Back to Show
It's Okay to Be Smart
Visualizing Herd Immunity
Season 8
Episode 27
Since the start of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the term “herd immunity” has been all over the news. But what does it really mean? One thing most people don’t realize about vaccines is that they aren’t just to protect the person who gets the shot. They also protect the population as a whole, even people who didn’t get the shot. We use mousetraps & ping-pong balls to show you how that works.
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?

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.