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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

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  • August 24 · 7 min

    The Odds of Discovering Life and Romance

    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 ↓ A cosmic love story, starring a guy named Carl Sagan Click here to SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! -- http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Love is a complicated combination of brain chemicals and behavior that scientists are only just beginning to figure out. And it's remarkable that in every society that we have looked at on Earth, romantic love exists. So if love is so universal, and there are 7 billion other people out there looking for it, why can it seem like it's so hard to find? In this episode, we'll look at what we can learn about the search for love from the search for extraterrestrial life. We'll start with Enrico Fermi's paradox of why we haven't been contacted by any extraterrestrials yet, and then at Frank Drake's equation to estimate the number of civilizations that might exist in our galaxy (updated with current numbers). Finally, we'll meet a young lady named Ann and see if we can calculate how many special someones there might be out there for her. It's a cosmic love story! References for this episode: http://dft.ba/-4bBW Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment below! Written and hosted by Joe Hanson Produced by Painted On Productions (http://www.paintedon.com/) Clips from this episode: Carl Sagan - All the -illions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZmafy... Music from this episode: Johnny Ripper's "Family." http://freemusicarchive.org/music/joh... ----------- 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

  • August 24 · 8 min

    Why Salt & Pepper Became Fixtures On Every Table

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Join the #AnythingButPepper movement! Tweet this video ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSsp Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSspFB ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Get yourself an awesome IOTBS shirt! http://dftba.com/besmart “Salt: A World History” by Mark Kurlansky http://amzn.to/29vj9m4 “Pepper: A History of the World’s Most Influential Spice” by Marjorie Shaffer http://amzn.to/29BORCW ---------------- 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

  • August 24 · 7 min

    How An Igloo Protects You From Cold

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Building a perfect igloo takes cool science! Don’t miss the next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ If you ever find yourself stranded in the snowy Arctic (or bored in Minecraft), you’re gonna need to know how to build an igloo. But how can building a house made of ice keep you warm? The science behind building an igloo is the same reason that otters and reindeer don't freeze to death! LEARN MORE: There really ARE 50 Eskimo words for snow: http://wapo.st/2iwThf3 PBS Idea Channel - An Infinite Number of Words for Snow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX6i2M4AoZw Why there’s no such thing as cold: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akd7MMRKDwc How early humans settled the Arctic: https://uaf.edu/files/olli/Denbigh-Slides_lowres.pdf How to build a scientifically perfect igloo: http://www.popsci.com/how-to-build-an-igloo It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter: @okaytobesmart @DrJoeHanson Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Instagram: @DrJoeHanson 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

  • August 24 · 8 min

    CHAOS: Why It's So Hard To Foresee the Weather

    Why is the weatherperson wrong? Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ What is El Niño? Why can’t we predict the weather? Just a few slight changes in global climate patterns can drastically shift the weather. Thanks to chaos theory, even our smartest meteorologists can’t predict weather correctly. Cool demonstration of the Butterfly Effect: http://www.exploratorium.edu/complexity/java/lorenz.html 2:20 El Niño graph by Jan Null: http://ggweather.com/enso/oni.htm 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 ----------------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Follow me on Twitter: @DrJoeHanson 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 Inc. Kate 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

  • August 24 · 7 min

    How Many Odors Can You Smell?

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate How do we smell? Great! Thanks for asking! Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DrJoeHanson Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/DrJoeHanson We walk through life led by our noses. Literally. Because they're on the front of our faces. The sense of smell might be one of the oldest, but how does the science of smell work? How sensitive are our noses? Why are smell-related memories so vivid? How many different smells could we possibly smell? Find out in this week's It's Okay To Be Smart! Check out this amazing essay on smell from Lewis Thomas (1980), it's a beautiful piece of science writing: http://cplab.net/heap/on-smell/ Evolution of human olfactory receptor genes: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC218742/ Pseudogenes in olfactory system: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12644552 The nose as an emotional time machine: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/science/05angier.html?_r=2& Smell memories are often the most vivid: http://aeon.co/magazine/psychology/why-is-food-so-potent-in-evoking-the-memories-of-childhood/ Sperm olfactory receptors: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16413109 How many smells can we smell? https://neuroecology.wordpress.com/2014/11/04/how-many-smells-can-a-smelly-person-smell-1-trillion-or-10/ http://www.sciencemag.org/content/343/6177/1370 You and Your Senses, starring Jiminy Cricket: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kxcy6uMVH74 Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment below! ----------------- It's Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D Email me: itsokaytobesmart AT gmail DOT com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart For more awesome science, check out: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Produced for PBS Digital Studios Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen Inc Kate Eads - Associate Producer Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics Katie Graham - Director of Photography John Knudsen - Gaffer Dalton Allen - Post-Production Intern Theme music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Other music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • August 24 · 9 min

