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Explain It Like I’m Smart

40 episodes

Even the smartest people benefit from more context. These experts are here to provide just that.

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All Episodes (40)

An ufo flying over a forest.

Why haven’t we found aliens? A physicist shares the most popular theories

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13 min

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An older man pondering with his hand on his chin, contemplating effective altruism.

What is effective altruism? Philosopher Peter Singer explains

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8 min

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A drawing of a human brain depicting the red section, symbolizing anxiety.

Anxiety evolved to help us — what went wrong? A neuroscientist explains.

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8 min

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A sparkler with the word orgasm on it.

A sex educator explains orgasms (plus an exercise for expanded pleasure)

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11 min

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A snake is sitting on top of a dollar bill.

Why fraud still thrives on Wall Street

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8 min

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with

Kelly Richmond Pope

a clock that is in the middle of a circle.

The science of super longevity

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7 min

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the cover of a magazine with a picture of a man's face.

Why high-ranking leaders should be psych tested

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6 min

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a pink computer keyboard with the word sex spelled on it.

How porn f*cked our minds

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6 min

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a man sitting in a box with a plant in it.

The friendship recession

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8 min

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Harvard professor explains Bayes’ rule

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5 min

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Master divergent and convergent thinking

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5 min

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The physics of time, entropy, and death

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5 min

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Sabine Hossenfelder

The neuroscience of loving music

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8 min

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Michael Spitzer

The mind-bending physics of time

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8 min

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Only high performers pass this kind of job interview

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4 min

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Sun Tzu: 4 battle principles for business leaders

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8 min

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How dirty debaters win against better opponents

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5 min

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The 3 dimensions of secrets: What are you hiding and why?

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7 min

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Michael Slepian

Why your brain thinks you’re Matt Damon

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4 min

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How psychedelics work

Why psychedelics change your reality

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6 min

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Matthew W. Johnson

war technology

Google’s secret “Project Maven”: Evil—or moral?

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Metaverse games

Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite: The world’s future superpowers?

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Are drugs really frying your brain?

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5 min

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Umwelt: The hidden sensory world of animals

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Our ancient ancestors weren’t jacked. They were energy savers.

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4 min

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with

Daniel Lieberman

exercise myths

Harvard professor debunks the biggest exercise myths

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Daniel Lieberman

toxic work culture

Toxic work culture: Are you in one?

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3 min

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Mind hack: Revive your focus with this 12-minute exercise

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7 min

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How Earth’s 23.4° tilt makes life beautiful

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4 min

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flow state

How ‘flow state’ can treat anxiety and depression

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4 min

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Related

An ufo flying over a forest.

Why haven’t we found aliens? A physicist shares the most popular theories

There are a few theories as to why we’ve never found other intelligent life in our Universe. Physicist Brian Cox walks us through them.

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13 min

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with

An older man pondering with his hand on his chin, contemplating effective altruism.

What is effective altruism? Philosopher Peter Singer explains

Effective altruism isn’t just for the rich. Philosopher Peter Singer shares how we can all be better at doing “good.”

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8 min

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Two spiral galaxies in space.

When neutron stars collide

NASA’s Michelle Thaller explains what happens when the densest stars in the galaxy collide.

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5 min

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Michelle Thaller

A man in a suit is pointing his finger at a yellow background, referencing string theory.

Einstein failed to solve the Universe. Here’s what it would take to succeed. | Michio Kaku

If Einstein couldn’t solve the theory of everything, could anyone? Physicist Michio Kaku explains what it would take.

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6 min

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A man in a blue shirt with his hands outstretched.

A Harvard career coach’s “unspoken rules” for getting promoted

How do people actually get promoted? According to Harvard career coach Gorick Ng, it’s all about knowing the unspoken rules for success.

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6 min

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