0:00:06 > 0:00:08# If you've got a question and you don't know where to go
0:00:08 > 0:00:11# Ask Nina for some help Cos she's got a science show
0:00:11 > 0:00:15# She makes sense of her senses While helping all her fans
0:00:15 > 0:00:17# By doing her experiments with potions and with bangs
0:00:17 > 0:00:19- # Touch your tongue - Tongue!
0:00:19 > 0:00:20- # Fingers - Fingers!
0:00:20 > 0:00:23- # Eyes.- Eyes! - Ears.- Ears!- Nose.- Nose!
0:00:23 > 0:00:27# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know
0:00:27 > 0:00:30# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know
0:00:30 > 0:00:32# Luke, he helps us with our eyes and Felix with our touch
0:00:32 > 0:00:35# Ollie sniffs out smells And Belle, she hears so much
0:00:35 > 0:00:38# Bud is Ollie's brother He helps us with our taste
0:00:38 > 0:00:41# They're Nina's little neurons And they're coming to your place!
0:00:41 > 0:00:43- # Touch your tongue - Tongue!
0:00:43 > 0:00:44- # Fingers - Fingers!
0:00:44 > 0:00:48- # Eyes.- Eyes! - Ears.- Ears!- Nose.- Nose!
0:00:48 > 0:00:50# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know
0:00:50 > 0:00:53# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know
0:00:53 > 0:00:54# Oh, yeah! #
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Oh, hello there. I'm just going to pour myself
0:01:00 > 0:01:02a glass of lovely fresh water.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Being a scientist is thirsty work, you know!
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Oh! The water has carried the ice cubes with it.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Quite noisy, aren't they?
0:01:11 > 0:01:13Clink, clink, clink!
0:01:13 > 0:01:15BEEPING
0:01:15 > 0:01:20I hear a beep, I see a flash. I wonder what they're going to ask?
0:01:23 > 0:01:26- ALL: Hi, Nina!- Hi, guys!
0:01:26 > 0:01:31- We've got a question for you, Nina. - Why is the sea so salty?
0:01:31 > 0:01:34That's a great question. Why is the sea so salty?
0:01:34 > 0:01:38I love swimming in the sea. But I've never thought about
0:01:38 > 0:01:41why the water is salty. Come down to my lab
0:01:41 > 0:01:44and we'll do some experiments to investigate.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49- ALL: See you soon, Nina! Bye!- Bye!
0:01:49 > 0:01:53I'm going to need some help to answer this one
0:01:53 > 0:01:58and I know just who to ask. OK, Neurons, time to get to work!
0:02:12 > 0:02:14ALL: Neurons at the ready, Nina.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18OK. Today's question is, "Why is the sea so salty?"
0:02:18 > 0:02:23Which neuron will be most useful in helping us find the answer?
0:02:23 > 0:02:24ALL: Me! Me! Me!
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Will it be fabulous Felix?
0:02:27 > 0:02:31I can help so very much if you need the sense of touch.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Will it be beautiful Belle?
0:02:33 > 0:02:35I send messages from brain to ear.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38If there's a sound, I'll help you hear.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Will it be lovely Luke?
0:02:40 > 0:02:42By looking or seeing, day or night,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45I'll help you with your sense of sight.
0:02:45 > 0:02:46Will it be awesome Ollie?
0:02:46 > 0:02:49If it's pongy or whiffy but you can't tell,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53- my messages help your sense of smell. - Or will it be baby Bud?
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Sour, salty, bitter or sweet,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59I'm your taste buddy whenever you eat.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04- It's Bud!- Yippee! - CHEERING
0:03:04 > 0:03:08ALL: Go, Bud! Go, Bud!
0:03:08 > 0:03:11ALL: Go, Bud!
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Give me a taste of the action, Nin!
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Today's question is, "Why is the sea so salty?"
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Now, salty is something we taste, so Bud will be helping me today.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26But stand by, Neurons, I might be needing help from all of you.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31Right, I better get the lab ready before the experimenters arrive!
0:03:31 > 0:03:37Ruan likes blueberries, Lydia loves skipping and Olivia likes reading,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40but they all want to know why the sea is so salty.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42So today, for one day only,
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Ruan, Lydia and Olivia become the experimenters!
0:03:46 > 0:03:50- Hi, Nina!- Oh, welcome to my lab. Come in!
0:03:50 > 0:03:53It's lovely to see you all.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57So, your question is, "Why is the sea so salty?",
0:03:57 > 0:04:01which is a great question. But why do you want to know?
