Latest Episode
Why Embarrassment Is Actually Good For You - Embarrassment. Awkwardness. Cringe. No matter what you call it. it’s one of the most unique human emotions, and one that’s particularly hard to figure out. But if a feeling exists and has lasted through evolution, then it probably has a purpose!
All Episodes
Season 10 Season 9 Season 8 Season 7 Season 6 Season 5 Season 4 Season 3 Season 2 Season 1
We explore why embarrassment has lasted through evolution and its function.
We are in search of the blackest black things on Earth and why.
Knowing exactly what a “second” is is more complicated than you might think!
The secret is In order to know WHERE you are, you need to first know WHEN you are.
We learn how spider vision works.
Let's learn the story of one of the worst natural disasters that’s ever happened!
We learn about all the reasons that Earth’s climate changes, natural and otherwise.
Turns out, we can blame it all on neutron stars and some oddities of the periodic table.
Join Joe in this whirlwind tour of the endocrine system to find the answers.
Is Everest the tallest mountain on Earth? The answer is not as simple as you might think.
Turns out we’re all at risk of being overconfident about something.
There's an absolutely weird, but surprisingly common phenomenon called sensory adaptation.
Scientists in Florida can recreate a Category 5 hurricane in a box the size of a bedroom.
Are humans still evolving? And how have our technological advances affected the process?
Illusions teach us how our brain constructs a three-dimensional reality using 2-D images.
Joe talks biology with science communicator extraordinaire Prof. Brian Cox.
We explore why animals like whales, elephants, and other large animals not get cancer.
The real magic of mirrors is far stranger and more interesting, as you’re about to learn.
About Be Smart
Be Smart is created and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. We give you deep answers to simple questions about science and the rest of the universe.
Other shows you may enjoy