Self-Driving Cars, Edible Worms & Medical Service Dogs | FULL EPISODE | S4

0:03 Hi, I'm Miranda [music] Cosgrove and this is Mission Unstoppable.

0:08 Coming up, these students don't need

0:10 a license [music] to drive, just a computer.

0:13 Learn how they code self-driving cars.

0:15 [music] Have you ever wanted a superpower?

0:18 Find out if you could be a supertaster.

0:21 Not all food tastes the same [music] to every human.

0:23 And it's colorful, it's gummy, it's a worm.

0:27 We're going to make some colorful little worms in this bowl.

0:30 See how algae can create edible [music] gummies.

0:33 Then, these pups may look like they're having fun, but they're on the job.

0:37 These dogs love [music] to work and keep busy.

0:39 Learn all about the science behind medical service [music] dogs.

0:44 Get ready to meet the scientists, inventors,

0:46 and heroes who help make our world a better place.

0:50 The future is here.

0:52 The mission unstoppable.

0:58 Give a girl some code and she'll be like,

1:00 "What are all these weird numbers?" But teach a girl

1:02 [music] to code and she'll eat for a lifetime.

1:06 Or something like that.

1:07 I don't actually teach [music] coding.

1:09 But you know who does?

1:10 Tabitha Berger.

1:13 A good teacher knows [music] how

1:14 to break complex subjects down for their students.

1:17 Things like mathematical radicals,

1:20 the infinite expansion [music] of the universe,

1:24 or how static electricity can put the power of lightning

1:27 in your fingertips might not make sense [music] at first glance,

1:31 but dedicated educators tailor their lessons

1:34 to their students' abilities and interests.

1:37 Something computer [music] science teacher Tabitha Berger knows all too well.

1:42 To me, the best part of my day is [music]

1:44 working with the students and seeing when that light bulb clicks.

1:47 And it's like, "Oh, Ms.

1:48 Berger, look what I can do." Keeping

1:50 her high school students inspired means searching for new,

1:53 [music] innovative lesson plans, which Tabitha does on the Pathfinders Online

1:58 Institute from our sponsor [music] Infosys Foundation USA,

2:02 where she can network with other educators and even create [music]

2:06 coding projects that find computer

2:08 science solutions to today's real-world problems.

2:12 Like if we give students these opportunities [music] to take problems

2:17 in the community or in the world and just ask [music] them their solutions,

2:20 they will truly blow your minds.

2:23 So I headed to the Floyd County School of Innovation

2:26 to see what solutions Tabitha's students are dreaming up.

2:31 Like using drones to fly medical supplies into the vast

2:33 [music] wilds of Kentucky for injured ATV riders.

2:38 If they [music] go out in the on a trail and they get

2:41 hurt or injured and it takes us a while to get to them,

2:44 our students looked at how could we design [music] a carrier to fit

2:47 on the drone so that we can get some emergency supplies to them quickly.

2:51 Another of her classroom's [music]

2:53 real-world applications considering the social

2:56 implications in the artificial [music] intelligence behind self-driving cars.

3:01 They do an activity [music] where they have to decide

3:04 if the brakes were to fail in this driverless car,

3:07 does [music] it hit a barrier or does it hit pedestrians?

3:10 And that's a really eye-opening activity for them.

3:12 It gets them thinking more along the lines of, "So

3:15 [music] how could I how could I prevent that?" The answer,

3:18 of course, is with coding.

3:21 But before they can give the car a complex choice, they have to get it moving.

3:26 They would get a a block of code and I said,

3:29 "Go from this [music] point A to that point B." Okay.

3:32 And they would just map out, "Well,

3:33 I've got to drive forward [music] this many feet." You know,

3:36 get out some measurement tools.

3:37 And then they would do some math.

3:39 Once the wheels are turning,

3:40 students can program the car to react to what it sees in its path.

3:45 How does [music] a self-driving car see?

3:47 With sensors.

