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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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  • Today · 9 min

    Is Height Genetic?

    I'm tall. Here's why! Make watching our videos a habit and SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ I’m tall. Most of the people in my family are tall. Does that mean my son will be tall? Turns out the inheritance of height is a lot more complicated than we thought. Scientists know that nature (genes) and nurture (environment) both play a role, but after more than a century of questions, we’re only just now starting to get some answers REFERENCES: Fryar, C.D. et al. (2016). Anthropometric reference data for children and adults: United States, 2011–2014. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat 3(39). NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. (2016). A century of trends in adult human height. eLife 5:e13410. Visscher, P.M. et al. (2007). Genome partitioning of genetic variation for height from 11,214 sibling pairs. American Journal of Human Genetics 81:1104–10. Zimmer, C. (2018). She has her mother’s laugh: The powers, perversions, and potential of heredity. New York: Dutton. http://bit.ly/2xi5H0M ----------- 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: Maria Ter-Mikaelian Creative Director: David Schulte Editor/animator: Matt Fultz 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

  • Today · 5 min

    How Poop Shapes the World

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Nature is truly the ultimate recycler… Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Waste not, want not… right? Poop, in all of its various forms throughout nature, shapes the world in ways you might not imagine. One creature’s waste is another’s fuel, and all over nature these leftovers help new life spring up. Here’s how whales, birds, worms, bats, and more help the world breathe clean, thanks to their poop. Thanks to the following for their expert info: Dr. Richard Kirby (@PlanktonPundit) David Moscato (@DMos150) Dr. Cullen Geiselman Dr. Winifred Frick (@frickwinifred) Watch our old video: The Ghosts of Evolution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWW5OuxlKec ----------- READ MORE: Ghosts of Evolution by Connie Barlow http://amzn.to/2wfQFLX How whale poop helps feed the ocean: https://theconversation.com/bottoms-up-how-whale-poop-helps-feed-the-ocean-27913 ----------- 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 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

  • Today · 8 min

    Why Does Hair Grow In The Way It Does?

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Try CuriosityStream today: http://curiositystream.com/smart Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Check out more of my friend Kyle’s sweet hair on his channel “Because Science”: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl4T6p7km9dZSdTfPxucpwZY7Try86hFW All mammals have hair at some point in their lives, but none of them wear it quite like humans. Why does our hair grow where it does, and not grow where it doesn’t? How does our hair get its color? And why does it go gray and often fall out when we get older and go bald? Learn all about the science of human hair in this week’s video! ----------- REFERENCES: Harding RM, Healy E, Ray AJ, et al. Evidence for Variable Selective Pressures at MC1R. American Journal of Human Genetics. 2000;66(4):1351-1361. Randall, Valerie Anne. "Androgens and hair growth." Dermatologic therapy 21.5 (2008): 314-328. Yablon, J. "What is the latest theory of why humans lost their body hair?." SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 297.3 (2007): 124-124. APA ----------- 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: Andrew Matthews Producer: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Today · 15 min

    How did X come to symbolize "The UNKNOWN"?

    A truly X-cellent and X-ceptional video… Join our Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Despite being one of the rarest letters in English, the letter X is everywhere. We sign letters with it, we rate movies with it, we name all sorts of things after it. We’re kind of obsessed with it. And that’s probably all thanks to math, where X stands for the unknown. Let's explore the bizarre history of how X took on this role… References: https://sites.google.com/view/why-are-we-so-obsessed-with-x/home SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ----------- High fives to all our Brain Trust Patrons: Charles Horton, Jr 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 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

  • Today · 9 min

    This Was the Most Critical Moment in the History of Life

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Get your #ididascience shirt here! http://dftba.com/besmart Tweet this ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSpwr Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSpwrFB ↓ More info and sources below ↓ If you want to read more (MUCH more) about this, check out “The Vital Question” by Nick Lane: http://amzn.to/1SntUdG And I really enjoyed this recent episode of Radiolab about this same story: http://www.radiolab.org/story/cellmates/ ---- 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

  • Yesterday · 4 min

    Why Does Time Only Go Forward?

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Arrow of Time FAQ: http://preposterousuniverse.com/eternitytohere/faq.html Arrow of Time wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrow_of_time Sean Carroll's TED talk on time and the multiverse: http://www.ted.com/talks/sean_carroll_distant_time_and_the_hint_of_a_multiverse Joe Hanson - Host and writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer Katie Graham - Director of Photography Andrew Matthews - Editor and motion graphics John Knudsen - Gaffer Stock video via Videoblocks Music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Stock images via Shutterstock Produced by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios ----------- Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 9 min

    What Would Happen if ONE MILLION Species Went Extinct?

    PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Check out Hot Mess: http://www.youtube.com/hotmesspbs SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ A massive new study has just been released showing that human activities are threatening Earth’s other life forms in some very bad ways. One million species may be at risk of extinction. Just let that sink in. Isn’t the Anthropocene awesome? Check out the study below to learn more and find out how we can stop it. #anthropocene #extinction #nature REFERENCES: IPBES Biodiversity Global Assessment Report https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yd8l2v0u4jqptp3/AAACtf6ctsoUQ9hlPQxLpVsKa?dl=0 Information on the IPBES Biodiversity Report https://www.ipbes.net/news/Media-Release-Global-Assessment IPBES Summary for Policymakers: https://www.ipbes.net/sites/default/files/downloads/spm_unedited_advance_for_posting_htn.pdf ----------- FOLLOW US for more curiosity: Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Books from our episodes: http://smart-books.tumblr.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 10 min

    This Salamander Can Regrow Limbs Like Deadpool

    MAXIMUM EFFORT! Give us a hand and SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Axolotls are special salamanders. Not only to they stay in their juvenile form their whole lives, they can regenerate entire limbs! Studying how they do it could change the way we treat human limb injuries. Special thanks to the Dallas Zoo! References: http://bit.ly/2Gkoihd ----------- 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: 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

  • Yesterday · 13 min

    Is There Life on Earth?

    I mean… how do you really know? SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ If we lived light years from Earth, how would we know there’s life here? Let’s take a look at the search for extraterrestrial life on habitable exoplanets, and discover what biosignatures would show someone else that we’re here. REFERENCES: http://exoplanet.eu/ Kaltenegger, Lisa. “How to Characterize Habitable Worlds and Signs of Life.” Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics 55, no. 1 (August 18, 2017): 433–85. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-astro-082214-122238. Sagan, Carl. “Is There Life On Earth?” Engineering and Science 35, no. 4 (1972): 16–19. Sagan, Carl, W. Reid Thompson, Robert Carlson, Donald Gurnett, and Charles Hord. “A Search for Life on Earth from the Galileo Spacecraft.” Nature 365 (October 21, 1993): 715. Schwieterman, Edward W., Nancy Y. Kiang, Mary N. Parenteau, Chester E. Harman, Shiladitya DasSarma, Theresa M. Fisher, Giada N. Arney, et al. “Exoplanet Biosignatures: A Review of Remotely Detectable Signs of Life.” Astrobiology 18, no. 6 (June 2018): 663–708. https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2017.1729. Seager, Sara, and Drake Deming. “Exoplanet Atmospheres.” Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics 48, no. 1 (August 2010): 631–72. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-astro-081309-130837. ----------- 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 Creative Director: David Schulte Editors/animators: Derek Borsheim and Sara Roma Producers: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 9 min

    How The Toilet Revolutionized History

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate This video was supported by Bill and Melinda Gates. You can check out the Gates Annual Letter here: http://b-gat.es/2lhhtmJ. ↓ More info and sources below ↓ We’re proud to collaborate with Bill and Melinda Gates for this week’s video! It may sometimes seem like things are getting worse, but there’s lots of reasons to be optimistic about the future. More people have access to toilets and sanitation than ever before. Thanks to public health improvements like this, since 1990, 122 million children’s lives have been saved. Diseases like polio are nearing eradication. Women have more access to health care and education than ever before. But our work is not done. How can YOU help make the future better for the world’s poorest? SPECIAL THANKS: Bill and Melinda Gates Francisco de los Reyes (watch his TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/francis_de_los_reyes_sanitation_is_a_basic_human_right#t-303612) ----------- LEARN MORE: George, Rose. “The Big Necessity: The unmentionable world of human waste and why it matters.” 2008. Perdew, Laura. “How the Toilet Changed History” 2016. Ferriman, A. (2007). BMJ readers choose the “sanitary revolution” as greatest medical advance since 1840. BMJ : British Medical Journal, 334(7585), 111. http://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39097.611806.DB CDC Global WASH statistics: https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/wash_statistics.html WHO Toilet/Sanitation Fact Sheet: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs392/en/ WaterAid “We Can’t Wait”: http://www.wateraid.org/what-we-do/our-approach/research-and-publications/view-publication?id=a5ab0a96-1574-4225-a16a-75d5e5ec4232 Unilever “Toilets for Health” https://www.unilever.com/Images/sd_toilets-for-health-141113_tcm13-387337_tcm244-409783_1_en.pdf ----------- 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: Joe Hanson Editor/animator: Andrew Orsak 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

  • Yesterday · 10 min

    Could You Ever Be Immune To EVERY Disease? Your Immune System, Explained!

