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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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Episodes 372

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  • Monday · 18 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 ↓ Uploaded 23-11-19 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Monday · 24 min

    These 9 Illusions Explain How Your Brain Creates Reality

    Thank you to Policygenius for supporting PBS. To learn more, go to https://Policygenius.com/BeSmart ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Uploaded 26-04-22 Optical illusions are fun, but they can also teach us a lot about how our brains work. In particular, how our brains accomplish the incredible feat of constructing a three-dimensional reality using nothing but 2-D images from our eyes. A young artist and psychology researcher named Adelbert Ames, Jr. developed a series of illusions that help us understand how this process of constructing reality actually works. Sometimes we need to be fooled in order to gain understanding. We'd like to acknowledge Dr. Phil Kellman from UCLA for his helpful discussions about the principles of spatial perception at play in these illusions https://kellmanlab.psych.ucla.edu/ Special thanks to Brian from Real Engineering for 3D printing the anamorphic cube for me! https://www.youtube.com/c/RealEngineering References used in this episode: https://sites.google.com/view/references-ames-illusions/home ----------- We’re on PATREON! Join the community https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons: Ali Freiburger Amy Sowada Attila Pix Baerbel Winkler Barbora Bei Burt Humburg Clinger-Hamilton Family dani bowman David Johnston DeliciousKashmiri Dustin Eric Meer Karen Haskell Ken Board Mehdi Damou Robert Young Roy Lasris Salih Arslan 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

  • Monday · 7 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

  • Monday · 7 min

    How Atom Bombs Can Help Us Detect Art Forgery

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Uploaded 02-01-18 Want more cool art videos? Check out The Art Assignment http://bit.ly/ArtAssnmt Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ It’s been estimated that 1 in 10 works of fine art are forged or misattributed. The truth is, no one really knows how much fake art is out there, because many art counterfeiters are so skilled that their paintings are almost indistinguishable from the real works. But even counterfeiters can’t beat physics! From atomic bomb remnants to ancient atoms, here’s some of the amazing ways that science can detect fake art. SOURCES: “The Scientist and the Forger: Insights into the Scientific Detection of Forgery in Paintings” by Jehane Ragai (2015) Ragai, J. (2013). The Scientific Detection of Forgery in Paintings. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 157(2), 164-175 ----------- 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: Matthew Caplan, Ph.D. Producer/editor/animator: Jordan Husmann 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

  • Monday · 15 min

    Fixing Daylight Saving Time Is THIS Easy

    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 10-03-20 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 Every year, hundreds of millions of people voluntarily turn their lives upside down by setting their clocks forward one hour in the spring and back one hour in the autumn on a particular date mandated by the government wherever they happen to live. Daylight saving time is a perfect example of how a few people with the best of intentions can end up annoying millions of the rest of us for the better part of a century. And it’s time we take an honest look at how we got to this place where half the world comes unstuck in time twice a year, and ask if the supposed advantages for springing forward and falling back still hold up! #daylightsavingtime #DST References: https://sites.google.com/view/fixing-daylight-saving-time/home My video about the invention of metric system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3eHHwcMVcA Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons: AlecZero Brent M. Diego Lombeida Ernesto Silva George Gladding Marcus Tuepker 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

  • Monday · 12 min

    I'm Uncertain How to Feel About 2023

    SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ 2023 was a wild year with everything from scorching temperatures to massive wildfires. Even with more renewable energy than ever, 2023’s climate data still seems really bad. So how should we think about climate change today? And what can we do about it? Learn what climate scientists think about 2023’s climate milestones, what the models tell us about the future of Earth’s climate, and how we can tackle climate doomerism. Join our Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart ----------- 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

  • Monday · 16 min

    Where Did Life Come From? (feat. PBS Space Time and Eons!)

