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[♪ INTRO]

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Hi, everybody!

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Squeaks and I were just reading some of the
amazing questions we get from kids like you.

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Squeaks loves learning the answers to your
questions,

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so he wanted us to talk about them today.

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Isn’t that right?

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[Squeaks squeaks]

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Haha, okay.

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Let’s get started.

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Here’s a good one about what makes a year
a year.

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Holiday, age 7 asks: How are years or days
decided?

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[Squeaks squeaks]

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Those are some interesting thoughts, Squeaks!

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Why can’t a year be different?

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Maybe we could make the cold winters shorter.

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Or make summer longer so we have more time
to play in the sun.

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And why can’t a day be different?

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Who says nights have to be so long and dark?

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[Squeaks squeaks]

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Well, I hate to break it to you, pal.

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But that’s just the way our Planet Earth
works!

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[Squeaks squeaks]

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That’s right!

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As our planet travels through space, that’s
what decides both years and days.

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You see, our planet goes around the Sun in
big loops.

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Every time we complete one loop, that’s
one year.

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A year is Earth doing a loop-the-loop around
the Sun!

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[Squeaks squeaks]

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Yes, every loop-the-loop we go through the
four seasons of spring, summer, fall, and winter.

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That’s because the Earth doesn’t sit straight
up and down in space.

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It’s a little bit tilted.

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The part of the Earth we’re on sometimes
tilts towards the Sun.

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When we’re tilted towards the Sun, it’s
a little bit warmer.

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But that tilt stays the same while Earth goes
around its loop,

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until where we are is tilted away from the
Sun instead.

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When we’re tilted away, it’s a little
cooler.

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That means the four seasons happen every time
we do a loop!

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[Squeaks squeaks]

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Well, the days are a little different,

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but they also happen because we live on a
planet that travels through space.

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You see, right now, the Earth is spinning around!

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[Squeaks squeaks]

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Oh, it doesn’t feel like spinning on a playground
ride.

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Imagine how confusing that would be!

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But as the Earth spins, sometimes the part
we’re on faces the Sun

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and sometimes it faces away.

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When we face the Sun, we can see sunlight.

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That’s daytime.

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When we face away, the sunlight doesn’t
reach us.

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That’s nighttime.

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So the length of the day is just Earth spinning
around once!

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[Squeaks squeaks]

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Yep, we spin AND we do the loop-the-loops.

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Earth is a pretty good dancer.

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And it gives us both years and days.

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Whew, all this dancing makes me thirsty.

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I think I need a drink of water.

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I’m okay, Squeaks!

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Sorry I scared you.

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My drink just went down the wrong tube.

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[Squeaks squeaks]

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Oh, you’re right.

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“It went down the wrong tube” is sort
of a weird thing to say.

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But it’s a good chance to answer this question!

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Lucas, age 5 asks: How does food get to your stomach
past your heart?

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You see, our body needs ways to get food from
our mouths to our stomachs.

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Lucas, it seems like you noticed that our
stomachs are down inside our belly…

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and that’s a long way for our food to go
from our mouths!

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And there are other things in between, in
our chests.

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Like our hearts and our lungs.

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Luckily, our food doesn’t just have to float
around until it finds our stomach.

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Your body sends it there through a special
tube.

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It’s called an esophagus.

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That tube connects our mouth straight to our
stomach.

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And every time you swallow, it sends your
food on an express trip – no detours, no roadblocks!

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[Squeaks squeaks]

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Well, the wrong tube is… our other tube!

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We have another tube that connects our nose
and mouth to our lungs!

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It’s called a trachea, or sometimes a windpipe.

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That helps air travel to our lungs, so that
the oxygen we need to live can reach your heart,

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and be sent to the rest of your body.

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Every once in a while, a little bit of food
or water can get sent down your trachea

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instead of your esophagus.

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Like what just happened to me.

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So when that happens, your body does something
to send that stuff back up to the right place!

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Which leads us to our next question.

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Lucas also asked us, what is happening to
your lungs when you cough or have hiccups?

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I coughed to get that little bit of water
back up out of my trachea.

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At the bottom of your lungs, there is a very
strong muscle.

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That muscle is called a diaphragm.

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It’s what makes us breathe.

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Take a really deep breath with me.

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Come on Squeaks.

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In…

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And out...

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Do you feel that stretch in your belly, Squeaks?

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Right around here.

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That’s your diaphragm muscle at work.

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It pushes and pulls on our lungs, and that
brings air into or out of our bodies.

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When I coughed just now, my diaphragm and
other chest muscles were pushing

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extra extra hard, to push the water out of
my trachea.

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So when you cough, your diaphragm is getting
an extra workout!

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Now, let’s see… we have another question
about our bodies, here.

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Natalie, age 4, asks: Why does my dad’s belly hurt
if he drinks milk?

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[Squeaks squeaks]

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Yeah, I know how much you love cheese, buddy!

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But some people get the tummy rumbles after
they drink milk…

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or eat ice cream, or other things made from
milk.

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And get this… it’s more common in grown-ups.

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[Squeaks squeaks]

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I know, but for some people, it’s just part
of growing up!

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You see, after we eat food, it goes to our
stomach, and then to the rest of our digestive system.

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That’s a bunch of body parts that work together
to break down our food

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and turn it into energy for us to live.

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The body parts of the digestive system produce
different substances

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that work together to turn food into energy.

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One of those is called lactase.

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Its job is to break down milk so your body
can use it.

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But sometimes, as we get older, our digestive
system changes a little bit.

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Some grown-ups make less lactase in their
bodies.

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So not all of the milk they drink or the ice
cream they eat gets broken down.

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When that happens, their tummies can get upset.

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[Squeaks squeaks]

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Well, it’s not much fun, I agree.

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But it happens to lots of people.

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And there are treatments that can help those
people enjoy ice cream and milk and cheese!

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So it’s nothing to be scared of.

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Thank you to everybody who sent us questions
today!

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We had lots of fun answering them.

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You can ask a grownup to help you send your
questions to us.

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They can get started at patreon.com/scishowkids.

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And we’ll see you next time on SciShowKids.

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[♪ OUTRO]