Be Smart.

Be Smart.

By Joe HansonScienceEducationNatural Sciences
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Be Smart. episodes

  • Why No One Can See the Stars Anymore

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    Uploaded 14-07-19

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    It never gets dark anymore. Not REALLY dark, anyway. Not like it used to. Light pollution is not only making it more difficult to see the night sky, but it's also affecting our health. For the past century and a half, since the dawn of electric light, we’ve been losing our connection to the night. We need artificial light for modern society, of course. The problem is, we need darkness for our health, and for the health of wildlife and ecosystems, and we’re not getting enough of it. I traveled to McDonald Observatory in far west Texas, one of the darkest places in North America, to learn what people are doing in order to preserve dark skies, and to see truly dark skies for myself (and so I could show them to you!). This video features time lapse night sky images that I’ve been collecting for the past few years, and I hope they make you feel something special. Turn out the lights, keep looking up, and don’t be afraid of the dark.
    #lightpollution #darkskies #astronomy

    SOURCES/MORE INFO: https://sites.google.com/view/light-pollution-sources/home

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    15 min
  • Why Is Blue So Rare In Nature?

    Duh, except for the sky… and the ocean…
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    Uploaded 09-01-18

    Among living things, the color blue is oddly rare. Blue rocks, blue sky, blue water, sure. But blue animals? They are few and far between. And the ones that do make blue? They make it in some very strange and special ways compared to other colors. In this video, we'll look at some very cool butterflies to help us learn how living things make blue, and why this beautiful hue is so rare in nature.

    SPECIAL THANKS:
    Smithsonian Institution - National Museum of Natural History
    Bob Robbins, Ph.D. - Curator of Lepidoptera
    Juan Pablo Hurtado Padilla - Microscope Educator

    Richard Prum, Ph.D. - Yale University
    Vinothan Manoharan, Ph.D. - Harvard University

    SOURCES:

    Bagnara, J. T., Fernandez, P. J., and Fujii, R. (2007). On the blue coloration of vertebrates. Pigment Cell and Melanoma Research, 20(1), 14-26.

    Cuthill, I. C., Allen, W. L., Arbuckle, K., Caspers, B., Chaplin, G., Hauber, M. E., ... and Mappes, J. (2017). The biology of color. Science, 357(6350), eaan0221.

    Kinoshita, S., Yoshioka, S., and Miyazaki, J. (2008). Physics of structural colors. Reports on Progress in Physics, 71(7), 076401.

    Kinoshita, S. (2008). Structural colors in the realm of nature. World Scientific.

    Prum, R. O., Quinn, T., and Torres, R. H. (2006). Anatomically diverse butterfly scales all produce structural colours by coherent scattering. Journal of Experimental Biology, 209(4), 748-765.

    Vukusic, P., and Sambles, J. R. (2003). Photonic structures in biology. Nature, 424(6950), 852-855.

    Vukusic, P., Sambles, J. R., Lawrence, C. R., and Wootton, R. J. (1999). Quantified interference and diffraction in single Morpho butterfly scales. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 266(1427), 1403-1411.



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    It's Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
    Director: Joe Nicolosi
    Writer: Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
    Producer/editor/animator: Jordan Husmann
    Producer: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox

    Produced by PBS Digital Studios
    Music via APM

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    12 min
  • Is Your Brain Too Worn Out For Video Games?
    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate
    Get your #ididascience shirt here! http://dftba.com/besmart
    ↓ More info and sources below ↓
    Vintage arcade footage courtesy of: http://patrickscottpatterson.com/
    Special thanks to Dreamhack Austin 2016: http://dreamhackaustin.com/
    Thank you to our commentators:
    @Totalbiscuit https://www.youtube.com/cynicalbrit
    @EGiNcontroL https://www.facebook.com/GeoffRobinsoniNcontroL
    References:
    Thompson, Joseph J., Mark R. Blair, and Andrew J. Henrey. "Over the hill at 24: persistent age-related cognitive-motor decline in reaction times in an ecologically valid video game task begins in early adulthood." PloS one 9.4 (2014): e94215.
    Thompson, Joseph J., et al. "Video game telemetry as a critical tool in the study of complex skill learning." PloS one 8.9 (2013): e75129.
    Lewis, Joshua M., Patrick Trinh, and David Kirsh. "A corpus analysis of strategy video game play in starcraft: Brood war." Proceedings of the 33rd annual conference of the cognitive science society. 2011.
    ESA Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry 2016 http://essentialfacts.theesa.com/
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    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!
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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
    Music via APM
    Stock images from SciencePhoto http://www.sciencephoto.com/ and Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com
    Stock footage from Videoblocks (unless otherwise noted) http://www.videoblocks.com​

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    10 min
  • The Science of Rainbows

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    Uploaded 01-07-13

    Dorothy went over one. LeVar Burton read to us under one. In a song, Kermit the Frog connected us to one. Even Mork's suspenders were made of them.

    Our culture, and our skies, are full of rainbows, but do you know how they form? Do we all see the same rainbow? Could cyborg-enhanced mantis shrimp eyes someday see a bigger rainbow?

    The answer to all these questions involves a little physics, and the number 42.

    Written and hosted by Joe Hanson
    Produced by Painted On Productions (http://www.paintedon.com/)

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    8 min
  • Why the Plastic Pollution Problem Is So Much Worse Than You Think

    Can we really clean our way out of this problem?
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    Uploaded 06-01-22

    There’s been a lot of talk on YouTube lately about ocean plastic pollution and #TeamSeas. But there hasn’t been enough talk about the **ridiculously unthinkable scale of the ocean plastic pollution problem** or how it intersects with other environmental issues like climate change. And here’s a big spoiler alert: Nearly all environmental scientists agree that ocean plastic pollution isn’t a problem we can clean our way out of. So what CAN we do? That’s what this video is about.

    Detailed references and annotations: https://sites.google.com/view/besmart-plasticpollution/home

    We’d like to thank the following researchers for helpful interviews and background materials for this episode:

    Winnie Lau - Pew Charitable Trusts
    Dr. Max Liboiron - Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research (CLEAR)
    Dr. Miriam Goldstein

    0:00 Intro
    1:21 History of plastic
    2:59 How much plastic are we making?
    4:28 Plastic is petroleum
    5:29 How much plastic is in the ocean?
    7:38 How plastic gets to the ocean
    9:09 Can we clean our way out of this?
    10:30 The ACTUAL solutions
    13:09 Final thoughts


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    Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons:

    Barbora Bei
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    19 min
  • Why Is Sleep Necessary?
    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate
    …and how did it evolve in the first place?
    Tweet ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSsleep Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSsleepFB
    ↓ More info and sources below ↓
    Why do we sleep? We spend a third of our lives in slumber, but science has yet to determine exactly why we have do it. Here’s a look at how sleep works, why we’re not getting enough sleep, what happens if you DON’T sleep, and an idea about where sleep came from in the first place.
    Follow me to The Good Stuff’s sleep playlist: https://youtu.be/RHCcM7LyZdc?list=PLsRLUurFnvvUCysDQrFvGL0nxN6Eha93s
    Also check out BrainCraft:
    https://youtu.be/yv-XNKK9laE
    https://youtu.be/ZPpvS9wDOcA
    For more, read:
    “Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep” by David K. Randall http://amzn.to/1MB38dt
    "The Universal Pastime: Sleep and Rest Explained" by Dr Richard Horner http://amzn.com/B00NT9O60O
    Cool research on melatonin in sea worm larvae: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/science/the-evolution-of-sleep-700-million-years-of-melatonin.html
    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!
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    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/pbsdigitalstudios
    Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer
    Joe Nicolosi - Director
    Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen Inc.
    Kate Eads - Producer
    Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics/Animation
    Arts & Labor - Motion Graphics
    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)​

