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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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  • October 14 · 18 min

    The Truth About Butterfly Metamorphosis (It's INCREDIBLY ODD)

    Check out @crashcourse Botany! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2th5lAd-77A ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Does any other creature on Earth undergo a life transformation as dramatic as the butterfly? I think not. Unfortunately, children's books about very hungry caterpillars skip all the COOL and WEIRD and GROSS stuff that happens along the way. It's time to dig into all the mind-blowing biology behind metamorphosis! Filmed on location at the California Academy of Sciences 0:00 We were lied to as kids 1:48 Metamorphosis is more common than you think 3:36 It starts with an egg 4:46 Eat/Poop/Grow 6:05 Busting the biggest butterfly myth of all 7:23 Time to take your skin off 8:40 Inside the "sack of magic" 11:08 Metamorphosis,… metamorphosis everywhere 11:55 Why do butterflies do this? 13:42 Sign up for our Patreon! High fives to all our Brain Trust Patrons: Holly, Brett, and Ashe Bullion Jaap Westera Millennial Glacier Mehdi Damou Barbora Bei Burt Humburg dani bowman David Johnston Baerbel Winkler Robert Young Eric Meer Dustin Karen Haskell 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

  • October 13 · 16 min

    A Brief (Scientific) History of Butts

    Thank you to Morning Brew for supporting PBS. To learn more, head over to https://bit.ly/mbokaytobesmart We're on PATREON! Join the community ►► https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Uploaded 30-06-21 Hold on to your butts. This episode is about… butts. The science and evolutionary history of your rear end, the down-low on your derriere, shining a little light where the sun don't shine… you get the picture. But(t) seriously, we don't talk about this all-important hole enough, and how, from an evolutionary perspective, it might be the most important orifice on your body. References: https://sites.google.com/view/briefhistoryofbutts-references/home ----------- Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons: DeliciousKashmiri Mario Orso Brian Chang Roy Lasris Javier Soto dani bowman David Johnston Zenimal Salih Arslan Baerbel Winkler Robert Young Amy Sowada Benjamin Teinby Eric Meer Peter Ehrnstrom Dustin Marcus Tuepker Karen Haskell AlecZero SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 13 · 15 min

    How Ancient Ice Proves Climate Change Is 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 ↓ Uploaded 07-10-19 Earth’s climate is changing in a big way, and it’s because there's more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than at any point in our species’ history. But Earth’s climate has changed before. How do we know that this time we’re the cause? We know thanks to tiny bubbles of ancient atmosphere trapped in ice. #climatechange #globalwarming Thanks to Dr. Jeff Severinghaus and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography References: https://sites.google.com/view/ice-cores-climate-change/home Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons: AlecZero Bob Rosset Brent M. Diego Lombeida ----------- 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 13 · 9 min

    How The Placebo Effect Influences Your Brain

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate This episode is brought to you by Dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/ Tweet ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSplacebos Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSplaceboFB ↓ More info and sources below ↓ How does the placebo effect work? Here's how your brain tricks itself when it comes to medicine Follow me to Reactions to learn what is (and isn’t) in those vitamin supplements: https://youtu.be/9gQoG0AT3kY We’ve got t-shirts! Get yours here: http://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart References: Niemi, M. B. (2009). Placebo Effect: A Cure in the Mind: Scientific American.Placebo Effect: A Cure in the Mind: Scientific American. Price, D. D., Finniss, D. G., & Benedetti, F. (2008). A comprehensive review of the placebo effect: recent advances and current thought. Annu. Rev. Psychol.,59, 565-590. Finniss, D. G., Kaptchuk, T. J., Miller, F., & Benedetti, F. (2010). Biological, clinical, and ethical advances of placebo effects. The Lancet, 375(9715), 686-695. Marchant, J. (2015). Strong placebo response thwarts painkiller trials. Nature News http://www.nature.com/news/strong-placebo-response-thwarts-painkiller-trials-1.18511 Dr. Ben Goldacre's book "Bad Science" http://amzn.to/1TZ5WUE Harold Pashler "Encyclopedia of the Mind" http://amzn.to/1HT7RJ4 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.D. 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 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

  • October 13 · 9 min

    Einstein Is (Basically) Always Right: Gravitational Waves Edition

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Try Squarespace: http://squarespace.com/itsokaytobesmart Tweet this ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSgr Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSgrFB ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Check out this PBS Space Time playlist all about general and special relativity: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsPUh22kYmNAmjsHke4pd8S9z6m_hVRur Physics Girl explains gravitational waves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrduBZ319XI LIGO’s gravitational waves converted into sound (from the end of video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWqhUANNFXw 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.D. 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 Produced by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigita... Music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock, stock footage from Videoblocks (unless otherwise noted)​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 13 · 11 min

    What Is A Dinosaur And What Isn’t a Dinosaur?

