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Be Smart

How Thomas Jefferson Saved America With a Dead Moose

Season 3 Episode 34 | 6m 00s

America’s first great science battle wasn’t the space race or the atom bomb, it was fought between Thomas Jefferson, a French nobleman, and in the middle… a giant moose. Some people call Jefferson our only scientist-President, and T.J. himself said that “Nature intended me for the tranquil pursuits of science, by rendering them my supreme delight.”

Aired: 06/28/15
Extras
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Joe visits a flavor lab to uncover how our senses shape our taste.
Episode: S13 E16 | 19:50
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Here is the REAL science about "alpha males."
Episode: S13 E15 | 20:05
Watch • 22:36
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Inside the Vault Where They Keep the Dinosaur Apocalypse
How did the mass extinction of the dinosaurs play out, moment by moment?
Episode: S13 E14 | 22:36
Watch • 12:37
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Think traits like eye color or tongue-rolling are simple genetics? Think again.
Episode: S13 E13 | 12:37
Watch • 11:08
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Why is the Martian sky red by day… but blue at sunset?
Episode: S13 E12 | 11:08
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Be Smart about Autism
Is autism really on the rise—or are we just recognizing it more?
Episode: S13 E11 | 36:47
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Seedless fruits are delicious, convenient… and completely unnatural.
Episode: S13 E10 | 14:51
Watch • 21:13
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What does randomness really mean? And why your digital life depend on it?
Episode: S13 E9 | 21:13
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Episode: S13 E8 | 16:20
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Watch • 14:52
Be Smart
The Intelligence Test Where Ants Beat Humans
How thousands of tiny brains, obeying simple rules, solve problems no individual can understand.
Episode: S13 E17 | 14:52
Watch • 19:50
Be Smart
Everything I Thought I Knew About Flavor Was Wrong
Joe visits a flavor lab to uncover how our senses shape our taste.
Episode: S13 E16 | 19:50
Watch • 20:05
Be Smart
The Scientific Lie That Damaged Generations of Men
Here is the REAL science about "alpha males."
Episode: S13 E15 | 20:05
Watch • 22:36
Be Smart
Inside the Vault Where They Keep the Dinosaur Apocalypse
How did the mass extinction of the dinosaurs play out, moment by moment?
Episode: S13 E14 | 22:36
Watch • 12:37
Be Smart
(Almost) Everything You Learned About Genetics Is Wrong
Think traits like eye color or tongue-rolling are simple genetics? Think again.
Episode: S13 E13 | 12:37
Watch • 11:08
Be Smart
Mars Used to Be Blue... Then Something Happened
Why is the Martian sky red by day… but blue at sunset?
Episode: S13 E12 | 11:08
Watch • 36:47
Be Smart
Be Smart about Autism
Is autism really on the rise—or are we just recognizing it more?
Episode: S13 E11 | 36:47
Watch • 14:51
Be Smart
Why Seedless Fruit Is a Disaster Waiting To Happen
Seedless fruits are delicious, convenient… and completely unnatural.
Episode: S13 E10 | 14:51
Watch • 21:13
Be Smart
The Randomness Crisis Threatening the Internet
What does randomness really mean? And why your digital life depend on it?
Episode: S13 E9 | 21:13
Watch • 16:20
Be Smart
Blood Types Are Weirder Than You Think
Why do we have different blood types? And why do we have blood at all?
Episode: S13 E8 | 16:20