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Explain This
Episodes
71 episodes
71 - Stem Cells
How come salamanders can regenerate limbs while we can't? Can we use stem cells to regrow organs for transplanting? What is an iPSC and why is it a total gamechanger? When is a human being considered first "alive"?All of this and more in...
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70 - Computers
How does a computer use a bunch of 0s and 1s to show you cat memes? What do 19th-century weaving looms have to do with the "bugs" in modern software? And how do I know what specs to look for if I want a smooth-running computer or phone?T...
69 - Prions
Why shouldn't you eat brains? How are cannibalism and mad cow disease linked? Can Jin say "transmissible spongiform encephalopathy" three times as fast?Let's learn about one of the most terrifying, unstoppable infectious diseases we know...
68 - Monkeysphere
Do you really know all of your Facebook friends? How many people can you know personally? Why does city life feel so isolating? Join Jin as he unpicks Dunbar's Number, the "Monkeysphere," and its fascinating implications for our soc...
67 - Caesarean Section
Why are some babies born through surgery instead of by natural delivery? Is a Caesarean section better for the mum and baby? What is the dark history behind the C-section?Let's explore the miraculous and icky world of how we come into th...
66 - Capitalism
How does our economy work? What does it mean to seize the means of production? How is late stage capitalism ruining my life? And why did so many people lose their jobs in 2008?Jin takes you down the windy rabbit hole of the most prevalen...
65 - Factoids
Did you know.... that many of your fun facts are just plain wrong? Come join us for a spirited session of "well, actually"s and learn about factoids: facts that aren't, in fact, facts!Thorn
64 - Chinese Zodiac
How do you know which Chinese Zodiac animal's year is when? Why is there no Year of the Cat or Year of the Capybara? What's the sexagenary cycle?Let's learn about the Asian counterpart to the Western Zodiac, how it's related to the cale...
63 - Cancer
Why does cancer happen? How come chemotherapy kills cancer but not us? What does my doctor mean when he says I have a "lesion"?We learn all about the emperor of maladies in today's episode, what makes it terrifying, and some of the exci...
62 - Sunscreen
What's the best anti-aging cream available? Which is better - physical or chemical sunscreen? Can you get sunburnt through a glass window? What does SPF even mean?Get ready for the coming summer by Slip Slop Slapping some knowledge abou...
61 - Electricity
What is electricity made up of? How do power plants use magnets to generate electricity? What is the largest machine in the world? How can you make a mountain into a battery?Join us for our first one-hour-plus episode as we cover a lot ...
60 - Literacy
What does it mean to be functionally literate? How does reading help protect you from being manipulated and controlled? Why are books burned and banned in dystopias?Let's delve deep into understanding the sinister social threat of risin...
59 - Antibiotics
What is the REAL story behind penicillin? How do antibiotics treat infections? Should we be worried about superbugs taking over the world?Jin geeks out on one of his favourite medical topics and teaches you about our table-turning super...
58 - Flight
How do you fly in the sky? What do swoll pecs have to do with flying? Is it true that physics says that bumblebees shouldn't be able to fly?We're back from our hiatus with an exciting episode on how planes, birds and bees take to the sk...
57 - Latitude and Longitude
How can you use the Sun, the stars, and time to measure your location on Earth? Why were clocks instrumental in conquering the seas? How can you use shadows and wells to prove that the Earth is round?Today, we learn all about the scienc...
56 - Sepsis
How do infections kill us? What happens when my immune system overreacts? Why is horseshoe crab blood important in medicine?All these questions and more are answered in today's episode, covering the often misunderstoon topic of sepsis. ...
55 - Nuclear Fission
How can you split a supposedly indivisible atom to release a lot of energy? Why was this discovery so controversial in the context of history? What does Einstein have to do with nukes? Are nuclear reactors good or evil?We dive into the ...
54 - Western Zodiac
What can star signs tell me about my personality and love life? (spoiler: nothing.) How did the Zodiac come about? Who is the mysterious, hidden thirteenth Zodiac sign?Let's kick off 2024 not with pseudoscience, but some real astronomic...
53 - Tobacco (and why you shouldn't smoke)
Why do smokers live 10-18 years fewer on average than non-smokers? What is in cigarette tar and why is it deadly? How can smoking cause impotence? Should I vape?In today's episode, we do a deep dive and tackle the world's greatest...
52 - Infinity
How can you squeeze in infinite people into an already full hotel? Are some infinities bigger than others? What's the relationship between infinity and zero?Come explore the boundless, magical world of infinity with the help of some fan...
51 - Anaesthesia
How do doctors put you to sleep for surgery? How do medicines and poison work on our body? What are the anaesthetic medications doing to your brain to keep your unconscious and paralysed? What do you mean we don't know???Today we contin...
50 - Things We Don't Know
Why do we sleep? How do bicycles stay upright? Why does gravity exist? Wait...what do you mean you don't know???For our 50th episode, we have a special topic - concepts that we don't fully understand yet! And why it's okay to say "I don...
49 - Irony
Why do people sometimes say things that they don't mean? What is the difference between irony and a coincidence? What is wrong with Alanis Morissette's hit song "Ironic"?Let's take a deep dive into irony - one of the most misunderstood ...
48 - Artificial Intelligence
How does Youflixbook know to recommend the perfect content for me, so I can continue doomscrolling and binging? What makes ChatGPT such a powerful, scary new piece of tech? Will AI kill us all?We're back with a fresh new topic! Come lea...