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Be Smart.

Joe Hanson

We give you deep answers to simple questions about science and the rest of the universe. And also dad jokes. Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, PhD. He's a molecular biologist and an award-winning science communicator and journalist

316 episodes
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English

Episodes 316

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Saturday · 5 min
The Science of GOAT!
Yep. Goats! ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Who are those people in the intro? Say hi to Joe Nicolosi (director) and Katie Graham (camera)! Goat field of vision: http://blogs.lifeandscience.org/keepers/tag/pupil/ Goat pupil shape: http://www.journalofvision.org/content/13/9/607.short Radiolab story about a goat on a cow: http://www.radiolab.org/story/224292-behind-goat/ "Fainting goat" syndrome: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myotonia_congenita Goats have "accents": http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2012/02/16/study-goats-have-accents.html Goat tastebuds: http://bit.ly/1zFxhiY Goat diet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goat#Diet How goats climb so well: http://www.asknature.org/strategy/719058a39eea5af7f763bacda7c64ab4#.U_KPLbxdWm8 Billy Whiskers: http://www.childrensbooksonline.org/Billy_Whiskers/pages/001_Billy_Whiskers.htm In case you're curious, the star cluster in the thumbnail is Messier 30, which is in the Capricorn constellation, because goats. Joe Hanson - Host and writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer Katie Graham - Camera Editing/Motion Graphics - Andrew Matthews Gaffer - John Knudsen/Philip Sheldon Theme music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Stock images via Shutterstock Produced for PBS Digital Studios ----------- Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Saturday · 8 min
The Remarkable Roots of Thanksgiving Foods
Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate I’m thankful for science. And also pie. SUBSCRIBE! http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Want to wear your love for science? We’ve got merch: http://dftba.com/besmart References/Learn More: How turkeys got so big: https://www.wired.com/2008/11/turkeytech/ Benjamin Franklin’s 1784 letter to Sarah Bache about turkeys: http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp?vol=41&page=281 Ames, Mercedes, and David M. Spooner. "DNA from herbarium specimens settles a controversy about origins of the European potato." American Journal of Botany 95.2 (2008): 252-257. Doebley, John. "The genetics of maize evolution." Annu. Rev. Genet. 38 (2004): 37-59. Grun, Paul. "The evolution of cultivated potatoes." Economic Botany 44.3 (1990): 39-55. McWilliams, James. The Pecan: A history of America's native nut. University of Texas Press, 2013. Nee, Michael. "The domestication of cucurbita (Cucurbitaceae)." Economic Botany 44.3 (1990): 56-68. Polashock, James, et al. "The American cranberry: first insights into the whole genome of a species adapted to bog habitat." BMC plant biology 14.1 (2014): 1 Speller, Camilla F., et al. "Ancient mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals complexity of indigenous North American turkey domestication." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107.7 (2010): 2807-2812. ---------------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment or check us out at the links below! Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter: @okaytobesmart @DrJoeHanson Instagram: @DrJoeHanson Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from SciencePhoto http://www.sciencephoto.com/ and Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Saturday · 8 min
How Science Specifies A Year
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ It's been one (tropical/sidereal/anomalous) year since I uploaded the very first It's Okay To Be Smart. Here's everything that's happened since! Thank you to everyone who's helped make this possible, and for letting me have the best job in the world. More: CGP Grey - What is a leap year? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX96xng7sAE MinutePhysics - What are years? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53glKEPzElA Bad Astronomy - http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/01/01/happy-new-year-again/#.UtbGr2RDtVM Check out the highlights of my arm wrestling match with Derek from Veritasium courtesy of Hank Green (cameos from Mike Rugnetta and Emily Eifler): https://twitter.com/hankgreen/status/388553085653901312 Joe Hanson - Host and writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen Inc Kate Eads - Associate Producer Katie Graham - Director of Photography Andrew Matthews - Editor and motion graphics Produced for PBS Digital Studios ----------- Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Saturday · 8 min
