Hey there, Smarty Pants. It's time once again for SmartEQ, the show where I, the trusty narrator, answer questions from you, the Smarty Pants.

Today, we've got some super fun questions about cats, candy, shark teeth, crying, and the Speedy Blue video game legend, Sonic the Hedgehog.

I can't wait to get smarted.

Here we go. Our first question comes from Smarty fan Mia in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who asks,

Why do cats have whiskers? Great question, Mia.

Those whiskers on a cat's face aren't just fancy decorations. They're actually super important

tools that help them. You see, a cat's whiskers are actually very sensitive hairs connected

to special nerve endings under the skin. This means a cat's whiskers can detect tiny changes in the air around them.

For example, when a kitty walks towards a narrow space, its whiskers can brush against the sides

and tell it whether it can fit through the opening or not. In fact, a cat's whiskers are usually

about as wide as its body. Whiskers also help cats hunt. They can sense small movements in the air

caused by nearby animals, which helps the cat locate prey even in the dark. So while they may look

cute and twitchy, whiskers are actually one of a cat's most powerful sensory tools. Okay,

our next question comes from a smarty pants who is inspired by some sour patch kids candy she got on Halloween.

My smarty friend Arley asks, can something be so sour that it can hurt you?

Another excellent question.

Sour foods taste sour because they contain acids.

For example, lemons contain citric acid, and many sour candies contain special food-safe

acids that give them their super-sour punch. Normally, these acids are mild and perfectly safe to

eat in small amounts, but if something is extremely sour, or if you eat a lot of it very quickly,

the acids can irritate your mouth.

That's why sour candy can sometimes make your tongue feel tingly, sensitive, or even a little sore afterward.

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