    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 ↓ Uploaded 23-06-20 We’re on PATREON! Join the community ►► https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub There’s a lot of confusion out there about what is and isn’t a dinosaur. And you’d be forgiven for being kinda confused. Maybe paleontologists are just messing with us. Or… maybe the question of what is and isn’t a dinosaur goes deeper than we think? Well, like an intrepid fossil hunter, I set out to dig up an answer, and what I found teaches us a lesson about how hard it is to build a picture of the past when you only have a few puzzle pieces and a lot about why we classify things the way we do. "The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs" by Dr. Steve Brusatte https://amzn.to/2Nndyoj "Scrotum Humanum" comes from Brookes, R. (Richard). (1763). A new and accurate system of natural history ... London: Printed for J. Newbery. https://archive.org/details/newaccuratesyste05broo/page/n409/mode/2up Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons: AlecZero Diego Lombeida Dustin Ernesto Silva George Gladding Jay Stephens Marcus Tuepker Megan K Bradshaw Peter Ehrnstrom Ron Kakar vincbis 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 13 · 7 min

    Why do Trees Talk to Each Other?

    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 ↓ Uploaded 27-07-19 Why the forest is more than the trees SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Walk into any forest, and beneath your feet is an elaborate social network that helps make life on Earth possible. It’s called the “Wood Wide Web”, a massive and intricate network of fungi that exchange water, nutrients, and chemical signals with the plants they’re living in a symbiotic relationship with. This network of fungi is essential to the health and function of forests and to controlling climate change itself. You’re about to look at fungi in a whole new way! #plants #fungi #woodwideweb SOURCES: https://sites.google.com/view/woodwideweb-references/home ----------- 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 https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Books from our episodes: http://smart-books.tumblr.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 13 · 6 min

    Why Is The Universe So Empty? (ft. PHD Comics!)

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Uploaded 26-09-17 A collaboration with Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson. Their book: http://www.WeHaveNoIdea.com Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Why is the universe organized the way it is? And why is it so empty? From planets and stars to superclusters and galactic filaments, the universe’s largest structures formed because of its smallest. In this special collaboration with PHD Comics, we’ll learn how the earliest, quantumest blips seeded the structure of everything everywhere. Special thanks to Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson! http://phdcomics.com/ @PHDcomics @DanielWhiteson ----------- READ MORE: Check out “We Have No Idea”: http://amzn.to/2yFfWyr We used visualizations from: NASA Goddard https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov The Aquarius Project http://wwwmpa.mpa-garching.mpg.de/aquarius/ ----------- 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: Joe Nicolosi Writer: Matt Caplan, Ph.D. Editor/animator: David Schulte Additional animation: Jorge Cham 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 13 · 11 min

    The Strange and Unexpected Reason Ice is Slippery

    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 ↓ Uploaded 17-12-19 Thank you to Nord VPN for supporting PBS. For more information go to: https://nordvpn.com/iotbs and use code: iotbs 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 I’m guessing you’re pretty familiar with ice. We use it in our drinks, slip on it, skate on it, worry about climate change melting it. But have you ever stopped to really think about this stuff? The freezing and melting of water affects so much of our world. It’s ice crystals in thunderclouds that create lightning. Ice is powerful enough crack boulders, float stones, and alter entire landscapes. Ice is such a common substance, you'd think we'd know everything about it by now. But it has some secrets and weird properties we’ve only just begun to figure out. One question about ice that's, still not totally answered, is one of the most obvious: why is ice slippery? It's a more complicated answer than it seems! References: https://sites.google.com/view/why-is-ice-slippery-references/home Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons: AlecZero Bob Rosset Brent M. Diego Lombeida Ron Kakar ----------- 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 13 · 7 min

