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And now, it's time for Who Smarted?
Psst hey, Smarty Pants.
I gotta say, as the trusty narrator of the Who Smarted podcast, I get to ask and answer all kinds of cool questions about all kinds of cool topics.
That's because you, the Smarty Pants, and I, the trusty narrator, have been curious about all kinds of stuff.
Things like, why is the Bermuda Triangle so spooky?
Which country has the most elves?
Why are sloths so slow?
And how come my socks always go missing?
As Smarty Pants, you know how fun it is to wonder about different questions and try to figure out the answers.
But now, I'm curious about a whole new topic.
Any guess what it is?
Uh-huh.
I'm hearing some really interesting guesses.
No, it's not pizza.
Or meatcake.
Or what happened to Chet Nickerson last night in Baltimore?
The topic I'm super curious about is... Curiosity!
Ooh, I can help you learn about that, trusty.
Who said that?
Me, your cat.
But I don't have a cat.
For the purposes of this episode, you do.
Okay, fair enough.
But I'm curious.
Why would a cat want to help me learn about curiosity?
Why wouldn't I?
Isn't there an old saying, curiosity killed the cat?
Yes, but that's just a saying.
Trust me, trustee, I'll be perfectly safe helping you and the Smarty Pants learn about curiosity.
Oh, sorry about that.
I thought I just saw something.
So, what do you want to know?
Uh, well, are most people born curious?
How can curiosity help you?
And what can you do to become more curious?
Great questions.
Oh, hang on.
I just need to leap onto a shelf for no reason.
Oh boy, this is either going to be great or a total catastrophe.
But no matter what, you're in for a big whiff of Science and History on... Who Smarted?
Who Smarted?
Who Smarted?
Sorry, I knocked over your... whatever that was.
Yeah, I have no idea what it is, or where it came from, or how it got here.
Kind of like you, random cat.
But I am curious.
And speaking of curiosity, it's pretty obvious that cats are very curious.
But what about humans?
Smarty Pants, true or false?
Humans are naturally curious.
Go ahead, shout out your answer.
If you said true, Smarty Pants, you're right.
Humans are naturally curious and are always finding new things to explore and discover.
Like the smarty pants who are always coming up with new topics they're curious about.
That's how we wind up going on so many smarting adventures, including this one on Curiosity.
Perfectly said, trusty.
Of course, the smarty pants aren't the first ones to be curious about curiosity.
Philosophers, scientists, and other thinkers have all studied curiosity.
Hmm, I wonder why.
Smarty pants, what do you think the benefit of curiosity is to humanity?
Does curiosity... A. Keep people from being bored.
B. Make people want to learn and discover more.
C. Help people make better choices.
Or D. All of the above.
If you said D, all of the above, nice job.
Since curiosity helps lead people to discover more and learn more about their environment and the world around them.
It can also help people make better choices, since they'll know what is and isn't safe.
Sorry, who put that plant there?
As you can imagine, Smarty Pants, curiosity is really important.
Without it, we wouldn't invent things, discover new lands or find new people to share ideas with and learn from.
But here's a big question.
When do people start being curious?
Is it A, when they're born, B, when they're toddlers, or C, when they start school?
If you said A, when they're born, you're right!
Believe it or not, humans are born curious.
And that includes you, Smarty Pants.
Whoa.
As soon as a baby is born, they begin wondering about all the people and things around them.
Like, who is this cute furry kitty?
Yep.
But here's a question.
Are animals curious, too?
The answer might surprise you.
What do you think, Smarty Pants?
Would you say that animals are curious?
I'm hearing a lot of yeses.
So is it yes?
It is yes and no.
While scientists have found animals like apes, rodents and cats can display curiosity, animals are not curious in the same way as humans.
What?
Really?
But you've been jumping around investigating everything the entire time you've been here.
Why would the phrase curiosity killed the cat exist if cats weren't curious?
And don't even get me started about Curious George.
Why?
Why what?
The reason animals are not curious the same way humans are is because of the word why.
Um, I don't follow.
Do you, Smarty Pants?
Nope.
I think they're lost too.