    Follow us to PBS Space Time: https://youtu.be/GcfLZSL7YGw And Eons: https://youtu.be/pk213XSSktQ ↓↓↓ More origin of life info and sources below ↓↓↓ Uploaded 11-04-18 The origin of life is one of the most important mysteries in all of science. When did life begin? How did life first evolve from chemistry? Where did life get started? In some primordial soup or somewhere else? Let’s journey back to the origin of life, as best as we know it, from the RNA world do the last universal common ancestor of everything alive today. Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub REFERENCES: http://bit.ly/2HtuPZr ----------- FOLLOW US: Twitter: @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart Instagram: @DrJoeHanson Merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart 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: Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Creative Director: David Schulte Editor/animator: Karl Boettcher and Derek Borsheim 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

  • Monday · 6 min

    Reasons to be Upbeat (Thanks to Science!)

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Links to all these awesome stories below! Finish 2016 on a high note and 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 1. Gravitational waves: http://www.nature.com/news/gravitational-waves-1.19321 2. AlphaGo beats Lee Sedol: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/03/the-invisible-opponent/475611/ 3. CRISPR tested in a human: http://www.nature.com/news/crispr-gene-editing-tested-in-a-person-for-the-first-time-1.20988 4. Minimal synthetic organism: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/03/synthetic-microbe-lives-less-500-genes 5. SpaceX rocket landings: http://www.space.com/33461-spacex-rocket-landings-video-supercut.html 6. Closest known exoplanet: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1629/ 7. Alzheimer’s drug trial success: http://www.sciencealert.com/a-new-alzheimer-s-drug-just-hit-a-major-milestone-in-a-human-clinical-trial 8. Three-parent baby born: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2107219-exclusive-worlds-first-baby-born-with-new-3-parent-technique/ 9. Paris climate agreement goes into effect: https://www.wired.com/2016/12/2016-pivotal-year-war-climate-change/ 10. Antarctic ozone hole is healing: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-36674996 11. Ross Sea becomes largest marine protected area: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/ross-sea-marine-protected-area-antarctica/ 12. Giant pandas are no longer endangeredL http://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/giant-panda-no-longer-endangered 13. Wild tigers on the rise: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/160410-tiger-numbers-rise-wwf-conservation-double-population/ 14. Cool new species: http://www.livescience.com/54546-chewbacca-beetle-from-new-guinea.html http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/06/02/480437128/insect-named-for-ruth-bader-ginsburg-is-step-toward-equality-of-the-6-legged-sex http://www.livescience.com/55563-game-of-thrones-dragon-ant.html http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38325099 15. Casper the ghost octopus: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/03/06/check_out_ghost_like_octopus_dubbed_casper_that_could_be_new_species.html 16. Ghost shark filmed: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/12/pointy-nosed-blue-chimaeras-ghost-sharks/ 17. LIchen symbiosis decoded: http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/07/how-a-guy-from-a-montana-trailer-park-upturned-150-years-of-biology/491702/ 18. Jeremy the backwards snail finds a partner: http://www.wired.co.uk/article/snail-jeremy-left-handed-love 19. Solar powered plane flies around world: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/26/solar-impulse-plane-makes-history-completing-round-the-world-trip 20. New glasses for colorblind people: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601782/how-enchromas-glasses-correct-color-blindness/ 21. Juno mission updates: https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/ 22. Rosetta completes comet mission: http://gizmodo.com/watch-rosetta-s-entire-mission-to-a-comet-in-just-four-1790438586 23. Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko’s year in space: https://www.nasa.gov/content/a-year-in-space ---------------- 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/jtotheizzoe Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtotheizzoe Snapchat: YoDrJoe 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

