Episode 1: The Racial Wealth Gap
2018-05-2319 min
Cory Booker and others discuss how slavery, housing discrimination and centuries of inequality have compounded to create a racial wealth gap.
Season guide
Explained Season 1 — Episodes and Where to Watch
20 episodes · first aired 2018-05-23
TMDB does not provide a season overview.
Episode guide
Episode 2: Designer DNA
2018-05-2318 min
Scientific feat or terrifying social experiment? Specialists in the field discuss the high stakes and ethical controversies of gene editing.
Episode 3: Monogamy
2018-05-2318 min
What do biology, human history and the promiscuity of bonobos reveal about monogamy? Experts and everyday couples weigh in on shifting cultural norms.
Episode 4: K-Pop
2018-05-3018 min
Elaborate music videos, adoring fans, killer choreography. Learn about the global music phenomenon from South Korea that goes beyond "Gangnam Style."
Episode 5: Cryptocurrency
2018-06-0618 min
Cryptocurrency has made people billionaires, but is digital cash the next revolution? Learn about this anonymous currency and how it's coveted.
Episode 6: Why Diets Fail
2018-06-1318 min
Atkins. Paleo. Keto. Do any work in the long term? Experts look at marketing, food environments and genes to explain why diets are often unsuccessful.
Episode 7: The Stock Market
2018-06-2018 min
Does the stock market accurately reflect the status of the economy? Finance specialists discuss market history, valuations and CEO incentives.
Episode 8: eSports
2018-06-2718 min
Is fake violence a sport? Fans, shoutcasters, and eSports icons break down today's video games and the explosive popularity of competitive gaming.
Episode 9: Extraterrestrial Life
2018-07-0420 min
Despite decades of searching, we have yet to discover extraterrestrial life. Scientists discuss the reasons, including: Are aliens just too snobby?
Episode 10: !
2018-07-1116 min
Do we overuse exclamation points!? Linguists and copy editors look at how the punctuation has adapted across history, literature and internet-speak.
Episode 11: Cricket
2018-07-1815 min
Cricket experts look at how the confusing sport became so popular and discuss its evolution in becoming more accessible entertaining and profitable.
Episode 12: Weed
2018-07-2518 min
Marijuana experts discuss the rise of potent "sexually frustrated" cannabis plants, the quests for consistency in weed strains and the history of hemp.
Episode 13: Tattoo
2018-08-0117 min
They've been used to command respect, punish criminals and mark achievements. Tattooists speak about the origins of tattoo traditions and rituals.
Episode 14: Astrology
2018-08-0817 min
Do zodiac signs prescribe your fate? Or do horoscopes' accuracy lie in the placebo effect? Take a look at the science, history and lure of astrology.
Episode 15: Can We Live Forever ?
2018-08-1514 min
Can we uncover the secrets to extending the human lifespan? Experts discuss how developments in science -- even the French lilac -- hold some clues.
Episode 16: The Female Orgasm
2018-08-2214 min
The female orgasm is more elusive when a man is involved. Discover the reasons why and how women are embracing hands on solutions.
Episode 17: Political Correctness
2018-08-2920 min
Political correctness can sometimes feel like a tug-of-war between inclusivity and free speech. Experts discuss the concepts behind the fraught term.
Episode 18: Why Women Are Paid Less
2018-09-0518 min
Hillary Clinton and Anne-Marie Slaughter discuss the cultural norms at the center of the worldwide gender pay gap, including the "motherhood penalty."
Episode 19: The World's Water Crisis
2018-09-1217 min
The global water crisis is at an inflection point. How do we price our most valuable resource, while also ensuring access to it as a human right?
Episode 20: Music
2018-09-1916 min
When does sound become music? Why are humans so uniquely able to master musicality? Researchers talk rhythm, octaves and the magic of song and dance.
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