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  • Does Someone Else Have Your Face? Doppelgängers Explained!

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    Uploaded 14-12-18

    They say everyone has a doppelgänger, but is that really true? This week we meet a young woman who found her own look-alike, and figure out how we actually recognize faces.

    TEST YOUR FACE MEMORY!

    Cambridge Memory Test
    http://bit.ly/2Gh0UXo

    Thorn Child Finder Challenge
    http://bit.ly/2QQxmnp

    Acknowledgements:
    Dr. Teghan Lucas, University of New South Wales
    Dr. Martin Eimer, Cambridge University
    Dr. Michael Sheehan, Cornell University
    Amanda Green (her real Instagram is @4mandagreen)
    Ruben van der Dussen/Thorn

    Cheng et al. (2017). The Code for Facial Identity in the Primate Brain. Cell 169, 6 (1013-1028. http://dx.doi.org./10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.011

    Huckenbeck (2013). Identification of the Living. University Clinic Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany. Elsevier Ltd.

    Johnson et al. (1991) Newborns’ preferential tracking of face-like stimuli and its subsequent decline. Cognition. 40(1-2):1-19.

    Lucas et al. (2016). Comparing the face to the body, which is better for identification? International Journal of Legal Medicine. 130(2):533-40 DOI 10.1007/s00414-015-1158-6

    Lucas et al. (2015). Are human faces unique? A metric approach to finding single individuals without duplicates in large samples. Forensic Science International 257 514.e1–514.e6

    Parr (2011) The evolution of face processing in primates. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. 366, 1571. DOI https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2010.0358

    Robertson et al. (2016). Unfamiliar face recognition : Security, surveillance and smartphones. The Journal of the Homeland Defense and Security Information Analysis Center. (14-21).

    Thomas (2013). Forensic Anthropology of the Living. Human Skeleton In Forensic Medicine (408-435).

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

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    17 min
  • How Your Body Understands Left From Right
    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 ↓
    Why are our bodies so symmetrical, but our guts aren't?
    This is part 3 of 3 in my series about how our bodies evolved to look like they do. Check out the others:
    Part 1 - Why your brain is in your head https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdNE4WygyAk
    Part 2 - Consider the upside-down lobster https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYbJqYVtRyA
    More info:
    Left-Right asymmetry in embryonic development: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15582774
    Development of the asymmetric human: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=331635&fileId=S1062798705000682
    Role of cilia and fluid flow: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24091059
    Situs inversus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situs_inversus
    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/04/science/growing-left-growing-right-how-a-body-breaks-symmetry.html
    Joe Hanson - Host and writer
    Joe Nicolosi - Director
    Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer
    Katie Graham - Director of Photography
    Post Producer - Stephanie Noone
    Editing/Motion Graphics - Arts+Labor, Austin, TX
    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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    7 min
  • Why Nature Loves Hexagons

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

    Uploaded 03-08-17

    Follow me to Infinite Series for 4-Dimensional Bees! https://youtu.be/X8jOxEGVyPo
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    From spirals to spots to fractals, nature is full of interesting patterns. Many of these patterns even resemble geometric shapes. One of the most common? Hexagons. Why do we see this six-sided shape occur so many times in nature? This week we explore why hexagons are so common in the natural world, from honeycomb to bubbles to rocks, and what their mathematics, physics, and biology may have in common.

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    READ MORE:

    D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson. (1917) “On Growth and Form”

    Ball, Philip. (2009). “Shapes: nature's patterns: a tapestry in three parts.” OUP Oxford.

    Karihaloo, B. L., Zhang, K., and Wang, J. (2013). Honeybee combs: how the circular cells transform into rounded hexagons. Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 10(86), 20130299.

    Hofmann, Martin, et al. "Why hexagonal basalt columns?." Physical review letters 115.15 (2015): 154301.

    Aydin, Atilla, and James M. DeGraff. "Evolution of polygonal fracture patterns in lava flows." Science 239.4839 (1988): 471-476.

    Hayashi, Takashi, and Richard W. Carthew. "Surface mechanics mediate pattern formation in the developing retina." Nature 431.7009 (2004): 647.

    Kim, Sangwoo, et al. "Hexagonal Patterning of the Insect Compound Eye: Facet Area Variation, Defects, and Disorder." Biophysical journal 111.12 (2016): 2735-2746.

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    It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
    Director: Andrew Matthews
    Writer: Joe Hanson
    Producer/editor/animator: Andrew Matthews
    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
  • Ask Joe Topics #4
    You have questions, I have answers!
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    ↓ More below ↓
    In this edition of Ask Joe Stuff, you'll find out what the date really is according to Earth's age, why we get chills up our spine, what my favorite planet is, why hair grows (or doesn't), and why root beer is so foamy. Yummy science!
    Check out my buddy Veritasium's videos on the wave/particle nature of light: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cztocbHiiqQ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuv6hY6zsd0
    Check out the Ask Joe Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsmqeqKj7M-r5ktD9-RAaUYWxWFjPV1w-
    Joe Hanson - Host and writer
    Joe Nicolosi - Director
    Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer
    Katie Graham - Director of Photography
    Stephanie Noone - Editor
    John Knudsen - Gaffer
    Produced by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios
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    11 min
  • How Science Specifies A Year
    PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY
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    It's been one (tropical/sidereal/anomalous) year since I uploaded the very first It's Okay To Be Smart. Here's everything that's happened since!
    Thank you to everyone who's helped make this possible, and for letting me have the best job in the world.
    More:
    CGP Grey - What is a leap year? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX96xng7sAE
    MinutePhysics - What are years? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53glKEPzElA
    Bad Astronomy - http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/01/01/happy-new-year-again/#.UtbGr2RDtVM
    Check out the highlights of my arm wrestling match with Derek from Veritasium courtesy of Hank Green (cameos from Mike Rugnetta and Emily Eifler): https://twitter.com/hankgreen/status/388553085653901312
    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
    Produced for PBS Digital Studios
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    8 min
  • Why Soap Is Our Secret Weapon Against Germs

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    Uploaded 25-03-20

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    One of the most effective things you can do to protect yourself from catching a germ and becoming a statistic, whether it’s a global pandemic like COVID-19 or just every single other day of your life, is something that people have been trying to get you to do since you were like 2. Wash your hands. With good ol’ soap. And do it the right way. That’s it. Here’s the science of handwashing!