    The Physics of Spacefaring Battles

    How scientifically accurate is your favorite sci-fi space battle? 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 Joseph Shoer has several extensive, in-depth articles on the physics of space warfare: http://josephshoer.com/blog/2009/12/thoughts-on-space-battles/ http://josephshoer.com/blog/2010/07/projecting-space-battle-physics/ Space warfare: Almost everything you know is probably wrong http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.100198-Space-Warfare-Almost-Everything-You-Know-Is-Probably-Wrong Is space warfare really practical? http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.846407-Is-space-warfare-really-practical-except-lasers Zero-g dogfighting for dummies: http://www.citizenstarnews.com/news/zero-g-dogfighting-dummies Projectile weapons vs. directed energy weapons: http://forum.gateworld.net/threads/17263-Projectile-Weapons-vs-Directed-Energy-Weapons Nukes in space: http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/spacegunconvent.php Effects of radiation weapons in space: http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/radiation.php#effects Could the Death Star really destroy a planet? http://www.universetoday.com/92746/could-a-death-star-really-destroy-a-planet/ "Sir Isaac Newton is the deadliest son of a b***h in space" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLpgxry542M Produced for PBS Digital Studios 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/Kirby Conn Gaffers - John Knudsen/Philip Sheldon 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

  • October 13 · 5 min

    What Causes Fire?

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate We've got T-SHIRTS! http://dftba.com/besmart Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Why does fire burn? What's the chemistry and physics of a flame? This week, learn about the beautiful science happening inside a flame! Michael Faraday's Christmas lectures on candle chemistry: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cocktail-party-physics/christmas-with-faraday-the-chemical-history-of-a-candle/ http://www.bartleby.com/30/7.html Flames in space: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/18jun_strangeflames/ Richard Feynman talking about fire: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com/post/27299255757/fun-with-feynman-fire-you-cant-help-but-smile 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

  • October 13 · 17 min

    The Dangerous Chemistry That Made Life Captivating

    We’re on PATREON! Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Life’s been around on Earth for at least 3.7 billion years. But for most of that time, it was incredibly boring — just simple little cells squirming around in water. It only got interesting in the last few hundred million years. And that might never have happened without the help of a deadly, but also life-giving, element. References: https://sites.google.com/view/great-oxygenation-references/home SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ----------- High fives to all our Brain Trust Patrons: Holly, Brett, and Ashe Bullion Jaap Westera Millennial Glacier Mark Littlehale Mehdi Damou Barbora Bei Burt Humburg dani bowman David Johnston Salih Arslan Baerbel Winkler Robert Young Eric Meer Dustin Karen Haskell 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/ This episode of Be Smart is licensed exclusively to YouTube.​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 13 · 9 min

    How Do Hot Air Balloons Float?

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate This episode is brought to you by Dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/ Tweet ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBShotair Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBShotairFB ↓ More info and sources below ↓ We uploaded another version of this video on 11/9 but it had a big mistake in it. So we fixed it. This version is full of 100% real science! Sorry for the error. In the interest of transparency, if you want to watch that wrong version and see what I was wrong about, here's the link: https://youtu.be/qR9hucj02u0 We’ve got t-shirts! Get yours here: http://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Special thanks to: The 2015 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta http://www.balloonfiesta.com/ Pilot Doug Gantt and the Ham-let balloon team http://www.whenpigsfly.bz/ 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.D. 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 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

  • October 13 · 7 min

    The Science of Farts

    You can learn more at https://curiositystream.com/smart Give us a hand and SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Uploaded 26-06-18 Farting is hilarious and gross and everyone is doing it so why can’t we talk about the science of it?! Flatulence, passing gas, cutting the cheese, toots… whatever you call it, it's natural and here's how it works. References: Does it Fart? By Nick Caruso and Dani Rabaiotti https://amzn.to/2IuJmmd https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1121900/ https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/humor/#IncThe ----------- 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 13 · 7 min

    Do Other Animals Grieve When Their Dead Pass? (ft. BrainCraft and Gross Science!)

