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Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: What's the Point of Earwax?

Ask Smithsonian: What’s the Point of Earwax?

The science of earwax in under a minute

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: When Did People Start Keeping Pets?

Ask Smithsonian: When Did People Start Keeping Pets?

Man’s best friend is also one of his oldest.

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: What Does the World Look Like When You're Color Blind?

Ask Smithsonian: What Does the World Look Like When You’re Color Blind?

Learn more about color blindness: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ask-smithsonian-how-does-world-look-the-color-blind-180960415/ Have a question in mind? It’s your turn to Ask Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ask-smithsonian/ask-form/

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: What’s a Dimple?

Ask Smithsonian: What’s a Dimple?

Host Eric Schulze digs into the science behind these depressions.

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: Can Animals Predict Earthquakes and Other Natural Disasters?

Ask Smithsonian: Can Animals Predict Earthquakes and Other Natural Disasters?

Our host, Eric Schulze, explains how science is tackling this puzzling question from space.

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: Why Does My Nose Run When It’s Cold Outside?

Ask Smithsonian: Why Does My Nose Run When It’s Cold Outside?

Host Eric Schulze opens the floodgates of knowledge to reveal the answer.

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Kiss?

Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Kiss?

Is a kiss really just a kiss? In this one-minute video, our Ask Smithsonian Host, Eric Schulze, explains why we pucker up.

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: Can Elephants Jump?

Ask Smithsonian: Can Elephants Jump?

In this one-minute video, our Ask Smithsonian Host, Eric Schulze, weighs in on whether or not elephants can jump.

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: What Is Wind?

Ask Smithsonian: What Is Wind?

In this one-minute video, our Ask Smithsonian host, Eric Schulze, explains what causes wind. The answer might blow you away.

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Sneeze?

Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Sneeze?

Feel a sneeze coming on? Don’t hold it in! In this one-minute video, our Ask Smithsonian host, Eric Schulze, explains why we sneeze.

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: How Do Colors Affect Our Moods?

Ask Smithsonian: How Do Colors Affect Our Moods?

Feeling blue? Try watching this one-minute video. Our Ask Smithsonian host, Eric Schulze, explains how colors affect our moods.

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: How Do Spiders Make a Web?

Ask Smithsonian: How Do Spiders Make a Web?

How do spiders make such intricate webs? Don’t get too tangled up about it. In this one-minute video, our Ask Smithsonian host, Eric Schulze, weaves his way to the answer.

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: What’s a Freckle?

Ask Smithsonian: What’s a Freckle?

What are freckles, and how do they form? In this one-minute video, our Ask Smithsonian host, Eric Schulze, shines a light on the subject.

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: How Do You Mummify a Body?

Ask Smithsonian: How Do You Mummify a Body?

Many cultures have found ways to preserve the human body after death, but how? In this one-minute video, our Ask Smithsonian Host, Eric Schulze, wraps up the answer.

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: How Did the Plague Kill So Many? Could It Happen Again?

Ask Smithsonian: How Did the Plague Kill So Many? Could It Happen Again?

The plague’s deadliest outbreak was in the 1300s – but is it gone for good? In this one-minute video, our Ask Smithsonian Host, Eric Schulze, explains what causes the plague …

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: How Does Night Vision Technology Work?

Ask Smithsonian: How Does Night Vision Technology Work?

Who’s afraid of the dark? Our Ask Smithsonian host Eric Schulze is here to explain the illuminating science behind night vision.

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: How Does Skin Heal?

Ask Smithsonian: How Does Skin Heal?

Our skin is an endlessly complex organ. Luckily, in this one-minute video, our Ask Smithsonian host Eric Schulze is here to explain exactly what happens after you get a scrape.

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: Why Do Flamingos Stand on One Leg?

Ask Smithsonian: Why Do Flamingos Stand on One Leg?

Have you ever wondered why these birds strike this peculiar pose? Find out in this one-minute video, where Ask Smithsonian host Eric Schulze walks us through the reasons behind the …

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Get Prune Fingers?

Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Get Prune Fingers?

Why are we equipped with this curious modification? Find out in this one-minute video, where Ask Smithsonian host Eric Schulze gives us the info on our wrinkled digits.

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Use One Hand More Than the Other?

Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Use One Hand More Than the Other?

So what exactly factors into how we end up being right or left-handed? In this one-minute video, Ask Smithsonian host Eric Schulze breaks down the science of being a southpaw.

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: Why Does Rain Have a Distinctive Smell?

Ask Smithsonian: Why Does Rain Have a Distinctive Smell?

Nothing beats the sweet smells of a summer rain. But what exactly is it that we’re smelling? Find out in this one-minute video, when Ask Smithsonian host Eric Schulze breaks …

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: What Makes Skunk Spray Smell So Terrible?

Ask Smithsonian: What Makes Skunk Spray Smell So Terrible?

Did you ever think you’d hear the words “skunk,” “anti-aircraft weaponry” and “nipple squirters” in the same sentence? Brace yourself and watch this one-minute video, where Ask Smithsonian host Eric …

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: What Happens When You Get a Concussion?

Ask Smithsonian: What Happens When You Get a Concussion?

We all know concussions are a bad thing, but have you ever wondered exactly what happens to your brain when it gets knocked around? In this one-minute video, Ask Smithsonian …

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: What’s Up With Saturn’s Rings?

Ask Smithsonian: What’s Up With Saturn’s Rings?

Despite being just one minute long, this Ask Smithsonian video hosted by Eric Schulze is crammed full of strange things you never knew – but should – about Saturn’s rings. …

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: Have Cats Been Domesticated?

Ask Smithsonian: Have Cats Been Domesticated?

When did we start getting cuddly with cats? And have those tabbies really been tamed? In this one-minute video, Ask Smithsonian host Eric Schulze investigates the surprising history and science …

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: What Would Happen if the Yellowstone Volcano Erupted?

Ask Smithsonian: What Would Happen if the Yellowstone Volcano Erupted?

Have you ever wondered why Yellowstone is full of hot springs, bubbling mudpots and geysers like Old Faithful? In this one-minute video, Ask Smithsonian host Eric Schulze explains the supervolcano …

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Love Junk Food?

Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Love Junk Food?

What is it about junk food that makes it so hard to resist? Find out how this empty-calorie food is designed to keep us wanting more in this one-minute video …

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: How Do People Get Phobias?

Ask Smithsonian: How Do People Get Phobias?

How can something like a tiny, harmless spider or a clown make your heart race and your palms sweat? And for the love of all things science, how can you …

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: When Will the Leaning Tower of Pisa Topple?

Ask Smithsonian: When Will the Leaning Tower of Pisa Topple?

Have you ever wondered if the Leaning Tower of Pisa is a catastrophe waiting to happen? In this one-minute video, Ask Smithsonian host Eric Schulze explains how architects and engineers …

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: What’s the Deepest We’ve Ever Dug Into the Earth?

Ask Smithsonian: What’s the Deepest We’ve Ever Dug Into the Earth?

What’s the world record for deepest vertical dig? Go ahead, take a guess. We bet you won’t come close to the surprising answer unearthed in this one-minute video by Ask …

Preview thumbnail for Ask Smithsonian: What Keeps Satellites From Falling Out of the Sky?

Ask Smithsonian: What Keeps Satellites From Falling Out of the Sky?

Are you the kind of person who needs to know what keeps satellites from plummeting to the Earth in a big, fiery ball? Then you need to watch this one-minute …

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