Episode list

Vsauce2

The Game Theory of Snitching
From career mafia rats to kindergarten tattle-tales, no one likes a snitch. Every society reviles the informant -- but why? And how can game theory analysis reveal what's actually happening when society rewards a snitch?
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The Insane Data of Car Chases
Nothing is more exciting than a high speed car chase -- and it turns out that almost nothing is more dangerous, too. Suspects, innocent pedestrians, and even the police themselves are subject to everything that makes watching movies like Fast and Furious or playing Grand Theft Auto a seriously entertaining experience. For thousands of people every year, that means serious injury and even death. But the crazy thing is that we know exactly how to solve the problem, and no one seems to care.
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The Line Between Smart and Crazy
How does herd mentality go wrong and lead to the madness of crowds? How can we harness it for the wisdom of crowds? Vsauce2 explores the fine line between group smart and group crazy.
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Does Happiness Make You Happy?
Vsauce2 dives into the fundamental meaning behind the concept of "happy" and how our twisted modern take on happiness is making things measurably worse. What is the paradox of chasing happiness? And how to things we think will make us happy actually lead to depression?
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Does Pain Actually Hurt?
When we think of the human experience, we tend to focus on the good things: love, happiness, and progress. But what if the most important part of our lives is actually one of the worst? Our relationship with pain stretches back further than any other sensation, and it turns out that pain has been and continues to be our most important teacher. We paradoxically need something awful to survive. Vsauce2 explores the science and psychology of pain going all the way back to our four-legged ancestors.
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The Man Killed For Saving The World
When we look back on the history of science and scientific progress, we celebrate the pioneers who dared to make life-changing discoveries. The truth is that the first people to introduce a paradigm-shift almost always face persecution, and many are overshadowed by the less-controversial minds who follow them.
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The Man Who Killed Millions Trying To Grow Food In Snow
There's more to the story of Trofim Lysenko and the Soviet Union's most disastrous era of science than you probably realize. Everyone knows of "Lysenkoism" regarding the USSR's failed theories of genetics, but Trofim Lysenko's lifelong body work was driven by a perfect combination of history, revolution, political theory, power, and personalities.
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They Starved Surrounded By Food
The life, death, and legacy of Russian geneticist Nikolai Vavilov isn't just one of the most compelling science stories of the 20th century -- it's a combination of scientific progress, human resilience, and a celebration of both the scientific and human spirits.
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