Hey there, Smarty Pants.
Is it chilly outside?
It's freezing out here!
Are you stuck indoors?
Or are you a lucky Smarty Pants enjoying a warm day while the rest of us bundle up?
Well, no matter what, you probably would love to have more Who Smarted and less ads, right?
Yes!
Well, then I have great news.
It's time to heat up your brain with the Who Smarted winter warm-up sound.
That's amazing!
From...
Right now, through January 30th, we are giving you a massive 50 off an annual Who Smarted Plus subscription.
That's right.
It's normally $39.99, but you can grab a whole year of smarts for just $19.98.
Think about that.
For about 40 cents a week.
You get way less ads so you can enjoy all the episodes uninterrupted, so you can stay in the Smarty Zone and you get way more Who Smarted?
Not only do you get ad-free listening, but you're also going to get bonus subscriber-only episodes.
But you have to hurry.
This deal is melting faster than a snowman in a sauna.
It's only available directly through our website, so just head to whosmartedcom and click on Winter Warm-Up Sale.
Don't wait.
This offer disappears on January 30th.
Stay cool, stay warm, and stay smart.
Go to whosmartedcom right now and click winter warm-up sale to start getting all these benefits for around 40 cents a week, and you'll be directly supporting the show.
Now that's a smarty deal, and now it's time for who smarted.
Hey, smarty pants, brace yourselves, because today we're going to meet an outlaw That's right, a real criminal in certain parts of the world.
Of course, there was once a time this outlaw was admired.
In fact, this outlaw was once a hero, popular and well-loved.
But today its enemies, namely environmentalists, have put this once-beloved hero on the most wanted list.
And whether it's straight bendy, twisty or downright crazy this, once respected and paper-wrapped object has become a polarizing figure.
It's even been banned in certain cities around the world.
Smarty Pants, any idea what object I'm referring to?
Here, I'll give you a hint.
That's right.
I'm talking about...
The straw.
My word, they're banning straws?
I gotta tell the other cattle.
Hey, cows, they're banning straws.
Whoa, whoa, Bessie, nobody's banning your straw.
They're not?
No, I'm talking about the drinking straw.
Oh, that little thing.
Why would they make such a fuss over that?
Smarty Pants, do you know?
Is it because A. Straws are made by evil mad scientists?
B. Straws cause thousands of accidental nose and eye injuries.
Or C. Most straws are made with plastic and are harmful for the environment.
Yep, I know.
Most of you guessed the correct answer.
C.
What about my straw?
Is that bad for the environment, too?
No, no.
The straw you and the other cows chew is made from grains and it's used by farmers to grow their gardens.
Cows love chewing it because it helps with digestion, not to mention it's a popular bed for animals to sleep on.
Because it's so fluffy!
Right.
Again, people are fine with your straw.
Plastic straws, not so much.
They're hurting the environment.
Smarty Pants, true or false?
Most of the world's plastic waste is made by drinking straws.
The answer is false.
Contrary to what you may have heard, plastic straws are only about 4% of the world's plastic waste.
Phew, you got me.
I thought they were a big problem.
But... Oh, there's a but.
But they are a big problem.
That's because all around the world, hundreds of millions of straws are thrown away every day.
So the environmental threat is growing.
But straws are kind of unnecessary.
Most people can drink without them.
But people do like them a lot.
Not to mention, some people rely on straws.
So what's being done to make straws safer?
How exactly do straws work?
And why can't you use one in space?
It's time for a whiff of history and science on... Who Smarted?
Who Smarted?
Who's smart?
Is it you?
Is it me?
Is it science or history?
Listen up, everyone.
We make smarting lots of fun on Who's Smarted.
Smarty Pants, we just mentioned how plastic straws have suddenly become unpopular.
For some, that started in 2015, with a viral video showing a straw hurting what kind of animal?
Was it A, a cow, B, a sea turtle, or C, a dolphin?
Not a cow, I hope.
We just love our straw.
Again.
Not that type of straw.
But also, the video did not feature a cow.
The answer is B.
