Be Smart.

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  • We've never seen an atom. But we know what they look like.

    The first 100 people to join @planet-wild with the code SMART5 will get the first month paid for: https://planetwild.com/r/besmart/join
    If you want to get to know them better first, check out their mission stopping ocean plastic: https://planetwild.com/r/besmart/m34
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    Uploaded 28-05-26

    If everything around us is made of atoms, why can’t we actually see them? From ancient philosophy to quantum mechanics, electron microscopes, and the strange limits of human perception, let’s explore one of science’s deepest questions: what does it really mean to “see” something?

    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!

    CONNECT WITH ME
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    A big thanks to our Brain Trust patrons: Baerbel Winkler, Bernadette Etienne, Brent Lopez, dani bowman, David Johnston, Ed Eyden, Eric Meer, Greg Olson, Jaap Westera, Karen Haskell, Marcus Pingel, Mike and Patty Loftis, Reuben Brewer

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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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    22 min
  • The SCIENCE of BREWING!!!
    Is beer the perfect beverage? Let's see what science says...
    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate
    Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub
    Big thank you to Jester King Brewery in Austin, TX: http://jesterkingbrewery.com/
    The chemistry of beer flavors: http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/07/10/beerchemicals/
    Uncorking the past, a history of alcoholic beverages: http://www.economist.com/node/883706
    Domestication of grain in near east: http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v3/n6/abs/nrg817.html
    Alcohol and social complexity in ancient western Asia: http://alexanderjoffe.net/alcohol.pdf
    Finally, a weird Dutch Heineken ad from the 1950's about sending beer to the moon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I03AxY5gA8I
    Joe Hanson - Host and writer
    Joe Nicolosi - Director
    Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer
    Katie Graham - Director of Photography
    Editing/Motion Graphics - Andrew Matthews
    Gaffer - John Knudsen
    Post-production intern - Dalton Allen
    Theme music:
    "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod
    Stock images via Shutterstock
    -----------
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    8 min
  • Why Does Time Only Go Forward?
    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate
    ↓ More info and sources below ↓
    Arrow of Time FAQ: http://preposterousuniverse.com/eternitytohere/faq.html
    Arrow of Time wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrow_of_time
    Sean Carroll's TED talk on time and the multiverse: http://www.ted.com/talks/sean_carroll_distant_time_and_the_hint_of_a_multiverse
    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
    Stock video via Videoblocks
    Music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod
    Stock images via Shutterstock
    Produced by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios
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    5 min
  • Amazing Facts About Whales!

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate

    Uploaded 24-08-15

    Whales are INCREDIBLE! Check out #BigBlueLive: http://pbs.org/bigbluelive
    Tweet ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSwhales Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSwhalesFB
    ↓ More info and sources below ↓

    PBS and BBC are teaming up to bring you an incredible LIVE nature broadcast direct from Monterey Bay, California called BIG BLUE LIVE. In late summer, thousands and thousands of ocean animals come together here, in one of the richest ecosystems on Earth. We'll be bringing you a week of videos direct from Monterey Bay all about this incredible place and the biology it holds
    Big Blue Live airs nightly on PBS 8/31-9/2 at 8 PM ET
    Big Blue Live airs on BBC One 8/23 (7PM), 8/27 (8 PM), 8/30 (7 PM)

    More info here:
    pbs.org/bigbluelive
    facebook.com/PBS
    facebook.com/BBCBigBlueLive

    Follow Joe during Big Blue Live!
    Twitter/Periscope: @jtotheizzoe @okaytobesmart
    Snapchat: YoDrJoe
    Instagram: @jtotheizzoe
    Facebook: facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart

    (Whale illustrations by Nobu Tamura/CC-BY-3.0)

    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!
    Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/okaytobesmart
    http://twitter.com/jtotheizzoe
    Follow on Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com
    Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtotheizzoe
    Follow on Snapchat: YoDrJoe

    -----------------
    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
    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 (unless otherwise noted)



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    11 min
  • Are We Living Through the Sixth Extinction?
    This time, we're the asteroid.
    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate
    Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub
    Read "The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert: http://amzn.to/1xGKn0K
    Rodolfo Dirzo et al. "Defaunation in the Anthropocene" http://bit.ly/1H7JQdw
    Stuart Pimm et al. "Biodiversity of Species and Their Rates of Extinction" http://bit.ly/1A5UZJM
    Get to know an endangered species: http://discover.iucnredlist.org/
    Half of world's wildlife has died off in past 40 years: http://bit.ly/1BHl8jR
    Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment below!
    Produced for PBS Digital Studios
    Joe Hanson - Host/Writer
    Joe Nicolosi - Director
    Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen Inc
    Kate 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 by Shutterstock
    -----------
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    12 min
  • Is Height Genetic?

    I'm tall. Here's why!
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    Uploaded 18-09-18

    I’m tall. Most of the people in my family are tall. Does that mean my son will be tall? Turns out the inheritance of height is a lot more complicated than we thought. Scientists know that nature (genes) and nurture (environment) both play a role, but after more than a century of questions, we’re only just now starting to get some answers

    REFERENCES:

    Fryar, C.D. et al. (2016). Anthropometric reference data for
    children and adults: United States, 2011–2014. National Center for Health
    Statistics. Vital Health Stat 3(39).

    NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. (2016). A century of trends in adult human height. eLife
    5:e13410.

    Visscher, P.M. et al. (2007). Genome partitioning of genetic variation for height from 11,214 sibling pairs. American Journal of Human Genetics 81:1104–10.

    Zimmer, C. (2018). She has her mother’s laugh: The powers, perversions, and potential of heredity. New York: Dutton. http://bit.ly/2xi5H0M

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    -----------
    It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
    Director: Joe Nicolosi
    Writer: Maria Ter-Mikaelian
    Creative Director: David Schulte
    Editor/animator: Matt Fultz
    Producers: 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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    10 min
  • COVID-19 & Mask Myths DEBUNKED!

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    ↓ More info and sources below ↓

    Uploaded 23-07-20

    We're on PATREON! Join the community ►► https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart
    SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub

    Bottom line: Masks work. They are safe for almost everyone to wear, and the more people that wear them along with adhering to physical distancing and other strategies, then that's more lives we'll save. But there's still a lot of confusion and misinformation out there when it comes both to wearing masks and the actual risks of getting infected with COVID-19. In this video, I address a few of the most common myths and misunderstandings using scientific evidence. #WearAMask

    00:00 Introduction
    00:46 Myth 1: Farts vs. viral particles
    02:20 Myth 2: Cloth masks can't stop viruses
    03:25 Myth 3: Oxygen deprivation/CO2 poisoning
    05:40 Myth 4: Toxins
    06:41 Myth 5: I feel healthy so I don't need a mask
    07:51 Myth 6: Masks aren't 100% effective, so why wear one?
    08:34 Mask-wearing history
    09:25 Myth 7: Government mask exemptions
    10:24 Myth 8: COVID isn't a big deal
    12:09 Conclusion

    Watch our previous video about masks: https://youtu.be/0Tp0zB904Mc

    Our entire COVID-19 playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsmqeqKj7M-pvu23aAUn6gtvDZAymnZ0K

    References: https://sites.google.com/view/covid-mask-myths-references/home


    Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons:
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    17 min
  • The Weird Reason Plants Aren't Black

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    Uploaded 25-10-19

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    Why are trees and other plants green? Seems like a simple question. But the answer is full of surprises. Using a special camera that can pick up light just beyond the visible range, into the near-infrared, you’ll get to see trees like you’ve never seen them before. And these other-worldly images can teach us not only why trees are green on Earth, but what color photosynthetic life on other planets might be.
    #TeamTrees

    References: https://sites.google.com/view/treesonotherplanets-references/home

    Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons:
    AlecZero
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    14 min
  • Why the Heck Are We Ticklish?

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    Uploaded 14-04-20

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    I’ve explained a lot of weird bodily functions on this show but there’s one that we haven’t covered that’s always confused me: Tickling. What are you for, tickling? What’s the point of you? Why do you exist? Why do you make us laugh even though we hate you? Let’s dig into our evolutionary past to try and find an answer.

    References:

    Laughing, tickling, and speech http://untiredwithloving.org/dhahak.pdf
    Pathogenic laughter https://n.neurology.org/content/64/12/2154.short
    Tickling review http://charris.ucsd.edu/articles/Harris_EHB2012.pdf
    Darwin-Hecker http://charris.ucsd.edu/articles/Harris&Christenfeld_CE1997.pdf
    Early thoughts https://www.jstor.org/stable/1411471?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
    Neural correlates of laughter https://academic.oup.com/cercor/article/23/6/1280/426218
    Neural correlates of laughter https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/126/10/2121/314497 Experience of pleasure https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6877978
    Tickling and laughter https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/030105119090023P
    Ticklish rats https://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6313/757
    Social laughter and pain https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2011.1373


    Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons:
    AlecZero
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    vincbis

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    14 min
  • The Curious Physics That Makes Hurricanes So Powerful
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    The physics of the perfect storm…
    Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub
    ↓ More info and sources below ↓
    Learn more/references:
    “Divine Wind: The History and Science of Hurricanes” by Kerry Emanuel http://amzn.to/2aUY7P7
    Japan’s “kamikaze” winds may have been real: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/11/141104-kamikaze-kublai-khan-winds-typhoon-japan-invasion/
    “El huracán, su mitología y sus símbolos” Fernando Ortiz http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/60338937
    “Sea of Storms: A History of Hurricanes in the Greater Caribbean from Columbus to Katrina” Stuart B. Schwartz http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10324.html
    Emanuel, Kerry. "Tropical cyclones." Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 31.1 (2003): 75.
    Knutson, Thomas R., et al. "Tropical cyclones and climate change." Nature Geoscience 3.3 (2010): 157-163.
    “Hurricane Force” Roger Smith 2006 Phys. World 19 (6) 32
    Could we nuke a hurricane? http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/C5c.html
    ----------------
    It’s Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
    Produced by PBS Digital Studios
    Music via APM
    Stock images from SciencePhoto http://www.sciencephoto.com/ and Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com

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    9 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.