Be Smart.

Be Smart.

By Joe HansonScienceEducationNatural Sciences
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Be Smart. episodes

  • Evolution FAILS in the Human Body

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    Uploaded 19-11-19

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    If you were taking an engineering class in school and you turned in the human body for your final exam… you would get like, a C+. Or maybe a B- at best. That’s because the human body is full of design flaws. Except they aren’t really design flaws, because the human body wasn’t designed. It was evolved, and it is still evolving. And that means some of our parts don’t work as well as they could, they just work well enough. Here’s a rundown of a few of the human body’s biggest evolutionary fails!

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    16 min
  • DNA Doesn’t Look Like What You Think!

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    Uploaded 05-09-17

    I used #badDNA once in this video. Can you find it?
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    If you see #badDna, be sure to show me on Twitter! @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart

    Biology textbooks are full of drawings of DNA, but none of those show what DNA actually looks like. Sure, they’re good models for understanding how DNA works, but inside of real cells, it’s a whole lot more interesting. Learn why we can’t look directly at DNA, and find out how DNA is actually packed inside cells.

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    READ MORE:

    Best electron microscope image of DNA: http://theatln.tc/2xLBb0Y

    Atomic force microscopy (the tiny needle): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_force_microscopy

    Visualizing the 3-D genome: http://bit.ly/2eHud8k
    Stevens, Tim J., et al. "3D structures of individual mammalian genomes studied by single-cell Hi-C." Nature 544.7648 (2017): 59-64.

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    It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
    Director: Joe Nicolosi
    Writer: Joe Hanson
    Editor/animator: Evan Wright
    Producer: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox

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    8 min
  • How Did We Work Out What Light Is?
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    Try CuriosityStream today: http://curiositystream.com/smart
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    Beyond what we can touch, taste, smell, and hear, we experience the universe through light. But how did we come to discover light, and how did we learn light’s true nature, as the fastest thing in the universe, an electromagnetic spectrum, a wave and particle capable of the most amazing things? Here is the history of light, according to physics.
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    LEARN MORE:
    “Light” by Kimberly Arcand and Megan Watzke Light: The Visible Spectrum and Beyond https://www.amazon.com/dp/163191006X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_C8j0yb2BY9XD9
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    It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
    Director: Joe Nicolosi
    Writer: Matt Caplan
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    10 min
  • Why Contacting Extraterrestrials Could Be Risky (Dark Forest Hypothesis)
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    There are hundreds of billions of planets in our galaxy. Scientists now think hundreds of millions of them have conditions where life could arise. What do scientists think are the best ways of reaching out to them? And why do some scientists think that we shouldn't?
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    15 min
  • Does My Dog Perceive What I'm Thinking?
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    Head to BrainCraft for more doggy science! http://youtu.be/OBy3idLwwYM
    ↓ More info and sources below ↓
    Do you ever talk to your dog? Do they ever talk back? Humans and dogs have a truly amazing relationship, developed along an evolutionary journey that goes back nearly 10,000 years. Do they really understand what we say, think, and feel? Recent research suggests dogs know more about our language and emotions than you might think
    CORRECTION: Chaser is a she. Oops!
    Meet Chaser the border collie: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/science/18dog.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
    See Chaser in action: https://www.youtube.com/user/pilleyjw
    Dogs can process words' emotion separate from meaning: http://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(14)01339-6.pdf
    Left-gaze bias in dogs and humans: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0036076
    Charles Darwin's "Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals" https://archive.org/details/expressionofemot1872darw
    Decoding dog barks: http://www.apa.org/monitor/may05/dogs.aspx
    Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment below!
    -----------------
    It's Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D
    For more awesome science, check out: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com
    Produced for PBS Digital Studios
    Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer
    Oliver Hanson - Dog
    Joe Nicolosi - Director
    Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer
    Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics
    Katie Graham - Director of Photography
    John Knudsen - Gaffer
    Dalton Allen - Post-Production Intern
    Theme music:
    "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod
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    Last week's video:
    Is Santa Real? (A Scientific Analysis): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCOf6Su0Yvw
    More videos:
    Building Curiosity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__tPaFaPCHo
    Why Are Some People Left-Handed? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPvMUpcxPSA
    Why Did We Blow on NES Games? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gf9mtXnJfM
    The Science of Game of Thrones - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Utu-LpJn3Is
    There Was No First Human - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdWLhXi24Mo
    How The Elements Got Their Names - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtg9p6A6xnY