3:49 Real self-driving cars are covered in cameras [music] and sensors,

3:53 like radar and ultrasonic detectors,

3:55 gathering data about the car's speed, traffic lights,

3:59 lane lines, and any obstacles or pedestrians nearby.

4:03 [music] This demo car only has one sensor, a camera.

4:09 And what they'll do is code it to see specific colors.

4:13 So they'll go in and they'll put these underneath it and they'll say,

4:15 "This is red, this is blue,

4:16 this is green." [music] And then when they go back to their code,

4:20 they can tell it a conditional statement.

4:22 So if an object exists [music] and that object is red,

4:24 these are the, you know, things you need to do.

4:26 If it's blue, do this.

4:27 Once [music] they've learned how to code it,

4:29 the next thing that they start talking about

4:30 is how is this beneficial to the community?

4:32 How is it giving back?

4:33 [music] So we always talk about how we want technology to be

4:38 a help and not to like [music] just take somebody's job.

4:40 As an engineer and a coder myself,

4:43 I think it's really cool to see that students [music]

4:46 at younger and younger ages are starting to learn how to code.

4:49 This opens up the possibilities for students [music] to see how

4:52 they can take a real-world problem and they can make those solutions.

4:56 Well, your students are lucky to have you.

4:58 Thank you.

4:58 [laughter] And Tabitha feels just as lucky.

5:01 Not only to continue her own education,

5:04 but to be a part of a network inspiring the problem solvers of tomorrow.

5:12 How about ATSF for the next [music] segment?

5:15 That's a little pun.

5:16 You'll figure it out in like 2 seconds once it starts.

5:20 Food, glorious food.

5:22 Food delivers nutrients to keep [music] our organs,

5:24 muscles, and even our brains functioning.

5:26 Without it, we couldn't breathe or blink or move like this.

5:32 Do people still do that?

5:34 But the best part about food is that it also tastes good.

5:38 Well, most of it does.

5:39 No offense to pickled eggs, but uh I'll pass.

5:43 Now that I might be making you hungry,

5:45 I hope you're also thirsty for knowledge because I'm here to spell the STEM tea.

5:57 So how does taste work?

5:59 And who are the supertasters that experience

6:01 food differently than the rest of us?

6:04 Mammals, like you, me, and your dog, [music] taste food using taste buds,

6:09 which are made by teeny tiny cells called taste receptors.

6:13 When we eat, these cells bind onto

6:15 the small molecules in our food related to flavor.

6:19 And the flavors that these cells can detect are sweet,

6:22 salty, bitter, sour, and umami.

6:25 But did you know that not all food tastes the same to every human?

6:30 About 25% of us have up to four times more taste buds [music]

6:34 and thus more taste receptors than the average person.

6:38 These, my friends, are called supertasters.

6:40 [music] And it's kind of like being a superhero,

6:43 but instead of flying, you really get to enjoy dessert.

6:46 At Yale University in the 1990s, a psychologist named Dr.

6:50 Linda Bartoshuk pioneered the study of genetic variation [music] in taste.

6:55 Through her study, Dr.

6:56 Bartoshuk discovered that many people were incredibly sensitive to flavor,

7:00 specifically bitter flavor.

7:02 And she named those people, say it with me, supertasters.

7:06 She also found that 50% of the human population are

7:10 just plain tasters and [music] the other 25% are nontasters.

7:14 But don't be fooled by the term nontaster.

7:16 [music] It doesn't mean they can't taste at all.

7:19 It just means they taste food less [music] intensely, which might sound bad,

7:23 but think of all the spicy food

7:25 that nontasters can eat to impress their friends.

7:27 [music] But we shouldn't let these differences divide us.

7:31 All tasters are beautiful and we're in [music] this together.

7:34 So, you think you might be a supertaster?

7:37 Let's find out.

7:38 Here are some foods that you might find bitter:

7:40 broccoli, grapefruit, and chocolate.

7:43 I'm going to try the chocolate.

7:46 I'll do anything in the name of science.

