Why Do Our Noses Stick Out?

[@sunnymishra1057]

Nah , it's for supporting my glasses

[@SciShow]

Ears too...what would we do without all of these protrusions!?

[@kazzz2765]

@@SciShowContact lenses

[@ebonstone2980]

@@SciShowPierce them, apparently.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Just like the reason for the pinkie finger is to help get water out of your ears after swimming. I learned that from a coach who worked at a Boston bar.

[@ItalianRetroGuy]

​@@kazzz2765Contact lenses were invented much later than glasses, it would have hindered us quite a bit. But yours was probably a joking remark anyway. I haven't looked much into monocles but it seems they just stayed on without squinting, so it's possible we would just have had monocles for a long time haha.

[@SciShow]

You can tell how long we've been working on a video by how short Hank's hair is...

[@hypergalacticnoodles]

you stole my comment :(

[@Bluefalcon6154]

Hi sci show love the content

[@crackedemerald4930]

he's looking like you'd mistake him for adam Sandler from the back and you'd turn him around and it's Hank Green.

[@General12th]

​@@hypergalacticnoodlesYou can steal my comment if you want to.

[@SaintBuick]

​​@@stevexracerhave you seen Hank's hair recently? It's not really about cancer, but rather the drastic difference between the haircuts. Like 3-4 months worth of difference. Ah, it's a troll. Thanks Ian.

[@jakefisher-psalm23]

"They're for booping." As a cat owner (and lover), I wholeheartedly agree.

[@jenniferbates2811]

Exactly!

[@meetaverma8372]

I like cats and dogs both, so I double agree

[@adamwishneusky]

Boop the snoot! 😻

[@FlyingDwarfman]

As the parent of an infant, I also agree.

[@thoryne]

"It's snot." - of ALL the puns, this is the one that got me? Amazing.

[@plantyfan]

So you're saying my brain is bigger and smarter because my nose is enormous? 🤣

[@SciShow]

Close enough :-)

[@Cyliandre441]

As another big nosed individual: Our brains are so active they need an extended cooling unit😎

[@yayayayya4731]

I mean, pecker size is correlated with nose size. Soooooooo

[@Bruce1Parsons]

We'll call it a more efficiently cooled brain. 🤥

[@Jokerwolf666]

​@@yayayayya4731especially for woodpeckers

[@spiritandsteel]

That stock footage of someone chewing at 2:44 was one of the most uncomfortable things I’ve ever seen and I can’t explain why

[@Jus10Ed]

Om nom nom.

[@lonestarr1490]

At least they balanced it with stock footage of the second most beautiful woman I've ever seen at 0:18 (the single most beautiful of course remains Ana de Armas).

[@flux.aeterna]

It’s absolutely the tongue

[@livingbeings]

Can hardly wait for the BOOPer reel

[@SciShow]

FANTASTIC

[@believeinpeace]

It heartwarming to see how well you are doing

[@splunge2222]

The answer is - because they are in the scenter of our faces.

[@ghostlyfieldclub2930]

Top tier pun

[@rossmathis8138]

Your dad joke game is on point

[@PutinsFailures]

“The scenter of our faces”… Jesus Christ, take my damn upvote lol

[@blackpanther6389]

Hehe. Nice one.

[@nostalgiaprincess]

🤦🏻‍♀️

[@zoes.4210]

The idea of our heads permanently facing up is quite disturbing, thank you for that image😁

[@la7dfa]

It could be worse, evolution can be disturbing kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZyvnWVunquXfsk

[@Cotfi2]

Not quite Denethor eating a cherry tomato, but yeah.

[@lucidmoses]

When standing up right, it's a good way to keep rain out of your lungs.

[@ChooseJake]

As someone who's nose enters the room before the rest of me I have pondered this very question.

[@thehellyousay]

my beer belly tends to scope out a room before my nose checks for foul odour. i will not comment on which bit comes in third ...

