Up Next
Back to Show
It's Okay to Be Smart
How Thomas Jefferson Saved America With a Dead Moose
Season 3
Episode 34
America’s first great science battle wasn’t the space race or the atom bomb, it was fought between Thomas Jefferson, a French nobleman, and in the middle a giant moose. Some people call Jefferson our only scientist-President, and T.J. himself said that “Nature intended me for the tranquil pursuits of science, by rendering them my supreme delight.”
Support Provided By
14:51
Seedless fruits are delicious, convenient… and completely unnatural.
21:13
What does randomness really mean? And why your digital life depend on it?
16:20
Why do we have different blood types? And why do we have blood at all?
16:18
How did dinosaurs become birds—and what good is half a wing?
16:00
Just how big would a telescope need to be to actually see an alien world in detail?
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.