7:50 So it's not bitter.

7:51 I guess I'm not a supertaster.

7:54 But maybe I have the power of invisibility.

7:55 [music] Did it work?

8:08 We tried to book a real worm for this [music] next segment,

8:11 but once again, the early bird got it.

8:14 Probably should have seen that coming.

8:15 But we do have the next best thing, [music] alginate worms.

8:19 Jackie Means, the STEM Queen, is going to teach us how they're made.

8:24 Science has created computers, [music] taken us to the moon,

8:27 and helps us peer into the microscopic world of atoms and molecules.

8:30 [music] But today, it's helping us make some little worm guys using polymers.

8:43 I'm Jackie [music] Means, the STEM Queen,

8:44 and today we're going to make some colorful little worms in this bowl.

8:47 For this experiment, we're going to use [music] some distilled water, a bowl,

8:52 some calcium chloride powder, sodium alginate powder,

8:56 food dye, [music] and some squeeze bottles.

8:59 Sodium alginate and calcium chloride are both safe to eat,

9:01 but if you use food dye,

9:03 you might want to put on some gloves or put a drop cloth down.

9:06 Sodium alginate can be used as a thickening agent, a gelling agent,

9:09 and an emulsifier in [music] tons of foods like cheese,

9:12 instant noodles, and even ice cream.

9:14 It's also used in pharmaceuticals and medicines.

9:16 It's actually [music] made from brown algae,

9:18 so shout out to brown algae for helping us out today.

9:20 I bet you didn't know that there's brown algae [music] in your cheese.

9:23 I think that makes cheese a seafood.

9:26 Maybe.

9:27 Sodium alginate also forms polymers.

9:29 We'll get into why that's important in just a second.

9:31 So first up, we're going to make our calcium chloride solution.

9:35 I'm going to take my distilled water, add it to our bowl.

9:40 Now I'm going to take my calcium chloride beads

9:43 and take 3/4 tsp, add it to my bowl.

9:49 Now I'm going to take my spoon and just mix it all together.

9:51 [music] And once you don't see any more beads, it's done.

9:54 I'm going to take my sodium alginate solution

9:57 that I made earlier by using distilled water,

9:59 sodium alginate powder, and a little bit of food dye.

10:01 The sodium alginate mixture will form mold if you leave it out,

10:04 so make sure you put it in the refrigerator

10:06 if you're not going to use it right away.

10:07 And all I have to do is mix them together and we'll have a sodium alginate worm.

10:14 Check that out.

10:16 It's so long.

10:21 [music] [laughter] I love these little worms.

10:24 They're so fun.

10:25 They feel so gooey.

10:26 You can make sodium alginate worms in a bunch of different colors,

10:29 literally any color you want.

10:33 Green.

10:34 Slimy, slimy goodness.

10:36 So, what is a polymer?

10:38 A polymer is just a linked-up chain of tiny,

10:40 tiny molecules all grouped together.

10:42 [music] So, the reason why we don't get

10:43 this cool worm just by squeezing our sodium

10:45 alginate mixture out of the bottle is because

10:48 it's just sodium alginate floating around in water.

10:50 But, when you add it to a calcium chloride mixture,

10:53 the calcium chloride causes the sodium alginate

10:55 molecules to link up and form long chains.

10:57 This chain forms a gel, similar to gelatin,

11:00 which is what gives these worms their cool texture.

11:03 The polymers in these worms are technically edible,

11:05 but I just had lunch, so I'm not going to eat them.

11:07 Polymers are incredibly important.

11:09 Polymers from crude oil are used in things

11:11 like our plastics and our synthetic rubber,

11:13 and also our clothing in things like polyester and vinyl.

11:16 Natural polymers exist as well in things like silk and wool,

11:19 and even your DNA is a polymer.

11:22 Are polymers?

11:23 This is a science show, not a grammar show.

11:26 Do you think that brown algae ever thought it would be on TV?

11:34 Just goes to show, [music] you can do anything as long as you try.

