Explore every episode of the podcast Fun Kids Science Quest
Dive into the complete episode list for Fun Kids Science Quest. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.
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Title
Pub. Date
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22 Tentacles on Its Face: Secrets of the Star-Nosed Mole 🕳️👾
24 Oct 2026
00:25:52
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.
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?
194 Years Old: The DNA Powers of Jonathan the Giant Tortoise 🐢🧬
17 Oct 2026
00:27:27
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! 🎙️✨
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?
The Gravity Trap: Why No Planet Can Ever Be Square ⏹️🪐
10 Oct 2026
00:24:45
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are celebrating a massive champion crowned in Fat Bear Week, investigating a mystery in Antarctica, and unlocking the secrets of solving crimes with science!
🐻 Fat Bear Week Champion: The votes are in and the chubbiest champion of Alaska's Katmai National Park has officially been crowned! Discover how wild brown bears gobble down thousands of calories a day to bulk up for winter hibernation.
🐧 The Disappearing Colony: Shocking polar news from Antarctica! Scientists have discovered that two-thirds of the Chinstrap penguin population has vanished from a remote island. Learn how shifts in ocean ice and krill populations are affecting penguin colonies in the deep south.
🍂 Autumn Wildlife Hunt:James Benwell from the Wildlife Trust joins Dan to share what amazing creatures, fungi, and natural changes you should keep an eye out for on your autumn walks!
🦎 Chameleon Color Magic: Megan asks a brilliant biology question: how and why do chameleons change their skin colors? We look at microscopic nanocrystals in their skin that shift light angles to send signals and blend into trees!
🪐 Why Planets Are Spheres:Ken Rice from the Royal Observatory answers Romi's cosmic question: why are all planets shaped like round balls instead of cubes or pyramids? Discover how massive gravitational pulls squeeze planets equally from every direction!
🦤 Dangerous Dan: Meet the Hoatzin! Known as the "Stinkbird" of the Amazon, this strange creature carries a funky odor, ferments leaves in its gut like a cow, and its chicks hatch with clawed thumbs on their wings to climb trees!
🧠 Brain Box: Professor of Forensic Science Niamh Nic Daeid steps into the Brain Box to reveal how real-life scientists use physics, chemistry, and biology to solve mysterious crimes!
Forensic Pathology: Solving Crime Secrets! 🔬🕵️
Get your detective gear ready! We step into the world of forensic pathology to see how specialized scientists examine evidence and uncover vital clues to solve mysteries!
Subscribe to Science Quest to track giant fat bears, solve cosmic mysteries, and explore crime-solving science! 🎙️✨
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
🎨 How is paint made? 😴 Why do we rub our eyes when tired? 🥂 Why do some glasses make a funny noise? 🧭 How does a compass work? 🐈 Do cats have the same bones as humans? 💎 How do diamonds form?
And join Professor Hallux at his help desk as he answers the weird and wonderful questions you’ve always wanted to know the answers to! This time we find out why you get fluff in your bellybutton!
Jungle Doctors: How Wild Elephants Use Plants as Herbal Medicine 🐘🌿
03 Oct 2026
00:24:10
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are tracking SpaceX's giant Starship as it splashes down into the Pacific, uncovering ancient Scottish rocks that hold secrets to Mars, and learning how wild elephants act as their own forest doctors!
🚀 Starship's Ocean Splashdown: History made in deep space tech! SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket has completed an epic orbital test flight and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. Discover how engineers control the re-entry of the largest rocket ever built!
🪐 Mars Secrets in Scotland: Why are NASA scientists hiking through the rugged Scottish Highlands? Learn how ancient rock formations in Scotland mimic the geology of Mars, helping rovers hunt for ancient signs of alien life on the Red Planet!
🐘 Elephant Herbal Medicine:Elodie Freymann joins Dan to share a fascinating jungle discovery: elephants use wild plants and bark as natural medicines to heal themselves and stay healthy!
🔊 Stomach Rumbles Unlocked: Ben asks a classic digestive question: why does your tummy make loud growling noises when you get hungry? We look at the muscular wave contractions pushing air and fluid through your empty stomach!
🐟 How Gills Work: Marine biologist Helen Scales answers Henry’s aquatic question: how do gills allow fish to extract oxygen right out of the water? Discover the microscopic blood vessels that let fish breathe underwater!
🐾 Dangerous Dan: Meet the Pacarana! This rare, slow-moving South American rodent might look like a giant oversized guinea pig, but watch out—it sports massive, razor-sharp front teeth built for cracking open rock-hard nuts and defending its territory!
🧠 Brain Box: Anthropologist Jess French steps into the Brain Box to explore the incredible connections between humans, wild animals, and the environments we share across the globe.
Professor Hallux: Oily Fish & Supercharged Brains! 🐟🧠
Jump into the medical lab with Professor Hallux and Nurse Nanobot!
Ever wondered why adults are always telling you to eat oily fish like salmon and mackerel? We dive into the science of Omega-3 fatty acids to see how healthy fish oils boost your heart, supercharge your brain, and keep your joints moving smoothly!
In this episode of Fun Kids Science Quest, Dan explores the surprising uses of aluminium, from sports equipment and spacecraft to electric cars and futuristic technology. Discover why it’s strong, lightweight and endlessly recyclable, take on a recycled space-station challenge, and hear five surprising aluminium facts — including when it was more valuable than gold!
Yellowstone Supervolcano Alert: What Happens If It Erupts? 🌋💥
26 Sep 2026
00:28:57
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are gazing at award-winning cosmic photography, following an autonomous robot sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, and uncovering what would happen if North America's supervolcano finally blew its top!
📸 Stargazing Photo Champions: The Royal Observatory Greenwich has crowned the Astronomy Photographer of the Year! Discover the stunning, high-tech camera tricks used to capture glowing auroras, vibrant nebulae, and deep space galaxies.
⛵ The Robotic Ocean Voyager: Crossing the Atlantic without a single human on board! A high-tech robotic sailboat has completed an epic ocean trek powered entirely by wind and solar energy. Learn how smart AI sensors navigate giant ocean waves and rogue storms.
🌋 Yellowstone Supervolcano Countdown:Ilan Kelman from UCL joins Dan to break down the mind-bending science of supervolcanoes. What would actually happen if the gigantic magma chamber hiding under Yellowstone National Park erupted?
🌍 The Tilted Earth: Mike asks a fantastic planetary question: why does Earth spin on a wonky, tilted axis? We journey back billions of years to a colossal protoplanet collision that knocked Earth sideways and gave us our seasons!
🌊 Waves vs. Tides:Helen Czerski from UCL tackles Beau's ocean question: what causes sea waves and ocean tides, and are they the same thing? Learn how wind whips up surface waves while the Moon’s gravity pulls the entire ocean back and forth!
🐍 Dangerous Dan: Watch out for the Twig Snake! Camouflaged perfectly as a dry wooden stick hanging in the trees, this sneaky African reptile hides keyhole-shaped pupils and a deadly hemotoxic venom that stops blood from clotting!
🧠 Brain Box: Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology James Clark steps into the Brain Box to reveal how the human heart pumps blood every second of your life and how scientists design bionic heart upgrades.
Professor Hallux's Map of Medicine: Hearts & Hospital Consultants 🩺🫀
Jump into the medical lab with Professor Hallux and Nurse Nanobot!
Ever wondered what hospital consultants actually do behind the scenes? We take a tour of the hospital to meet top medical specialists and learn how doctors repair tiny heart conditions like atrial septal defects to keep your ticker running strong!
Subscribe to Science Quest to snap deep space photos, survive supervolcanoes, and master the physics of ocean tides! 🎙️✨
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
🪐 How did Saturn get its rings? 🌻 How do sunflowers follow the Sun? 🏀 Why do balls bounce? 🦈 Why do sharks have so many teeth? 🥇 Why is gold special?