0:04:01 > 0:04:06We live by the sea. When we play in it, it tastes salty.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08And we want to know why.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Oh, you're so lucky to live by the sea!
0:04:11 > 0:04:14And you're right - sea water is salty!
0:04:14 > 0:04:18So I think we need to do some investigating to find out more.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22For our first experiment, we're going to use our senses!
0:04:22 > 0:04:25ALL: Woo! A senses experiment! We're ready, Nina!
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- OK. Are everyone's hands clean? - ALL: Yes!
0:04:28 > 0:04:32Good stuff - we're all going to need clean hands for this experiment.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35So what do you think salt tastes like?
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Me! Me! I know that one!
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- Hmmm...I don't know.- Salty.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Well, it's definitely not sweet.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Em...it's not bitter.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Or sour. It just tastes...
0:04:48 > 0:04:50salty!
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Thanks, Bud. Describing a taste is tricky, isn't it?
0:04:53 > 0:04:58- Yes.- OK, guys, now I'd like you to take your clean finger
0:04:58 > 0:05:01and dip it into the glass of water.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Have a taste and tell me what it tastes like.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06ALL: Normal.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11It tastes normal! OK. I'm now going to add a little bit of this salt.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14This is just like the salt we use in our food.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19I'll just add a little bit, because too much salt is bad for us.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25Now we're going to stir.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28- Can you see what's happening? - It's disappearing.
0:05:28 > 0:05:35Yeah. In science, we would say that the salt has dissolved.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40It looks like it's disappearing but it's still there.
0:05:40 > 0:05:46OK, dip your fingers into the water again and taste a tiny bit of water.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Eurgh, yuck!
0:05:51 > 0:05:55- What does it taste like now?- Salty. - Salty.- Just like the sea.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Because the salt in our food often comes from the sea.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01We call it sea salt.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Just like the salt in our water,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06we can't see the salt in the sea,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10because it's dissolved in the seawater, but we know it's there
0:06:10 > 0:06:14because we can taste it. Time for another experiment.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18OK, so these all look different.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22But they have something in common. Can you guess what?
0:06:22 > 0:06:27- Salt.- Well done. That's right. They're all types of salt.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31There are many different types of salt,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35but the one we use in our food is the only one we eat.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38We've discovered salt is found in the sea,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41but it can also be found on land.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42Look at this.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46That feels hard and a little sharp.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50This rock is made of salt. It's called rock salt.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54What?! Did Nina say that salt is a rock?!
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Well it's not QUITE true to say that.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00It's what we call a mineral.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04A mineral is made by the natural forces of the earth.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08All plants, animals and people need certain minerals to live.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Salt is one that our bodies need.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15But we mustn't eat too much, as too much is bad for us.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18Let's have a closer look at some salt.
0:07:18 > 0:07:24This is a microscope. It makes small things look much bigger,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28so we can see them better. This is salt, close up.
0:07:28 > 0:07:29What does it look like?
0:07:29 > 0:07:35- A cube.- Squares.- Oh! They're like sugar cubes.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37They are a bit, Felix.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39In science, we call these crystals.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43All minerals are made of crystals.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48We've discovered salt is a mineral, and can be found in rocks on land
0:07:48 > 0:07:50as well as in the sea.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53We still don't know why the sea is so salty.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57I think we need to go somewhere there's lots of water flowing.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Let's go, experimenters!
0:08:03 > 0:08:08Here we go! I can't wait to see where we'll end up today.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Nina said it's somewhere with flowing water.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16Maybe it's a swimming pool with diving boards and fountains!
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Sharpen your senses, Neurons. We're here.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Do you know why I've brought you to this stream?
0:08:27 > 0:08:28ALL: No, Nina.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Take a look and see, see, see what you can see, see, see.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34YES!
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Nina's brought us to the seaside!
0:08:37 > 0:08:41Yes, this stretch of water flows directly into the sea.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45All streams and rivers do eventually. Let's try an experiment.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Ooh, they've got ducks!
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Quack, quack, quack, quack.
0:08:50 > 0:08:55We'll drop our ducks into the stream to see what happens.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57- Are you ready? - ALL: Yeah.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01OK. One...two...three, go!
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Mine is going so far.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06I'm second place!
0:09:08 > 0:09:10Go on, duck!
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Mine is Ducky!
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Oh, look, it's fallen!
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- I'm after Nina! - One's caught in the rock!
0:09:19 > 0:09:21- Come on.- Nina!
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Look!
0:09:27 > 0:09:29Hee-hee-hee!
