Experiment Shows That All Of Us Are Naturally Altruistic
AdultsHumanPhilosophySociety...Put to work at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, Alan Alda finds out how children will help, and like it, while chimps are less inclined to offer enthusiastic assistance.
How optical illusions trick your brain
AdultsVisual DesignSciencePsychology...Optical illusions are images that seem to trick our minds into seeing something different from what they actually are. But how do they work? Nathan S. Jacobs walks us through a few common optical illusions and explains what these tricks of the eye can tell us about how our brains assemble visual information into the 3D world we see around us.
Productivity Future Vision
AdultsFutureProductivityTechnology...How could emerging technology transform the way get things done 5-10 years in the future? Watch Kat, a young independent marine biologist, and Lola, a corporate executive, work together in a highly interconnected and information rich future.
The Science of Heartbreak
AdultsRelationshipsSciencePsychology...Why is a 'broken heart' so painful?
Why Vaccines Work
AdultsHealthHistoryScience...As more and more parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children or are vaccinating them later, diseases like measles are making a comeback. Are vaccines safe? How do they work? This week we look at why are people afraid of something that has saved so many lives, and look at the history and science of vaccines.
If superpowers were real: Super speed
AdultsHumanPhysicsScience...What if super speed wasn't just the stuff of epic comic book stories? Is it scientifically possible to be super speedy? In this series, Joy Lin tackles six superpowers and reveals just how scientifically realistic they can be to us mere mortals.
Why is yawning contagious? - Claudia Aguirre
AdultsHumanSciencePsychology...*Yaaawwwwwn* Did just reading the word make you feel like yawning yourself? Known as contagious yawning, the reasons behind this phenomenon have been attributed to both the physiological and psychological. It's been observed in children as young as four and even in dogs! Claudia Aguirre visits the many intriguing theories that might explain contagious yawning.
Why are my ears ringing?
AdultsHealthScienceNeuroscience...A weekly show where we endeavor to answer one of your big questions. This week, Emma R. asks, "Why do I get that weird ringing noise in my ears?"
How tsunamis work - Alex Gendler
AdultsNatureWorldScience...The immense swell of a tsunami can grow up to 100 feet, hitting speeds over 500 mph -- a treacherous combination for anyone or anything in its path. Alex Gendler details the causes of these towering terrors and explains how scientists are seeking to reduce their destruction in the future.
Exploring other dimensions - Alex Rosenthal and George Zaidan
AdultsPhysicsScienceBooks...Imagine a two-dimensional world -- you, your friends, everything is 2D. In his 1884 novella, Edwin Abbott invented this world and called it Flatland. Alex Rosenthal and George Zaidan take the premise of Flatland one dimension further, imploring us to consider how we would see dimensions different from our own and why the exploration just may be worth it.
What is Deja Vu?!
AdultsMental HealthScienceNeuroscience...Most of us have felt it before, that strange sensation that you've been somewhere or seen something before, as if you already remembered what's happening. Are you psychic? Nope, that's just deja vu. Why does deja vu happen? Well, scientists aren't completely sure, but they've got a few good theories about it.