← Who Smarted? - Educational Podcast for Kids
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This episode is sponsored by Wayfair. As the weather cools down and the days get shorter, I always feel the urge to make my space feel extra cozy. And honestly, Wayfair is the first place I go. They've got everything you need to cozify your home this fall. From comfy recliners, cozy bedding, to autumn themed throw pillows and decor. I just picked up a really nice plush throw blanket and it completely transformed our living room. Suddenly it feels like the perfect spot to curl up with a book or sneak in a movie knife. And the Wayfair had tons of options in every style and budget, so I found exactly what I wanted without hopping between stores. And yes, the free delivery, even on the big stuff, makes it hassle free. So whether you are freshing your living room, sprucing up your kitchen with fall cookware, or finally getting that espresso maker for homemade lattes, Wayfair has it all. Cozify your space with Wayfair's curated collection of easy, affordable fall updates. Find it all for way less@wayfair.com that's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R.com Wayfair every style, every home hey there, who smarted plus subscribers welcome to another edition of Smartyqs where I, the trusty narrator, answer questions from you, the smartypants listeners. Remember, anyone can submit a question simply by emailing me@whosmartedhoosmarted.com okay, without further ado, let's start the Smartie Q To start us off, smarty fan Hazel has a question inspired by her one year old sister. 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, 10 years after she invented the boater. Pampers introduced the first disposable diaper. Stay dry, Francis 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 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. 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 Qs made up of questions submitted by our Smarty pants listeners. Again, if you have a question you'd like answered by me on SmartYQS, or if you just want to say hi trustee, you can email me@whosmartedhoosmarted.com that's whosmartedhoosmarted dot com thanks for subscribing to Whosmarted plus and supporting Whosmarted. Whosmarted is brought to you by Squarespace. Now, you know I'm good about creating new adventures and episodes of Whosmarted, but you don't know that I procrastinate on other stuff like a website for one of our new projects. Oops when the website builder Squarespace reached out about sponsoring WhoSmarted, I decided to test it out. And now I feel silly for putting off building that website. Squarespace's blueprint AI thing literally built me a custom website in minutes. I just told it a few details about the project and and boom. It generated everything. And everything you need is right there. I can schedule guest interviews, send email campaigns, even sell merch, all from one dashboard. Now it's your turn to stop procrastinating and start building. You can use Squarespace to launch that business site or any site that you've been dreaming about. But putting off today, there's no excuse anymore. Especially since you can head to squarespace.com smarted for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, you can use Code smarted to save 10% on your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com smarted code smarted this episode is sponsored by IXL. Look, I know back to school looks a little different when you're a homeschool family because maybe you're keeping up with your year round rhythm or maybe you're starting fresh with new plans and goals. Either way, it is the perfect time to reset, refresh and find tools that make life easier. That's where IXL comes in. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that covers math, language arts, science and social studies from Pre K through 12th grade. It adjusts to your child's level, giving them just the right challenge at the right time. So learning feels motivating, not overwhelming. And what I love about IXL is how effortless it makes homeschooling. Everything is organized by grade and topic, so instead of hunting for lessons, you can jump straight into exactly what your child needs. And the real time feedback is a game changer. When kids make a mistake, IXL explains instantly, helping them learn and move forward with confidence. Plus, you can see their progress at a glance with detailed reports. Over 15 million students use IXL and more than 75 studies show that it really works. So make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL today. WhoSmarted listeners get an exclusive 20% off when you sign up at IXL.com WhoSmarted that's IXL.com WhoSmarted hey there WhoSmarted plus subscribers. Welcome to another edition of Smarty Cubes where I, the trusty narrator, answer questions from you, the Smartypants listeners. Remember, anyone can submit a question simply by emailing me@whosmartedhoosmarted.com okay, without further ado. Let the smarty Qs begin. Our first question is from smarty fan Hazel, 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. That's some good atmosphere. Okay, our next Smarty Q 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 WhoSmarted 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. Water is vital to your health and plays a key part in many of your body's functions. Water helps bring nutrients to your cells, helps get rid of wastes, protects joints and organs, and helps regulate your body temperature. Without water, life as we know it wouldn't exist. But that doesn't mean organisms can't go without water. The microscopic tardiguard 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 Smarty Qs 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 who Smarted Who Smarted.