we'll learn about caterpillar etiquette.

While a group of British doctors were not trying to add some science to the Little Red Riding Hood tale, they did think it might be interesting to find out if older people's ears are actually bigger, or is it just an illusion? Find out on today's Moment of Science.

In most species, the females die once they hit menopause and can no longer reproduce. So why do human females live so long after they're no longer able to have children? Find out on today's Moment of Science.

Why Do We Love Junk Food? Find out on today's Moment of Science.

Beetle droppings are composed of fecal matter and chewed wood shavings. And that mix turns out to be perfect for replenishing soil nutrients lost during forest fires. Learn more on today's Moment of Science.

Why have we evolved such convoluted finger tips? What makes them useful? Find out on today's Moment of Science.

What's up with tennis elbow. How does it occur and what can you do about it? Find out on today's Moment of Science.

What happens to a baked good when you leave it out on the counter overnight? Find out on today's Moment of Science.

Two studies, one in humans and one in rhesus monkeys, suggest that the tones mothers use to address babies are more universal than previously thought. Learn more on today's Moment of Science.

How do you know the sun didn't just explode? The answer? We don't. Not yet, anyway. Find out why on today's Moment of Science.

Scientists have found evidence that subglacial lakes act as a sort of lubricant for ice streams. So the lakes have an effect on sea level, because the more ice that flows into the ocean and melts, the higher the sea level. Learn more on today's Moment of Science.

While evidence of previous life forms does play a central part in our understanding of evolution, it isn't necessary to go on a dig to see it in action - you might just look inside your mouth. Learn more on today's Moment of Science.

Humans have been domesticating plants for over 10,000 years, and for just as long have impacted the ecology of native plants across the globe. Learn more on today's Moment of Science.

You're doing a bit of weekend carpentry, nailing some decorative trim onto your kitchen cabinets perhaps, but every time you pound a nail into a narrow piece of trim, the wood splinters apart. Find out why on today's Moment of Science.

Let's take a look at a mystery writer's favorite, and learn how cyanide kills, on today's Moment of Science.

We'll learn about singing sand dunes, on today's Moment of Science.

According to scientists at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, three-day old extracts from broccoli might protect the skin against damage caused by being in the sun too much. Find out more on this Moment of Science.

How far would people go when told to do something unethical by a perceived authority? Find out on this Moment of Science.

Until very recently, humans tended to reproduce before reaching full adult maturity. And so did the dinosaurs. Find out why on this Moment of Science.

Why is it that, to many, "politician" and "liar" are thought to go hand in hand? Find out on this Moment of Science.

How much do babies actually look like their parents? Could an impartial stranger match a roomful of babies with their moms and dads? Find out on this Moment of Science.

Last time we discussed Dr. Robert Bartholow, the 19th-century physician who demonstrated that the human brain sends signals via electricity by putting wires into his housemaid's brain and causing her limbs to move. Find out more on this Moment of Science.

Back in 1874 a rather disturbing thing happened that had profound implications for our understanding of the human brain. Find out what it wason this Moment of Science.

Most creatures run the other way when they detect a forest fire, but not beetles of the genus Melanophila, sometimes referred to as "fire beetles" or the "fire bug". Find out why on this Moment of Science.

The common Reed, Phragmites australis, is a non-native invasive plant that has taken over hundreds of thousands of acres of wetlands along the East Coast of the US. Find out more on this Moment of Science.

Any well-equipped first-aid cabinet probably includes a bottle of the antiseptic, hydrogen peroxide. Where do the bubbles come from, and do they really help? Find out on this Moment of Science.

Whether you find chirping musical or annoying, cricket chirps aren't intended for us at all, but are the strategy by which male crickets attract female mates. Find out more on this Moment of Science.

Researchers in Grand Teton National Park have found that bears there shy away from roads. So as the park's bear population has grown, Grand Teton moose have gravitated toward human traffic when they want to avoid bears. Find out more on this Moment of Science.