You're listening to Brains On, where we're serious about being curious.
Brains On is supported on part by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
Molly, Molly, where are you?
Anyone seen a woman with glasses, brown curly hair, and the voice of a charming podcast toast?
You plan to meet in our favorite park in the city?
Psst! No, I'm right here!
Molly, there you are. You wonder I didn't see you.
You're hiding in the bushes.
Yes, come over here. I'm coming, I'm coming.
Ooh, I like your cargo jumpsuit, Molly.
Yeah, so many pockets. Thank you.
They're full of emergency snacks.
Mostly loose raisins and blocks of sharp cheddar cheese.
Cheese, exactly what you need in emergencies.
Ooh, and are those binoculars?
Yes, but shh! What are we doing hiding in the bushes?
I'm tree watching. It's like bird watching, but for trees.
Oh, and we're whispering because...
why? Because I saw some cool bird watchers whispering, and I figured all watchers probably whisper.
I don't think the trees will be scared if we talk normally.
Oh, good point. Okay, let's...
Pshh! Pshh! Pshh! Pshh!
Don't mind me, I'm doing my tree call.
Holy moly, is that a red mulberry?
You mean that giant tree in the middle of the park?
Yes, my tree calls are getting really good.
But that tree's been there this entire time.
I got a snap of pick for my blog, Trees Arras.
Hashtag all about that tree life.
Hashtag. And the influencer Hashtag red mulberries are my fave.
You're listening to Brains On from APM Studios.
I'm your host Molly Bloom, and I'm here today with co-host Nellini from Lose Althos, California.
Welcome, Nellini. Hi, Molly.
You know, I'm still thinking about that mulberry tree.
Trees are just so magnificent.
I agree. I love the sound of the wind through their leaves.
Sometimes their bark is smooth, like a white birch tree.
Sometimes it's rough and bumpy, like a pine tree.
Each leaf has its own unique design and feel, like oak leaves with their round edges and waxy texture.
Or the soft fan-shaped leaves of a ginkgo tree.
Trees are truly something to wonder at, and Nellini today's episode was inspired by a question you had about them.
Yeah, I wanted to know how do trees help cities.
That is a tree-man-disquestion, so what made you think of it?
I guess I've always wondered why there's so many trees when a certain part of the Bay Area where I live, because I was in Washington, D.C.
at the time. And when I was there, there was trees, but not as much as where I'm from.
There's the big hills in Rancho San Antonio.
They're covered in trees and wildlife.
Well, it's just really green and it's beautiful, but so is Washington, D.C.
But not really plant-life-wise, there's not as many.
So do you have a favorite kind of tree?
Yeah, I guess. I like redwood and Sequoia trees.
I have some of them in my backyard.
What? And they're like, yeah, that's so cool.
They're huge. Can you describe those?
They're really tall. It's like a red stem of the tree that leads all the way to the top.
And then there's this like leaves just spreading out, and it gets smaller and smaller as it goes up.
And it's really similar to Sequoia trees.
Except, well, they're really, really tall.
Have you ever hugged a tree before?
I love to hug trees myself.
Yeah, it was really nice.
I was at Science Camp, and we had something called an epic journey where you got to do a solo hike.
And our field-class leader, she would put cards down on a trail until where she was when we would meet her.
And on each card, there was something we had to do.
And one of the cards had said, hug this tree.
And I did. It felt nice. It was really bumpy for sure, but I liked it.
Have you ever talked to a tree?
I think so. Like maybe once or twice when I'm hiking with my parents or my friends.
Just for fun, I'd say, hi, how are you doing?
And then I would just wait like a couple of seconds.
They're like, okay, have a nice day.
And I would just do that continuously down the trail for fun.
That makes me very happy.
Trees are great listeners, turns out.
Yeah. Quaint, saw, saw, saw.
More than half of all people in the world live in cities, including me and Melanie.
And cities can be great.
There are usually lots of cool places to visit.
Like museums or different restaurants or fun shops.
Like Marty Munster's Cheese Emporium.