    You can learn more at https://curiositystream.com/smart Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ **We said 30 days free, but CuriosityStream is feeling extra generous and is giving our viewers the first 60 days free!!** Do you remember having a cold in 5th grade? Or the flu a couple years ago? Your immune system does. Our bodies hold many levels of immune defense.Physical barriers like skin, the innate immune system, and our body’s most powerful defender, the adaptive immune system. Millions of B cells and T cells and antibodies are constantly on patrol for germs and antigen invaders. As scientists learn more about how this system works and how to engineer it, could we ever actually be immune to everything? Special thanks to Dr. James Crowe (Vanderbilt University) http://www.crowelab.com/ ----------- FOLLOW US: Merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter: @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Instagram: @DrJoeHanson ----------- 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: 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

  • Yesterday · 9 min

    Why Nature Loves Hexagons

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Follow me to Infinite Series for 4-Dimensional Bees! https://youtu.be/X8jOxEGVyPo Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ From spirals to spots to fractals, nature is full of interesting patterns. Many of these patterns even resemble geometric shapes. One of the most common? Hexagons. Why do we see this six-sided shape occur so many times in nature? This week we explore why hexagons are so common in the natural world, from honeycomb to bubbles to rocks, and what their mathematics, physics, and biology may have in common. ----------- READ MORE: D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson. (1917) “On Growth and Form” Ball, Philip. (2009). “Shapes: nature's patterns: a tapestry in three parts.” OUP Oxford. Karihaloo, B. L., Zhang, K., & Wang, J. (2013). Honeybee combs: how the circular cells transform into rounded hexagons. Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 10(86), 20130299. Hofmann, Martin, et al. "Why hexagonal basalt columns?." Physical review letters 115.15 (2015): 154301. Aydin, Atilla, and James M. DeGraff. "Evolution of polygonal fracture patterns in lava flows." Science 239.4839 (1988): 471-476. Hayashi, Takashi, and Richard W. Carthew. "Surface mechanics mediate pattern formation in the developing retina." Nature 431.7009 (2004): 647. Kim, Sangwoo, et al. "Hexagonal Patterning of the Insect Compound Eye: Facet Area Variation, Defects, and Disorder." Biophysical journal 111.12 (2016): 2735-2746. ----------- FOLLOW US: Merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter: @okaytobesmart @DrJoeHanson Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Instagram: @DrJoeHanson Snapchat: YoDrJoe ----------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Director: Andrew Matthews Writer: Joe Hanson Producer/editor/animator: Andrew Matthews Producer: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 11 min

    When Science FICTION Becomes Science ACTUAL!

    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 is some science fiction so good at predicting actual science? Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Do Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Jules Verne, Philip K. Dick, Hugo Gernsback, Robert Heinlein, or Isaac Asimov hold a candle to H.G. Wells when it comes to correctly predicting the future of science via science fiction? And why does some science fiction do such a good job of predicting the future in the first place? Check out these other great H.G. Wells-inspired videos from our PBS friends: PBS Idea Channel: "What Is Fiction?" PBS Digital Studios/James W. Griffiths: "A Solitary World" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWJKLYcypz8 Fun links to dig deeper: Arthur C. Clarke's 1945 article "Extra Terrestrial Relays" http://lakdiva.org/clarke/1945ww/ Isaac Asimov's 1964 World's Fair predictions: http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/23/lifetimes/asi-v-fair.html Mouse memory "implantation": http://wapo.st/Md1gN3 Ray Bradbury hanging with Arthur C. Clarke and Carl Sagan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyst-D-1ssk Isaac Asimov talks to Bill Moyers Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CwUuU6C4pk Isaac Asimov talks to Bill Moyers Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJAIERgWhZQ Music: "Ourobouros" by Kevin MacLeod "Opening Theme A" by Kevin MacLeod Joe Hanson - Host and writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer Katie Graham - Director of Photography Andrew Matthews - Editor and motion graphics John Knudsen - Gaffer Isaac Hammons - Sound Produced for PBS Digital Studios ----------- Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 18 min

    Does Someone Else Have Your Face? Doppelgängers Explained!

