SMARTY Q: Is it possible to drill through the earth??? - Who Smarted? - Educational Podcast for Kids

Summary5 min read

Podcast Summary: "SMARTY Q: Is it possible to drill through the earth???"
Who Smarted? – Educational Podcast for Kids
Date: March 31, 2026
Host: Atomic Entertainment / Starglow Media

Episode Overview

This episode of Who Smarted? takes listeners on a whirlwind Q&A journey with real questions from curious kids. The host, your friendly Narrator, delivers answers packed with scientific facts, fun trivia, and trademark humor. Themes range from earth science and biology to language, martial arts, and human health. Expect playful explanations, memorable moments, and “aha!” facts all geared for young minds and family listening.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Can We Drill Through the Earth?

(00:04 – 01:26)

Question from Britain: "Is it possible to drill through the Earth?"
Host's Answer:
- The short answer is no – not with anything humans can build today.
- The deepest hole ever drilled is just 7.5 miles, tiny compared to the ~8,000 miles to the Earth’s center.
- Challenges include:
  - Increased heat: deeper down, machines overheat and rocks become “gooey.”
  - Galactic pressure: equipment would fail long before reaching the center.
  - Molten rock: would melt any human-made drill.
Quote:

“As you go deeper into the Earth, temperatures rise dramatically, pressure increases, and rock becomes more like goo than solid stone.” (00:23)
Memorable Moment: Relatably frames how the idea “sounds cool, but is entirely too hot for it to be possible.”

2. What’s Faster Than a Falcon?

(01:27 – 02:16)

Question from Giada: "If a falcon is faster than a cheetah, what's faster than a falcon?"
Host's Answer:
- The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal on Earth, diving at over 200 mph.
- Its top speed is recorded during a dive (“while diving”).
- Other animals don’t beat this record.
- However, non-living things like jets, rockets, and light are much faster.
Quote:

“When a peregrine falcon dives towards its prey, it can reach speeds over 200 miles per hour. No other animal can beat that.” (01:42)
Memorable Moment: Contrasts the animal kingdom with the “bigger universe” for speed.

3. What is the American Taekwondo Association (ATA)?

(02:17 – 02:58)

Question from Laura: "What is the American Taekwondo Association?"
Host's Answer:
- The ATA promotes taekwondo–a Korean martial art.
- Focuses on kicks, balance, discipline, and respect.
- Organizes classes, standards, and tournaments.
- Teaches people of all ages; not just about defense but confidence, focus, and self-control.
Quote:

“Taekwondo isn’t just about self-defense. It also emphasizes confidence, focus and self control.” (02:46)
Memorable Moment: Simple, memorable explanation of taekwondo’s values.

4. Why Can't Things Just Become Alive?

(03:22 – 04:10)

Question from 'Baby Yoda': "Why can't things just become alive?"
Host's Answer:
- Life is made of very complex systems.
- Living things need to be made of cells, use energy, grow, respond, and reproduce.
- Even the simplest cells are more complex than human-made machines.
- Life doesn’t spontaneously arise from nonliving things today.
- Requires specific conditions and lots of time.
Quote:

“Even the simplest living cell is more complicated than most machines that humans have built.” (03:48) “So while life is amazing, it’s also very rare and very special.” (04:05)
Memorable Moment: Emphasizes the extraordinary uniqueness of life.

5. Why is a Knife Called a Knife?

(04:11 – 05:27)

Question from Dedumfam: "Why is a knife called a knife?"
Host's Answer:
- The word comes from ancient roots meaning to “cut, split, or pierce.”
- Main origins:
  - Old Norse 'knifer': direct source.
  - Proto-Germanic 'KNbaz': older root.
  - Proto-Indo-European 'g'nai' or 'gne': earliest, meaning cut or scrape.
- The silent “k” at the beginning was once pronounced.
Quote:

“Even though the ‘k’ is silent now, it did not always used to be, so the word stuck even as the pronunciation changed.” (05:22)
Memorable Moment: Fun language trivia about the silent “k” and the Viking connection.

6. Why Do We Get Canker Sores?

(05:51 – 06:51)

Question from Luke: "Why do we get canker sores?"
Host's Answer:
- Small, painful spots inside the mouth.
- Causes can include minor injuries (like biting your cheek), stress, certain foods, or immune reactions.
- Not contagious, and different from cold sores.
- Usually heal on their own in 1–2 weeks.
Quote:

“They’re not contagious and they’re different from cold sores. ... Canker sores usually heal on their own in about a week or two, even though they can be so annoying while they’re around.” (06:24/06:37)
Memorable Moment: The relatable “ouch!” shared by the host.

Notable Quotes

“The deepest hole that humans have ever drilled is about 7.5 miles deep. And even that got so hot that machines stopped working properly.” (00:14)
“When it comes to animals, nothing beats a diving falcon. But in the bigger universe, the falcon has some serious competition.” (02:05)
“Life needs very specific conditions and lots and lots of time to exist.” (04:02)
“The word knife comes from a family of very old words that all mean to cut, split or pierce." (04:33)

Episode Flow & Tone

Fast-paced, energetic, and humorous, with clear explanations easily digestible for a young audience.
The host balances factual depth with a fun delivery—wordplay (“that’s a pretty sharp question”), relatable asides, and a sense of curiosity throughout.
Invites listener participation, encouraging kids to keep asking questions.