And join Professor Hallux at his help desk as he answers the weird and wonderful questions that you’ve always wanted to know the answers to! This time we find out why sick looks the way it does and why we get sick!
If you've got a science question of your own, send Dan a voice note on the free Fun Kids app, or head to FunKidsLive.com and tell us what you'd love him to explore next!
The Chihuahua Discovery: How Tiny Lap Dogs Carry Wild Coyote DNA 🐕🐺
19 Sep 2026
00:27:00
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are following a pack of wild dogs on a record-shattering trek, rescuing a lost ocean seabird in the middle of England, and unlocking a shocking secret hiding inside the tiny Chihuahua!
🐺 The Epic Wild Dog Trek: Record-breaker alert! A pack of endangered African wild dogs has just completed an astonishing, long-distance journey across vast landscapes. Discover how these super-athletic pack hunters navigate dangerous terrain and stay together against all odds.
🐦 The Lost Seabird's Detour: How did a young seabird bound for South America end up exhausted in landlocked Northamptonshire? Learn how extreme weather winds push migrating birds thousands of miles off course and how wildlife rescuers saved this feathered traveller.
🐕 Chihuahuas Are Part Coyote?! Resident dog expert Jacqueline Boyd joins Dan to break down a mind-blowing canine discovery: Chihuahuas actually share genetic code with wild coyotes! Uncover the ancient history of American dog breeds and how tiny lap dogs carry wild predator DNA.
🦴 Bone-Seeing Beams: Peggy asks a brilliant medical question: how do X-rays see right through our skin to snap pictures of our bones? We look at high-energy light waves that pass straight through soft tissue but get blocked by hard calcium!
🌌 Why Earth's Sky Isn't Dark:Karen Aplin from Bristol University answers Gus' question: why can't we see the pitch-black void of space during the day? Discover how our atmosphere scatters blue sunlight to hide the stars until nightfall.
🦎 Dangerous Dan: Watch out for the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard! Covered in hard, bead-like scales, this rare rainforest monster is one of the very few venomous lizards on Earth, using grooved teeth to pump toxic venom directly into its prey!
🧠 Brain Box: Natural History Museum curator Emma Bernard steps into the Brain Box to take us behind the scenes of world-famous fossil collections and show how ancient specimens reveal the story of life on Earth!
Professor Pulsar: Can Pets Go to Space? 🐶🚀
Blast off with Professor Pulsar's Space Explanation Service!
Ever wondered if your dog or cat could suit up and become an astronaut? We explore the history of space animals, the wild challenges pets would face in zero gravity, and check in on just how many humans have launched beyond Earth!
Welcome toFun Kids Science Quest – Reach for the Sky Special!
Today, we're joined by Samantha Higgins, a Student Outreach Manager at British Airways, and Sigourney Ansah, an aspiring commercial pilot and Aviation Ambassador.
Samantha and Sigourney are passionate about inspiring the next generation to explore careers in aviation. They'll share their journeys into the industry, what it's like to work in aviation, and how they hope to encourage more young people from all backgrounds to reach for the sky.
🦖 Brand new from Fun Kids: Dino Quest, the podcast that builds a dinosaur from scratch, one real piece of science at a time!
Science Quest’s Dan introduces the very first episode, right here in full. Lauren and palaeontologist Cassius start at the very bottom with legs, and ask the big question: how fast could dinosaurs really run, and how can anyone tell when they’ve been gone for millions of years?
🏃 Footprints in Inner Mongolia show a meat eater hitting around 45 kilometres an hour, faster than Usain Bolt at his peak. Professor John Hutchinson from the Royal Veterinary College, who rebuilds dinosaurs inside a computer and makes them run, reveals whether T. rex was really the speed demon from the films (Jurassic Park has some explaining to do). Plus a dinosaur highway of nearly 200 footprints found in an Oxfordshire quarry, a dinosaur named from nothing but its footprints, and your question: could a human ever outrun a dinosaur?
🦴 Then Lauren and Cassius make the first big decision for their very own dinosaur: two legs or four? Listen to find out, then follow along every week as their creature grows, piece by piece.
🎧 Loved it? More episodes of Dino Quest are out now. Subscribe for free in your favourite podcast app: podfollow.com/age-of-the-dinosaurs
Gorilla Sound Cannons: Why Silverbacks Thump Their Chests 🦍🥁
12 Sep 2026
00:28:57
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are tracking a tiny moth's epic journey across the North Sea, soaring through space toward the hottest planet in our solar system, and stomping back in time to the age of the ultimate apex predator!
🦋 The North Sea Marathon: History in the making! A tiny moth blown hundreds of miles across the North Sea from mainland Europe has become the first ever confirmed sighting of its species in Scotland. Discover how tiny insects survive gale-force winds on massive ocean crossings.
🪐 Mercury Orbit Finale: After an epic eight-year deep space journey, a high-tech spacecraft is entering its final stage before reaching Mercury! Learn how space probes handle the extreme heat and massive gravitational pull of the closest planet to the Sun.
👃 The Science of Smell:Will Tullett from the University of York joins Dan to uncover the invisible world of scents! Find out how our noses process millions of smell molecules and why understanding scents changes how we experience the world around us.
⚡ Shocking Skies: Max asks a high-voltage weather question: how are lightning bolts and thunderclaps actually formed in the sky? We break down how electric charges build up inside storm clouds until a massive spark tears through the air!
🦍 Gorilla Thumps:Imogen Callender from Bristol Zoo answers Freddie's question: why do silverback gorillas beat their chests? Discover how acoustic air sacs magnify sound waves to send loud signals across dense rainforests without needing to fight.
🦊 Dangerous Dan: Meet the Maned Wolf! Standing on super-long, stilts-like legs, this South American predator looks like a giant red fox, but when threatened, its thick black mane puffs up to make it look twice its size while it sprays a skunk-like warning scent!
🧠 Brain Box: World-renowned paleobiologist Steve Brusatte steps into the Brain Box to take us back millions of years to unravel how prehistoric beasts lived, hunted, and ruled the ancient world!
Cretaceous Period: Rule of the Tyrannosaurus Rex 🦖👑
Travel back in time to the Cretaceous Period—an era when Earth was teeming with more dinosaur species than ever before!
Uncover the incredible biology of the undisputed king of dinosaurs: the Tyrannosaurus Rex! From its bone-crushing jaw strength capable of snapping prey in half to its acute sense of smell, learn what made T. Rex the ultimate prehistoric hunter.
Subscribe to Science Quest to track rare insects, travel to Mercury, and hear the thunderous chest-beats of gorillas! 🎙️✨
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
📡 How does a microwave work? 🎈 Why does helium make your voice higher? 🤕 Why do we get headaches? 🩸 Why does our blood need oxygen? 🔩 Why does metal rust?
And join Professor Hallux at his help desk as he answers the weird and wonderful questions that you’ve always wanted to know the answers to! This time we find out just why boys and girls are different!
If you've got a science question of your own, send Dan a voice note on the free Fun Kids app, or head to FunKidsLive.com and tell us what you'd love him to explore next!
Faster Than Humans: The Bionic Sprinting Robots Breaking World Records 🤖👟
05 Sep 2026
00:24:04
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are tracking secret nesting sites of the UK’s rarest bird, following a rescued turtle's journey across the Atlantic, and finding out why humanoid robots are now sprinting faster than Olympic champions!
🦅 The Secret Nesting Osprey: Major conservation news! The UK’s rarest bird of prey has successfully nested in a super-secret location. Discover how wildlife experts are protecting this magnificent apex hunter and helping its chicks survive in the wild.
