Hey there, smarty pants.
Trusty narrator here.
Quick question.
Do you know why sheep need haircuts?
Or if goats really will eat anything?
Or what horsepower has to do with horses?
Yeah. me neither.
That's why I love the Super Smart Farm Show, a family podcast that answers the exact questions we all ask about farms, animals and food.
It's like Who Smarted, but on a farm.
Each week, the host, my friend Elmer, heads out to the farm to explore animals like cows chickens pigs, sheep and even bees.
He digs into how plants grow, how food gets from farm to plate, takes you aboard tractors and harvesters to see how farmers do their jobs and how the machines work.
It's playful, curious, and genuinely smart.
And it's from the Lancaster farming team, who've been covering agriculture since 1955.
If you love asking questions about nature farms, animals and food, the Super Smart Farm Show podcast is for you.
Find Super Smart Farm Show wherever you get your podcasts today. or at LancasterFarming.com.
That's Super Smart Farm Show, wherever you get your podcasts.
And now it's time for Who Smarted?
Psst, hey, Smarty Pants, I could use your help.
Right now I'm in a fancy store called Silky's Silkery looking to buy a new silk scarf for my grandma's 76th birthday.
Problem is, I'm not sure what color to get.
I've narrowed it down to pruney purple or ravishing red.
Which one would you pick, Smarty Pants?
I think they're both quite lovely.
I don't think you could go wrong either way.
Of course you'd say that, Silky.
It's your shop.
Hmm.
Which do you think would go better with meatcake?
Meatcake?
It's my grandmother's favorite food.
She's constantly making and saying meatcake.
Oh, well, in that case, pruney purple.
Perfect.
Wrap it up.
I gotta say, Silky, you've got such a beautiful shop.
All those lovely silk scarves and silk stockings and...
Silk spoons?
I don't suppose those are dishwasher safe.
No, you'll want to hand wash silk.
Right.
Well, it sure looks like business is booming.
Absolutely.
The worms are working overtime to keep up with the demand.
Ha ha.
Good one, Silky.
Like you've got a bunch of worms in the back sewing scarves for you.
Ha ha.
How would they even do that?
They don't have hands.
Well no, they don't have hands, but they do have salivary glands that produce all the silk you see around you.
Salivary glands?
Salivary glands?
As in saliva?
Smarty Pants, is Silky saying what I think they're saying?
You got it.
Silk is basically worm spit.
I'm sorry.
I must have misheard you.
For a second I thought you said that silk is basically worm spit.
That's exactly what I said.
Because that's what silk basically is.
Worm spit.
Anyway, here's your grandma's silk scarf.
Yech!
Uh, hang on a sec.
I need to wrap my head around this.
Not the scarf.
The crazy fact you just told me.
Smarty pants.
If silk is really worm spit, how does it go from something so gross to something so luxurious?
And where do these silkworms live?
And just how much worm spit are they, well, spitting to make so much silk?
Great questions, trusty.
I'll just throw a back-in-15-minute sign on the shop door and we could take a little journey to learn about all things silk.
Uh, will there be lots of creepy crawly worms?
Thousands.
Oh, boy.
I guess it's time for my wormy whiff of silky science and history 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 Smart?
Uh, where are we, Silky?
Why, we're in China.
The stock room in the back of my silk shop is actually a portal.
Surprise!
Anyway, the reason we're here is because China has been the hub of the world's silk production for a very long time.
Hey, smarty pants, how long would you say China has been producing silk?
Is it A.
600 years, B.
1,000 years, or C.
5,000 years?
If you guessed 5,000 years, you're right.
That's a long time, Silky.
It sure is.
But sericulture, which is the fancy way of saying silk farming, has indeed been happening here for just over 5000 years.
Silk farming, you say?
So I take it the animal being farmed in this case is the silkworm.
Yes!
And no.
We call them silkworms, but strictly speaking, they are not worms.
Smartypants, can you guess what they are?
Are they A. Moths, B. Butterflies, or C. The larvae of moths?
The answer is C. They're the larvae of moths.
Silk moths?
This just gets crazier and crazier.
I know.
The domestic silk moth is called the bombix mori.
And when these moths lay their eggs, a larva is produced, which is basically like a little caterpillar.
This little caterpillar is what we call the silkworm.
And they are responsible for making all of the world's natural silk.
Whoa.
I see.
So if the Bombix mori is the domestic silk moth, does that mean there's also a wild silk moth?
Wow, great deduction, trusty.
And you're right.
There is a wild silk moth called Bombix mandarina.
However, the Bombix mandarina is not as good at producing silk as the Bombix mori.
I see.
And why is that?
Well, the domestic silk moth has been selectively bred by humans for thousands of years.
As a result, they're very good at producing silk.
