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Joe Hanson

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Be Smart.

Be Smart.Do Other Animals Mourn Their Dead? (ft. BrainCraft and Gross Science!)Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate This episode is brought to you by Dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/ Follow me to Gross Science: https://youtu.be/kRUt9pqMCSg and BrainCraft: https://youtu.be/Joalg73L_gw ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Tweet ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSmourn Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSmournFB We’ve got t-shirts! Get yours here: http://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Barbara J. King "How Animals Grieve" http://amzn.to/1MD7Jz5 References: Barbara J. King “When Animals Mourn” Scientific Americ...

2026-03-1305 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.What Color Is The Moon?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate How the night sky tricks our brains! Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Here’s how you all described the color of the moon: https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart/photos/a.337182013046136.73328.173915612706111/801410886623244/ http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com/post/128880963932/hey-guys-im-working-on-an-upcoming-video-and More about the white squares illusion: http://www.psy.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/illgelbe.html Checker shadow illusion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checker_shadow_illusion Special thanks to Dr. Alan Gilchrist! Read his paper “Percept...

2026-03-1104 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Why I'm Scared of SpidersThe science of-- OH GOD IS THAT A SPIDER?! 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 I'm scared of spiders. I'm not afraid to admit it. I love them in a scientific sense, or from a "let me look at you from way over here" sense, but that's as close as I get. Here's a look at the science of why some of us are afraid of spiders, snakes, roaches, and other creepy crawlies. Did I e...

2026-03-1103 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Are Jellyfish the Weirdest Animals In the Ocean?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 ↓ Check out the FULL video from Smarter Every Day of jellyfish stinging in microscopic slow-motion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WJCnC5ebf4 Jellyfish are mesmerizing and beautiful and I have no idea how they work. So I went behind the scenes at the Monterey Bay Aquarium with my new friend Tommy to learn all about them. I saw some things… Why are we in Monterey? PBS and BBC are teaming up to bring you an incr...

2026-03-1105 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Cuttlefish: Disco Camouflage Chameleons of the SeaViewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Now you "sea" them, now you don't! Cuttlefish are more than the chameleons of the sea, these cephalopods take camouflage to a whole new level. Follow Joe during Big Blue Live! Twitter @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart Instagram: @DrJoeHanson Facebook: facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart ----------------- It's Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D Follow me on Twitter: @DrJoeHanson Email me: itsokaytobesmart AT gmail DOT com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart For more awesome...

2026-03-1104 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Fact vs. Theory vs. Hypothesis vs. Law… EXPLAINED!Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Think you know the difference? Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Some people try to attack things like evolution by natural selection and man-made climate change by saying “Oh, that’s just a THEORY!” Yes, they are both theories. Stop saying it like it’s a bad thing! It’s time we learn the difference between a fact, a theory, a hypothesis, and a scientific law. Have an idea for an episode or an am...

2026-03-1106 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.How Humans Ruined and Rescued an Ocean ParadiseViewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Check out #BigBlueLive! http://pbs.org/bigbluelive Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSriseFB ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Before people came to Monterey Bay to watch fish, they came here to catch them. And they caught a LOT of one fish: the sardine. But when you empty one species out of the ocean, bad things can happen. Learn how one Monterey Bay scientist, with the help of his friend John Steinbeck, changed how we view our relationship with nature and helpe...

2026-03-1104 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.What Is Fire?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate We've got T-SHIRTS! http://dftba.com/besmart Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Why does fire burn? What's the chemistry and physics of a flame? This week, learn about the beautiful science happening inside a flame! Michael Faraday's Christmas lectures on candle chemistry: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cocktail-party-physics/christmas-with-faraday-the-chemical-history-of-a-candle/ http://www.bartleby.com/30/7.html Flames in space: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/18jun_strangeflames/ Richard Feynman talking about fire: http...

2026-03-1103 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.What Has New Horizons Taught Us About Pluto?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Pluto's not just cool… it's ICE COLD Tweet ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSpluto Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSplutoFB ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Since New Horizons flew by Pluto on July 14, 2015, it's completely redefined what we know about the dwarf planet and its largest moon Charon. New Horizons' mission will continue to be full of surprises, but here's what we've learned so far T-SHIRTS! http://dftba.com/besmart Unless otherwise noted, all images and animations courtesy of NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI MORE NE...

2026-03-1106 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Why Do We Laugh?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Several jokes were harmed in the making of this video Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ 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...

2026-03-1106 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Why Are Cicadas So Good 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 yo...

2026-03-1105 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Your Salad Is Trying To Kill YouViewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate The dose makes the poison… Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @jtotheizzoe @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ CORRECTION: @2:14 we showed the wrong Paul Ehrlich (guy on the left). Instead of Paul Ehrlich the German doctor, we meant to show Paul Ehrlich the biologist: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_R._Ehrlich Plants are the most important source of nutrients for pretty much all of Earth's animals, and many of the planet's bacteria and fungi too. Humans like them so much t...

