Be Smart.

By Joe HansonScience Education Natural Sciences

Be Smart. episodes

October 10 A Slice of Pizza Knowledge!
How does math keep a folded slice from drooping? And what does pizza have to do with the speed of light?
Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate
How a 19th Century Math Genius Taught Us the Best Way to Hold a Pizza Slice:
http://www.wired.com/2014/09/curvature-and-strength-empzeal/
Planet Money pizza price comparison: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/02/26/282132576/74-476-reasons-you-should-always-get-the-bigger-pizza
Measure the speed of light with your microwave: http://io9.com/5526055/use-your-microwave-to-measure-the-speed-of-light
Produced for PBS Digital Studios
Joe Hanson - Host, writer, editing, graphics
Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen Inc
Kate Eads - Associate Producer
John Knudsen - Gaffer, Camera
Theme music:
"Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod
Stock images via Shutterstock
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6 min
October 10 Why Are Some Folk Left-Handed?
We've got two perfectly good hands attached to two perfectly good arms, so why do most people prefer to use one over the other for common tasks?
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David Wolman's "A Left Hand Turn Around the World" http://amzn.to/1wYqOS2
(lots more references in there!)
Chris McManus' "Right Hand, Left Hand" http://amzn.to/1umztyL
The best collection of the science of handedness on the internet: Right, Left, Right, Wrong - http://www.rightleftrightwrong.com/index.html
Genetic link between handedness and body asymmetry: http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pgen.1003751
A gene associated with handedness and schizophrenia: http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/v12/n12/abs/4002053a.html
Genetic theories of handedness: http://www.rightleftrightwrong.com/theories_genetic.html
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
Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics
Dalton Allen - Post-production intern
John Knudsen - Gaffer
Theme music:
"Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod
Stock images via Shutterstock
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7 min
October 10 The Science Behind A Game of Thrones
Valar more-curious!
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WINTER:
Seasons of Westeros and the 3-body problem: http://arxiv.org/pdf/1304.0445v1.pdf
Other possible explanations for the seasons: http://io9.com/5906300/5-scientific-explanations-for-game-of-thrones-messed-up-seasons
Why those other reasons are wrong:
http://bit.ly/1hYuRDJ
http://boingboing.net/2012/05/14/great-moments-in-pedantry-win.html
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103511004064
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milankovitch_cycles
NOTE ON MOONS AND STABILIZATION: I'm adding this comment after the video goes up: In retrospect I should have said that a moon doesn't *necessarily* have to be present to stabilize a planet. While our moon does cancel out some tugging from the other planets in the solar system, here's a recent paper shows that moonless planets can orbit with great stability even without the influence of a moon. Basically moons aren't required for stability: http://barnesos.net/publications/papers/2012.01.Icarus.Barnes.Moonless.Earth.pdf
Even more reasons for the seasons: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/05/how-seasons-qworkq-in-a-song-of-ice-and-fire
GEOLOGY:
Generation Anthropocene's AMAZING geologic history of Westeros and Essos: http://www.stanford.edu/group/anthropocene/cgi-bin/wordpress/game-of-thrones-geology/
VALYRIAN STEEL:
Damascus steel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_steel
DRAGON FIRE:
Kyle Hill's explanation for real-life dragon fire: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/but-not-simpler/2014/01/02/smaug-breathes-fire-like-a-bloated-bombardier-beetle-with-flinted-teeth/
DRAGON FLIGHT:
Dragon-sized birds are biologically impossible: http://wapo.st/1lBV2RE
WILDFIRE:
Greek fire: http://www.sciforums.com/what-is-greek-fire-t-68540.html
Trimethyl borate flame by hkparker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OrisgbsRmg
MILK OF POPPY:
Opates: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium
THE WALL:
Compression melting of ice: http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1qkdl0/can_ice_be_compressed_into_water/
DIRE WOLVES:
Canis dirus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dire_wolf
REAL-LIFE CHARACTERS:
Abandon all productivity ye who click here: http://history-behind-game-of-thrones.com
Stark/Lannister feud in real life tapestry: http://history-behind-game-of-thrones.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/porte_saint_denis170-753x1024.jpg
Joe Hanson - Host and writer
Joe Nicolosi - Director
Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer
Katie Graham - Director of Photography
Edited by Stephanie Noone and Kirby Conn from Arts & Labor
John Knudsen - Gaffer
Music:
"Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod
Produced by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios
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11 min
October 10 The Stunning Cycles of Carbon and Oxygen In Your Body
Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate
Click here to dig deeper into Oxygen: http://youtu.be/1PmD2GWB4u4
Click here to dig deeper into Carbon: http://youtu.be/1PmD2GWB4u4?t=47s
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OXYGEN:
Electron transport chain (O2 to water): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_transport_chain
How Sam Ruben discovered that the oxygen that plants exhale comes from water, and not CO2: http://bit.ly/1vv1p0n
CARBON:
How plants convert CO2 into carbohydrates: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-independent_reactions
Carbohydrates turn into pyruvate: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycolysis
Pyruvate powers the citric acid cycle, turning to CO2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid_cycle
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
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4 min
October 10 The Sun Is A Magnet!
Sunspots, solar flares, coronal mass ejections, OH MY!

