How to Die Clever
Professor Moustache and his assistant Nathanaël go the extra mile to answer your questions scientifically. Do we really eat spiders in our sleep? Can we shrink children just like in a film? And what happens when a murder happens in space? All your queries are resolved by our favourite knowledgeable professor.
Seasons
1. Fear of Flying
Air Date: 2015-08-23
Who is scared of flying? Our very Professor Moustache is here to explain to you just how safe it is.
2. Immunology
Air Date: 2015-08-23
Guitou the Microbe asks why he is always unfairly expulsed from the human body. Professor Moustache explains that this is due to the army of bouncers that protect it: the immune system.
3. Honey, I Want to Shrink the Kids
Air Date: 2015-08-23
Would it theoretically be possible to shrink people, like in the 1989 film, Honey I Shrunk the Kids? Professor Moustache highlights a few problems with this scenario.
4. When Will Real Lightsabres Be Invented?
Air Date: 2015-08-23
Professor Moustache investigates whether we will see exciting lightsabre duels in the future, just like in the hit film Star Wars.
5. Jumping Off the Golden Gate Bridge
Air Date: 2015-08-23
An animated series tackling scientific questions with rigour and a touch of humour. In this episode: Could you survive if you jumped off San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge?
6. Swallowing Spiders in your Sleep
Air Date: 2016-01-11
Do we really swallow spiders and other insects in our sleep? Professor Moustache tells us the truth about the urban legend.
7. Could Head Transplants Work?
Air Date: 2016-01-12
Grichka Bogdanov thinks his brother is better looking so wants to replace his head with his sibling’s. Could a head transplant actually work? Professor Moustache gives us the answer.
8. A Lesson in Hobbitology
Air Date: 2016-01-13
It would be really cool to become invisible like Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. Professor Moustache explains if it is theoretically possible.
9. My Girlfriend Wants to Marry a Pony
Air Date: 2016-01-14
Why do so many girls adore ponies? Professor Moustache offers an unusual perspective: after learning surprising facts about the horse's esophageal sphincter, they might never look at the animal quite the same way again.
10. Higgs-Boson, What is it?
Air Date: 2016-01-15
Can you explain the Higgs-Boson particle? Professor Moustache gives it his best shot with refrerence to Lord of the Rings.
11. When Will Cryogenics Become a Reality?
Air Date: 2016-01-18
Being cryogenically frozen is a process of preserving a body after death in nitrogen in the hope of bringing it back to life later. Could this ever be a reality? Professor Moustache is on the case.
12. How Animals See
Air Date: 2016-01-19
We know that spiders see differently to us because we’ve all watched the Spider Man films. But what about other animals? Professor Moustache is here to explain animal vision to us.
13. Why Shooting Guns Isn't Easy
Air Date: 2016-01-20
Wendy from Texas wants to buy a firearm to protect her chickens. Is this a good idea? Operating guns looks easy in the movies but, as Professor Moustache explains, it’s not the same in real life.
14. How Does a Nuclear Power Station Work?
Air Date: 2016-01-25
An animated series tackling scientific questions with rigour and a touch of anarchic humour. In this episode Professor Moustache gives us a chemistry class explaining how nuclear power stations work and how they can go terribly wrong.
15. Loony Scientists
Air Date: 2016-01-26
The history of science is not just comprised of great minds making amazing breakthroughs. There were also idiotic scientists doing crazy experiments. Professor Moustache gives us some examples.
16. Alcohol's Great But Not for Your Health
Air Date: 2016-01-27
It’s cocktail time and time for a little drink. But why does consuming alcohol feel great after the first drink and not so great the morning after? Professor Moustache is here to explain why we get hangovers.
17. Can We Build a Lift to Space?
Air Date: 2016-02-01
Ryan dreams of a lift to take his wife to outer space for their honeymoon. Professor Moustache investigates whether a space lift would theoretically be possible.
18. Space Travel Like in Alien
Air Date: 2016-02-02
In science fiction films astronauts always seem to hibernate for long journeys to far off galaxies. But how could this space hibernation work? Professor Moustache tries through the physics.
19. The Near Death Experience
Air Date: 2016-02-03
Why do dying patients sometimes see light at the end of a long tunnel, and an overwhelming sense of peace? What are the medical reasons for it?
20. Do Bullets Hurt?
Air Date: 2016-02-08
Stop believing that a gunshot wound is like in the movies! Professor Mustache and Nathanaël prove that a real gunshot wound is very different and far more dangerous, not least because bullets are basically filthy.
21. The Point of Dreams
Air Date: 2016-02-09
Did you have a stupid and incoherent dream again last night? It's normal. Prof Mustache takes stock of the latest scientific hypotheses on the subject. Remember, you are not crazy. But your brain is working non-stop.
22. Are Teenagers Lame?
Air Date: 2016-02-10
Slumped on the sofa, speaking slowly... why are teenagers so pathetic, asks one frazzled mother. Professor Mustache has the answer: being a teenager is a physically as well as mentally taxing time in a person's life.
23. Mean Machines
Air Date: 2016-02-15
When will robots overtake people? Professor Mustache visits robotics specialists to find out.
24. The Mighty Mite
Air Date: 2016-02-16
Does it bother you to know that there are a myriad of dust mites in your bed? Professor Mustache talks us through all the bugs that live, eat, and die on your skin.
