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Be Smart

How Poop Shapes the World

Season 5 Episode 30 | 3m 34s

Waste not, want not… right? Poop, in all of its various forms throughout nature, shapes the world in ways you might not imagine. One creature’s waste is another’s fuel, and all over nature these leftovers help new life spring up. Here’s how whales, birds, worms, bats, and more help the world breathe clean, thanks to their poop.

Aired: 08/28/17
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Watch • 10:00
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Why trees look like rivers and also blood vessels and also lightning…
Why do the same, self-repeating patterns appear in trees, rivers, lightning, and even our bodies?
Episode: S12 E9 | 10:00
Watch • 4:13
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You Are An Upside-Down Lobster
Here's why you aren't built like a lobster.
Episode: S2 E39 | 4:13
Watch • 15:25
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Our animal brains deal with quantities in very specific, and fascinating, ways.
Episode: S12 E8 | 15:25
Watch • 8:46
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Have you heard about Charles Darwin's lesser-know theory of evolution: sexual selection?
Episode: S12 E7 | 8:46
Watch • 12:54
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Computers Can Predict When You're Going to Die… Here's How
Can new technologies make death prediction even more accurate?
Episode: S12 E6 | 12:54
Watch • 21:33
Be Smart
Can AI Help Us Talk to Whales?
AI may help us talk to whales soon. But should we?!
Episode: S12 E5 | 21:33
Watch • 10:40
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Measuring the Universe With a 14-Billion Light-Year Ruler
The cosmic distance ladder is the world’s longest ruler, built to measure the universe.
Episode: S12 E4 | 10:40
Watch • 12:09
Be Smart
Space is Full of Junk. Here’s How to Clean It Up…
Learn about the space junk problem and the giant space claw named ClearSpace-1 that might
Episode: S12 E2 | 12:09
Watch • 15:17
Be Smart
Why the 2024 Solar Eclipse is Such a Big Deal
On April 8, North America is getting a total solar eclipse. Here’s what you need to know.
Episode: S12 E3 | 15:17
Watch • 14:28
Be Smart
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These tiny pieces of an ancient asteroid could hold the secret to the origin of life.
Episode: S12 E1 | 14:28