[@trashAndNoStar]

lol reminds me of that chant about Zlatan by opponent supporters, _"His nose is offside…"_

[@tankthomus]

I bet you do a lot of pondering! Bigger the nose, bigger the brain!

[@MaryJane-en7do]

I was trying to sleep but now i have to know.

[@StealthyNinjaAviation]

Why would you be sleeping at 6 PM AST

[@namesurname7332]

@@StealthyNinjaAviation s/he's an Australian owl

[@aadee777]

idk, maybe people live in different time zones smartass@@StealthyNinjaAviation

[@SciShow]

Yesssssss.

[@markyp4459]

You have to nose?

[@adamwishneusky]

Love the use of visuals in this one. I sometimes think scishow videos are just podcast episodes with barely any images

[@pallen2645]

Humans like water more than most primates, and a diet rich in seafood would help support brain growth. Im not arguing for the full "aquatic ape" nonsense here, but a handful of minor adaptations to dabble in shoreline food collection goes a long way toward explaining some odd human morphologues. For the nose, thus would give us down-turned nostrils that would help prevent inhaling water when swimming. Worth noting that another primate with a similar nose, the proboscus monkey, lives on an island chain and swims much more often that most monkeys.

[@glennshanley3343]

The Aquatic Ape theory explains why we have a nose. Nothing said in the video explains why we have a nose, at all. Chimps don't.

[@NotSoMuchFrankly]

I had heard forever ago the speculation that it has to do with being able to handle dry air, whether from the desert or from the cold. A friend in college had played football in a cold place and they were told not to use the mouth when breathing heavily after running. One guy didn't listen and gulped in a lungful and went down in pain.

[@Dr904]

I thought it was because it helps keeping debris and rain out. Having a little roof over our nostrils.

[@undine120]

Which we need because we're more upright, otherwise the forehead would have done it.

[@manguy01]

See, now _that_ makes sense! Although... it doesn't explain why it's so long. And birds don't have this at all, and they're upright.

[@ismaelisaiasramirez]

Hank is a treasure. I'm glad I get to consume more of his content via the podcast.

[@erikarussell1142]

Thank you patreons. You make my favorite channel happen.

[@believeinpeace]

Thanks!

[@craigsimpson7635]

Your hair is growing back the same as before treatment. Beautiful both ways. Seems like you found a cheat code cuz it looks so nice.

[@Saint_Wolf_]

Why do our eyes have a lot of white in them? Most animals have the iris/cornea/pupil that is the size of the whole eye socket.

[@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115]

Eye language, my friend. Besides, its size varies in sexes, just like its surface temperature.

[@SciShow]

Not just that, but the white portion "the sclera" is actually dark-colored in a lot of mammals. We're not 100% why, of course, but it's probably because humans are very smart and very social, so there was an advantage to you in other humans being able to tell what you're looking at! It's one of our weirdest features that we don't notice is weird.

[@kylerBD]

So we can see what each other are looking at, extremely useful in social situations, safety and more importantly, hunting. We are apex predators after all.

[@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115]

@@SciShowWhites and asians have a white sclera while sub-saharian africans have a yellowish one like Gorillas and Chimps.

[@Saint_Wolf_]

@@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115 I read "eye language" and thought you meant I should watch my language lol

[@wyattmaniscalco3090]

I’ve always wondered this so this video came in clutch

[@Atomic_Bubblegum]

It makes me so happy seeing Hank looking healthier again.

[@mrmoshpotato]

Wasn't expecting "honkers." Bravo!

[@lesleyghostdragon3149]

"It'snot" - the kid in me snorted LOLfully 😂

[@pgc6290]

At 0:06 and i like how this suits to be a 2014 and before and 'near 2016 too' video. I love timelessness of stuff lot of the times.