    Your Salad Is Attempting To Murder You

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate The dose makes the poison… Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @jtotheizzoe @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ CORRECTION: @2:14 we showed the wrong Paul Ehrlich (guy on the left). Instead of Paul Ehrlich the German doctor, we meant to show Paul Ehrlich the biologist: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_R._Ehrlich Plants are the most important source of nutrients for pretty much all of Earth's animals, and many of the planet's bacteria and fungi too. Humans like them so much that we line them up in salad bars so we can feast upon their crunchy cronch by the plate full. But plants don't always want to be eaten, ya know? Here's a look at some of our favorite plant flavors and how they are actually a form of chemical warfare We owe caterpillars for spicy mustard: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/06/17/1503926112.abstract http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2015/0622-genetic-study-of-co-evolution-could-provide-clues-to-better-food-production/ Overview of plant chemical defenses and what we use them for in the kitchen: http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/topics/Pages/OverviewOfPlantDiseases.aspx 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 ----------------- 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 Google+ https://plus.google.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 ----------------- More videos: Why Does February Have 28 Days? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgKaHTh-_Gs Why Vaccines Work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aNhzLUL2ys Why Are Some People Left-Handed? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPvMUpcxPSA Where Does the Smell of Rain Come From? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGcE5x8s0B8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • August 24 · 17 min

    Space is Overflowing with Junk. Here's How to Clean It Up…

    Join our Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ We know pollution is a problem on earth, but we’re filling space with our junk too. And if we don’t figure out a way to clean up space junk, we could end our interstellar dreams before they even get started. Today, we’re visiting some cool engineers in Switzerland to learn about the space junk problem and the giant space claw that might be the perfect solution. References: https://sites.google.com/view/space-junk-references/home Filmed at ClearSpace - Lausanne, Canton Vaud, Switzerland ----------- High fives to all our Brain Trust Patrons: Ed Eyden Jennifer Burton Charles Horton, Jr Holly, Brett, and Ashe Bullion Jaap Westera Mehdi Damou Barbora Bei Burt Humburg dani bowman David Johnston Baerbel Winkler Eric Meer Karen Haskell Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • August 24 · 25 min

    Traffic Lights Are So Much Weirder Than You Realize

    Thank you to Squarespace for supporting PBS. Go to https://www.squarespace.com/besmart for a free trial and use code BESMART to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Why are stop lights red? The common explanation about red light traveling farther through fog is actually wrong. The real story involves early railroads, deadly accidents, an exploding gas traffic light, forgotten inventors, and even the evolution of primate color vision. Here’s how history and biology accidentally created the nearly perfect traffic signal. ____________________________________ Be Smart explores science questions you didn’t even know you wondered about. It is hosted and produced by Joe Hanson, PhD. We post new videos all the time, so please subscribe! If you enjoyed this video, hit the ‘like’ button, leave a comment, or watch another of our videos! CONNECT WITH ME ____________________________________ Website: https://www.itsokaytobesmart.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart/ https://www.instagram.com/drjoehanson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/itsokaytobesmart High fives to all our Brain Trust Patrons: Baerbel Winkler, Brent Lopez, dani bowman, David Johnston, Ed Eyden, Eric Meer, Holly, Brett, and Ashe Bullion, Jaap Westera, Karen Haskell, Marcus Pingel, Mike and Patty Loftis, Olivia Ruiz, Paul Weir, Reuben Brewer SPONSORSHIP INQUIRIES ____________________________________ Please email biz@itsokaytobesmart.com Stock video and images provided by Shutterstock, Artlist, and MotionArray Music provided by APM Written by Joe Hanson Edited by PW Shelton Produced by Least Square Media and Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • August 24 · 9 min