🐢 Ocean Odyssey: A rescued sea turtle found stranded off the island of Jersey has taken a massive flight to the sun-soaked Azores! Find out how marine biologists prepped this oceanic traveler for its release back into warm Atlantic waters.
🤖 Faster Than Usain Bolt:Ross Walker from the University of Stirling joins Dan to break down how advanced bionic legs and AI balance systems allow modern robots to outrun elite human athletes on the track!
🌿 The Plant Injection: Thomas asks a classic garden question: why do stinging nettles sting so badly? We zoom in on the microscopic glass needles covering nettle leaves that inject acid directly under your skin!
⚛️ The Touch Illusion:Philip Moriarty from Nottingham University tackles Jasper’s mind-bending physics question: do atoms ever actually touch each other? Discover the invisible electron force fields preventing you from ever truly touching anything!
🐭 Dangerous Dan: Meet the Naked Mole Rat! Don't let its funny wrinkle-skinned appearance fool you—this subterranean creature feels zero pain from acid, never gets cancer, lives in massive underground hives ruled by a queen, and sports terrifying front teeth that can dig through solid concrete!
🧠 Brain Box: Sleep expert Caroline Horton steps into the Brain Box to explore what happens inside our brains while we sleep, revealing how dreaming cleans out cognitive clutter and locks in daily memories.
Techno Mum: Recharging Batteries vs. Human Sleep! 🔋💤
My mum says sleeping recharges our batteries—so is plugging in a tablet the exact same thing?
Techno Mum jumps in to explain the difference! While a phone can still play music while plugged in, human sleep is a total system reset where our brains store energy, repair muscles, and process memories!
Subscribe to Science Quest to track secret birds, race super-fast robots, and unlock the quantum physics of touching atoms! 🎙️✨
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
🌳 How deep do tree roots go? 🦷 How do braces work? 😮💨 Why do we wheeze? 🥶 Why do we shiver? 🏊♂️ Why do we put chlorine in pools?
And join Professor Hallux at his help desk as he answers the weird and wonderful questions you’ve always wanted to know the answers to! This time we find out all about pharmacists!
The Secret of Husky Eyes: Why Huskies Have Two Different Colours 🐺👁️
29 Aug 2026
00:22:54
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are tracking a historic feline swim across a Scottish loch, uncovering prehistoric survivors hiding in Welsh forests, and stepping into the mind-bending world of thinking robots!
🐾 The Swimming Wildcat: World first alert! A rare Scottish wildcat has been filmed swimming across water in the wild for the very first time. Discover why these elusive native predators usually avoid getting wet and what this incredible footage reveals about highland wildlife.
🦐 Prehistoric Welsh Shrimps: Ancient secrets in the woods! Scientists have discovered a brand-new species of prehistoric shrimp living in a forest in Wales. Learn how these tiny armored survivors managed to stay hidden for thousands of years.
🌡️ Wildlife Heatwave Battle:Dr. Glyn Barrett from the University of Reading joins Dan to break down how intense summer heatwaves affect British animals, from dried-up streams to changing food sources.
🍂 Autumn Color Secrets: Monty asks a brilliant seasonal question: why do green leaves transform into bright reds, oranges, and yellows throughout the year? We break down how trees shut down their chlorophyll factories to prepare for winter!
🐺 Double-Colored Husky Eyes:David Williams from Cambridge University answers Kalyan's question: why do Siberian Huskies often have two completely different colored eyes? Discover the genetics behind heterochromia and how pigment creates striking ice-blue and brown eyes.
🐻 Dangerous Dan: Meet the Sloth Bear! Don't let its slow name fool you—this shaggy, razor-clawed Indian bear is notoriously aggressive, carries massive blunt claws built for ripping open termite mounds, and can charge faster than a sprinting human!
🤖 Brain Box: Step into the world of cognitive robotics with Tony Prescott! Discover how scientists build robots that can perceive, learn, and think like living brains.
Techno Mum: Bionic Humans! 🦾⚙️
Strap in as Techno Mum takes us on a high-tech medical journey inside the human body!
Discover the incredible machines and tiny tech implants that doctors place inside people to make their bodies work better—from bionic pacemakers that keep hearts beating in rhythm to microscopic devices that restore hearing and mobility!
Subscribe to Science Quest to spot swimming wildcats, decode husky eyes, and meet brainy robots! 🎙️✨
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
🌙 Why is the Moon white? 🐦 Why don’t all birds fly? 👵🏻 Why do elderly people have white hair? 🦖 What was the deadliest animal from the past? 🔊 What is an echo?
And join Professor Hallux at his help desk as he answers the weird and wonderful questions you’ve always wanted to know the answers to! This time we find out all about physiotherapy!
Who Names the Solar System? The Secret Science of Naming Planets 🔭🌌
22 Aug 2026
00:28:56
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are riding out a giant Category 1 hurricane in Hawaii, hunting for a brand-new glowing species of sea slug off the English coast, and taking a giant leap into deep space with a epic 6.5-hour spacewalk!
🌀 Hawaiian Hurricane Rampage: Category 1 Hurricane alert! Hawaii has been hit with over a meter of rainfall as a massive storm swept across the islands. Discover how meteorologists track hurricane paths and how island ecosystems handle extreme deluge!
🐌 The Mystery Rainbow Slug: A vibrant, brightly colored sea slug spotted off the coast of England might actually be a brand-new species! Learn how marine biologists identify mysterious ocean creatures and why soft-bodied sea slugs pack incredible chemical defenses.
👨🚀 The 6.5-Hour Spacewalk:Karl P.J. Hobbes, author of The Adventures of Space and Time, joins Dan to break down the thrilling 6.5-hour spacewalk undertaken by astronauts outside the International Space Station. Step outside the airlock to see how space suits keep humans alive in the freezing vacuum of space!
🍕 The Science of Hunger: Tara asks a delicious question: why does food taste so much better when you're completely starving? We break down how your brain unleashes chemical reward signals when your belly runs low on fuel.
🪐 Naming New Worlds:Robert Walsh from the University of Lancashire answers Jonah's question: how do planets get their official names? Journey through mythology, international astronomical rules, and alien exoplanet catalog numbers!
🐍 Dangerous Dan: Meet the Tiger Keelback Snake! This East Asian reptile is one of the rarest creatures on Earth because it is both venomous AND poisonous! It bites with venomous back fangs AND absorbs deadly toxins from the toads it eats, storing the poison in its neck glands to spray at predators!
🧠 Brain Box: Entomologist Francis Ratnieks steps into the Brain Box to explore the incredible social structure of bees and wasps, revealing how millions of tiny insects communicate and run super-organized colonies!
Subscribe to Science Quest to walk in space, name distant planets, and uncover the double-threat secrets of venomous-poisonous snakes! 🎙️✨
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
🚀 How are rockets safe?
🦴 Do humans have the same sized skeleton?
🧼 How does soap clean hands?
⚛️ How do we know what's inside an atom?
🦠 How does your body fight viruses?
And join Professor Hallux at his help desk as he answers the weird and wonderful questions you’ve always wanted to know the answers to! This time we find out all about earwax!
40,000 Calories a Day: Inside the Massive Pre-Hibernation Grizzly Bear Bulk 🐻💤
15 Aug 2026
00:28:57
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are following a rare turtle's epic transatlantic flight back home, checking out a record-smashing hydrogen supercar, and solving a ancient mystery about how a six-tonne boulder hitched a ride on a giant glacier!
🐢 The Transatlantic Turtle Flight: A rare, lost turtle found washed up on a cold Welsh beach has just been flown thousands of miles back home to the warm waters of Mexico! Discover how marine rescue teams nursed this oceanic traveler back to health and prepped it for its high-flying journey.
