Jane Lindholm
Host and Executive Producer, But Why and Special ProjectsJane Lindholm is the host, executive producer and creator of . In addition to her work on our international kids show, she produces special projects for 开云体育. Until March 2021, she was host and editor of the award-winning 开云体育 program .
Jane joined 开云体育 in 2007 to expand Vermont Edition from a weekly pilot into the flagship daily newsmagazine it is today. She has been recognized with regional and national accolades, including several Murrow, PRNDI and GRACIE awards. In 2016 she started the nationally recognized But Why, which takes questions from kids all over the world and finds interesting people to answer them.
Before returning to her native Vermont, Jane served as director/producer for the national business program Marketplace, based in Los Angeles. Jane began her journalism career in 2001, when she joined National Public Radio (NPR) as an Editorial/Production Assistant for Radio Expeditions, a co-production of NPR and the National Geographic Society. During her time at NPR, she also worked with NPR's Talk of the Nation and Weekend Edition Saturday.
Jane graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Anthropology and has worked as writer and editor for Let鈥檚 Go Travel Guides. She has had her photojournalism picked up by the BBC World Service and her reporting has aired on NPR, APM and the CBC. Her hobbies include photography, running, beekeeping and wandering the woods and fields of New England. She lives in Addison County with her family.
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How are records made? How does a record player make sound? Why are we still listening to and buying records when there are so many digital ways to listen to music?! But Why visits Gold Rush Vinyl in Austin, Texas to learn how little plastic beads become brightly colored records that can play back your favorite music or sounds. -
Do you love tacos? Then you鈥檙e not alone! Tacos originated in Mexico but they鈥檙e popular worldwide and they are ever evolving. Kids have a lot of questions about this favorite food so we visited Nixta Taqueria in Austin, Texas to learn more! Who made the first tacos? And where? What鈥檚 the deal with crispy shells vs. soft tortillas? Why do tacos have sauce? Why does corn come in so many different colors? And are there rules about what makes a taco鈥 taco? -
No matter how old you are, you鈥檙e part of the economy, but it can be tricky to understand what the economy actually is. Plus, what are taxes? What鈥檚 inflation? What are tariffs and why have they been in the news so much in 2025? In this episode, we break down economic terms and concepts with business reporter Stacey Vanek Smith. -
Fleas, lice, tapeworms and ticks - these are all examples of parasites, living organisms that live on or in a host species and need this other organism to complete their complex life cycles. Sounds bad, but parasites are essential to a healthy ecosystem! And our guest for this episode says they鈥檙e also fascinating and even beautiful. Parasite ecologist Chelsea L. Wood, author of Power to the Parasites, tackles all your parasitic questions in this episode! They include: Why are there worms in our stomachs? Why do fleas bite cats and dogs? Where did head lice come from? Why do lice make you itch? Why do ticks suck our blood? -
How do trains work? We went to Union Station in Washington, DC to answer a whole wagonload of questions with Amtrak's Patrick Kidd.A few years ago, we left our studio in Vermont to hop on the Amtrak Acela train that runs multiple trips per day between Washington, DC, New York City and Boston. But don't worry; we got off before the train departed! It was so much fun, we wanted to bring you that journey again!Questions we're answering in this episode: How do trains work? What about electric trains? Steam trains? Bullet trains? Why do they have to go on tracks? How can trains go so fast even though they're so heavy? And why don鈥檛 trains have seat belts? -
How do people whistle? How does whistling make a sound? Why does your tongue change a whistle higher or lower? Can you get a trophy for whistling? Can people with laryngitis whistle? Get ready, we learn all about whistling with musician and champion whistler Emily Eagen and musician Yuki Takeda. And who whistles our theme song? We'll hear from musician Luke Reynolds, and a kid whistling chorus from our listeners! -
Are all cats afraid of water? Do wild cats bury their poop? How are the cats that live in your house related to lions and tigers roaming in the wild? We take a walk in the woods with wildlife biologist Emily Carollo. She works with a conservation and research organization called Panthera that鈥檚 dedicated to helping all 40 species of wild cats in the world. Why do cats live in different habitats? What do cats eat? Why do they chase mice? Why do cats' eyes glow in the dark? Why do some cats roar and some purr? Do cats have their own language? -
If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpower to be鈥揳nd what would you call yourself? That鈥檚 what we asked kids for this special end-of-year episode, and we got some amazing answers! Some kids want to fly. Some want to go back in time. One wants to be able to draw everything perfectly the first time. And a surprising number of kids want a super ability to do math!Stories about humans with special abilities have been around for as long as humans have been telling stories. But the word superhero is only about 120 years old. The first known use of the word was in 1899, but the term became more mainstream in 1930s comic books and movies. Now, superheroes are all over the pages of books and both the small and big screen. Give this episode a listen and think about what YOUR superpower might be! -
The winter solstice is coming, and 开云体育 is celebrating with a special hour focused on astronomy. Listen Saturday, Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. -
Who decides what robots look like? How do robots work and move? How are they controlled? And are robots alive? We tackle all your robot questions in this episode, and we鈥檙e taking a field trip to a local factory that uses hundreds of robots to help humans do their jobs. GlobalFoundries, in Essex Junction, Vermont makes microchips that go in all kinds of electronics. In fact, if your adults have a smartphone, more than likely it has a chip made at this very facility. Engineers Adrien Plouffe and Lucy White work with the robots at GlobalFoundries and answer your questions about robots, including: Why are robots made of metal? Why do people like robots? Do robots cry?