Back to Show
It's Okay to Be Smart
How Did X Become the Unknown (and so much else)?
Season 11
Episode 17
Despite being one of the rarest letters in English, the letter X is everywhere. We sign letters with it, we rate movies with it, we name all sorts of things after it. We’re kind of obsessed with it. And that’s probably all thanks to math, where x stands for the unknown. But how x took on this role is a bit of an unknown itself, and the theories that are out there are truly bizarre.
Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Support Provided By

16:00
Just how big would a telescope need to be to actually see an alien world in detail?

26:19
Dire wolves are back—sort of.

16:53
The key enzyme behind photosynthesis isn’t actually all that great at its job.

16:40
The oldest rocks on Earth are more than just ancient—they’re time machines!

17:11
This is one of the weirdest mysteries of human evolution: Why do we have grandmas?

12:28
Why do some people taste music or hear colors? Let’s talk about synesthesia.

14:35
How a chemical in lizard spit inspired one of the most important medical advancements.

12:15
These diamond makers create one of the most amazing materials on Earth — from dead people.

11:20
Learn nature’s ultimate game of hide-and-seek, and the way to win this game is all in the brain.

11:17
Nature has had to come up with some crazy ways to survive winter. None are weirder than hibernation.

12:40
Political scientist Don Green joins Joe to figure out the complex psychological and social factors t

16:27
Why do certain sounds make some of us so upset?!