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It's Okay to Be Smart
How the Meter Became The Meter
Season 5
Episode 6
The meter is the world’s ultimate measure, but how did it become “the” meter? What is this measurement based on? The story of this revolution in measurement traces its roots to the French Revolution. Scientists decided that an equal and united people should have equal and united measures. So they sent a pair of young astronomers out to measure the world, and invent the meter.

13:54
Butterfly metamorphosis is one of nature’s most magical transformations.

14:03
Scorpions are an evolutionary marvel with venom that could save lives.

14:29
Join me on my visit to the most advanced cultivated meat production facility in the world.

14:03
Life on Earth may have stayed boring and small if it weren’t thanks to one deadly element.

17:58
How the CIA used Cold War technology to study and combat climate change

13:58
The secret physics at the core of every syllable, starting with the first words we speak.

9:56
The glow from faster-than-light particles gives us a unique way to explore the universe.

10:40
A mysterious and highly impactful phenomenon that scientists are still learning about.

9:10
Countershading is everywhere, and it may be nature’s most successful form of camouflage.

12:59
Global warming means more air conditioning…causing more warming 🤦. Could new chemistry he

14:49
How does iridescence work? From rainbow bubbles to beautiful birds, bugs, and gemstones.

11:53
Under house arrest in Egypt, one mathematician transformed how we examine the world.