Look while cats and other animals might explore our environments, asking why?
Is a uniquely human question?
And humans are the only ones that need to know why things are the way they are.
Oh, I see.
You're not asking why there's a high shelf for you to jump on.
You just want to jump on it to see what's going on.
Exactly.
Of course, not everyone is equally curious.
What makes some people more curious than others?
Believe it or not, scientists have found that curiosity is genetic.
So if there are curious people in your family, you have a greater chance of being curious.
And families that encourage other members to ask questions or look things up help foster curiosity.
Wow, that's pretty cool.
Of course, I always encourage the smarty pants to ask questions and try to learn the answers.
Does the who smarted smarty family count?
Yes and no.
Obviously, since you're not related genetically, you can't pass on curiosity that way.
But through constant encouragement, asking questions and having fun learning, you help unlock curiosity of your listeners.
Trusty, did you know that there are two basic types of curiosity?
No, but now I'm curious.
Yep, there's perceptual curiosity and epistemic curiosity.
Yikes, those are big words.
Now I'm curious about what they mean.
Perceptual curiosity is when you're interested in a lot of different things.
Epistemic curiosity is a love of knowledge.
Both types of curiosity can show up in your brain during an MRI brain scan.
Wow, I had no idea.
But here's a question.
Our brains grow and change throughout our lives.
Does that mean our curiosity changes too?
What do you think, Smarty Pants?
The answer is, it does.
All human babies are born with some simple curiosity, which then grows as they move through childhood.
Unfortunately, curiosity tends to decrease as people grow up.
But the good news is there's always still some form of curiosity, even in adult brains.
I sure hope so.
Uh-huh.
While most adults may not have the perceptual curiosity or interest in many things that they did as children, they still have epistemic curiosity, which is a love of knowledge, usually about a favorite topic.
Gotcha.
Of course, here at Who Smarted, we love both types of curiosity, since we love knowledge and are interested in all kinds of topics.
But I gotta ask, is there a reason why humans are curious?
Well, while nobody completely understands the biological reason for curiosity, what we do know is that ancient humans needed to be curious, or they would not have survived.
Oh, wow.
And we'll find out all about that right after this quick break and a word from our sponsors.
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Now back to Who Smarted?
Hey, smarty pants.
I'm here with a cat who says they're not curious, even though they keep leaping around my house breaking things.
But that's okay.
We're learning a lot about curiosity.
Like how curiosity helped humans survive as a species.
Well, imagine the earliest humans huddled together in a cave.
Me wonder what's outside this cave.
If they didn't have curiosity, they wouldn't venture out of the cave to discover all the berries and animals to eat.
They wouldn't discover the nearby brook with fresh water.
They wouldn't discover plants to make medicine from, or how fire can help them cook or see in the dark.
Me wonder how these berries taste.
Nom nom nom nom nom.
Mmm, yummy, and not poisonous.
Yep, that all makes sense.
The interesting thing about human curiosity compared to other creatures though, is that humans have way more curiosity than what's needed for survival.
In fact, curiosity can help you feel safer.
Really?
How?
Imagine being an early human in a cave during a thunderstorm.
The thunder and lightning would be pretty scary.
It's still a little scary now, but I see where you're going with this.
By being curious about the things you're afraid of, it can help you learn more about them and become less afraid.
Exactly.
Even though curiosity has been a part of human life since ancient times, has it changed in recent times because of technology?
Being able to search up things online has made it easier than ever to satisfy a specific type of curiosity.
Smarty Pants, which curiosity is satisfied by looking up things online?
Is it perceptual or epistemic curiosity?
The answer is epistemic or the love of knowledge.
The same holds true when you listen to Who Smarted?
That's right.
To all the Smarty Pants listening.
Curiosity is probably such a basic part of your nature that you barely notice it.
Now I'm starting to be curious about whose cat you are.
But we're not done yet.
Question.
Is curiosity always helpful?
What do you think, Smarty Pants?
Yes or no?
Go ahead and shout it out.
You might be surprised to learn the answer is no.
Sometimes there is no real benefit to curiosity, especially if it's about something that might happen in the future that there's no real answer to yet.