[@JavSusLar]

We are also the only primates to feature a chin. The reason is: biophysics. Quick summary: chewing produces the highest pressure bones have to withstand in all of our body. Bones have to adapt their shape in order to withstand those pressures. So, chewing determines the shape of the face and the skull. Bonus feature: a bigger skull volume. Source: "biomecánica craneofacial" by Luis de la Macorra.

[@MathewSan_]

Great video 👍

[@kimbratton9620]

I love SciShow!!

[@katiemiller8313]

Lucas is the MVP of this video (the writer)

[@DabblinDawn]

I’ve been wondering how our noses evolved. Thanks, Sci Show!

[@YraExalgaSkgs]

Because what human wants to look like Voldemort?

[@killedbydead2953]

Would be normal tho

[@patriciabajcer8930]

PRECISELY!

[@BlackMidalia]

Harry Potter... Come here to die? Avada Kedavra!!

[@killedbydead2953]

@@BlackMidalia i ate him thooo. Delish mummy

[@tw8464]

Thanks for covering this. I was wondering about the whole nose sticking out thing.

[@wolver73]

Very cool! I never would have put those 2 together.

[@txwombat7826]

4:03 ok who else just yawned?

[@istvansipos9940]

great way to co-ordinate our circadian rhythm in the tribe. (my pet hypothesis)

[@aesthetix3398]

Same

[@slwrabbits]

DANG IT

[@lunieplays]

I tried not to but it happened anyway

[@wombat.6652]

Thank you!.....but why did my friend's pet bird yawn just after we did? And vice versa. * A tame love bird.

[@aeonturnip2]

I like this theory, but I'd also heard that it might also have something to do with us having evolved to live in drier environments so needed a longer nasal passage to allow the air to be humidified - apparently the baboon is similar to us in this respect. Contrast this to gorillas, chimps and orangutans who live in more humid areas so have far flatter noses.

[@baurochs2283]

This too

[@deadwalking100]

I had a 👃🏼 for this sort of thing would show up one day . Thank you to patrons and sci show team for explaining something which appears initially simple .....has a far more involved and complex explanation! Thank you all.

[@jarodmasci3445]

I love stock clip of the guy creepily licking his lips.

[@Myrtlecrack]

Good explanation!

[@sebastianschubert7945]

Finally the actual deep questions are answered!

[@hypergalacticnoodles]

we can figure out about when this video was filmed judging by the length of Hank's hair 😅

[@snowballeffect7812]

0:45 hot take, they don't have to smell! no external part of our body should be malodorous for too long. stay hygienic, people!

[@hancocki]

Keep on sniffing out great puns Hank!

[@avaboaudione]

That 'sorry' after the pun was so cute

[@qarljohnson4971]

My favourite evolutionary theory around how humans evolved is the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis (AAH). Which provides so many reasonable explanations as to many of the differences between our great ape cousins. The H. sapiens nose is excellent for diving under water. Also another factor to consider is how folks who live in colder climes appear to have bigger noses than those in the Tropics. So warming air may also be a benefit to big downwards facing noses. The only other primate that shares a similar nose is the Proboscis monkey which is both endowed with a large nose and the ability to swim in the swamps it inhabits in SE Asia.

[@Paranitis]

I feel like that theory is a solution looking for a problem. Like they saw the Proboscis Monkey, which is the only other monkey/ape with a big nose and thought "Well, they swim, and the others don't, therefor our noses are because of water".

[@rickyspanish4792]

You look great Hank!

[@FlesHBoX]

There's a hole at the bottom of the skull There's a hole at the bottom of the skull Oh there's a hole There's a hole There's a hole at the bottom of the skull.

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

Big Mountain Fudgecake everyone.

[@lyndagabriel6539]

I'm a big fan of Scishow and I have a question I'd like Scishow to answer with a video, if possible: with rising winds coupled with wildfires, what is to stop a major fire from destroying a bigger city? I'd hope this would not unlock a new fear for people, but provide some thoughtful information about it. Having just discovered last year that life can be strongly affected even by distance wildfires (breathing clean air became a luxury for weeks), and having recently experienced crazy winds coming out of nowhere, this is a real question. Thanks for considering this.

