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It's Okay to Be Smart
Why Useless Knowledge Can Be So Useful
Season 12
Episode 17
Our lizard friend the Gila monster probably has no idea that a chemical in its spit inspired one of the most important medical advancements of the 21st century. But this story is really about something bigger. Something deeper, beneath the surface. About why we do science in the first place. And about what kind of questions are the best ones for scientists to ask.
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18:10
A huge part of our identities, emotions, and our lives get tied up...Why is that?
10:57
X is everywhere and it’s probably thanks to math. But why is x the symbol for the unknown?
17:34
What’s the most average thing in the universe? We’re on a mission to find it.
17:48
New ideas come from chance events and unexpected connections involved in working together.
11:18
Our universe locked incredible secrets in a code written in rainbows.
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.