2026-03-1006 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.How Was the Grand Canyon Formed?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate It's a long story… ↓ More info and sources below ↓ How do you make a Grand Canyon? Thanks to Mike from PBS Idea Channel and Jamin from PBS Game/Show for hanging out at the Grand Canyon with me! https://www.youtube.com/user/pbsideachannel https://www.youtube.com/user/pbsgameshow Special thanks to Raymond Schillinger for great camera work! I was in Arizona recently for Phoenix Comic-Con, and had the amazing pleasure of seeing one of Earth's greatest natural wonders… the Grand C...

2026-03-1003 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Inside an ADORABLE Sea Otter Adoption Program!You really otter subscribe! http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Otters are more than just cute, adorable little fuzzballs, they are one of the greatest conservation success stories of all time. Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning that an entire ecosystem depends on their presence. After they were nearly hunted to extinction for their dense fur, sea urchins (the otters' favorite food) nearly destroyed the Pacific kelp forests, a habitat that hundreds of species rely on for food and shelter. Thanks to the hard...

2026-03-1006 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.How Thomas Jefferson Saved America With a Dead MooseViewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate E pluribus moose-um Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @jtotheizzoe @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ America's first great science battle wasn't the space race or the atom bomb, it was fought between Thomas Jefferson, a French nobleman, and in the middle… a giant moose. Some people call Jefferson our only scientist-President, and T.J. himself said that "Nature intended me for the tranquil pursuits of science, by rendering them my supreme delight." Here's the story of how Jefferson used scie...

2026-03-1006 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.CHAOS: Why It's So Hard To Predict the WeatherWhy is the weatherperson wrong? Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ What is El Niño? Why can’t we predict the weather? Just a few slight changes in global climate patterns can drastically shift the weather. Thanks to chaos theory, even our smartest meteorologists can’t predict weather correctly. Cool demonstration of the Butterfly Effect: http://www.exploratorium.edu/complexity/java/lorenz.html 2:20 El Niño graph by Jan Null: http://ggweather.com/enso/oni.htm Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment...

2026-03-1006 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Why Do We Have To Sleep?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 p...

2026-03-0908 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Why Are The Bees Dying?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate If bees go, will they take us with them? Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @jtotheizzoe @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Bees, wild and domesticated, are in big trouble. Bee colonies are dying off at alarming rates, and the cause isn't clear. Pesticides, habitat loss, disease… there's a laundry list of likely culprits. We rely on these tiny pollinators for a majority of our fruits, veggies, and nuts… if they disappear, could we be next? LINKS/SOURCES: Bee declines dr...

2026-03-0604 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Which Came First - Flowers or Bees?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Stop and smell the flowers… and watch this video Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @jtotheizzoe @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Bees and flowers have an amazingly close relationship. Flowers need bees in order to reproduce, and bees need flowers to feed their colonies. Take away one, and the other would disappear too. It begs the question: When it comes to evolution, which came first, the bees or the flowers? Book recommendation: "A Sting in the Tale" by Dave Goul...

2026-03-0605 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.What's The Loudest Possible Sound?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate It's definitely higher than "11" Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ What is the loudest possible sound? What about the quietest thing we can hear? And what do decibels measure, anyway? In this video you'll learn what makes sound The loudest sound on Earth (the we know of anyway), great story by Aatish Bhatia: http://nautil.us/blog/the-sound-so-loud-that-it-circled-the-earth-four-times Video of the Papua New Guinea volcano eruption from YouTuber bacobjee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

2026-03-0604 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Did Dinosaurs Really Go Extinct?Welcome to… Jurassic Pluck Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Most people are taught that dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago when a giant meteor crashed into the Yucatan peninsula. I'm here to tell you that's wrong. Dinosaurs are alive and well today, and you don't have to go to Jurassic World to see them (although hanging out with Chris Pratt would be cool) We have living dinosaurs all around us. We just call them "birds". Yes. Birds are dinosaurs. Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member St...

2026-03-0605 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Surprising Places We Waste EnergyViewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Check out our whole series on ENERGY! http://bit.ly/1BnH5zu Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ We use a LOT of energy, but we waste a lot too. Where that waste happens might surprise, you though. We don't just waste energy when we leave the lights on or the thermostat cranked down too low. It happens at the dinner table and the water faucet as too! LEARN MORE: Special thanks to Sheril...

2026-03-0604 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.What's The Most Successful Species on Earth?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 ↓ Life. There's just so MUCH of it! Click here to SUBSCRIBE -- http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub There are now more than 7 billion human beings on Earth, and that got me wondering: How successful are we compared to other species? I take a look at out how our numbers stack up to some other domains of life. It turns out that biomass, or what things weigh, can be more important than how many of something ther...