[@XofHope]

Well equipped firefighters. .. or nothing! I'm Portuguese, 6 years ago half my country burned in a single day. It was mid October and it had been an extremely dry summer. We always get wildfires during summer, but that day the dry weather and wind made it spiral out of control. Whole ancient forests, villages, industrial areas, the whole country turned to hell. Firefighter captains were literally crying on TV because they were powerless to attend all the outbreaks and saw the distruction first hand. What saved the bigger villages and cities? Civilians being on prevention too and putting out any outbreak while still small. We were only saved because the next day it started raining. The smoke from our fires covered London for days. I'm 49 years old and that was the scariest day of my life. Without the rain I have no idea how much worse it could have gotten.

[@lyndagabriel6539]

@@XofHope Thanks, that's terrifying indeed, I'm so glad it wasn't even worse. I worry that when it reaches urban areas, with e-bikes etc all around, flaming battery projectiles get added to multiply the fires. I think that we live reactively, not proactively, and it "can't happen" and isn't planned for, until it does happen. And it has to happen in our own country for it to be real to people.

[@XofHope]

@@lyndagabriel6539 Planning is indeed super important! Because we get wildfires every year, we have nationwide plans... Unfortunately, the Civil Protection/Firefighters communication system wasn't prepared for something that deployed every single one of them. Even with planning sometimes things still fail! Here, the larger the city the less threatened it felt, the way we build, the materials used (we hardly use wood), our experience since the 1775 earthquake followed by a tsunami and then fires that destroyed most of Lisbon, have made cities (especially the more recent constructions) safe enough. If a battery explodes in the city the worst it can get is usually charring the garage walls. But that's why it's important for each country to develop its own strategies according to its own characteristics.

[@lyndagabriel6539]

@@XofHope Planning, yes. But my country (Canada) has a different situation. In 2023, 185 THOUSAND square km burned, and as late as October, about 350 fires were still out of control. Our urban centres are surrounded by masses of fuel. Coupled with that is our low population. If the out-of-control fires get too big and close to a substantial urban centre, I don't have faith that there are effective plans to deal with the (potential) sheer force of it.

[@XofHope]

@@lyndagabriel6539 All I can say is that I can understand your concern, the situation being like that. I hope at least efforts are being made to keep the cities as safe as possible. Each country has to deal with its own specificities. I do hope your worries won't come true.

[@Erik-pu4mj]

0:30 A good question does not need an answer; it need only extend our knowledge and understanding

[@keata1315]

I had to keep rewinding because I refused to believe that "splanchnocranium" was a real thing😂

[@rosyidharyadi7871]

1:52 I'm afraid this picture will give me nightmare tonight. But it never came to my mind before. When talking about human evolution to stand on two legs, people always point out about things like knees or birth process, never about head orientation.

[@outlawbillionairez9780]

Our noses stick out, so our bosses can feel when we're being flattering. 🍑🗿

[@TaLeng2023]

💩👃 💀

[@cortos_9733]

😂 That's great. And it's original too.

[@baruchben-david4196]

I've asked myself many, many questions in my life - but it never once occurred to me to wonder why our noses stick out. So now I'm watching a video to explain the whole thing...

[@ShyGuySpirit]

This is an interesting fact. I would like to see more stuff about the human body in this manner.

[@heronimousbrapson863]

If our noses didn't protrude like they do, how on earth would we be able to stick them in other peoples' business?

[@HunniebeeGames]

I was just wondering this last night, and now a video about it, what!

[@nathanwoodruff9422]

A better question answered would be why our fingers are the exact same size as our nose hole. I mean life would really be difficult if we had to ask someone else with the right finger size to pick our own nose.

[@ismaeldescoings]

Hi! Hair looks good.