Uploaded 21-07-14

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↓ More info and sources below ↓

As massive magnetic fusion reactors go, the sun is pretty awesome.

How a CME forms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsXqNNQsS7I

More on solar storms from Bad Astronomy:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/02/05/solar_eruption_a_sun_storm_leaves_behind_twisted_chaos.html
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/02/21/coronal_rain_streams_of_ionized_gas_rain_on_sun_after_a_solar_flare.html

Anatomy of solar storms: http://www.space.com/12047-solar-flares-sun-storms-space-weather-infographic.html

All the sun science you've ever wanted:
http://solarcellcentral.com/sun_page.html

Footage via NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, ESA/Hubble, and Pond5

Joe Hanson - Host and writer
Joe Nicolosi - Director
Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer
Editing/Motion Graphics - Andrew Matthews

Music:
"Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod

Artwork/photos via Shutterstock

Produced for PBS Digital Studios
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4 min
October 10 360˚ Inside an ICE CAVE!!
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Uploaded 28-11-17

Watch my video explaining this beautiful blue: https://youtu.be/IvBExYAkQRc
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Special thanks to :

Above and Beyond Alaska wilderness tours: http://beyondak.com/

Filmed at Mendenhall Glacier under a Special Use Permit on the Juneau Ranger District, Tongass National Forest

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

Produced by PBS Digital Studios
Music via APM

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3 min
October 10 How Scientists Produced the Hottest Thing Ever
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At CERN, physicists are searching for answers to some of the biggest questions ever — like how the universe started and where everything comes from. To get one step closer to an answer, CERN scientists recreated the first moment after the Big Bang… making extreme temperatures that hadn’t existed anywhere in the universe in 13.8 billion years. Join us to see how they did it.
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18 min
October 10 Using Gene Editing To Repaint Butterfly Wings
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Uploaded 18-06-19

Butterfly metamorphosis is still a bit of a mystery. What happens inside a chrysalis to turn a caterpillar into a beautifully painted butterfly? Does it really turn to soup? I visited Dr. Arnaud Martin, who uses the CRISPR genetic modification technology to learn about how genes build bodies. Dr. Martin uses CRISPR to disrupt certain genes, and then looks for changes in butterfly wing patterns, creating designs we never see in nature. This tells us which genes control which part of the "wing painting" process. In the process of visiting Dr. Martin’s lab, I had my mind blown about what REALLY happens during butterfly metamorphosis. You will too. #butterflies #CRISPR #genetics

Special thanks to Arnaud Martin and the entire Martin Lab at George Washington University
https://dnacrobatics.com

Chrysalis window timelapses courtesy of Aaron Pomerantz from the lab of Dr. Nipam Patel. http://www.patellab.net/
Check out Aaron’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHr0u7Jsktou2CFl2GhTxYA

SOURCES: https://sites.google.com/view/painting-wings-with-crispr/home

The Great Courses Plus is currently available to watch through a web browser to almost anyone in the world and optimized for the US, UK, and Australian markets. The Great Courses Plus is currently working to both optimize the product globally and accept credit card payments globally.

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15 min
October 10 The TRUE Story of Ben Franklin & His Kite
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Uploaded 18-11-20

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You’ve probably heard of Ben Franklin and the kite. But do you know the TRUE story of how his famous experiment changed the world? Here’s the tale of how one person’s quest for scientific knowledge altered the direction of history.

References:

Dray, Philip. “Stealing God's Thunder: Benjamin Franklin's Lightning Rod and the Invention of America.” Random House, 2005.

Franklin, Benjamin. “Experiments and observations on electricity, made at Philadelphia in America” 1769. https://archive.org/details/experimentsobser00fran/

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13 min
October 10 ЩΉӨ BЦIᄂƬ ƬΉΣ PYЯΛMIDƧ
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Uploaded 02-06-17

Who built the pyramids? The colossal geometric monuments found at Giza and elsewhere in Egypt are some of Earth’s most impressive constructions. Pyramids are truly wonders of the ancient and modern world.

But when the pyramids were built, the ancient Egyptians hadn’t invented the wheel, developed bronze tools, or discovered pi. How were they able to stack two million stone blocks, each weighing more than two tons, into precise geometric alignments that would survive more than 4,000 years and capture the imaginations of explorers throughout history? They did it the same way we always have: by trial and error. The true history of the pyramids is one of experimentation and science, not magic… or aliens.

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REFERENCES:

Lehner, M. (1997). The complete pyramids. Thames and Hudson.

Parry, D. (2005). Engineering the pyramids. The History Press.

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..

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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

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8 min

About Be Smart.

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

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