Be Smart.

Be Smart.

By Joe HansonScienceEducationNatural Sciences
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Be Smart. episodes

  • Infinity isn’t a number. It's something much weirder.

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    Uploaded 14-05-26

    Infinity sounds simple. It just means really, really big, right? But something weird happens when you try to do infinite things in a finite amount of time. Let's explore paradoxes, supertasks, and the bizarre mathematics that show how infinity is something far stranger than just a number.

    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!

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    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



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    15 min
  • We Can Bring Back Extinct Species… But SHOULD WE?
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    De-extinction, or using the power of modern biotechnology to bring back extinct species like mammoths and dinosaurs, would be cool. But is it really as easy as the movies make it look? Or do the cruel hands of time make it impossible? This weel we look at the technical and ethical hurdles behind the science of de-extinction and reverse engineering species that are no longer around.
    Hybrid reptile/chicken skull scans courtesy of Bhart-Anjan Bhullar
    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate
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    REFERENCES:
    Shapiro, B. (2015). How to clone a mammoth: the science of de-extinction. Princeton University Press.
    Sherkow, J. S., & Greely, H. T. (2013). What if extinction is not forever?. Science, 340(6128), 32-33.
    Zimmer, C. (2013). Bringing them back to life. National Geographic, 223(4), 28-41.
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    It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
    Director: Joe Nicolosi
    Writer: Shaena Montanari, Ph.D.
    Producer/editor/animator: Andrew Orsak
    Producer: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox
    Produced by PBS Digital Studios
    Music via APM
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    8 min
  • Where Did Earth's Water Come From?

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    Uploaded 22-05-18

    Why is Earth is a blue planet? Because it’s covered in water! Where did Earth’s water come from? Of course, water isn’t unique to our planet. The origin of water traces beyond the solar system to the earliest days of the universe. Here’s the story of the galaxy’s H2O.

    Special thanks to:
    David O’Brien, Planetary Science Institute
    Wendy Panero, The Ohio State University
    Karen Meech, Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii
    Shmuel Bialy, Tel Aviv University
    Avi Loeb, Harvard University
    Ilse Cleeves, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

    References:

    Bialy, S., Sternberg, A., and Loeb, A. (2015). Water Formation During the Epoch of First Metal Enrichment. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 804(2), L29.

    Bradford, Charles M., et al. "The water vapor spectrum of APM 08279+ 5255: X-ray heating and infrared pumping over hundreds of parsecs." The Astrophysical Journal Letters 741.2 (2011): L37.

    Cleeves, L. Ilsedore, et al. "The ancient heritage of water ice in the solar system." Science 345.6204 (2014): 1590-1593.

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

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    8 min
  • How To Bend Light Using Just Your Finger

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    Uploaded 03-04-18

    The other day I got bored and noticed this weird thing happened when I held my finger up to my eye, so I had to science it and figure it out! Let me know if you try these light-bending experiments too, especially that last one that I can’t quite explain yet…

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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.
    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

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    13 min
  • How Artist Claude Monet Was Sort Of Like a Honeybee
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    The famous painter who was half-honeybee
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    Claude Monet had a very unique eye, and it can teach us a bit about the science of vision
    More reading:
    Monet's Eye at Download the Universe:
    http://www.downloadtheuniverse.com/dtu/2012/04/monets-ultraviolet-eye.html
    Simulation of Monet's Cataracts:
    http://archopht.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=418859#MONET
    More:
    http://petapixel.com/2012/04/17/the-human-eye-can-see-in-ultraviolet-when-the-lens-is-removed/
    http://www.skepticalartist.com/2013/06/25/claude-monet-and-ultraviolet-light-did-the-master-impressionist-painter-have-uv-supervision/
    Music:
    Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variations
    (From The Open Goldberg Variations, by Kimiko Ishizaka
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    Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment below!
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    Joe Hanson - Host and writer
    Joe Nicolosi - Director
    Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen Inc
    Kate Eads - Associate Producer
    Katie Graham - Director of Photography
    Andrew Matthews - Editor and motion graphics
    John Knudsen - Gaffer
    Produced for PBS Digital Studios
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    Last week's video:
    The Science of Snowflakes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUot7XSX8uA
    More videos:
    The Universe In A Glass of Wine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3_n7TDL7lc
    Why We Cook: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wpfwu__PF7Y
    Ghosts of Evolution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWW5OuxlKec​

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    7 min
  • This Was the Most Critical Moment in the History of Life
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    Tweet this ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSpwr Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSpwrFB
    ↓ More info and sources below ↓
    If you want to read more (MUCH more) about this, check out “The Vital Question” by Nick Lane: http://amzn.to/1SntUdG
    And I really enjoyed this recent episode of Radiolab about this same story: http://www.radiolab.org/story/cellmates/
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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
  • What's the Largest Living Thing On Earth?

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    Uploaded 06-11-21

    The biggest thing that has ever lived on Earth… is a tree? Hard to believe, but it’s true. Travel with me to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to go inside a giant aspen clone, the most massive species on our planet, and learn what unique and special evolutionary adaptations let them get so big.

