Be Smart
Why NASA Punched an Asteroid
New ReviewWhere did life come from? It’s one of the biggest questions humans have ever asked — and the answer might be locked in ancient space rocks that were around before life began. To find out, NASA pulled off one of its most ambitious...
Be Smart
Space is Full of Junk. Here’s How to Clean It Up…
New ReviewWe know pollution is a problem on earth, but we’re filling space with our junk too. And if we don’t figure out a way to clean up space junk, we could end our interstellar dreams before they even get started. Today, we’re visiting some...
Be Smart
Why the 2024 Solar Eclipse is Such a Big Deal
New ReviewOn April 8, 2024, the Moon’s shadow will fall on Earth, creating a total solar eclipse across North America, and if you have the chance to see it, you don’t want to miss it. It’s an amazing coincidence that total eclipses happen at all —...
Be Smart
Computers Can Predict When You're Going to Die… Here's How
New ReviewPredictive analytics uses math and historical data to make predictions about the future. It’s used in commerce, sports, politics, social media and tons of other places. And as it turns out, people have been using math to predict people’s...
Be Smart
The Real (Weird) Way We See Numbers
New ReviewWould it surprise you to learn that fish and birds count in pretty much the same way that we do? And that infants can do math? Our animal brains deal with quantities in very specific ways, from quick counts of a few dots to how we...
Be Smart
Why Trees Look Like Rivers and Also Blood Vessels and Also Lightning…
New ReviewWhy do the same, self-repeating patterns appear in trees, rivers, lightning, and even our bodies? Is there some essential, hidden rule of nature that makes these intricate designs appear all over the place? Let’s talk about fractals.
Be Smart
Why You See Faces in Things
New ReviewHave you ever looked at a cloud and seen a face? Or the front of a car and seen a face? Or an electrical outlet and seen a face? You definitely have. We all see faces everywhere we look thanks to a fun quirk of the human brain called...
Be Smart
The Sun is Not the Center of the Solar System
New ReviewDespite what you may have heard or learned in school, the sun is NOT in fact the center of the solar system. And it won’t be until 2027… But this being a science channel, you might be thinking “What the heck is this guy talking about? Of...
Be Smart
Why Do We Hate Certain Sounds
New ReviewEver wonder why certain sounds make us cringe or even feel sick? Join Joe as he reacts to some of the most hated sounds, from nails on a chalkboard to the infamous "moist," and explores the science of why these sounds are so unbearable...
Be Smart
The Paradox of Voting
New ReviewPolitical scientist Don Green joins Joe to figure out the complex psychological and social factors that motivate us to vote - or not to. They discuss how and why this decision making process may be in conflict with certain scientific...
Be Smart
Why Don’t Humans Hibernate?
New ReviewNature has had to come up with some crazy ways to survive harsh winters. But none are weirder than hibernation. Turns out there is more than one kind of hibernation, and studying all these ways that life slows down in the cold might help...
Be Smart
Camouflage Isn't What It Appears To Be
New ReviewCamouflage is nature’s ultimate game of hide-and-seek, and the secret to winning this game is all in the brain. By studying the masters of disguise, we can see how they trick the brain to make themselves invisible — and what this can...
Be Smart
How Scientists Cracked the Secret To Making Diamonds
New ReviewFor centuries, diamonds were one of the most mysterious materials on Earth. They were beautiful, indestructible, and completely unexplained. Today, we’re exploring how scientists unlocked their secrets, and how one lab recreates the...
Be Smart
Why Useless Knowledge Can Be So Useful
New ReviewOur lizard friend the Gila monster probably has no idea that a chemical in its spit inspired one of the most important medical advancements of the 21st century. But this story is really about something bigger. Something deeper, beneath...
Be Smart
What Synesthesia Feels Like
New ReviewDid you know some people 'see' letters in color or 'taste' music? In this video, we’ll talk about synesthesia, how it works in the brain, and why some people experience these fascinating sensory connections while most of us don’t.
Be Smart
The Weird Science That Lets Insects Fly in the Rain
New ReviewImagine the scale of raindrops if you were the size of a small bird. Or mosquito. Flying through a drizzle should be deadly! Like flying through falling cars and boulders. And yet it’s not, because nature has given them a...
Be Smart
What’s Inside the Oldest Rocks in the World?
New ReviewThe oldest rocks on Earth are more than just ancient—they’re time machines, holding clues to Earth’s missing history and revealing what happened in the unknown times after the Big Bang. We’ll work with our Adam and Joss from Howtown to...
Be Smart
Will Earth Run Out of Oxygen
New ReviewPlants eat sunlight and air to make life. But the key enzyme behind it all, called RuBisCO, isn’t actually all that great at its job. Let’s talk about how photosynthesis really works, why oxygen isn’t coming from where you think, and...
Be Smart
Why Are Blood Types a Thing?
New ReviewAcross life on Earth, blood comes in red, blue, green, purple, even clear. But why? And what makes your blood different from mine? This video will teach you everything you need to know about the strange world of blood—what it does, why...
Be Smart
When the CIA Spied on Planet Earth
New ReviewIn 1995, a few years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a top-secret, first-of-its-kind US spy satellite program was declassified, leading to the unexpected story of how former enemies would become scientific allies, and technology...
Be Smart
Can a Billion Oysters Save New York City?
New ReviewWhen people picture New York City they see skyscrapers, subways, and a concrete jungle. But the Big Apple is really a seaside city built on an archipelago. In the wake of a century of industrial pollution and climate change-fueled...
Be Smart
I Don’t Know How to Feel About 2023
New Review2023 was a wild year with everything from scorching temperatures to massive wildfires. Even with more renewable energy than ever, 2023’s climate data still seems really bad. So how should we think about climate change today? And what can...
Be Smart
The Surprising Power of Sex in Evolution
New ReviewWe all know Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, right? Natural selection? But what about his lesser-know theory of evolution: sexual selection. Let’s talk about how animals like peacocks, whose eye-catching physical traits make them...
Be Smart
How Feathered Dinosaurs Accidentally Invented Flight
New ReviewHow did dinosaurs become birds—and what good is half a wing? Join Joe and a few brave chickens as they recreate a brilliant experiment that helps solve one of evolution’s greatest mysteries: the origin of feathered flight.