    To learn more about Brilliant, check out https://brilliant.org/BeSmart/ SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ They say everyone has a doppelgänger, but is that really true? This week we meet a young woman who found her own look-alike, and figure out how we actually recognize faces. TEST YOUR FACE MEMORY! Cambridge Memory Test http://bit.ly/2Gh0UXo Thorn Child Finder Challenge http://bit.ly/2QQxmnp Acknowledgements: Dr. Teghan Lucas, University of New South Wales Dr. Martin Eimer, Cambridge University Dr. Michael Sheehan, Cornell University Amanda Green (her real Instagram is @4mandagreen) Ruben van der Dussen/Thorn Cheng et al. (2017). The Code for Facial Identity in the Primate Brain. Cell 169, 6 (1013-1028. http://dx.doi.org./10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.011 Huckenbeck (2013). Identification of the Living. University Clinic Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany. Elsevier Ltd. Johnson et al. (1991) Newborns’ preferential tracking of face-like stimuli and its subsequent decline. Cognition. 40(1-2):1-19. Lucas et al. (2016). Comparing the face to the body, which is better for identification? International Journal of Legal Medicine. 130(2):533-40 DOI 10.1007/s00414-015-1158-6 Lucas et al. (2015). Are human faces unique? A metric approach to finding single individuals without duplicates in large samples. Forensic Science International 257 514.e1–514.e6 Parr (2011) The evolution of face processing in primates. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. 366, 1571. DOI https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2010.0358 Robertson et al. (2016). Unfamiliar face recognition : Security, surveillance and smartphones. The Journal of the Homeland Defense and Security Information Analysis Center. (14-21). Thomas (2013). Forensic Anthropology of the Living. Human Skeleton In Forensic Medicine (408-435). ----------- FOLLOW US: Twitter: @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart Instagram: @DrJoeHanson Merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart SEND US STUFF: It’s Okay To Be Smart PO Box 303356 Austin, TX 78703 USA BOOKS WE’VE FEATURED: http://smart-books.tumblr.com/ ----------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Director: Joe Nicolosi Writer: Sarah Keartes Creative Director: David Schulte Editor/animator: Derek Borsheim and Sara Roma Producers: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 24 min

    This Is Where New Ideas ACTUALLY Arise

    Check out Hungry Planet on @pbsterra https://youtu.be/uH2jWc9TEVM ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ The idea of the lone genius creating everything isn’t just misleading. It’s harmful and wrong. Innovation thrives when people work together, and rather than nice linear paths, new ideas come from chance events and unexpected connections. This video tells the story of one such invention, and offers a new idea about how new ideas are really born. 0:00 I've got a gripe 1:30 How innovation stories usually go 2:28 The last time this happened, things got weird 2:51 Stabbing sick people in Olde London 4:23 A heroic cow named Blossom 5:05 Why Napoleon hated swamps 6:22 The preacher, sparks, and a fortuitous explosion 7:08 Who's "in charge" here? 8:26 Bubbles, for your health! 9:33 Putting the club in soda 10:13 Needles and drugs 11:01 A tower in Paris 11:58 Quantum bros 12:53 Very VERY tiny things 13:37 This physicist hates cats 14:20 Mr. Helix and the messengers 15:18 It's all coming together 16:08 The best part of the story 17:35 Extras 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 ----------- High fives to all our Brain Trust Patrons: Charles Horton, Jr 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 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​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 12 min

    Are We Living Through the Sixth Extinction?

    This time, we're the asteroid. Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Read "The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert: http://amzn.to/1xGKn0K Rodolfo Dirzo et al. "Defaunation in the Anthropocene" http://bit.ly/1H7JQdw Stuart Pimm et al. "Biodiversity of Species and Their Rates of Extinction" http://bit.ly/1A5UZJM Get to know an endangered species: http://discover.iucnredlist.org/ Half of world's wildlife has died off in past 40 years: http://bit.ly/1BHl8jR Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment below! Produced for PBS Digital Studios Joe Hanson - Host/Writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen Inc Kate Eads - Associate Producer Katie Graham - Director of Photography Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics Dalton Allen - Post-production intern John Knudsen - Gaffer Theme music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Stock images by Shutterstock ----------- Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 14 min

    Why the Heck Are We Ticklish?

