Skip to content
Sign in
Artwork for Be Smart.
EducationScienceNatural Sciences

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

Play
Open in
  • 359 episodes
  • Avg 10 min
  • English

Episodes 359

NewestOldestLongest
All20Unplayed20In progress0Played0
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • Yesterday · 16 min

    7 Scientific Urban Legends Debunked!

    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 06-09-19 I HAVE A PATREON NOW!! Join the community ►► https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub It sounds like such an incredible fact. “Our own cells are outnumbered by our microbes 10 to 1!” I don’t remember where I first heard it. But I read it in science papers and articles by journalists, so I believed it without question. I even made one of my first videos based on this fact. Problem is, this fact is not true. So how did it remain firmly planted in our common knowledge for almost four decades without any scientific scrutiny? And how can you prepare yourself to not be fooled by other scientific urban legends? I look at a few of the most famous incorrect factoids in science, and give a few suggestions for how to make our common knowledge more correct. References: https://sites.google.com/view/7-scientific-urban-legends/home Please do not watch this old video, it is wrong and my hair is awful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BZME8H7-KU ----------- Join us on Patreon! URL 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/itsokaytobesmart Books from our episodes: http://smart-books.tumblr.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • 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 ↓↓↓ Uploaded 07-03-18 **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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 6 min

    Shadows of Evolution

    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 ↓ What does a ginkgo tree have in common with a dinosaur? SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Every fall, in cities like New York, the smell of vomit fills the crisp air. The culprit? The pungent seeds of the ginkgo biloba tree. So why would a tree evolve such a disgusting and revolting way to disperse its genes and make baby trees? Why not be more like the delicious apple? Join me for an evolutionary ghost story. We'll find out why the ginkgo is so weird, visit with some prehistoric beasts, and learn how an avocado is a bit like a dodo bird Check out "Ghosts of Evolution" by Connie Barlow: http://amzn.to/1iLBpsb Why the avocado should have gone the way of the dodo: http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/food/2013/10/why-the-avocado-should-have-gone-the-way-of-the-dodo/ More about evolutionary anachronisms: http://sydkab.wordpress.com/tag/evolutionary-anachronism/ The ginkgo is Earth's oldest tree: http://e360.yale.edu/feature/peter_crane_history_of_ginkgo_earths_oldest_tree/2646/ Janzen and Martin's 1982 paper "Neotropical Anachronisms: The Fruits the Gomphotheres Ate": http://bit.ly/1aO0qiY Joe Hanson - Host and writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer Katie Graham - Director of Photography Andrew Matthews - Editor and Motion Graphics Kate Eads - Production Manager Filmed at Onion Creek Productions in Austin, TX Thanks to Dan Silver for the footage of ginkgo trees in NYC 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 · 7 min

    Plants Are Smarter Than You'd Expect

    Plants can do some amazing things. But how do they respond to their environment with no brain? ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Learn more/references: “What a Plant Knows” by Daniel Chamovitz http://amzn.to/2bfvdOg “The Secret Life of Plants” by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird http://amzn.to/2bczCTf (this book is full of bad science mumbo jumbo, but it’s where the Cleve Backster story comes from) Galil, J. "An ancient technique for ripening sycomore fruit in east-mediterranean countries." Economic Botany 22.2 (1968): 178-190. Kost, C., & Heil, M. (2008). The Defensive Role of Volatile Emission and Extrafloral Nectar Secretion for Lima Bean in Nature. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 34(1), 2–13. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-007-9404-0 Gerbode, Sharon J., et al. "How the cucumber tendril coils and overwinds."Science 337.6098 (2012): 1087-1091. Darwin’s writings on vines and climbing plants: http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=F836&viewtype=text&pageseq=1 Darwin’s writings on plant movement: http://darwin-online.org.uk/EditorialIntroductions/Freeman_ThePowerofMovementinPlants.html ---------------- 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

  • Yesterday · 10 min

    The Weird Science of the Raisin Bran Effect

    AKA "The Brazil Nut Effect" but brazil nuts are blah You can learn more at https://curiositystream.com/smart ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Uploaded 30-11-18 The bottom of the cereal box is a disappointing place. But at least now you know why. Where do you see the Brazil Nut Effect around you? SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Fyfluiddynamics: https://www.youtube.com/user/fyfluiddynamics Origin of Everything: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiB8h9jD2Mlxx96ZFnGDSJw REFERENCES: ----------- 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 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

