Spit: Everything You Never Wanted To Know

Warning: May contain the “m-word”…
↓ More info and sources below ↓

References/further reading:

“Gulp” by Mary Roach: A great read about the odd science of the digestive system

Carpenter, Guy H. "The secretion, components, and properties of saliva."Annual review of food science and technology 4 (2013): 267-276.

Perry, George H., et al. "Diet and the evolution of human amylase gene copy number variation." Nature genetics 39.10 (2007): 1256-1260.

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It’s Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
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[loudrockacdc]

Saliva is protein? So will constantly swallowing my saliva lead to gainz?

[besmart]

Spit. Saliva. Drool. Whatever you call it, it's weird stuff. But when you consider all the cool stuff it does, from being the first step of our digestive system to keeping our mouths free from dangerous bacteria, it becomes almost mouth-wateringly interesting.

[Kram]

I really don't get what the problem with "moist" is.

[swillas]

I don't understand why people hate the word moist, I, in fact, love it!

[illdie]

I actually love the word moist. It's so unique and satisfying to hear.

[FreaackyFreaky]

when I watched this my mouth produced more saliva

[perspective]

Can I just say that I really appreciate the captions here. So many science channels don't bother with the captions which can leave people out of the learning!

[TheMasonX]

Finally found some real "spit facts" after Michael teased the concept...

[stockingsstuffer]

So, what's that feeling you get when you eat something that has an overbearing flavor note (eating something really sour, or sweet for the first time in a while) and that area in front of your jaw hinge suddenly hurts really bad?

[finisherofwar]

You didn't talk about how licking wounds helps them heal.

[ShadowElementGod]

A guy walks into a bar and orders a drink. After a few more he needs to go to the can.

He doesn't want anyone to steal his drink so he puts a sign on it saying, "I spat in this beer, do not drink!".

After a few minutes he returns and there is another sign next to his beer saying, "So did I!"

[selvizhisubramanian]

why did I read the title as

spit everything you wanted to know? 😂😂😂

[fezii]

Who else felt like there was more saliva in their mouths while watching this video?

[sadickess]

Can you make a video about corals' territorial wars? The subject really interests me and I'd love it if you made a video about it!

[Adyot.R]

This channel just keeps getting better and better!

[Aeturnalis]

2:55 When I was younger and used to party a lot, I made the mistake of going to bed without brushing my teeth (more specifically, I blacked out in my friend's back yard). The next day, I had the worst breath imaginable, and a cavity. After a few days of pain, I finally went to the dentist to get it filled. I can't say specifically that it was from that one day of not brushing, but that's the only cavity I've ever had, so that's the connection I make. If you only brush your teeth once a day, do it before sleeping!

[jrrtt]

the editing, jokes, and audio was great in this video. really important when the topic is so unpalatable to most viewers lol great video as always, and insightful. thanks Joe!

[najee_eee]

Then why do we drool in our sleep if we make less spite in our sleep

[mandah]

I can't believe no one is talking about the Idiocracy reference. "Glucose, it's what cells crave"🤣🤣🤣

[Aarontlondon]

I don't know why, but I've fallen for you Joe