⚡ Record-Breaking Hydrogen Power: Speed alert! A British driver has just shattered a land speed record driving a high-tech vehicle powered entirely by hydrogen fuel! Find out how zero-emission hydrogen gas can generate mind-blowing speed without producing a single drop of pollution.
🗿 The Glacier Highway:Remy Veness from Sheffield Hallam University joins Dan to unpack a wild new theory about Stonehenge. How did a massive six-tonne stone travel hundreds of miles from Scotland all the way to southern England thousands of years ago? It might not have been dragged by humans—it might have hitched a ride on a creeping prehistoric glacier!
👀 Eyeball Mechanics: Jake asks an awesome biology question: how do our eyes actually move around in our sockets? We look at the microscopic muscle pulleys working behind the scenes to let you blink, look, and track moving objects instantly.
🐻 Grizzly Bear Fat Checks:Nat Kent from Bristol Zoo answers Max's brilliant animal question: just how fat can a Grizzly Bear get before it hunkers down for winter hibernation? (Hint: It involves eating tens of thousands of calories a day!)
🐍 Dangerous Dan: Watch your step for the Stiletto Snake! This sneaky burrowing reptile has side-facing, fangs that stick out sideways even when its mouth is closed! That means you can't even hold it safely behind its head without taking a venomous bite.
🧠 Brain Box: World-renowned astrophysicist Chris Lintott steps into the Brain Box to take us on a tour of distant star clusters, galaxy collisions, and how citizen scientists can help discover brand-new planets right from home!
Strap on your hiking boots and trek out into the wild with our A to Z of Wildlife!
This week, we are dropping in on the mighty Grizzly Bear to discover how these magnificent apex predators rule the wilderness. From their razor-sharp claws used for catching leaping salmon to their super-insulated fur coats that keep them cozy through freezing mountain winters, learn all about what makes the grizzly an absolute legend of the woods!
Subscribe to Science Quest to track flying turtles, decode Stonehenge secrets, and dodge side-fanged venomous snakes! 🎙️✨
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
🐍 Why do some snake bites harm humans? 👨🦲 Why do men go bald? 🦖 Why are some dinosaurs meat eaters? 🌙 Why does the Moon go around the Earth? 🐄💨 Can animals burp? 🥇 Why is gold valuable?
And join Professor Hallux at his help desk as he answers the weird and wonderful questions you’ve always wanted to know the answers to! This time we find out why our bruises go different colours as they heal!
Grinding Plates and Shockwaves: How Earthquakes Shatter the Earth's Crust💥🪨
08 Aug 2026
00:27:07
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are gearing up for a celestial spectale over the UK, witnessing the raw power of an erupting super-volcano, and diving deep underwater to see how ocean creatures cope when the sea starts to boil!
☀️ The UK Solar Eclipse: Circle your calendars for August 12th! A dramatic solar eclipse is set to cross the skies. Discover what causes the moon to block out the sun, how to safely watch the cosmic shadow, and where to get the best view in the UK.
🌋 Volcanic Fury in Guatemala: Central America's fierce Fuego volcano has erupted again! Find out how scientists track rivers of scorching lava, ash plumes, and pyroclastic flows to keep local communities safe from dangerous eruptions.
🌊 Boiling Oceans:John Pinnegar from CEFAS joins Dan to unpack how recent heatwaves are dramatically impacting our seas. Learn how rising water temperatures affect marine ecosystems, coral reefs, and native fish species.
💥 Shockwave Science:Tim Craig from Leeds University answers Austin's big question: how are earthquakes actually made? Journey deep into the Earth's crust to discover how grinding tectonic plates build up massive pressure until the ground snaps!
🐀 Dangerous Dan: Look out for the Solenodon! This rare, prehistoric-looking Caribbean mammal may look like a cute shrew, but it packs a terrifying secret: it is one of the only mammals on Earth that injects venom directly through special grooves in its teeth!
🧠 Brain Box: Conservationist Adam Hart steps into the Brain Box to explore how biodiversity protects our ecosystems and why preserving even the tiny creepy-crawlies helps save the whole planet.
Geology Rocks: Decoding Geological Time ⏳🪨
Hop into the time machine with Finley as we travel back millions of years to crack the secrets of the Earth's ancient past!
Learn how geologists act as deep-time detectives, using rock layers and fossils to calculate the age of ancient artifacts. Discover why scientists divide Earth’s history into massive chapters like Eras, Periods, and Epochs to map out the story of our planet!
Subscribe to Science Quest to track solar eclipses, dodge erupting volcanoes, and uncover the venomous secrets of the animal kingdom! 🎙️✨
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
🪽🐦 How do wings and feathers help birds fly? ☢️⚡ How does nuclear power work? 💦😅 How does sweat cool your body down? 🧊💧 Why does water turn into ice? 🏔️🥶 Why does it get colder the higher we go? 🐍🎨 Why are some venomous animals brightly coloured? 🦷 What are teeth made of?
And Professor Hallux gives us the low down on Psoriasis.
The Loudest Breakfast Ever: Cooking Eggs With Pure Sound Waves 🔊🥚
31 Jul 2026
00:25:09
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are gazing up at a dazzling supermoon in the night sky, uncovering a 40-year-old secret hidden in a museum drawer, and finding out why four-legged farm animals are turning into conservation heroes!
🌕 The Glowing Buck Moon: Night sky alert! The famous Buck Moon has been lighting up the UK. Discover what makes this particular full moon so bright, why it gets its antlers-inspired name, and how to spot lunar marvels from your back garden.
🧊 The Forgotten Antarctic Dino: A fossil left sitting forgotten in a drawer for 40 years has just been identified as the first dinosaur bone ever discovered in Antarctica! Find out how this historic piece of ancient bone reshaped everything we know about frozen polar prehistory.
🐄 Cows to the Rescue:Dot Williams from Butterfly Conservation joins Dan to reveal an incredible team-up: how hungry cows are being used as secret weapons to protect one of Britain’s rarest, most endangered butterflies!
📱 Touch Screen Tech: Kitty sends in a handy tech question: how do glass touch screens actually know where your finger is tapping? We break down the invisible electrical fields hiding right under your smartphone display.
👁️ How We See the World:Emily Charlesworth from Huddersfield University tackles Octavia's vision question: how do our eyes capture light and team up with our brains to turn it into full-color, moving pictures?
🐵 Dangerous Dan: Watch out for the Mandrill Monkey! With its brightly colored face, intense glare, and massive, razor-sharp canine teeth longer than a lion's, this giant rainforest primate is not one to mess with when it defends its troop.
🧠 Brain Box: Professor of Natural Materials Chris Holland steps into the Brain Box to explore how nature manufactures super-strong materials—from spider silk to natural polymers—and how scientists copy them!
Looking After Eyes: The Ultimate Vision Check-Up 🕶️🔬
Keep your eyes on the prize with Professor Hallux and Nurse Nanobot! This week, the duo pays a special visit to Sally Specs to discover how our eyes work and why taking care of our sight is so important.
From how lenses bend light to why wearing protective glasses keeps our vision sharp, learn the science behind keeping your eyes safe and healthy!
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
🦘 Why are baby kangaroos born with a pouch? 🌍 Why does Earth spin on an axis? 🐻💤 Why do mammals hibernate? 🦟 Why do mosquito bites itch? 🐛🍃 Why do caterpillars eat leaves and flowers?
And join Deep Space High’s Professor Pulsar as he guides us through the exciting things you can see in this month’s night sky! This August, see how many planets you can spot up there amongst the stars!
Ants vs Krill: The Showdown for the Biggest Animal Population on Earth 🦐🐜
25 Jul 2026
00:24:16
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are rewinding the clock to discover why ancient humans started kissing, looking into why UK bumblebees are struggling with rising heatwaves, and cracking open the secret intellect of super-smart insects!