11:38 I'm Jackie Means, the Stem Queen, and I'll see you next time.

11:41 Bye.

11:46 Dogs can be trained to sit, stay,

11:48 [music] roll over, and sometimes to alert medical authorities.

11:52 But, how exactly do [music] you train a pet to become a first responder?

11:55 We sent Nabeel to find out.

11:58 Doggos, canines, puppers.

12:02 We have tons [music] of names for our furry little friends.

12:04 But, how about heroes?

12:06 Today, I'm meeting with some [music] real-life dog

12:08 heroes who change people's lives every single day.

12:12 And I get to [music] hang out with an expert who trains them.

12:14 Her name is Christina Billie,

12:16 and she leads a team of trainers here at K9 Partners for Life.

12:19 When I [music] was in college, I joined a club that raised future service dogs.

12:24 My dad was diagnosed with multiple [music] sclerosis,

12:26 so I became very interested in how

12:28 these dogs assist individuals with disabilities [music] like his.

12:32 While I was volunteer puppy raising,

12:34 I was able to meet some of the recipients [music] and their service dogs,

12:38 and I really got to see the huge

12:40 impact that these dogs were making in their lives.

12:43 Today, Christina is going to show me how

12:45 she trains dogs to help patients with mobility issues,

12:49 cardiac conditions, diabetes, [music] and even narcolepsy.

12:53 This intense instruction starts right after birth and involves community

12:57 puppy homes and even socialization at a prison puppy raising program.

13:01 After 14 months of training,

13:03 the young dogs head back to K9 Partners for Life to learn advanced skills.

13:09 Hold.

13:08 Yes.

13:09 Good boy.

13:10 Right now, I'm meeting a graduate of this program, Laurel,

13:14 a cardiac alert service dog here with her owner, Taylor.

13:17 So, what exactly is a cardiac alert service dog?

13:21 Laurel actually can alert to my cardiac issues.

13:23 Her [music] cardiac alerts can prevent me from passing out,

13:27 but they also um allow me to conserve my energy and not

13:31 get nearly as many symptoms as I would if those episodes occurred.

13:34 But, because of her, I sit down, I lay down,

13:37 I rest, and I'm able to go about my day.

13:39 How do you even begin to train a dog [music] to do that?

13:42 Our medical alert dogs,

13:44 they get tested with volunteers who have these conditions,

13:47 [music] and over the course of a few days,

13:49 they can take a look at their behavior changes

13:51 and see if they correlate with an episode that they have.

13:54 All of our dogs [music] are um trained using a rewards-based training program.

13:58 Um so, say we're teaching a skill such as um turning on and off a light,

14:02 we may [music] reward them for something as small as looking

14:05 in the general vicinity of it or moving towards it.

14:09 [music] But, eventually, we will increase our criteria

14:10 and we will withhold rewards until they offer us something [music] more

14:14 and something closer towards that desired goal.

14:16 We do a lot of field trips with our dogs so

14:17 they can [music] generalize and do these skills in real-life situations.

14:22 So, how do dogs sense or [music] smell

14:25 a medical emergency before it's about to happen?

14:28 We have odorous chemical compounds that are present [music]

14:31 in our breath and in our secretions when we sweat,

14:34 and the changes in those chemical compounds can tell

14:36 [music] a lot about what's going on inside somebody's body.

14:38 We know that dogs have about 300 million scent

14:41 receptors compared to only 5 million [music] in humans.

14:44 Wow.

14:45 12% of their brain is dedicated to the interpretation [music] of scent,

14:49 40 times more than the human brain.

14:51 Our dogs are very sensitive to these changes.

14:53 They can detect it at lower thresholds [music] than some medical devices can.

14:57 They have an innate ability to detect these changes and to understand

15:01 that there is something abnormal about it and they need to let somebody know.

15:04 And for some cases, it [music] can be up to 45 minutes beforehand,

15:08 ample time to get somewhere safe so that they can take

15:11 the necessary action to avoid

15:13 something that could be potentially life-threatening.

