What are truffles, and why are they so expensive? - Carolyn Beans
AdultsAgricultureBiologyEconomyFood... Dig into the truffle’s unique and mysterious biology to find out what makes them so rare and the limitations of farming them.
The Drug To Master Reality
AdultsBiologyHealthPsychologySociety... From study sessions to dance floors, amphetamines can feel like a shortcut to superhuman focus and energy. Why do they work so well? What happens to your body once you take them? And what toll does it take on your health?
All dogs, explained
AdultsAnimalsBiology The canine family is a hugely diverse group of foxes, wolves, and –yes– doggos that have spread all over the world. MinuteEarth explains who they are and how they’re related.
Platypuses Aren't Weird, You Are
AdultsAnimalsBiology Look, we all think platypuses are weird. Just one look at these beaver-tailed, egg-laying, duck-billed weirdos makes you wonder how we're even both mammals.
The Problem with Antivenom
AdultsBiologyHealth Venomous snakes kill nearly 100,000 people a year. Which is weird, because we have a pretty effective treatment for venomous snake bites; it’s actually been around for more than a hundred years. So why are so many people still dying?
When Your Body Attacks Itself – Autoimmune
AdultsBiologyHealth What happens when the immune system meant to protect you becomes your worst enemy?
No one really knows what a tree is - Max G. Levy
AdultsBiologyNaturePlantsScience... Dig into the system that helps scientists distinguish trees from other varieties of plants, and what characteristics make a tree.
Why Your Brain Blinds You For 2 Hours Every Day
AdultsBiologyHealthNeuroscience Reality is not real. Your world is a prediction. Every sight, sound, and touch you experience is the result of calculations your brain makes before reality even reaches you.
Pollen Is Not Plant Sperm
AdultsBiologyNature Plant pollen is everywhere in springtime, but because it is so small, you probably don't know that what is making you sneeze is a living, breathing, mobile version of the plant that forms half of the it's entire bizarre life cycle.
The Real Reason Why You Have Allergies
AdultsBiologyHealthHuman Allergies are more than just overreactions – they might be an evolutionary relic from a time when worms invaded our bodies daily.
The Radium Worked Until His Jaw Fell Off
AdultsBiologyHistoryScience We'd like to thank Luciteria for the loan of the element samples and the display in today’s episode.
What Happens When Predators Disappear?
AdultsBiologyEcologyScience A world without predators. It sounds like a safer, happier world, but come on, this is SCIENCE…
The real reason polio is so dangerous
AdultsHealthHistoryHumanBiologyScience... Explore what makes polio so dangerous, what is causing the 21st century resurgence of cases, and how we can eradicate the disease.
Why Do Butterflies Bother Being Caterpillars?
AdultsAnimalsLifeNatureEvolutionBiology... It seems wild that some animals basically trade in their bodies for new ones during their lifetime, but it's actually really common – and it makes a lot of sense.
We Only Discovered This 10 Years Ago
AdultsEducationHistoryBiologyEvolutionScience... Most living things on Earth need oxygen to survive, but scientists discovered a species of bacteria that uses oxygen totally differently from every other organism on Earth.
You've Never Heard of the World's Most Common Mineral
AdultsEducationScienceWorkWorldEnergyEnvironmentTechnologyGeologyBiology... The most common substance in the world is literally IN the world. It's a mineral called bridgmanite, and it belongs to a class of minerals (called perovskites) that scientists are trying to use in the next generation of solar panels.
There Is Something Hiding Inside Earth
AdultsEducationScienceBiologySpaceNature... We’ve found a new planet, home to octillions of the most extreme beings living in the most absurd and deadly hellscape. In absolute darkness, crushed by the weight of mountains, starved of oxygen, cooked alive, bathed in acid, salt or radiation.
Groundbreaking chemist defines all of life in 2 words | Lee Cronin
AdultsLifePhilosophyScienceBiology... What is life, really? Despite our scientific advancements, we still don’t really know.