[♪ INTRO]
Hi, everybody!
Squeaks and I were just reading some of the amazing questions we get from kids like you.
Squeaks loves learning the answers to your questions,
so he wanted us to talk about them today.
Isn’t that right?
[Squeaks squeaks]
Haha, okay.
Let’s get started.
Here’s a good one about what makes a year a year.
Holiday, age 7 asks: How are years or days decided?
[Squeaks squeaks]
Those are some interesting thoughts, Squeaks!
Why can’t a year be different?
Maybe we could make the cold winters shorter.
Or make summer longer so we have more time to play in the sun.
And why can’t a day be different?
Who says nights have to be so long and dark?
[Squeaks squeaks]
Well, I hate to break it to you, pal.
But that’s just the way our Planet Earth works!
[Squeaks squeaks]
That’s right!
As our planet travels through space, that’s what decides both years and days.
You see, our planet goes around the Sun in big loops.
Every time we complete one loop, that’s one year.
A year is Earth doing a loop-the-loop around the Sun!
[Squeaks squeaks]
Yes, every loop-the-loop we go through the four seasons of spring, summer, fall, and winter.
That’s because the Earth doesn’t sit straight up and down in space.
It’s a little bit tilted.
The part of the Earth we’re on sometimes tilts towards the Sun.
When we’re tilted towards the Sun, it’s a little bit warmer.
But that tilt stays the same while Earth goes around its loop,
until where we are is tilted away from the Sun instead.
When we’re tilted away, it’s a little cooler.
That means the four seasons happen every time we do a loop!
[Squeaks squeaks]
Well, the days are a little different,
but they also happen because we live on a planet that travels through space.
You see, right now, the Earth is spinning around!
[Squeaks squeaks]
Oh, it doesn’t feel like spinning on a playground ride.
Imagine how confusing that would be!
But as the Earth spins, sometimes the part we’re on faces the Sun
and sometimes it faces away.
When we face the Sun, we can see sunlight.
That’s daytime.
When we face away, the sunlight doesn’t reach us.
That’s nighttime.
So the length of the day is just Earth spinning around once!
[Squeaks squeaks]
Yep, we spin AND we do the loop-the-loops.
Earth is a pretty good dancer.
And it gives us both years and days.
Whew, all this dancing makes me thirsty.
I think I need a drink of water.
I’m okay, Squeaks!
Sorry I scared you.
My drink just went down the wrong tube.
[Squeaks squeaks]
Oh, you’re right.
“It went down the wrong tube” is sort of a weird thing to say.
But it’s a good chance to answer this question!
Lucas, age 5 asks: How does food get to your stomach past your heart?
You see, our body needs ways to get food from our mouths to our stomachs.
Lucas, it seems like you noticed that our stomachs are down inside our belly…
and that’s a long way for our food to go from our mouths!
And there are other things in between, in our chests.
Like our hearts and our lungs.
Luckily, our food doesn’t just have to float around until it finds our stomach.
Your body sends it there through a special tube.
It’s called an esophagus.
That tube connects our mouth straight to our stomach.
And every time you swallow, it sends your food on an express trip – no detours, no roadblocks!
[Squeaks squeaks]
Well, the wrong tube is… our other tube!
We have another tube that connects our nose and mouth to our lungs!
It’s called a trachea, or sometimes a windpipe.
That helps air travel to our lungs, so that the oxygen we need to live can reach your heart,
and be sent to the rest of your body.
Every once in a while, a little bit of food or water can get sent down your trachea
instead of your esophagus.
Like what just happened to me.
So when that happens, your body does something to send that stuff back up to the right place!
Which leads us to our next question.
Lucas also asked us, what is happening to your lungs when you cough or have hiccups?
I coughed to get that little bit of water back up out of my trachea.
At the bottom of your lungs, there is a very strong muscle.
That muscle is called a diaphragm.
It’s what makes us breathe.
Take a really deep breath with me.
Come on Squeaks.
In…
And out...
Do you feel that stretch in your belly, Squeaks?
Right around here.
That’s your diaphragm muscle at work.
It pushes and pulls on our lungs, and that brings air into or out of our bodies.
When I coughed just now, my diaphragm and other chest muscles were pushing
extra extra hard, to push the water out of my trachea.
So when you cough, your diaphragm is getting an extra workout!
Now, let’s see… we have another question about our bodies, here.
Natalie, age 4, asks: Why does my dad’s belly hurt if he drinks milk?
[Squeaks squeaks]
Yeah, I know how much you love cheese, buddy!
But some people get the tummy rumbles after they drink milk…
or eat ice cream, or other things made from milk.
And get this… it’s more common in grown-ups.
[Squeaks squeaks]
I know, but for some people, it’s just part of growing up!
You see, after we eat food, it goes to our stomach, and then to the rest of our digestive system.
That’s a bunch of body parts that work together to break down our food
and turn it into energy for us to live.
The body parts of the digestive system produce different substances
that work together to turn food into energy.
One of those is called lactase.
Its job is to break down milk so your body can use it.
But sometimes, as we get older, our digestive system changes a little bit.
Some grown-ups make less lactase in their bodies.
So not all of the milk they drink or the ice cream they eat gets broken down.
When that happens, their tummies can get upset.
[Squeaks squeaks]
Well, it’s not much fun, I agree.
But it happens to lots of people.
And there are treatments that can help those people enjoy ice cream and milk and cheese!
So it’s nothing to be scared of.
Thank you to everybody who sent us questions today!
We had lots of fun answering them.
You can ask a grownup to help you send your questions to us.
They can get started at patreon.com/scishowkids.
And we’ll see you next time on SciShowKids.
[♪ OUTRO]