And unfortunately, sometimes curiosity can lead to danger.
Smarty Pants, when you're seeking answers, make sure to always stay safe.
That includes going out and exploring or even just looking at things online.
Your best bet is always to check in with an adult before satisfying your curiosity.
Exactly.
Boy, we better wrap this up before you destroy my whole house, cat.
What?
I'm just checking out the view from the top of this grandfather clock.
I'm curious what it sounds like when it... Sorry, where were we?
Um, just out of curiosity, what else do we need to know about curiosity?
Well, for one thing, scientists are still trying to learn new things about curiosity.
Really?
What kinds of things?
Well, they're trying to figure out how curiosity is similar to something else we can feel.
Interesting.
Smarty Pants, what could this similar feeling be?
Is it A, heat and cold, B, pain, or C, hunger and thirst?
If you said C, hunger or thirst, well done.
I guess that makes sense since we often say we have a hunger or thirst for knowledge.
Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom.
Scientists also want to figure out what the different types of curiosity have in common, how curiosity is controlled, how curiosity is similar between different species and if there is a purpose for curiosity in adults.
I'd say curiosity is important for everyone, no matter how old you are.
Yup, and many scientists agree with that.
They believe that curiosity likely serves a similar purpose for adults as it does for children, helping them understand the world.
Last question, curious cat.
Is there a way for people to become more curious if they feel like they've lost some of their curiosity?
There sure is.
Any idea what it is?
Um, let's see.
I'll give you a hint.
I just did it.
Here, I'll do it again.
Say, how do you increase your curiosity?
Wait, what?
Didn't you just ask me that and... Oh, I get it.
Smarty Pants, did you figure out how to increase your curiosity?
Hint, hint.
I just did it to you.
Why it's asking questions.
Remember smarty pants, stay curious, never be afraid to learn something new and never stop asking questions.
Hey, I wonder what's up there.
A big shout out to super smarty fan Ari in Gurney, Illinois.
We hear you and your family love listening to Who Smarted before school each morning because you get to learn about all sorts of new things.
Yep, that is what smarting's all about, smarty pants.
Thanks for joining us.
This episode Curiosity was written by Sarah Swietik and voiced by Heather Simsay 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 Colbert.
This has been an Atomic Audio production.
Hey, Smarty Pants.
Looking forward to winter break?
Me too.
But instead of taking a vacation, I'm taking Smarty Pants just like you to the bottom of the ocean.
What?
That's right.
You can join me, the trusty narrator, for three different one-hour video adventures on Who Smarted Seacamp.
For one low price, you'll board three different vessels, including the SS Smarty Sub, as we journey deep deep, deep down into the ocean to learn about different sea creatures, discover underwater volcanoes and visit the deepest part of the ocean, the mysterious Mariana Trench.
You'll also learn how the ocean was formed, why it's so salty, and you'll get to do an experiment explaining the different layers of the ocean.
You'll even get to print out and design your very own control panels to help steer the boats.
You'll meet my good friends Captain Kehlani and the shark-obsessed McShaw.
But, best of all, I'll be joining you for the entire voyage, as you'll be able to chat live with me at anytime, as we play interactive games, fill out our worksheets and do fun experiments and projects together.
So if you love Whosmarted, you're going to be thrilled to join me on a Whosmarted Seacamp Adventure.
Whosmarted Seacamp Adventure takes place on December 29th and 30th, three times a day, with three different Seacamp Adventures all for one low early bird price of just 3900.
That's just $39 for the entire family.
And you get to pick which sessions and times work best for you or come to all of them.
Who.
Smarted Sea Camp Adventure is a great way to laugh and learn about the ocean over your holiday break, all without having to leave the comfort of your home.
And your $39 Flex Pass ticket is good for any show at any time for the entire family.
But please keep in mind, this low early bird price will only last until December 15th.
After that, ticket prices will go up.
So book your ticket now for a high seas adventure and save today.
For more information and to sign up, please go to whosmarted.com and click Seacamp.
That's whosmarted.com and click Seacamp for more details and to sign up today.
I can't wait to see you in the sea.