    The Largest River On Earth Is In The Sky

    Learn more about your personal DNA story by going to https://23andMe.com/okay SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ What’s the largest river on Earth? If you said “the Amazon”… you’re only half right. Scientists have discovered an even bigger river in South America, and it’s in the sky above the Amazon rainforest. Turns out, this sky river is the reason there’s a rainforest at all… REFERENCES: Dr. Scot T. Martin, Gordon McKay Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering and Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University. Dr. Antonio Donato Nobre, National Institute for Space Research, Brazil. Centro de Ciência do Sistema Terrestre TED Talk: “The Magic of the Amazon, a river that flows invisibly all around us.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01jYiXbpnoE “The Future Climate of Amazon.” Scientific Assessment Report. Articulación Regional Amazônica (2014). Sao Jose dos Campos – SP Edition ARA, CCST-INPE e INPA Andreae et al. “Biogeochemical cycling of carbon, water, energy, trace gases, and aerosols in Amazonia: The LBA‐EUSTACH experiments.” Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (2002). https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JD000524 Dettinger, M. D., Ralph, F. M., Das, T., Neiman, P. J., & Cayan, D. R. (2011). Atmospheric rivers, floods and the water resources of California. Water, 3(2), 445-478. Pöhlker, C., Wiedemann, K. T., Sinha, B., Shiraiwa, M., Gunthe, S. S., Smith, M., ... & Elbert, W. (2012). Biogenic potassium salt particles as seeds for secondary organic aerosol in the Amazon. Science, 337(6098), 1075-1078. https://authors.library.caltech.edu/34067/2/Pohlker.SM.pdf Ter Steege, H., Pitman, N. C., Sabatier, D., Baraloto, C., Salomão, R. P., Guevara, J. E., ... & Monteagudo, A. (2013). Hyperdominance in the Amazonian tree flora. Science, 342(6156), 1243092. ----------- 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: 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

  • August 24 · 21 min

    I Tried Eating Bugs… Here's What I Learned

    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 ↓ Follow me to The Brain Scoop: https://youtu.be/6vOzt-YQjIA We’re on PATREON now! Join the community ►► https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub People say insects are the food of the future. They’re more environmentally sustainable and more humane than other sources of animal protein. Can they really catch on in western diets? I’m a pretty adventurous eater, but I’ve never actually tried edible insects. So when I got invited to an edible insect Thanksgiving feast, I had to say yes. Along the way I learned that eating bugs isn’t really that new for humans, and that this really could be a delicious food we all eat in the near future. References: Lesnik, Julie J. “Edible Insects and Human Evolution”. University Press of Florida, 2018. Special guests: Kyle Hill - @sci_phile https://www.youtube.com/becausescience Julie J. Lesnik, PhD - @julielesnik Aly Moore - @bugible Special thanks to our chefs: Paul Buchanan - @primalalchemy Lindsay Smith - @the.seeds.of.change Melissa Ortiz - @meli_rose Ofelia Rivera - @GrannykitchenLove Alex Aviles - @soilent_grn Renate Boronowsky - @renatebakes Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons: AlecZero Bob Rosset Brent M. Diego Lombeida Sony Varghese ----------- 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

  • August 24 · 8 min

    What’s The Hottest Hot and Coldest Cold?

    Want more cool physics? Check out Physics Girl! http://youtube.com/physicsgirl Be cool and SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ The hottest and coldest temperatures in our universe are rarely witnessed, but in these rare spots, our understanding of physics is challenged. Weird things happen at extreme hot and absolute cold. References: Clark, J. B., Lecocq, F., Simmonds, R. W., Aumentado, J., & Teufel, J. D. (2017). Sideband cooling beyond the quantum backaction limit with squeezed light. Nature, 541(7636), 191. An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, 2nd ed, Bradley W Carroll and Dale A Ostlie, 2006. An Introduction to Thermal Physics, Daniel Schroeder, 1999. ----------- 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: Mara Johnson-Groh 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

  • August 24 · 8 min

    Which Came First - Blossoms or Bees?

