Our next guest is one of the smartest
and cutest five-year-old science experts we've met this season.
In fact, he might be the only five-year-old science expert
that we met this season, but that's beside the point.
From Franklin, Tennessee, please welcome Xander Rynerson.
Hi.
Hi, Xander.
How are you?
I'm very good.
I'm so excited.
I'm so excited, too.
Are you in your bedroom?
Yes.
I heard that you were confused when you
learned about the coronavirus.
What did you think it was?
When we first heard about it, I thought they said cronut virus.
Cronuts are my favorite type of doughnut.
They are a croissant mixed with a doughnut.
I got very afraid that I'm going to get the cronut virus
from eating too many cronuts.
But then I realized they said coronavirus, COVID-19.
It is an RNA virus that infects animals and humans,
and I hope it goes away really, really soon,
and we can all live happily ever after.
Yes, Xander, we all hope that.
That's a good hope to have.
Now, let me ask you something.
I know you love science, and you've
been learning about the brain.
Tell me what you know about the brain.
The brain is my favorite organ because it reminds me
of the universe, full of mystery.
The brain has gray and white matter,
and the universe has dark matter.
The brain the 100 billion neurons, and the universe
has 100 billion galaxies.
Did you know that the brain is the fattest organ in the body?
It's made of 60% fat.
The electricity in the brain is enough to power
a small 12-volt light bulb for a day.
And there are so many blood vessels in the brain
that if you stretch them out, they
could wrap five times around the globe.
Three pounds of flesh create an entire universe inside
of your head.
It's paradox that the brain knows
so much about the world around it, but so little
about it's self.
Wow.
That's-- wait--
--like a [INAUDIBLE] of electrochemical reactions
that plays every second of every day.
Even Shakespeare thought about the brain.
In his play called The Merchant of Venice,
he said, where is the fancy bred?
In your heart or in the head?
It turns out to be in the head.
I think the bread was actually Challah bread because it looks
just like the brain, and the--
Xander.
--and the bread has--
Xander, wait.
Xander, hold on one second.
I want tWitch to get in here. tWitch,
do you have a question for Xander?
I do.
Hi, Xander.
Hi.
I was wondering if you could teach me
something about cranial nerves.
A cranial nerve is any nerve that's
directly attached to your brain or your brain stem.
There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves [INAUDIBLE]
in the skull's walls called cranium foramen holes.
The number one, olfactory, is for smell.
I smell something.
Just kidding.
Number two, optic, is for vision.
I see you.
You can test it using a Snellen test.
I call it the Ellen test because it has the big lettr E on top,
and Ellen is the prettiest name ever.
Number three, oculomotor-- it's for pupil constriction--
do, doo, doo-- and eye movement to look around.
Number four, trochlear, it rotates your eyes.
Number five, trigeminal, is for feeling the face and chewing.
It's the largest of the cranial nerves,
and it has three divisions-- ophthalmic, maxillary,
and mandibular.
Number six, abducens-- it abducts the right abducts.
It means move your eyes out.
This eye goes this way.
That eye go that way.
Number seven, facial, is for facial expression.
Happy, sad, and it's also for taste which
you do through the tongue.
My favorite taste is ooh mommy, but not ooh daddy.
Number eight, vestibulocochlear, is for hearing--
do doo do to loo to--
do you hear that? do you hear that?
And it's for balance-- oooooh.
Number nine--
All right.
We're going to take a break.
Glossopharyngeal--
We're going to take a break, and then we'll
come back and learn more about that, Xander, OK?
I hope Maddox is paying attention.
Thanks Xander, that--
Xander, we'll be right back.
We're back with Xander.
Yay.
Xander--
Yeah.
Hi, Xander.
Hi.
Since you've been home, you've been gardening a lot, right?
Yes, I have, and we found three garden snails.
This is my snail terrarium.
These are garden snails, and they
are gastropods from the Mollusca family.
They're related to octums, squid and cattle fish.
In the wild, it can live up to three years
because there's many predators eat them including birds,
frogs, lizards, and even centipedes,
but worst of all, the French people, la [INAUDIBLE]..
They love their escargot.
Why do French people eat snails?
Because they hate fast food, and snails are slow food.
Ah, that's funny.
I get it.
That's a joke.
[INAUDIBLE]
I know that you've been gardening.
We put something out in the garden.
Go outside your door.
Just grab something outside your door, and bring it to us.
OK.
Look at all this gardening stuff.
Look at all that.
That's right.
We sent you gardening stuff.
Look at it.
It's so much.
This is really heavy.
Yeah.
Take a look at all this.
OK.
Yes.
We have our own plants--
[INAUDIBLE]
Look at all that.
Yeah, look at all of it.
I can go outside.
Can I please go now?
Yeah, you're going to be able to garden.
Please?
Well, do what?
Can I please go outside to play with all that stuff?
Yes.
Yes, you can go outside and play with all of that stuff,
and maybe, you can take the snails out,
and let them take a little walk just because they probably
need some exercise out of that little tiny thing.
Thank you so much--
All right--
--Ellen.
Thank you so much, Ellen.
OK, Xander.
I can't wait to see you again, and we'll eat cronuts together,
OK?
Bye.
Goodbye, Xander.
I love you so much, Ellen.
Mwah.
I love-- Mwah.
I love you, too, Xander.
And I love your hair, and you're a sweet, sweet boy.
I'll see you soon.
Go play.
You, too, and bye.
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