💋 Ancient Hugs & Kisses: Scientists think that hugging and kissing might have started thousands of years ago as a super-clever way for ancient humans to build trust before facing a dangerous or stressful event. Discover how physical affection actually calms our brains!
🐝 Bumblebee Heatwave Warning: The UK’s bumblebee population could be facing a major decline as summers get hotter. Learn why extreme heatwaves make it tough for our fuzzy pollinators to survive and what we can do to help them keep cool.
🧠 Puzzle-Solving Bees:Alice Bridges from the University of Sheffield joins Dan to break down her amazing research. It turns out bees aren't just hard workers—they are absolute puzzle-solving geniuses that can learn complex tricks from each other!
🐜 The Population Champions: Rick asks a mind-boggling biology question: which species on Earth actually has the largest number of individuals? Get ready for a shocking count that goes way beyond humans!
🕳️ Space Monsters:Christopher Berry from Glasgow University answers Angus' big cosmic question: why do black holes exist in space? Journey into deep space to find out how giant dying stars collapse into gravity traps so strong not even light can escape.
🦎 Dangerous Dan: Meet the Megalania! Imagine a venomous Komodo dragon, but scaled up to the size of a minibus! Step back into prehistoric Australia to meet this giant extinct monitor lizard that ruled the ancient Outback.
🧠 Brain Box: Chemist Graeme Day from the University of Southampton steps into the Brain Box to reveal how scientists use computers and chemistry to predict and build brand-new materials of the future!
Kitchen Chemistry: Elemental Metal Munching! 🍳🧪
Put on your safety goggles and head into the lab... which happens to be right inside your own house!
This week, chemistry superhero K-Mistry takes us on a tasty tour of the kitchen to reveal why you might actually be eating metal for breakfast! Discover how essential minerals like iron end up hiding inside your cereal box and how your body uses tiny bits of metal to keep you running strong.
Subscribe to Science Quest to solve bee puzzles, dodge giant prehistoric lizards, and unlock the elemental secrets hiding in your pantry! 🎙️✨
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
✋ Why are most people right-handed? 🐋⚫⚪ Why are orcas black and white? 👂 Why do adults hear differently? 🦷 Why do wobbly teeth hurt? 🔊 Why does sound get quieter the farther away it is? 🐜😴 Do insects sleep?
And jump through a worm hole to Deep Space High, your local inter-galactic school in space. The class head back to Earth’s orbit again. Principal Pulsar points out a cube shaped satellite and explains exactly how they work.
Supervolcanoes or Space Rocks? The Most Dangerous Thing on Earth Revealed! ☄️💥
18 Jul 2026
00:26:37
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are heading into the deep jungle to meet a newly discovered species of monkey, counting up the millions spent on the world's most expensive dinosaur fossil, and tracking the race to launch giant rockets right from the coast of the UK!
🐒 Secret Jungle Species: Scientists have just discovered a brand-new species of monkey hiding in the dense, remote rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo! Find out what it looks like and how it managed to stay hidden from humans for so long.
🦖 The Multi-Million Dollar Dino: The most expensive dinosaur fossil in history has just been sold at an action! Discover which prehistoric beast fetched this record-breaking price tag and who walked away with the ultimate fossil.
🚀 UK's Space Race:Bryden Priest from SaxaVord Spaceport joins Dan to share some massive space news. Giant rockets could soon be blasting off into orbit right from the coast of the UK! Find out how teams are prepping the launchpads for a historic countdown.
🪨 The Rock Formula: Liam asks a great geology question: what are the different types of rocks beneath our feet? We crack open the Earth’s crust to explore the difference between Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic rocks.
🌋 The Ultimate Hazard:Carina Fearnley from UCL tackles Aidan's terrifying question: what is the single most dangerous thing in the entire world? From supervolcanoes to invisible forces, get ready to find out what poses the ultimate threat to humanity.
🐀 Dangerous Dan: Watch out for the Nutria! This giant, orange-toothed swamp rodent might look like a harmless, oversized guinea pig, but it is actually a highly destructive, invasive pest that can completely destroy entire wetlands and riverbanks.
🧠 Brain Box: Astrophysicist Sheona Urquhart from The Open University steps into the Brain Box to take us on a journey past our solar system, explaining how we study distant galaxies billions of light-years away!
Geology Rocks: Oxygen, Rust, and the Red Planet 🌋
Grab your geological hammer and travel back in time with Finley! This week, we are discovering how scientists use rust locked inside ancient stone to solve secrets about our atmosphere.
By analyzing the rust inside rocks, geologists can determine exactly how much oxygen was in the air billions of years ago. Plus, we're finally answering the ultimate space-rock riddle: Why is Mars red? Find out how a planet-wide rust storm turned the fourth rock from the sun into a dusty, crimson desert!
Subscribe to Science Quest to discover secret monkeys, dodge dangerous hazards, and launch into the future of British space travel! 🎙️✨
How Fast Would You Have to Run to Run on Water? 🏃💦
15 Jul 2026
00:13:53
This Week’s Big Questions!
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
☁️ Why are clouds white? 🧠⚡ How fast does the brain send signals? 🤕 Why do we get headaches? 🏃💦 How fast would you need to run to run on water? ⛰️🏃 Why do you run slower uphill? 🪐 Why are planets round?
And we're joining the Deep Space High gang who this week are learning about what sort of jobs you can get in space if you love art & design!
Defying Gravity: The Lizard That Can Literally Run on Water! 🦎💧
11 Jul 2026
00:24:20
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are tracking down an out-of-control garbage fire, flying a high-stakes outer space mission to rescue a tumbling telescope, and looking at how deep-sea heroes are fighting to save our oceans.
🗑️ The Rubbish Inferno: A massive, towering mountain of garbage in Indonesia has been burning out of control for over a week! Find out how firefighters are battling the toxic smoke and what causes a giant pile of waste to spontaneously catch fire.
🛰️ The Cosmic Catch: A wild new NASA-funded spacecraft has blasted off into orbit on a very specific mission: to track down and literally catch a falling space telescope before it tumbles out of control!
🦀 Protecting the Sea Floor:Sean Flinn from Our Seas joins Dan to discuss the high-stakes battle happening beneath the waves. Discover how his team is working around the clock to protect Scotland's beautiful, delicate seabed from the devastating impacts of destructive bottom-trawling fishing.
🌀 The Hill-Roll Spin: Oscar asks a beautifully dizzy question: why exactly does our brain spin out and make us feel so off-balance when we roll down grassy hills? (Hint: It’s all down to a tiny spirit-level system hidden inside your ears!)
🗣️ The Human Monologue:Kenny Smith from the University of Edinburgh tackles Esme's brilliant question: why are humans the only mammals on Earth that can actually talk to each other? Explore the evolution of human speech and the secret mechanics behind our unique voices.
🦎 Dangerous Dan: Watch your step for the Green Basilisk Lizard! Otherwise known as the "Jesus Christ Lizard," this amazing reptile can literally sprint straight across the top of water to escape predators, using specialized fringed scales on its feet to create tiny pockets of trapped air!
🧠 Brain Box: RSPB Conservation Scientist Zoe Deakin steps into the Brain Box to share what it takes to protect rare bird habitats and defend the wildlife right on our doorsteps.
Learning from Wildlife: Habitats in Danger 🌿
Shrink down and trek out into the changing wilderness with explorer Marina Ventura and her digital sidekick, Map App! This week, Marina is looking at how global climate shifts affect our animal neighbors. When habitats change, the water dries up, and the food vanishes, how do creatures adapt? Find out how plants and animals are fighting to survive against the changing world around them!
