ELI5 Explain Like I'm 5: Bite sized answers to stuff you should know about - in a mini podcast

Science

ELI5 Explain Like I'm 5: Bite sized answers to stuff you should know about - in a mini podcast

by ELI5 Explain Like I'm Five Podcast

Explain Like I'm Five, aka ELI5, is the mini-podcast series where we take the questions you always wanted to ask, and talk about them in a way that is easy to understand. Made possible by the amazing reddit community at r/explainlikeimfive. See episode show notes for user credits.

100 episodes

EN language

All Episodes

1

ELI5 Cupping Therapy - can bruises really heal you?

6:50 Mar 12, 2026

2

ELI5 Crying - why do we cry with both sadness and joy?

8:25 Mar 1, 2026

3

ELI5 Norway's Olympics - how tiny Norway conquered the Winter Olympics

7:44 Feb 25, 2026

4

ELI5 One Way Mirrors - how do they work?

7:29 Feb 18, 2026

5

ELI5 Ski Jumping - how do they not get injured when landing?

7:44 Feb 13, 2026

6

ELI5 Fire Extinguishers - why are they red in color?

8:18 Feb 6, 2026

7

ELI5 HRV - what is heart rate variability and why can a steady heartbeat be trouble?

9:03 Jan 30, 2026

8

ELI5 Activity Trackers - how do they detect deep sleep?

8:24 Jan 23, 2026

9

ELI5 Palladium - more valuable than gold?

8:57 Jan 16, 2026

10

ELI5 Jevons Paradox – why adding more lanes to a highway can make it worse?

8:25 Jan 9, 2026

11

ELI5 Titanium - why is it the metal most used in surgeries?

8:25 Jan 2, 2026

12

ELI5 Xmas - how and why NORAD tracks Santa (part 2)?

8:27 Dec 20, 2025

13

ELI5 Xmas - why some say Happy Christmas vs Merry Christmas?

10:22 Dec 19, 2025

14

ELI5 Pearls - how does a grain of sand make such treasure?

7:07 Dec 12, 2025

15

ELI5 National Debt - who do countries owe when they are in debt?

7:47 Dec 5, 2025

16

ELI5 Bubble Gum - why is it almost always pink?

8:21 Nov 28, 2025

17

ELI5 Morse Code - what tragedy led to its invention?

8:40 Nov 21, 2025

18

ELI5 Marble - why does it feel cool to the touch?

7:11 Nov 14, 2025

19

ELI5 Aircraft Carriers - why are the runways at an angle?

8:36 Nov 7, 2025

20

ELI5 Iron - is body iron different to construction iron?

8:12 Oct 31, 2025

21

ELI5 Daylight Savings Time - who thought it was a good idea?

8:39 Oct 24, 2025

22

ELI5 Submarines - how the Titanic was a cover for a US Navy submarine mission

9:34 Oct 17, 2025

23

ELI5 The Gold Standard - how Isaac Newton helped gold win over silver

9:02 Oct 10, 2025

24

ELI5 Locks and Keys - aren't there high chances that two keys are the same?

8:25 Oct 3, 2025

25

ELI5 Monopoly - was it invented to criticize capitalism or crush friendships?

8:03 Sep 26, 2025

26

ELI5 Ferris Wheels - what inspired George Ferris to invent it?

8:02 Sep 19, 2025

27

ELI5 Silica Gel Desiccants - can they be reused?

7:41 Sep 12, 2025

28

ELI5 Sleepwalking - is it dangerous to wake someone in the middle of a sleep walk?

7:11 Sep 5, 2025

29

ELI5 Poker - which US president used poker to launch his election campaign?

7:51 Aug 29, 2025

30

ELI5 Washing Machines - more consequential than the internet?

7:50 Aug 22, 2025

31

ELI5 LiDAR - how it sees the world?

7:37 Aug 15, 2025

32

ELI5 Deck of Cards - why 52 playing cards and why so mysterious?

7:23 Aug 8, 2025

33

ELI5 Gout - what is it and why is the big toe a target?

9:06 Aug 1, 2025

34

ELI5 Rubiks Cubes - how do some people solve it in seconds?

7:48 Jul 25, 2025

35

ELI5 Toilets - why are public toilets tankless unlike those at home?

6:46 Jul 18, 2025

36

ELI5 Black Box Flight Recorders - what’s inside the orange mystery?

6:56 Jul 11, 2025

37

ELI5 Wine - which came first, wine or beer?

8:15 Jul 4, 2025

38

ELI5 Beer - why it was central to historical society?

7:13 Jun 27, 2025

39

ELI5 Creatine - what makes it so popular and does it really make you stronger?

8:39 Jun 20, 2025

40

ELI5 Induction Stoves - are they really faster than gas stoves?

7:07 Jun 13, 2025

41

ELI5 Muscle Knots - do muscles really get in knots and what causes them?

7:26 Jun 6, 2025

42

ELI5 Berries - is the banana really a berry?!

6:34 May 30, 2025

43

ELI5 Paper Sizes - why paper sizes in the US are different?

7:07 May 23, 2025

44

ELI5 Defibrillators - why AEDs at malls differ from those on TV?

8:58 May 16, 2025

45

ELI5 Dragons - why do dragons exist across almost every culture?

7:51 May 9, 2025

46

ELI5 Invisalign – are they better than braces?

7:13 May 2, 2025

47

ELI5 Stoicism - what are the four Stoic values?

8:33 Apr 25, 2025

48

ELI5 Panama Canal - why did the original French attempt fail?

7:54 Apr 18, 2025

49

ELI5 Blood Types - do animals have different blood types just like humans?

7:57 Apr 11, 2025

50

ELI5 Fish Oil - if it’s so good for you, why not use it more for cooking?

6:53 Apr 4, 2025

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