Hey there, Smarty Pants.
Trusty Narrator, here back with another episode of Smarty Q, where I Trusty, answer questions from you, the Smarty Pants.
We got some great ones today, so let's get smarty.
Question one comes from Aiden in Sydney, Australia, who asks, can people sleep too much?
And what happens if we do?
That is a great question, Smarty Pads.
Usually we hear people complaining about not getting enough sleep, but can a person sleep too much?
The answer, surprisingly, is yes.
But what counts as too much?
Well, most kids need about 9 to 12 hours of sleep a night, and adults need about 7 to 9 hours.
So sleeping a little extra once in a while is totally normal.
But regularly sleeping way more than your body needs can sometimes lead to feeling groggy or foggy headaches, trouble concentrating and lower energy instead of more energy.
So why does that happen?
Sleep works best in cycles, so if you keep sleeping past the point your body is ready to wake up, those cycles get interrupted, kind of like restarting a song over and over again instead of letting it finish.
Also, sleeping too much can sometimes be a sign of something else going on, like illness, stress or not getting good quality sleep.
So the goal isn't about getting as much sleep as possible.
It's about getting the right amount for your body.
Okay, question two comes from Giada from Worcester, Massachusetts, who is wondering, how does a rattlesnake's tail rattle?
Well, that's a cool question.
Okay, the first thing to know is rattlesnakes don't shake their tails against something.
The rattle is built right in.
Here's how it works.
A rattlesnake's rattle is made of dry hollow segments of keratin, the same stuff your fingernails are made of.
Every time the snake sheds its skin, a new segment gets added to the rattle.
When the snake vibrates its tail up to 90 times per second, the segments bang into each other.
And this is what causes the famous rattlesnake rattling sound.
And for some bonus smarting, why do rattlesnakes rattle?
Not to attack, but to warn.
The rattle says, I'm down here, please back away.
It's one of nature's clearest leave-me-alone signals.
Okay, time for question three from Smarty Pants Lauren, who wants to know why can birds fly but humans cannot?
That is a great question, Lauren.
Birds can fly because their bodies are built specifically for it.
Here's what birds have that humans don't.
Wings shaped to push air downward and backwards.
Lightweight bones, many of which are hollow.
Huge chest muscles that power, all that flapping feathers that create lift, and bodies shaped to reduce air resistance.
Humans, on the other hand, are much heavier, have solid bones and don't have wing-shaped arms and don't have flight muscles strong enough to lift our body weight.
Even if humans had wings, we'd need muscles way bigger than our legs just to get off the ground.
So humans can't fly on our own, but we were smart enough to invent airplanes, helicopters and jetpacks to help us cheat a little.
Okay, three cues down and a few more to go, including one about a curiously named fruit.
And it's all coming up right after a quick break and a word from our sponsors.
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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.
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Now back to Smarty Q's.
Okay, it's time for question number four from Smartyfan Rasa in Berkeley California, who wants to know why is a grapefruit called a grapefruit?
It doesn't look like a grape.
You're right, Rasa.
Grapefruits look nothing like grapes.
They're called grapefruits because of how they grow, not how they look.
Here's the story.
Grapefruits grow on trees in clusters.
Those clusters look a bit like bunches of grapes.
Early farmers thought that was interesting, so they started calling them grapefruit.
And the name stuck, even though the fruit itself is much bigger, rounder, and pink or yellow inside.
Okay, our next question comes from Nora and her brother Kevin, who want to know how are dyes made, especially the dyes that are used to color our clothes.
Great question, Smarty Pantses.
Let's start with what a dye actually is.
A dye is a substance that adds color to something like fabric and sticks to it instead of washing away.
Long ago, all dyes came from nature.
People used plants like berries roots, leaves and bark, minerals from rocks and soil, and even insects, like a tiny bug called the cochineal, which makes a bright red dye.
People would crush these materials, soak them in water, and heat them to pull out the color.
Then fabric was soaked in that colorful liquid so the dye could soak in too.
Today, most clothing dyes are man-made and are created by scientists using chemistry.
They mix different safe chemical ingredients to make dyes that have very bright colors, last a long time, don't fade easily in the wash and work well on different fabrics like cotton, wool or polyester.
When clothes are dyed in factories, the fabric is dipped into big tanks of colored liquid.
Heat and time help the dye bond to the fabric's fibers, kind of like the color becoming part of the fabric instead of just sitting on top.
But whether a dye comes from a plant, a bug or a lab, the goal is the same to make sure the color stays put even after lots of wearing and washing.
Alrighty, five questions asked, five questions answered.
We've got time for one more, and it's a good one about humans' best friend, dogs.
And we'll find out what it is right after this quick break, and a word from our sponsors.
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Now back to SmartyQ.
Okay, last question.
My smarty friend Noah on Spotify asked, Why do dogs eat grass when they are sick?
Ah, yes, this is something lots of dog owners notice.
I've even noticed it myself when my doggy Luna isn't feeling so well.
She likes to munch whatever green plants, leaves, or tall grass she can get her snout on.
But why?
The truth is, scientists aren't 100% sure.
But there are a few possible reasons dogs eat grass.
For one thing, it can help settle their stomach.
It also may help them throw up if something doesn't feel right.
Grass also contains fiber, which can help digestion.
And some dogs just do it because they feel uncomfortable and are trying to fix it.
Interestingly, many dogs graze on grass even when they're not sick, which suggests it's a natural behavior, something dogs have done for thousands of years.
Most of the time, it's harmless.
As long as the grass isn't treated with chemicals, And that does it for this episode of SmartyQ.
Remember, if you have a question you've been curious about, send it to whosmarted at whosmartedcom, so I can answer it on a future episode.
Until next time, keep on smarting, smarty pants.