[@toddberkely6791]

I wonder how much environmental dust effects how much the nose sticks out. in my dusty spanish town, a lot of migrant kids from africa and south america with flatter noses with larger nostrils always had problems with congestion. if the nostrils are pointing more downwards that horizontal, wouldnt that decrease how much dust enters the nose? more certain is that a larger nasal cavity would stop more dust from entering the throat and lungs. a larger nasal cavity also makes the air we breath more humid and warm, so ethnicities which evolved in dry, dusty or cold environments should have larger noses.

[@fizzrot5904]

I have another couple of theories. Just a factory worker here, and forgive me if I'm not a scientist hehe, but having swam a lot as a kid on the beaches here in Aus.. could the downward direction of our nostrils have helped us hunting for fish? Doing a somersault in the water fills the sinuses up and not fun, but maybe fishing for crabs or shellfish when you duck just under the water, those handy little "upside down cups" might help? Then dust.. or sand. Snow? Being in a sand storm would suck if your nasal cavity were open. I love the vid ty.

[@PhilRounds]

It seems like most of the human nose is composed of cartilage and flesh as opposed to bone. If i were to guess, i'd say that the nose's function is to filter and warm incoming air. Is it possible that as our brains occupied more and more of our skulls that those functions, possibly once performed inside our skulls, were moved to a fleshy protuberance outside of the skull?

[@Hyper_ouo]

i love the countless jokes

[@themement3616]

The reason the background is blue is because Hank doesn't show up on a Greenscreen.

[@faenethlorhalien]

You're not sorry, Hank! YOU'RE IN THE POCKET OF BIG PUN!

[@peanutsans6780]

i looooooove scishow u guys r so cool

[@baurochs2283]

Its mainly for immune system reasons i would say, longer nose means more filter to keep bad stuff out, and everyone who cant fight also aims for the nose where your skeletal structure is the most dense so thats probably an evolutionary trait aswell

[@AI.programming]

I need SM to explain everything, thank you.

[@anyascelticcreations]

My molars are enormous, too. All my teeth are. But my jaw is normal human sized. So they had to take out 9 of my teeth to get them all to fit. My sister's teeth are the same. They widened her jaw instead to make room for her giant chompers. I knew that Neanderthals had giant molars. I didn't realize that Australopithecus did too. Cool!

[@ItalianRetroGuy]

I kinda think that our protruding noses also protect the eyes a little bit. A few times in the past I've had shrapnel strike my nose on an angle and be blocked from entering my eyes. It would also work when slamming your face against something, your nose prevents your face to directly strike flat against the surface and keeps the eyes a little further back, combined with the brow ridge. I imagine this might have had the unintended side effect of preventing our ancestors from going blind during their hunting/fleeing/fighting and allowed them to live to reproduce I understand that this is highly unlikely but it might be part of it? I don't know.

[@mrapistevist]

How else would I hold up my glasses? I need those for computer work!

[@ikebeckman1074]

New headache cure-shove thermal paste up your nose

[@bupekabamba6017]

I can't be the only one that yawned when that guy yawned

[@DrApocalyptus]

I was just thinking about this yesterday

[@Dog_Walk_POV]

I’ve been a supporter since the beginning.. can we get a video on your wife’s point of view of your knowledge?? So curious what it’s like Married to a genius

[@MartinMMeiss-mj6li]

I don't see why shoving different parts of the splanchnochranium around should have enlarged our nose. Indeed, the argument presented is that the human splanchnocranium got SMALLER, yet the nose cartilages got BIGGER compared to the homologous ones in large apes. And wouldn't whatever embryological growth restrictions keep our lower face and jaw from extending outward very likely apply equally to the schnoze, unless there was some good reason why it should protrude? Also, I believe that sensory-motor brain function is sufficiently well mapped that they could make pretty good estimates of how much of an increase was required to maintain upright posture, and don't forget, little Lucy, Australopithicus afarensis, was also a habitual upright walker. Sounds like time for more brainstorming....