2026-03-0604 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Could We Clone Ourselves?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Just be yourself! Or be your other self. Whichever. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Is the science of Orphan Black realistic? Could we clone humans, or engineer them to have customized traits? We take a look at today's genetic engineering technologies to find out if designer babies and human cloning is, or should be, a reality BOOKS! For more on the modern science of cloning and genetic modification, read the book "Frankenstein's Cat" by...

2026-03-0606 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Is Ultron Inevitable? Featuring Vsauce3!Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Follow me to Vsauce3!! http://bit.ly/1zUxn7a Twitter: @okaytobesmart @jtotheizzoe Instagram: @jtotheizzoe ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Will artificial intelligence ever surpass human intelligence? And if that happens, will AI be good or bad? Is evil AI like we see in Avengers: Age of Ultron… inevitable? READ THIS FOR MORE: Wait But Why: The Road To Superintelligence Part 1: http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artificial-intelligence-revolution-1.html Part 2: http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artificial-intelligence-revolution-2.html The smiley face thought experiment is my take on the famou...

2026-03-0608 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Odds of Finding Life and LovePBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ A cosmic love story, starring a guy named Carl Sagan Click here to SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! -- http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub 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...

2026-03-0604 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.When Will We Stop Using Oil?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Check out our whole series on ENERGY! http://bit.ly/1BnH5zu Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ We've heard news of "peak oil" and "the end of the oil age" for years now, but we keep coming up with ways to find and pump more of it to the surface. Rising CO2 levels and the changing climate that results from burning fossil fuels mean that we should probably stop using oil sooner rather...

2026-03-0605 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Antibiotic Resistance and the Rise of Superbugs----------------- It's Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D Follow me on Twitter/Instagram: @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart 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 - Associate Producer Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics/Animation Katie Graham - Director of Photography John Knudsen - Gaffer Dalton Allen - Post-Production Intern Theme...

2026-03-0607 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Science and Beauty of AurorasPBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ 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 be...

2026-03-0604 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Essentials of EnergyViewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Check out our whole series on ENERGY! http://bit.ly/1BnH5zu Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ The world of energy is a confusing place. What's better, nuclear or solar? What's the difference between fluorescent bulbs and LEDs? What's the difference between energy and power? And what the heck is a kilowatt-hour?! In this video, we give you a tour of the essential principles behind the energy machine that puts fuel in our tan...

2026-03-0605 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Recipe For Life…Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate We're cookin' in the primordial kitchen! Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ If the human body could be distilled down into one molecule, what would our chemical formula be? And WHY is it that way? Is that one scene from Full Metal Alchemist even a little bit true? There's a whole lot of elements on the periodic table, but life depends on relatively few of them in order to build all the things...

2026-03-0607 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.%$?# Allergies!Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate It's the season for sneezin'! Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Springtime means the arrival of green grass, bright flowers, and buzzing bees. But for many of us, it's also about sneezing, watery red eyes, and a runny nose, thanks to allergies. In this week's video, you'll learn why we get allergies, how our immune system turns against us to attack pollen and pets, and why allergies seem to be on the rise in deve...

2026-03-0605 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Why is the Sky Any Color?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 is the sky blue? Or any color, for that matter? Click here to SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! -- http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub It's a question that you'd think kids have been asking for thousands of years, but it might not be that old at all. The ancient Greek poet Homer never used a word for blue in The Odyssey or The Iliad, because blue is one of the last colors that cultures pick out a wo...

2026-03-0502 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.How Many Stars Are There?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Counting stars from the shore of the cosmic ocean… Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ LIKE THE SHIRT I'M WEARING? It's glow in the dark! You can get it here (along with space undies and other good stuff): https://www.etsy.com/shop/makeitgoodpdx How many stars are there in the universe? Are there more stars out there than grains of sand on Earth? Thanks to advanced space telescopes, we've been able to peer fart...

2026-03-0504 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.What Color is the Universe?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Hint: It's not black Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ When you stare up at the night sky, you might think that the universe is really black, but that's just because our eyes aren't sensitive enough to see the billions and billions of multicolored stars out there. Ever wonder why certain stars are certain colors? And what color is our sun, really? If we looked at enough stars, could we figure out the ave...

2026-03-0502 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.You Are Mainly Microbe!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 ↓ Your body is essentially a walking home for trillions of bacteria Click here to SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! -- http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Ever not felt completely like yourself? There's a good reason for that. Because a large part of you . . . isn't you. Our bodies are home to ten times as many microbes as human cells. We are walking ecosystems, each of us home to thousands of different species on and inside of us. Meet your...

2026-03-0503 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Attack of the Zombie Parasites!Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Did someone say BRAAAAAINS…? Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Shows like The Walking Dead are full of hungry, mindless, surprisingly fleet-footed armies of brain-eating zombies. Could they actually exist? Are zombies real? Well, maybe if you're talking about zom-bees! This week I introduce you to some of nature's strangest mind-controlling parasites, who make zombies of the natural world. This one will make your brain tingle. That's just the awesome science, though… not a parasite...

