The Swift Quake

This is a re-broadcast of a favorite episode from 2019. We actually won our first AAAS Kavli Award for this episode, along with The Cave of the Underground Astronauts. Check it out! Why do seals have whiskers? Listener Karah’s question dives into the wonderful world of whisker sc ...  Show more

We’re wrapping up 2025 with a final Mailbag episode, featuring some of our longest-running Patrons! Did you know, when you sign up to support Tumble on Patreon, you’ll get a personalized message from Marshall? And if you’ve been supporting us for years, we might just call you up ...  Show more

Philo Farnsworth loved electricity so much he came up with a way to invent television - as a 14 year old! Centuries beforehand Stephen Gray, a British scientist, learned more about electricity than anyone before him - and he used children to show how it worked! 

In disruptive times like these, it can be useful to expand your mind with radical new ideas, especially when they challenge your own assumptions. We need to remember that discomfort can be the first step in genuine learning, but only if we’re open to it. Today’s guest, Malcolm Co ...  Show more

Lonnie Johnson was already a brilliant Air Force engineer working on cutting edge, planet-saving inventions…when a surprise bathroom discovery (we’ve all been there) sparked an idea that changed water fights forever. This nuclear scientist's side hustle—a game-changing water gun ...  Show more

Semiconductors might be tiny, but they do BIG things! In this episode of Sleep Tight Science, we explore what semiconductors are, how they’re made, and why they’re so important in everything from smartphones and laptops to space rockets and self-driving cars. This episode is perf ...  Show more