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It's Okay to Be Smart

Are Some Species More Important Than Others?

We explore the universal rules of life that tie together Earth’s living systems. Traveling from Africa’s Serengeti plains to the nearly extinct prairies of the western U.S. to discover the unexpected species that determine the very existence of these places. Can an ecosystem survive without its keystone species? Can we restore endangered human cultures by bringing back a nearly-extinct ecosystem?

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Season
Why is Puberty so Weird?
10:00
Join Joe in this whirlwind tour of the endocrine system to find the answers.
Why No One Can Agree What’s Really the Tallest Mountain
8:29
Is Everest the tallest mountain on Earth? The answer is not as simple as you might think.
Trying to Land a Plane (to Prove a Point)
17:59
Turns out we’re all at risk of being overconfident about something.
Why You Can’t Smell Yourself?
19:10
There's an absolutely weird, but surprisingly common phenomenon called sensory adaptation.
Making a Hurricane Indoors (For Science)
11:50
Scientists in Florida can recreate a Category 5 hurricane in a box the size of a bedroom.
Are Humans Still Evolving?
10:41
Are humans still evolving? And how have our technological advances affected the process?
How Illusions Can Explain Reality
19:07
Illusions teach us how our brain constructs a three-dimensional reality using 2-D images.
Can Life Really Be Explained By Physics?
22:18
Joe talks biology with science communicator extraordinaire Prof. Brian Cox.
Why Don't Big Animals Get More Cancer?
9:42
We explore why animals like whales, elephants, and other large animals not get cancer.
What’s Actually on the Other Side of a Mirror?
10:16
The real magic of mirrors is far stranger and more interesting, as you’re about to learn.
The Unbelievable Science of How We Read
16:14
We take a look at how amazing the ability to read is.
The Weird Way That Movies Trick Your Brain
17:56
Neuroscientist David Eagleman talks about illusions that make the moving picture possible.
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