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Stop and smell the flowers… and watch this video Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @jtotheizzoe @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Bees and flowers have an amazingly close relationship. Flowers need bees in order to reproduce, and bees need flowers to feed their colonies. Take away one, and the other would disappear too. It begs the question: When it comes to evolution, which came first, the bees or the flowers? Book recommendation: "A Sting in the Tale" by Dave Goulson, a great scientific and cultural history of bees http://amzn.to/1BcytS5 Special thanks to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, TX for letting us hang out with their bees and flowers! https://www.wildflower.org/ More info/sources: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-beguiling-history-of-bees-excerpt/ http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/38733/title/On-The-Origin-of-Flowers/ http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141017-how-flowers-conquered-the-world http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/prehistoric-world/big-bloom/ 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 ----------------- 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 Google+ https://plus.google.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 - Associate Producer Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics/Animation Katie Graham - Director of Photography John Knudsen - Gaffer Theme music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Other music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock, stock footage from Videoblocks ----------------- Last week's video: The Energy Series! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsmqeqKj7M-q499mOUvNa3iRreFBzxaQx More videos: Why Does February Have 28 Days? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgKaHTh-_Gs Why Vaccines Work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aNhzLUL2ys Why Are Some People Left-Handed? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPvMUpcxPSA Where Does the Smell of Rain Come From? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGcE5x8s0B8​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • August 24 · 9 min

    What Has New Horizons Disclosed About Pluto?

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Pluto's not just cool… it's ICE COLD Tweet ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSpluto Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSplutoFB ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Since New Horizons flew by Pluto on July 14, 2015, it's completely redefined what we know about the dwarf planet and its largest moon Charon. New Horizons' mission will continue to be full of surprises, but here's what we've learned so far T-SHIRTS! http://dftba.com/besmart Unless otherwise noted, all images and animations courtesy of NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI MORE NEW HORIZONS STUFF: Calculate your Pluto time: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/plutotime/ New Horizons image gallery: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/images/index.html Planetary Society New Horizons news: http://www.planetary.org/blogs/blog-archive.html?keywords=new-horizons Nadia Drake's excellent New Horizons coverage: http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/search/pluto Pluto and Charon are weird: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/07/150715-pluto-flyby-photos-pictures-closeup-space/ What kind of ices are on Pluto? http://space.io9.com/the-ice-of-pluto-is-more-diverse-than-we-realized-1717986243 Pluto's hazy atmosphere: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-new-horizons-team-finds-haze-flowing-ice-on-pluto Geologic features of Pluto and Charon: http://space.io9.com/were-actively-creating-the-geekiest-world-in-the-univer-1721448557 What are tholins? Why Pluto looks red: http://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-blogs/2015/0722-what-in-the-worlds-are-tholins.html Pluto's other moons, Nix and Hydra: http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/new-horizons-captures-two-of-plutos-smaller-moons/ Pluto's family portrait: http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/space-images/small-bodies/pluto-system-family-portrait.html Dwarf planets of the solar system: http://www.space.com/18584-dwarf-planets-solar-system-infographic.html Catalog of unusual "minor planet objects" in solar system: http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/Unusual.html ----------- 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/ Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Producer Stephen Bohls - 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​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • August 23 · 8 min

    How These Ants Swept Across the U.S. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

    And how we're fighting back! 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 Special thanks to Dr. Rob Plowes from the University of Texas at Austin fire ant research lab for letting us come film their ants and phorid flies: http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/fireant/Research%20Program.html If you want to learn everything there is to know about fire ants, read "The Fire Ants" by Walter R. Tschinkel http://amzn.to/1U8jz1S Check your local library! https://www.worldcat.org/title/fire-ants/oclc/64379652 Rachel Carson - "Silent Spring" http://amzn.to/20QwWbM Fire ant raft - Matt Bennett https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA-e65i3bDs Fire ant escape rafts - Company of biologists https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxjT99l0mqw ---- 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/drjoehanson Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/DrJoeHanson ----------------- 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

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