Subscribe to Science Quest to catch tumbling space satellites, sprint across water, and unlock the ultimate secrets of planet Earth! 🎙️✨
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
🐱 Why are some cats hypoallergenic? 🦟 What's an itch? 🔴🪐 Why is Mars red? ⚡ Who discovered electricity? 🕯️ How do candles work? 🦴 Why do your bones click? 🌌✨ Where did the Milky Way come from?
And jump through a worm hole to Deep Space High, your local inter-galactic school in space. This time the class check out Hinode Solar B a satellite the observes the Sun from Earth’s orbit!
World Cup Warning! Why Cheering for Your Team Might Be Dangerous ⚽🚨
04 Jul 2026
00:28:21
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are tracking down an ancient prehistoric mystery, figuring out how exploding volcanoes could actually save our planet, and discovering why cheering on your favorite team at the World Cup might be a hazard to your health!
🗿 Stonehenge Prototype: Archaeologists have just uncovered a 5,000-year-old structure just three miles from Stonehenge! Find out how two massive wooden poles created an ancient, hidden solar calendar 500 years before the famous stone circle was even built.
🌋 Volcanic Climate Coolers: Scientists are studying massive volcanic eruptions to figure out a wild new way to tackle climate change! Learn how the smoke and ash pumped high into the atmosphere can act like a giant umbrella, blocking out sunlight and cooling down the Earth.
⚽ World Cup Heart-Stoppers:Professor Damian Bailey joins Dan to share some shocking news for football fans. It turns out that tracking your team at the World Cup causes so much stress, intense breathing, and adrenaline that it might actually be doing your body more harm than good!
🦈 The Ocean's Deadliest Predator: Lucy asks a classic deep-blue question: what is the most dangerous animal in the entire ocean? (Hint: It’s probably much smaller and stranger than a Great White Shark!)
🪱 The First Animal on Earth:Max Telford from UCL travels back millions of years to answer Frank's question: what was the very first animal to ever evolve on Earth? Prepare to meet our oldest, squishiest ancestor!
🪸 Dangerous Dan: Watch out for Actinium! Otherwise known as the sea anemone, this beautiful creature looks like a colorful underwater flower, but its tentacles are packed with microscopic, venomous harpoons ready to paralyze passing fish.
🧠 Brain Box: Elite volcanologist John Smellie from the University of Leicester steps into the Brain Box to take us on a wild ride through the explosive science of volcanoes that erupt completely buried under massive sheets of ice!
Geology Rocks: Inside the Earthquakes and Volcanoes 🌋
Grab your safety gear and travel deep down to the Earth's core with our guide, Finley! This week, we are investigating tectonic plates—and no, we don't mean the ones you eat your dinner off of! Discover how these giant, jigsaw pieces of shifting rock smash together to trigger violent earthquakes, and find out what happens when boiling hot magma forces its way to the surface in a terrifying volcanic explosion.
Subscribe to Science Quest to unlock ancient stone secrets, survive volcanic blasts, and explore the wild science of our planet! 🎙️✨
In this episode of Fun Kids Science Quest, Dan heads into the world of aluminium recycling to discover what happens to old drink cans and foil after they’ve been thrown away. Learn how aluminium can be recycled over and over again without losing its quality, hear from recycling expert Alex Williams from Novelis Recycling, and find out how your empty can could become a brand-new one in just a matter of weeks. Plus, put your skills to the test as a “Recycling Detective” and uncover the secrets of this endlessly recyclable metal!
How Talking Began: Unlocking the Mystery of the First Ever Language 🔓🎙️
27 Jun 2026
00:26:14
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are celebrating a massive victory for endangered birds, tracking extreme global weather storms, and hunting down a bizarre, microscopic species of "killer fungus"!
🪶 The Rarest Hatchlings: Blackpool Zoo is celebrating a huge conservation win! Three critically endangered blue-crowned laughingthrush chicks have just successfully hatched. Find out how keepers are saving this beautiful, rare species from disappearing forever.
🌪️ El Niño Strikes: Extreme weather is battering different parts of the planet! We break down the science of El Niño—a powerful climate pattern that heats up ocean waters and flips the world's weather upside down, causing massive floods in some countries and intense droughts in others.
🍄 The Killer Fungus:Dr. George Greiff joins Dan to share an incredible discovery: a brand-new species of "killer fungus"! But don't panic—this monster fungus is actually a hero, creating "fairy rings of death" to destroy an aggressive, invasive moss that is ruining native habitats.
👁️ The Two-Tone Eye Mystery: Lucy in Canada asks a fascinating question: why does she have one blue eye and one green eye? We explore the genetics of heterochromia (having different colored eyes) and see how melanin levels switch things up!
🗣️ The First Word:Mercedes Durham from Cardiff University tackles Romi's big historical question: what was the very first language spoken on Earth? Prepare to travel thousands of years back in time to the birth of human speech.
🌵 Dangerous Dan: Watch your step for Hydnora africana! This strange, underground African plant has no leaves, no roots, and looks like a terrifying alien monster. It stays buried until it bursts through the dirt like a fleshy, gaping mouth, releasing a smelly odor to trap dung beetles!
🧠 Brain Box: National Trust wildlife expert Aaron Brett Miller steps into the Brain Box to share what it's really like to manage and protect our wild spaces and the incredible animals that call them home.
And shrink down and go on an undercover mission into the green kingdom with explorer Marina Ventura! This week, Marina is investigating the amazing, high-tech ways plants defend themselves from hungry predators. From shooting out microscopic chemical darts to calling in friendly insect armies for backup, discover how the plants in your backyard are secretly fighting back!
Subscribe to Science Quest to save endangered birds, dodge extreme weather, and uncover the earth's wildest natural secrets! 🎙️✨
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
💎 What is the hardest thing on Earth? 🦇🩸 Why do vampire bats drink blood? 🌀❄️ How does a fan keep you cool? 🎈🗣️ Why does helium make your voice higher? 👃👀 Why doesn’t our nose block what we see?
And jump through a worm hole to Deep Space High, your local inter-galactic school in space. This time the class check out Hinode Solar B a satellite the observes the Sun from Earth’s orbit!
Parallel Worlds: Cracking the Mind-Bending Mystery of the Multiverse! 🚪✨
20 Jun 2026
00:27:02
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are kicking off a massive celebration for Insect Week, hunting down new dinosaur relatives, and tearing open the fabric of space and time to ask if we are living in a multiverse.
🐢 The Flat-Pack Hatchling: Keepers are celebrating the arrival of a newly hatched, critically endangered baby pancake tortoise! Discover why this rare reptile’s flat, flexible shell makes it the ultimate rock-climbing escape artist.
🦖 A New Predator Rises: Paleontologists have just uncovered a brand-new, razor-clawed cousin of the fierce Velociraptor family! Find out where this ancient hunter lived and how it used its terrifying speed to track down prey.
🐜 The Insect Overlords:Fran Sconce from the Royal Entomological Society joins Dan to preview Insect Week! We are shining a spotlight on the absolutely vital, hidden jobs that bugs do every single day to keep our entire planet running.
🌋 The Magma Blast: Evan wants to know: why do volcanoes erupt? We dig deep down into the Earth’s crust to look at how trapped tectonic gases and boiling hot liquid rock build up the pressure for a massive explosion.
🌌 The Multiverse Mystery:Carlos Frenk from Durham University tackles Jude's mind-bending question: is there another universe out there? Get ready to explore the wild physics behind parallel worlds!
🦅 Dangerous Dan: Watch out for the Seriema Bird! Don't let its long legs fool you—this modern-day dinosaur is a vicious snake-hunter that kills its prey by picking it up and ruthlessly smashing it against rocks.
