Be Smart.

Be Smart.

By Joe HansonScienceEducationNatural Sciences
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Be Smart. episodes

  • The Dangerous Chemistry That Made Life Captivating
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    Life’s been around on Earth for at least 3.7 billion years. But for most of that time, it was incredibly boring — just simple little cells squirming around in water. It only got interesting in the last few hundred million years. And that might never have happened without the help of a deadly, but also life-giving, element.
    References: https://sites.google.com/view/great-oxygenation-references/home
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    18 min
  • How Do Hot Air Balloons Float?
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    This episode is brought to you by Dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/
    Tweet ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBShotair Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBShotairFB
    ↓ More info and sources below ↓
    We uploaded another version of this video on 11/9 but it had a big mistake in it. So we fixed it. This version is full of 100% real science! Sorry for the error.
    In the interest of transparency, if you want to watch that wrong version and see what I was wrong about, here's the link: https://youtu.be/qR9hucj02u0
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    Special thanks to:
    The 2015 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta http://www.balloonfiesta.com/
    Pilot Doug Gantt and the Ham-let balloon team http://www.whenpigsfly.bz/
    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
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    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
    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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    10 min
  • Is Big Data Getting Out of Hand?
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    Try Lynda.com: http://lynda.com/okay
    Best experienced in 240p or lower
    ↓ More info and sources below ↓
    Check out Stanford’s “Raw Data” podcast:
    https://soundcloud.com/rawdatapodcast
    https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/r...
    Most numbers in the video are from this book:
    Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think - Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and Kenneth Cukier
    http://amzn.to/1Vhc3Ei
    Sources:
    DNA Storage: http://cen.acs.org/articles/93/i35/Sc...
    Square kilometer array (and other data scales): http://highscalability.com/blog/2012/...
    How much data does ___ store? http://techexpectations.org/2015/03/2...
    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/pbsdigita...
    Music via APM
    Stock images from Shutterstock, stock footage from Videoblocks (unless otherwise noted)​

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    8 min
  • The Odds of Discovering Life and Romance
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    A cosmic love story, starring a guy named Carl Sagan
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    Love is a complicated combination of brain chemicals and behavior that scientists are only just beginning to figure out. And it's remarkable that in every society that we have looked at on Earth, romantic love exists. So if love is so universal, and there are 7 billion other people out there looking for it, why can it seem like it's so hard to find?
    In this episode, we'll look at what we can learn about the search for love from the search for extraterrestrial life. We'll start with Enrico Fermi's paradox of why we haven't been contacted by any extraterrestrials yet, and then at Frank Drake's equation to estimate the number of civilizations that might exist in our galaxy (updated with current numbers). Finally, we'll meet a young lady named Ann and see if we can calculate how many special someones there might be out there for her. It's a cosmic love story!
    References for this episode: http://dft.ba/-4bBW
    Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment below!
    Written and hosted by Joe Hanson
    Produced by Painted On Productions (http://www.paintedon.com/)
    Clips from this episode:
    Carl Sagan - All the -illions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZmafy...
    Music from this episode:
    Johnny Ripper's "Family." http://freemusicarchive.org/music/joh...
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    7 min
  • Climate Science: What You Need To Grasp
    Learn the basic science of climate change in 24 easy steps.
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    Scientists overwhelmingly agree that our climate is changing, Earth is getting warmer, sea levels are rising, and it's primarily because of humans putting lots of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Whether you already trust in the science, you're undecided, or you disagree with what all this, this video is for you!
    SOURCES LISTED HERE: http://bit.ly/1zGbOry
    Want to learn about the science of climate change and why humans are causing it, but in layman's terms? I recommend these books:
    Climate Change: Evidence and Causes (National Academy of Sciences/Royal Society) FREE ebook: http://amzn.to/1w6itfl
    Global Weirdness (Climate Central) http://amzn.to/1BtZZbP
    How to Change Minds About Our Changing Climate (Seth Darling + Douglas Sisterson) http://amzn.to/12jjcxN
    Produced for PBS Digital Studios
    Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer
    Joe Nicolosi - Director
    Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer
    Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics
    Katie Graham - Director of Photography
    John Knudsen - Gaffer
    Dalton Allen - Post-Production Intern
    Theme music:
    "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod
    -----------
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    8 min
  • The Science and Grace of Auroras
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    The science behind Earth's nocturnal light showClick here to SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! -- http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub
    Space might seem like an empty place, but the area surrounding Earth is constantly being bombarded by waves of charged particles released by the Sun: The solar wind. Luckily, thanks to Earth's swirling, molten core (and the magnetic field it provides), we are protected from this planet-sterilizing onslaught like an invisible force field
    All that science has a beautiful side effect: It makes the auroras! The Northern and Southern lights are the result of the solar wind and its dance with Earth's magnetic field and polar atmosphere. It's Earth's own cosmic light show!
    References for this episode: http://dft.ba/-4G6G
    Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment below!
    Written and hosted by Joe Hanson
    Produced by Painted On Productions (http://www.paintedon.com/)
    Special thanks to Laura Eakins from UT-Austin's Department of Astronomy
    Music in this episode:
    Gustav Holst: "Neptune, the Mystic," "Mercury, the Winged Messenger"
    Johnny Ripper: "Speak"
    Misha Nuis: "Ambient"
    Clips used in this episode:
    "Aurora 2012" by Christian Mülhauser http://vimeo.com/36141149
    Gradient Sun by NASA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUL4JY15jSg
    Auroras underfoot by NASA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL_-Zz7JDoA
    "Temporal Distortion" by Randy Halverson: http://vimeo.com/36684976
    "In Plain Sight" by Brad Goldpaint: http://vimeo.com/52347966
    Massive Solar Filament Eruption by NASA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrnGi-q6iWc
    "ISS Stacks" by Christoph Malin: http://vimeo.com/51499009
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    7 min
  • How Vaccines Function
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    A dose of reality about vaccines…
    Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @okaytobesmart
    ↓ More info and sources below ↓
    As more and more parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children or are vaccinating them later, diseases like measles are making a comeback. What's behind this antivax movement? Are vaccines safe? How do vaccines work? Why do some people claim there is a link between vaccines and autism? This week we look at why are people afraid of something that has saved so many lives, and the history and science of vaccines. #vaccine #antivax #measles
    REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING:
    "The Panic Virus" by Seth Mnookin: http://amzn.to/1CB8Q7p
    "On Immunity" by Eula Biss: http://amzn.to/1FTmmH1
    Watch "Vaccines: Calling the Shots" from PBS' NOVA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVCO6_bpsEY
    The Robert Falcon Scott expedition and the lost cure for scurvy, by Maciej Cegłowski: http://idlewords.com/2010/03/scott_and_scurvy.htm
    The incredible value of vaccines: http://www.gavi.org/about/mission/facts-and-figures/
    The Guardian's herd immunity simulation: http://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2015/feb/05/-sp-watch-how-measles-outbreak-spreads-when-kids-get-vaccinated
    Map of global vaccine rates: http://gamapserver.who.int/gho/interactive_charts/immunization/mcv/atlas.html
    How risky are vaccine side effects? http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm
    Eula Biss on vaccines and empathy: http://www.vox.com/2015/2/6/7992071/how-one-vaccine-skeptic-became-a-vaccine-supporter
    Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment 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 for PBS Digital Studios
    Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer
    Joe Nicolosi - Director
    Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer
    Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics
    Katie Graham - Director of Photography
    John Knudsen - Gaffer
    Dalton Allen - Post-Production Intern
    Theme music:
    "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod
    Other music via APM
    Stock images from Shutterstock
    -----------------
    Last week's video:
    What is Déjà Vu? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut8mYGi0YRs
    More videos:
    Why Are Some People Left-Handed? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPvMUpcxPSA
    Why Did We Blow on NES Games? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gf9mtXnJfM
    The Science of Game of Thrones - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Utu-LpJn3Is
    There Was No First Human - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdWLhXi24Mo health (industry) mmr polio​

