The Mysteries About True Histories podcast is back for season two.
If you're a kid who would love to travel through time, to solve cool mysteries, perplexing puzzles and tricky riddles, then this podcast is the perfect audio treat for you.
Every week, join me, Molly and my best friend Max, as we take our problem-solving skills to amazing places like ancient Egypt, ancient Greece or the Galapagos Islands in 1875 to help out the one and only Charles Darwin.
We never know where we're going to wind up or what we're going to find, which is all part of the fun.
So put on your time traveling shoes and listen as a family.
You can listen to mysteries about true histories on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Hey there, Who Smarted Plus subscribers.
Welcome to another edition of Smarty Qs, where I, the trusty narrator, answer questions from you, the Smarty Pants listeners.
Remember, any Smarty Pants can submit a question by emailing me at whosmarted at whosmartedcom, or on our Who Smarted Facebook page or in the comments section of Spotify.
Okay, without further ado, let's start the Smarty Q.
Our first question comes from Smarty Pants Rowan in Virginia, who asked what should you do if you see a bear?
Great question, but a little tricky.
You see, bears can be very dangerous, mostly because they're so big and strong.
However, bears are usually not aggressive and mostly approach looking for food.
The key to remember is, if you see a bear, try to remain calm and avoid approaching it.
What you don't want to do is turn and run or make sudden movements.
If you do that, the bear may see you as prey and chase after you.
And bears are very fast and can climb trees, so you probably won't outrun or outclimb it.
Instead, back away slowly.
And if the bear is aware of you, slowly move away sideways while keeping an eye on the bear.
If you are attacked, you'll want to fight back with any weapon you have, or just punching and kicking.
You'll want to focus on the bear's face, eyes, and nose.
But remember, each bear and experience is unique.
There is no single strategy that will work in all situations that guarantees safety.
Just keep in mind, most bear encounters end without injury.
Oh, and never, ever, ever go near a bear cub or put yourself between a bear cub and its mother.
Okay, let's keep the animal theme going with our next question, which comes from our smarty friend Ezra in Brisbane Australia, who asks can a leopard change its spots?
That's a fun question.
The short answer is no, but also yes, sort of.
Leopard kittens can change their spots a little because they're still growing.
In fact, baby leopards may appear spottier because all the spots are condensed together on a smaller body.
But once a leopard matures, these spots are there to stay.
Oh, and the phrase a leopard doesn't change its spots.
It's what's known as an idiom to describe a person not being able to change their true nature, especially if they're a leopard.
Okay, last question.
We're going to get away from animals and move on to one of my favorite topics food or, in this case, drink.
We've had a bunch of smarty friends on Spotify ask us, what is boba?
No, not boba fat from Star Wars and The Mandalorian.
Boba, as in those little round things you find in bubble tea.
Or in some cases, boba refers to bubble tea itself.
Okay, we'll start with the ones in the drink.
Boba are little round, chewy bite-sized tapioca pearls and it's said they originated in Taiwan in the 1980s.
Boba is made from tapioca starch, which comes from the cassava plant.
The pearls are often simmered in brown sugar syrup to give them their characteristic dark black color and sweet taste.
As for the drink, boba or bubble tea is a cold drink that typically includes black tea milk sweetener, ice and boba.
The drink can also include fruit juices, flavored syrups, powders, jellies, and popping bubbles.
Personally, I prefer lychee or taro with extra boba myself.
Mm-mm.
And with that we conclude another fun and fact-filled episode of Smarty Qs, which is made up of questions submitted by you, the Smarty Pants.
Again, if you have a question you'd like answered by me on Smarty Qs, have an adult help you.
Email me at whosmarted, at whosmartedcom.
Or you can comment on Whosmarted episodes on Spotify.
Or you can message us on our Whosmarted Facebook page.
Thanks again for subscribing to Whosmarted Plus and supporting Whosmarted.
Keep on smarting, Smarty Pants.
Hey there, Who's Smarted Plus subscribers.
Welcome to another edition of Smarty Qs, where I, the trusty narrator, answer questions from you, the Smarty Pants listeners.
Remember, any Smarty Pants can submit a question by emailing me at whosmarted at whosmartedcom, or on our Who's Smarted Facebook page or in the comments section of Spotify.
Okay, without further ado, let's begin the Smarty Q.
Our first question comes from our smarty friend and longtime SmartyQ contributor Olivia, who asks why should you never stand under a tree during a thunder and lightning storm?
That is a great question with a few answers, but they all stem from the same idea.
Get it?
Stem?
Anywho, lightning tends to strike the closest, tallest target, such as tall buildings or mountains.
And if you're outside in a wooded area, what is the tallest target that's closest to the thunderclouds?
You guessed it, trees, which means trees make excellent targets for lightning.
So why would you want to stand next to a lightning target?
Now you might be wondering if lightning strikes the top of a tree, wouldn't you be okay standing near the bottom?
Nope, not really.
That's because A the lightning can jump to you, and B because the lightning will travel down the tree and even electrify the ground all around the tree.
Not to mention, the tree could also explode, catch fire, or fall on you.
So, when outside during a lightning storm, steer clear of trees and water and open enclosures.
Indoors or in a car are your safest bet.
Okay, our next question comes from Smarty Pants Phillip in North Potomac Maryland, who asks what is rust?
Well, Smarty Pants.
Rust is considered a chemical change that occurs when iron is exposed to moisture and oxygen.
In fact, when iron rusts, it forms a new substance called iron oxide, otherwise known as rust.
In fact, the reddish-brown substance that forms on iron actually changes the chemical composition of the original iron, forming a new substance with new chemical properties.
You can create rust yourself by placing some nails in a cup with water and leaving them outside for a week or so.
Okay, moving on to our last question, and it's a doozy.
Our Smarty fan Justin L. asks, What might end the universe?
Whoa!
Dude!
Oh boy.
Okay, here are some theories.
And I say theories because nobody knows for sure.
In fact, it's hard to even know what the universe truly looks like.
But here's some food for thought.
For one, If the universe keeps expanding, energy will be spread out so much that eventually all areas within it will remain at the same temperature.
Scientists call this the big freeze, when interactions between particles will cease and the universe will remain at a frozen standstill forever.
But if you don't like thinking of a frozen universe, don't worry.
There are several other awful scenarios to consider.
For example, the universe might expand so fast that gravity can't hold everything together.
This would cause the Big Rip, where everything from galaxies to atoms would be torn apart, leaving just empty space.
Or, of course, there's always the thought that the reverse could happen.
Instead of expanding, the universe could become so great that gravity causes things to slow down and stop.
And then, according to the big bounce theory, the universe will reverse and contract back to a single tiny point called a singularity.
Of course, everything would be gone until there was another big bang resulting in the birth of a new universe.
So...
But again, these are just theories, and even if one did come true, it would be billions and billions of years in the future.
I hope.
And that is another fun and fact-filled episode of Smarty Qs.
Again, if you have a question you'd like answered by me, have an adult.
Help you and email me at whosmarted, at whosmartedcom.
Or you can comment on Whosmarted episodes on Spotify or message us on our Whosmarted Facebook page.
Thanks again for subscribing to Whosmarted Plus and supporting Whosmarted.
Keep on smarting, smarty pants.
Who's smarter?
