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Why Useless Knowledge Can Be So Useful

Our lizard friend the Gila monster probably has no idea that a chemical in its spit inspired one of the most important medical advancements of the 21st century. But this story is really about something bigger. Something deeper, beneath the surface. About why we do science in the first place. And about what kind of questions are the best ones for scientists to ask.

Season 12 Episode 17 Length 14:35 Premiere: 12/19/24

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Season 12 Episodes

Show Episodes

Show Clips & Previews

What Synesthesia Feels Like

S12 E18 Length 12:28 Premiere Date 12/30/24

Why Useless Knowledge Can Be So Useful

S12 E17 Length 14:35 Premiere Date 12/19/24

How Scientists Cracked the Secret To Making Diamonds

S12 E16 Length 12:15 Premiere Date 11/21/24

Camouflage Isn't What It Appears To Be

S12 E15 Length 11:20 Premiere Date 10/31/24

Why Don’t Humans Hibernate?

S12 E14 Length 11:17 Premiere Date 10/17/24

The Paradox of Voting

S12 E13 Length 12:40 Premiere Date 09/26/24

Why Do We Hate Certain Sounds

S12 E12 Length 16:27 Premiere Date 08/29/24

The Sun is NOT the Center of the Solar System

S12 E11 Length 11:43 Premiere Date 08/11/24

Why You See Faces in Things

S12 E10 Length 10:23 Premiere Date 08/01/24

Why trees look like rivers and also blood vessels and also lightning…

S12 E9 Length 10:00 Premiere Date 07/18/24

The Real (Weird) Way We See Numbers

S12 E8 Length 15:25 Premiere Date 06/20/24

The Surprising Power of Sex in Evolution

S12 E7 Length 08:46 Premiere Date 05/23/24

Computers Can Predict When You're Going to Die… Here's How

S12 E6 Length 12:54 Premiere Date 05/09/24

Can AI Help Us Talk to Whales?

S12 E5 Length 21:33 Premiere Date 04/21/24

Measuring the Universe With a 14-Billion Light-Year Ruler

S12 E4 Length 10:40 Premiere Date 04/10/24

Why the 2024 Solar Eclipse is Such a Big Deal

S12 E3 Length 15:17 Premiere Date 03/07/24

Space is Full of Junk. Here’s How to Clean It Up…

S12 E2 Length 12:09 Premiere Date 02/15/24

Why NASA Punched an Asteroid

S12 E1 Length 14:28 Premiere Date 01/25/24

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