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    8 min
  • Ebola Explored
    What you need to know about one of nature's scariest viruses.
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    Read David Quammen's "Ebola": http://amzn.to/1wBLmzw
    Ebola infection/death simulation from Washington Post: http://bit.ly/ebola_sim
    Read the original 1976 case report describing the first Ebola patient: http://1.usa.gov/1svWp7i
    Ebola outbreak disease info and case counts: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/index.html
    Ebola Deeply (a calm take on Ebola news): http://www.eboladeeply.org/
    How contagious is Ebola? http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/10/02/352983774/no-seriously-how-contagious-is-ebola
    Ebola outbreak and symptoms FAQ from WHO: http://bit.ly/1td3TBn
    Can Ebola go airborne? No. http://www.virology.ws/2014/09/18/what-we-are-not-afraid-to-say-about-ebola-virus/
    Ebola: What we should and shouldn't be worried about http://www.wired.com/2014/10/ebola-virus-infection-transmission-death-explained/
    Hi-tech Ebola treatments: http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/08/bio-high-tech-treatment-for-ebola-may-have-saved-two-us-citizens/
    The political effects of Ebola in West Africa: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/14/world/africa/ebola-virus-outbreak.html?_r=0
    Maps of infectious disease vs. public health spending: http://ted.tumblr.com/post/99654182795/heres-what-we-should-talk-about-when-we-talk
    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
    Graham Hutchins - Editing/Motion Graphics
    John Knudsen - Gaffer
    Theme music:
    "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod
    Stock images via Shutterstock
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    11 min
  • Why Does February Have Just 28 Days?
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    It's not the size of the month that matters…
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    Why does February have 28 days when all the other months get 30 or 31? The answer is part superstition, part politics, and parts astronomy. (Basically, it's the Romans' fault)
    Special thanks to Dr. Jen Ebbeler from the University of Texas Classics department for walking me through the history of the Roman calendar
    REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING:
    Wikipedia's "Roman Calendar" page is really good http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_calendar
    More:
    http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Calendarium.html
    http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/calendar/romancalendar.html
    http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/calendar/intercalation.html
    Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment below!
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    It's Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.DFollow me on Twitter: @jtotheizzoe
    Email me: itsokaytobesmart AT gmail DOT com
    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart
    Google+ https://plus.google.com/+itsokaytobesmart
    For more awesome science, check out: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com
    Produced by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios
    Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer
    Joe Nicolosi - Director
    Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer
    Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics/Animation
    Katie Graham - Director of Photography
    John Knudsen - Gaffer
    Dalton Allen - Post-Production Intern
    Theme music:
    "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod
    Other music via APM
    Stock images from Shutterstock
    -----------------
    Last week's video:
    Why Vaccines Work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aNhzLUL2ys
    More videos:
    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
    Why Did We Blow on NES Games? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gf9mtXnJfM
    The Science of Game of Thrones - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Utu-LpJn3Is
    There Was No First Human - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdWLhXi24Mo​

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    7 min
  • Chemical Reactions That Revolutionized History
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    Chemicals React!
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    For lots more of history’s greatest chemical innovations, check out “The Chemistry Book” by Derek B. Lowe:
    http://amzn.to/1snWG44
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    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
    Editing and Motion Graphics by Arts + Labor
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    Stock footage from Videoblocks (unless otherwise noted) http://www.videoblocks.com

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    11 min
  • What Makes Luck?
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    Is luck real? It might feel like a mystical force tugging us toward good or bad fortune, but it turns out luck is really where probability runs into the human mind. That’s right, there’s a scientific side to luck, and if you study a few principles of math and psychology, you might even be able to create your own good fortune.
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    LEARN MORE:
    “The Luck Factor” - Richard Wiseman http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/440674912
    “What the Luck?” - Gary Smith http://amzn.to/2mQJvau
    Sports Illustrated cover jinx study: http://bit.ly/cover-jinx
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    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
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    8 min
  • The Strange Evolutionary Story of the Thylacine

    Special thanks to Vanessa from BrainCraft for help with this video!
    Check out her channel: https://www.youtube.com/braincraft
    ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓

    Uploaded 05-06-18

    Until the early 20th century, Tasmania was home to a very weird wolf-like creature. Except that it wasn’t a wolf. Even though it looked like a wolf. How did that happen? Here’s the science of convergent evolution!

    Want to see more of my interview with Rob? Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsek8JxUS7M

    Special thanks to:
    Rob Voss - American Museum of Natural History, New York City
    Vanessa Hill from BrainCraft!

    References:

    Quammen, D. (2012). The song of the dodo: island biogeography in an age of extinctions. Random House.

    Feigin, C. Y., Newton, A. H., Doronina, L., Schmitz, J., Hipsley, C. A., Mitchell, K. J., ... and Menzies, B. R. (2018). Genome of the Tasmanian tiger provides insights into the evolution and demography of an extinct marsupial carnivore. Nature ecology and evolution, 2(1), 182.

    Newton, A. H., Spoutil, F., Prochazka, J., Black, J. R., Medlock, K., Paddle, R. N., ... and Pask, A. J. (2018). Letting the ‘cat’out of the bag: pouch young development of the extinct Tasmanian tiger revealed by X-ray computed tomography. Royal Society open science, 5(2), 171914.

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    It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
    Director: Joe Nicolosi
    Writer: Stephanie Keep
    Creative Director: David Schulte
    Editor/animator: Karl Boettcher and Derek Borsheim
    Producers: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox

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    12 min

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We give you deep answers to simple questions about science and the rest of the universe. And also dad jokes.