S2018 E1 • How Atom Bombs Can Uncover Forged Art

It’s been estimated that 1 in 10 works of fine art are forged or misattributed. The truth is, no one really knows how much fake art is out there, because many art counterfeiters are so skilled that their paintings are almost indistinguishable from the real works. But even counterfeiters can’t beat physics! From atomic bomb remnants to ancient atoms, here’s some of the amazing ways that science can detect fake art.

Première diffusion : 2 janvier 2018

S2018 E2 • Why Is Blue So Rare In Nature?

Among living things, the color blue is oddly rare. Blue rocks, blue sky, blue water, sure. But blue animals? They are few and far between. And the ones that do make blue? They make it in some very strange and special ways compared to other colors. In this video, we’ll look at some very cool butterflies to help us learn how living things make blue, and why this beautiful hue is so rare in nature.

Première diffusion : 9 janvier 2018

S2018 E3 • How to Figure Out the Day of the Week For Any Day Ever

You might think that computers are the only things that run algorithms, but you’re wrong. Here’s a neat mental trick for calculating the day of the week for any day ever, developed by famous mathematician John H. Conway

Première diffusion : 16 janvier 2018

S2018 E4 • The Most Extreme Life Forms On Earth… And Beyond?

What have we learned from exploring Earth’s harshest locations? That pretty everywhere we look for life, we find it. From smoking hot hydrothermal vents to icy deserts, up in clouds and inside rocks, extremophiles have found a way to survive. These survivors and adapters are not only teaching us about life on Earth, but expanding the possibilities of where life can exist elsewhere.

Première diffusion : 30 janvier 2018

S2018 E5 • Tuatara All The Way Down – Face To Face With A Living Fossil!

Your now is not your forever (unless you’re a tuatara) During the 2017 Project For Awesome livestream, I promised I’d make a tuatara video if we hit our fundraising goal, and I’m a man of my word! Little did I know I’d get to meet a tuatara and learn things about a 200 million year old branch of life that would blow my mind. Get ready to meet the chillest reptile, weird living fossil, and star of Turtles All The Way Down… the tuatara.

Première diffusion : 7 février 2018

S2018 E6 • Defusing the Population Bomb

Is overpopulation real? Is Earth filling up with too many humans? How many people can Earth hold, anyway? As our species approaches 8 billion, human overpopulation is a major concern for many people. How can we reduce poverty and our impact on the environment? Do we need a forced one-child policy or something? Maybe not, because when we look at the science and history, populations seem to control themselves. This week we look at all these questions and more.

Première diffusion : 13 février 2018

S2018 E7 • Why Are There As Many Males As Females?

In almost every animal species on Earth, equal numbers of males and females are conceived. Why is that? Especially in populations like lions or elephant seals, where most males don’t get to mate? That’s survival of the laziest, not survival of the fittest. It turns out that in most cases, an equal balance of the sexes is the evolutionary stable strategy. From Charles Darwin to Ronald Fisher to W.D. Hamilton to Richard Dawkins, the question of why there’s as many males as females has fascinated biologists. Today, we’ll explain why that is the way it is.

Première diffusion : 22 février 2018

S2018 E8 • Could You Be Immune To Everything?

Do you remember having a cold in 5th grade? Or the flu a couple years ago? Your immune system does. Our bodies hold many levels of immune defense.Physical barriers like skin, the innate immune system, and our body’s most powerful defender, the adaptive immune system. Millions of B cells and T cells and antibodies are constantly on patrol for germs and antigen invaders. As scientists learn more about how this system works and how to engineer it, could we ever actually be immune to everything?

Première diffusion : 7 mars 2018

S2018 E9 • Can You Bend Light Like This?

The other day I got bored and noticed this weird thing happened when I held my finger up to my eye, so I had to science it and figure it out! Let me know if you try these light-bending experiments too, especially that last one that I can’t quite explain yet…

Première diffusion : 3 avril 2018

S2018 E10 • Where Did Life Come From?