They have the best emergency cheese this side of the Mississippi River.
And the cities are filled with lots of different people.
Yeah, there's a real hustle and bustle.
But there are some not-so-great things about cities too.
There can be a lot of cars and traffic.
And all those cars and trucks release pollution into the air.
One of the biggest kinds of pollution in our air is called carbon dioxide.
Or CO2 for short. CO2 is one of the gases that's causing climate change today.
One of the main effects of climate change is that the earth is getting warmer and warmer.
That's happening because we're releasing lots of CO2 into the air.
Once it's in the skies, it traps heat, and that causes the planet to warm up over time.
Almost like a big blanket.
CO2 is released into the air when us humans burn fossil fuels, like gasoline in our cars.
But that's where trees can come to the rescue.
Because trees are super.
No doubt! Did somebody just say no doubt?
Because I'm just a tree.
I'd rather be green, because I do lots of growing at night.
It's brains on producer Ruby Guthrie.
Cool cargo pants, by the way.
We totally match. Oh, they're the best.
And Gwen Stefani approved.
Yeah, I'm just a tree. Guess I got lots of leaves all the better to photosynthesize.
Wait, who's gonna tell her?
She's not a tree. I think she knows.
Don't worry you two. I totally know I'm not a tree, but I really wish I was, because trees are so cool.
Almost as cool as whispering.
Or, silafone. Whoa, did you just pull us out?
Out of your cargo pants?
Maybe. Yes, definitely.
What can I say? I love a good pocket.
Wow, those must be some deep pockets.
But back to the trees. Melanie and I were just talking about how awesome they are.
Trees are indeed awesome.
Dare I say iconic? Oh, spoiler alert.
I dare. But trees aren't just awesome to look at.
They're also awesome helpers.
Like the dish sponges of the earth.
They're great at cleaning up.
Tell us more. Trees, like all plants, take in CO2 gas, including some of that CO2 that's causing climate change.
And with the help of some sunlight and water, trees can turn that CO2 into oxygen.
Oh yeah, plants breathe in CO2 and breathe out oxygen.
And us humans love oxygen.
Almost as much as we love ranch dressing.
Or whispering. Or punctuating our sentences with little xylophone sounds.
Like this. Okay, so plants take in CO2 and put out oxygen.
Right. This process is called photosynthesis.
That's fun to say. Photosynthesis.
Trees help cleaner air thanks to photosynthesis.
Thanks, trees. And thanks, photosynthesis.
Trees also help clean up other types of pollution.
Even super tiny pollution particles like microscopic bits of dust, dirt, and smoke that mix with the water in our air.
Sounds like the worst kind of microscopic smoothie.
Yes. Nobody wants a dirty, smoky pollution smoothie floating around in the air.
But that's exactly what these tiny pollution particles are.
But they come from all sorts of different types of particles.
They are. But they come from all sorts of stuff.
From construction to factories to cars.
So how do trees help? Tree branches and leaves catch these tiny pollution particles.
Kind of like a lint roller.
When it rains, those pollution particles wash off the leaves and drain into our sewers.
Which is much better than having all that pollution smoothie hang out in the air for us to breathe in.
We want our air and wind to be pollution free.
Oh, speaking of wind. Ta-da!
Ruby, where did you get those wind chimes?
Uh, my cargo pants, of course.
They're like the Mary Poppins purse of pants.
I even keep emergency fresh breezes in this pocket.
Check it out! What else do you have in there?
Oh, the usual. My xylophone, mallets, keys, on open mail, cherry lip balm, and of course...
emergency cheese! I wish I had pockets for emergency cheese.
Oh, wait a sec. I have just the thing.
Aha! My emergency cargo vest.
It's all yours, Nellini.
And it has lots of cheese pockets.
Thanks, Ruby. Now we're all matching!
Yes! My emergency wind is blowing away all my unopened mail!
No! I never opened it! What if it's fan art?
Be right back. We'll hear more from Ruby in a bit, I think.
But first, I hope your ears are ready to branch out because it's time for the...