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate This episode is brought to you by Dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/ Follow me to Gross Science: https://youtu.be/kRUt9pqMCSg and BrainCraft: https://youtu.be/Joalg73L_gw ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Tweet ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSmourn Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSmournFB We’ve got t-shirts! Get yours here: http://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Barbara J. King "How Animals Grieve" http://amzn.to/1MD7Jz5 References: Barbara J. King “When Animals Mourn” Scientific American http://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v309/n1/full/scientificamerican0713-62.html Jason G. Goldman “Death Rituals In The Animal Kingdom” http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120919-respect-the-dead Iain Douglas Hamilton “Behavioural reactions of elephants towards a dying and deceased matriarch” Applied Animal Behavior Science http://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591(06)00101-8/abstract Chimpanzees mourning dead infants: http://www.mpg.de/1071360/mourning_chimpanzee http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822%2810%2900218-6 (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM9GLhuPDXA) 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.D. 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 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

  • October 13 · 10 min

    MILLION Year-Old Spider and the Science of Silk Webs

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Don't miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Check it out: BrainCraft visits another MacArthur Genius! https://youtu.be/ewPeAFQWg3s ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Living things have engineered some pretty awesome materials, but I'm not sure anything measures up to spider silk. It's as strong, as stretchy, and as resilient than even humans' most advanced creations like Kevlar and steel. So how do these awesome arachnids weave such an incredible substance using nothing but their rear ends? And… what IS this stuff? I went to meet Dr. Cheryl Hayashi, one of the world's experts in spider silk, to find out. Special thanks to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation: https://www.macfound.org/ READ MORE: Brunetta, Leslie, and Catherine L. Craig. Spider silk: evolution and 400 million years of spinning, waiting, snagging, and mating. Yale University Press, 2010. Römer, Lin, and Thomas Scheibel. "The elaborate structure of spider silk." Prion (2008). ----------- 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: Joe Nicolosi Writer: Sarah Keartes Producer/editor/animator: David Schulte 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

  • October 13 · 16 min

    The Fastest Animals Are Way Faster Than You Think

    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 ↓ Uploaded 13-09-20 The fastest animal in nature isn't what you think it is. It's way, way smaller than that. Nature's tiniest creatures warp the laws of physics, and they do it in ways that even human engineers would gawk at. Using the power of super slow-motion macro video, let's uncover the biological engineering that lets nature's fastest creatures do their zoomy thing. @AntLab ►► https://www.youtube.com/user/adrianalansmith @physicsgirl ►► https://www.youtube.com/c/physicsgirl References: https://sites.google.com/view/fastest-animals-references/home We're on PATREON! Join the community ►► https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons: AlecZero Amory Silva Amy Sowada Baerbel Winkler Benjamin Teinby Denzel Holmes Diego Lombeida Dustin Eric Meer George Gladding Jay Stephens Karen Haskell Marcus Tuepker Megan K Bradshaw Peter Ehrnstrom Robert Young Salih Arslan Vincbis Zenimal 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 13 · 20 min

    Here's What I Learned From Getting COVID

    Thank you to Wren for supporting PBS. To learn more, go to https://wren.co/start/besmart We’re on PATREON! Join the community https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Uploaded 25-01-22 I’m vaccinated. I’m boosted. And I still got infected with the omicron variant of COVID-19. Here’s what I learned, and what it means for the possible end of this pandemic. References and sources: https://sites.google.com/view/be-smart-omicron-covid/home 0:00 Intro 1:16 What is Omicron? 2:23 Is Omicron more contagious? 4:31 What's different about Omicron? 5:42 Is Omicron less severe? 8:07 Are the vaccines ineffective? 9:55 What no one's saying about vaccines 11:34 Injection + Infection: Is "hybrid immunity" better? 13:46 Will Omicron end the pandemic? 15:41 Final thoughts ----------- Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons: Mehdi Damou Barbora Bei Ken Board The Clinger-Hamilton Family Attila Pix Burt Humburg DeliciousKashmiri Brian Chang Roy Lasris dani bowman David Johnston Salih Arslan Baerbel Winkler Robert Young Amy Sowada Eric Meer Dustin Karen Haskell AlecZero 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 13 · 7 min

    Did Dinosaurs Truly Become Extinct?