2026-03-0506 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Why Did We Blow On Nintendo Games?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 ↓ Check out http://youarenotsosmart.com/ for more on cognitive biases Books by David McRaney: http://amzn.to/1pQqmQh and http://amzn.to/1qrGRpM Did blowing on NES cartridges actually do anything? http://mentalfloss.com/article/12589/did-blowing-nintendo-cartridges-really-help http://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/15044/why-did-you-have-to-blow-into-an-nes-cartridge-to-make-it-work http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?117240-DP-MYTHBUSTERS-Blowing-in-NES-Cartridges Mario speedrun video via akyeren: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Boq3ghiTKHA The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary: http://www.wired.com/2014/04/fantastically-wrong-vegetable-lamb-tartary/ Mice from dirty l...

2026-03-0505 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Why Does February Only Have 28 Days?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate It's not the size of the month that matters… Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Why does February have 28 days when all the other months get 30 or 31? The answer is part superstition, part politics, and parts astronomy. (Basically, it's the Romans' fault) Special thanks to Dr. Jen Ebbeler from the University of Texas Classics department for walking me through the history of the Roman calendar REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING: Wikipedia's "Ro...

2026-03-0504 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.How Bees Can See the InvisiblePBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Bees see the world in some very interesting ways Click here to SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! -- http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub To begin this video, we launched a little confetti to celebrate the fact that I am now "Dr. Joe", since I successfully defended my Ph.D. in molecular biology! Woo! But you don't have to call me "Doctor." Anyway, spring is in the air!! We're all thawing out from winter's chill, and for bees and...

2026-03-0502 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Beautiful Cycles of Carbon and Oxygen In Your BodyViewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Click here to dig deeper into Oxygen: http://youtu.be/1PmD2GWB4u4 Click here to dig deeper into Carbon: http://youtu.be/1PmD2GWB4u4?t=47s Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jtotheizzoe Follow on Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com OXYGEN: Electron transport chain (O2 to water): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_transport_chain How Sam Ruben discovered that the oxygen that plants exhale comes fro...

2026-03-0502 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Why Vaccines WorkViewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate 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...

2026-03-0507 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.8 Incredible Deep Sea Oddities!Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate There's some strange creatures down in the deep … Tweet ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSdeep Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSdeepFB ↓ More info and sources below ↓ We know more about some other planets than we do about the deepest corners of Earth's oceans, and the species we've found there are almost alien. Here's some of the most unbelievable oddities ever observed! Special thanks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) for help with this video! Twitter/Instagram: @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart Facebook: facebook.com...

2026-03-0503 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.How Many Heartbeats Do We Get?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Science really gets my heart going… Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Ever wonder how the heart symbol came to stand for the actual heart? And why do we speak of the heart as the seat of love, when love really happens in our brains? Is it true that animals only get a billion heartbeats? This week, we give you enough cool cardiac science to make your heart skip a beat Origin of the heart...

2026-03-0504 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.What is Déjà Vu?!Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate I feel like I've seen this video before… Subscribe: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Twitter: @okaytobesmart ↓ More info and sources 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 Most of us have felt it before, that strange sensation that you've been somewhere or seen something before, as if you already remembered what's happening. Are you psychic? Nope, that's just déjà vu. Why does dé...

2026-03-0504 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.5 Weird Involuntary Behaviors Explained!Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Why we yawn, why we hiccup, twitchy eyes (and more)! Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jtotheizzoe Follow on Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtotheizzoe Our bodies do a lot of weird things, and many of them are completely involuntary. Why do we often jerk our bodies awake right before falling asleep? Why do we yawn? Why do we hiccup...

2026-03-0505 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.There's No Such Thing As ColdViewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate If cold isn't real, then how can I feel it? Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jtotheizzoe Follow on Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtotheizzoe You've felt cold before. Sometimes it's cold outside. But what if I told you that "cold" isn't real? There's no substance or quantity called "cold" in science. We can't measure the amount of "col...

2026-03-0505 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.How Many Smells Can You Smell?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate How do we smell? Great! Thanks for asking! Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DrJoeHanson Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/DrJoeHanson We walk through life led by our noses. Literally. Because they're on the front of our faces. The sense of smell might be one of the oldest, but how does the science of smell work? How sensitive are our noses? Why are sme...

2026-03-0404 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Does My Dog Know What I'm Thinking?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Head to BrainCraft for more doggy science! http://youtu.be/OBy3idLwwYM ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Do you ever talk to your dog? Do they ever talk back? Humans and dogs have a truly amazing relationship, developed along an evolutionary journey that goes back nearly 10,000 years. Do they really understand what we say, think, and feel? Recent research suggests dogs know more about our language and emotions than you might think CORRECTION: Chaser is a she. Oops! Meet Chaser the bor...