Shhh! Mr. Sound! Nellini, are you ready to hear the mystery sound?
All right, here it is. What do you think?
I feel like I do know. It feels like something's dropping and then like, it's like maybe like when you're cutting wood, like you put it down on something and then you bring like the saw and then you just, shhh!
And then I used to do woodworking and then they used to...
And I used something similar to that.
Like you would just put the piece of wood down and then you would just bring it, put another one, and I remember that noise.
I feel like it's like that.
Okay, so we're thinking of woodworking tool, a saw potentially.
Do you want to hear it again?
What do you think now? It sounds like a symbol like a common drum set but maybe like you hit the symbol and like there's another thing you just like step on something and it stops and then you release and then you go, shhh!
Okay, so maybe a drum sets.
It's a musical sound. So let's hear it again, get another chance to guess and hear the answer at the end of the show after the credits.
Here it brains on, we love trees, drawing trees, hugging trees, even planting trees.
And we want to hear from you!
Yes, listeners, please send us a photo or video of you hugging a tree or better yet planting a tree.
Share your photos and videos at www.braindawn.org-slash-contact.
While you're there, you can send us like this one.
Why does our tongues stick to ice?
You can find answers to questions like these on the moment of um podcast.
Again, that's brainson.org.
So keep listening! Braindawn Universe is a family of podcasts for kids and their adults.
And since you're a fan of brains on, we know you'll love the other shows in our universe.
Come on, let's explore!
And to bring brains on Universe.
Ooh! So many podcast brainson!
Smash Boom Best Forever ago!
Oh! Picking up signal! Forever ago!
A history podcast starring Joy Dolo!
Flier's gum was so sticky when the bubble popped.
It was so hard to get off your skin.
You'd have to scrub it off with harsh chemicals.
Me loves sticky facts! SORP!
Signal down! Quick! Need forever ago!
No! Search for forever ago wherever you get your podcasts.
Buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh Buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh and roots also help hold the ground together which keeps the soil from washing away.
Wow, so trees can really protect us from these big storms?
Yeah! Trees also create shade which cools down the air and land around them.
Some studies show that cities with trees are almost three degrees cooler than cities without.
Trees are just so cool, literally.
And thanks to Ruby for punctuating our sentences with these triangle dings, really makes it sound like what we're saying is special.
Oh, of course! All of my hours of triangle practice are really paying off.
So, to recap, trees can help protect us from storms, cool us with shade, and they help take pollution out of the air.
But there's even more! Trees are also good for our mental health.
They're good for our brains?
Yep! Research shows that spending time around trees or even just looking at them can help us feel less stressed.
Ah, thanks, trees! Oh, sorry!
I got a little carried away with the triangle there.
Back in my pocket it goes!
Nullity, now that you've heard how trees help cities, what do you think?
Anything surprise you?
It surprised me that trees branches trap tiny bits of pollution and then they suck in the carbon dioxide and then let out the oxygen that we breathe.
So it's a win-win! Totally, so cool!
Trees, what can't you do?
Well, apparently they're really bad at returning my calls, but hey, nobody's perfect.
Oh, my gosh, is that Willow?
Alternative indie pops there Willow Smith this year?
I love her tiny desk concert!
No, Willow Tree! I'm like such a huge band.
I have to get an autograph.
Got a blast! Willow! Willow!
Bye, Ruby! Trees do so many things for us and our cities.
But there's another thing that trees do.
They can grow food. Yes, to learn more we talk to Sharon Appia.
They're the orchard director at the Philadelphia Orchard Project, which runs nearly 70 orchards in the city.
An orchard is sort of like a farm, but only for trees.
Like, imagine a plot of land with rows and rows of trees right in the middle of a busy bus lane city.
Right! And fruit trees can be really helpful for cities because they provide fresh food to the people that live there.
All of the fruit grown through the project is given to the community for free.
Sharon usually works at an orchard in West Philadelphia.
It's a big, bountiful green space right next to one of the neighborhood's main streets.
