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And now it's time for Who Smarted.
Psst, hey there smartypants, if you can hear the crunch of sand beneath my feet, the ocean breeze at my back, and the lapping of waves on the shore.
That's because I, your trusty narrator, am once again at the beach.
I'm on a beach on Ambrem Island, in the country of Onuatu, a small chain of islands in the million.
Why am I on Ambrem Island in Vanuatu, you ask?
Great question. It's because my pal, Dino Hunter and animal expert Robert Maroon's American cousin, Richard Maroon, invited me here.
The funny thing is, I haven't seen or heard from Richard since I arrived.
I wonder where he could be?
Say, could that be him in that helicopter?
Trusty! Howdy! Richard, hey!
Long time no see. Nice chopper.
She a beaut, ain't she?
Just like Ambrem Island!
Yes! And speaking of Ambrem Island, do you mind telling me why you invited me here?
Why I invited you? Of course!
I was chatting with my cousin Robert, and Robby mentioned you hadn't seen each other in a while and suggested you could use a dose of adventure!
I see. So, Robert Maroon prescribed a dose of adventure for me.
Yeah! A little zest to spice up your life.
Zest! But I'm the trusty narrator.
I travel all over the place, through space and time, meeting and talking to many different people and things that don't ordinarily talk.
I think I have plenty of zest in my life, and I have seen just about every...
Uh... Richard, why are the waves rushing into the ocean?
The waves? Hmm, wow!
Look at that! They're receding fast!
Um, I don't mean to be an alarmist, but that could mean a tsunami is on its way.
A tsunami? Yep! We might want to head inland to higher ground.
Uh, yeah! Wait, was that a volcano?
Yes, sir. There are two active volcanoes on Abraham Island.
Mount Maroon and Mount Beemoe.
I think that was Maroon.
No Beemoe. No! Woah, what was that?!
I just felt everything shaking!
Yep, that's an earthquake.
An earthquake? I forgot to mention, the islands of Vanuatu were prone to earthquakes!
Tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquakes!
Oh my! Oh my, indeed!
According to the UN, Vanuatu is the most extreme settlement on Earth because it's one of the riskiest places to live.
Then why'd you bring me here?
To spice up your life!
Yep, that was definitely Mount Beemoe.
There goes Maroon. Uh, not to be a party pooper, but can we get out of here?
Oh! What we just got here?
Do the Champa! Now!
Smarty Pants, have you ever wondered which settlements are the most extreme places to live on Earth?
How about the most extreme habitats for animals?
Who or what lives in these extreme habitats?
And how do they survive?
It's time for another whiff of science and history on...
Who Smarted? Who Smarted?
Who Smarted? Who Smart isn't you?
Who Smart isn't you?
And me? Is it science?
Or history? Listen up!
Everyone! We make Smarty lots of fun on Who Smarted!
Phew! That's better.
At least until the tornado or typhoon comes!
There's a typhoon coming?
No, I'm just saying it's been a series of disasters.
Oh, you had me excited for a minute.
Sorry to disappoint.
That's okay. There is a huge storm approaching.
A storm?! Oh, relax.
It's not scheduled for another 10 minutes or so.
Oh, boy. I can see why the UN determined Vanuatu is the riskiest place to live.
Between the tsunamis, volcanoes, earthquakes, and tropical storms, there is a lot of risk to worry about.
Well, at least it's warm here, unlike in Omiak in Russia.
Why? Is it really cold there?
Nope. It's not? But you just said...
Oh, it's not cold. It's COLD with six -o's!
As in the coldest place on Earth with permanent resonance!
Oh, I see. Smarty Pants, do you know how cold the average winter is in Omiak in Russia?
Is it minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit?
Minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit?
Or minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit?
If you said the average winter temperature in Omiak is negative 25 Fahrenheit, you're wrong.
It's over twice as cold as that!
Try minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 50 degrees Celsius.
Wow! That is coooold with six Os.
But guess what? That's not even close to the coldest temperatures ever recorded there.
