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But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids

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But Why is a show led by kids. They ask the questions and we find the answers. It’s a big interesting world out there. On But Why, we tackle topics large and small, about nature, words, even the end of the world. Know a kid with a question? Record it with a smartphone. Be sure to include your kid's first name, age, and town and send the recording to questions@butwhykids.org!

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  1. Where do pumpkins come from?

    It’s autumn where But Why is based, in the northeastern United States, and we’re all thinking about pumpkins! We eat them in soups, pies, curry and even coffee! And they’re all over the place as part of whimsical seasonal decor, or carved i

  2. Why are there Bigfoot-like creatures all over the world?

    Have you heard of legendary creatures like Bigfoot, Yeti or the Loch Ness Monster? Maybe you’re on the lookout for them. Maybe you’re scared of them. Maybe you don’t believe in them at all! These creatures are sometimes called cryptids–hidd

  3. Why do we get growing pains?

    As kids, you are constantly growing. You may not be able to feel yourself growing day to day, but if you’ve ever had achy legs at the end of a long day and been told, “Those are just growing pains,” it certainly SEEMS like you can feel your

  4. 300th Episode: What’s your favorite?

    This is But Why’s 300th episode! It’s safe to say we’ve answered several thousand questions from kids all over the world. We asked our listeners to tell us about their favorite episodes and today we’re hearing from all of you! We also hear

  5. Why does my voice sound weird when it’s recorded?

    How does our body make our voice? How do voice boxes work? What makes our voices so different? Why are boys' voices often lower than girls' voices? Why does your voice sound different when you are sick? Why does your voice sound weird when

  6. What are fossils?

    What is a fossil? How are they formed? Where are they found? What’s the oldest fossil, and what’s the biggest? When you think of a fossil you might be picturing a full dino skeleton preserved at a museum. But fossils come in many different

  7. Where do constellations come from?

    How are constellations formed? How many stars are there? What are stars made of? Why are there stars in the sky? Why are stars white? Why are some stars red? Why do stars twinkle? Why do we only see the stars at night? Why is the north star

  8. Why does space have so many planets?

    Join us on a tour of our solar system with John O’Meara, chief scientist at the W.M. Keck Observatory (https://keckobservatory.org/) in Hawaii. We’ll answer all of your questions about planets! How were the planets in our solar system made?

  9. Do animals play?

    Have you ever seen your dog play with another dog? Have you seen squirrels chasing each other in the woods? Are they playing or are they doing something else? We look at the behavior of animals with Marco Wendt, Wildlife Ambassador for the

  10. When was the first World Cup?

    Right now, the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup is happening across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico and it’s time to learn a little bit about soccer…or should we say football? That’s one conundrum we’ll be tackling: why is it cal

  11. How are video games made?

    How are video games made? Who invented the concept? Why do games have levels? Who invented them? Why are game consoles so expensive? Why do people like playing these games so much and do they turn your brain to mush? What do you do if you c

  12. What is ADHD?

    What is ADHD? How does ADHD affect the brain? Why do only some people have it? How can we control our brains? An estimated 11 percent of U.S. kids are diagnosed with the neurological condition known as ADHD, so you may have it or have a fri

  13. What are eels?

    What are eels? And why are some eels electric? We head to Poughkeepsie, New York to learn about eels with Chris Bowser, Hudson River estuary educator with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. Plus we learn about electric e

  14. Why does green mean go and red mean stop?

    Why is there traffic? How do traffic lights work? How do they know when to turn red and green? Why does green mean go and red mean stop? Why are cars able to go faster than they are allowed to go with the speed limit? Why do we drive on the

  15. Are Komodo dragons really dragons?

    Can’t get enough of lizards? We’re back with a bonus episode answering more of your lizard questions with Adam Clause of the San Diego Natural History Museum. This week, chameleons, Komodo dragons, iguanas, monitor lizards and tuatara! How

  16. How do lizards grow their tails back?

    Deep in the basement of the San Diego Natural History Museum, there are thousands of jars filled with preserved reptiles and amphibians. In this episode, But Why takes a tour with collections manager Adam Clause to answer your questions abo

  17. But Why turns 10!

    But Why turns ten years old on April 1, 2026! To celebrate this milestone, we’re listening back to our very first episode. We’ve got owls and turtles and bears. Naturalist Mary Holland gets into the details about hibernation–including the q

  18. What's it like to be a Kid Governor?

    In the United States, voters in each state elect a governor every two or four year terms. The governor is the top official in the state government. But did you know five U.S. states also elect a Kid Governor (http://kidgovernor.org/)? It’s

  19. How do we know life is not a dream?

    Some questions are so big they’re existential, meaning that they get right to the heart of human existence. These are also sometimes called philosophical questions, so for this episode we called up a professor of philosophy, Scott Hershovit

  20. How did bird dinosaurs survive the meteor?

    Why did the dinosaurs go extinct? Many of you have learned about the meteorite that scientists say hit the earth 66 million years ago and killed off many dinosaur species. But some dinosaurs survived, and the birds you see flying around tod

  21. Why are brothers and sisters so annoying?

    Why are brothers and sisters so annoying? Why do siblings often look a lot alike? Why do siblings fight? Can your sister be your best friend? Why do we fight with our siblings even if we love them? But Why takes a look at the sibling relati

  22. Do bunnies come out at night?

    Why are rabbits called bunnies? Why do they have fur? Why do bunnies have puffball tails? Why do rabbits have eyes on the sides of their heads? Why do rabbits hop? Our guest is Margo DeMello, professor of anthrozoology at Carroll College in

  23. Why can’t we remember being babies?

    How does memory work? Why can’t we remember things that happened when we were babies? Why do we forget? Why are some people forgetful? Why do elephants have such good memories. What’s this episode about? I forgot! Oh yeah, how does our memo

  24. What’s on your bucket list?

    Have you ever heard of a bucket list? That’s an expression people sometimes use that means something big you want to do or see or accomplish in your lifetime! For our last episode every year, we like to turn things around and WE ask a quest

  25. Why do goats sound like humans? A Cozy Critters Collaboration

    Have you ever heard a fox scream at night and thought it was a human? And why, when goats bleat, do they sometimes sound like human babies? Animals can sometimes make similar noises but not because they’re feeling the same things. It often

  26. How do oysters make their shells?

    On a rainy, windy day, But Why hopped on a ferry and headed to Governors Island in New York City with one thing on our minds - oysters! We met up with Mike McCann of the Billion Oyster Project (https://www.billionoysterproject.org/) to lear

  27. What’s an oboe? How does a flute work? What’s a viola?

    How do musical instruments make their sounds? Why do people play music in the first place? What’s a viola bow made out of? How are musical instruments made? How much do professional musicians practice? Three musicians from the Vermont Symph

  28. How big is a Macy's parade balloon?

    The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is an American tradition. It’s been going since 1924. This year marks the 99th parade (it took three years off during World War II). It’s famous for elaborate floats and huge character balloons that bob ab

  29. Why are there so many colors?

    What’s your favorite color? Where do colors come from?Why do people see colors? Does everyone see colors the same way? How many colors are there in the world? We learn about colors with Kassia St. Clair, the author of a book called The Secr

  30. How is candy made?

    Who invented candy? Why is it so sweet? Why does hard candy melt in your mouth? How are candy corn, gummies and nerds made? What makes pop rocks pop? We talk with traditional candy makers at Sticky (https://stickyusa.com/) in California and

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