Psst. Hey, Smarty Pants, what do you like about going to the beach?
Is it playing in the waves?
Building sandcastles?
Or maybe you just like sunbathing?
I'm headed to the beach right now to meet my friend, Polka Dot.
I call her Polka Dot because she is a great dancer.
And Dot is short for Dorothy.
Also, she has tiny brown polka dots sprinkling her nose and cheeks.
Well, they're not really polka dots, they're natural marks on her skin.
Any idea what those marks are called?
Did you say, freckles?
That's right. Hey, Smarty Pants, do you have any freckles?
I'll give you a second to check.
Try looking at your arms or legs, or you can look in the mirror, or take a selfie to see if there are any on your face.
I once found one in my ear.
Whoa, are those a few new ones on my chin?
Oh wait, those aren't freckles.
Those are just crumbs from a cupcake I ate before.
Whoops. So finding any freckles, Smarty Pants?
Here's one place I bet you didn't check.
Your eyes? That's right.
You can even get eye freckles.
When a freckle is on the iris, that's the colored part of your eye, it's called an iris nevis.
About six in ten people have one.
Psst. Psst. Now you, with the smarts.
Did you just, psst, me?
That's my job. I'm the one who says, psst.
Sounds like you know a little something about freckles.
Well, I don't mean to brag, but I'm the trusty narrator.
I know a little something about everything.
A wise guy, huh? Actually, I prefer smarty pants.
Yeah, well, pack up your beach bag.
We're going where the sun don't shine.
Excuse me? Downtown.
Oh, okay. But wait, I'm meeting my friend Polka Dot at the beach and...
Polka Dots, the reason I'm here.
Word on the street is she lost some of her freckles.
I'm a private investigator on the case and I think you can help me find them.
Oh, well, I'm always willing to help a friend.
Good, because I got questions.
You've got questions.
When it comes to freckles, I've got lots of questions.
Like, what exactly are freckles?
What causes them? Why do some people have barely any freckles, while others have tons?
And can freckles actually disappear?
Look, kid, you seem like a good egg, but I smell something rotten.
Then it's time for another whiff of science and history on...
Who's smarted? Who's 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.
Hey, smarty parents.
I know the struggle of wanting to create the best future for the children in your life.
That's why I'm thrilled to share my experience with IXL Learning.
Recently, the 8 -year -old child of one of our main Who Smarted writers started struggling with math.
They tried everything and felt helpless.
Then I told them about our partner, IXL, and it changed everything.
IXL is an online learning program that covers math, language arts, science, and social studies from pre -K to 12th grade.
What sets it apart is how it adapts to each child's needs.
His daughter loves the positive feedback and fun challenges.
And the best part? iExcel's research -backed approach has made a world of difference in her confidence and her grades.
It's like having a personal tutor but at a fraction of the cost.
A month of iExcel costs less than one hour with a tutor even before our Smarty family 20 % discount.
Don't let your child fall behind.
Join the millions of families benefiting from iExcel.
Visit iExcel .com slash Smarted and get 20 % off your membership.
That's IXL .com slash Smarted for 20 % off.
Give your child the gift of learning with IXL.
All right, Smarty Pants, looks like I'm smack in the middle of a mystery, and I think you can help.
It seems my friend Polka Dot's freckles have vanished, and this tough guy, Private Eye, has been hired to find them.
Nice office. Um, what'd you say your name was again?
The name's Hoagie. Hoagy P .I.
No case too small, no sandwich too big.
Nom nom nom nom nom.
You know, I'm surprised Polkadot didn't call my detective friend, McWoof the Crime Pup, to help solve this mystery.
Hm, McWoof. Huh, you know him?
Yeah, I know McWoof.
We used to solve mysteries together, until I left the Force.
Why did you leave the Force?
Look, I'll ask the questions around here.
You ever talk to McWoof about freckles?
Actually, yes. McWoof told me that, just like with fingerprints, no two freckles are exactly the same.
Uh -huh. What else did McWoof have to say?
Something about melanin.
Look, narrator, I think you're holding out on me.
I think you know a lot more than you're saying.
Maybe. I am the trusting narrator, but how do I know I can trust you?
You're just gonna have to take my word for it.
Now spill the beans.
What's melanin got to do with this?
Fine. You want to know about melanin?
I'll tell you all about melanin.
Melanin is a chemical produced by certain skin cells called melanocytes.
I know, it sounds kind of like a type of dinosaur.