    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 ↓ 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’ve explained a lot of weird bodily functions on this show but there’s one that we haven’t covered that’s always confused me: Tickling. What are you for, tickling? What’s the point of you? Why do you exist? Why do you make us laugh even though we hate you? Let’s dig into our evolutionary past to try and find an answer. References: Laughing, tickling, and speech http://untiredwithloving.org/dhahak.pdf Pathogenic laughter https://n.neurology.org/content/64/12/2154.short Tickling review http://charris.ucsd.edu/articles/Harris_EHB2012.pdf Darwin-Hecker http://charris.ucsd.edu/articles/Harris&Christenfeld_CE1997.pdf Early thoughts https://www.jstor.org/stable/1411471?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents Neural correlates of laughter https://academic.oup.com/cercor/article/23/6/1280/426218 Neural correlates of laughter https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/126/10/2121/314497 Experience of pleasure https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6877978 Tickling and laughter https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/030105119090023P Ticklish rats https://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6313/757 Social laughter and pain https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2011.1373 Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons: AlecZero Oliver and Arden Bradshaw Brent M. Diego Lombeida Dustin 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

  • Yesterday · 5 min

    The Science of GOAT!

    Yep. Goats! ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Who are those people in the intro? Say hi to Joe Nicolosi (director) and Katie Graham (camera)! Goat field of vision: http://blogs.lifeandscience.org/keepers/tag/pupil/ Goat pupil shape: http://www.journalofvision.org/content/13/9/607.short Radiolab story about a goat on a cow: http://www.radiolab.org/story/224292-behind-goat/ "Fainting goat" syndrome: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myotonia_congenita Goats have "accents": http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2012/02/16/study-goats-have-accents.html Goat tastebuds: http://bit.ly/1zFxhiY Goat diet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goat#Diet How goats climb so well: http://www.asknature.org/strategy/719058a39eea5af7f763bacda7c64ab4#.U_KPLbxdWm8 Billy Whiskers: http://www.childrensbooksonline.org/Billy_Whiskers/pages/001_Billy_Whiskers.htm In case you're curious, the star cluster in the thumbnail is Messier 30, which is in the Capricorn constellation, because goats. Joe Hanson - Host and writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer Katie Graham - Camera Editing/Motion Graphics - Andrew Matthews Gaffer - John Knudsen/Philip Sheldon Theme music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Stock images via Shutterstock Produced for PBS Digital Studios ----------- Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 9 min

    The Curious Physics That Makes Hurricanes So Powerful

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate The physics of the perfect storm… Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Learn more/references: “Divine Wind: The History and Science of Hurricanes” by Kerry Emanuel http://amzn.to/2aUY7P7 Japan’s “kamikaze” winds may have been real: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/11/141104-kamikaze-kublai-khan-winds-typhoon-japan-invasion/ “El huracán, su mitología y sus símbolos” Fernando Ortiz http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/60338937 “Sea of Storms: A History of Hurricanes in the Greater Caribbean from Columbus to Katrina” Stuart B. Schwartz http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10324.html Emanuel, Kerry. "Tropical cyclones." Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 31.1 (2003): 75. Knutson, Thomas R., et al. "Tropical cyclones and climate change." Nature Geoscience 3.3 (2010): 157-163. “Hurricane Force” Roger Smith 2006 Phys. World 19 (6) 32 Could we nuke a hurricane? http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/C5c.html ---------------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from SciencePhoto http://www.sciencephoto.com/ and Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 8 min

    The Remarkable Roots of Thanksgiving Foods

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate I’m thankful for science. And also pie. SUBSCRIBE! http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Want to wear your love for science? We’ve got merch: http://dftba.com/besmart References/Learn More: How turkeys got so big: https://www.wired.com/2008/11/turkeytech/ Benjamin Franklin’s 1784 letter to Sarah Bache about turkeys: http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp?vol=41&page=281 Ames, Mercedes, and David M. Spooner. "DNA from herbarium specimens settles a controversy about origins of the European potato." American Journal of Botany 95.2 (2008): 252-257. Doebley, John. "The genetics of maize evolution." Annu. Rev. Genet. 38 (2004): 37-59. Grun, Paul. "The evolution of cultivated potatoes." Economic Botany 44.3 (1990): 39-55. McWilliams, James. The Pecan: A history of America's native nut. University of Texas Press, 2013. Nee, Michael. "The domestication of cucurbita (Cucurbitaceae)." Economic Botany 44.3 (1990): 56-68. Polashock, James, et al. "The American cranberry: first insights into the whole genome of a species adapted to bog habitat." BMC plant biology 14.1 (2014): 1 Speller, Camilla F., et al. "Ancient mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals complexity of indigenous North American turkey domestication." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107.7 (2010): 2807-2812. ---------------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment or check us out at the links below! Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter: @okaytobesmart @DrJoeHanson Instagram: @DrJoeHanson Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from SciencePhoto http://www.sciencephoto.com/ and Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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