What If the Sun Disappeared?

Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀This week, we’re buzzing around Peterborough’s brand-new bee-friendly bus stops, counting down to humanity’s next trip to the Moon, and finding out why someone just paid a jaw-dropping fortune for a dinosaur! 🐝 Bee Bus Stops: Peterborough is going green, right on top of its bus shelters! The city council has approved a 10-year plan to install 34 “living roof” bus stops covered in plants. Find out how these mini rooftop gardens give bees, butterflies, and other pollinators a place to feed and rest in the middle of a busy city. 🌙 Artemis III Countdown: Get ready for the Moon! NASA’s next big Artemis mission, Artemis III, is targeted for launch in June 2027. Discover what the mission is all about and why it’s such a giant leap for space exploration. 🦕 The $47 Million Dinosaur: Palaeontologist Megan Jacobs joins Dan to dig into the recent sale of a dinosaur skeleton in New York for almost $47 million! Why are fossils selling for such enormous sums, and what does it mean for scientists who want to study them? We find out! 🚗 How Is a Car Built?: Marcos Kauffman answers Saul’s question about how cars are made. Discover how thousands of parts, giant robots, and busy production lines come together to turn sheets of metal into a car ready for the road! 🐼 Dangerous Dan: Meet the Qinling panda! This rare panda from the Qinling Mountains in China is famous for its unusual brown and white fur. But don’t let the cuddly look fool you: with powerful jaws built for crunching through tough bamboo and sharp claws for climbing, this bear is no teddy! 🧠 Brain Box: Science historian Seb Falk from Cambridge University steps into the Brain Box to take us on a journey through the history of science and how people in the past made sense of the world around them. Send us a voicenote on the free Fun Kids App or at funkidslive.com!Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Week’s Big Questions! You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week… 💻 What is technology? 👁️ How do our eyes let us see? 🐍 What is the most dangerous snake in the world? 🌋 Where is the world’s largest volcano? 🤧 Why do we close our eyes when sneezing? 🧊 Why do we get brain freeze?Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are gazing up at the fiery glow of the giant Hunter's Moon, rewinding cosmic history to the dawn of everything, and unraveling the mysteries of time with the Royal Institution! 🌕 The Glowing Hunter’s Moon: October skies are lit up! The famous Hunter's Moon—the first full moon following the harvest—rises early and shines with an eerie, orange tint. Discover the celestial mechanics behind why autumn full moons appear so huge on the horizon and rise right around sunset night after night! 🌌 Simulating the Big Bang: Rewinding billions of years! Astronomers have built a mind-blowing supercomputer simulation recreating the turbulent beginnings of the early universe. Find out how dark matter, cosmic gas, and colossal gravitational pulls forged the very first galaxies out of total darkness. ⏳ Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Sneak Peek: Renowned physicist Professor Jim Al-Khalili joins Dan for an exclusive preview of the legendary Royal Institution Christmas Lectures! This year’s mind-bending mission: cracking the physics of time. Can time speed up or slow down? Is time travel scientifically possible? We find out! 🍃 The Green Leaf Mystery: One curious listener asks a classic plant puzzle: why are leaves green instead of red, blue, or black? We look inside plant cells at microscopic solar panels packed with chlorophyll—the pigment that gobbles up red and blue light while bouncing green right back to your eyes! 🏖️ Superheated Sand to Glass: Russell J. Hand from the University of Sheffield answers Coby’s question: how does everyday glass get made? Discover the fiery industrial furnaces heating silica sand to over 1,700°C until it turns into a glowing, molten liquid ready to cool into crystal-clear glass! 🦆 Dangerous Dan: Meet Obdurodon tharalkooschild! Also known as the "Bite-y Platypus," this extinct giant from prehistoric Australia was no harmless river swimmer. Growing over three feet long and armed with massive, crushing teeth, this predatory beast chewed through tough turtle shells with ease! 🧠 Brain Box: Leading neuroscientist Dr. Adam Zeman steps into the Brain Box to explore how the human brain creates consciousness, why some people visualize crystal-clear pictures in their mind, and the science of mental imagination. Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Week’s Big Questions! You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week… 🌌 Can we send space storms to different galaxies? 🚗 Why do car windows fog up? 🧬 What is skin made of? 🐶 Why do dogs and cats hate each other? 🔬 Why do microscopes and telescopes work differently?Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are peering down into a mysterious 150-foot crater hole on the Moon, meeting the first dinosaur known to feast purely on prehistoric fruit, and learning how high-tech glasses protect our sight! 🌕 The 150-Foot Lunar Pit: Deep space mystery! NASA scientists are investigating one of the weirdest features ever spotted on the lunar surface—a massive, 150-foot-deep pit. Discover how collapsed volcanic lava tubes might offer future astronauts the ultimate underground shelter from radiation and freezing space weather! 🍓 The Fruit-Eating Dinosaur: Move over meat and leaves! Paleontologists may have uncovered the first-ever dinosaur species that survived solely on a diet of ancient fruit. Learn what tooth shapes, fossilized jaw structures, and stomach contents reveal about prehistoric menus. 📉 Wildlife in Decline: Hanna Wauchope joins Dan to break down recent environmental reports on dropping wildlife populations around the globe, exploring what habitats are in danger and how young conservationists can help protect biodiversity. 📱 Invisible Electric Touch: Kitty asks a brilliant tech question: how does a smartphone screen know the exact millisecond your finger taps it? We reveal the invisible electrostatic field running across the glass that your fingertips interrupt every time you swipe! 🧠 Mind's Eye in the Dark: Matt J. Dunn from Cardiff University tackles Liam's deep question: do blind people see an image when they imagine something in their mind? Discover how our brains translate touch, sound, temperature, and spatial memory into thoughts without relying on eyesight. 🐾 Dangerous Dan: Meet the African Civet! Looking like a wild mashup of a raccoon, a cat, and a hyena, this nighttime predator carries a bristling spine crest, powerful bone-crushing jaws, and a terrifying defensive weapon: glands that blast a nauseating, foul-smelling musk strong enough to drive off hungry predators! 🪨 Brain Box: Geologist Dr. Freya George from Bristol University steps into the Brain Box to crack open the mysteries hidden inside ancient rocks, metamorphic formations, and the fiery tectonic forces that build mountains! Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Week’s Big Questions! You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week… 🐱 Why Can Animal Saliva Trigger Allergies? 🌍 Why Don’t We Get Dizzy When Earth Spins? 🐌 Why Does Salt Kill Slugs? 🥶 Why Is Space Cold? 🏀 Why Don’t Balls Bounce on Water? Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are looking into big UK energy updates, watching Halley's comet debris light up the night sky, and blasting off to the moons of Mars on an epic robotic mission! ⛽ The Jackdaw Approval: Energy in the news! The UK Government has given the green light for drilling in the Jackdaw Gas field. Discover how engineers extract natural gas from deep beneath the North Sea seabed and how it powers homes across the country. ☄️ Night Sky Fireworks: The Orionid meteor shower lit up the night sky across the globe! Learn how tiny specks of dust left behind by the famous Halley's Comet slam into Earth's atmosphere at mind-boggling speeds to create glowing shooting stars. 🔴 Mission to the Martian Moons: Daniel Brown from NTU joins Dan to break down Japan’s ambitious MMX mission to Mars. Find out how this robotic spacecraft plans to land on Phobos, scoop up alien space dirt, and fly it all the way back to Earth! ⚛️ Heavy Metal Chemistry: One listener asks an awesome science question: what is the absolute heaviest metal on the periodic table? We look at Osmium and super-heavy lab-made elements like Oganesson! 🍃 Tree-Devouring Pests: Ecologist Helen Roy answers Ari’s question: why do spotted lanternflies eat trees? Discover how these invasive sap-suckers use straw-like mouthparts to drink plant sugars and why scientists are trying to stop them. 🕳️ Dangerous Dan: Meet the Star-Nosed Mole! Living underground in pitch-black tunnels, this bizarre creature sports 22 fleshy, pink tentacles surrounding its snout, allowing it to detect and gobble up prey in less than a quarter of a second! 🧠 Brain Box: World-renowned paleontologist Paul Barrett from the Natural History Museum steps into the Brain Box to explore fossil discoveries, T. Rex relatives, and how prehistoric monsters ruled the planet. Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Week’s Big Questions! You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week… 👃 Why Does Pinching Your Nose Change Your Voice?🐸 Why Do Frogs Croak?🌍 What Happens If You Dig to Earth’s Center?🌧️ How Do Clouds Make Rain?🫁 Why Do We Need Oxygen?☀️ What If the Sun Disappeared?Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are honoring a hero working dog in Scotland, diving down to the world’s oldest shipwreck, and unlocking the secret to living nearly two centuries with a 194-year-old giant tortoise! 🐕 Scotland’s Hero Hound: Award time! A working dog in Scotland has officially been named Animal of the Year. Discover how working dogs use their incredible senses to rescue stranded people, track rare wildlife, and protect rural communities. ⚓ The World’s Oldest Shipwreck: Deep sea discovery! Marine archaeologists off the coast of Turkey have uncovered the world’s oldest known shipwreck, buried under the seafloor for thousands of years. Learn how high-tech submersibles scan ancient artifacts preserved deep underwater. 🐢 The 194-Year-Old Tortoise: Dr. Stephen Clark joins Dan to share staggering news about Jonathan, a giant tortoise living on the island of St. Helena who has reached 194 years old! Discover what cheek-swab DNA tests reveal about his cell-repair superpowers and how his genes might help humans live longer. 🍎 Digestive System Journey: Etta asks a classic body question: what actually happens to food after you take a bite? We track a meal's journey through chewing enzymes, stomach acid cauldrons, and intestinal energy absorbers! 🪨 Where Do Rocks Come From? David Dobson from UCL answers Rocco’s geological question: why does planet Earth have rocks everywhere? Discover how molten magma, cooling crusts, and crushed sediments formed Earth's solid surface billions of years ago. 🐟 Dangerous Dan: Meet Dunkleosteus! Step back into prehistoric oceans to meet an armored, bus-sized fish that didn't even have teeth—instead, it used razor-sharp, self-sharpening bone plates that snapped shut with the force of a modern T. Rex bite! 🧠 Brain Box: Evolutionary biologist Ben Garrod steps into the Brain Box to explore how bones, skeletons, and physical adaptations have transformed animals over millions of years of evolution. Subscribe to Science Quest to explore ancient shipwrecks, meet 194-year-old tortoises, and dodge armored prehistoric sea monsters! 🎙️✨Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Week’s Big Questions! You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week… 💪 How and why do cramps happen?🌳📄 How do trees make paper?🌌 Where Does a Galaxy End and Another Begin?🦇🩸 Why do vampire bats drink blood?🌧️🧪 Why does acid rain happen?Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.