The Truth About Pesticides – With Dr. Changmou Xu

If you’ve been online lately, there’s no escaping the “aura farming” boat kid on many social media platforms! This Indonesian boat racing (Pacu Jalur) tradition has gone viral lately due to this young boy dancing on the front of a narrow boat. He is the “ultimate aura farmer”, captivating people with his smooth moves and impressive balance. How is he able to balance like that on a moving boat? What is the science behind human balance? In this episode, I will take you behind the science of human balance and all of the parts of your body that go into it. Read more about this Indonesian tradition in this news article from BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxe7ey59r0o Video clip source Instagram/@pacujalur.street: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLogRwZyqFG/ Here’s an activity! It is called “Label the Balance System!” (https://spectacularsci.com/2025/07/label-the-balance-system-activity/) Do you have science questions that you want answered on an episode? Head over to https://spectacularsci.com/contact! Head over to https://shop.spectacularsci.com now to get your Spectacular Science merch!

Saturn is known for its iconic rings. But, it may not last long. In the long term, Saturn is set to lose its rings. Why? And how will this happen? Why do astronomers believe they’re slowly disappearing? In this episode, I will take you into the science of Saturn’s rings, the different parts of the system, how they were formed, and how Saturn’s rings might vanish in the future. Here’s an article! It is called “How Did Saturn’s Rings Form?” (https://spectacularsci.com/2022/03/how-did-saturns-rings-form/) Here’s an activity! It is called “Rings of Saturn Model” (https://spectacularsci.com/2025/07/rings-of-saturn-model-activity/) Do you have science questions that you want answered on an episode? Head over to https://spectacularsci.com/contact! Head over to https://shop.spectacularsci.com now to get your Spectacular Science merch!

You’ve probably seen labels on many food products that say “bioengineered food ingredients”. What exactly are these special ingredients and what impact do they have on us and our environment? And what do GMOs have to do with all of this? In this episode, I will take you behind the science of bioengineered foods, GMOs, and the impacts they have on our planet. Here’s an article! It is called “What are GMOs?” (https://spectacularsci.com/2025/06/what-are-gmos/) Here’s an activity! It is called “GMO Fill in the Blanks Worksheet” (https://spectacularsci.com/2025/06/gmo-fill-in-the-blanks-worksheet/) Do you have science questions that you want answered on an episode? Head over to https://spectacularsci.com/contact! Head over to https://shop.spectacularsci.com now to get your Spectacular Science merch!

The search for past life on Mars is still ongoing, but is promising! The volcanoes on Mars could have made way for microbial life in the past. How does this possible and how are scientists studying Mars for clues using rovers and space exploration? In this episode, I take you into the science of past volcanic life on Mars and more about the missions trying to uncover this science right now. Here’s an article! It is called “Did Mars Once Have Water?” (https://spectacularsci.com/2020/12/did-mars-once-have-water/) Here’s an activity! It is called “Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano!” (https://spectacularsci.com/baking-soda-and-vinegar-volcano/) Do you have science questions that you want answered on an episode? Head over to https://spectacularsci.com/contact! Head over to https://shop.spectacularsci.com now to get your Spectacular Science merch!

Ever wondered what’s going on inside your phone’s battery? How is it able to store charge and get recharged over and over again? And why do these batteries degrade over time? In this episode, I’ll take you behind the science of rechargeable batteries, how they work, and the science behind lithium-ion batteries. Here’s an article! It is called “How Batteries Work” (https://spectacularsci.com/2025/04/how-batteries-work-article/) Here’s an activity! It is called “How a Battery Works Worksheet” (https://spectacularsci.com/2025/04/how-a-battery-works-worksheet/) Do you have science questions that you want answered on an episode? Head over to https://spectacularsci.com/contact! Head over to https://shop.spectacularsci.com now to get your Spectacular Science merch!

Microplastics. You’ve probably heard of them because of ocean cleanups and pollution. They are tiny pieces of plastics harmful to many animals. But, it might not just be sea creatures. There might be microplastics in our water supplies. How? In this episode I will take you into the science of microplastics, what they are, and how they are contaminating so many things on Earth. Here’s an article! It is called “Microplastics” (https://spectacularsci.com/2021/05/microplastics/) Here’s an activity! It is called “Clean Up Plastic Poster!” (https://spectacularsci.com/clean-up-plastic-poster/) Do you have science questions that you want answered on an episode? Head over to https://spectacularsci.com/contact! Head over to https://shop.spectacularsci.com now to get your Spectacular Science merch!

Even though we don’t have tails, we still have a tailbone? Does the tailbone even do anything? Why do we still have it even though we have clearly branched away from our ape ancestors? In this episode, I will take you behind the science of vestigial traits, why we have them, and why we still have these features. Here’s an article! It is called “What Are Vestigial Features?” (https://spectacularsci.com/2024/01/what-are-vestigial-features/) Here’s an activity! It is called “Vestigial Souvenir Scavenger Hunt!” (https://spectacularsci.com/2025/03/vestigial-souvenir-scavenger-hunt/) Do you have science questions that you want answered on an episode? Head over to https://spectacularsci.com/contact! Head over to https://shop.spectacularsci.com now to get your Spectacular Science merch!

We have all heard that humans share 50% of their genes to bananas. Is this actually true? And what does this have to do with all of the life on Earth, the human genome, and more? In this episode, I will take you into the science of human genetics and explain this wild statement! Here’s an article! It is called “DNA – Explained” (https://spectacularsci.com/2025/03/dna-explained-article/) Here’s an activity! It is called “DNA Worksheet Activity” (https://spectacularsci.com/2025/03/dna-worksheet-activity/) Do you have science questions that you want answered on an episode? Head over to https://spectacularsci.com/contact! Head over to https://shop.spectacularsci.com now to get your Spectacular Science merch!

Even if you probably did not notice, the Moon is slowly moving away from Earth right now! This movement of the Moon could cause things to change here on Earth as well. Why does this happen? In this episode, I will answer this mind-blowing question and take you into the interesting science of the Moon. Here’s an article! It is called “How Moons Form” (https://spectacularsci.com/2025/03/how-moons-form-article/) Here’s an activity! It is called “How Did The Moon Form?” (https://spectacularsci.com/2024/06/moon-formation-activity/) Do you have science questions that you want answered on an episode? Head over to https://spectacularsci.com/contact! Head over to https://shop.spectacularsci.com now to get your Spectacular Science merch!

Asteroid 2024 YR4 has been in the eyes of scientists lately. This asteroid has a slight chance of hitting Earth in 2032. All of these factors are changing daily and the chance that the asteroid will actually hit is changing rapidly, from 3.1% to less than 1%. Will this actually asteroid hit Earth in 2032 and how big is this asteroid? Why are the numbers changing so much? What can scientists do about this? In this episode, I will explain all of the questions! Visit NASA’s info page about 2024 YR4 here: https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/2024-yr4/ Visit ESA’s info page here: https://blogs.esa.int/rocketscience/2025/02/04/asteroid-2024-yr4-latest-updates/ Here’s an article! It is called “3 Types of Asteroids – Explained” (https://spectacularsci.com/2025/02/3-types-of-asteroids-article/) Here’s an activity! It is called “Asteroid Belt Drawing Activity!” (https://spectacularsci.com/2025/02/asteroid-belt-drawing-activity/) Do you have science questions that you want answered on an episode? Head over to https://spectacularsci.com/contact!