  • Monday · 7 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

  • Monday · 11 min

    Ask Joe Matters #6

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Subscribe so we can hit 1 MILLION! http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Get yourself an awesome I DID A SCIENCE shirt! http://dftba.com/besmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ How far would ocean viruses stretch? http://www.virology.ws/2009/10/19/ten-cool-facts-about-viruses/ Follow Aaron Pomerantz! Twitter @AaronPomerantz YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHr0u7Jsktou2CFl2GhTxYA http://www.thenextgenscientist.com/ Videos referenced in this episode: Is Big Data Getting Too Big? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTMkc0bLRlI Musical Tesla Coils in Slow Motion! Featuring Physics Girl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGhNgeg9IAw Is Ultron Inevitable? Ft. Vsauce3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Irmtk5QG8s Could Planet Minecraft Actually Exist? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5N7d8mcQk4 Why Are You Multicellular? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdVc2J_OwDc The Most Important Moment in the History of Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf06MlX8yik Traveling Light (from Vsauce3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOoFkwj91pk Do Plants Think? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm6zfHzvqX4 Why Do We Have To Sleep? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mufsteNrTI Hurricanes: Engines of Destruction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtu2_ziBI_w I don’t know why anyone would want to read this, but here’s my dissertation: http://bit.ly/2cU8DuN ---------------- 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/jtotheizzoe Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtotheizzoe Snapchat: YoDrJoe 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

  • Monday · 9 min

    Are You Afraid of Holes?

    You can check out our sponsor LastPass here: http://bit.ly/2E9zcY6 SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Uploaded 27-02-19 Honeycomb. Strawberries. Flower pods. Some people find these things incredibly scary. We call this extreme fear trypophobia. But why does it exist? REFERENCES: http://bit.ly/2NvhWki ----------- FOLLOW US: Twitter: @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart Instagram: @DrJoeHanson Merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart 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: Berly McCoy, Ph.D. Creative Director: David Schulte Editors/animators: 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Monday · 4 min

    How Bees Can Observe the Invisible

    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 ↓ Bees see the world in some very interesting ways Click here to SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! -- http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub To begin this video, we launched a little confetti to celebrate the fact that I am now "Dr. Joe", since I successfully defended my Ph.D. in molecular biology! Woo! But you don't have to call me "Doctor." Anyway, spring is in the air!! We're all thawing out from winter's chill, and for bees and flowers this season is about one thing: Feeding and fertilizing. Bees are amazing social insects, and their relationship with flowers is one of nature's coolest examples of "mutualism". It got me wondering: How do bees see the world? Enjoy this look at how bees see in ultraviolet and even sense electric fields! References for this episode: http://dft.ba/-5Am1 Written and hosted by Joe Hanson Produced by Painted On Productions (http://www.paintedon.com/) Clips used: Louie Schwartzberg - The hidden beauty of pollination https://vimeo.com/27328081 Jay Woo - October 1st https://vimeo.com/50513099 Music: Edvard Grieg "Morning Mood" Special thanks to Klaus Schmitt for allowing us to use his awesome UV flower photos: All images used © Dr Schmitt, Weinheim Germany, http://uvir.eu ----------- 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

  • Monday · 8 min

    How Baby Sea Turtles Find Their Route Home

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate The cutest conservation story ever? Maybe. Do it for the turtles… 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 Special thanks to Dr. Donna Shaver and the Padre Island National Seashore Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery for having us! Andrés Herrera film courtesy of Dr. Thane Wibbels - University of Alabama at Birmingham References/Learn More: Bevan, E., et al. "Estimating the historic size and current status of the Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) population." Ecosphere 7.3 (2016). Johnsen, Sönke, and Kenneth J. Lohmann. "The physics and neurobiology of magnetoreception." Nature Reviews Neuroscience 6.9 (2005): 703-712. Lohmann, Kenneth J., Nathan F. Putman, and Catherine MF Lohmann. "Geomagnetic imprinting: a unifying hypothesis of long-distance natal homing in salmon and sea turtles." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences105.49 (2008): 19096-19101. Lohmann, Kenneth, and Catherine Lohmann. "Detection of magnetic inclination angle by sea turtles: a possible mechanism for determining latitude." Journal of Experimental Biology 194.1 (1994): 23-32. Putman, Nathan F., et al. "Evidence for geomagnetic imprinting as a homing mechanism in Pacific salmon." Current Biology 23.4 (2013): 312-316. Shaver, Donna J., and Charles W. Caillouet Jr. "Reintroduction of Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtle to Padre Island National Seashore, Texas and its connection to head-starting." Herpetological Conservation and Biology 10.1 (2015): 378-435. Ueda, H. "Physiological mechanisms of imprinting and homing migration in Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp." Journal of fish biology 81.2 (2012): 543-558. ---------------- 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/jtotheizzoe Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtotheizzoe Snapchat: YoDrJoe 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