The Far Tomorrow of the Universe
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ SPOILERS: It doesn't end well. Special thanks to Ethan Siegel and Sean Carroll for help with this episode: http://preposterousuniverse.com/ https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/ More interesting things that will happen in the future: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_far_future http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140105-timeline-of-the-far-future This episode was a part of a collaboration with several other PBS Digital Studios shows, all talking about THE FUTURE!! Check out the other episodes! Learn about the Collab Here: http://youtu.be/ygmD5lz6rd8 Idea Channel: The Future of Fandoms http://youtu.be/eJ3EBR1hlbI Game/Show: The Future of Games http://youtu.be/oON6S4fXS4k Crafts For Kids: DIY Robot Masks http://youtu.be/PtETQ_aIz8s Indie Alaska: Augmented Reality http://youtu.be/8Elu87SfL98 Bon Appétempt: Post-Apocalyptic Pantry Cooking http://youtu.be/xzsyop6XZn8 Shanks FX: Holograms http://youtu.be/P8Uj9uHgCQY Makin' Friends With Ryan Miller: Bruce Duncan and Bina48 http://youtu.be/3e-JuaSc7B0 24 Frames: The Future: 3D Printing http://youtu.be/l__1P1PCGZM Coma Niddy: Future Rap http://youtu.be/OUpPaEZHITI BBQ With Franklin: The Future of BBQ http://youtu.be/gbR7Tu2TqKk Joe Hanson - Host and writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer Katie Graham - Director of Photography Andrew Matthews - Editor and motion graphics John Knudsen - Gaffer Music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Produced for PBS Digital Studios ----------- Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Saturday · 7 min
Ask Joe Matters #2
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ You have questions, I have answers! Richard Feynman - Fun To Imagine (playlist): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3pYRn5j7oI&list=PL2D30B1DEFFDA0310 Mapping a zombie apocalypse to model disease outbreaks: https://medium.com/the-physics-arxiv-blog/61661d6ae9c People can't tell the difference between smell of Parmesan and vomit: http://www.rachelherz.com/uploads/Odor_Illusions.pdf Check out Ask Joe #1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkSpmTvCRJA Joe Hanson - Host and writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer Katie Graham - Director of Photography Andrew Matthews - Editor and motion graphics Produced for PBS Digital Studios ----------- Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Saturday · 9 min
Is Your Eye Color Real?
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Check out Say It Loud from PBSDS ►► https://www.youtube.com/SayItLoudPBS SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub The eyes are often the first thing we see when we look at someone. And when you look at them up close, everyone’s eye color is a kaleidoscope of shapes and hues. How does eye color work? The answer involves some very cool physics, and probably isn’t what you were taught in school. And you’ve probably wondered how is eye color inherited, or why some people have blue eyes even if their parents’ eyes are brown? Get ready for a long look deep into the genetics and physics of eye color. #eyes #eyecolor #blueeyes REFERENCES: Genetics of human iris colour and patterns - Richard A. Sturm, Mats Larsson https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1755-148X.2009.00606.x Iris Color Classification Scales https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5729215/ GWAS Findings for Human Iris Patterns: Associations with Variants in Genes that Influence Normal Neuronal Pattern Development https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3155193/ Characterization of melanin in human iridal and choroidal melanocytes from eyes with various colored irides. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18353148 Can blue eyed parents produce brown eyed children? - Richard A. Sturm https://bioenv.gu.se/digitalAssets/1571/1571499_eyecoloureng.pdf ----------- FOLLOW US for more curiosity: Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/i... Facebook http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Books from our episodes: http://smart-books.tumblr.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Saturday · 8 min
The SCIENCE of BREWING!!!
