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Hey there, Who's Smarted Plus subscribers.
Welcome to another edition of Smarty Qs, where I, the trusty narrator, answer questions from you, the smarty pants listeners.
Remember, anyone can submit a question simply by emailing me at whosmarted at whosmarted.com.
Okay, without further ado, let's start the SmartyQ.
To start us off, Smarty fan Hazel has a question inspired by her one-year-old sister, Frances.
How was the diaper invented?
That question is both a good and stinky one.
Well, the question is good.
The diaper can be a little stinky.
But how and when were diapers invented?
Well, the precursor to the modern disposable diaper was invented by Marion Donovan in 1951.
It was a reusable plastic diaper with an absorbent insert, which she called a boater.
Prior to Donovan's invention, babies wore diapers of folded cloth pinned under rubber pants that, in her words, served more as a wick than a sponge.
After being turned down by big-name manufacturers, Donovan manufactured her boater diapers herself.
They were wildly popular, and she eventually sold the patent for their invention for $1 million.
Donovan considered developing a modern disposable diaper with a paper insert, but again business executives weren't interested.
However, Donovan's diaper vision proved to be right once more.
In 1961, Ten years after she invented the boater, Pampers introduced the first disposable diaper.
Stay dry, Frances.
Our next question comes from Henry, who asks, why do cats dislike water?
The short answer is, we're not entirely sure.
However, cat behaviorists have a few theories.
One suggests that because domestic cats evolved in drier climates, water is an unfamiliar element.
Other than for drinking, of course.
The other has to do with fur.
Cats are notorious groomers who spend a great deal of time primping their fur.
Wet fur is uncomfortable for a cat and takes a long time to dry.
It also makes cats heavier and, on an evolutionary level, less nimble and therefore easier for predators to catch.
But it's good to remember that not all felines dislike water.
Large cats, like tigers, take dips to cool off or hunt for water prey.
Not to mention, many domesticated cats enjoy playing with dripping water from a faucet.
Some breeds of domesticated cats, such as the Maine Coon Bengal and Turkish Van, even enjoy the occasional swim, perhaps because the texture of their fur makes it more water-resistant.
Stay dry, my feline friends.
Our final question is from Jorah, who asks do you really get sick if you eat toothpaste, or is it just a myth that parents tell?
The simple answer is, yes, you can get sick if you eat toothpaste.
Sodium, fluoride and triclosan, common ingredients in toothpaste that help clean your teeth, are indeed poisonous, but and this is a big, but only in very large amounts regular use of toothpaste where you brush and spit, as instructed by your dentist or guardian, or both if your guardian is a dentist, is perfectly safe.
To quote Paracelsus, the famous Swiss physician and toxicologist, the dose makes the poison.
In other words, do not eat toothpaste.
It's meant for cleaning teeth, not a minty snack.
And there you have it.
Another fun fact-filled episode of Smarty Q's, made up of questions submitted by our Smarty Pants listeners.
Again, if you have a question you would like answered by me on Smarty Q's, or if you just want to say hi trusty, you can email me at whosmarted, at whosmartedcom.
That's whosmarted at whosmarted.com.
Thanks for subscribing to Whosmarted Plus and supporting Whosmarted.
Now, you know I'm good about creating new adventures and episodes of Who Smarted?
But you don't know that I procrastinate on other stuff, like a website for one of our new projects.
Oops!
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This episode is sponsored by IXL.
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Hey there, Who Smarted Plus subscribers.
Welcome to another edition of Smarty Cubes, where I, the trusty narrator, answer questions from you, the smarty pants listeners.
Remember, anyone can submit a question simply by emailing me at whosmarted at whosmarted.com.
Without further ado, let the SmartyQs begin.
Our first question is from SmartyFanHazel, who asks, how did air get on Earth?
Great question, Hazel, because without air, how could we breathe or make fire or break wind?
But seriously, air, or Earth's atmosphere, is here because of gravity and photosynthesis.
When Earth formed around 4.6 billion years ago, it was too hot to have much of an atmosphere.
As the planet cooled, gravity concentrated volcanic gases, which formed an atmosphere of hydrogen sulfide, methane and 10 to 200 times more carbon dioxide than the atmosphere has today.
Three billion years later, single-cell organisms evolved to use photosynthesis, a process that utilizes the sun's energy to turn carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and sugar.
This biological evolution inspired an atmospheric revolution.
By pumping the atmosphere full of oxygen, photosynthesis helped create the atmosphere that we have today, one that is essential for human life.
Compared to Earth's ancient atmosphere, air today is made up of 78 nitrogen, 21 oxygen and 1 trace gases and particles.
Now that's some good atmosphere.
OK, our next SmartEQ comes from Charlie, who asks how does burping make you feel better when you're carsick or motion sick?
That's a good question, Charlie.
Motion sickness is what happens when your eyes, inner ear and body send conflicting signals to your brain, which can cause all manner of uncomfortable symptoms such as nausea vomiting dizziness, fatigue and sweating.
After consulting with our medical experts at Who Smarted HQ, none could confirm that burping specifically helps motion sickness.
However, since nausea is a common symptom of motion sickness, certain treatments focus on settling the stomach, like sipping a carbonated drink or eating a ginger chew or peppermint.
When my stomach needs settling, burping sometimes does the trick.
This could be why burping makes you feel better when you're motion sick.
Our last question is from Pablo writing to us from Vietnam.
Pablo asks, what would happen if you did not have water in your body?
Ooh, such a good question.
Well, simply put, if you didn't have water in your body, you wouldn't have a body.
That is how fundamental water is to human life and life on Earth.
It is the universal solvent in which biochemical reactions occur.
And I'll see you next time.
Without water, life as we know it wouldn't exist.
But that doesn't mean organisms can't go without water.
The microscopic tardigarde, if separated from water long enough, retreats into cryptobiosis, a kind of dehydration hibernation, and can survive up to 30 years without water.
Humans, on the other hand, can survive only three days, on average, without water.
Cheers to the universal solvent, and stay hydrated!
There you have it.
Another fun, fact-filled episode of SmartyQs made up of questions submitted by you, the SmartyPants listeners.
So if you have a question you'd like answered by me on SmartyQs, or if you just want to say, hi, trusty, please email me at whosmarted at whosmarted.com.
That's whosmarted at whosmarted.com.
Thanks for subscribing to Whosmarted Plus and supporting Whosmarted.