You can hear all kinds of sounds in the orchard, like birds and bugs, but also clinging trolleys and joggers going by.
My name is Sharon Appia and I am the orchard director with the Philadelphia Orchard Project.
This is the learning orchard, which is right in West Philly.
It is an example of over 90 fruit and nut trees, over 100 berries and bramble.
Sometimes we do a mix of common fruit that people are familiar with.
So we'll plant apple trees, plum trees, cherry trees, peaches, apricots.
This is fruit that you'll normally see at the grocery store and I find that is a great way to draw people in because these are the fruits that people are familiar with.
I believe fruit trees give us so much beauty.
They are a way to draw in the community.
I think fruit trees are a really cool way if you're not someone who's established a relationship with plants or nature.
It's a really good start because they change so much and so much about being in relationship with people or things is about sticking around to see how they change.
And then they also change you too.
And that's beautiful. My hopes for the future are that we are able to plant more fruit trees because I like to walk and I ride the public transportation is I see all these empty lots that are filled with trash or they're just like empty and abandoned.
And if my biggest wildest dream could come true every single lot in the city would have fruit trees.
Melanie, have you ever noticed any fruit or not trees in your neighborhood?
Yeah, I actually have. There's a person who lives down the road.
They have a big orange tree and sometimes I see a squirrel like almost every other day.
Just climbs up like this kind of staircase thing that they have and just plucks one and then takes it and leaves.
But usually it leaves like a big dent in it and just doesn't eat the rest.
So what kind of fruit would you like to grow in your neighborhood if you could add some more fruit trees?
I really love plums and I think they're in season right now so that would be great.
I love strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, apples, cherries, grapes, oranges.
I love everything. We need to get you some fruit trees.
It would be great if all of our neighborhoods were filled with all kinds of trees.
Unfortunately, some cities don't have as many trees as other cities.
And even in a city full of trees, there might be some neighborhoods with a lot of them and others that hardly have any.
Yeah, some people might step outside of their apartment or house.
And there's only one or two trees on their entire block.
So little green, so little shade.
While other people walk out their front door and there's an entire park filled with trees.
Usually the places with more trees are in the same places where people have more money.
Neighborhoods of people with less money usually have fewer trees, which means those people have to deal with more pollution and more heat.
And leads to more problems for the people that live there.
They may have to worry more about keeping cool when it's hot out because using air conditioning can be expensive.
Plus, air pollution can be really hard on your body, especially your lungs.
It's not fair that some neighborhoods have more trees while others don't.
Absolutely. But there are organizations like the Philadelphia Orchard Project and others that are working on making more green spaces for everyone.
Yeah, and a lot of them need volunteers to help plant trees, which seems like a nice thing to do for a tree, considering how much they do for us.
If you want to get involved in planting trees in your city, we have resources in our show notes.
Molly, I have an idea. What if we planted a tree right now?
I love that idea. Can it be a red mulberry?
Definitely. Let's go. Over half of the world's population lives in cities and trees help make our cities better.
Trees use their branches and leaves to filter out pollution in our air.
They also turn carbon dioxide into oxygen through photosynthesis.
Trees provide shade and sometimes even food like cherries.
Some neighborhoods have fewer trees than others.
But there are lots of folks working on creating green spaces in every neighborhood.
That's it for this episode of Brains on.
This episode was written by Ruby Guthrie and produced by Molly Bloom and Rosie DuPont.
Our editors are Sandin Totten and Shayla Farson.
Fact checking by Katie Ruther.
We had engineering help from Stephen Glaze and Josh Savageau with Sound Design by Rachel Grease.
Original theme music by Mark Sanchez.
We had production help from the rest of the Brains on Universe team.
Anna Goldfield, Nico Gonzalez with Slur.
Lauren Humpert, Joshua Ray, Mark Sanchez, Charlotte Traver, Anna Weigel, and Aron Walde Salassi.
Beth Proman is our executive producer and the executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Cavatti and Joanne Griffith.
Special thanks to Vasudev on Krishna Morte and Vidya Raman.
