If we can unlock the full potential of our cities, we can minimize the price the planet pays for hosting us in our growing numbers, says Marvin Rees, the Mayor of Bristol, UK, who understands deeply how cities can help (or hurt) the...

The elephant is a creature of epic proportions -- and yet, it owes its enormity to more than 1,000 trillion microscopic cells. And on the epically small end of things, there are likely millions of unicellular species, yet there are very...

What if we told you that there was a time when oxygen almost wiped out all life on Earth? 3 billion years ago, when the world was a place you'd never recognize, too much of a good thing almost ruined everything for everybody.

So how do astronauts manage to pee and poop in microgravity? And what happens to all of their waste? Do you really want to know? If you do, the answers are inside!

The man who helped usher in the environmental movement in the 1960s and '70s has been rethinking his positions on cities, nuclear power, genetic modification and geo-engineering. This talk at the US State Department is a foretaste of his...

NASA is really good at going to space, amongst other things, but did you know that part of their mission is to work also for the public good!? It's part of NASA's doctrine that they must release the patents on the stuff they work on,...

We’ve already been told that everybody poops - but did you ever stop to consider why? It’s thanks to our heroic through-gut that humans don’t suffer the same fate as jellyfish and anemones, and every hero has an origin story…

Hank gives it to you straight about "anti-gravity technology" -- basically, it doesn't exist. But if you really want to hover, you have options!

What do you learn when you sail around the world on your own? When solo sailor Ellen MacArthur circled the globe – carrying everything she needed with her – she came back with new insight into the way the world works, as a place of...

As of 2018, there are around 2.5 billion smartphone users in the world. If we broke open all the newest phones and split them into their component parts, that would produce around 85,000 kg of gold, 875,000 of silver, and 40,000,000 of...

Hank delves into the scientific reasons behind why we are attracted to the people we're attracted to. It's complicated.

When you think about the technology that helps us prevent outbreaks, what do you think of? Vaccines? Lab tests? Medications? What about toilets? That's right! Toilets are an important piece of technology that can help us prevent...

NASA recently sponsored new research into turning human waste into useful things, like food and plastic. And it might be used on long-term spaceflight someday.

If you've been in a restaurant kitchen, you've seen how much food, water and energy can be wasted there. Chef Arthur Potts-Dawson shares his very personal vision for drastically reducing restaurant, and supermarket, waste -- creating...

At his carpet company, Ray Anderson has increased sales and doubled profits while turning the traditional "take / make / waste" industrial system on its head. In a gentle, understated way, he shares a powerful vision for sustainable...

Most of us want to do the right thing when it comes to the environment. But things aren’t as simple as opting for the paper bag, says sustainability strategist Leyla Acaroglu. A bold call for us to let go of tightly-held green myths and...

Hank tells us about near-earth objects & primordial black holes; new developments in evolutionary genetics; a giant squid & a giant radio telescope; & answers viewer questions about disposing of nuclear waste in space.

There are so many things we can do with poo! Waste is the enemy in matters of space exploration, but there are plenty of ways to use that waste to help make a mission successful.

Science isn't always a straightforward process. Here are 6 seemingly odd but absolutely creative ways researchers have approached their subjects.

Visiting the bathroom is part of the daily human experience. But occasionally, constipation, a condition that causes a backup in your digestive system, strikes. In some especially uncomfortable cases, the food you eat can take several...

Constipation is no fun. Luckily, it can usually be remedied with a handful of prunes, a few cups of coffee, and some patience. However, if you don't poop for a long, long time, constipation can develop into some serious health problems.

Scientists who piece together our past can do so through the rare fossil or artifact, or they can go to one convenient location: a hyrax latrine.

On sunny days, citizens of ancient Rome could be found exchanging news and gossip while attending to more urgent business at the public latrines. Today, most cultures consider trips to the restroom to be a more private occasion. But even...

Do Fetuses Poop