Is beer the perfect beverage? Let's see what science says... Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Big thank you to Jester King Brewery in Austin, TX: http://jesterkingbrewery.com/ The chemistry of beer flavors: http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/07/10/beerchemicals/ Uncorking the past, a history of alcoholic beverages: http://www.economist.com/node/883706 Domestication of grain in near east: http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v3/n6/abs/nrg817.html Alcohol and social complexity in ancient western Asia: http://alexanderjoffe.net/alcohol.pdf Finally, a weird Dutch Heineken ad from the 1950's about sending beer to the moon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I03AxY5gA8I Joe Hanson - Host and writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer Katie Graham - Director of Photography Editing/Motion Graphics - Andrew Matthews Gaffer - John Knudsen Post-production intern - Dalton Allen Theme music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Stock images via Shutterstock ----------- Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 8 min
Why Do We Itch?
Scratch that itch and SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Check out our friends from Above the Noise: http://bit.ly/2KMBMG3 ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ It’s one of the most annoying sensations our bodies can feel, but does anything feel better than when you scratch an itch? Ok, maybe *some* things. But itching and scratching are up there. How does this weird sensation work? And what is itching for? References: http://bit.ly/2IiIqWn ----------- FOLLOW US: Twitter: @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart Instagram: @DrJoeHanson Merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart SEND US STUFF: It’s Okay To Be Smart PO Box 303356 Austin, TX 78703 USA BOOKS WE’VE FEATURED: http://smart-books.tumblr.com/ ----------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Director: Joe Nicolosi Writer: Kimberly McCoy Creative Director: David Schulte Editor/animator: Karl Boettcher and Derek Borsheim Producers: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 16 min
This Is How Astronauts Drink Coffee In Space!
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ You can learn more at https://curiositystream.com/smart SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub I love coffee. Like, a lot. You know who else loves coffee? Astronauts! And also the people who help them do awesome things in space (I think NASA might be powered by coffee). But how do astronauts actually drink coffee in space, aboard the International Space Station, in microgravity? I visited astronaut Don Pettit to learn about his invention for having a cup o’ Joe in orbit. This is some awesome science. #space #coffee #nasa Special thanks to Don Pettit and NASA! Don’s collaborator on this research is Mark Weislogel from Portland State University. Learn more about Mark’s research here: https://www.pdx.edu/profile/mark-weislogel ----------- FOLLOW US for more curiosity: Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 9 min
How Do Glaciers Move?
This video is so cool, it's ICE COLD Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Glacier ice is weird. It’s solid. Solid things aren’t supposed to flow. But glacier ice flows like a liquid, and it does that without melting! How is this possible? I traveled to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska to find out. Special thanks to Josh Cassidy from KQED’s Deep Look for joining me in Alaska and shooting this episode! ► https://www.youtube.com/user/KQEDDeepLook Filmed under a Special Use Permit on the Juneau Ranger District, Tongass National Forest Archival glacier image: Glacier Photograph Collection - National Snow and Ice Data Center ----------- READ MORE: Paterson, William Stanley Bryce. “The Physics of Glaciers.” Elsevier, 2016. ----------- FOLLOW US: Merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter: @okaytobesmart @DrJoeHanson Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Instagram: @DrJoeHanson ----------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Director: Joe Nicolosi/Josh Cassidy Writer: Sarah Keartes Cinematography: Josh Cassidy Producer/editor/animator: Anastasiya Bulavkina Producer: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 9 min
Why Don't Other Animals Use Glasses?
Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Check out The Great Courses Plus: http://ow.ly/OE9y301cRfI Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Get yourself an awesome IOTBS shirt! http://dftba.com/besmart This is a cool old movie from 1941 about how the eye works: https://archive.org/details/0586_How_the_Eye_Functions_E00456_04_22_16_00 Dive deeper into the physics of vision correction with Michel van Biezen: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX2gX-ftPVXXf2ZaG_1SXAYbVcifI6gvr Myopia boom in modern times: http://www.nature.com/news/the-myopia-boom-1.17120 Limits to human vision: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11019869 ---- Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment or check us out at the links below! Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/okaytobesmart http://twitter.com/jtotheizzoe Follow on Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtotheizzoe Follow on Snapchat: YoDrJoe ----------------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Follow me on Twitter: @jtotheizzoe Produced by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios Music via APM Stock images from SciencePhoto http://www.sciencephoto.com/ and Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Stock footage from Videoblocks (unless otherwise noted) http://www.videoblocks.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 7 min
How Artist Claude Monet Was Sort Of Like a Honeybee
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ The famous painter who was half-honeybee Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Claude Monet had a very unique eye, and it can teach us a bit about the science of vision More reading: Monet's Eye at Download the Universe: http://www.downloadtheuniverse.com/dtu/2012/04/monets-ultraviolet-eye.html Simulation of Monet's Cataracts: http://archopht.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=418859#MONET More: http://petapixel.com/2012/04/17/the-human-eye-can-see-in-ultraviolet-when-the-lens-is-removed/ http://www.skepticalartist.com/2013/06/25/claude-monet-and-ultraviolet-light-did-the-master-impressionist-painter-have-uv-supervision/ Music: Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variations (From The Open Goldberg Variations, by Kimiko Ishizaka ----------------- Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment below! Follow me on Twitter: @jtotheizzoe Email me: itsokaytobesmart AT gmail DOT com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart For more awesome science, check out: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Joe Hanson - Host and writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen Inc Kate Eads - Associate Producer Katie Graham - Director of Photography Andrew Matthews - Editor and motion graphics John Knudsen - Gaffer Produced for PBS Digital Studios ----------- Last week's video: The Science of Snowflakes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUot7XSX8uA More videos: The Universe In A Glass of Wine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3_n7TDL7lc Why We Cook: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wpfwu__PF7Y Ghosts of Evolution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWW5OuxlKec Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 10 min
Amazing Facts About Whales!
Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Whales are INCREDIBLE! Check out #BigBlueLive: http://pbs.org/bigbluelive Tweet ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSwhales Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSwhalesFB ↓ More info and sources below ↓ PBS and BBC are teaming up to bring you an incredible LIVE nature broadcast direct from Monterey Bay, California called BIG BLUE LIVE. In late summer, thousands and thousands of ocean animals come together here, in one of the richest ecosystems on Earth. We'll be bringing you a week of videos direct from Monterey Bay all about this incredible place and the biology it holds Big Blue Live airs nightly on PBS 8/31-9/2 at 8 PM ET Big Blue Live airs on BBC One 8/23 (7PM), 8/27 (8 PM), 8/30 (7 PM) More info here: pbs.org/bigbluelive facebook.com/PBS facebook.com/BBCBigBlueLive Follow Joe during Big Blue Live! Twitter/Periscope: @jtotheizzoe @okaytobesmart Snapchat: YoDrJoe Instagram: @jtotheizzoe Facebook: facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart (Whale illustrations by Nobu Tamura/CC-BY-3.0) Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment or check us out at the links below! Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/okaytobesmart http://twitter.com/jtotheizzoe Follow on Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtotheizzoe Follow on Snapchat: YoDrJoe ----------------- It's Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.DFollow me on Twitter: @jtotheizzoe Email me: itsokaytobesmart AT gmail DOT com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart For more awesome science, check out: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Produced by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Producer Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics/Animation Katie Graham - Camera John Knudsen - Gaffer Theme music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Other music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock, stock footage from Videoblocks (unless otherwise noted) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 8 min
Do Fish Pee?
