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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

342 episodes
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English

Episodes 342

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Today · 6 min
Why BEAVERS Are The Smartest Thing In Fur Pants
Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Leave it to beavers! Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Beavers have done more to shape North American landscapes than any animal beside humans. We don’t notice them much today because there aren’t many left, but before colonization, North America was home to hundreds of millions of these furry engineers. This week, we show you why Earth’s second largest rodent is more amazing than you ever knew, and why they’re the smartest thing in fur pants. Special thanks to Josh Cassidy from KQED’s Deep Look for joining me in Alaska and shooting this episode! ► https://www.youtube.com/user/KQEDDeepLook Filmed under a Special Use Permit on the Juneau Ranger District, Tongass National Forest Special thanks to Chuck Caldwell and Juneau Beaver Patrol ----------- READ MORE: “Once They Were Hats: In Search of the Mighty Beaver” - Francis Backhouse http://amzn.to/2tfmLTZ “The Beaver: Natural History of a Wetlands Engineer” - Dietland Müller-Schwarze and Lixing Sun http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/977989893 ----------- 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: Shaena Montanari Camera: Josh Cassidy 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.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 14 min
How We Finally Solved the Monarch Butterfly Migration Mystery
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Follow me to Atlas Obscura to learn about the discovery of this place: https://youtu.be/mXc1ZeRlOe0 Grab a headset and experience the monarch forest in VR180: https://youtu.be/fSa605IfTiE The monarch butterfly migration is one of nature’s greatest events. This orange-winged wonder travels up to 4,500 km from all over North America to spend the winter hanging from oyamel fir trees in central Mexico’s mountain forests. I got to go there. Seeing tens of millions of butterflies dangling from the treetops is a truly breathtaking sight. But how does an animal with a brain the size of a poppy seed navigate to this one special place, especially since the last monarchs to make the trip lived 4 or 5 generations earlier? Get ready for an amazing story of science, instinct, and navigation. #nature #monarchbutterfly #migration Special thanks to: Dr. Steven Reppert - UMass Medical School Atlas Obscura: @atlasobscura Jason Goldman: @jgold85 Phil Torres: @phil_torres Filmed on location at: La Reserva de Biosfera de la Mariposa Monarca - Michoacán, Mexico Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, Texas SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ----------- REFERENCES: Guerra, P. A., & Reppert, S. M. (2013). Coldness triggers northward flight in remigrant monarch butterflies. Current Biology, 23(5), 419-423. Reppert, S. M., Zhu, H., & White, R. H. (2004). Polarized light helps monarch butterflies navigate. Current Biology, 14(2), 155-158. Reppert, S. M., Guerra, P. A., & Merlin, C. (2016). Neurobiology of monarch butterfly migration. Annual review of entomology, 61, 25-42. Reppert, S. M., & de Roode, J. C. (2018). Demystifying monarch butterfly migration. Current Biology, 28(17), R1009-R1022. ----------- 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
Today · 20 min
Using a Bunch of Mousetraps to Explain How Pandemics Work (feat. @theslowmoguys)
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 ↓ More vaccine info here: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/default.htm Special thanks to @theslowmoguys ! https://www.youtube.com/user/theslowmoguys Thanks to Gates Notes for Supporting PBS. Since the start of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the term “herd immunity” has been all over the news. But what does it really mean? One thing most people don’t realize about vaccines is that they aren’t just to protect the person who gets the shot. They also protect the population as a whole… even people who didn’t get the shot. In this video, we use lots and lots of mousetraps and ping-pong balls to show you how that works. #coronavirus #vaccines 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 References: https://sites.google.com/view/mousetrap-herd-immunity/home ----------- Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons: dani bowman David Johnston Ahmed Elkhanany Zenimal Salih Arslan Baerbel Winkler Denzel Holmes Robert Young Amy Sowada Benjamin Teinby Eric Meer Jay Stephens Peter Ehrnstrom Dustin Marcus Tuepker Karen Haskell AlecZero 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
Today · 5 min
Does The Moon Really Orbit The Earth?
Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate What holds the moon up? Moonbeams! Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ According to Newton's law of gravitation, the sun should "pull" way harder on the moon than the Earth does. So does the moon actually orbit the Earth? Why? Special thanks to Ariel for submitting this awesome question to our Facebook page! Hill Spheres and lunar orbit: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/09/29/the-moon-that-went-up-a-hill-but-came-down-a-planet/#.VULLHq1Viko True shape of moon's orbit: http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/teaching/convex.html Newton's law of gravitation vs. Hill Sphere: https://van.physics.illinois.edu/qa/listing.php?id=18501 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_sphere 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 Stephen Bohls - 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 French subtitles by Alessandro Dal Cero ----------------- Last week's video: What's The Loudest Possible Sound? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi_aawsChqA 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
Today · 20 min
Why NASA Rammed an Asteroid
↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Where did life come from? It’s one of the biggest questions humans have ever asked — and the answer might be locked in ancient space rocks that were around before life began. To find out, NASA pulled off one of its most ambitious missions ever, landing on an asteroid and sending a rock sample back to Earth. Today, we’re going to take a look at what it brought back. Join our Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart References: https://www.asminternational.org/early-analysis-of-nasas-first-asteroid-return-sample/ https://arxiv.org/abs/2308.11794 https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/news/spotlight/first-look-bennu-sample-reveals-carbon-and-water https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03178-0 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03978-4 https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/osirisrexpresskit-2023.pdf ----------- 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
Today · 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 ↓ 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
Today · 5 min
What's The Loudest Sound That Could Exist?
Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate It's definitely higher than "11" Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ What is the loudest possible sound? What about the quietest thing we can hear? And what do decibels measure, anyway? In this video you'll learn what makes sound The loudest sound on Earth (the we know of anyway), great story by Aatish Bhatia: http://nautil.us/blog/the-sound-so-loud-that-it-circled-the-earth-four-times Video of the Papua New Guinea volcano eruption from YouTuber bacobjee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUREX8aFbMs Calculation of the shock wave from teleportation: http://www.quora.com/Teleportation/If-you-were-to-disappear-suddenly-how-loud-would-be-the-noise-of-the-air-filling-up-the-vacuum-youve-left The sometimes-painful effects of different sound pressure levels: http://www.makeitlouder.com/Decibel%20Level%20Chart.txt How loud are rocket launches? http://testtube.com/dnews/how-loud-are-space-shuttle-launches/ NASA's sound suppression water system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LehY5avJUM Can a sound be loud enough to kill you? http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2298/can-a-noise-be-loud-enough-to-kill-you ----------------- It's Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D Follow me on Twitter/Instagram: @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart Email me: itsokaytobesmart AT gmail DOT com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart For more awesome science, check out: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Produced by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer Jen Piper/Arts+Labor - 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 French subtitles by Alessandro Dal Cero Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 6 min
Why Your Brain Calls Your Head Home
Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Check out BrainCraft: http://youtu.be/aucscX191vQ Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Part 1 of 3 in my series about why our bodies are shaped the way they are. Stay tuned for part 2 and 3 later this week! Make sure you head over BrainCraft and check out the rest of our collaboration! More info: Still of that crazy face comes from FKA twigs' "Water Me": http://youtu.be/kFtMl-uipA8 Evolution of the nervous system: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_nervous_systems Step by step along the evolutionary tree: http://tolweb.org/Bilateria/2459 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilateria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuterostome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protostome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urochordata http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chordate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cephalochordata http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnathostomata Evolutionary timeline of vertebrates: http://www.utexas.edu/news/2008/03/03/tree/ How old are Hox genes: http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v8/n5/full/nrg2114.html Hox genes in development: The Hox Code http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/hox-genes-in-development-the-hox-code-41402 Joe Hanson - Host and writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer Katie Graham - Director of Photography Motion Graphics and Editing - Arts+Labor Stephanie Noone - Producer, Arts+Labor John Knudsen - Gaffer Music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Stock images via Shutterstock Produced by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios ----------- Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 9 min
The Secret of Why Glacier Ice is Blue!
