Simon Kaufman

Simon Kaufman

Writer/Producer

Simon Kaufman writes and produces for "The Why." He sleeps better now after a two-year stint working on "Morning Rush." Before joining Scripps News, he worked for the Big Ten Network and NBC Sports. He's a Colorado native, but that did not properly prepare him for Chicago's winters.

Recent Work
Wedding guests celebrate a couple getting married.
ShutterstockLife

Why do weddings cost so much to attend?

Sign that says now hiring DEI positions.
Scripps NewsU.S.

Why are diversity and inclusion roles declining?

A Grant's Zebra grazes
Ted Shaffrey / APScience and Health

Why do zebras have stripes?

Milk being poured into a glass
ShuttershockLife

A look back at America's changing relationship with milk

a couple in bed looking at their tablet and phone screens
Scripps NewsScience and Health

Why do screens affect our sleep?

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge runs on the field
David J. Phillip / APSports

Why are MLB salaries rising?

Travelers check in on kiosks at Miami International Airport, Friday, July 1, 2022, in Miami.
Wilfredo Lee / APLife

Why don’t airport codes match their names?

Biscoff cookies
Scripps NewsLife

Why do airplanes serve food?

Older lady
Scripps NewsScience and Health

Why do people shrink as they age?

A sale sign stands outside a home in Wyndmoor, Pa.
Matt Rourke / APU.S.

Why are more Americans moving South?

a vendor weighs onions for a customer at a farmers market in Bangalore, India
Aijaz Rahi / APLife

Why does cutting onions make us cry?

Chef Joe Moless busy in the kitchen at Pour Taproom
Michael Macor / APLife

Why are there so many germs in the kitchen?

Slade Elementary School fourth-graders Garrett Scott and Wyatt Rockey share a magnify glass while counting their taste buds
Andy Carpenean / APScience and Health

Why do our taste buds change over time?

Woman sleeping on her desk
Scripps NewsScience and Health

Studies show most Americans are sleep deprived

Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck settles with referres during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa
Stacy Bengs / APSports

Why do NFL referees wear stripes?

This combination of photos shows promotional art for Oscar nominees for best feature
APEntertainment

Why do blockbuster movies cost so much to make?

Eilish GrayWoulfe covers a fence with graphics outside State Farm Stadium
Matt York / APSports

Why is the Super Bowl halftime show such a big deal?

x-ray of a foot
Scripps NewsScience and Health

Why do bones break?

Amazon Prime boxes are loaded on a cart for delivery in New York.
Mark Lennihan / APBusiness

How do Amazon packages get delivered so quickly?

Rachel Whalen looks at her phone at her home in Draper, Utah.
Rick Bowmer / APLife

Why are Americans spending more time alone?

A person types on a laptop keyboard
Elise Amendola / APU.S.

Why aren't keyboards in alphabetical order?

Paola Espinoza, right, dressed with a typical Mexican hat, waits with her teammates of the Mexican national team
Jens Meyer / APLife

Why do chefs wear those tall hats?

A functional prototype of the ASKA A5 VTOL flying car is on display during the CES tech show
John Locher / APBusiness

The history of our pursuit of a flying car

A Southwest Airlines plane flies low over Gravelly Point on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Carolyn Kaster / APLife

Why do planes cruise at 36,000 feet?

Emoji keyboard on an iPhone
Scripps NewsTech

Where Did Emojis Come From?

A dreidel balloon in a parade
Tina Fineberg / APLife

Why Do We Play With Dreidels On Hanukkah?

Bill Leff, host of "Toon In with Me," and avid toy collector
NewsyU.S.

Toy Heaven: Avid Collector Shows Off His 30,000-Piece Collection

Rabbanit Dasi Fruchter, of the South Philadelphia Shtiebel, lights a menorah during a public Hanukkah celebration
Ryan Collerd / APLife

Why Are There So Many Ways To Spell Hanukkah?

People carry shopping bags
Michael Dwyer / APLife

Why Do We Procrastinate Holiday Shopping?

A customer is handed Powerball tickets purchased at Lichine's Liquor & Deli in Sacramento.
Rich Pedroncelli / APLife

Why Does The Lottery Exist?