Melanin gives your hair, eyes, and skin their color.
The more melanin you have in your skin, the darker your skin color.
And if you have lighter skin, that just means your skin produces less melanin.
Go on. But melanin does more than just give your skin its color.
The melanin in your skin catches and soaks up some of the light that comes from the sun.
When you're outside for a while, your skin starts to make more melanin to try and keep you from getting a sunburn.
Melanin itself is a brown, tannish color, and that's what causes you to get a suntan when you've been in the sun for a long period of time.
And it's that same brownish melanin that causes some of us to get freckles.
Let me get this straight.
You're telling me that some melanocytes make more melanin when exposed to the sun?
Exactly. Some people have small patches on their skin that make more melanin than other areas.
The parts that make more melanin turn darker than the other parts.
And each darker part is what we call what?
Did you say a freckle again?
It's nature's way of protecting your skin from the sun, but you should still load up on sunblock lotion.
Your skin can only protect you so much, and you should protect it too.
Think of it as a really nice jacket.
I know a thing or two about nice jackets.
I bet you do, Hoagie.
Uh, is that your orange cat sitting on one of them right now?
Meow. Princess kitten pants off.
And what's this? She has a freckle on her nose.
I think it was you who took Polka Dot's freckles.
It's going to be the slammer for you, kitty.
Wait, Hoagie. She's innocent.
Cats and dogs can get freckles, too.
Whoa. Ginger cats like Princess Kitten Pants and other Calico breeds can get freckles because they have the red gene or orange coloration.
Sometimes the freckles on their noses and mouths are black, brown, flat, or even a little bit raised.
And your dog's spot can have spots.
Many breeds have freckles under their fur.
Most likely, you'll see freckles on your dog's belly, ears, or nose.
Places where the skin is thinner and fur doesn't protect as well from the sun.
All right, it's time for you to start singing like a canary.
I can't really sing, but I'll try.
Of course, it might be easier if you stopped shining that light in my eyes.
No dice. If what you say is true, I'm just going to stand back and watch your melanin produce some freckles.
Ah, I see. Smartypants, true or false?
Standing under a fluorescent lamp will make freckles appear on my face.
Think about it. But not too long.
This light is really bright.
I heard a lot of you say, false.
And that's correct.
While fluorescent lamps do produce ultraviolet rays, they're inside a glass tube.
When the light passes through the glass, the harmful ultraviolet rays are absorbed.
In other words, the melanin in my skin doesn't recognize it as powerful UV rays from the sun, so they remain sound asleep.
Thanks to the Smarty Pants, your story checks out.
But I still have a case to solve.
Your friend Polkadot, was she born with freckles?
Actually, you'll never see a baby born with freckles.
melanocytes regenerate around six to eight weeks after birth.
And then it takes exposure to something to bring out those freckles.
Smarty Pants, do you remember what it is?
Did you say the sun?
The average age kids develop freckles is between two and four years old.
What about her parents?
Do they have freckles?
Yes, Polka Dot has red hair and fair skin just like her mom.
Smarty Pants, if one or both of your parents have freckles, you're much more likely to get freckles than someone whose parents don't have freckles.
I see. But freckles occur in people with ancestors from all around the world.
Polka -Dot's family originally came from Ireland and Scotland, where it's common to see red -headed people with freckles.
But what if your ancestors lived closer to the equator, where the sun shines brightly?
More than likely, your family members had dark -colored skin thanks to the melanin being produced in their bodies.
But that melanin can still form in darker, concentrated clusters on top of the dark skin.
That plus genetics equals, you guessed it, freckles.
Did you know 75 % of the Filipino population has freckles?
In the Philippines, freckles are called peck -us.
Speaking of peck -us, I'm feeling peckish.
I could use a sandwich.
Hello, operator? Hello?
Hello? It might be time for a smartphone.
Polka dot. Is that you?
What's that? You found your freckles?
Where were... How do you like that?
Her freckles were right back on her face.
Looks like it's case closed.
Great. Then I can go?
Not yet. I want to know where those freckles ran off to.
Sure, I can tell you that.
In fact, I knew where they were the whole time.
I knew you was holding out on me.
Spill it, narrator.
Oh, I will, right after this quick break.
a website. Look, I know how intimidating tech can feel, but Squarespace's AI -powered design system literally transforms your basic ideas into a beautiful, professional website.
We've used Squarespace to build websites here at Atomic, and what I love is that it combines AI tech with their decades of design expertise.
