Learn about your body’s electromagnetic field; why you probably never learned that ancient Greek and Roman statues used to be brightly colored; and the surprising trick to a winning pep talk.
Learn about new insights into the Chesapeake Bay impact crater, which was created by America’s largest asteroid impact; why birds sing; and why your bruises change colors while they heal.
Learn about the Johari window, a method to get to know yourself better; why sibling rivalry can actually be a good thing; and why there’s no center of the universe.
Learn about why there could be planets even more habitable than Earth; an online class that boosted grades by changing students’ beliefs; and why optimism may lead to better sleep.
Learn about how some plants may have a sense of sight. Then, learn about how emoji reflect cultural differences around the world, in the final edition of our “Hashtag Tuesdays” mini-series with internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch.
Learn about why scientists measured how hard babies kick in the womb; the difference in brain scans between people when they were reading a book versus listening to a podcast; and how long humans have thought farts were funny.
Learn about why using your phone during a break is a bad idea; why we roll our eyes; and how the material values scale can help you measure your materialism so you can see how much you’re influenced by consumer culture.
Learn why inattentional blindness makes you miss what’s right in front of you. Then, learn from author Dana Thomas about the environmental costs of “fast fashion” and what you can do to help.
Learn about whether taking a bath actually gets you clean; “dark DNA,” the genetic code that should be there, but isn’t; and why married couples used to sleep in twin beds.
Learn about how 3D printing could shape the future of fashion, from best-selling author Dana Thomas. You’ll also learn about the difference between THC and CBD when it comes to cannabis; and, why the smartest people in the room are often the quietest.
Learn about a genetic mutation that makes people need less sleep; a lost, sunken continent at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean called Zealandia; and why the word “like” is not just a lazy language filler.
Learn about why it’s okay to put play before work; a surprising reason why pirates may have worn eyepatches; and how life bounced back surprisingly quickly after the asteroid killed the dinosaurs.
Learn about whether hurricanes with female names are deadlier than those with male names; research into why so many different cultures see the same things in constellations; and, animals besides lab rats that are essential to science.
Learn why puppies really do love your “who’s a good boy?” voice. You’ll also learn about small changes you can make in your daily routine to help us clean up the world’s oceans, with help from special guest Will McCallum.
Learn about why political parties may arrive at their positions by pure chance, with some help from opinion cascades; why the Great Oxygenation Event led to a bigger die-off than the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs; and, whether infrared and ultraviolet light show up in rainbows.