You can learn more at https://curiositystream.com/smart SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ You know you’ve wondered. Do fish actually pee? And what does that make the ocean… one big toilet? ----------- FOLLOW US: Twitter: @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart Instagram: @DrJoeHanson Merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart SEND US STUFF: It’s Okay To Be Smart PO Box 303356 Austin, TX 78703 USA BOOKS WE’VE FEATURED: http://smart-books.tumblr.com/ ----------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Director: Joe Nicolosi Writer: Sarah Keartes Creative Director: David Schulte Editor/animator: Derek Borsheim and Sara Roma Producers: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 5 min
You Are A Topsy-Turvy Lobster
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Here's why you aren't built like a lobster. Our bodies are mirror images of lobsters and other arthropods from back to belly. We've know since the early 19th century that our guts and nervous systems are inverted from theirs, but only recently has molecular biology shown us why. Here's the evolutionary tale about a worm doing the backstroke and why your guts are on your front. This is part 2 of 3 in my series about how our bodies evolved to look like they do. Check out the others: Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdNE4WygyAk Part 3 - Coming Friday! More info: Dorsoventral inversion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inversion_(evolutionary_biology) Geoffrey Saint-Hilaire: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89tienne_Geoffroy_Saint-Hilaire Common animal body plan between protostomes and deuterostomes: http://www.hhmi.ucla.edu/derobertis/EDR_MS/Evo-Devo_page/EVO-DEVO.html How we know that our body plan came later: http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/01/12/hemichordate-evodevo/ Step by step along the evolutionary tree: http://tolweb.org/Bilateria/2459 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilateria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuterostome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protostome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urochordata http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chordate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cephalochordata http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnathostomata Evolutionary timeline of vertebrates: http://www.utexas.edu/news/2008/03/03/tree/ Joe Hanson - Host and writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer Katie Graham - Director of Photography Andrew Matthews - Editor and motion graphics John Knudsen - Gaffer Music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Stock images via Shutterstock Produced by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios ----------- Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 9 min
Why Nature Loves Hexagons
Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Follow me to Infinite Series for 4-Dimensional Bees! https://youtu.be/X8jOxEGVyPo Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ From spirals to spots to fractals, nature is full of interesting patterns. Many of these patterns even resemble geometric shapes. One of the most common? Hexagons. Why do we see this six-sided shape occur so many times in nature? This week we explore why hexagons are so common in the natural world, from honeycomb to bubbles to rocks, and what their mathematics, physics, and biology may have in common. ----------- READ MORE: D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson. (1917) “On Growth and Form” Ball, Philip. (2009). “Shapes: nature's patterns: a tapestry in three parts.” OUP Oxford. Karihaloo, B. L., Zhang, K., & Wang, J. (2013). Honeybee combs: how the circular cells transform into rounded hexagons. Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 10(86), 20130299. Hofmann, Martin, et al. "Why hexagonal basalt columns?." Physical review letters 115.15 (2015): 154301. Aydin, Atilla, and James M. DeGraff. "Evolution of polygonal fracture patterns in lava flows." Science 239.4839 (1988): 471-476. Hayashi, Takashi, and Richard W. Carthew. "Surface mechanics mediate pattern formation in the developing retina." Nature 431.7009 (2004): 647. Kim, Sangwoo, et al. "Hexagonal Patterning of the Insect Compound Eye: Facet Area Variation, Defects, and Disorder." Biophysical journal 111.12 (2016): 2735-2746. ----------- FOLLOW US: Merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter: @okaytobesmart @DrJoeHanson Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Instagram: @DrJoeHanson Snapchat: YoDrJoe ----------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Director: Andrew Matthews Writer: Joe Hanson Producer/editor/animator: Andrew Matthews Producer: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 19 min
Does Someone Else Have Your Face? Doppelgängers Explained!