You answer a few simple questions, and it creates a fully customized site that actually looks good.
No more staring at a blank screen wondering where to start and no need to spend thousands of dollars getting a site designed for a passion project or experimental idea.
Plus, their payment system makes it super easy to get paid for your services.
Whether you're selling courses, booking consulting sessions, or offering downloads, they've got all the popular payment options like Apple Pay and Klarna built right in.
Head to squarespace .com slash smarted for a free trial and use code SMARTED to save 10 % off your first purchase of a website or domain.
Hey, smarty parents, I love Green Chef because of how absolutely easy the meals are to make and how every night it feels like we're eating at a restaurant right at home.
The variety is excellent and includes meals for special diets like keto, gluten -free, and calorie smart.
With pre -portioned ingredients, there's less prep, less mess, and more time to enjoy delicious meals.
Green Chef's easy -to -follow directions means my kitchen -phobic family members actually cook when we get our Green Chef kit.
And it's a great way to get your kids involved in the kitchen, too.
Plus, Green Chef is owned by HelloFresh, which lets me switch between the brands for even more variety.
And now my listeners can enjoy both at a discount with me.
Thrive all year with clean, easy meals from Green Chef.
Go to greenchef .com slash smartedfree and use code SMARTEDFREE to get free salads for two months plus 50 % off your first box.
That's greenchef .com slash SMARTEDFREE and use code SMARTEDFREE to get free salads for two months plus 50 % off your first box.
Green Chef, the number one meal kit for eating well.
Parents, if you've ever experienced bedtime battles with the kids, I'm going to let you into a little secret.
I'm Abby, a mother of two, and I had these battles myself.
Endless excuses. delay tactics, and many tears and tantrums, but I've created a solution.
The perfect kids podcast that makes bedtime a dream.
It's called Koala Moon, and it's hosted by me, Abby, with over 300 episodes packed with original stories and sleep meditations.
Koala Moon makes bedtimes easy and enjoyable.
Episodes start out engaging and really rather magical, but as they progress, they gently slow to a calm and relaxing pace to have your little ones out like a light.
Since launching in 2022, Koala Moon has helped with over 20 million nights sleep and received over 6 ,000 five -star reviews.
Win back your evenings.
Listen to Koala Moon now wherever you get your podcasts.
Well, smarty pants of all the podcasts in all the world, I'm happy you listened to mine.
Quit stalling, you double -crosser, and tell me where those missing freckles went.
I didn't double -cross you, I just didn't mention that freckles can change.
When you're not spending lots of time in the sun, like in the wintertime, freckles can get lighter or completely fade away.
Let me ask you, Hoagie, where did Polka Dot just call you from?
The beach. She was waiting for you.
Boom. Smarty Pants, let's crack the case.
True or false, freckles that have faded away can be reactivated in sunlight.
If you said true, maybe you could be a gumshoe.
That's another word for detective.
Hold on, not so fast.
What are you saying?
I'm saying when you don't spend time in the sun, your skin cells replace the old ones and freckles can fade.
Since Polkadot has had many freckles in her face before, The sun's ultraviolet rays woke up her pockets of melanin production.
And like magic, her freckles reappeared.
That's some parletric.
What's really cool about freckles is sometimes they're in it for the long haul.
Some people's freckles last year -round and stay with them into adulthood.
It's different for everybody.
I see. Your pal seemed pretty happy to have them back.
Yes, but she didn't always love her freckles.
Since freckles are unique And not everyone has them She always felt different from other kids But I'm sure once her freckles faded In the dark winter months She started missing them She wanted to be special and stand out There's even a book by Judy Blume Called Freckle Juice About how a kid who wants
freckles so badly He tries different recipes to get them Spoiler alert No matter how much grape juice Or mustard you eat for lunch They won't give you freckles Speaking of lunch, it's sandwich time Are you kidding me?
I love lunch! I'll invite Polkadot to join us Trust me, Ayurveda I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship A big, around -the -world shout -out to Nadia in Christchurch, New Zealand Thanks for smarting with us, Nadia We're so glad to hear you love learning new facts And, in particular, you
love all the fun -talking characters Well, so do I And I love having you smarting with us Thanks.
This episode, Freckles, was written by Jennifer Foster and voiced by Taya Hoagy -Garlet and Jerry Kolber.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hahn.
Who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room Studios.
Our associate producer is Max Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex -Davis.
Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex -Davis and Jerry Kolber.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.
Who started?