    Welcome to… Jurassic Pluck Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Most people are taught that dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago when a giant meteor crashed into the Yucatan peninsula. I'm here to tell you that's wrong. Dinosaurs are alive and well today, and you don't have to go to Jurassic World to see them (although hanging out with Chris Pratt would be cool) We have living dinosaurs all around us. We just call them "birds". Yes. Birds are dinosaurs. Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate The tetrapod playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsmqeqKj7M-oVnyE5_1x-dUFYHxLLQmRD Special thanks to Scott Hartman (http://www.skeletaldrawing.com/) for the great Deinonychus and Archaeopteryx illustrations More info/sources: Great Audubon article on dinosaur-bird evolution http://www.audubon.org/magazine/january-february-2015/which-came-first-dinosaur-or-bird Dig deeper with this hour-long Yale lecture by Dr. Richard Prum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao7Q8kOqjfs Dr. John Hutchinson's research on dinosaur/bird posture http://whatsinjohnsfreezer.com/2013/04/24/3d_dinosaurs/ Chickens wearing prosthetic tails, for science! http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0088458 T. rex had a wishbone: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/this-thanksgiving-make-a-wish-on-a-dinosaur-87598064/?no-ist Did prey grasping of dinosaurs evolve into bird flight stroke? http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/vertebrates/flight/aves.html Reconstructing dinosaur sounds http://www.sandia.gov/LabNews/LN12-19-97/dinosaur_story.html Great TED-Ed video on the evolution of feathers in dinosaurs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPLgfGX1I5Y Brian Switek on dinosaur feathers: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/science-nature/feathers-fuel-dinosaur-flight-debate-146139689/ What do birds see? http://www.nwf.org/news-and-magazines/national-wildlife/birds/archives/2012/bird-vision.aspx Tetrachromacy and feathers in dinosaurs: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/346/6208/416.short 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/DrJoeHanson Follow on Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/drjoehanson 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 Birds of paradise clips via PBS Nature​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 13 · 7 min

    This Rainforest Caterpillar Mirrors Donald Trump

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate They have some of the best caterpillars in Peru. The best. Follow all of our Peru adventures on this playlist: http://bit.ly/SmartPeru ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Special thanks to Andy Warren, David Pfennig, Alex Wild, and Gustavo Londoño for helpful discussions for this video! #mimicry #rainforest You should definitely be following Aaron Pomerantz: http://www.thenextgenscientist.com/ Twitter: @AaronPomerantz IG: @nextgenscientist Special thanks to Rainforest Expeditions for hosting us! Visit http://www.perunature.com/ Check out Deep Look for more awesome up-close science: https://www.youtube.com/user/KQEDDeepLook Cinerous mourner nest video courtesy of Dano Grayson: http://danograyson.com/ Cinerous mourner photos by Santiago David References: d'Horta, Fernando Mendonça, Guy M. Kirwan, and Dante Buzzetti. "Gaudy juvenile plumages of cinereous mourner (Laniocera hypopyrra) and Brazilian laniisoma (Laniisoma elegans)." The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 124.3 (2012): 429-435. Forbes, Peter. Dazzled and deceived: mimicry and camouflage. Yale University Press, 2011. http://amzn.to/2dE444Z Kikuchi, David W., and David W. Pfennig. "Predator cognition permits imperfect coral snake mimicry." The American Naturalist 176.6 (2010): 830-834. Londoño, Gustavo A., Duván A. García, and Manuel A. Sánchez Martínez. "Morphological and behavioral evidence of Batesian mimicry in nestlings of a lowland Amazonian bird." The American Naturalist 185.1 (2015): 135-141. Rabosky, Alison R. Davis, et al. "Coral snakes predict the evolution of mimicry across New World snakes." Nature communications 7 (2016). Savage, Jay M., and Joseph B. Slowinski. "The colouration of the venomous coral snakes (family Elapidae) and their mimics (families Aniliidae and Colubridae)." Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 45.3 (1992): 235-254. Thompson, Martin J., and Martijn JTN Timmermans. "Characterising the phenotypic diversity of Papilio dardanus wing patterns using an extensive museum collection." Plos one 9.5 (2014): e96815. Wickler, Wolfgang. Mimicry in Plants and Animals: Trans. by RD Martin. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1968. ---------------- 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: http://twitter.com/okaytobesmart http://twitter.com/DrJoeHanson Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/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

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