[@DoctorX17]

BOOP DA SNOOT

[@kcnmsepognln]

Cyrano de Bergerac says "Hi!" (or should that be "Bonjour!").

[@southron_d1349]

Out of all the topics, you had to pick this one.

[@anuvardhank.n3337]

It's not just that the nose is sticking out. It's also about the position of our nostrils. My theory is that as we are the running primates our particular nose shape helps in foreign particles or insects doesn't enter as easily while running.

[@AXKfUN9m]

The hot nose sign refers to increased perfusion in the nasal region on nuclear medicine cerebral perfusion studies in the setting of brain death. The absent or reduced flow in the internal carotid arteries is thought to lead to increased flow within the external carotid arteries and subsequent increased perfusion in the nasal region.

[@marcusrattray1158]

@SciShow I always thought that our noses are convergently evolved for the same reason for big olfactory chambers in grazers in desserts and tundras. Hominids first started to evolve around the global climate shift away from rainforest toward savanna and desserts. Ice age and Sahara expansion would mean dryer air. I thought our noses first protrude to compensate for Africa's and Asia's desserts which we would have to cross for first hominid migrations out of Africa. I theorize that wide noses appeared first to condition arid air without much moisture loss. Then more pointy noses may have evolved later in cold climates with greater internal surface area for heating cold air while inhaling. I wounder, do other apes' noses drip snot like ours do in dusty or cold conditions? Is there also a link with the evolution of buts/ ankles/ running too (linked to same climate transition too and coevolved)? Do our noses also allow a faster air flow rate for rapid breaths (associated with running and physical activity during more active persistence-hunting lifestyle)?

[@StarCrusher.]

So I can catch it ! *grabs your nose*

[@ballen1569]

I'm ready for my final form.

[@ICUPJordie]

i love you my precious hankypoo

[@LilReaper1010]

My hot brain blood is telling me to go back to sleep

[@samwisegamgee6532]

Why do our nose sticks out is asking a man with … glasses. Obviously our ears and noses have evolved their shape as an adaptation to glasses. Humans have access to glasses, other animals don’t. A classical and obvious example of adaptation to environment.

[@bennyfactor]

trick or treat, smell my feet, hank on noses sci show, neat

[@bankerdave888]

For the sunglasses to sit on, silly!

[@yesbabyyes3627]

So that's why Voldemort was always looking at the sky...

[@MarkSparks-xd9yy]

my mother in laws jaw must have moved way way back

[@killmimes]

The answer is....to better smell what the rock is cooking.

[@hoi-polloi1863]

Well, he *did* mention the transition to cooked foods! Amazing that this happened long enough in the past to be a factor in our physical evolution!

[@quickzach]

When I was very young, my underdeveloped mind had the genius idea to remove the object obstructing my vision. I tried to cut my own nose off with a pair of scissors. I ??fortunately?? botched the attempt. I do however have a smiling scar on my upper lip to this day. It taught me an important lesson at a young age to love and respect every aspect of my body, no matter how annoying some "features" are.

[@patrickmccurry1563]

I will never buy that yawning theory. I do not yawn more when hot. I yawn when exposed to bright light, and when tired, not when hot.

[@EtzEchad]

There is a theory that we once were a semi-auquadic species. We evolved to live in the surf of the ocean. This not only explains our streamlined nose, but many other features, such as our long hair on top and nowhere else, the streamlined hair patterns over our body, our layer of blubber under the skin, and the breath-holding reflex that babies have. It even explains why we love the beach even today.

[@ethanorbock1063]

Ya know what they say "if your feet smell and your nose runs, your built upside down."

[@ResortDog]

Parallel evolution of similar species has been found over and over in the same niche. No missing links yet.

[@savannah7375]

to *boop*

[@ElvsNando]

Gotta love the puns

[@4G12]

Interestingly, Skynet also uses the "nose holes" of it's T-800 humanoid Terminators as cooling vents.