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 Learn more at http://curiositystream.com/smart ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Step beneath this glacier in 360˚ virtual reality! https://youtu.be/xWL-zXFWClE Where do glaciers and icebergs get their beautiful blue color? This unique blue might be nature’s most brilliant, and the color arises in a very special way thanks to some surprising interactions between light and water molecules. Who knew physics could be so breathtaking? Special thanks to : Josh Cassidy from KQED’s Deep Look ► https://www.youtube.com/user/KQEDDeepLook Above & Beyond Alaska wilderness tours: http://beyondak.com/ Filmed at Mendenhall Glacier under a Special Use Permit on the Juneau Ranger District, Tongass National Forest READ MORE: Absorption spectrum of water: http://www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water/water_vibrational_spectrum.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_absorption_by_water ----------- 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 Cinematography: Josh Cassidy 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
Today · 8 min
Why Do We Cry?
To learn more about Brilliant, check out https://brilliant.org/BeSmart/ You might cry if you don’t SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Why do we cry? It’s weird. Humans leak water out of their faces when they get sad. Are we the only animals that do this? What does it mean? What is it for? Here’s the science of human tears! Give us a hand and SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub References: http://bit.ly/2NMz5Wo ----------- 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: Kimberly McCoy, Ph.D. Creative Director: David Schulte Editor/animator: 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
Today · 8 min
Extreme Deep Sea Creatures Are Eating The Titanic!
Life, uh… finds a way Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ What have we learned from exploring Earth’s harshest locations? That pretty everywhere we look for life, we find it. From smoking hot hydrothermal vents to icy deserts, up in clouds and inside rocks, extremophiles have found a way to survive. These survivors and adapters are not only teaching us about life on Earth, but expanding the possibilities of where life can exist elsewhere. READ MORE: Horikoshi, K., Antranikian, G., Bull, A. T., Robb, F. T., & Stetter, K. O. (Eds.). (2010). Extremophiles handbook. Springer Science & Business Media. Schulze-Makuch, D., Airo, A., & Schirmack, J. (2017). The Adaptability of Life on Earth and the Diversity of Planetary Habitats. Frontiers in microbiology, 8, 2011. ----------- 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: Shaena Montanari, 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
Today · 9 min
The INCREDIBLE Ancient Engineering That Built the Pyramids
Try Skillshare at http://skl.sh/besmart Help us build something great and SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓More info and sources below ↓↓↓ You asked for it, so here’s the follow-up! Just because something is difficult doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Over the past centuries, archaeologists, historians, and engineers have reconstructed a great deal of the technology and science used to build the Egyptian pyramids. This week we look at ancient Egyptian mathematics, building techniques, tools, and culture to reconstruct the Great Pyramid’s construction. REFERENCES: Fall, Abdoulaye, et al. "Sliding friction on wet and dry sand." Physical review letters 112.17 (2014): 175502. Lehner, M. (1997). The complete pyramids. Thames and Hudson. Parry, D. (2005). Engineering the pyramids. The History Press. Smith, Craig B., Zahi Hawass, and Mark Lehner. How the great pyramid was built. Harper Collins, 2006. Verner, M. (2003). The pyramids: their archaeology and history. Atlantic. Verner, M. (2007). The Pyramids: The Mystery, Culture, and Science of Egypt's Great Monuments. Grove/Atlantic, Inc.. ----------- FOLLOW US: Merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter/Instagram: @okaytobesmart @DrJoeHanson Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com ----------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Director: Joe Nicolosi Writer: Joe Hanson Producer/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
Today · 6 min
How Humans Spoiled and Reclaimed an Ocean Paradise
Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Check out #BigBlueLive! http://pbs.org/bigbluelive Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSriseFB ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Before people came to Monterey Bay to watch fish, they came here to catch them. And they caught a LOT of one fish: the sardine. But when you empty one species out of the ocean, bad things can happen. Learn how one Monterey Bay scientist, with the help of his friend John Steinbeck, changed how we view our relationship with nature and helped give birth to the field of ecology Why are we in Monterey? PBS and BBC are teaming up to bring you an incredible LIVE nature broadcast direct from Monterey Bay, California called BIG BLUE LIVE. In late summer, thousands and thousands of ocean animals come together here, in one of the richest ecosystems on Earth. We'll be bringing you a week of videos direct from Monterey Bay all about this incredible place and the biology it holds (some footage courtesy of Monterey Bay Aquarium) Big Blue Live airs nightly on PBS 8/31-9/2 at 8 PM ET Big Blue Live airs on BBC One 8/23 (7PM), 8/27 (8 PM), 8/30 (7 PM) More info here: pbs.org/bigbluelive facebook.com/PBS facebook.com/BBCBigBlueLive Follow Joe during Big Blue Live! Twitter/Periscope: @jtotheizzoe @okaytobesmart Snapchat: YoDrJoe Instagram: @jtotheizzoe Facebook: facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment or check us out at the links below! Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/okaytobesmart http://twitter.com/jtotheizzoe Follow on Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtotheizzoe Follow on Snapchat: YoDrJoe ----------------- It's Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.DFollow me on Twitter: @jtotheizzoe Email me: itsokaytobesmart AT gmail DOT com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart For more awesome science, check out: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Produced by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Producer Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics/Animation Katie Graham - Camera John Knudsen - Gaffer Theme music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Other music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock, stock footage from Videoblocks (unless otherwise noted) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 19 min
This Face TOTALLY Changes the Human Story
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 Greetings, fellow Homo sapiens. Our species is the only remaining member of the genus of upright, walking apes known as Homo. Where did we come from? Our history just got a whole lot more complicated (in a good way) thanks to some incredible new fossils unearthed in South Africa over the past few years. I got to visit them, and the scientists who discovered them, to learn their story and ours. Meet your cousin: Homo naledi #homonaledi #humanorigins #evolution References: https://sites.google.com/view/homo-naledi-references/home Thank you to: -Lee Berger, Marina Elliott, and Becca Peixotto for letting me meet Neo and for explaining their science! -The Republic of South Africa for allowing these fossils to be on display in the USA. -The Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Texas. “Origins: Fossils From the Cradle of Humankind” will be on display through early 2020: https://www.perotmuseum.org/exhibits-and-films/traveling-exhibition/origins.html 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/ Books from our episodes: http://smart-books.tumblr.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today · 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 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
Today · 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
Today · 19 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
Today · 8 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
Today · 8 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 ↓ 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
Today · 6 min
Are You Cleverer Than A Slime Mold?
Slime molds are intelligent, but they are single-celled creatures with no brains. How is that possible? ↓ More info and sources below ↓ I really hope you guys check out Deep Look, it’s one of my favorite channels, full of great 4K, micro-world goodness! http://goo.gl/8NwXqt Many thanks to Prof. Andy Adamatzky (UWE Bristol) for slime mold culturing advice. Special thanks to the following for providing Dictyostelium microscope footage: Prof. John Bonner (Princeton) Prof. David Knecht (Univ. of Connecticut) Prof. Richard Firtel (UCSD) Prof. Jeremy Pickett-Heaps (Univ. of Melbourne) References/further reading: “Intelligence in Nature” by Jeremy Narby http://amzn.to/23HvtKG “The Social Amoebae - The Biology of Cellular Slime Molds” by John Bonner http://amzn.to/1MEmmCR Nakagaki, Toshiyuki. "Smart behavior of true slime mold in a labyrinth."Research in Microbiology 152.9 (2001): 767-770. Nakagaki, Toshiyuki, Hiroyasu Yamada, and Masahiko Hara. "Smart network solutions in an amoeboid organism." Biophysical chemistry 107.1 (2004): 1-5. Adamatzky, Andrew. Physarum machines: computers from slime mould. Vol. 74. World Scientific, 2010. 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 Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Stock footage from Videoblocks (unless otherwise noted) http://www.videoblocks.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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