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Ask Smithsonian: Where Does Space Begin?

Watch to get the answer that surprised the heck out of us




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Ask Smithsonian: What Are the Weirdest Things Pregnant Women Crave?

Our host explains why you should never say ‘no’ to a hungry pregnant woman




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Ask Smithsonian: Why Do Songs Get Stuck in My Head?

The science behind earworms and why they won’t leave us alone




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Ask Smithsonian: Does Stress Turn Your Hair Gray?

Take a calming breath, then watch this video to find out




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Ask Smithsonian: Lightning Round

How many of your questions can our host, Eric Schulze, answer in 45 seconds?




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Introducing Ask Smithsonian

http://smithsonian.com/ask Now it's your turn to ask the Institution's experts your questions about science, history, art or culture




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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.




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Ask Smithsonian: What Would Happen if a Solar Flare Hit the Earth?

"Be prepared” might not cover it when it comes to super storms.




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Ask Smithsonian: How Do Noise-Canceling Headphones Work?

Our host, Eric Schulze explains how 1 + 1 = 0 when it comes to sound




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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 behind today’s house cat.




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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.




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Ask Smithsonian: Does the Five-Second Rule Really Work?

You might think twice about picking that chip off the carpet and putting it into your mouth.




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Ask Smithsonian: What’s a Dimple?

Host Eric Schulze digs into the science behind these depressions.




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Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Get Goosebumps?

Saber toothed cats, temperature and things that go bump in the night, Eric Schulze explains




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Ask Smithsonian: Is It True That Your Hair and Nails Keep Growing After You Die?

To find out, we need to get down to the basics. Eric Schulze explains




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Ask Smithsonian: Why Were Prehistoric Animals So Big?

Our giant of a host, Eric Schulze, explains why size mattered in prehistory.




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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/




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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 spent the last eight hundred years or so making things go from bad to worse, bringing the gravity-defying tower to the brink of disaster




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We Asked: Are You Optimistic About the Earth’s Future?




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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 video, where Ask Smithsonian host Eric Schulze gives us the lowdown on what-in-the-name-of-science makes those satellites stay up.




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Ask Smithsonian: Is Quicksand Real?

Can quicksand really swallow you up, or does that just happen in the movies? Host Eric Schulze dives in to separate science fact from science fiction."




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Performing Ask Your Mama

In a workshop at the University of Michigan, composer Laura Karpman oversees a rehearsal of Ask Your Mama, a musical rendition of the Langston Hughes epic poem, with George Manahan conducting




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Ask Smithsonian: What’s a Stone Baby?

Prepare to be amazed.




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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.




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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.




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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 with Ask Smithsonian host, Eric Schulze.




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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. Prepare to be amazed.




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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 make these fears stop? Find out in this one-minute video, where Ask Smithsonian host Eric Schulze delves deep into the dark recesses of our minds to get at the facts behind our phobias.




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Ask Smithsonian: When Did People Start Keeping Pets?

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




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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 Schulze sticks his nose into the science of skunk spray.




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Ask Smithsonian: What Would Happen if a Large Asteroid Hit the Moon?

Think blockbuster movie and you’ve got an idea of how this story ends




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Ask Smithsonian: Why Are Lakes Freshwater and Oceans Saltwater?

Erosion, evaporation, and a leaky faucet, our host Eric Schulze breaks it all down.




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Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Sleep?

Experts may not agree on all the specifics, but here's what we do know.




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Ask Smithsonian: Why Do Bugs Die on Their Backs?

The science behind going belly up




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Ask Smithsonian: How Did King Tut Die?

It was no doubt a fantastical death, worthy of a pharaoh




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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.




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One Life: The Mask of Lincoln

National Portrait Gallery historian David C. Ward discusses images of Abraham Lincoln that document his life in the White House (Anika Gupta, Beth Py-Lieberman, Jesse Rhodes and Ryan Reed). Read more at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/life-of-lincoln.html




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Ask Smithsonian: How Does Anesthesia Work?

A modern medical mystery




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Ask Smithsonian: How Do Taste Buds Work?

The sweet science behind our sense of taste




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Ask Smithsonian: What Happens to Your Body in Space Without a Spacesuit?

Obviously it's a bad idea to go out into space without a trusty spacesuit, but what exactly happens?




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Ask Smithsonian: How Long Can a Person Hold Their Breath?

Gasp! The answer will amaze you. Still Image Credit: MaFelipe / iStock




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Ask Smithsonian: How Do Dolphins Sleep Without Drowning?

Not to worry—shut-eye comes easily to these aquatic mammals




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Ask Smithsonian: How Do Vaccines Work?

Have you ever wondered how a simple shot can keep you from dying a horrible death? In this one-minute video, Ask Smithsonian’s host, Eric Schulze, unravels how vaccines boot-camp our bodies into shape, getting us ready to fight off deadly diseases.




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Ask Smithsonian: What’s the Oldest Animal?

Take a guess - the answer might surprise you




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Ask Smithsonian: Do Cannibals Still Exist?

Hungry for an answer? Host, Eric Schulze, dishes one up in less than a minute.




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Ask Smithsonian: How Do Microwave Ovens Cook Food?

You don’t actually see microwaves, you only see what they do to your food. So how, exactly, does it warm up your lunch?




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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 majestic bird’s one-legged stance.




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Ask Smithsonian: Why Do Geese Fly in a V?

Geese have known something for millions of years that humans have only recently figured out for themselves.




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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.




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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 that lies beneath this national park and answers the life-or-death question: Will it erupt in a fiery inferno anytime soon?