2026-03-0406 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Is Santa Real? (A Scientific Analysis)...and other Christmas mysteries answered with science! 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 Happy Holidays! Ever wonder how Santa could possibly manage to deliver all those presents in a single night? Or what gives red-nosed reindeer the ability to fly? And why do your Christmas lights get tangled in knots no matter how carefully you put the away?! Here's some Christmas-themed science, as our gift to you. See you in 2015! SOURCES: Why Christmas lights tan...

2026-03-0405 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Why People Don't Believe In Climate ScienceGet the FACTS about climate change: http://youtu.be/ffjIyms1BX4 Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ 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 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. Yet 4 in 10 Americans aren't convinced. Here's what psychologists and sociologists have to say about why some people don't believe in climate science. Last week's v...

2026-03-0407 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Ask Joe Stuff #1PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ You guys asked me questions, so I answered them! SUBSCRIBE and get more great science, it's FREE! -- http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Engineering RuBisCo to make better carbon-capturing plants: http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/155/1/27.full The paradox of the plankton and Gause's law: http://www.biodiverseperspectives.com/2013/02/02/the-paradox-of-the-phytoplankton-why-do-we-have-so-many-species/ Written and hosted by Joe Hanson Produced by Joe Nicolosi (http://joe-nicolosi.com/) PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios ----------- Join us on Patr...

2026-03-0406 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Climate Science: What You Need To KnowLearn the basic science of climate change in 24 easy steps. 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 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 Wan...

2026-03-0406 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Where Do Birds Go In Winter?And where do they keep their suitcases? 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 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 mig...

2026-03-0404 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Building CuriosityAn ode to curiosity... with LEGO! 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 My tribute to Curiosity, both the NASA rover and the human desire to discover, featuring words from some of science's greatest minds and LEGO's special edition Mars rover set SOURCES: Carl Sagan: "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage - The Lives of the Stars" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7L6SZPxgNg "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage - The Backbone of the Night" https://www...

2026-03-0402 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Are We Living In 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...

2026-03-0409 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Ask Joe Stuff #5You've got questions, I've got answers! 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 the 7th and 8th graders from Northwest Middle School in Salt Lake City, UT! Great questions! 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 Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer Elizabeth Cas...

2026-03-0406 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Ghosts of EvolutionPBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ What does a ginkgo tree have in common with a dinosaur? SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Every fall, in cities like New York, the smell of vomit fills the crisp air. The culprit? The pungent seeds of the ginkgo biloba tree. So why would a tree evolve such a disgusting and revolting way to disperse its genes and make baby trees? Why not be more like the delicious apple? Join me for an e...

2026-03-0404 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Is There Intelligent Life On Other Planets?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 ↓ How are we looking and listening for intelligent life? Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Now that we know planets are common in our galaxy, how would we tell if one holds life? Sure, it will take incredibly powerful telescopes and ambitious new space missions, but what are we looking for? What are we listening for? How do we help other worlds know that we are here? Here's the thing: Lif...

2026-03-0408 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Why Are Some People Left-Handed?We've got two perfectly good hands attached to two perfectly good arms, so why do most people prefer to use one over the other for common tasks? 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 David Wolman's "A Left Hand Turn Around the World" http://amzn.to/1wYqOS2 (lots more references in there!) Chris McManus' "Right Hand, Left Hand" http://amzn.to/1umztyL The best collection of the science of handedness on the internet: Right, Left, Rig...

2026-03-0404 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Ebola ExplainedWhat you need to know about one of nature's scariest viruses. Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Read David Quammen's "Ebola": http://amzn.to/1wBLmzw Ebola infection/death simulation from Washington Post: http://bit.ly/ebola_sim Read the original 1976 case report describing the first Ebola patient: http://1.usa.gov/1svWp7i Ebola outbreak disease info and case counts: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/index.html Ebola Deeply (a calm take on Ebola...

2026-03-0307 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.How to See Time Travel!!!Behold the COSMOTRON 5000!!! 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 How to build your own cloud chamber particle detector and test relativity at home: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/make-a-cosmic-ray-detector-at-home-and-test-relativity/ Carl Sagan discusses cosmic radiation and the origin of life in "Cosmic Connection": http://amzn.to/1wiHIsu Learn about muons, time dilation, and relativity: http://cosmic.lbl.gov/SKliewer/Cosmic_Rays/Muons.htm Produced for PBS Digital Studios Joe Hanson - Host and writer Joe Nicolosi - D...

2026-03-0303 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Why Does The Earth Have Layers?...or why do we live on an onion made of magma? 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 Thanks to Miles Traer and Mike Osborne for geophysics help on this one! Why does Earth have a liquid core, and how do we know? http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2011/09/28/why-does-the-earth-have-a-liqu/ How many pennies would you have to stack to melt the one on the bottom? http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/2g8jj9/how_many_pennies_nee...