  • Monday · 6 min

    Why Does Music Captivate Us?

    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 ↓ Why does music give us all the feels? Click here to SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! -- http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Why does music make us feel happy or sad? Or angry or romantic? How can simple sound waves cause so much emotion? I went from my comfy chair to the streets of Austin to investigate how it might be written into our neuroscience and evolution. Modern neuroscience says our brains may be wired to pick certain emotions out of music because they remind us of how people move! Humans are the only species we know that creates and communicate using music, but it's still unclear how or why we do that, brain-wise. Is it just a lucky side effect of evolution, like Steven Pinker says? Or is it a deeper part of our evolutionary history, as people like Mark Changizi and Daniel Levitin argue? New evolutionary science says that we may read emotion in music because it relates to how we sense emotion in people's movements. We'll take a trip from Austin to Dartmouth to Cambodia to hear why music makes us feel so many feels. The connections between movement and music go far beyond dance moves! Mike over at Idea Channel has a different opinion, head on over and check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWWYE4eLEfk References for this episode: http://dft.ba/-5ECR Special thanks to Dartmouth's Thalia Wheatley and Beau Sievers, who did the research. You can read more about it here: http://wheatlab.virb.com/dynamics http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/18/why-does-music-move-us-so/ Written and hosted by Joe Hanson Produced by Painted On Productions (http://www.paintedon.com/) ----------- 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

  • Monday · 6 min

    What's The Most Accomplished Species on Earth?

    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 ↓ Life. There's just so MUCH of it! Click here to SUBSCRIBE -- http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub There are now more than 7 billion human beings on Earth, and that got me wondering: How successful are we compared to other species? I take a look at out how our numbers stack up to some other domains of life. It turns out that biomass, or what things weigh, can be more important than how many of something there are. Find out how our numbers stack up against everything from bugs to bacteria, and get ready for some mind-blowing numbers! For more on the numbers in the video, check out the blog: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com/post/41790778768/episode-extra-life-by-the-numbers-how-do-we-know 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/) Music: Whalehawk: http://vimeo.com/musicstore/track/137257 Clips from this episode via: "Aspens" by Altitude Filmworks: http://vimeo.com/50345182 "Golden Aspen Meadow" by David Huting: http://vimeo.com/9695494 Red-billed queleas by Antero Topp: http://youtu.be/3_zLeu5n4yM Bacterial growth: http://youtu.be/gEwzDydciWc Dengue virus infection: http://youtu.be/0PUsdv1kDTc ----------- 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

  • Monday · 5 min

    My Afternoon With A Giant Pacific Octopus!

    Join the community ►► https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub More below: Joe went behind the scenes at Monterey Bay Aquarium to meet the Giant Pacific Octopus, a powerful and curious creature that challenges many of our notions of intelligence! ----------- 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

  • Monday · 7 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 ↓↓↓ Uploaded 12-06-18 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., and 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Monday · 7 min

