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Explained Season 1 Episodes
Season 1 Episode Guide
20 Episodes 2018 - 2018
Episode 1
The Racial Wealth Gap
Wed, May 23, 201816 mins
Cory Booker and others discuss how slavery, housing discrimination and centuries of inequality have compounded to create a racial wealth gap.
Episode 2
Designer DNA
Wed, May 23, 201817 mins
Scientific feat or terrifying social experiment? Specialists in the field discuss the high stakes and ethical controversies of gene editing.
Episode 3
Monogamy
Wed, May 23, 201818 mins
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
Wed, May 30, 2018
Elaborate music videos, adoring fans, killer choreography. Learn about the global music phenomenon from South Korea that goes beyond "Gangnam Style".
Episode 5
Cryptocurrency
Wed, Jun 6, 2018
Cryptocurrency has made people billionaires, but is digital cash the next revolution? Learn about this anonymous currency and why it's so coveted.
Episode 6
Why Diets Fail
Wed, Jun 13, 2018
Explained examines why diets are often unsuccessful. It looks at the science that suggests that low carb, low fat, and body type diets as well as supplements and detoxification regimes simple do not work in helping most people lose weight. While the diet industry pushes us to avoid calories the food industry encourage us to eat more of them.
Episode 7
The Stock Market
Wed, Jun 20, 2018
Does the stock market accurately reflect the status of the economy? Finance specialists discuss market history, valuations and CEO incentives.
Episode 8
eSports
Wed, Jun 27, 2018
Explained looks at the development of eSport, also know as 'electronic sports', through the past few decades. It looks at the difference between first person shooters, real time strategy, Multi Online Battle Arena, Battle Royale, and Fighting Games games. It also looks at how the eSports players compete in different leagues based on their games. It examines the history of competitive video gaming and how fighting games revived interest after the video game crash of the 1980s.
Episode 9
Extraterrestrial Life
Wed, Jul 4, 2018
Explained examines the possibility of extraterrestrial life and looks at why we have not yet found evidence for its existence despite efforts to look for it. It considers the Fermi paradox which suggests that given the vastness of the universe that there should be a great deal of extraterrestrial life in our galaxy. It also consider conspiracy theories about U.F.O. It also discusses theories for why we have not found them including alien snobbery, intelligence, lack of time, and a desire to not interfere. It examines SETI and the search for techno-signatures and bio-signatures.
Episode 10
Exclamation Mark (!)
Wed, Jul 11, 2018
Explained looks at the history and use of the explanation point. First used in ancient Latin, the use of the explanation has expanded to most languages of the world. First used to emphasize emotion, later writers began to use it to express tone. The popularity of the exclamation point has changed over time from frequent use in Melville to sparse use by Hemingway. It also looks at the history of the interrobang (an exclamation with a question mark). It also looks at the influence of gender on the interpretation of the exclamation point.
Episode 11
Cricket
Wed, Jul 18, 2018
Explained looks at the popular English sport of cricket. First developed in the mid-1800s, cricket has grown into one of the most popular sports in the world. It looks at the complicated and confusing rules behind the game and examines how the British Empire exported the game to its colonies including the West Indies and India. It also looks at different forms of the game including test cricket and Twenty20 cricket.
Episode 12
Weed
Wed, Jul 25, 2018
Explained looks at Marijuana and examines its use throughout history from the use of the drug in Ancient China to modern day. It looks at how the domestication of hemp led to selection for strong fiber but also for strong psychoactive potency. It looks at the biology of the plant and how female plant produce stronger doses of cannabinoids. It also looks at wide variety of cannabis strains that have been produced through selective breeding and how there is lack of consistency in labeling of marijuana varieties. It looks at legalization and how heavy users are influencing the market.
Episode 13
Tattoo
Wed, Aug 1, 2018
Explained looks at the recent popularity of tattoos and looks the cultural and historical uses of tattoos throughout the world. It looks at the Polynesian use of tattoos to indicate status and how European colonial powers attempted to stamp out of practice. It examines the style and history of tattoos in Japan how they became associated with criminals. It also looks at tattoos in America and how they were associated with sailors and, later, the circus. It also considers the reasons behind the popularity of modern tattooing.
Episode 14
Astrology
Wed, Aug 8, 2018
Explained looks at the continuing popularity of astrology despite the questionable reliability of the practice. It looks at the history of astronomy beginning with Ptolemy who wrote one of the most influential astrology books of all time. It looks at the popularity of astrology in the east and west and the development of horoscope columns.
Episode 15
Can We Live Forever?
Wed, Aug 15, 2018
Explained examines whether human beings will be able to live forever. It begins by looking at life expectancy throughout history and how it is getting longer. It examines whether there is something about aging that leads to our death and whether that processes could be stopped.
Episode 16
The Female Orgasm
Wed, Aug 22, 2018
Explained looks at the female orgasm and examines some of the mysteries and misconceptions about sexual climax in women. It looks at the physiological differences between male and female orgasm and discusses how orgasms links pain and pleasure centers of the brain. It looks at the misconceptions surround different types of female orgasm and the G-Spot. It also examines images of the female orgasm in media.
Episode 17
Political Correctness
Wed, Aug 29, 2018
Explained looks at political correctness first looking at the Black Pete character in the Netherlands. It looks at the meaning of the term and its origins in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It looks at how politicians criticize political correctness and the desire for more inclusive language. It looks at political correctness in comedy.
Episode 18
Why Women Are Paid Less
Wed, Sep 5, 2018
Explained examines why women are paid less than men for equivalent work throughout the world. It looks at the history of women in the work force and how legal discrimination allowed for a large pay gap in the 1950s and 1960s. Despite changing norms the pay gap persists due to the 'motherhood penalty'. It also looks at efforts to close the wage gap in Rwanda and Iceland.
Episode 19
The World's Water Crisis
Wed, Sep 12, 2018
Explained looks at the growing crisis over the lack of drinkable water in certain parts of the world. It looks at how Cape Town and other cities in the world are facing a Day Zero where water supplies run out. It examines how we got to this point in our water supply and what the world will look like when it responds to this crisis.
Episode 20
Music
Wed, Sep 19, 2018
Explained examines several questions surrounding music in particular when does sound become music and why are humans uniquely able to master music. It talks to researchers who study the cognition of music and how music can help people learn to speak and move after disabilities. It looks at beat, pitch, octave, and rhythm.
