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  • There Are Millions of Skeletons Lying Beneath Washington, DC
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    Why do we build monuments? And what are they made of?
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    I took a trip to Washington D.C. to check out some of our nation's most famous monuments. Where do they come from? From the depths of the Earth to the distant reaches of the cosmos, you'll never look at history the same way again.
    Music
    "Over the River and Through the River" - Father Sleep
    Written and hosted by Joe Hanson
    Produced by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios
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    6 min
  • What's The Most Lethal Creature On Earth?
    Besides humans, of course.
    ↓ More info and sources below ↓
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    Gates Foundation info on the world's deadliest animal, mosquitoes: http://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Most-Lethal-Animal-Mosquito-Week
    Bill Gates' TED talk on malaria and education: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mosquitos-malaria-and-education-bill-gates
    Meet the people who are trying to eradicate Dengue mosquitoes using bioengineering:
    http://www.radiolab.org/story/kill-em-all/
    Why do mosquitoes bite some people more than others?
    http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-do-mosquitoes-bite-some-people-more-than-others-10255934/
    FULL close-up video of a mosquito biting:
    http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/08/06/heres-what-happens-inside-you-when-a-mosquito-bites/
    Why don't we just kill all the mosquitoes?
    http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/07/why-dont-we-just-kill-all-the-mosquitoes/277859/
    http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100721/full/466432a.html
    Half of all people may have been killed by malaria: http://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/17/science/parasites-take-the-biological-spotlight.html
    Mosquitoes just hate the smell of DEET:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2518096/
    Joe Hanson - Host and writer
    Joe Nicolosi - Director
    Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer
    Katie Graham - Camera
    Editing/Motion Graphics - Andrew Matthews
    Gaffers - John Knudsen/Philip Sheldon
    Intern - Dalton Allen
    Theme music:
    "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod
    Stock images via Shutterstock
    Produced for PBS Digital Studios
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    8 min
  • Bizarre Involuntary Behaviors Explained!
    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate
    Why we yawn, why we hiccup, twitchy eyes (and more)!
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    Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jtotheizzoe
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    Our bodies do a lot of weird things, and many of them are completely involuntary. Why do we often jerk our bodies awake right before falling asleep? Why do we yawn? Why do we hiccup? Why do some people sneeze when they look at the sun? And why does your eye twitch? This week we'll look at the science behind these crazy involuntary behaviors!
    MY T-SHIRT: http://www.cognitive-surplus.com/product/science-is-magic-that-works-shirt-organic/
    Read more:
    Aristotle's "Book of Problems" free online: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12699/12699-h/12699-h.htm#BOOK_OF_PROBLEMS
    (it was probably not written by Aristotle, but instead collected after his death)
    Yawns: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140811-warning-this-may-make-you-yawn
    Eye twitches: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1603/what-causes-my-eyelid-to-twitch
    Sun sneezes: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2821404/
    Hiccups: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140127-do-hiccup-remedies-work
    Sleep twitches: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120522-suffer-from-sleep-shudders
    http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120522-suffer-from-sleep-shudders
    Post-micturition convulsion syndrome: http://io9.com/5810102/the-science-of-pee-shivers
    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.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 for PBS Digital Studios
    Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer
    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
    Other music via APM
    Stock images from Shutterstock
    -----------------
    Last week's video:
    There's no such thing as cold: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akd7MMRKDwc
    More videos:
    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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    7 min
  • What is Déjà Vu?!

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    Uploaded 02-02-15

    I feel like I've seen this video before…
    Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @okaytobesmart
    ↓ More info and sources below ↓

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    http://twitter.com/jtotheizzoe
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    Most of us have felt it before, that strange sensation that you've been somewhere or seen something before, as if you already remembered what's happening. Are you psychic? Nope, that's just déjà vu. Why does déjà vu happen? Well, scientists aren't completely sure, but they've got a few good theories about it.

    Great déjà vu explainer from Jordan Gaines Lewis: http://www.gainesonbrains.com/2012/02/seeing-into-future-neuroscience-of-deja.html

    Some theories of why déjà vu happens: http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-deja-vu-and-why-does-it-happen-11355

    And now for something completely different: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2eUopy9sd8

    Special thanks to Austin's Corona Cafe!

    Cast:
    Waiter - Joe Nicolosi (he's also the director)
    Sneezing girl - Kate Eads (she's also associate producer)
    Guy spilling coffee - John Knudesn (he's also gaffer)

    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.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 for PBS Digital Studios

    Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer
    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

    Other music via APM

    Stock images from Shutterstock

    -----------------

    Last week's video:
    5 Weird Involuntary Behaviors Explained: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE8sRMZ5BCA

    More videos:
    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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    6 min
  • The Most Unbelievable Image Ever Captured by Hubble Space Telescope

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    ↓ More info and sources below ↓

    Uploaded 25-04-20

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    Celebrate the Hubble Space Telescope’s 30th Birthday with us: https://hubblesite.org/hubble-30th-anniversary
    https://www.nasa.gov/content/hubbles-30th-anniversary
    Disorientation” by Dr. Katie Mack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wT1-bRj9wI

    Special thanks:
    Dr. Katie Mack (@AstroKatie on Twitter)
    Dr. Frank Summers (STScI)
    Dr. Joel Green (STScI)
    Dr. Alex Lockwood (STScI)
    NASA
    European Space Agency
    Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
    Hubblesite.org
    Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons:
    AlecZero
    Diego Lombeida
    Dustin
    Ernesto Silva
    George Gladding
    Marcus Tuepker
    Megan K Bradshaw
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    14 min
  • Why Do We Cook?

