Hey there, Smarty Pants.
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Now, that's a smarty deal.
Hey there, Smarty Pants.
Trusty Narrator here, back with another round of Smarty Qs, where I answer the amazing questions sent in by curious Smarty Pants all over the world.
We've got some great questions today, so let's jump right in.
Question one comes from Smarty Fan Ronan in Leesburg Virginia, who asks Why does it not tickle when you tickle yourself, but it does tickle when someone else does it.
Cool question.
The answer is, it's because your brain can predict your own movements.
When you try to tickle yourself, your brain knows exactly what's going to happen and the cerebellum, the prediction center of your brain, says don't worry, we did that.
So it turns off the ticklish response.
But when someone else tickles you, your brain can't predict it.
The sensation surprises you and your nerves react with the tickles.
Your brain responds strongly to unexpected touches, which is why surprise tickles are much ticklier than self-tickling.
Okay.
Question two comes from longtime smarty friend Georgie on Spotify, who wants to know why does your voice sound deeper in the morning and higher later in the day?
Wow, another cool body question.
Well, your morning voice sounds deeper because your vocal cords are swollen and relaxed after a night of sleep.
Think about it.
While you're asleep, you're probably not talking.
So your muscles stay relaxed, your throat dries out and mucus collects on your vocal cords, otherwise known as your vocal folds.
All of this can make your voice sound lower, thicker, and scratchier.
But as the day goes on, you drink water and you talk more.
This causes your vocal folds to warm up and tighten which, in turn, raises the pitch, making your voice sound clearer and higher.
Question three is a fun one.
Smarty Pants Edie wants to know how do trends like labooboos and K-pop demon hunters start and grow?
Oh, can you say internet culture?
Trends like labooboos K-pop, demon hunters and other wild viral jokes, including one about a certain two numbers, usually starts the same way.
Someone posts a funny or strange video.
It could be a meme, a sound clip, a silly word, a short animation, or a fan edit.
Other people remix it and add music, make new versions, repeat the phrase or create spinoffs.
Algorithms push it on platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram.
It gets lots of likes, comments, and views.
So what does the algorithm do?
It shows it to millions more users.
Kids and teens turn it into a shared language.
Trends become inside jokes, and everyone wants to be in on it.
And it just keeps on spreading.
That's why nonsense memes spread so fast.
They're fun, silly, and social.
But in the case of K-pop demon hunters, it becomes a must-see movie and show.
And Labooboos become a must-own toy.
I've got six, seven of them myself.
All right, three cool questions down, two more to go.
You're not going to want to miss them right after this quick break and a word from our sponsors.
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Now back to Smarty Q.
We've got an interesting question that's been asked by James and a few other smarty pants who all want to know how do tardigrades survive in space?
Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are some of the toughest creatures on Earth.
So tough, in fact, that they're able to survive space being in a vacuum, radiation freezing temperatures and boiling heat.
Whoa!
Here's how they do it.
First, they curl up into a ton state.
A ton is like a tiny biological sleep mode.
In this state, tardigrades shrink, dry out, stop eating, and stop moving.
In fact, they reduce their metabolism to 0.01% of their normal metabolisms.
Next, they replace water with a special sugar called trehalose, which acts like armor and protects their cells from freezing or breaking.
They also produce unique proteins called desup proteins that shield their DNA from radiation damage.
And from there, they just wait it out.
Once they're safe again with water, food, and better temperatures, they simply wake back up.
So you could say tardigrades aren't alive in space like normal.
They're paused like a video on freeze frame.
So cool.
We're down to our last question.
This one comes from Isla in Austin, Texas, and her mom, Molly.
They want to know, can your body's organs grow back, aka regenerate?
Great question.
And the answer is, some parts can regenerate, and some can't.
Here are some things humans can regrow.
Your skin, because cuts heal.
Your liver can regrow up to 70%.
Your blood is constantly replaced.
Your bones can regrow, which is why fractures heal.
Your fingernails, your toenails, and hair can also regrow.
And here are some things humans cannot regrow.
Heart tissue, brain cells some are replaced, but most are not spinal cord, nerves and entire organs like kidneys or lungs.
So why can't you regenerate everything?
It's because some organs have cells that copy themselves easily, while others have very delicate, specialized cells that can't divide.
So once they're damaged, they stay damaged.
However, scientists are studying stem cells, organ printing and gene therapy to help bodies regenerate more in the future.
Maybe even new organs someday.
And there you have it, another jam-packed episode of Smarty Q's.
To have your question featured on an upcoming episode, simply email us at whosmarted, at whosmartedcom.
Until next time, keep on smarting, smarty pants.
Who's smarter?