Oh boy, how cold was that?
Try minus 96 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 71 degrees Celsius.
What? That's coooold!
With 10 Os. And people actually live there?
Yep, and to top it all off, they only get three hours a day light in winter and survive mostly on a diet of raw fish.
Oh, you mean like sushi?
That doesn't sound so bad.
Sure, but at minus fifty -eight degrees, I'd prefer a bowl of hot meat cake soup over raw fish.
Good point. But don't give my grandmother any ideas?
Of course, I'd be singing a much different tune if I were in Arau and Maali.
What's so special about Arau and Maali?
Smarty Pants, any guesses?
Arau and is the hottest settlement on Earth.
By hottest, you don't mean the most popular?
Nope, I mean scorching, sweltering, blistering high.
Ah, of course. True or false, Smarty Pants?
The average temperature in Arau and Maali is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 37 degrees Celsius.
If you said true, you're right.
The average temperature in Arau is 115 degrees Fahrenheit or 46 degrees Celsius.
And that's the average, meaning it can get higher.
Not to mention it's in the middle of the Sahara Desert, gets virtually no rain and is pummeled by sandstorms.
Why, oh why, would anyone live in such a dry, barren, ridiculously hot place?
Well, of course they have, but I guess.
For nearly 500 years, Arau and has been a trading post.
First in the trans -Saharan trade route, and now in the mining and transportation assault.
You might say old habit tats die hard.
No? Hahaha. I love your dry humor, trusty.
In fact, you should take your jokes to Arika Chilly.
They've got the driest humor around.
Driest humor? Oh, I get it.
Smarty Pants, why do you think Richard made a joke about the humor being dry in Arika Chilly?
If you said it's because Arika is the driest city on Earth, you're right.
Arika is located on the northern edge of the Atacama Desert, where in some areas rain hasn't fallen in.
Wait, let's see if the Smarty Pants can guess.
How long has it been since there's been rainfall in the Atacama Desert, Smarty Pants?
50 years, 100 years, or 500 years?
The answer is a shocking 500 years.
Whoa. I told you it was dry.
However, the city of Arika does receive some rainfall, a measly .76 millimeters per year, on average.
Whoa. And for our non -metric listeners, .76 millimeters is a measly .03 inches.
That is just over a quarter of an inch, about the size of your pinky fingernail.
That's why Arika is the driest city on Earth.
And yet, in spite of that, the population has grown to over 220 ,000.
What? How? Why? It's not because of the dry humor, is it?
Nope. It's because, just like around with Molly, Arika is a port city.
It's bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west, and is located on the Pan American Highway, a network of highways that connects the south and the north American continents.
It has a seaport, an international airport, and railways to major cities in Peru and Bolivia.
It's a vital South American trade and transportation hub.
Too bad they can't trade for a little more rain, yeah?
Seriously, you would crush it as a comedian there.
Anyway, Smarty Pants, as you've heard, Oimealk in Russia, Arau in Mali, and Arika, Chile, are all examples of extreme settlements where humans live.
But what about animals and other living organisms?
In what extreme habitats do they live?
And why? And how do they survive?
Well, you'll find out after this quick break, and a word from our sponsors.
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Now back to who's smarted.
Smarty Pants, what are the animals and organisms that can thrive under extreme conditions called?
Are they A, ubernoids, B, extremophiles, or C, everlasting gobstoppers?
Smarty Pants, if you said extremophiles, you got it.
It probably helped that the word extreme is part of the name.
Now, for another quick question, true or false, there are over 10 types of extremophiles.
If you said false, you're right.
That's because there are exactly 10 main types of extremophiles.
Acidophiles, which grow optimally between pH 1 and pH 5.
Alkalophiles, which grow...
Wait a minute, when you say acidophiles grow between pH 1 and pH 5, what does that mean?
Do you know, Smarty Pants?
Yeah, me neither. I mean they thrive in acidic habitats, hence their name.
Acid, from the Latin, acidis, meaning sour, and phial, from the Greek, philia, or love.
