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. How Vaccines Function

    53m ago

    How Vaccines Function

    Viewers 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 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! 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 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​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    9 min
  2. Reasons to be Upbeat (Thanks to Science!)

    53m ago

    Reasons to be Upbeat (Thanks to Science!)

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Links to all these awesome stories below! Finish 2016 on a high note and SUBSCRIBE! http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Want to wear your love for science? We’ve got merch: http://dftba.com/besmart 1. Gravitational waves: http://www.nature.com/news/gravitational-waves-1.19321 2. AlphaGo beats Lee Sedol: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/03/the-invisible-opponent/475611/ 3. CRISPR tested in a human: http://www.nature.com/news/crispr-gene-editing-tested-in-a-person-for-the-first-time-1.20988 4. Minimal synthetic organism: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/03/synthetic-microbe-lives-less-500-genes 5. SpaceX rocket landings: http://www.space.com/33461-spacex-rocket-landings-video-supercut.html 6. Closest known exoplanet: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1629/ 7. Alzheimer’s drug trial success: http://www.sciencealert.com/a-new-alzheimer-s-drug-just-hit-a-major-milestone-in-a-human-clinical-trial 8. Three-parent baby born: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2107219-exclusive-worlds-first-baby-born-with-new-3-parent-technique/ 9. Paris climate agreement goes into effect: https://www.wired.com/2016/12/2016-pivotal-year-war-climate-change/ 10. Antarctic ozone hole is healing: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-36674996 11. Ross Sea becomes largest marine protected area: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/ross-sea-marine-protected-area-antarctica/ 12. Giant pandas are no longer endangeredL http://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/giant-panda-no-longer-endangered 13. Wild tigers on the rise: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/160410-tiger-numbers-rise-wwf-conservation-double-population/ 14. Cool new species: http://www.livescience.com/54546-chewbacca-beetle-from-new-guinea.html http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/06/02/480437128/insect-named-for-ruth-bader-ginsburg-is-step-toward-equality-of-the-6-legged-sex http://www.livescience.com/55563-game-of-thrones-dragon-ant.html http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38325099 15. Casper the ghost octopus: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/03/06/check_out_ghost_like_octopus_dubbed_casper_that_could_be_new_species.html 16. Ghost shark filmed: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/12/pointy-nosed-blue-chimaeras-ghost-sharks/ 17. LIchen symbiosis decoded: http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/07/how-a-guy-from-a-montana-trailer-park-upturned-150-years-of-biology/491702/ 18. Jeremy the backwards snail finds a partner: http://www.wired.co.uk/article/snail-jeremy-left-handed-love 19. Solar powered plane flies around world: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/26/solar-impulse-plane-makes-history-completing-round-the-world-trip 20. New glasses for colorblind people: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601782/how-enchromas-glasses-correct-color-blindness/ 21. Juno mission updates: https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/ 22. Rosetta completes comet mission: http://gizmodo.com/watch-rosetta-s-entire-mission-to-a-comet-in-just-four-1790438586 23. Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko’s year in space: https://www.nasa.gov/content/a-year-in-space ---------------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. 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! Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter: http://twitter.com/okaytobesmart http://twitter.com/jtotheizzoe Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtotheizzoe Snapchat: YoDrJoe Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from SciencePhoto http://www.sciencephoto.com/ and Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    7 min
  3. Chemical Reactions That Revolutionized History

    1h ago

    Chemical Reactions That Revolutionized History

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Chemicals React! Get yourself an awesome IOTBS shirt! http://dftba.com/besmart ↓ More info and sources below ↓ For lots more of history’s greatest chemical innovations, check out “The Chemistry Book” by Derek B. Lowe: http://amzn.to/1snWG44 ---- 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! Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart 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 Produced by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios Editing and Motion Graphics by Arts + Labor Music via APM Stock images from SciencePhoto http://www.sciencephoto.com/ and Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Stock footage from Videoblocks (unless otherwise noted) http://www.videoblocks.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    11 min
  4. You've Been Lied to About DNA Evidence