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment Summary | |----------|--------------------------------------------------| | 00:04 | Drilling through the Earth: why it’s impossible | | 01:27 | Peregrine falcon: fastest animal, speed context | | 02:17 | What is the ATA? Taekwondo, martial arts values | | 03:22 | How (and why) life emerges: complexity of life | | 04:11 | Why “knife” is called “knife”: language history | | 05:51 | Canker sores: causes, healing, and facts |

Summary Takeaways

It’s impossible to drill through the Earth with current technology due to extreme heat and pressure.
The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal on Earth—over 200 mph in a dive—but many nonliving things are faster.
The American Taekwondo Association teaches martial arts that build more than just self-defense skills.
The origin of life is incredibly complex and rare; living things require special conditions.
The word “knife” has Viking roots, with a silent “k” that wasn’t always silent.
Canker sores are a common, harmless annoyance not to worry much about.

Final Note:
For those eager to keep learning, the host encourages submitting questions for future episodes and reminds everyone to "keep on smarting, smarty pants!"

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Transcript1 lines

[00:04]
A
Hey there, smarty pants. We're back with another episode of SmartYQ where I, your trusty narrator, answer questions from you, the smartypants. We've got some big thinkers and big questions today, so let's get smarting. Question one comes from big time smarty fan Britain, who asks, is it possible to drill through the Earth? Cool question, Britain. The short answer is no. At least not with anything humans have today. The Earth, as you can probably imagine, is incredibly thick, hot and pressurized. The deepest hole that humans have ever drilled is about 7.5 miles deep. And even that got so hot that machines stopped working properly. As you go deeper into the Earth, temperatures rise dramatically, pressure increases, and rock becomes more like goo than solid stone. Eventually, you'd reach molten rock and extreme heat that would melt drills long before you got close to the center. So while drilling through Earth. Sounds cool. It's entirely too hot for it to be possible. Okay, question two comes from Giada in Worcester, Massachusetts, who asks, if a falcon is faster than a cheetah, what's faster than a falcon? Oh, fun question. Well, check this out. A peregrine falcon is actually the fastest animal on Earth. But here's the twist. It's it's only that fast while diving. As you may remember from our Birds of Prey episode, when a peregrine falcon dives towards its prey, it can reach speeds over 200 miles per hour. No other animal can beat that. But if we're talking about non living things, lots of stuff is faster. Jet, airplanes, rockets, and of course, light. So when it comes to animals, nothing beats a diving falcon. But in the bigger universe, the falcon has some serious competition. All right, question three comes from Laura, who wants to know what is the American Taekwondo Association? Well, the American Taekwondo association, or ata, is an organization that teaches and promotes taekwondo, a Korean martial art that focuses on kicks, balance, discipline and respect. The ATA helps train instructors, set rules and standards, organize classes and tournaments, and teach students of all ages. Taekwondo isn't just about self defense. It also emphasizes confidence, focus and self control. Great question, Laura. Alright, smartypants. Coming up next is a big question about life itself. Stick around, we'll get to it Right after a quick break and a word from our sponsors. Now back to SmartEQ. Question four comes from baby Yoda on Spotify, who asks, why can't things just be become alive? Whoa, that's a deep one. Living things are made of incredibly complex systems. To be alive, something needs to be made of cells, use energy, grow and change, respond to its environment and be able to make more living things. Even the simplest living cell is more complicated than most machines that humans have built. Scientists study how life might have begun long ago on Earth. But today we don't see rocks, rock, water or air suddenly turning into living creatures. Life needs very specific conditions and lots and lots of time to exist. So while life is amazing, it's also very rare and very special. Okay, question five comes from one of my Spotify smarty friends, Dedumfam, who wants to know why is a knife called a knife? Well, that's a pretty sharp question. The word knife comes from a family of very old words that all mean to cut, split or pierce. Here are the main ancestors. Number one, the Old Norse knifer. This is the most direct source. Knifer literally meant knife or cutting blade. Vikings brought this word to England where it stuck the proto Germanic KN baz. Before Old Norse, there was an even older root that meant something like sharp tool or thing that cuts. And then there's the proto Indo European root g' nai or gne. This ancient root meant to cut, to scrape, or to split. Over time, as languages changed and mixed, those old words slowly turned into the word knife we use today. Even though the k is silent now, it did not always used to be, so the word stuck even as the pronunciation changed. Alright, smartypants, we've got one last question coming up, and it's something almost everyone has experienced at least once. We'll find out what it is right after this quick break and a word from our sponsors. Now back to SmartEQ. Question six comes from Luke on Spotify, who asks, why do we get canker sores? Ouch. Great question. Canker sores are small, painful spots that show up inside your mouth. Doctors don't know exactly why everyone gets them, but they're often linked to things like small mouth injuries, like biting your cheek, stress, certain foods, or your immune system reacting strongly. They're not contagious and they're different from cold sores. The good news? Canker sores usually heal on their own in about a week or two, even though they can be so annoying while they're around. And that brings us to the end of another episode of SmartYQ. If you've got a question you've been curious about, send it to whosmartedhoosmarted.com and I'll try to answer it on a future episode. Until next time, keep on smarting, smartypants. Who smart it.