    CDC handwashing guidelines: https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html

    How to extract your own cheek cell DNA at home: https://www.msichicago.org/fileadmin/assets/educators/learning_labs/documents/See_Your_Own_DNA_Lesson.pdf

    Lucy Knisley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9mFKfFgbQW/

    Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons:
    AlecZero
    Oliver and Arden Bradshaw
    Brent M.
    Diego Lombeida
    Dustin
    Ernesto Silva
    George Gladding
    Marcus Tuepker
    Ron Kakar
    vincbis

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    17 min
  • The Surprising Species That Everything Else Depends On | IN OUR NATURE

    “In Our Nature” is a NEW special limited series on It’s Okay To Be Smart!
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    Uploaded 08-07-21

    Seemingly distant ecosystems, even half a world apart, are connected in surprising ways. In this special limited series, Emily Graslie and Trace Dominguez join me as we explore the universal rules of life that tie together Earth’s living systems. In episode 1, we travel from Africa’s Serengeti plains to the nearly extinct prairies of the western United States to discover the unexpected species that determine the very existence of these places. Can an ecosystem survive without its keystone species? And can we restore endangered human cultures by bringing back a nearly-extinct ecosystem?

    Co-hosted by:
    Trace Dominguez @TraceDominguez
    Emily Graslie @EmilyGraslie

    References: https://sites.google.com/view/inournature-ep1-references/home

    In Our Nature is a special miniseries produced by It’s Okay To Be Smart for PBS. Stay tuned for more episodes coming this summer, here on our YouTube channel!

    Original Production Funding provided by: Anne Ray Foundation, a Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropy

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    Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons:

    DeliciousKashmiri
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    30 min
  • Why Are There 7 Days In a Week? EXPLAINED

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    Uploaded 09-11-20

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    Why does everyone use a 7 day week, and where did it come from? Where do the names of the days come from? And who can we blame for Mondays? Here’s the true story of one of the oldest human customs still in use today. It gets a little weird.

    References: https://sites.google.com/view/references-why-are-there-7-day/home

    Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons:

    AlecZero
    Amy Sowada
    Baerbel Winkler
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    Dustin
    Eric Meer
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    Jay Stephens
    Karen Haskell
    Marcus Tuepker
    Oliver and Arden Bradshaw
    Peter Ehrnstrom
    Robert Young
    Salih Arslan
    Vincbis
    Zenimal


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    19 min
  • Is There Life on Earth?

    I mean… how do you really know?
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    Uploaded 07-02-19

    If we lived light years from Earth, how would we know there’s life here? Let’s take a look at the search for extraterrestrial life on habitable exoplanets, and discover what biosignatures would show someone else that we’re here.

    REFERENCES:
    http://exoplanet.eu/

    Kaltenegger, Lisa. “How to Characterize Habitable Worlds and Signs of Life.” Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics 55, no. 1 (August 18, 2017): 433–85. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-astro-082214-122238.

    Sagan, Carl. “Is There Life On Earth?” Engineering and Science 35, no. 4 (1972): 16–19.

    Sagan, Carl, W. Reid Thompson, Robert Carlson, Donald Gurnett, and Charles Hord. “A Search for Life on Earth from the Galileo Spacecraft.” Nature 365 (October 21, 1993): 715.

    Schwieterman, Edward W., Nancy Y. Kiang, Mary N. Parenteau, Chester E. Harman, Shiladitya DasSarma, Theresa M. Fisher, Giada N. Arney, et al. “Exoplanet Biosignatures: A Review of Remotely Detectable Signs of Life.” Astrobiology 18, no. 6 (June 2018): 663–708. https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2017.1729.

    Seager, Sara, and Drake Deming. “Exoplanet Atmospheres.” Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics 48, no. 1 (August 2010): 631–72. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-astro-081309-130837.

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    BOOKS WE’VE FEATURED:
    http://smart-books.tumblr.com/

    -----------
    It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
    Director: Joe Nicolosi
    Writer: Joe Hanson
    Creative Director: David Schulte
    Editors/animators: Derek Borsheim and Sara Roma
    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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    13 min
  • Why We Should Launch Rockets From the Moon

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    Uploaded 30-12-19

    Thanks to Brilliant for supporting PBS. Learn more at: https://brilliant.org/BeSmart

    We’re on PATREON now! Join the community ►► https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart

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    Half a century ago, astronauts got on top of a really big rocket and sent a tiny little capsule on a 384,000 km trip to the moon and back. And they were able to do it because a lot of extremely smart and dedicated people pushed engineering and chemistry to the limits in order to create a 36-story tower of carefully-controlled space fire powerful enough to escape Earth’s gravity. I went to NASA in Houston to talk to astronaut Don Pettit about how they did it, and if we’ll be able to do it again.

    Special thanks to Don Pettit and NASA

    Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons:
    AlecZero
    Bob Rosset
    Brent M.
    Diego Lombeida
    Ron Kakar

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    16 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.