The origin of life is one of the most important mysteries in all of science. When did life begin? How did life first evolve from chemistry? Where did life get started? In some primordial soup or somewhere else? Let’s journey back to the origin of life, as best as we know it, from the RNA world do the last universal common ancestor of everything alive today.

Première diffusion : 11 avril 2018

S2018 E11 • 97% of Climate Scientists Really Do Agree

Do 97% of climate scientists really agree that humans are the main cause of climate change? Yep! Here’s what the 97 percent statistic *really* means.

Première diffusion : 19 avril 2018

S2018 E12 • What If You Never Forgot Anything?

How does memory work? And how does… un-memory work? Our brain does a lot of remembering and forgetting every day, so you should probably make room for som info on how it works. You’ll also get to meet some people who can’t make memories, and also never forget anything.

Première diffusion : 1 mai 2018

S2018 E13 • Why Do We Itch?

It’s one of the most annoying sensations our bodies can feel, but does anything feel better than when you scratch an itch? Ok, maybe *some* things. But itching and scratching are up there. How does this weird sensation work? And what is itching for?

Première diffusion : 8 mai 2018

S2018 E14 • The Deadpool Salamander

Axolotls are special salamanders. Not only to they stay in their juvenile form their whole lives, they can regenerate entire limbs! Studying how they do it could change the way we treat human limb injuries.

Première diffusion : 15 mai 2018

S2018 E15 • The Cosmic Origins of Earth's Water

Why is Earth is a blue planet? Because it’s covered in water! Where did Earth’s water come from? Of course, water isn’t unique to our planet. The origin of water traces beyond the solar system to the earliest days of the universe. Here’s the story of the galaxy’s H2O.

Première diffusion : 22 mai 2018

S2018 E16 • Why Does This Wolf Have A Pouch?

Until the early 20th century, Tasmania was home to a very weird wolf-like creature. Except that it wasn’t a wolf. Even though it looked like a wolf. How did that happen? Here’s the science of convergent evolution!

Première diffusion : 5 juin 2018

S2018 E17 • What’s The Hottest Hot and Coldest Cold?

The hottest and coldest temperatures in our universe are rarely witnessed, but in these rare spots, our understanding of physics is challenged. Weird things happen at extreme hot and absolute cold.

Première diffusion : 12 juin 2018

S2018 E18 • Which Life Form REALLY Dominates Earth?

Are humans really Earth’s most dominant species? Let’s put all of the planet’s living things on a scale and see what has amassed the most mass. This week we break down the concept of “biomass” to judge Earth’s living things from top to bottom, and see how humans have changed the world.

Première diffusion : 20 juin 2018

S2018 E19 • It's Okay to Fart

Farting is hilarious and gross and everyone is doing it so why can’t we talk about the science of it?! Flatulence, passing gas, cutting the cheese, toots… whatever you call it, it's natural and here's how it works.

Première diffusion : 26 juin 2018

S2018 E20 • The Surprising Reason We Eat Spicy Food

People who live near the equator use more spices per recipe than people who live far from the equator. But that isn't for the reason you think. Spices and other plant ingredients have special powers that make them a truly magical superfood!

Première diffusion : 10 juillet 2018

S2018 E21 • The Only Animal That Weeps

Why do we cry? It’s weird. Humans leak water out of their faces when they get sad. Are we the only animals that do this? What does it mean? What is it for? Here’s the science of human tears!

Première diffusion : 17 juillet 2018

S2018 E22 • 3 Incredible Examples of Evolution Hidden In Your Body

Humans are special, and we got that way thanks to evolution and natural selection. The proof is right there in our bodies! From anatomy to genes, here are some stories of how you got to be the way you are.

Première diffusion : 24 juillet 2018

S2018 E23 • Why Do Disney Princesses All Look Like Babies?

I noticed something weird about Disney Princesses lately. Naturally, I had to examine it through the lens of science. The answer led me to new knowledge about human development, the domestication and taming of animals, and why we find things cute in the first place. You’ll never look at cartoons the same way again.

