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Be Smart

What is Impossible in Evolution?

Season 9 Episode 3 | 19m 29s

Could humans ever evolve to have wings? Why don’t fish have propellers? Why don’t tigers have wheels? Why don’t zebras have laser turrets? These might all seem like stupid questions (and maybe they are!) but they can teach us a lot about how evolution actually works, and how it doesn’t work.

Aired: 03/16/21
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How did the mass extinction of the dinosaurs play out, moment by moment?
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Episode: S13 E13 | 12:37
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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