To learn more about Brilliant, check out https://brilliant.org/BeSmart/ SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ They say everyone has a doppelgänger, but is that really true? This week we meet a young woman who found her own look-alike, and figure out how we actually recognize faces. TEST YOUR FACE MEMORY! Cambridge Memory Test http://bit.ly/2Gh0UXo Thorn Child Finder Challenge http://bit.ly/2QQxmnp Acknowledgements: Dr. Teghan Lucas, University of New South Wales Dr. Martin Eimer, Cambridge University Dr. Michael Sheehan, Cornell University Amanda Green (her real Instagram is @4mandagreen) Ruben van der Dussen/Thorn Cheng et al. (2017). The Code for Facial Identity in the Primate Brain. Cell 169, 6 (1013-1028. http://dx.doi.org./10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.011 Huckenbeck (2013). Identification of the Living. University Clinic Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany. Elsevier Ltd. Johnson et al. (1991) Newborns’ preferential tracking of face-like stimuli and its subsequent decline. Cognition. 40(1-2):1-19. Lucas et al. (2016). Comparing the face to the body, which is better for identification? International Journal of Legal Medicine. 130(2):533-40 DOI 10.1007/s00414-015-1158-6 Lucas et al. (2015). Are human faces unique? A metric approach to finding single individuals without duplicates in large samples. Forensic Science International 257 514.e1–514.e6 Parr (2011) The evolution of face processing in primates. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. 366, 1571. DOI https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2010.0358 Robertson et al. (2016). Unfamiliar face recognition : Security, surveillance and smartphones. The Journal of the Homeland Defense and Security Information Analysis Center. (14-21). Thomas (2013). Forensic Anthropology of the Living. Human Skeleton In Forensic Medicine (408-435). ----------- FOLLOW US: Twitter: @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart Instagram: @DrJoeHanson Merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart SEND US STUFF: It’s Okay To Be Smart PO Box 303356 Austin, TX 78703 USA BOOKS WE’VE FEATURED: http://smart-books.tumblr.com/ ----------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Director: Joe Nicolosi Writer: Sarah Keartes Creative Director: David Schulte Editor/animator: Derek Borsheim and Sara Roma Producers: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 12 min
Are We Living Through the Sixth Extinction?
This time, we're the asteroid. Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Read "The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert: http://amzn.to/1xGKn0K Rodolfo Dirzo et al. "Defaunation in the Anthropocene" http://bit.ly/1H7JQdw Stuart Pimm et al. "Biodiversity of Species and Their Rates of Extinction" http://bit.ly/1A5UZJM Get to know an endangered species: http://discover.iucnredlist.org/ Half of world's wildlife has died off in past 40 years: http://bit.ly/1BHl8jR Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment below! Produced for PBS Digital Studios Joe Hanson - Host/Writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen Inc Kate Eads - Associate Producer Katie Graham - Director of Photography Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics Dalton Allen - Post-production intern John Knudsen - Gaffer Theme music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Stock images by Shutterstock ----------- Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 9 min
The Curious Physics That Makes Hurricanes So Powerful
Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate The physics of the perfect storm… Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Learn more/references: “Divine Wind: The History and Science of Hurricanes” by Kerry Emanuel http://amzn.to/2aUY7P7 Japan’s “kamikaze” winds may have been real: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/11/141104-kamikaze-kublai-khan-winds-typhoon-japan-invasion/ “El huracán, su mitología y sus símbolos” Fernando Ortiz http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/60338937 “Sea of Storms: A History of Hurricanes in the Greater Caribbean from Columbus to Katrina” Stuart B. Schwartz http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10324.html Emanuel, Kerry. "Tropical cyclones." Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 31.1 (2003): 75. Knutson, Thomas R., et al. "Tropical cyclones and climate change." Nature Geoscience 3.3 (2010): 157-163. “Hurricane Force” Roger Smith 2006 Phys. World 19 (6) 32 Could we nuke a hurricane? http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/C5c.html ---------------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from SciencePhoto http://www.sciencephoto.com/ and Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 4 min
Where Does the Aroma of Rain Originate?
I smell a science storm a-comin'!! ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub References: "Nature of Argillaceous Odor" (1964) http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v201/n4923/abs/201993a0.html "Petrichor and Plant Growth" (1965) http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v207/n5004/abs/2071415a0.html Human nose can detect a trillion smells http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/03/human-nose-can-detect-trillion-smells Petrichor and fish spawning http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1974.tb04518.x/abstract Camels seek out wet soil smells http://www.theguardian.com/science/2003/mar/06/science.research Chemistry of petrichor: http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i18/Scent-Rain-Strands-Honey.html http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com/post/85815194542/compoundchem-the-third-graphic-in-the-aroma http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/storm-scents-smell-rain/ Joe Hanson - Host and writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer Katie Graham - Camera Editing/Motion Graphics - Andrew Matthews Gaffer - John Knudsen Theme music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Stock images via Shutterstock Produced for PBS Digital Studios ----------- Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Showing 241–260 of 316 episodes