The Cheerios Effect episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 1, 2026 · 7 MIN

The Cheerios Effect

from Be Smart. · host Joe Hanson

Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Who knew there was so much science in a bowl of cereal? Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Ever notice how cereal clumps up in your bowl, or how cereal sticks to the edges of the bowl? Bubbles in beverages do the same thing.You've probably seen this surface tension and buoyancy at work, but did you know there's some mind-blowing science behind it? What we learn in our cereal bowl even connects to the lives of tiny insects that walk on water. SOURCES/EXTRAS: Vella, Dominic, and L. Mahadevan. "The “cheerios effect”." American journal of physics 73.9 (2005): 817-825. Gao, Xuefeng, and Lei Jiang. "Biophysics: water-repellent legs of water striders." Nature 432.7013 (2004): 36-36. Bush, John WM, and David L. Hu. "Walking on water: biolocomotion at the interface." Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 38 (2006): 339-369. John Bush: Interfacial Locomotion http://math.mit.edu/~bush/?p=998 ----------- FOLLOW US: Merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter: @okaytobesmart @DrJoeHanson Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Instagram: @DrJoeHanson Snapchat: YoDrJoe ----------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Director: Joe Nicolosi Writer: Sarah Keartes Editor/animator: Andrew Orsak Producer: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Who knew there was so much science in a bowl of cereal? Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Ever notice how cereal clumps up in your bowl, or how cereal sticks to the edges of the bowl? Bubbles in beverages do the same thing.You've probably seen this surface tension and buoyancy at work, but did you know there's some mind-blowing science behind it? What we learn in our cereal bowl even connects to the lives of tiny insects that walk on water. SOURCES/EXTRAS: Vella, Dominic, and L. Mahadevan. "The “cheerios effect”." American journal of physics 73.9 (2005): 817-825. Gao, Xuefeng, and Lei Jiang. "Biophysics: water-repellent legs of water striders." Nature 432.7013 (2004): 36-36. Bush, John WM, and David L. Hu. "Walking on water: biolocomotion at the interface." Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 38 (2006): 339-369. John Bush: Interfacial Locomotion http://math.mit.edu/~bush/?p=998 ----------- FOLLOW US: Merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter: @okaytobesmart @DrJoeHanson Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Instagram: @DrJoeHanson Snapchat: YoDrJoe ----------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Director: Joe Nicolosi Writer: Sarah Keartes Editor/animator: Andrew Orsak Producer: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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This episode is 7 minutes long.

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This episode was published on July 1, 2026.

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Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Who knew there was so much science in a bowl of cereal? Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ...

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