15:15 Like the check engine light on your car.

15:18 [laughter] It's a really good way of putting it.

15:19 And it also plays along with their instinct.

15:20 These dogs [music] love to work and keep busy,

15:22 so to give them a job is super fun and exciting for them.

15:26 They are with their recipients 24/7.

15:29 Here in the service barn,

15:30 service dogs learn advanced skills to help their humans like opening drawers.

15:35 Touch.

15:37 Push.

15:38 Push.

15:39 Good girl.

15:40 Pretty incredible.

15:41 That's unbelievable.

15:42 They can actually [music] take laundry out

15:43 of the dryer and put it into the basket.

15:46 They can tug the basket down the hallway.

15:48 Wow, I mean, these are really complex tasks, [music] too.

15:52 Our dogs can actually turn on the lights when they enter

15:54 a room and tug open the refrigerator and grab water [music] and juice.

15:58 Hold.

16:00 Yes.

16:01 Push.

16:02 Good girl.

16:04 Wow, Laurel is a very, very special dog.

16:08 It's cool that she's able to help with medical emergencies [music]

16:10 and also just daily life stuff.

16:12 I can understand now how helpful it must be having her around.

16:16 imagine my life without her now.

16:18 I'm just so grateful for K9 Partners for Life,

16:21 all the volunteers, the staff, all the wonderful trainers.

16:24 I mean, [music] they've given me my life back.

16:26 Well, thank you for letting me into your world.

16:28 I had so much fun and I got to meet some real cool dog heroes.

16:32 We are happy to have you.

16:33 Thank you for coming.

16:36 And now, it's time for Oh, wait.

16:39 Let me animate myself.

16:43 Science Minute with Miranda Cosgrove.

16:45 That's me.

16:46 Did you know Saturn [music] didn't always have rings?

16:49 It's true.

16:50 150 million years ago,

16:52 if a Stegosaurus [music] had pointed a telescope into the night sky,

16:55 she would have seen a solar system full of planets

16:58 that look [music] pretty much like they do now, except for one.

17:01 Saturn would have been missing its distinctive accessories,

17:04 [music] and that's because Saturn only got

17:06 its rings about 50 million years later,

17:09 likely when one of Saturn's moons was pulled off course

17:11 by the [music] gravitational tugging of a bigger lunar As a result,

17:15 it came a little too close to Saturn,

17:17 whose own gravitational pull was so strong that it ripped

17:20 the moon apart and shredded it into fine [music] dust.

17:23 Most of the moon debris probably hit the planet,

17:26 but the bits that stayed in orbit

17:28 eventually [music] flattened out into a thin disk,

17:30 giving Saturn that blinged-out look.

17:33 Way to turn an accident into a signature [music] style, Saturn.

17:41 [music] Welcome back.

17:41 Before we go, we have one last thing.

17:44 Just keep learning [music] and investigating your interests,

17:46 and eventually you'll find a career that you're passionate about

17:49 and that you love and enjoy doing every single day.

17:52 Don't be afraid to take [music] that risk.

17:54 Take risks, and you may just find your passion.

17:58 Design your own future.

17:59 Um and computer science gives [music] you

18:01 the skills and the abilities to do that.

18:03 But, I also want to say that to teachers,

18:04 don't be afraid to take those risks in your classroom.

18:06 [music] I did that.

18:08 But, when you take the boundaries off and you step outside the box,

18:12 you can see your kids achieve amazing things and design [music] amazing things.

18:18 And that's it for Mission Unstoppable.

18:21 Maybe next week we'll do [music] a thing on almonds.

18:23 They may seem normal, but when you look into their biology, they're really nuts.

18:28 Bye.

19:07 [music] If you're watching this, you must have really liked the video.

19:11 Make sure you follow and subscribe,

19:13 [music] and check out these other videos that are even better.

19:16 No, really.

19:17 I've seen this one over a hundred [music] times.