Do You Really Have Two Brains?
AdultsBiologyHumanNeuroscience...Are you a left-brained person or a right-brained person? Spoiler: You're neither. Each of us uses both sides of our brain for most of what we do. But still, there are a number of brain functions that do show lateralization, where they are localized to one side or another. Why is this? And how does it influence our definition of consciousness? People with "split brains" can help us figure it out.
Are you a body with a mind or a mind with a body? - Maryam Alimardani
AdultsPsychologySciencePhilosophy...Our bodies - the physical, biological parts of us - and our minds - the thinking, conscious aspects - have a complicated, tangled relationship. Which one primarily defines you or your self? Are you a body with a mind or a mind with a body? Maryam Alimardani investigates.
Is Reality Real? The Simulation Argument
AdultsHumanSciencePhilosophy...What if we are not creators, but creations?
Myths and Facts About Superintelligent AI
AdultsArtificial IntelligenceScienceTechnologyWe live in an era of self driving cars, autonomous drones, deep learning algorithms, computers that beat humans at chess and go, and so on. So it's natural to ask, will artificial superintelligence replace humans, take our jobs, and destroy human civilization? Or will AI just become tools like regular computers. AI researcher Max Tegmark helps explain the myths and facts about superintelligence, the impending machine takeover, etc.
Is it possible to create a perfect vacuum? - Rolf Landua and Anais Rassat
AdultsScienceTechnologyPhysicsThe universe is bustling with matter and energy. Even in the vast, apparent emptiness of intergalactic space, there's one hydrogen atom per cubic meter. But is there such thing as a total absence of everything? Is it possible to make a completely empty space? Rolf Landua and Anais Rassat explain the science behind vacuums.
This Biomimetic Tech Could Mean Fewer Trips to the Dentist (You're Welcome)
AdultsBiotechnologyHealthScienceA new material inspired by mussels may be the key to fillings and crowns that never break or fall out.
Chocolate's newest color
AdultsCreativityFoodScienceThere's milk, dark, white, and now, ruby chocolate. It's made naturally from ruby cocoa beans and tastes sour.
DNA Doesn't Look Like What You Think!
AdultsBiologyGeneticsScienceBiology textbooks are full of drawings of DNA, but none of those show what DNA actually looks like. Sure, they're good models for understanding how DNA works, but inside of real cells, it's a whole lot more interesting. Learn why we can't look directly at DNA, and find out how DNA is actually packed inside cells.
Most hurricanes that hit the US come from the same exact spot in the world
AdultsEcologyNatureWorld...As Hurricane Irma bears down on the East coast, Floridians may be wondering where all the hurricanes come from, and why they all follow a similar course. In fact, Irma, Harvey, and Jose were all born on the other side of the Atlantic, off the coast of Africa, and the Sahara desert may be to blame.
Why do we dream? - Amy Adkins
AdultsHumanPsychologyScienceIn the 3rd millennium BCE, Mesopotamian kings recorded and interpreted their dreams on wax tablets. In the years since, we haven't paused in our quest to understand why we dream. And while we still don't have any definitive answers, we have some theories. Amy Adkins reveals the top seven reasons why we might dream.
What makes muscles grow? - Jeffrey Siegel
AdultsBiologySportsHealth...We have over 600 muscles in our bodies that help bind us together, hold us up, and help us move. Your muscles also need your constant attention, because the way you treat them on a daily basis determines whether they will wither or grow. Jeffrey Siegel illustrates how a good mix of sleep, nutrition and exercise keep your muscles as big and strong as possible.
The amazing ways plants defend themselves - Valentin Hammoudi
AdultsEcologyNatureScience...Plants are constantly under attack. They face threats ranging from microscopic fungi to small herbivores like caterpillars, up to large herbivores like elephants. But plants are ready, with a whole series of internal and external defenses that make them a less appealing meal - or even a deadly one. Valentin Hammoudi explains some of the fascinating ways that plants defend themselves.
The science of smog - Kim Preshoff
AdultsCitiesGlobal WarmingNature...On July 26, 1943, Los Angeles was blanketed by a thick gas that stung people's eyes and blocked out the Sun. Panicked residents believed their city had been attacked using chemical warfare. But the cloud wasn't an act of war. It was smog. So what is this thick gray haze actually made of? And why does it affect some cities and not others? Kim Preshoff details the science behind smog.
Will the ocean ever run out of fish? - Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Jennifer Jacquet
AdultsAnimalsNatureWorld...When most people think of fishing, we imagine relaxing in a boat and patiently reeling in the day's catch. But modern industrial fishing -- the kind that stocks our grocery shelves -- looks more like warfare. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Jennifer Jacquet explain overfishing and its effects on ecosystems, food security, jobs, economies, and coastal cultures.
When is water safe to drink? - Mia Nacamulli
AdultsEcologyHealthScience...Water is refreshing, hydrating, and invaluable to your survival. But clean water remains a precious and often scarce commodity - there are nearly 800 million people who still don't have regular access to it. Why is that? And how can you tell whether the water you have access to - whether from a tap or otherwise - is drinkable? Mia Nacamulli examines water contamination and treatment.
Will we ever be able to teleport? - Sajan Saini
AdultsScienceTechnologyFuture...Is teleportation possible? Could a baseball transform into something like a radio wave, travel through buildings, bounce around corners, and change back into a baseball? Oddly enough, thanks to quantum mechanics, the answer might actually be yes... sort of! Sajan Saini explains.
Lasers Are Great, But Diamond Superlasers Are Better, Here's Why
AdultsNatureScienceTechnologyScientists have discovered how to create a real life 'superlaser' using an ultra-pure diamond. How exactly does it work?2