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Tumble wins Anthem Award for social impact
Nurdle Patrol: Special Agent Training Course, our audio course that turns students into citizen scientists investigating plastic pollution, has won Silver in Podcast Limited Series at the 6th Annual Anthem Awards
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Latest Tumble Episodes
Can Dogs Talk? | Tumble Episode
Can dogs talk, or do they just communicate? In this episode, 10-year-old Silas’s question takes us to Amalia Bastos, who studies how animals think and communicate at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Along the way, Amalia explains why scientists spent decades trying to teach animals human language, and how viral videos of dogs pressing word buttons on soundboards brought the old questions back. Then she shows us how she tested those dogs with sticker-covered buttons a
The Science of Nightmares | Tumble Episode
Do we remember our dreams more than our nightmares, and how would a scientist even find out? In this Halloween episode, 9-year-old Lennon’s question takes us to a sleep lab at UMass Amherst, where sleep scientist Rebecca Spencer studies how kids sleep. Along the way, Rebecca shows us the wire-covered caps that let scientists watch brains while people sleep, and explains why your body is paralyzed every night during REM sleep. Is Lennon’s hypothesis right? Listen and find out!
The Hugging Robot | Tumble Episode
What makes a good hug, and how would a scientist even find out? In this episode you'll meet roboticist Alexis Block, who built a robot called HuggieBot to give people hugs when the ones they love are too far away. Along the way, she tested hug after hug in her lab and came up with a list of 11 "ingredients" for a great embrace. Can a robot really give a good hug? Listen and find out! 🎧 Listen to the Episode 🤖 What Kids Will Learn Why an engineer decided to build a robot who
Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life
Why Did T. Rex Have Tiny Arms? | Tumble Episode
Why did T. Rex have such tiny arms? In this episode you'll meet paleontologist Elizabeth Steell, who's stepped into a decades-old dinosaur debate with a stunning new theory involving giant heads, evolutionary trade-offs, and some serious math. Will it convince you? Listen and find out! 🎧 Listen to the Episode 🦖What Kids Will Learn Why T. Rex had such tiny arms — and how evolution can trade off one body part to build up another. How scientists use math to test theories about
The Dino Butt Fossil | Tumble Episode
Ever wondered if dinosaurs sniffed each other’s butts like dogs? In our latest episode, The Dino Butt Fossil , we dig into one of the strangest and funniest fossil discoveries ever made—one that helps scientists understand how dinosaurs communicated, smelled, and even pooped! 🎧 Listen to the Episode 🦕 What Kids Will Learn How scientists studied a rare fossilized dinosaur butt. How comparing it to modern animals helps reveal dinosaur behavior. How scientists use evidence t
How Were Dinosaur Tracks Made? | Tumble Episode
In our latest episode, paleontologist Paul Olsen takes us on a journey of dino discovery! 🦖🔍 Hear the amazing story of why dinosaur trackways are still here and how a curious kid turned into a legendary dino track hunter! 🦕 Also, we have a special announcement about how YOU can become a dino track explorer like Paul! Learn more about Paul and how he learns about the past in our bonus interview extra on Patreon! 🎧 Listen to the Episode National Archives photo by Earl McDon
Animals & Ecosystems
Can Dogs Talk? | Tumble Episode
Can dogs talk, or do they just communicate? In this episode, 10-year-old Silas’s question takes us to Amalia Bastos, who studies how animals think and communicate at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Along the way, Amalia explains why scientists spent decades trying to teach animals human language, and how viral videos of dogs pressing word buttons on soundboards brought the old questions back. Then she shows us how she tested those dogs with sticker-covered buttons a
Who Works Harder: Ants or Bees? | Tumble Episode
Why do ants and bees both work so hard — and which one works harder? That's what listener Hadi wants to know! In this episode, you'll meet Dr. Sammy Ramsey, an entomologist who studies insects from around the world. He's going to be our judge as we pit ants against bees in four rounds to try to crown the Hardest Working Insect! 🎧 Listen to the Episode 🐜🐝 What Kids Will Learn Why scientists study animal behavior by comparing species — and what that reveals about evolution a
Are Animals Ticklish? | Tumble Episode
Can you tickle a dog? A rat? A chimpanzee? Our listeners have been wondering — and it turns out, the science of tickling is way weirder and more fascinating than anyone expected. In this special Mailbag edition, we answer your tickling questions with the help of a real tickle scientist, and Marshall debuts a brand-new song inspired by a listener's spider roommate! 🎶🕷️ 🎧 Listen to the Episode 🤣What Kids Will Learn Whether dogs, rats, and other animals can be tickled — and
Space & the Universe
Why Do Scientists Think Wormholes Might Exist?
If you listened to our last episode, you may have heard Oliver's question: "Do space wormholes exist?" But did you ever wonder where scientists got the idea of space wormholes in the first place? The answer, like a lot of things in Physics, goes all the way back to Albert Einstein. By Possibly Herman Mishkin - Official 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics photograph, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=458521 Einstein is of course one of the most famous scie
What's Dark Matter? | Tumble Episode
Why does most of the universe seem to be made of something we can’t even see? And if dark matter is invisible, how do scientists know it’s there—or find it? In this episode, you’ll meet physicist Alvaro Chavarria, who’s searching for answers deep inside a laboratory hidden under a mountain in the French Alps. Join us as we go underground to explore one of the biggest mysteries in science—and discover why everything we think we know about the universe might still be up for de
How Did Earth Start? | Tumble Episode
How did the Earth begin, and how do scientists know? In this episode, we'll meet Bill Bottke and learn how mysterious, ancient asteroids might hold the secrets to how the solar system began. We'll also hear an incredible story about the very beginnings of our planet--so buckle up for an amazing adventure! 🎧 Listen to the Episode 🌎 What Kids Will Learn How scientists think Earth formed How scientists use space rocks like asteroids and meteorites to uncover clues about Earth'
Gross & Weird Science
Can Axolotls Teach Us to Grow New Fingers? | Tumble Episode
Why do we have five fingers, and not five, six or seven? And if we lose a finger, why can't we grow it back? In this episode you'll meet a scientist named Jessica Whited who's on a mission to learn the answer to those questions. She's studying Axolotls to see if we can learn their secrets to growing limbs after they've been lost. 🎧 Listen to the Episode 🦎What Kids Will Learn Why most humans have five fingers — and how evolution and our common ancestors shaped our hands. How
Are Ghosts Real? | Tumble Episode
Are ghosts real? Or are they just in our heads? That’s what six-year-old Lily from Hawaii wants to know — and she’s not the only one! In this spooky Halloween episode of Tumble , Lindsay and Marshall team up with a real-life ghost historian, Dr. Efram Sera-Shriar, to explore how scientists once tried to prove the existence of spirits. From floating tables to “spirit photography” and even Thomas Edison’s plans for a ghost phone, it’s a chilling journey through the science of
The Dino Butt Fossil | Tumble Episode
Ever wondered if dinosaurs sniffed each other’s butts like dogs? In our latest episode, The Dino Butt Fossil , we dig into one of the strangest and funniest fossil discoveries ever made—one that helps scientists understand how dinosaurs communicated, smelled, and even pooped! 🎧 Listen to the Episode 🦕 What Kids Will Learn How scientists studied a rare fossilized dinosaur butt. How comparing it to modern animals helps reveal dinosaur behavior. How scientists use evidence t
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