    1h ago

    You've Been Lied to About DNA Evidence

    Thank you to Squarespace for supporting PBS. Go to https://www.squarespace.com/besmart for a free trial and use code BESMART to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓Follow me to Deep Look and celebrate Earth Month with PBS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbuJSmpxiNYPBS Earth Month Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnNZYWyBGJ1F8ofFm4H9UTrHxqU8zngK4DNA evidence is supposed to be the gold standard of criminal investigation. But what happens when that same technology sends innocent people to prison? Featuring interviews with Amanda Knox and forensic DNA expert Dr. Greg Hampikian, this is my investigation of DNA forensics, and what happens when we trust the science but don't ask the right questions.References: https://sites.google.com/view/besmart-forensic-dna/home 0:00 "I'm being framed."1:28 DNA is supposed to be magic2:40 The serial killer who never existed7:02 How forensic DNA actually works11:41 His DNA was at the crime scene. He wasn't.14:37 What happened to Amanda Knox20:02 The DNA never lied. Or did it?Be Smart explores science questions you didn’t even know you wondered about. It is hosted and produced by Joe Hanson, PhD. We post new videos all the time, so please subscribe! If you enjoyed this video, hit the ‘like’ button, leave a comment, or watch another of our videos!CONNECT WITH ME____________________________________Website: https://www.itsokaytobesmart.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart/ https://www.instagram.com/drjoehanson/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/c/itsokaytobesmart A big thanks to our Brain Trust patrons: Baerbel Winkler, Brent Lopez, dani bowman, David Johnston, Ed Eyden, Eric Meer, Greg Olson, Holly, Brett, and Ashe Bullion, Jaap Westera, Karen Haskell, Marcus Pingel, Mike and Patty Loftis, Paul Weir, Reuben BrewerSPONSORSHIP INQUIRIES____________________________________Please email biz@itsokaytobesmart.comStock video and images provided by Shutterstock, Artlist, and MotionArrayMusic provided by APMWritten by Molly Edwards & Joe HansonEdited by Ben HarrisonProduced by Least Square Media and Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    32 min

  5. 2h ago

    Putting Hurricane Harvey In Perspective

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Replace Harvey with Irma… still true. Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ 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 ----------- 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: 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    5 min
  6. What Makes Luck?

    2h ago

    What Makes Luck?

    Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Do you feel lucky? SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Is luck real? It might feel like a mystical force tugging us toward good or bad fortune, but it turns out luck is really where probability runs into the human mind. That’s right, there’s a scientific side to luck, and if you study a few principles of math and psychology, you might even be able to create your own good fortune. ----------- LEARN MORE: “The Luck Factor” - Richard Wiseman http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/440674912 “What the Luck?” - Gary Smith http://amzn.to/2mQJvau Sports Illustrated cover jinx study: http://bit.ly/cover-jinx ----------- 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: Joe Hanson 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

    8 min
  7. How Many Stars Can We Count?

    3h ago

    How Many Stars Can We Count?

    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 farther into deep time and the distant universe than we ever thought possible, and we might finally be able to answer these mind-boggling questions Every star visible from Earth (naked eye): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bright_Star_Catalogue Number of stars in the universe (estimated): http://www.universetoday.com/102630/how-many-stars-are-there-in-the-universe/ Hubble gigapixel image of Andromeda: http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/heic1502a/ Hubble eXtreme Deep Field: http://xdf.ucolick.org/ How big is the sky? http://www.badastronomy.com/bitesize/bigsky.html How much sand is there on Earth? http://www.hawaii.edu/suremath/jsand.html What would the cosmic sandbox look like? https://what-if.xkcd.com/83/ Carl Sagan's Cosmos: "The Shore of the Cosmic Ocean": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa1ImgOcOPM Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment 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 - Associate Producer Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics/Animation 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 Color Is The Universe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibVofIHq71s 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

    5 min
  8. There's No Such Thing As Ice

    3h ago

    There's No Such Thing As Ice

    Viewers 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 "cold" in something. Instead it's about what's NOT there. In this week's video, learn the difference between heat and temperature, why a wind makes us feel colder, and what it's like to live as a mass of jiggling atoms. This is the physics of cold Cool PBS NOVA episode on the search for absolute zero: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2jSv8PDDwA Richard Feynman on jiggling atoms: http://youtu.be/v3pYRn5j7oI The movement of atoms in a wind: http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem03/chem03448.htm Why a breeze feels cool: http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/72163/why-does-a-breeze-of-wind-make-us-feel-cooler Density of the interstellar medium: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar_medium Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment below! ----------------- 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: How many smells can you smell? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yEtBps-BnI 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 How The Elements Got Their Names - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtg9p6A6xnY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    7 min
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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

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  • Creator
    Joe Hanson
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    226

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