  • Yesterday · 5 min

    How The Elements Were Named

    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 ↓ There's a story inside every box! Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Ever wonder what all those names on the periodic table actually mean? There's a whole lot of fascinating history on Mendeleev's table. Some carry names from antiquity, some are named for people, some are named for places, and some are named for mythical beings. Discover the etymology of the elements! If you want to know more about the love, betrayal, and drama behind the periodic table, check out Sam Kean's "The Disappearing Spoon": http://amzn.to/1eVZS8L Music: "Ouroboros" 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 Special thanks to the following for help researching this episode: Sister Mary Virginia Orna, teacher and historian of chemistry Mark Benvenuto, chemist at University of Detroit - Mercy Steven Maguire, chemist at University of Ottawa 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 · 7 min

    The Appetizing Science of CHEESE!

    I am an absolute freak for cheese. Next to bread, it might be our oldest biotechnology! Here's some of the science about how it's made and where it comes from. 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 ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Special thanks to Kara Chadbourne from Antonelli's Cheese in Austin, TX!!! She's a cheese genius. 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 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 · 10 min

    Why Don't Birds Lay Square Eggs?

    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 19-08-19 SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub What is ”egg-shaped” even? I used to think it was the shape of a chicken egg. Then one day I saw a collection of eggs from lots of different bird species, and I realized just how many different kind of egg shapes there really are! I had to know why. And it turns out a couple teams of scientists had wondered the same thing. Here’s what science says about why eggs are egg-shaped, if that's even a thing, which I’ve learned it might not be. Evolution of bird eggs, go! #egg #biophysics #eggvolution References: https://sites.google.com/view/why-are-eggs-egg-shaped/home ----------- FOLLOW US for more curiosity: Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Books from our episodes: http://smart-books.tumblr.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 14 min

    This Is How Astronauts Drink Coffee In Space!

    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 03-05-19 You can learn more at https://curiositystream.com/smart SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub I love coffee. Like, a lot. You know who else loves coffee? Astronauts! And also the people who help them do awesome things in space (I think NASA might be powered by coffee). But how do astronauts actually drink coffee in space, aboard the International Space Station, in microgravity? I visited astronaut Don Pettit to learn about his invention for having a cup o’ Joe in orbit. This is some awesome science. #space #coffee #nasa Special thanks to Don Pettit and NASA! Don’s collaborator on this research is Mark Weislogel from Portland State University. Learn more about Mark’s research here: https://www.pdx.edu/profile/mark-weislogel ----------- 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 10 min

    Are the Nobel Prizes Still Meaningful in the 21st Century?

    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 ↓ The Nobel Prizes reward the greatest accomplishments of the human race. Right? Then why haven't they changed much in 100+ years? Do they really represent how science is done? And why so few women? References and more: Molly Oldfield - The Secret Museum http://amzn.to/173lLpj Georgia Lupi Nobel Prize infographic: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/11/29/giorgia-lupi-noble-prizes-visualization/ Alfred Nobel's will: http://www.nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/will/will-full.html Top 10 Nobel snubs: http://www.scientificamerican.com/slideshow.cfm?id=10-nobel-snubs Nobel Prize controversies (like Johannes Fibiger) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize_controversies Women who have won science Nobels http://mentalfloss.com/article/53186/14-women-whove-won-science-nobel-prizes-marie-curie The Nobel ignores how modern science works: http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/aerospace/astrophysics/nobel-for-higgs-boson-discovery-ignores-how-modern-science-works Nobel prize and myth of the "lone genius" http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/the-curious-wavefunction/2013/10/08/nobel-complexity/ Thomas Edison on success: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/02/11/thomas-edison-on-sleep-and-success/ Steve Jobs on creativity: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.02/jobs_pr.html Open letter to Nobel committee: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17863-open-letter-to-the-nobel-prize-committee.html#.Ul8DHWT5n6Q Thumbnail art via catwalker/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 · 8 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 ↓ Uploaded 24-05-19 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 21 min

    We've never seen an atom. But we know what they look like.

