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Everything I Thought I Knew About Flavor Was Wrong

What does flavor really mean? And how does it work? In this episode, Joe visits a flavor chemistry lab to meet a master flavorist and uncover how taste, smell, sound, sight, and memory combine in the brain. Along the way, he learns how flavors are built molecule by molecule—and why identical foods can taste completely different to different people.

Season 13 Episode 16 Length 19:50 Premiere: 01/15/26

Recent Episodes

The Intelligence Test Where Ants Beat Humans

S13 E17 Length 14:52 Premiere Date 02/05/26

Everything I Thought I Knew About Flavor Was Wrong

S13 E16 Length 19:50 Premiere Date 01/15/26

The Scientific Lie That Damaged Generations of Men

S13 E15 Length 20:05 Premiere Date 12/18/25

Inside the Vault Where They Keep the Dinosaur Apocalypse

S13 E14 Length 22:36 Premiere Date 12/04/25

Mars Used to Be Blue... Then Something Happened

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Season 13 Episodes

Show Episodes

Show Clips & Previews

The Intelligence Test Where Ants Beat Humans

S13 E17 Length 14:52 Premiere Date 02/05/26

Everything I Thought I Knew About Flavor Was Wrong

S13 E16 Length 19:50 Premiere Date 01/15/26

The Scientific Lie That Damaged Generations of Men

S13 E15 Length 20:05 Premiere Date 12/18/25

Inside the Vault Where They Keep the Dinosaur Apocalypse

S13 E14 Length 22:36 Premiere Date 12/04/25

Mars Used to Be Blue... Then Something Happened

S13 E12 Length 11:08 Premiere Date 10/23/25

Be Smart about Autism

S13 E11 Length 36:47 Premiere Date 10/02/25

Why Seedless Fruit Is a Disaster Waiting To Happen

S13 E10 Length 14:51 Premiere Date 08/21/25

The Randomness Crisis Threatening the Internet

S13 E9 Length 21:13 Premiere Date 07/31/25

Blood Types Are Weirder Than You Think

S13 E8 Length 16:20 Premiere Date 07/10/25

How Feathered Dinosaurs Accidentally Invented Flight

S13 E7 Length 16:18 Premiere Date 06/19/25

What Could We See with a Planet-Sized Telescope?

S13 E6 Length 16:00 Premiere Date 05/27/25

The Argument for De-Extinction: Explained

S13 E5 Length 26:19 Premiere Date 05/08/25

Will Earth Run Out of Oxygen

S13 E4 Length 16:53 Premiere Date 04/24/25

What’s Inside the Oldest Rocks in the World?

S13 E3 Length 16:40 Premiere Date 03/31/25

Why Your Grandma Is an Evolutionary Mystery

S13 E2 Length 17:11 Premiere Date 03/21/25

The Weird Science That Lets Insects Fly in the RainThe Weird Science That Lets Insects Fly in the Rain

S13 E1 Length 11:06 Premiere Date 02/21/25

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