0:09:42 > 0:09:47- Mine's dirty!- Our ducks made it all the way to the sea! Yay!
0:09:47 > 0:09:51I think our ducks need a rest, so pop them back in the bag.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54- Night, night.- Night, night, Ducky!
0:09:54 > 0:10:00We've found out that rivers and streams on land flow into the sea
0:10:00 > 0:10:04and that moving water can carry things to the sea, like our ducks.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07We still don't know why the sea is so salty.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10- We need to do one final experiment. - THEY CHEER
0:10:10 > 0:10:11Let's go!
0:10:13 > 0:10:17Your question was, why is the sea so salty?
0:10:17 > 0:10:23We've found that salt is a mineral, found on the land and in the sea.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26At the seaside we learned that streams and rivers
0:10:26 > 0:10:29flow into the sea and can carry things with them.
0:10:29 > 0:10:34We still don't know why the sea is so salty. Let's get experimenting.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36- Yeah.- Yes!
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Lots of salt in the sea used to be on land,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41under the earth and in rocks.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44A bit like the one we looked at earlier.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49For this experiment, we'll show how it ended up in the sea.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54Imagine this clear water is the sea a very long time ago.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59This is the rocky land beside the sea and these rocks contain salt.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04For this experiment, we've made the salt blue so we can see it better.
0:11:04 > 0:11:09Now we'll each take a watering can full of clear water
0:11:09 > 0:11:12and pretend to make it rain on the rocks.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16And go.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22That's good.
0:11:22 > 0:11:23Whoo!
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Look at it in the bowl.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Ohh! Wow!
0:11:36 > 0:11:38What's happened to the water?
0:11:38 > 0:11:40It's turned blue.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Yes. The blue stuff is our pretend salt.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48So the water washed all the blue salt down into our pretend sea.
0:11:48 > 0:11:53When it rains, salt on the land dissolves in the rainwater
0:11:53 > 0:11:57and then it's carried to the sea by streams and rivers.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02A bit like the way our ducks were carried to the sea by the stream.
0:12:02 > 0:12:07- What do you notice about the pretend sea water?- It started off clear
0:12:07 > 0:12:09- but it ended up blue.- Yes!
0:12:09 > 0:12:12We know the blue salt ended up in the water -
0:12:12 > 0:12:15it's turned the water blue!
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Of course, in real life, salt doesn't make the sea blue,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20but it does make it salty!
0:12:22 > 0:12:27Your question was, why is the sea so salty? I think we've answered it.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31Salt that was in the earth and on rocks has been washed into the sea
0:12:31 > 0:12:34by rivers and streams over many years,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37making the sea saltier and saltier.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42That's why the sea is so salty. I hope that's answered your question.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45- ALL: Thanks, Nina. Bye. - Bye!
0:12:49 > 0:12:53If you want to know more about the science all around us,
0:12:53 > 0:12:58go to the Nina section on the CBeebies website. Have fun!
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Lab coat on, Nina?
0:13:02 > 0:13:03Lab coat on, Ollie.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Safety gloves on, Nina?
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Safety gloves on, Felix.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Don't forget your goggles, Nina.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13Goggles are on, Luke. I think we're ready!
0:13:15 > 0:13:17# We do experiments in the lab
0:13:17 > 0:13:20- # In the lab! - Shooby-dooby, in the lab
0:13:20 > 0:13:23# Bubbling experiments in the lab
0:13:23 > 0:13:24# In the lab!
0:13:24 > 0:13:26# Go, Nina, in the lab
0:13:26 > 0:13:29# Fizzing and popping Steam and smoke
0:13:29 > 0:13:32# We need protection Don't we, folks?
0:13:32 > 0:13:37# We always put our safety first
0:13:37 > 0:13:39# Shooby-dooby, dooby-dooby
0:13:39 > 0:13:41# We do experiments in the lab
0:13:41 > 0:13:42# In the lab!
0:13:42 > 0:13:43# Go, Nina! #
0:13:43 > 0:13:45I've had a fabby day,
0:13:45 > 0:13:48being Nina's salty taste buddy!
0:13:48 > 0:13:50I've really enjoyed myself today,
0:13:50 > 0:13:54all those salty, seaweed-y smells to waft.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Ahh, it's been such a great day, man!
0:13:57 > 0:14:01The experiment with the blue salt was amazing.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Our day's been bursting with experiments.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06I hope you've enjoyed it. See you soon!
0:14:06 > 0:14:08ALL: Bye!
0:14:08 > 0:14:11E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk