Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
From Disney on March 21st, the magical tale. Snow White. Snow White. Snow White. That started it all. I believe you're looking for me. Arrives in theaters. Magic Mirror.
Experience the Disney classic. Who's the fairest one of all? Like never before. We haven't even been in her clothes yet. Disney Snow White. Only in theaters March 21st. Rated PG. Parental guidance suggested. From the brains behind Brains On, this is the Moment of Um. Moment of Um comes to you from APM Studios. I'm Ruby Guthrie. Um...
Have you ever been on an airplane? I was just on one last week to visit my grandparents and I loved it. I mean, nothing beats looking out the window and just watching the world below get smaller and smaller. Skyscrapers look like toy buildings and cars look like ants.
or marveling at those big, enormous, fluffy clouds. And don't even get me started on those tiny bags of pretzels. But airplanes aren't all fun and tiny snacks. Sometimes there's turbulence, or crying babies,
Or have you ever noticed as you're taking off, as the plane begins to climb into the sky, that your ears pop? Like popping a tiny balloon or bubble, but in your ears. Why does that happen? Ava was wondering the same thing. Hello, my name is Ava Brielle Muhammad, and my question is, why do our ears pop on airplanes?
So this is Frank Rehm. I'm an infectious diseases physician at Lyna Health. So you've got the ear canal. You got that stuff that's on the outside too. As you go down the canal, you reach a membrane. We call it the tipag membrane. Everybody else calls it the eardrum.
And that blocks air altogether. Behind that, you've got a little cavity and some bones that transmit the sound from the eardrum to the hearing organ. And if you have a little cavity like that, it tends to fill up with fluid unless you've got a passageway to let that fluid empty.
And so we have a tube that connects that little space behind your eardrum to the back of your throat. It's called the Eustachian tube. And that little passageway has to open up to let some air in or out of that little space.
And when you go up and down in an airplane, you're stressing that system because it's got to make that adjustment fast, faster than it can usually do. So you have to open up that little eustachian tube to get the pressure right. So let's say you go up in an airplane, the air pressure outside goes low. So all of a sudden the air pressure in that little space decreases.
gets higher than the air pressure outside, and that pushes your eardrum out, and that hurts. And so you then try to pop your ear to open up the Eustachian tube so you can equalize the pressure on both sides of that eardrum. The airplane isn't the only place your ears pop. You could be scuba diving or driving up a mountain. Anytime you experience a significant change in air pressure, often as you change altitude, your ears will pop.
And if you want to relieve that pressure faster, you can try chewing gum, yawning, or drinking through a straw. Sweet relief. If you like this episode, take a second to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. And if your head is still in the clouds, check out the Brains On podcast, where we have a whole episode all about how far can a cloud travel.
If you have a Moment of M question, we'd love to help you answer it. Drop us a line by going to brainson.org slash contact. See you next time and the next day and then the next day and every weekday. Until then. Hey, friends. Molly, Sandin, and Mark here with some very big news. Drumroll, please. Drumroll.
We're hitting the road in search of adventure, fresh air, and you. That's right. We're going to be live at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colorado on Sunday, April 27th. Our science-themed live stage show takes the audience on an adventure through the brain, complete with magic tricks, dance moves, out-of-body experiences, mystery sounds, and a game show. Molly, you almost left out the most important part.
Yeah, Molly, don't forget the big party. Oh, right. After the shows, we're throwing a brain-tastic bash. Join us afterward for a VIP party where we'll play games, guess mystery sounds, pose for photos, and give as many high fives as humanly possible. Snag a spot by purchasing a VIP pass when you buy your show ticket. Oh, that reminds me. I've got to start training. These hands aren't going to high five by themselves. Five and five. Good idea.
And remember, spots are limited, so grab your tickets today at brainson.org slash events.