The video showed marine biologists removing a discarded plastic straw from a sea turtle's nose.
Since then, there have been efforts to end plastic straw waste.
Coffee shop chains like Starbucks have moved away from plastic straws, as have many fast food restaurants and airlines.
In some cities, you only get a straw if you ask for one.
Oh, we could use more straw here.
My friend Donkey had a rough sleep last night.
Nope, not that kind of straw.
Sorry, just making sure.
But not all straws are disappearing.
That's a good thing too, because some people, especially those who might be sick or have certain disabilities, absolutely need straws to drink beverages.
You may have noticed paper straws making a comeback.
Also, scientists are developing more biodegradable plastic straws.
But if you really want to help the environment, you can get a reusable straw made of metal or sturdier plastic.
That's because the real problem is most people use straws once and then throw them away.
You don't chew them.
Actually, some people do.
And then they throw them away.
So how did y'all get hooked on using straws in the first place?
Smarty Pants, can you guess when straws first became a thing?
Was it A, the 1950s, B, during the Middle Ages, or C, in ancient times?
The answer is C, ancient times.
Believe it or not, ancient Sumerians who lived in what is now Iraq were using straws about 5000 years ago.
Next question.
Smarty Pants, can you guess what early beverage these ancient people drank with their straws?
Was it A, milk, B, grape juice, or C, beer?
While most people don't use straws for it today, ancient Sumerians used straws to drink...
Beer.
Beer back then had clumps of barley and oats in it left over from the process of making it.
So, Sumerians used straws to avoid drinking those.
Also, straws allowed more than one person to sip from the same big container.
Oh yeah.
And way back then, everyone drank beer, even those under age 21.
That's because they loved straw.
Come on, gang.
They've got straw.
Whoa, Bessie.
I told you it's not that kind of straw.
Although some of these ancient straws were covered in precious metals and stones.
In fact, many wealthy ancients were buried with their decorative straws so they could keep drinking in the afterlife.
Burp.
In other parts of the ancient world, in places like Egypt and East Asia, people used straw-like tubes for all kinds of beverages.
The ancient Mayans even used straws to blow bubbles into their chocolate drinks.
And not all of these tubes were fancy.
A lot were made from plant materials such as dried reeds, grasses, and, well, straw.
Straw!
Now we're talking!
Let's go, fellas!
Yes, yes, by the 1800s, people were using your type of straw to drink, but there was a problem.
A problem?
What kind of problem could you possibly have with straw?
Smarty pants, care to guess?
Was it A. Straw breaks apart too easily.
B. Straw is uncomfortable on the tongue.
Or C. Straw is dirty.
The answer is A, a person often needed multiple straws to get through one drink.
Burp, burp, burp.
It's always good to have lots of straw handy.
Am I right, fellas?
The straw also changed the flavor of a drink, making it taste more like, well, straw.
Sounds delicious.
Who doesn't love eating straw?
My word, I am not going to drink a beverage like some common donkey.
Uh, and who are you?
I am Marvin Chester Stone, and I was trying to enjoy my mint julep, but now I'm utterly disgusted.
Hey, pal, is that some kind of cow pun?
Don't be insulting the livestock.
No, no, it's not you.
It's the straw.
It keeps falling apart.
There's got to be a better way to enjoy a cool drink.
Ah, and Mr. Stone here did find a better way.
Legend has it he wrapped some paper around a pencil, covered it in wax and invented the modern paper straw.
Because it was cheap to make and lasted longer.
In drinks, the paper straw started to appear everywhere.
Then, in the 1930s, inventor Joseph Friedman made straws even easier to use with a screw.
Sparty Pants, can you guess what he did?
A. He put the screw inside the straw to make it wider.
B. He used it to make the straw bend.
Or C. He used it to hang the straw on a wall.
The answer is B. But how on earth can you use a solid screw to make a straw bend?
Imagine a screw.
It has grooves, right?
Joseph Friedman realized that if he put a screw inside a straw and wrapped floss around those grooves, the straw itself would get indentations.
