© 2026 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Be Smart

A Brief (Scientific) History of Butts

Season 9 Episode 8 | 12m 27s

Hold on to your butts. This episode is about… butts. The science and evolutionary history of your rear end, the down-low on your derriere, shining a little light where the sun don't shine… you get the picture. But(t) seriously, we don't talk about this all-important hole enough, and how, from an evolutionary perspective, it might be the most important orifice on your body.

Aired: 06/29/21
Extras
Watch • 8:32
Nature
NATURE - Season 45
Get a sneak peek at a brand new season of NATURE on PBS.
Preview: S45 | 8:32
Watch • 0:30
Made With Love
Season 1 Preview
Meet gifted artisans who pour passion and skill into timeless products made with love.
Preview: S1 | 0:30
Watch • 2:04
POV
Trailer | Remake
Trailer for Remake by director Ross McElwee.
Preview: S39 E6 | 2:04
Watch • 1:50
POV
Trailer | Arrest the Midwife
Trailer for Arrest the Midwife by director Elaine Epstein.
Preview: S39 E5 | 1:50
Watch • 2:37
American Masters
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World
Celebrate the life and career of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver.
Preview: S40 E5 | 2:37
Watch • 2:57
POV
Trailer | How to Build a Library
Trailer for How to Build a Library by directors Maia Lekow and Christopher King.
Preview: S39 E4 | 2:57
Watch • 1:12
Great Performances
Onegin’s Arioso from "Eugene Onegin"
Iurii Samoilov sings an excerpt from the title character’s Act III arioso.
Clip: S53 E24 | 1:12
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
Jodi Makes Art in the Sky
Jodi imagines she is drawing bugs and clouds in the sky with her crayons!
Clip: S8 E2 | 0:54
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
Daniel and Prince Wednesday At the Swingset
Prince Wednesday learns to ask before he pushes Daniel on the swings.
Clip: S8 E2 | 1:28
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
"Before You Touch Someone, Ask if It's Okay" Song
Everyone learns that before you touch someone, you should ask them if it's okay!
Clip: S8 E2 | 1:03
Latest Episodes
All
  • All
  • Be Smart Season 14
  • Be Smart Season 13
  • Be Smart Season 12
  • Be Smart Season 11
  • Be Smart Season 10
  • Be Smart Season 9
  • Be Smart Season 8
  • Be Smart Season 7
  • Be Smart Season 6
  • Be Smart Season 5
  • Be Smart Season 4
  • Be Smart Season 3
  • Be Smart Season 2
  • Be Smart Season 1
Watch • 27:32
Be Smart
How HIV Started a Century Before Anyone Noticed
How science unraveled one of the biggest myths in modern medicine...HIV's true origins.
Episode: S14 E8 | 27:32
Watch • 21:23
Be Smart
The New Kind of Heat Humans Can’t Handle
I pushed my body in a climate & sports research lab to discover what extreme heat really does to us.
Episode: S14 E7 | 21:23
Watch • 16:47
Be Smart
Scientists Finally Figured Out What Love Is For
What exactly is the evolutionary purpose of love?
Episode: S14 E6 | 16:47
Watch • 16:47
Be Smart
We've never seen an atom. But we know what they look like.
If everything around us is made of atoms, why can’t we actually see them?
Episode: S14 E5 | 16:47
Watch • 10:51
Be Smart
Infinity isn’t a number. It's something much weirder.
This video explores the bizarre mathematics that show how infinity is far stranger than a number.
Episode: S14 E4 | 10:51
Watch • 24:25
Be Smart
Something Strange Happens When You Flatten the Earth…
How Gerardus Mercator later created a map that transformed navigation forever.
Episode: S14 E3 | 24:25
Watch • 22:37
Be Smart
You've Been Lied to About DNA Evidence
DNA solves crimes, but what happens when it sends innocent people to prison?
Episode: S14 E2 | 22:37
Watch • 17:13
Be Smart
Traffic Lights Are So Much Weirder Than You Realize
Why are stop lights red? The real story is more complicated than you think.
Episode: S14 E1 | 17:13
Watch • 14:52
Be Smart
The Intelligence Test Where Ants Beat Humans
How thousands of tiny brains, obeying simple rules, solve problems no individual can understand.
Episode: S13 E17 | 14:52
Watch • 19:50
Be Smart
Everything I Thought I Knew About Flavor Was Wrong
Joe visits a flavor lab to uncover how our senses shape our taste.
Episode: S13 E16 | 19:50