🧠 Brain Box:Professor Susannah Maidment, Merit Researcher in Fossil Reptiles at the Natural History Museum, steps into the Brain Box to show us exactly what the prehistoric world looked like when dinosaurs ruled the Earth!
And jump straight through a wormhole to Deep Space High—your local inter-galactic school in space! Join Principal Pulsar and his class as they discover how exploring the cosmos actually changes your everyday life on Earth. From the scratch-resistant lenses in your glasses to the cameras in your smartphone, find out about all the awesome, everyday gadgets that wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for rocket scientists and space travel!
Subscribe to Science Quest to hunt down new raptors, survive erupting volcanoes, and master the mind-bending secrets of the multiverse! 🎙️✨
How Long Can Humans Survive in Space Without a Spacesuit? 👨🚀🌌
17 Jun 2026
00:12:33
This Week’s Big Questions!
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
☁️ Why do clouds move so slowly? ☀️ What is the Sun made of? 🩹 Why do we heal differently? 👨🚀🌌 How long could humans survive in space without a spacesuit? 📷 How do cameras work? 🐦🌳 How do woodpeckers make holes in trees?
And jump through a worm hole to Deep Space High, your local inter-galactic school in space. The class are heading down to the space lab to check out an exciting satellite that will be exploring the Sun!
The Slime Factory: How Snails Engineer the Ultimate Sticky Goo! 🐌🧪
13 Jun 2026
00:27:38
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are counting down to an epic return to the Moon, heading inside a high-stakes space station emergency, and diving straight into the slimiest, creepiest, most brilliant secrets of the animal kingdom.
🌕 The Next Moon Crew: NASA has officially unveiled the four-man astronaut crew for the historic Artemis III mission! Find out who is leading the flight and how they are preparing to test out the next generation of lunar landers.
🛠️ Space Station SOS:Matt Cook from the UK Space Agency joins us to break down the dramatic, high-stakes emergency repairs happening aboard the International Space Station this week. Find out how astronauts fix massive technical glitches while floating in zero gravity!
🪶 Birdwatch Blockbuster: A tiny seaside town has been completely taken over by hundreds of "twitchers" (birdwatchers) who have rushed from all over the UK to spot an incredibly rare, out-of-bounds heron!
🦭 Deep-Sea Armor: Luke asks a mind-boggling question: how can deep-sea creatures live at the very bottom of the ocean without getting instantly crushed by the immense weight of the water?
🐌 The Slime Factory:Chris Holland from Sheffield University answers Joshua’s question: how exactly do snails manufacture their thick, sticky slime? Get ready for a gross but fascinating dive into molecular engineering!
🪰 Dangerous Dan: Keep your eyes peeled for the horrific New World Screwworm Fly. This tiny parasite might look ordinary, but its larvae are aggressive meat-eaters that can cause catastrophic damage to animals from the inside out.
🧠 Brain Box: Professor of Behavioral Ecology Seirian Sumner steps into the Brain Box to decode the mind-blowing, brilliant social networks of the insect world.
And shrink down to the size of a pebble and dive straight into the microscopic world of insect behavior with explorer Marina Ventura! This week, Marina is looking at the incredible, highly organized world of ants. Discover how thousands of tiny insects work together like one giant, single super-brain to build massive underground fortresses, defeat predators, and share food without a single argument!
Follow Science Quest for your weekly dose of space mysteries, engineering feats, and nature’s cutest stars! 🎙️✨
The Airport Job That Helps Premier League Footballers Get to Their Matches✈️⚽
10 Jun 2026
00:17:12
Welcome toFun Kids Science Quest – Reach for the Sky Special!
Today, we're joined by Abdullah Bin Sajid Butt, a Customer Operations Coordinator at Jet2.
Abdullah has built a career in the aviation industry, working in customer service roles for both a ground handling company and an airline. He's also served as a Safety Ambassador, helping to promote safe and efficient operations. Passionate about learning and helping others develop new skills, Abdullah is currently studying towards a teaching qualification.
He'll be sharing what it's like to work behind the scenes at an airport and how different teams work together to keep passengers moving safely and smoothly.
Beyond the Last Star: Journey to the Edge of the Universe 🌌🚀
06 Jun 2026
00:26:12
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are counting down to World Ocean’s Day by tracking deep-sea defenders, investigating a spectacular rocket explosion, and going beyond the edge of the cosmos to find out what space is actually inside of.
💥 Rocket Crash: Blue Origin’s latest test rocket has exploded right at launch! Find out what went wrong and why it couldn’t even get off the ground.
🐬 Saving the North Sea Dolphins: With World Ocean’s Day coming up on June 8th, Ruth Williams (Head of Marine Conservation at The Wildlife Trusts) joins us to explain why governments need to step up right now to protect the amazing dolphins swimming off our coasts.
🧬 The Blueprint for Forever: Daliah asks a massive question: why can't humans live forever? We dive into the biology of aging and look at why our cells have an ultimate expiration date.
🌌 The Edge of the Cosmos:Andrew Tolley from Imperial College London tackles Shiloh’s mind-bending question: what exactly is space inside of? Prepare to have your brain stretched to the absolute edge of the universe!
🌱 Dangerous Dan: Watch out for the Cape Sundew! It looks like a beautiful, sparkly plant, but it’s actually a ruthless carnivore that uses sticky, glue-covered tentacles to trap insects and digest them alive.
🧠 Brain Box: Geomicrobiologist Jess Mackie from the British Geological Survey steps into the Brain Box to introduce us to the invisible, microscopic army of microbes running our world from deep underground!
And hop into the submarine with young explorer Marina Ventura and her trusty digital sidekick, Map App! On this week's wild ocean adventure, we are discovering the incredible, hidden impact that marine creatures have on the health of our planet. From microscopic plankton making the air we breathe to deep-sea engineers changing the ocean currents, find out how the animals inside the water actually keep the whole ocean alive!
Follow Science Quest for your weekly dose of space mysteries, engineering feats, and nature’s cutest stars! 🎙️✨
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
🤧 Why does snot appear when your nose dries out? 👂 Why do your ears pop on planes? 🔥 Why is fire orange? 😴 Why don’t we hear things when we sleep? 🐟 Do fish wee? ☀️ Why does the Sun float in space?
And jump through a worm hole to Deep Space High, your local inter-galactic school in space. The class head into the depths of Space to look at an Earth craft called Rosetta!
Stephen Hawking’s Protégé: Inside the Mind of a Theoretical Physicist 🧠🛰️
30 May 2026
00:29:01
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are looking at the future of space exploration, uncovering what animals get up to after dark, and answering the absolute weirdest questions about how our bodies actually work.
🌕 Moon Base Blueprint: NASA has just unveiled its next major steps to build a permanent base on the Moon! Find out how astronauts plan to live, work, and survive on the lunar surface for months at a time.
🤖 Zoo AI Night-Watch: A brilliant new project is using Artificial Intelligence to track what zoo animals do at night when the lights go out. Discover how this hidden spy tech is helping keepers take better care of their animals than ever before.
🐒 Junk Food Monkeys: Primatologist Sylvain Lemoine joins us to discuss a strange new mystery: why have wild monkeys started eating soil? It turns out, it might be directly linked to them stealing and eating human junk food!
🫁 The Oxygen Engine: Layton wants to know: how does breathing actually work? We break down the incredible mechanical power of your lungs and diaphragm to see how your body handles every single breath.
🩸 The Hollow Bone Mystery: John Hutchinson answers Noah's mind-bending question: If birds have hollow bones to help them fly, then where do they get their red blood cells from? Prepare to have your brain blown by how bird skeletons actually work!
🐌 Dangerous Dan: Watch your step for The Leopard Slug! This giant, spotted gastropod might look slow, but it's a fierce nocturnal predator that uses slime as a tracking device and engages in some of the most acrobatic, upside-down battles in the animal kingdom.