However, these domestic silk moths can't fly, which means without the aid of humans, they would likely not survive.
Gotcha.
Wow.
Who knew?
But wait, I get that domestic silk moths were specially bred by humans to produce silk.
But how does that work exactly?
I don't know about you smarty pants, but I'm picturing a gigantic room filled with thousands of little creepy crawlies spitting out strands of silk.
I know it sounds crazy, but you're not wrong.
What?
Are you saying what I pictured is real?
I'm saying why just picture it when you can see it right this way.
Ta-da!
Oh, boy.
I can't look.
Come on, trusty.
Open your eyes.
Here we go.
Oh, this isn't nearly as gross as I thought it would be.
I don't see piles and piles of silkworms.
I mostly see piles and piles of leaves.
That's right.
Now, look closely.
Whoa, the silkworms are eating all the leaves.
They sure are.
This is a very important step.
The larvae need to eat and grow before they can produce silk, and they're very picky eaters.
True or false, smarty pants?
The silkworm eats only one type of leaf.
The answer is true.
The domestic silkworm only eats mulberry leaves, and they eat a lot.
After the silkworm larvae hatch from their eggs, they eat mulberry leaves nonstop pretty much for an entire month, sometimes longer.
Sounds like me with pizza.
Except I've done that for years.
As you were saying.
After they've eaten a month's worth of mulberry leaves and fattened themselves up, they begin to molt.
Hey, smarty pants, do you know what molting means?
Is it A, a form of melting?
B, when an animal or insect sheds the outer part of its body?
Or C, when a larva starts to grow wings?
If you said B, you're correct.
Yep, molting is shedding.
And after the larvae have molted four times, their salivary glands kick into high gear and they start producing strands of silk for two to three days straight.
So in other words, they eat non-stop and then spit non-stop.
Yep.
Their saliva is initially liquid, but as soon as it comes into contact with the air it turns to a silk fiber.
That's really gross, but also super cool.
The coolest.
Using this silk, they spin a cocoon around themselves until they're totally enveloped in a ball of silk fibers.
Whoa.
Smarty Pants, true or false?
Silkworms always spin their silk in a figure-eight formation.
The answer is true.
These little guys are meticulous.
Step over here, trusty.
Take a look at this.
It looks like a pile of tiny, soft, silky fur balls.
Those are the silk cocoons that are eventually threaded onto spools and sold to make silk fabric.
Oh, like my scarf for Grandma Meatcake.
Who wants meatcake?
But wait, what about the silkworm?
Is it still inside there?
It is, for now.
But sadly, this is the end of the road for most of the silkworms.
If they were left alone in there, the silkworms would eventually dig their way out and grow wings, completing their life cycle as moths.
But?
But when they dig their way out, they ruin the delicate silk fibers they've created.
So the next part of the silk manufacturing process is to dunk all these cocoons into boiling water to soften the silk and remove the silkworm, while keeping the silk fibers intact.
That doesn't sound good for the silkworm.
It's not.
But the silkworms aren't usually thrown away.
In some parts of Asia, they're considered a delicacy.
So once they're removed from the cocoon, they're boiled again and used in different kinds of dishes.
Hungry, trusty?
Uh, not right now.
Maybe later.
Terrific.
I know a place nearby that makes a mean silkworm casserole.
Wow.
Let me abruptly change the subject.
What are these big, cool-looking vats over here?
Those are filled with colorful dyes, and that's the next step in the silk manufacturing process.
After the silk cocoons are softened in the boiling water, each one is carefully unrolled into one very long thread that's spun onto a reel in preparation to be dyed.
Wow!
Those threads are really, really long.
Smarty Pants, how many feet of silk thread do you think come from one cocoon?
Is it A, 200 to 300 feet or 60 to 90 meters?
B, 500 to 800 feet or 150 to 240 meters?
Or C, 1,000 to 3,000 feet or 300 to 900 meters?
Believe it or not, it's 1,000 to 3,000 feet or 300 to 900 meters.
That's as tall as some skyscrapers.
I told you these silk worms work hard.
After the threads are dyed, the individual threads are woven together to make the silk stronger, firmer and uniform.
Then these bigger silk strands are coiled up into roundish bundles, called skeins, and sold to manufacturers that make clothing, bedding and other silk items.
And that's pretty much how silk is made from start to finish, trusty.
But wait, I have another question.
I've heard of this thing called the Silk Road that was a road going all the way from Asia to Europe.
Is that true?
And what's it got to do with silk?
A lot, actually.
Great.
We'll find out all about the Silk Road after this quick break and a word from our sponsors.
Let's do this.
From the artists that made K-pop Demon Hunters and Spider-Verse.
I'm Will Harris.
And I'm the first small to play professional roar ball.