2026-03-0304 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Why Do We Cook?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 ↓ Your brain is hungry. Here's how to feed it. SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Ever wonder why we cook our food? We do it because it tastes good, of course, and because our customs and traditions are built around it. But we also cook our food for some basic biological reasons, because of evolution. Some scientists think that figuring out how to cook actually MADE us human! If conversation gets a little dry...

2026-03-0306 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Why Do Clouds Stay Up?There's nothing wrong with having your head in the clouds! 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 my favorite cloud scientist Dione Rossiter for help researching this episode! "The Cloudspotter's Guide" by Gavin Pretor-Pinney http://amzn.to/1s3kk2S The International Cloud Atlas: http://bit.ly/1q0kgLy William Rankin - The Man Who Rode the Thunder http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cqQzcChFG0 Bacteria that live in the clouds: htt...

2026-03-0306 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Universe in a Glass of Wine (Richard Feynman Remixed)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 ↓ A poet once said, "The whole universe is in a glass of wine." We will probably never know in what sense he said that, for poets do not write to be understood. But it is true that if we look in glass of wine closely enough we see the entire universe There are the things of physics: the twisting liquid which evaporates depending on the wind and weather, the reflections in the glass, and our imag...

2026-03-0302 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Science of SnowflakesPBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ You are a beautiful and curious snowflake. SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Snowflakes are infinitely beautiful, but are they infinitely unique? Here's all the science behind Earth's favorite cold crystal. More reading: Wilson Bentley, The Snowflake Man of Vermont http://publicdomainreview.org/2011/02/14/the-snowflake-man-of-vermont/ Kenneth Libbrecht's SnowCrystals website (the definitive snow science page on the internet): http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/ The true shape of snowflakes: http://news.sciencemag.org/environment/2013/04/scie...

2026-03-0305 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Visiting the Largest Bat Colony on Earth!Check out the largest gathering of mammals on Earth! 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 Visit Bat Conservation International to learn more about these amazing species and what we can do to protect them: http://batcon.org/ Thanks to Dr. Sharon Swartz and Dr Kenny Breuer from Brown University for use of their wind tunnel footage: http://www.brown.edu/Departments/EEB/EML/ Mexican free-tailed bats hunt at higher altitudes than any other bat: http...

2026-03-0304 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Ask Joe Stuff #2PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ You have questions, I have answers! Richard Feynman - Fun To Imagine (playlist): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3pYRn5j7oI&list=PL2D30B1DEFFDA0310 Mapping a zombie apocalypse to model disease outbreaks: https://medium.com/the-physics-arxiv-blog/61661d6ae9c People can't tell the difference between smell of Parmesan and vomit: http://www.rachelherz.com/uploads/Odor_Illusions.pdf Check out Ask Joe #1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkSpmTvCRJA Joe Hanson - Ho...

2026-03-0304 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Physics of Space BattlesHow scientifically accurate is your favorite sci-fi space battle? 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 Joseph Shoer has several extensive, in-depth articles on the physics of space warfare: http://josephshoer.com/blog/2009/12/thoughts-on-space-battles/ http://josephshoer.com/blog/2010/07/projecting-space-battle-physics/ Space warfare: Almost everything you know is probably wrong http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.100198-Space-Warfare-Almost-Everything-You-Know-Is-Probably-Wrong Is space warfare really practical? http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.846407-Is-space-warfare-really-practical-except-lasers Zero-g dogfighting for dummies: http://www.citizenstarnews.com/new...

2026-03-0306 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.How Science Defines A YearPBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ 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 - ht...

2026-03-0305 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.How Artist Claude Monet Was Kind Of Like a HoneybeePBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ The famous painter who was half-honeybee Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub 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 Seb...

2026-03-0304 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.It's Okay To Be Smart - Bloopers Vol. 2We're taking the week off while we work on some special episodes for the next few weeks. In the meantime, here's me messing up. A lot. 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 Joe Hanson - Host and writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer Katie Graham - Director of Photography Editing/Motion Graphics - Arts + Labor Gaffer - John Knudsen Theme music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Pro...

2026-03-0303 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The SCIENCE of BEER!!!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 anc...

2026-03-0305 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Real "Doctor Frankenstein"When it comes to science, is there a monster in us all? Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Are you watching "Frankenstein, MD"? Check it out: http://bit.ly/Y9HYz8 "Experiments on the Revival of Organisms" full video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDqh-r8TQgs Murder Act and Anatomy Act: http://brainblogger.com/2011/09/17/human-dissection-part-2-murderers-body-snatchers-and-burkers/ Percy Shelley's influence: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1279684/ Erasmus Darwin: http://blogs.dickinson.edu/romnat/2011/06/10/erasmus-darwin-and-the-frankenstein-mistake/ Real-life influences for Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein": http://io9.com/5949176/rea...

2026-03-0306 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Science of KissingPBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Pucker up. I'm gonna lay some science on you! When you really think about it, kissing is an odd human behavior. You know, all the rubbing of our faces all over each other. So there must be a good reason why we do it, right? From motherly comforts to testing the genetic compatibility of your "mate", the science of kissing is pretty awesome. Learn more about "The Science of Kissing" by Sheril Kirshenbaum at http://amzn...