🧠 Brain Box: Theoretical physicist Fay Dowker from Imperial College London steps into the Brain Box to tackle some of the biggest, most mind-melting equations about the fabric of space and time!
And Jump straight through a wormhole to Deep Space High, your local inter-galactic school in space! Join Principal Pulsar and his class as they travel deep into the cosmos to explore the most extreme objects in existence. From the crushing gravity of Black Holes to the insane spinning speed of Neutron Stars, find out what makes deep space so terrifying, and why our little planet Earth is so incredibly special.
Follow Science Quest for your weekly dose of space mysteries, engineering feats, and nature’s cutest stars! 🎙️✨
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
⛵ How do boats float on water? 🤒 Why do we get sore throats? ♨️ Why do liquids boil at different temperatures? 👀 Why do animals have different shaped eyes? 🌅 Why does the sky turn red? 🪰 What’s an itch?
And join the gang at Deep Space High who find out what sort of jobs you can get in space if you love Music!
Attack of the 88-Foot Dinosaur: Meeting the New Giant, Nagatitan! 🦕💥
22 May 2026
00:26:27
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are unlocking the ultimate time-traveling, planet-protecting secrets of our world. We’re going from microscopic rain forest heroes to the largest prehistoric titans to ever walk the earth.
🐸 The Great Frog Rescue: London Zoo has just welcomed two critically endangered, vanishingly rare frog species all the way from Ghana! Meet the tiny, coin-sized Afia Birago's puddle frog and the unique Atewa slippery frog—a species that actually "whistles" when it calls!
🦖 Southeast Asia's Last Titan: Paleontologists have just uncovered a brand-new dinosaur species in Thailand! Named Nagatitan, this colossal, long-necked giant grew over 88 feet long and weighed as much as nine adult elephants, completely rewriting the history of prehistoric monsters.
🌳 Trees vs. Tarmac: Neil Davies from the Arboricultural Association joins us to talk about a hidden underground battle. We look at the serious, long-term damage that UK roads and heavy traffic are doing to the root systems of our oldest trees.
☁️ Sky-High Physics: Charlotte wants to know: how can giant, heavy clouds float up in the sky without crashing down on us? We float the answers right your way!
💧 The Cry Code: Sonia Trave-Huarte from Aston University joins us to answer Royce's question: how exactly are tears made, and why does your body produce them when you get emotional?
🐙 Dangerous Dan: Dive deep into the ocean to meet the Blue Glaucus. Also known as the "Blue Dragon," this gorgeous, tiny sea slug floats upside down on the water and steals deadly venom from jellyfish to use against its own enemies!
🧠 Brain Box: Paleobiologist Emily Rayfield steps into the Brain Box to dig up the ancient secrets buried right beneath our feet.
And jump into a time machine and travel 145 million years into the past! We’re breaking down the shift from the Jurassic to the Cretaceous Period. The world's climate changed dramatically, getting warmer and drier, which allowed a massive explosion of new species to thrive. Find out why more dinosaurs ruled the earth during the Cretaceous than at any other point in history!
Follow Science Quest for your weekly dose of space mysteries, engineering feats, and nature’s cutest stars! 🎙️✨
In this episode of Fun Kids Science Quest, Dan discovers how aluminium products like drink cans and foil are made, from giant factory rollers to roaring furnaces. Find out why this lightweight metal is so useful, how it can be recycled again and again, and become a “Recycling Detective” by spotting aluminium objects around your home. Plus, hear the surprising story of when aluminium was once more valuable than gold!
Why Bridges Don’t Break: The Physics of Super-Structures 🌉💪
16 May 2026
00:26:13
Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we’re going from viral owlets to the edge of our solar system, with a few stops in between to figure out why your body makes weird noises and how to build a bridge that won't fall down.
🦉 The Internet’s Favourite Owlets: Four newborn Tawny owlets have become massive social media stars! Find out why these fluffy chicks are attracting hundreds of thousands of fans and what it’s like to watch them grow up in real-time.
🪐 Atmosphere Alert: Scientists have spotted a small, mysterious object in our solar system that shows signs of having its very own atmosphere. Could this tiny world be hiding more secrets than we thought?
🌤️ Weather Shift: Resident expert Kirsty McCabe joins us to break down a potential new global weather pattern. Find out how these massive shifts in the sky could change the weather in your backyard!
🤔 The Hiccup Mystery: Archie wants to know why we get hiccups. We dive into the science of your diaphragm and the "glitch" in your brain that causes that annoying hic sound!
🚀 Rocket Life-Hunters: Christopher North answers Soufiane’s question: Have we ever attached satellites to rockets specifically to find alien life? We explore the high-tech tools we’re using to scan the galaxy.
🦅 Dangerous Dan: Watch out for the Terra Bird! Also known as "Terror Birds," these prehistoric giants were the ultimate flightless predators, with beaks strong enough to crush bone in a single snap.
🏗️ Brain Box: Engineer William Powrie joins us to talk all about the wonders of engineering. From the smallest gadgets to the biggest structures, we look at how engineers build our world.
And us for a trip to the Engineer Academy! We use bridges every day to cross rivers and roads, but did you know there are dozens of different types? We’re breaking down the physics and "B-grade" engineering secrets that keep these massive structures standing tall under the weight of thousands of cars!
Follow Science Quest for your weekly dose of space mysteries, engineering feats, and nature’s cutest stars! 🎙️✨
You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week…
🪸 How do corals grow underwater? 🦴 Why do bones weaken with age? 🌊 What’s the most dangerous animal in the ocean? 🌠 How do shooting stars happen? 🌌 How big is the universe? 🚗 Why do people get car sick?
And jump through a worm hole to Deep Space High, your local inter-galactic school in space. The class learn about on of the infer red mirrors on the biggest telescope on earth.
Lunar Cities: NASA Plans to Build a Base on the Moon 🏗️👨🚀
09 May 2026
00:23:37
Welcome to Science Quest! 🧪 This week, we’re traveling from the depths of prehistoric oceans to the future of the Moon. We’re investigating ancient sea monsters, saving squirrels, and answering the weirdest body questions you’ve ever had.
What Do We Learn About?
🐙 Ancient Tentacled Titans: New research suggests that giant octopuses may have ruled the oceans 100 million years ago. Imagine a predator the size of a bus with eight arms!
🚀 Moon Base 2030: Kevin Olsen from Oxford University joins us to discuss NASA’s incredible plan to build a permanent home on the Moon. What will life be like in a lunar colony?
🐿️ The Red Squirrel Rescue: England’s iconic Red Squirrel is facing a fight for survival. We look at why they are close to extinction and what can be done to save them.
🌈 Nature’s Warning Labels: Alectra wants to know why venomous animals are so brightly colored. We reveal why "looking fabulous" is actually a deadly warning to predators!
🤔 The Great Nipple Mystery: Gareth Nye from Salford University answers Nick’s question: Why do boys have nipples? It’s an evolutionary glitch that goes all the way back to how we grow before we’re even born.
🦅 Dangerous Dan: Meet Haast's Eagle. This extinct giant from New Zealand was big enough to hunt prey 15 times its own weight!
✨ The 13-Billion-Year Mystery: Astronomer Ana Puglisi steps into the Brain Box for a high-speed round of questions about the deepest secrets of our universe.
And join explorer Marina Ventura as she dives inside the human body! In Episode 12, Marina is getting up close and personal with your muscles. Find out how your body moves, how your biceps flex, and what’s actually happening under your skin when you run, jump, or even smile.
Follow Science Quest for your weekly dose of discovery and send in your own voicenotes to be part of the show! 🎙️✨