Ask Dr. Universe

Why did they invent paper? Dear Sofia, Every week my column gets printed on paper. Sometimes I use paper to dry my paws. Or clean up after I use the litterbox. I asked my friend Xiuyu Wang who invented paper—and why. He studies...

My friend Xiuyu Wang of @wsuvancouver.bsky.social helped me unfold why paper is a fur-midable leap in history 📜 #GoCougs #STEMeducation @pullman.wsu.edu askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/11/13/w...

Why do some humans like to do bad things? Dear Leonel, I’ve met some naughty cats. I’ve also known some misunderstood ones. I asked my friend Chris Barry why humans are sometimes like that, too. He’s a psychologist at Washington State Univers...

@pullman.wsu.edu’s Chris Barry takes me to the heart of purr-plexing human behaviour—and teaches me about the power of empathy.🐾 #GoCougs #STEMEducation @wsusystem askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/11/06/h...

How do cats climb? Dear Jake, Sometimes, when I’m working on a tricky question, I scale the tree outside my office. It helps me focus. I asked my friend Steve Lampa how cats like me do that. He teaches small animal anat...

How do cats scale trees so gracefully? It’s all in the glutes and claws, says Steve Lampa from @wsuvetmed.bsky.social. I guess we really claw our way to the top! 🐈‍⬛🌳 #GoCougs #STEMeducation @wsusystem askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/10/30/h...

Why do carrots have sugar? Dear George and Samuel, Roasted and soft. Raw and crunchy. Baked into a cake. I love eating all kinds of carrots. I asked my friend Tim Waters why those orange veggies are so tasty. He studies vegetab...

Carrots stash sugar so they can plant seeds next year. :🥕🌱 Thanks to veggie expert Tim Waters of @wsuextension.bsky.social for sharing the sweet secret #GoCougs #STEMeducation @pullman.wsu.edu askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/10/23/w...

Your Paw-some Question | What happens if you get eaten by a shark? - Ask Dr. Universe Dooooo-doo, Dooooo-doo. 🦈 Today Cosmo and I learn about sharks and their rad digestive systems—all thanks to my friend, Dr. Nora Hickey, fish veterinarian at Washington State University. Want to ...

Cosmo and I dive deep into what happens if you get eaten by a shark🎙️🦈 Spoiler: you’re not on the menu — the shark would probably spit you out faster than you can say cat-astrophe #GoCougs #STEMeducation @wsuvetmed.bsky.social www.buzzsprout.com/1338544/epis...

Why does my tummy rumble when I’m hungry? Dear Jules, Sometimes my stomach growls so loudly that other people can hear it. It’s pretty awkward in meetings. I asked my friend Ed Johnson why that happens. He teaches classes about the human body...

@pullman.wsu.edu's Ed Johnson told me that a growling stomach is borborygmus—the sound of muscles moving gas and liquid around your empty belly. It's just a little meow-sic to get you ready for food. 🐾🎶 askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/10/16/t... #GoCougs #stemeducation

Why do we age? Dear Ines, I have gray fur. But sometimes I think it’s getting grayer—like my human friends’ hair does as they get older. I asked my friend Jiyue Zhu about that. He’s a biochemist at Washington State ...

Why do we age? My friend Jiyue Zhu of @pullman.wsu.edu told me it’s still a mystery. But science is starting to explain how time catches up to us—one cell at a time. 🧬 askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/10/08/w... #GoCougs #stemeducation

How Do You Science | Meet a Wildlife Biologist - Ask Dr. Universe In this episode, I learn all about wildlife biology from my friend, Ryan Wagner. He told me about clipping turtle toenails and bathing froglets—all for science. And he recounted his recent adventure b...

🐸 Ever wonder what it’s like to give a turtle a pedicure, bathe froglets, or backpack frogs through a forest? My friend @wsuvancouver.bsky.social's Ryan Wagner does it all—for science! 🐢🎒

🎧 Check out the toad-ally awesome podcast here: www.buzzsprout.com/1338544/epis... #GoCougs #STEMeducation

How does epinephrine work? Dear Annabelle, I love a peanut butter and tuna sandwich. But when I was a kitten, my school outlawed peanuts. My classmate was super allergic to them. So, we had a rule to keep our friend safe. I pac...