2026-03-0305 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Science of GOATS!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...

2026-03-0303 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.When Science FICTION Becomes Science FACT!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 is some science fiction so good at predicting actual science? Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Do Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Jules Verne, Philip K. Dick, Hugo Gernsback, Robert Heinlein, or Isaac Asimov hold a candle to H.G. Wells when it comes to correctly predicting the future of science via science fiction? And why does some science fiction do such a good job of predicting the future in...

2026-03-0208 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.What's The Deadliest Animal In The World?Besides humans, of course. ↓ 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 Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Gates Foundation info on the world's deadliest animal, mosquitoes: http://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Most-Lethal-Animal-Mosquito-Week Bill Gates' TED talk on malaria and education: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mosquitos-malaria-and-education-bill-gates Meet the people who are trying to eradicate Dengue mosquitoes using bioengineering: http://www.radiolab.org/story/kill-em-all/ Why do mosquitoes bite some people more than others? http://www.smithsonianmag.com/sci...

2026-03-0205 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Where Does the Smell of Rain Come From?I smell a science storm a-comin'!! ↓ 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 Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub References: "Nature of Argillaceous Odor" (1964) http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v201/n4923/abs/201993a0.html "Petrichor and Plant Growth" (1965) http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v207/n5004/abs/2071415a0.html Human nose can detect a trillion smells http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/03/human-nose-can-detect-trillion-smells Petrichor and fish spawning http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1974.tb04518.x/abstrac...

2026-03-0203 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.What If There Were No Sharks?Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Follow this link to more shark science videos by your favorite YouTubers!! http://bit.ly/1sugd0z Sharks killed per hour infographic: http://bit.ly/1oXYT0Y An estimated 100 million sharks are killed per year: http://bit.ly/1oE7uRS Palau sharks are worth $2 million: http://nyti.ms/1kX4fua Effect of shark overfishing on reefs: http://bit.ly/1opLhwF Overfishing sharks led to scallop fishery collapse: https://www.sciencemag.org/content/315/5820/1846.short?related-urls=yes&legid=sci;315/5820/1846 Joe Hanson - Hos...

2026-03-0204 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.How The Elements Got Their NamesPBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ There's a story inside every box! Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Ever wonder what all those names on the periodic table actually mean? There's a whole lot of fascinating history on Mendeleev's table. Some carry names from antiquity, some are named for people, some are named for places, and some are named for mythical beings. Discover the etymology of the elements! If you want to know more about the love...

2026-03-0203 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.What's the Oldest Living Thing?Big thank you to Rachel for lending her voice and photos to this episode! 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 "The Oldest Living Things In The World" by Rachel Sussman: Amazon: http://amzn.to/1uZ6wJp Public Library: http://bit.ly/1s2gCnb Species featured in this video: Bristlecone pine: http://bit.ly/1o3zW4p Baobab: http://bit.ly/1qJo6ul Pando: http://bit.ly/1tLlRLU Map lichens: http://bit.ly/WVgoFh Yucca: htt...

2026-03-0205 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Science of Marathon RunningPBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ I ran one… FOR SCIENCE! Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub So maybe we can't outrun cheetahs or antelope, but humans are uniquely adapted for long distance running. What does science have to say about marathon running? To find out, (and because I was feeling a little crazy) I decided to run one! Here's what I discovered about the science of long distance running Endurance running adaptations: http://upload.wikimedia.or...

2026-03-0207 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Sunburn, Sweat and the Science of Summer!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 ↓ A summertime look at why we sweat, why we burn, and why our fingers wrinkle in the pool. References/further reading: Eccrine and apocrine sweat glands: https://www.inkling.com/read/dermatology-bolognia-jorizzo-schaffer-3rd/chapter-35/eccrine-apocrine-and-apoeccrine "Are Wet-Induced Wrinkled Fingers Primate Rain Treads?" M. Changizi et al, Brain Behav Evol 2011 http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/328223 (Not everyone agrees with the rain tread hypothesis, though: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0084949) Sunburn/UV l...

2026-03-0204 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.There Was No First HumanPBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ If you traced your family tree back 185 million generations through evolution, you wouldn't be looking at a human, a primate, or even a mammal. You'd be looking at a fish. So where along that line does the first human show up? The answer may surprise you! Inspired by Richard Dawkins' "The Magic of Reality" http://amzn.to/1eFPE0v Also check out Richard Dawkins' "The Ancestor's Tale" http://amzn.to/1fbf17e Images of prehistoric spec...

2026-03-0204 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Sun Is A Magnet!Sunspots, solar flares, coronal mass ejections, OH MY! 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 ↓ More info and sources below ↓ As massive magnetic fusion reactors go, the sun is pretty awesome. How a CME forms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsXqNNQsS7I More on solar storms from Bad Astronomy: http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/02/05/solar_eruption_a_sun_storm_leaves_behind_twisted_chaos.html http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/02/21/coronal_rain_st...

