PBS_ItsOKToBeSmart

We walk through life led by our noses. Literally. Because they’re on the front of our faces. How does the sense of smell work, and how sensitive are our noses? Why are smell-related memories so vivid? How many different smells could we possibly smell?

Ever get curious about how beer goes from the brewery to your belly?

Joe Hanson went behind the scenes at the Monterey Bay Aquarium to learn about jellyfish.

Joe went behind the scenes at Monterey Bay Aquarium to meet the Giant Pacific Octopus, a powerful and curious creature that challenges many of our notions of intelligence!

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.

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 helped give birth to the field of ecology.

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!

Whales are amazing animals. Since they evolved from land mammals, their biology breaks ALL the rules! Well, as whales say, rules were meant to be broken.

The world's deadliest animal may be closer than you think.

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).

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.

Don't panic.

Goats are amazing creatures, but there's a lot more than meets the eye.

Visit Bat Conservation International to learn more about these amazing species and what we can do to protect them: http://batcon.org/

Build your own cloud chamber particle detector and test relativity at home!

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.

Can't wait to get into outer space? Well there's a bit you need to know first... Spending time in zero gravity can have some pretty extreme effects on the human body. Still scientists are already making plans for long trips to other planets, but first we have to start with a few experiments here on Earth — and it all starts with astronaut Scott Kelly spending one full year in orbit.

I took a trip to Washington D.C. to check out some of our nation's most famous monuments. Where do they come from? From the depths of the Earth to the distant reaches of the cosmos, you'll never look at history the same way again

My friend Eric Schulze, awesome science guy and leader of Thirst DC helps me understand how genes and DNA write the book of life, and how reading that book has helped us learn that everything on Earth is descended from a common ancestor. Oh, and I make fun of Eric for having red hair

Why do humans cook? Holidays are celebrated in many ways, but chances are they involve eating, and eating a LOT. 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.

Snowflakes are infinitely beautiful, but are they infinitely unique? Here's all the science behind Earth's favorite cold crystal

Claude Monet had a very unique eye, and it can teach us a bit about the science of vision

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!

From the very large to the very small, the universe is an amazing place. Here's my favorite ways to explore its scale.

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