Be Smart.

Joe Hanson

We give you deep answers to simple questions about science and the rest of the universe. And also dad jokes. Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, PhD. He's a molecular biologist and an award-winning science communicator and journalist

  1. 26m ago

    The Equinox Isn't What You Suppose It Is

    Is the equinox really when day = night? Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Calculate day length where you live for any date: http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/ Very cool solar angle simulator: http://astro.unl.edu/classaction/animations/coordsmotion/eclipticsimulator.html Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment or check us out at the links below! Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/okaytobesmart http://twitter.com/DrJoeHanson Follow on Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/DrJoeHanson ----------------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock, stock footage from Videoblocks (unless otherwise noted)​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Equinox Isn't What You Suppose It Is

  2. 31m ago

    How Do Hot Air Balloons Float?

    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/ 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 We’ve got t-shirts! Get yours here: http://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart 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! Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/okaytobesmart http://twitter.com/jtotheizzoe Follow on Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtotheizzoe Follow on Snapchat: YoDrJoe ----------------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.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/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)​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    How Do Hot Air Balloons Float?

  3. 1h ago

    Inside a DELIGHTFUL 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 work of conservation scientists at places like the Monterey Bay Aquarium, sea otter populations are on their way back. Here's the story of one orphaned sea otter pup's journey back to the wild (Whale illustrations by Nobu Tamura/CC-BY-3.0) Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment or check us out at the links below! Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/okaytobesmart Follow on Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/okaytobesmart Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Producer Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics/Animation Katie Graham - Camera John Knudsen - Gaffer Theme music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Other music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock, stock footage from Videoblocks (unless otherwise noted) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Inside a DELIGHTFUL Sea Otter Adoption Program!

  4. 1h ago

    How Did Giant Pterosaurs Fly?

    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 ↓ The largest pterosaurs like Quetzalcoatlus were closer in size to airplanes than birds. No flying animal alive today comes close to their huge size. So did giant pterosaurs actually fly? I went to see the fossil bones of the largest pterosaur that ever lived so I could learn how these winged giants actually took to the skies. Special thanks: Michael Habib, Ph.D. https://twitter.com/aeroevo Matthew Brown/University of Texas Vertebrate Paleontology Collection References: https://sites.google.com/view/giant-pterosaurs-references/home SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons: AlecZero Diego Lombeida Dustin Ernesto Silva George Gladding Jay Stephens Marcus Tuepker Megan K Bradshaw Peter Ehrnstrom Ron Kakar vincbis Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  5. 2h ago

    Why Are The Bees Perishing?

    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 driven by combined stress from parasites, pesticides, and lack of flowers (Science, 2015) http://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6229/1255957.abstract What's killing America's bees? http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.0050168 Anand Varma's TED talk on saving bees: http://www.ted.com/talks/anand_varma_a_thrilling_look_at_the_first_21_days_of_a_bee_s_life?language=en#t-63891 The White House's 2015 Pollinator Action Plan: http://journalistsresource.org/studies/environment/sustainability/bee-declines-combined-stress-parasites-pesticides-lack-of-flowers Colony collapse disorder: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder Report of the commissioner of agriculture (1868): https://archive.org/details/reportofcommis00unit Summary of colony collapse disorder: http://journalistsresource.org/studies/environment/sustainability/bee-declines-combined-stress-parasites-pesticides-lack-of-flowers Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment or check us out at the links below! Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/okaytobesmart http://twitter.com/jtotheizzoe Follow on Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtotheizzoe ----------------- 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 by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Producer Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics/Animation Katie Graham - Director of Photography John Knudsen - Gaffer Theme music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Other music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock, stock footage from Videoblocks ----------------- Last week's video: The Energy Series! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsmqeqKj7M-q499mOUvNa3iRreFBzxaQx More videos: Why Does February Have 28 Days? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgKaHTh-_Gs Why Vaccines Work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aNhzLUL2ys Why Are Some People Left-Handed? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPvMUpcxPSA Where Does the Smell of Rain Come From? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGcE5x8s0B8​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Why Are The Bees Perishing?

  6. 2h ago

    Why Is Sleep Necessary?

    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 place. Follow me to The Good Stuff’s sleep playlist: https://youtu.be/RHCcM7LyZdc?list=PLsRLUurFnvvUCysDQrFvGL0nxN6Eha93s Also check out BrainCraft: https://youtu.be/yv-XNKK9laE https://youtu.be/ZPpvS9wDOcA For more, read: “Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep” by David K. Randall http://amzn.to/1MB38dt "The Universal Pastime: Sleep and Rest Explained" by Dr Richard Horner http://amzn.com/B00NT9O60O Cool research on melatonin in sea worm larvae: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/science/the-evolution-of-sleep-700-million-years-of-melatonin.html Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment or check us out at the links below! Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/okaytobesmart http://twitter.com/jtotheizzoe Follow on Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtotheizzoe Follow on Snapchat: YoDrJoe ----------------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.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/pbsdigitalstudios Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen Inc. Kate Eads - Producer Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics/Animation Arts & Labor - Motion Graphics 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)​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Why Is Sleep Necessary?

  7. 3h ago

    Why You See Faces in Things

    SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss a video! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓Have you ever looked at the front of a car and seen a face? Or an electrical outlet and seen a face? You definitely have. We all see faces everywhere we look thanks to a fun quirk of the human brain called facial pareidolia. Here's the neuroscience and psychology of how this weird brain phenomenon works!References: https://sites.google.com/view/facial-pareidolia-references/home0:00 Intro1:33 What is facial pareidolia?2:26 How your brain "sees" stuff4:10 What is a "face" anyway?5:29 Are we born this way?7:08 Why recognizing faces is important, according to evolution9:09 Dog faces, and some closing thoughts10:05 Support us on Patreon!-----------High fives to all our Brain Trust Patrons:Ed EydenJennifer BurtonCharles Horton, JrHolly, Brett, and Ashe BullionJaap WesteraMehdi DamouBarbora BeiBurt Humburgdani bowmanDavid JohnstonBaerbel WinklerEric MeerKaren HaskellJoin us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/itsokaytobesmartInstagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/Merchhttps://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Why You See Faces in Things

  8. 3h ago

    The Cheerios Effect

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Who knew there was so much science in a bowl of cereal? Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Ever notice how cereal clumps up in your bowl, or how cereal sticks to the edges of the bowl? Bubbles in beverages do the same thing.You've probably seen this surface tension and buoyancy at work, but did you know there's some mind-blowing science behind it? What we learn in our cereal bowl even connects to the lives of tiny insects that walk on water. SOURCES/EXTRAS: Vella, Dominic, and L. Mahadevan. "The “cheerios effect”." American journal of physics 73.9 (2005): 817-825. Gao, Xuefeng, and Lei Jiang. "Biophysics: water-repellent legs of water striders." Nature 432.7013 (2004): 36-36. Bush, John WM, and David L. Hu. "Walking on water: biolocomotion at the interface." Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 38 (2006): 339-369. John Bush: Interfacial Locomotion http://math.mit.edu/~bush/?p=998 ----------- FOLLOW US: Merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter: @okaytobesmart @DrJoeHanson Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Instagram: @DrJoeHanson Snapchat: YoDrJoe ----------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Director: Joe Nicolosi Writer: Sarah Keartes Editor/animator: Andrew Orsak Producer: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

We give you deep answers to simple questions about science and the rest of the universe. And also dad jokes. Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, PhD. He's a molecular biologist and an award-winning science communicator and journalist

Information

  • Creator
    Joe Hanson
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    302