    Mindfulness in the Digital Age

    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 ↓ In a world of distractions, how do we pay attention? It seems like every week someone tells us how the internet and the digital age are overloading our brains. Sure, sometimes it feels like we're being fed more information than we can handle, that we're paying attention to the wrong things. Are we giving our brain a fair shot? I explore some science that show how paying attention can be a bad thing, and then some science about how paying attention can be a very helpful thing Special cameos by Hank Green and Mike Rugnetta! Further reading: The original Simons and Chabris experiment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo The cocktail party effect: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/03/07/173613681/hear-that-in-a-din-of-voices-our-brains-can-tune-to-one The illusion of attention: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/neurophilosophy/2011/aug/11/neuroscience-psychology How is the internet changing our brains? (Harold Rheingold and more) http://www.edge.org/q2010/q10_index.html#responses Sherry Turkle - Alone Together http://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together.html Written and hosted by Joe Hanson Produced by Painted On Productions (http://www.paintedon.com/) ----------- 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

  • Monday · 17 min

    The Strange Science of Why We Dream

    Take the PBS Digital Studios audience survey: https://to.pbs.org/2021survey We’re on PATREON! Join the community https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Uploaded 22-12-21 It would be a lot easier to study the science of dreaming if we weren’t asleep every time we did it. Why do we dream? What does dreaming do for our brains? How did dreaming evolve? Here’s a look at the current theories from psychology and neuroscience. References: Barrett, D. (2017), Dreams and creative problem-solving. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 1406: 64-67. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13412 Carlo Cipolli, Roberto Bolzani, Cesare Comoldi, Rossana De Beni, Iino Fagioli, Bizarreness Effect in Dream Recall, Sleep, Volume 16, Issue 2, March 1993, Pages 163–170, https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/16.2.163 Eagleman DM, Vaughn DA (2021). The Defensive Activation Theory: REM Sleep as a Mechanism to Prevent Takeover of the Visual Cortex. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 15:632853. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2021.632853 El-Solh, A. A. (2018). Management of nightmares in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder: Current perspectives. Nature and Science of Sleep, 10, 409–420.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30538593/ Hughes, J. Donald. (2000). Dream Interpretation in Ancient Civilizations. Dreaming. 10. 7-18. 10.1023/A:1009447606158. Káli, S., Dayan, P. Off-line replay maintains declarative memories in a model of hippocampal-neocortical interactions. Nature Neuroscience 7, 286–294 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1202 Montangero, Jacques and Ivanyi, Corinne and Saint-Hilaire, Zara. (2003). Completeness and accuracy of morning reports after a recall cue: Comparison of dream and film reports. Consciousness and cognition. 12. 49-62. 10.1016/S1053-8100(02)00029-6. Stickgold, R., Malia, A.; Maguire, D., Roddenberry, D., O'Connor, M. (2000). Replaying the Game: Hypnagogic Images in Normals and Amnesics. Science. 290 (5490): 350–353. doi:10.1126/science.290.5490.350. Valli, K., Revonsuo, A., Pälkäs, O., Ismail, K. H., Ali, K. J., and Punamäki, R.-L. (2005). The threat simulation theory of the evolutionary function of dreaming: Evidence from dreams of traumatized children. Consciousness and Cognition, 14(1), 188–218. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15766897/ van der Linden, S. The Science Behind Dreaming. Scientific American. July 26, 2011 Erin J. Wamsley, PhD, Karen Perry, MD, Ina Djonlagic, MD, Laura Babkes Reaven, MD, Robert Stickgold, PhD, Cognitive Replay of Visuomotor Learning at Sleep Onset: Temporal Dynamics and Relationship to Task Performance, Sleep, Volume 33, Issue 1, January 2010, Pages 59–68, https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/33.1.59 ----------- Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons: Barbora Bei Ken Board T Clinger 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

  • Monday · 17 min

    Why Deadly Viral Pandemics Are Becoming More Common

    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 03-06-20 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 Viruses keep jumping out of nature and into humans and getting us very sick in the process. So why do zoonotic spillovers like SARS-CoV-2 happen, and why are they becoming more frequent? We asked an expert. #coronavirus #zoonosis #itsokaytobesmart Special thanks to David Quammen For more, please read “Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic” by David Quammen https://amzn.to/2AvxIta If you doubt the claim about Earth's viruses stretching millions of light-years, then read this Nature paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/nrmicro2644.pdf 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

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