Acidophile. So a habitat with a pH between 1 and 5 is acidic.
Extremely acidic. So what does pH stand for?
The potential, or power, of hydrogen.
By measuring the concentration of hydrogen and liquid, pH levels indicate if a liquid is an acid or a base.
There are 14 pH levels.
For instance, water has a pH of 7, which is considered neutral.
A pH less than 7 is considered acidic.
And a pH greater than 7 is considered basic.
Got that, Smarty Pants?
Great. Please continue.
Where was I? Alright.
Alkalophiles. Alkalophiles grow optimally above pH 9.
Making them basic. Next, there are halofills, which grow in environments with high concentrations of salt.
Thermophiles thrive in temperatures between 140 and 176 degrees Fahrenheit, or 60 and 80 degrees Celsius.
Hypothermophiles thrive in temperatures above 176 Fahrenheit, or 80 degrees Celsius.
Cyclophiles can grow in temperatures as low as minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Barofiles can grow optimally under extreme water pressure.
Oligotrophiles can grow with minimal nutrients.
Endolophiles can grow in rocks and minimal pores.
And finally, xerophiles can grow in extremely dry conditions.
Wow. These extremophiles are like super hero organisms, each with their own super power.
Unfortunately for my tongue, it doesn't stop there.
Some extremophiles can tolerate multiple conditions, like thermoisidophiles or haloecilophiles.
Smarty Pants, where do you think you might find some of these extremophiles?
A. Acidic, Basic, Volcanic, and Geothermal areas.
B. Frigid, dry, polar regions.
C. Hot, pressurized, deep sea vents.
Or D. All of the above.
If you said D. All of the above, you got it.
But that's not all you'll find in these sorts of places.
Certain animals are also considered extremophiles.
Smarty Pants, off the top of your head, can you think of any animals who thrive in inhospitable habitats?
Here are some hints.
If you said Emperor Penguins and camels, nice.
Did you know camels can survive temperatures as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit or 49 degrees Celsius, and can go a week or more without water?
Wow, Smarty Pants, do you know how long a human can go without water?
Try three days. And Emperor Penguins routinely brave temperatures of minus 40 degrees in Antarctica.
I would freeze. Speaking of freezing, the Wood Frog adapts to winter conditions by letting itself freeze, only to thaw in warmer spring temperatures.
Talk about a frog -sicle.
Yep, but that's nothing compared to the tardigrade.
Tardigrade? What's that?
Potentially the most indestructible lifeform known to exist.
Ooh, that sounds kind of spooky.
Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are eight -legged microorganisms that can survive in glaciers, deserts, hot springs, and at the top of the Himalayas, even on the moon.
So they're kind of like extremo -extremophiles?
Exactly. To survive such extreme conditions, the tardigrades go into a ton state, or cryptobiosis.
Their bodies dry out, and their head and legs retract.
They can survive for years, or even decades in this state, while they await more hospitable conditions.
That is quite a survival superpower.
You're not kidding.
Researchers found that tardigrades kept in an airless vacuum for eight days, then exposed to helium gas for three days, then several hours at minus 458 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 272 degrees Celsius, came back to life when they were brought back to room temperature.
They're virtually indestructible!
What's that? Oh, nothing.
We're almost out of fuel.
What are we going to do?
We can't survive down there with the earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis.
We're not tardigrades.
Nope, but we are resourceful.
Robert let me borrow his yacht that has a helipad.
See? It's anchored right over there.
Oh. The ruin has a yacht?
Sure does! It even has a water slide!
I guess he can afford it since he never pays for lunch.
A big long distance shoutout to Super Smarty fan Aleko in South Africa.
Aleko's smarty family wrote to tell us that whenever they have a question, they look it up on Who Smarted to see if there's an episode to help provide the answer.
And often, there is!
What can I say? That's our job!
Thanks for smarting with us.
This episode, Extreme Habitats, was written by Dan Gold, and voiced by Mike Provetti and Jerry Colbert.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hahn.
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 Cole.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment Production.