Brains on is a non-profit public radio program.
There are lots of ways to support the show.
Subscribe to Brains on Universe on YouTube where you can watch animated versions of some of your favorite episodes.
Or head to BrainsOn.org.
While you're there, you can set us mystery sounds, drawings, and questions.
Nullinny, are you ready to listen to that mystery sound again?
Of course. Here it is. All right.
What do you think now? I still think the same.
Like it's like a woodworking machine kind of.
Like you bring the piece of wood, it chops it, then you bring it out, and you bring the blade up, and you put a new piece of wood, and it just keeps going back and forth like that.
So someone is cutting a bunch of pieces of wood, you think?
Yes, basically. It would like an actual contraption all with like their bare hands or anything.
Love it. All right. You ready for the answer?
Yes. Here it is. My name is Yuba.
I live in Nevada, City, California.
That was the sound of me pumping up my soccer ball.
I chose that sound because I like the rhythm of it.
I did not expect it. So you did have it right that there was a rhythm.
That's why you believed it.
But is it inflating a soccer ball?
Have you inflated a soccer ball before?
Yes, multiple times. I play on a soccer team, and sometimes my coach, she forgets to fill up the soccer ball.
So he just has some of us do it.
I don't remember it sounding like that, but maybe it's like a different machine.
Yeah, or maybe next time you got to listen to it.
Is it like a hand pump you use?
Or is it like a... Yeah. And you just put the needle into the hole, and then you just go one, two.
Probably because I'm not really paying attention to the noise, but like my coach is saying so I can pay attention.
That makes sense. All right, you got to have to listen for that next time.
Yeah. Now it's time for the brain's honor roll.
These are the incredible kids who keep the show going with their questions, ideas, mystery sounds, drawings, and high fives.
Charlotte and Aubrey from Escondito, California, Margot from Kansas City, Owen from Zora to Mirr and Netherlands, Emmett from Eerie, Colorado, Gabriel from Soleno, Ohio, Riker from Romulus, Michigan, Jack and Sam from Houston, Texas, Sylvie from Malmo, Sweden, Kaya and Amelia from Morehead, Minnesota, Caleb and Alex from Ottawa, Kennedy and Leo from Nebraska, Jamison from Shanji, China, Rowan from Arden, North Carolina, Everett, Emmett and Elizabeth from Manila, New York, Harlem and Clay from Charlotte, South Virginia, Rodden from Lou Beck, Germany, Ashley from Eerie, Pennsylvania, Monty from Hunk, Coat, England, Vivian and Oscar from Milton, Massachusetts, Vivian and Josephine from Oak, Park, Illinois, Atticus from Augusta, Georgia, Anora from Tucson, Arizona, Kushi from Columbus, Ohio, Ruth from Pittsburgh, Gabriel, Mila and Samantha from Leewood, Kansas, Toby from Melanth, New Zealand, Dohan and Dohoun from Seoul, South Korea, Aiden and Julia from Montevideo, Uruguay, Lucian from France, Josian Garrett from Fox Lake, Illinois, Sebi from London, England, Lucida from Billion in Washington, Milo and Joy from which Tuck Kansas, Jasper from Australia, Taylor from Los Angeles, Harry from Kremlin to UK, Rayleigh from Okinawa, Japan, Brody from Casarot, Colorado, Sammy from Leeds, England, Luca from Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Shivam from London, England, Mayelle from Toronto, Francis and Etienne from Seattle, Denton from Athel, Idaho, Gavin from Edmonton, Alberta, Desi from Orange, California, Phoebe from Taipei, Taiwan, Leo from Cerritos, California, Brad from Westbury, New York, Max and Hayes from New York City, Alistair from Gold Canyon, Arizona, Linny and Percy from Centralia, Washington, Sydney from Philadelphia, Samara from Charles, town West, Virginia, Leo and Gustrum Cleveland, Ellie and Barrett from North Carolina, Tanwa from Bangkok, and Robert from Leeds, Summit, Missouri.