Première diffusion : 7 août 2018

S2018 E24 • How Some Words Get Forgetted

English is a confusing language for many reasons. But the irregular verbs might be the most confusing part. Why is “told” the past tense of “tell” but “smold” isn’t the past tense of “smell”? It turns out that the study of irregular verbs can teach us a lot about how languages evolve. This week, we look at how the era of Big Data is unlocking secrets behind the weirdness of words.

Première diffusion : 14 août 2018

S2018 E25 • How Habits are Formed

You have the power to change your brain!

Première diffusion : 28 août 2018

S2018 E26 • Will You Still Eat Raw Fish After Watching This Video?

Have you ever noticed that warning about raw or undercooked seafood at the bottom of restaurant menus? Ever wondered why it’s there? Because fish carry a ton of parasites, and if they aren’t prepared correctly then those parasites can make it into your body. But it turns out, this fishy intersection with the wild world of parasites can teach us a lot about how these moochers help keep ecosystems healthy, and why we should protect them.

Première diffusion : 11 septembre 2018

S2018 E27 • Is Height All In Our Genes?

I’m tall. Most of the people in my family are tall. Does that mean my son will be tall? Turns out the inheritance of height is a lot more complicated than we thought. Scientists know that nature (genes) and nurture (environment) both play a role, but after more than a century of questions, we’re only just now starting to get some answers.

Première diffusion : 18 septembre 2018

S2018 E28 • What Do Raindrops Really Look Like?

What do raindrops look like? Exactly how we drew them as kids, right? Wrong! Teardrop-shaped rain is physically impossible. This week I went inside a vertical wind tunnel to bring you the true shape of rain.

Première diffusion : 25 septembre 2018

S2018 E29 • Where Do Teeth Come From?

Teeth. We’ve all got ‘em (most of us, anyway). But how do they grow? Teeth are made from some biological nanotechnology that will blow your mind. They are strong enough to last hundreds of millions of years. Oh, and if you’ve ever wondered how adult teeth replace your baby teeth, get ready to see something terrifying.

Première diffusion : 9 octobre 2018

S2018 E30 • The Largest River On Earth Is In The Sky

What’s the largest river on Earth? If you said “the Amazon”… you’re only half right. Scientists have discovered an even bigger river in South America, and it’s in the sky above the Amazon rainforest. Turns out, this sky river is the reason there’s a rainforest at all…

Première diffusion : 23 octobre 2018

S2018 E31 • The Deadliest Flu Season in History?

The flu might feel like some minor illness that you don’t need to worry about much, but tens of thousands of people still die from it every year. And back in 1918, Flu killed up to 5% of the world’s population. Could a flu that bad happen again?

Première diffusion : 31 octobre 2018

S2018 E32 • What is Farthest Away?

The edge of everything used to be the edge of the map. But now, thanks to what we know about astrophysics and the universe, the edge of everything might not even exist…

Première diffusion : 6 novembre 2018

S2018 E33 • The Dinosaur On Your Thanksgiving Table

Eating turkey this holiday season? Chowing down on a roast chicken? You’re eating a dinosaur! Entertain your family and friends with a little science lesson this year, and show them why bird bones tell us that birds are actually living dinosaurs.

Première diffusion : 15 novembre 2018

S2018 E34 • Can We Get Older Without Aging?

Nothing is guaranteed in life except death, taxes, and entropy. What do other life forms have to teach us about staying alive as we get old, and will we ever conquer death?

Première diffusion : 21 novembre 2018

S2018 E35 • The Raisin Bran Effect

AKA "The Brazil Nut Effect" but brazil nuts are blah The bottom of the cereal box is a disappointing place. But at least now you know why. Where do you see the Brazil Nut Effect around you?

Première diffusion : 30 novembre 2018

S2018 E36 • Does Someone Else Have Your Face?

They say everyone has a doppelgänger, but is that really true? This week we meet a young woman who found her own look-alike, and figure out how we actually recognize faces.

Première diffusion : 14 décembre 2018

S2018 E37 • Do Fish Pee?

You know you’ve wondered. Do fish actually pee? And what does that make the ocean… one big toilet?

Première diffusion : 27 décembre 2018