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PODCAST

Ask Dr. Universe

Washington State University

Join Dr. Universe and her friends at Washington State University as they investigate science questions from kids around the world. Know a kid with a curious science question? Help them submit it at askDrUniverse.wsu.edu for a chance to be featured on a future episode.

kids & family education for kids

All Episodes

4:04

Your Paw-some Question | Why do dogs have pads on...

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2026/02/06

Send us a text Today Cosmo and I learned all about dog paws from our friend, WSU veterinarian Dr. Natasha Hottmann. Learn more about being a veterinarian with Nat Geo KidsFind out how to check your dog's pawsCan dogs communicate? Find out what PBS NewsHour thinksSound effects courtesy Zapsplat and Pixabay As always, submit burning questions at askdruniverse.wsu.edu. Who knows where your questions will take us next.

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4:51

Your Paw-some Question | How do cell phones work?

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2026/01/20

Send us a text Cosmo and I learn how cell phones send texts, images and calls from phone to phone—thanks to our friend, electrical engineer Ben Belzer. Resources you can use: Learn more about binary code with Crash CourseCheck out this binary code character table to make your own messagesGet more info about pixels from NSU Florida librarySound effects courtesy Zapsplat and Pixabay As always, submit burning questions at askdruniverse.wsu.edu. Who knows where your questions will take us ...

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14:41

How Do You Science | Meet an Extension Vegetable...

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2025/11/28

Send us a text Love veggies? Me, too. And so does my friend Tim Waters, regional vegetable specialist at WSU Extension. In this episode, you'll hear: What Extension isWhat it was like for Extension agents back in 1918How he solves problems—from insect ID to veggie pathogens to lightning strikes in fieldsOne cool journey from community college all the way to a PhDResources you can use: Check out WSU Extension yourself (or look up Extension near you)Learn more about WSU research farmsFind out h...

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5:12

Your Paw-some Question | Do turtles live inside their...

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2025/11/13

Send us a text Today Cosmo and I learn about turtles and how they grow their amazing shells —all thanks to my friend, Ryan Wagner, wildlife biologist at Washington State University (and former turtle pedicurist). Art and science go hand and hand. Check out Ryan Wagner's website to see his incredible photos 📸🐢 As always, submit burning questions at askdruniverse.wsu.edu. Who knows where your questions will take us next.

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5:37

Your Paw-some Question | What happens if you get...

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2025/10/20

Send us a text Dooooo-doo, Dooooo-doo. 🦈 Today Cosmo and I learn about sharks and their rad digestive systems—all thanks to my friend, Dr. Nora Hickey, fish veterinarian at Washington State University. Want to learn more about fish? Check out Dr. Hickey's Fishkeep & Chill website 🦈 As always, submit burning questions at askdruniverse.wsu.edu. Who knows where your questions will take us next.

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21:59

How Do You Science | Meet a Wildlife Biologist

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2025/10/06

Send us a text In this episode, I learn all about wildlife biology from my friend, Ryan Wagner. He told me about clipping turtle toenails and bathing froglets—all for science. And he recounted his recent adventure backpacking frogs into a national forest to return them to their former home. If you love amphibians and reptiles or conservation biology, this one's for you. Hear about: stressed out turtles and their toenailschytrid fungus and frogsscientists helping Cascade frogs survive climate ...

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4:40

Your Paw-some Question | Why do we have germs on our...

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2025/09/18

Send us a text Cosmo and I learn about microbes, thanks to Eric Lofrgren, an infectious disease expert at WSU. Resources you can use: hear what microbes arewhere they live in the environmenthow some skin bacteria help us outwhat biofilms are...and check out this bellybutton bacteria scientists studyOh, and wash your paws! =^..^= As always, submit burning questions at askdruniverse.wsu.edu. Who knows where your questions will take us next.

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16:50

How Do You Science | Meet a Pharmacist

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2025/08/21

Send us a text In this episode, I learn all about what it means to be a pharmacist with my friend, Damianne Brand-Eubanks. She's a pharmacist and professor at Washington State University. Hear about: different kinds of pharmacistsrad new ways to receive medications or shots (like patches that feel like a cat's tongue and jet injectors like you see on Star Trek)why reading and writing are amazing for pharmacists, scientists and everybodyResources you can use: Check out this CrashCourse about h...

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5:31

Your Paw-some Question | How are wisdom teeth removed?

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2025/07/31

Send us a text What happens if you need your third molars removed? Cosmo and I find out, after talking to our friend David Carsten. He's a dentist anesthesiologist who studied at Washington State University and now teaches at Oregon Health and Science University. Find out the real tooth here. Resources you can use: Find out what it's like to be a dentist, a dental hygienist or a dental assistant, thanks to Teeth Talk GirlLearn more about early humans' big jaws with Ted-EdGet the official word...

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6:22

Your Paw-some Question | Should I be scared of bugs?

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2025/06/16

Send us a text Can Cosmo and I help a cool kid like you face their fear of bugs? Join us—and our friend Paul Strand, psychologist at Washington State University—as we dig into why things freak us out and how to beat-le those fears. Resources you can use: See some beautiful bugs and relatives with All Bugs Go to KevinLearn about parts of the brain like the prefrontal cortexFeeling anxious about something? Let's make a planTry a relaxation trick like this color sorting appSound effects courtesy...

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23:54

How Do You Science | Meet a Polar Scientist

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2025/05/19

Send us a text Today I'm talking with Von Walden, an atmospheric scientist at Washington State University. Hear about Earth's bubble of gases AKA the atmosphereLearn why clouds can be weird in the polar regionsFind out what an expert thinks about climate change—and how optimistic he is about the futureResources You Can Use Check out AMNH's climate change resourcesWatch these polar bear camsLearn more about the polar regionsFind out more about clouds and make a cloud in a jar As always, s...

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5:33

Your Paw-some Question | Why do we have two intestines?

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2025/05/01

Send us a text What up with the small intestine and the large intestine? Join Cosmo and me—and our friend Franck Carbonero, microbiologist at Washington State University—to break down how we break down food. You'll hear: how the intestines differ in size and functionall about your gut bacteriathe journey food takes through your digestive tractResources you can use: American Museum of Natural History's microbiology resourcesFrontiers for Young Minds' explainer on fermentationNational Geographi...

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5:28

Your Paw-some Question | Why is snot green?

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2025/04/02

Send us a text Purr-haps you'd like a new way to get your claws on science questions sent in by kids like you. That's litter-ally my favorite thing. Today Cosmo and I tackle a question from William, 7, from the United Kingdom: Why is snot green? You'll hear: What mucus isWhat protein makes mucus green sometimesHow immune cells trap irritants and stuff that can make you sickResources you can use: Check out Operation Ouch's Science of SnotLearn about the nursing career As always, submit burning...

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5:29

Your Paw-some Question | Why does snow sparkle?

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2025/03/17

Send us a text Purr-haps you'd like a new way to get your claws on science questions sent in by kids like you. That's litter-ally my favorite thing. Today Cosmo and I tackle a question from Hillary's 1st graders in Washington: What makes snow sparkle? You'll hear: How snowflakes are hexagonal ice crystalsAbout white light and rainbow colorsWhat reflection and refraction meanResources you can use: Check out Von Walden's research near the North Pole and South PoleLearn about atmospheric science...

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22:06

How Do You Science | Meet a Biological Anthropologist...

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2025/03/03

Send us a text Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today I'm talking to WSU biological anthropologist Thomas Siek. Hear about all kinds of anthropologyFind out how Dr. Siek studied bones from the Middle Ages in PolandLearn how clues in bones help solve crimes with forensic anthropologyResources You Can Use Watch this NPR team use forensic anthropology to figure out info about a skeleton from a hi...

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6:46

Your Paw-some Question | Why do bees make honey?

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2025/02/03

Send us a text Purr-haps you'd like a new way to get your claws on science questions sent in by kids like you. That's litter-ally my favorite thing. Today Cosmo and I tackle a question from Gabby, 9, in Kansas: Why do bees make honey? You'll hear: What a bee proboscis is and why bees are so adorably hairyWhy some people call honey "bee barf" and what trophollaxis is How bees make foods like bee bread and honeyResources you can use: Check out these baby beesLearn how to make homes for nat...

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17:57

How Do You Science | Meet an Environmental Archeologist

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2025/01/06

Send us a textWelcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today I'm talking to WSU environmental archeologist John Blong.Hear what environmental archeology isLearn about fossilized poop—AKA coprolites—and what they reveal to scientistsFind out when the first people came to North AmericaResources You Can UseFollow these interactive digs or talk to your grownup about skyping with a scientist from the Archa...

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10:08

Student-Led Podcasts | Exploring the Past Universe...

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2024/11/01

Send us a textWelcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world.Today, the 4th graders at Palouse Prairie Charter School take Dr. Universe and her cougar cub friend Cosmo back in time to the formation of the universe.Join our intrepid science team as they explore the Big BangHear about how the sun worksLearn about the Chicxulub asteroid that wiped out the dinosaursAll sound effects courtesy of Freesound.Explosion Out...

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13:25

Student-Led Podcasts | Exploring Plate Tectonics with...

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2024/10/10

Send us a textWelcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world.Today, the 4th graders at Palouse Prairie Charter School take Dr. Universe and her cougar cub friend Cosmo on an earth science adventure.Join our intrepid science team as they dig for fossilsHear about the supercontinent PangeaLearn about volcanoes and earthquakesAll sound effects courtesy of Freesound.Radio static: eddy15Steps on the sand field: rodrigo...

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25:19

How Do You Science | Meet an Astronomer

Ask Dr. Universe ·

2024/09/03

Send us a textWelcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world. Today I'm talking to WSU astronomer Michael Allen.Learn what an astronomer does and what their day looks likeHear how people who do astronomy as a hobby contribute to the fieldFind out what Dr. Allen thinks about aliensResources You Can UseCheck out Zooniverse to find a research project you can help withFind a robotic telescope to use from MicroOb...

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57 results

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