When he took the screw out of the straw, the indentations allowed the straw to bend without breaking.
Smarty Pants, can you guess where bendable straws first became popular?
Was it in schools, at amusement parks, or at hospitals?
The answer is hospitals.
Hospitals loved the bendable straw because patients could use it to drink while in bed.
Then, in the 1960s, plastic straws came about, and these were cheaper and stronger than the paper ones.
Suddenly they were everywhere.
Whoa.
People loved how you could just use them once and then just throw them away.
And, well, you know what happened.
My straw is better.
But not for drinking.
For that, plastic straws are better, except in space.
Why can't you use them in space?
It has to do with the way straws work.
How do they work?
That's a great question.
And I'm going to tell you all about it right after this quick break and a word from our sponsor.
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Now back to Who Smarted?
Okay, smarty pants, we know people use lots of straws.
Again, not that kind of straw.
Smarty Pants, can you think of reasons why you'd want to use a straw?
Straw is good for sleeping, chewing, hay rides.
Oh, right.
Smarty pants.
Drinking from a straw does have benefits.
As we mentioned, people with disabilities who are unable to hold their drink or have use of their arms rely on straws.
Same goes for someone in a hospital bed.
And if you're drinking from a can, it keeps your mouth away from potential germs on top of the can.
Most of all, it can make drinking a lot easier, helping you navigate a drink filled with ice and or avoiding disastrous spills that come from tipping your cup.
But Smarty Pants, have you ever thought about how straws work?
Try this the next time you have a straw.
Oh, and if you have a straw right now, try drinking liquid from it.
Me too?
Sure, but with this reusable straw, not the kind you sleep on.
Mmm, this is nice, cool water.
Refreshing and easy to drink.
Exactly.
Smarty Pants, when you suck from a straw, what exactly are you sucking up?
Okay, I heard a lot of you say the liquid.
Good guess, but it's not quite right.
Try this.
Remove the straw, put your mouth in your cup, and try sucking up your drink.
Not so easy to do, huh?
Oh dear, I'm out of breath.
So, smarty pants, why can't you suck up the liquid?
That's because with a straw, you're not actually sucking up liquid, but the air inside the straw.
Whoa.
And because the straw is small, you can get rid of all the air inside it quickly.
Air has weight called atmospheric pressure.
When you suck up all the air, the liquid inside the straw no longer has anything pushing down on it, so it rushes up.
Meanwhile, the liquid inside your cup is still being pushed down by atmospheric pressure, so it gets squeezed into your straw and up into your mouth.
That is until you stop sucking and let air back into the straw.
Or you finish your drink.
So now, knowing this, why do you think straws won't work in space?
Is it because A, liquid would freeze in space?
B, nobody would survive drinking in space?
Or C, there's no atmosphere in space?
Oh my, space sounds rough.
That's for sure.
And while all three answers are correct, The one that relates to how a straw operates is C.
With no atmospheric pressure, there's nothing to push the liquid into your straw, making drinking through it impossible.
Then again, if you find yourself in outer space, straws might be the least of your worries.
But hold on, trustee.
I've seen astronauts on the space station use straws.
Ah.
But inside the space station, that's different.
The space station has air and atmospheric pressure.
That's because the people living there need that to breathe.
So as long as you're inside a spaceship or space station, you can still use a straw.
Straw!
For the last time, I'm not talking about the straw that grows on farms.
No, I meant I just discovered a nice bed made out of straw right here.
I can't wait to get some sleep.
You know, I'll drink to that.
Cheers.
A big shout out to super smarty fan Oscar in Asheville, North Carolina.
We hear you love Who Smarted because it's funny and is filled with good information.
And we hear that you particularly like Chet Nickerson.
Oh, that's so cool.
A big thank you from me and of course, Chet Nickerson.
This episode's Straws was written by Dave the Last Straw Beaudry and voiced by Laura Rondanella and Jerry Colbert.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Crazy Straw Hahn.
Our associate producer is Max Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian Spitball Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex-Davis.
Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex-Davis and Jerry Colbert.
This has been an Atomic Audio production.
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