I may love peanut butter + tuna sandwiches, but allergies are no joke! Today Travis T. Denton of @wsuspokane.bsky.social explains how epinephrine works during anaphylaxis. 🥜💉 #GoCougs #stemeducation askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/10/02/h...

Why can we sometimes see the moon during the day? Dear Eli, I love to go for a walk with my dog roommate. Sometimes we see the moon in the sky—even though it’s daytime. I asked my friend Michael Allen why that happens. He’s an astronomer at Washingto...

Ever spotted the moon in the daytime sky? You’re not imagining things! Thanks to my friend Michael Allen of @pullman.wsu.edu for illuminating why 🌕🌔🌙@wsu #stemeducation #GoCougs askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/09/25/c...

From eggs to adults, ladybugs show that change is the real buzz of life. But it's not the only way to do things. Thanks to Rich Zack at @wsucahnrs.bsky.social for lending his expertise! ci Rep 11, 10313 (2021), I. Peralta-Maraver
👉 askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/09/18/l...

✨Ta-da! Out comes a soft, pale beetle that soon hardens into a spot-acular red insect. Its colors warn predators: “Don’t bug me!” 🐞 Clinton & Charles Robertson/Wiki Commons #GoCougs #stemeducation

The larva takes a paws-itive pause to become an immobile pupa. Inside, it’s rearranging into a brand-new beetle. Talk about a glow up! ✨ Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren/Wiki Commons #GoCougs #stemeducation

These spiky, alligator-shaped critters may not look cuddly, but they’re bug-time snackers! One larva can chow hundreds of aphids. Supportstorm/Wiki Commons #GoCougs #stemeducation

🥚 It all starts with a clutch decision: eggs!
Ladybugs lay them near aphids (their future snacks). Bjorn S/Wiki Commons #GoCougs #stemeducation

What is the life cycle of a ladybug? Dear Rachel, Every spring, I see spiny bugs that look like tiny alligators. They spend all day chomping up other insects outside my window. I asked my friend Rich Zack about them. He’s an insect scien...

🐞 How do ladybugs cycle their way through life? Rich Zack at
@pullman.wsu.edu @wsucahnrs.bsky.social helped us bug out about their 4 life stages! askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/09/18/l... #GoCougs #stemeducation

What is the most poisonous thing in the world? Dear Macmillan, There are some amazing deadly things out there. Like a frog that oozes poison from its skin. Or a jellyfish that uses itty bitty hooks to inject venom into its prey. But it turns out t...

🧫🔬 Forget poison frogs and jellyfish—Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium hanging out in soil, water, and even your kitchen, produces the most potent toxin on Earth. askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/09/11/p... #FoodSafety #GoCougs #STEMeducation @wsuextension.bsky.social

Why do dogs have pads on their feet? Dear Izzy, My coworkers sometimes forget that I’m a cat—until I reach out a paw to shake their hand. At first glance, cat and dog paws seem very different from human hands and feet. I talked about tha...

Dogs walk on their toes—like invisible high heels! 👠🐾 That’s digitigrade locomotion. Read the full column 👉 askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/09/04/d... @wsuvetmed.bsky.social @pullman.wsu.edu #GoCougs #stemeducation #stemeducationforkids

Why do we have germs on our hands? Dear Prince, Germs are tiny organisms—also called microbes. They’re so small you have to zoom in with a microscope to see them. They can be bacteria, viruses, fungi or other teeny things. Some microbe...

I'm so pleased to hand the mic(robe) to @wsuvetmed.bsky.social's Eric Lofgren for this week's science question 🦠 #GoCougs #STEMeducation #stemeducationforkids askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/08/29/w...