2026-03-0202 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Ask Joe Stuff #3PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ You have questions, I have answers. SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Sequencing the banana genome: http://news.discovery.com/earth/plants/banana-genome-120711.htm Reddit's r/ELI5 on "sympathetic vomiting": http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1fbwpy/ Chances we had more than one common ancestor: http://news.discovery.com/animals/dinosaurs/life-single-common-ancestor.htm Greenland fossil microbes: http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v7/n1/full/ngeo2025.html Australia fossil microbes: http://online.lieb...

2026-03-0207 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.How Your Body Knows Left From RightPBS 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 Deve...

2026-03-0204 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart."Sonic Hedgehog Gene" - Why You Have Thumbs And Not FinsPBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Ever wonder why you have thumbs? Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub The human hand, with its multi-talented thumb, might be man's greatest tool. But did you know we can trace that thumb, and the hand and arm it's connected to, all the way back to a 375 million-year-old fish named Tiktaalik? This week I sit down with paleontologist and geneticist Dr. Neil Shubin to learn what a fish, and a little b...

2026-03-0206 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.You Are An Upside-Down LobsterPBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Here's why you aren't built like a lobster. Our bodies are mirror images of lobsters and other arthropods from back to belly. We've know since the early 19th century that our guts and nervous systems are inverted from theirs, but only recently has molecular biology shown us why. Here's the evolutionary tale about a worm doing the backstroke and why your guts are on y...

2026-03-0204 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Amazing Science of… Dust?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 ↓ No use cleaning... the universe is full of dust. And some of its biggest action is a result of its smallest stuff. SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub The Secret Life of Dust by Hannah Holmes: http://amzn.to/1hCuwtT More dusty science: Space dust and dirty cars: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com/post/65443038570/space-dust-dirty-car The Science of Snow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUot7XSX8uA The Bodele Depression fertilizes half the Amaz...

2026-03-0205 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Why Your Brain Is In Your HeadViewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Check out BrainCraft: http://youtu.be/aucscX191vQ Subscribe to It's Okay To Be Smart: http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Part 1 of 3 in my series about why our bodies are shaped the way they are. Stay tuned for part 2 and 3 later this week! Make sure you head over BrainCraft and check out the rest of our collaboration! More info: Still of that crazy face comes from FKA twigs' "Water Me": http://youtu.be/kFtMl-uipA8 Evolution of the...

2026-03-0204 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Far Future of the UniversePBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateOKAY ↓ More info and sources below ↓ 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 epis...

2026-03-0205 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Delicious Science of CHEESE!I am an absolute freak for cheese. Next to bread, it might be our oldest biotechnology! Here's some of the science about how it's made and where it comes from. 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 ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Special thanks to Kara Chadbourne from Antonelli's Cheese in Austin, TX!!! She's a cheese genius. Joe Hanson - Host and writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associa...

2026-03-0205 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Incredible Biological Connection We All Share With Our MomViewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate They say mom's never far away, but I don't think this is what they had in mind. In this episode, learn about the mind-blowing connection you share with your mom. A little bit of you never leaves the other! More reading below! Chimera/fetal microchimerism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microchimerism http://boingboing.net/2012/01/03/cells.html http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-discover-childrens-cells-living-in-mothers-brain/ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fetal-cells-microchimerism/ http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/32678/title/Swapping-DNA-in-the-Womb/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com...

2026-03-0203 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Science of Game of ThronesValar more-curious! Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ WINTER: Seasons of Westeros and the 3-body problem: http://arxiv.org/pdf/1304.0445v1.pdf Other possible explanations for the seasons: http://io9.com/5906300/5-scientific-explanations-for-game-of-thrones-messed-up-seasons Why those other reasons are wrong: http://bit.ly/1hYuRDJ http://boingboing.net/2012/05/14/great-moments-in-pedantry-win.html http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103511004064 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milankovitch_cycles NOTE ON MOONS AND STABILIZATION: I'm adding this comment after the video g...

2026-03-0108 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Why Does Time 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...

2026-03-0102 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.The Science of BBQ!!!Science is delicious! Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Franklin BBQ: https://franklinbarbecue.com/ Basic BBQ science: http://bbq.tamu.edu/bbq-science/ http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/meat_science.html Chemistry smoke ring: http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/mythbusting_the_smoke_ring.html Thermodynamics of BBQ cooking http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/thermodynamics_of_cooking.html The dreaded "stall": http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/the_stall.html Does BBQ smoke c...

2026-03-0107 min

Be Smart.

Be Smart.Ask Joe Stuff #4You have questions, I have answers! Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate SUBSCRIBE, it's FREE! http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ 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=cztocbH...

2026-03-0107 min