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    Uploaded 23-12-13

    Your brain is hungry. Here's how to feed it.

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    Ever wonder why we cook our food? We do it because it tastes good, of course, and because our customs and traditions are built around it. But we also cook our food for some basic biological reasons, because of evolution. Some scientists think that figuring out how to cook actually MADE us human!

    If conversation gets a little dry around your holiday table, now you'll have some awesome science to share with everyone!

    Richard Wrangham - "Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human" http://amzn.to/1cg5flN

    "The Raw and the Stolen" (PDF) - Richard Wrangham et al. http://bit.ly/JTLYfe
    (that one has some of the counterarguments, too)
    Greg Laden's summary: http://bit.ly/1dx46oc

    Cooked Foods Needed for Early Human Brain: http://bit.ly/1l8bqJE

    Man Entered the Kitchen 1.9 Million Years Ago: http://bit.ly/1c1vcB5

    What made us human: http://bit.ly/19lp4cU and http://www.epjournal.net/wp-content/uploads/EP08340342.pdf

    The story might not be quite so simple, though: http://blogs.plos.org/neuroanthropology/2010/10/28/food-for-thought-cooking-in-human-evolution/

    Joe Hanson - Host
    Joe Nicolosi - Director
    Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKatie Graham - Director of Photography
    John Knudsen - Gaffer
    Isaac Hammons - Audio Recordist
    Stephen Bohls, Editor, Kino-Eye POST
    Christopher Chiles, Motion Graphics
    Kate Eads - Production Manager
    Intro music - Victor Herbert Orchestra, "Chinese Dance of the Mirillitons from the Nutcracker 1913"
    Body music - Podington Bear's "AlgoRhythmNatural"
    Special thanks to Thinkery Austin

    Produced for PBS Digital Studios
    -----------
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    8 min
  • Why Do You Love Your Family?

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    Uploaded 20-12-17

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    You can learn more about your personal DNA story by going to https://23andMe.com/okay

    ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓

    Why do we love people we're related to? Compared to strangers, why do we feel such a deep sense of connection with our family members? Sure, they're nice to us, we take care of each other, and we often live with them, but there has to be a deeper biological reason. That reason, unsurprisingly is evolution. In this video, I explain why taking care of our family, or even dying for them, makes sense in the eyes of evolution.

    SOURCES:
    This video covers more than a half century of evolutionary biology theory and observation, but here's some reading if you'd like to learn more:

    Dawkins, Richard. (1976) "The Selfish Gene" http://amzn.to/2Dhd257

    Fisher, R. A. (1930). "The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection" http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/880368061

    Haldane, J.B.S. (1932). "The Causes of Evolution." London: Longmans, Green and Co.

    Hamilton, W. D. (1963). "The evolution of altruistic behavior." The American Naturalist, 97(896), 354-356.

    Hamilton, W. D. (1964). "The genetical evolution of social behaviour I." Journal of Theoretical Biology, 7(1), 1-16.


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    It's Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
    Director: Joe Nicolosi
    Writer: Stephanie Keep
    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

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    11 min
  • How Many Species are in Your Backyard?

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    Uploaded 19-05-20

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    Learn more about iNaturalist and citizen science: https://www.inaturalist.org/

    Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons:
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    13 min
  • Why It Took Scientists So Long To Adopt This Very Clear Idea
    But did thee feel the Earth move?
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    ↓ More info and sources below ↓
    Why do Africa and South America fit together? Anyone who’s ever looked at a map can see that Earth’s continents are kind of like a jigsaw puzzle. The idea that continents are constantly moving and weren’t always in their current spots is a pretty obvious idea, right? You might be surprised to learn that geologists only accepted that idea recently in the past few decades, and it figuring out how plate tectonics and continental drift work required some pretty strange evidence.
    -----------
    LEARN MORE:
    Some background on Alfred Wegener: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/geology/techist.html
    Lystrosaurus (ancient mammal relative): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lystrosaurus
    Glossopteris (ancient fern): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossopteris
    The splitting of Africa: http://theconversation.com/splitting-africa-what-happens-when-a-continent-breaks-apart-6248
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    It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
    Director: Joe Nicolosi
    Writer: Shaena Montanari
    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

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    7 min
  • What Are The Most Influential Science Images Ever?
    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 ↓
    One picture can change the world!
    Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub
    Science isn't always a visual medium, but I think it's most important moments have often been captured in photos and illustrations. I picked out some of my favorite science images from history.
    John Barrow's book "Cosmic Imagery" http://amzn.to/1hP80PY
    Nicolaus Copernicus' "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium" http://bit.ly/1o3uESj
    Robert Hooke's "Micrographia" http://bit.ly/1ppce1V
    1919 Eclipse http://bit.ly/1ljaoiq
    Watson & Crick's "A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid" http://bit.ly/1fp2r92
    Hubble eXtreme Deep Field http://1.usa.gov/1hukqIz
    Apollo 8 "Earthrise" http://bit.ly/1mwaIss
    Music:
    "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod
    "Kitten" by Podington Bear
    "Wonder" by Podington Bear
    Created by Joe Hanson
    Produced for PBS Digital Studios
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    12 min

About Be Smart.

From the publisher's feed

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