    The first 100 people to join @planet-wild with the code SMART5 will get the first month paid for: https://planetwild.com/r/besmart/join If you want to get to know them better first, check out their mission stopping ocean plastic: https://planetwild.com/r/besmart/m34 ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Uploaded 28-05-26 If everything around us is made of atoms, why can’t we actually see them? From ancient philosophy to quantum mechanics, electron microscopes, and the strange limits of human perception, let’s explore one of science’s deepest questions: what does it really mean to “see” something? Be Smart explores science questions you didn’t even know you wondered about. It is hosted and produced by Joe Hanson, PhD. We post new videos all the time, so please subscribe! If you enjoyed this video, hit the ‘like’ button, leave a comment, or watch another of our videos! CONNECT WITH ME ____________________________________ Website: https://www.itsokaytobesmart.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart/ https://www.instagram.com/drjoehanson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/itsokaytobesmart A big thanks to our Brain Trust patrons: Baerbel Winkler, Bernadette Etienne, Brent Lopez, dani bowman, David Johnston, Ed Eyden, Eric Meer, Greg Olson, Jaap Westera, Karen Haskell, Marcus Pingel, Mike and Patty Loftis, Reuben Brewer SPONSORSHIP INQUIRIES ____________________________________ Please email biz@itsokaytobesmart.com Stock video and images provided by Shutterstock, Artlist, and MotionArray Music provided by APM Written Joe Hanson Edited by Steven Simone Produced by Least Square Media and Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 7 min

    The SCIENCE of BREWING!!!

    Is beer the perfect beverage? Let's see what science says... 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 Big thank you to Jester King Brewery in Austin, TX: http://jesterkingbrewery.com/ The chemistry of beer flavors: http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/07/10/beerchemicals/ Uncorking the past, a history of alcoholic beverages: http://www.economist.com/node/883706 Domestication of grain in near east: http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v3/n6/abs/nrg817.html Alcohol and social complexity in ancient western Asia: http://alexanderjoffe.net/alcohol.pdf Finally, a weird Dutch Heineken ad from the 1950's about sending beer to the moon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I03AxY5gA8I 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 Gaffer - John Knudsen 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

  • 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 · 10 min

    Amazing Facts About Whales!

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Uploaded 24-08-15 Whales are INCREDIBLE! Check out #BigBlueLive: http://pbs.org/bigbluelive Tweet ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSwhales Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSwhalesFB ↓ More info and sources below ↓ 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 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 (Whale illustrations by Nobu Tamura/CC-BY-3.0) 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 11 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 · 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 ↓↓↓ Uploaded 18-09-18 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 16 min

    COVID-19 & Mask Myths DEBUNKED!

    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 23-07-20 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 Bottom line: Masks work. They are safe for almost everyone to wear, and the more people that wear them along with adhering to physical distancing and other strategies, then that's more lives we'll save. But there's still a lot of confusion and misinformation out there when it comes both to wearing masks and the actual risks of getting infected with COVID-19. In this video, I address a few of the most common myths and misunderstandings using scientific evidence. #WearAMask 00:00 Introduction 00:46 Myth 1: Farts vs. viral particles 02:20 Myth 2: Cloth masks can't stop viruses 03:25 Myth 3: Oxygen deprivation/CO2 poisoning 05:40 Myth 4: Toxins 06:41 Myth 5: I feel healthy so I don't need a mask 07:51 Myth 6: Masks aren't 100% effective, so why wear one? 08:34 Mask-wearing history 09:25 Myth 7: Government mask exemptions 10:24 Myth 8: COVID isn't a big deal 12:09 Conclusion Watch our previous video about masks: https://youtu.be/0Tp0zB904Mc Our entire COVID-19 playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsmqeqKj7M-pvu23aAUn6gtvDZAymnZ0K References: https://sites.google.com/view/covid-mask-myths-references/home 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 Robert Young 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

  • Yesterday · 13 min

    The Weird Reason Plants Aren't Black

    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 25-10-19 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 Why are trees and other plants green? Seems like a simple question. But the answer is full of surprises. Using a special camera that can pick up light just beyond the visible range, into the near-infrared, you’ll get to see trees like you’ve never seen them before. And these other-worldly images can teach us not only why trees are green on Earth, but what color photosynthetic life on other planets might be. #TeamTrees References: https://sites.google.com/view/treesonotherplanets-references/home Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons: AlecZero Bob Rosset Brent M. Diego Lombeida ----------- Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Yesterday · 13 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 ↓ Uploaded 14-04-20 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 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Showing 61–80 of 359 episodes