Talking about medications and technology with my friend Damianne Brand-Eubanks was out of this world✨Check out the latest podcast episode: How Do You Science | Meet a Pharmacist www.buzzsprout.com/1338544/epis... #GoCougs #STEMeducation #stemeducationforkids

What happens if you if you get eaten by a shark? Dear Prince, When I was a kitten, I saw a movie about shark attacks. It made me nervous to go into the water. I talked about that with my friend Nora Hickey. She’s a fish veterinarian at Washington St...

Thanks to my friend @wsuvetmed.bsky.social's Nora Hickey for taking a huge bite out of this question 🦈 #GoCougs #STEMeducation #stemeducationforkids askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/08/21/h...

How do cell phones work? Dear Colleen, When I was little, I liked to move the radio dial in the car. I could hear different channels with music or talking. Plus, static in between. My friend Ben Belzer reminded me of that whe...

I called up my friend @pullman.wsu.edu's Ben Belzer to get the 411 on cell phones📱 #GoCougs #STEMeducation #stemeducationforkids askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/08/14/c...

What was the largest dinosaur? Dear Carlos, Your question almost stumped me. I don’t really have dinosaur scientist pals. So, I turned to an expert on finding answers. My friend Emily Cukier is a science librarian at Washington Sta...

A dinosaur-sized thank you to @wsulibraries.bsky.social's Emily Cukier for walking me through how to find good info 🦕📚💻 #GoCougs #STEMeducation #stemeducationforkids askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/08/07/w...

I would really like a shot that doesn’t hurt so much Dear Jacob, I love vaccines. They keep us safe from germs that can make us sick. But I don’t love how much shots hurt. Sometimes I feel anxious before I visit the veterinarian for a vaccine. I talked ...

I got of a shot of new info, thanks to Roland Chen of @pullman.wsu.edu 💉#GoCougs #STEMeducation #stemeducationforkids @wsu askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/07/31/r...

How do turtles get their shells? Dear Malachi, Sometimes animated turtles seem to live inside their shells like it’s a tiny home. They may even hop out of the shell and run around. That’s funny in cartoons and games, but my friend Ry...

@wsuvancouver.bsky.social's Ryan Wagner turt-told me all about turtle shells 🐢 #GoCougs #STEMeducation #stemeducationforkids @wsusystem askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/07/23/t...

How did humans invent any language? Dear Anika, My roommate is a normal cat. When she needs a treat, she smacks her lips. When she wants outside, she paws the door. But she never talks to me using words. I asked Nancy Bell how my human ...

This answer, courtesy @pullman.wsu.edu's Nancy Bell, is anything but homi-mid...it rocks 📑🪨 #GoCougs #STEMeducation #stemeducationforkids @wsu askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/07/17/h...

May I ask how fish breathe? Dear Nghi, When you and I take a deep breath, we pull air into our lungs. That’s because humans and cats are mammals. But fish aren’t mammals. They usually don’t breathe air. They usually don’t have l...

I loved taking a big gulp of this fresh answer 🫁🐟 #GoCougs #STEMeducation #stemeducationforkids @wsuvancouver.bsky.social askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/07/10/m...

Do video games rot your brain? Dear Joie, After answering science questions all day, I like to play Mario. It’s relaxing to smash Goombas and zoom down pipes. I asked my friend Dene Grigar if that’s wrecking my brain. She leads the...

So many thanks to @wsuvancouver.bsky.social 's Dene Grigar for boosting my XP with this answer 🧠🎮 #GoCougs #STEMeducation #stemeducationforkids @wsu askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/06/26/v...

What would happen if you put a piece of neutron star on the Earth? Dear MacKenzie, A neutron star is what’s left after a massive star runs out of fuel and explodes as a supernova. I asked my friend Matthew Duez about it. He’s an astrophysicist at Washington State Uni...

Talking about neutron stars with @pullman.wsu.edu's Matthew Duez blew my mind 🌌 #GoCougs #STEMeducation #stemeducationforkids askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2025/06/18/h...

Do creepy crawlies unnerve you? Check out Your Paw-some Question | Should I be scared of bugs? at www.buzzsprout.com/1338544/epis... #GoCougs #stemeducation #stemeducationforkids @pullman.wsu.edu