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    12 min
  • Why Do We Smile?
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    Several jokes were harmed in the making of this video
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    T-SHIRTS! http://dftba.com/besmart
    Laughing is a universal human behavior, one that transcends borders of language and culture. But it's also REALLY WEIRD. Why do we do it? The answer has less to do with humor than you might think
    Learn more:
    "Laughter: A Scientific Investigation" by Robert Provine http://amzn.to/1fzZQLy
    "Ha! The Science of When We Laugh and Why" by Scott Weems http://amzn.to/1etLLyv
    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!
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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 - 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
    -----------------
    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​

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    10 min
  • Why Are Cicadas So Excellent At Math?
    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate
    Subscribe so you don't miss any cool science ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub
    Follow me to Gross Science: http://youtu.be/IDBkj3DjNSM
    ↓ More info and sources below ↓
    Do periodical cicadas "know" how to calculate prime numbers? One of the strangest life cycles in all of biology, explained!
    Special thanks to Samuel Orr (www.motionkicker.com) for the beautiful cicada footage!
    Learn more about magicicadas at http://www.magicicada.org/
    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!
    Our website: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com
    Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://instagram.com/okaytbesmart
    -----------------
    It's Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D
    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
    -----------------
    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

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    8 min
  • Why Do Disney Princesses All Look Like Babies?

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    Help us out and complete the 2018 PBS Digital Studios survey! https://to.pbs.org/2018YTSurvey
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    Uploaded 07-08-18

    I noticed something weird about Disney Princesses lately. Naturally, I had to examine it through the lens of science. The answer led me to new knowledge about human development, the domestication and taming of animals, and why we find things cute in the first place. You’ll never look at cartoons the same way again

    Siberian silver fox footage courtesy of Lee Alan Dugatkin and Lyudmila Trut. Check out their book “How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog)” to learn more, it’s great! https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/H/bo25568406.html

    Skull reproductions courtesy of Boneclones: https://boneclones.com/

    REFERENCES:

    Gould, Stephen Jay “Biological Homage to Mickey Mouse” https://faculty.uca.edu/benw/biol4415/papers/Mickey.pdf

    Bogin, B. (1990). The evolution of human childhood. Bioscience, 40(1), 16-25.
    PDF: http://bit.ly/2vDb3Vy

    Somel, M., Franz, H., Yan, Z., Lorenc, A., Guo, S., Giger, T., ... and Webster, M. J. (2009). Transcriptional neoteny in the human brain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(14), 5743-5748.

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

    Produced by PBS Digital Studios
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    11 min
  • Barrage of the Cosmic Space Junk!
    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate
    No Sandra Bullocks were harmed in the making of this video.
    Tweet this video ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSjunk Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSjunkFB
    ↓ More info and sources below ↓
    Window chip in the ISS: http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/05/Impact_chip
    The extent of space debris: http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2013/04/Space_debris_story
    Where did all that debris come from? http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/where-did-all-that-space-debris-come-from/
    USSTRATCOM space surveillance fact sheet: https://www.stratcom.mil/factsheets/11/Space_Control_and_Space_Surveillance/
    This is cool: http://stuffin.space/
    Every satellite orbiting Earth, visualized: http://qz.com/296941/interactive-graphic-every-active-satellite-orbiting-earth/
    8 weird pieces of space junk: http://www.wired.com/2009/02/spacestuff/
    Project West Ford: http://www.wired.com/2013/08/project-west-ford/
    STK animation courtesy of Analytical Graphics, Inc.
    Get yourself an awesome IOTBS shirt! http://dftba.com/besmart
    ----------------
    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
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    Produced by PBS Digital Studios
    Music via APM
    Stock images from SciencePhoto http://www.sciencephoto.com/ and Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com
    Stock footage from Videoblocks (unless otherwise noted) http://www.videoblocks.com

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    8 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.