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    11 min
  • Where Do Birds Go During Winter?
    And where do they keep their suitcases?
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    Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub
    As winter approaches, V-shaped flocks glide overhead as the world's birds begin their long treks to warmer climates. Humans used to have some pretty crazy theories about where birds went for winter, like the moon, or to the bottom of the ocean.
    How did we learn the real story? And where DO birds go for winter? What are the longest bird migrations? How do birds store up energy for their long journey? How do birds navigate? Why do they fly in a V-shape?
    Find out in this week's video!
    Charles Morton's theory of birds on the moon: http://wrd.cm/1xMKc5k
    Read Charles Morton's original 1703 pamphlet! http://bit.ly/1C5AKhk
    The story of the stork with a spear in its neck: http://bit.ly/11PgkIs
    Aristotle's theory of bird transmutation: http://bit.ly/1uwQwHX
    The "barnacle goose" http://bit.ly/1C5BiUg
    The Arctic tern's record-breaking migration: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2836663/
    The bar-tailed godwit's fat-fueled migration: https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v115n01/p0196-p0203.pdf
    Ruby-throated hummingbird mighty migration: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1325055/
    The avian aerodynamics of the "flying V" http://bit.ly/1vFFlUs
    The many senses that birds use to find their way: http://bit.ly/11qN9vr
    How birds use magnetic fields to navigate: http://bit.ly/1r2jYLy
    Produced for PBS Digital Studios
    Joe Hanson - Host/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 by Shutterstock
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    7 min
  • Putting Hurricane Harvey In Perspective

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    Uploaded 15-09-17

    Replace Harvey with Irma… still true.
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    ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓

    Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have affected many in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. Here's a few ways you can help if you're able: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/how-to-help-donate-to-assist-hurricane-harvey-irma-victims/

    "This Is Fine" adapted from comic by KC Green ‪I'm hanging with my new little dude for next few weeks but new @okaytobesmart vids still coming out every week thanks to my awesome team!‬

    -----------
    READ MORE:

    What is a 1000-year flood? https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-a-1000-year-flood

    How people respond to flood risks: http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/7978833?selectedversion=NBD11859807

    Yale survey of climate change risks: http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us-2016/

    Hurricane frequency and damage estimates over last century: https://www..wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_hurricane_season#Number_of_tropical_storms_and_hurricanes_per_season

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    It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
    Director: Joe Nicolosi
    Writer: Miriam Nielsen
    Editor/animator: David Schulte
    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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    7 min
  • Why Geckos Are Sticky Without Being Sticky

    The sticky physics that let geckos do what they do!
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    Uploaded 31-10-20

    Geckos can grip and climb almost anything. Walking up walls, hanging upside down… even from glass. It’s almost like they can defy gravity. How do they do it? The secret lies in nanotechnology. I’ll tell you how that works and how scientists are using this incredible gripping ability to inspire next-generation adhesives. Here's the secret behind a gecko's gravity defying grip.

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

    Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons:

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    12 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.