    Thanks to Dr. Jeffry B. Mitton (UC-Boulder) for sharing his years of research into giant quaking aspens and for telling us where to go see such pretty fall colors

    References:

    Mitton, J. B. and Grant, M. C. Observations on the Ecology and Evolution of Quaking Aspen, Populus tremuloides, in the Colorado Front Range. 9 (2021).

    Mitton, J. B. and Grant, M. C. Genetic Variation and the Natural History of Quaking Aspen. BioScience 46, 25–31 (1996).

    Grant, M. C., Mitton, J. B. and Linhart, Yan. B. Even larger organisms. Nature 360, 216–216 (1992).

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    14 min
  • Why Do Things Sound Creepy?
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    Why are sounds scary? They're just vibrations. Blame your brain!
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    Enter a dimension of sound, science, and fearMusic by Podington Bear http://podingtonbear.com/
    References and more:
    What's That Buzz? http://www.youtube.com/user/BuzzMoranSFX
    Seth Horowitz - The Universal Sense http://amzn.to/19Nd4NC
    Vsauce "You Live In The Past": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTOODPf-iuc
    ASAPScience "Can You Trust Your Eyes?": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZflIMBxyIak
    It's Okay To Be Smart "Pay Attention!": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-PvAZq3jW4
    Kyle Hill - The Animals Hiding in a T. rex's Roar: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/04/10/the-animals-hiding-in-a-t-rexs-roar/
    Daniel Blumstein - Film soundtracks and nonlinear sounds: http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2010/05/20/rsbl.2010.0333.full
    Oskar Sala - Crow attack from The Birds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hplpQt424Ls
    Krzysztof Pendercki - "Utrenja" from The Shining http://youtu.be/O8Vuf5lzV3E
    Bernard Herrmann - "Prelude/Radar" from The Day The Earth Stood Still http://youtu.be/3ULhiVqeF5U
    Written and hosted by Joe Hanson
    Special thanks to KLRU for help with this episode
    PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios
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    8 min
  • The Far Tomorrow of the Universe
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    SPOILERS: It doesn't end well.
    Special thanks to Ethan Siegel and Sean Carroll for help with this episode:
    http://preposterousuniverse.com/
    https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/
    More interesting things that will happen in the future:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_far_future
    http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140105-timeline-of-the-far-future
    This episode was a part of a collaboration with several other PBS Digital Studios shows, all talking about THE FUTURE!! Check out the other episodes!
    Learn about the Collab Here: http://youtu.be/ygmD5lz6rd8
    Idea Channel: The Future of Fandoms
    http://youtu.be/eJ3EBR1hlbI
    Game/Show: The Future of Games
    http://youtu.be/oON6S4fXS4k
    Crafts For Kids: DIY Robot Masks
    http://youtu.be/PtETQ_aIz8s
    Indie Alaska: Augmented Reality
    http://youtu.be/8Elu87SfL98
    Bon Appétempt: Post-Apocalyptic Pantry Cooking
    http://youtu.be/xzsyop6XZn8
    Shanks FX: Holograms
    http://youtu.be/P8Uj9uHgCQY
    Makin' Friends With Ryan Miller: Bruce Duncan and Bina48
    http://youtu.be/3e-JuaSc7B0
    24 Frames: The Future: 3D Printing
    http://youtu.be/l__1P1PCGZM
    Coma Niddy: Future Rap
    http://youtu.be/OUpPaEZHITI
    BBQ With Franklin: The Future of BBQ
    http://youtu.be/gbR7Tu2TqKk
    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
    Produced for PBS Digital Studios
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    8 min
  • The Science of GOAT!
    Yep. Goats!
    ↓ More info and sources below ↓
    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate
    Who are those people in the intro? Say hi to Joe Nicolosi (director) and Katie Graham (camera)!
    Goat field of vision: http://blogs.lifeandscience.org/keepers/tag/pupil/
    Goat pupil shape: http://www.journalofvision.org/content/13/9/607.short
    Radiolab story about a goat on a cow: http://www.radiolab.org/story/224292-behind-goat/
    "Fainting goat" syndrome: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myotonia_congenita
    Goats have "accents": http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2012/02/16/study-goats-have-accents.html
    Goat tastebuds: http://bit.ly/1zFxhiY
    Goat diet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goat#Diet
    How goats climb so well: http://www.asknature.org/strategy/719058a39eea5af7f763bacda7c64ab4#.U_KPLbxdWm8
    Billy Whiskers: http://www.childrensbooksonline.org/Billy_Whiskers/pages/001_Billy_Whiskers.htm
    In case you're curious, the star cluster in the thumbnail is Messier 30, which is in the Capricorn constellation, because goats.
    Joe Hanson - Host and writer
    Joe Nicolosi - Director
    Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer
    Katie Graham - Camera
    Editing/Motion Graphics - Andrew Matthews
    Gaffer - John Knudsen/Philip Sheldon
    Theme music:
    "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod
    Stock images via Shutterstock
    Produced for PBS Digital Studios
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    6 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.