With the fiercest animals in the most dangerous stadiums.
And producer Stephen Curry.
You don't belong here.
You're too small.
Want to bet?
You're never too small.
Let me show you what I got.
To dream big.
We're just going.
Night, night.
Goat.
As the trusty narrator, I've taken the smarty pants on countless adventures.
I'll do anything for the fans.
But off mic, I prefer to keep my adventures in the safe space of my own backyard.
However, even a homebody like me can't avoid the unexpected chaos that comes with family life.
Take last week, for example.
My niece was staying with me when she came down with a nasty cold in the middle of the night.
I couldn't leave her alone to get medicine, and that's when I remembered DoorDash is there for you whatever you need, whenever you need it.
With a few taps on my phone, I had cough syrup and tissues delivered right to my door.
DoorDash saved the night, and my niece was back to her energetic self in no time.
Oh, and did I order a little ice cream for myself?
Yes.
Yes, I did.
And DoorDash brought it right to my door.
So while I may not be the biggest fan of real-life adventures, I'm grateful that DoorDash is always there to help me navigate life's little emergencies.
When life happens, get a little order delivered with DoorDash.
Order now.
Hey there, homeschool parents.
Trusty here, and wow, February.
Oof, am I right?
The days are short, the calendar is packed and you want to keep learning consistent and moving towards spring goals without more stress for you or your kids.
That is where IXL comes in.
IXL is an award-winning online learning platform that fits seamlessly into homeschooling.
It offers interactive personalized practice across math, language arts, science and social studies from pre-K through 12th grade.
Whether your kids need to reinforce a tricky concept or they're ready to zoom ahead, IXL handles the heavy lifting at your kid's pace, including immediate and simple explanations of anything they get wrong.
So you don't have to be an expert on well everything.
Make an impact on your child's learning.
Get IXL now.
And Who Smarted listeners can get an exclusive 20 off IXL membership when you sign up today at wwwixlcom.
Slash smarted.
Visit wwwixlcom.
Slash smarted to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.
Now back to Who Smarted.
You sure you don't want to try any of this sauteed silkworm street snack?
Yeah, I'm good, thanks.
Changing the subject without a segue, what is the deal with the Silk Road?
Was that a real thing or just a name they gave something?
Um...
You see, the Silk Road is a real thing.
It was a trade route used for silking other goods, but it wasn't just one road.
There were actually three main routes across land and one maritime route that crossed the Indian Ocean.
Gotcha.
And how long were these silk roots?
And how did the whole thing work?
Well, the root was active from the 2nd century right up to the 15th century.
That's a long time.
It was a long time, and it was a long root.
It stretched over 4000 miles, or 6400 kilometers, and went all the way from China to Rome Greece, Turkey and Egypt.
You see...
At the time, silk wasn't available in Europe, so it had to travel from China to Europe, where the royalty and nobility went crazy for it.
As a result, the silk trade became very profitable.
Too bad the worms never got a cut of the profits.
I'm just saying.
Yes, but thanks to those silkworms, not only did the Asians receive a lot of money, the silk trade also brought back lots of things they didn't have easy access to.
Stuff like horses and camels and glassware.
I see.
And how long would it take someone to go from one end of the Silk Road to the other?
Well, very few people made the entire trip.
Instead, there were lots of stops along the way where merchants engaged in something called a relay trade.
It's where goods change hands a few times before making it to their final destination.
Oh, kind of like passing a baton in a relay race.
Exactly.
The other cool thing about the Silk Road is that, because the route was so long and crossed so many different countries, inns were set up where people met and exchanged ideas and philosophies and brought new religions to other places.
Not to mention tea, spices, and gunpowder.
You could say the Silk Road helped shape the history of the world.
Whoa.
Wow.
And to think it all started from a road made for trading silk.
Yep.
Silk is pretty remarkable.
Anyway, let's head back to the store so you can get your scarf for your grandma.
Trusty?
Trusty?
Where did you go?
Sorry.
I found a guy who makes a silkworm pizza.
I couldn't resist.
A big shout out to Asli in Tekirdag, Turkey, who says she loves the smartiness.
Aw, thanks for smarting with us, Asli.
And we also want to give a big shout out to Mrs Holden's class in Kalispell Montana, where they love Who Smarted, because it's cool, hilarious and gives them interesting facts.
Not to mention, they just love dancing to the theme song every day.
Well, that's just music to our ears, dancey pants.
I mean, smarty pants.
This episode Silkworms was written by Phil Silk, Pajamas Jeremy and voiced by Silky, Mike Pravitti and Jerry Kolber.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hahn.
Our associate producer is Max Chiffon Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian, Silkworm Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Spitz Davis.
Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Kolber.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.
Who's smart and...