25. Want to Slim Down? Fat Chance
Air Date: 2016-02-17
Do you think that by doing two push-ups a day you will lose weight? As Professor Mustache explains, it's way more complicated than that.
26. Animal Love Lives
Air Date: 2016-02-22
Can your love life be more animalistic? But which animal exactly? Choose carefully... Welcome to another mad escapade with the irreverent Professor Mustache.
27. Dog Food
Air Date: 2016-02-23
Can humans confuse dog food with real food meant for people, such as rillettes? If you're a dog, then no chance. But if you're a human? Unfortunately, there's a chance...
28. Overworked Researchers
Air Date: 2016-02-24
Researchers dedicate their lives to research. Professor Mustache highlights the scientific contributions of some overzealous researchers, some of whom have quite literally sacrificed their skin in the name of science.
29. Did Dinosaurs Have Feathers?
Air Date: 2016-02-25
Dinosaurs weren't big naked lizards. Professor Mustache explains that they had feathers. You know, like a cute, huge, killer Easter chick. Cheep cheep!
30. The Evolution of Human Sexuality
Air Date: 2016-02-26
Professor Mustache demystifies science through weird, funny ancedotes. Here, he takes a look at human sexuality. Why don't humans make love like bonobos?
1. A Brain Question
Air Date: 2017-09-04
A quirky science-comedy look at big questions and common myths. In this episode: If we could use 100% of our brain's capacity, would we gain superpowers like those shown in Lucy? The answer is more complicated than you might think.
2. Placenta Eating
Air Date: 2017-09-06
Professor Mustache takes a science-comedy look at the trend of placentophagy, where some new mothers choose to consume the placenta after birth. He explores the biological claims, cultural ideas, and medical perspectives behind this practice, separating myth, fashion, and evidence-based science.
3. Your Friend and Helper
Air Date: 2017-09-07
Professor Mustache takes on the role of a forensic drug investigator to examine how powders are tested and identified. Inspired by crime dramas and movie clichés, he explores the effects and detection of both legal and illegal substances.
4. Gone with the Wind
Air Date: 2017-09-11
In this quirky science-comedy episode, no bodily gas is off limits. Beyond the well-known impact of cow burps and flatulence, Professor Mustache explores the science behind body gases and their surprising effects on the environment.
5. The Sad Life of Darth Vader
Air Date: 2017-09-13
How can Darth Vader stay fresh after spending years sealed inside his iconic armor and helmet? In this quirky science-comedy episode, Professor Mustache examines the practical challenges of hygiene, breath, and life support for one of science fiction's most famous villains.
6. Can You Be Digested Alive?
Air Date: 2017-09-14
Professor Mustache takes a deep dive into the digestive systems of marine mammals. Along the way, he explores what really happens inside these giant creatures and whether being swallowed alive is as dangerous as popular stories suggest.
7. Crowds - Hell Is Other People
Air Date: 2017-09-18
Professor Mustache plunges into packed stadiums and crowded subway systems to explore the behavior of large groups. Why do people move, think, and react differently in a crowd? The answers may be surprising.
8. Risky Wetlands
Air Date: 2017-09-20
Professor Mustache investigates common fears about germs in public restrooms. Are toilet seats really as dangerous as people think, or do everyday items such as handbags harbor even more microbes? A humorous look at hygiene myths and the science behind them.
9. Astrophysics - Not the End of the World
Air Date: 2017-09-21
Professor Mustache dives into the mysteries of galaxies, black holes, and the vast scale of the universe in a playful science-comedy format. While astrophysics may sound intimidating, there’s no need for alarm - exploring the cosmos won’t end the world.
10. Journey to the Center of the Earth
Air Date: 2017-09-25
Professor Mustache explores the scientific limits of drilling into our planet, from ambitious human attempts to reach extreme depths to the intense heat and pressure found underground. What seems like a simple idea quickly turns into a lesson in geology and the harsh realities of Earth’s interior.
11. Depraved Animals
Air Date: 2017-09-27
Professor Mustache returns with his signature science-comedy style, mixing pop-culture satire with real biological oddities. This time, he uncovers the surprising and not always wholesome behaviors of marine life, showing that even beloved characters like Nemo and his friends have a very different reality beneath the surface.
12. Freudian Phases
Air Date: 2017-09-28
In a playful blend of psychology and science-comedy, Professor Mustache turns the analyst’s couch into a launchpad for exploring hidden associations and unconscious reactions. After this session, even something as simple as a banana or a carrot may never feel quite the same again.
13. Space Madness
Air Date: 2017-10-02
Professor Mustache heads aboard the International Space Station to explore the everyday life of astronauts in orbit. From microgravity routines to the strange realities of living off Earth, this science-comedy episode turns space station living into a mix of curiosity, humor, and real-world science.
14. Gandalf’s Case Study
Air Date: 2017-10-04
Professor Mustache examines a legendary moment from fantasy through the lens of physics and science-comedy. When the wizard Gandalf plunges into a chasm in pursuit of a monstrous demon, he appears to defy the laws of nature - or does he? A playful look at gravity, motion, and cinematic exaggeration.
15. Dermatology - Acne Vulgaris
Air Date: 2017-10-05
Professor Mustache takes a humorous science-comedy look at skin biology, from pimples and blackheads to sebaceous glands. What seems like a purely cosmetic concern turns out to be a fascinating glimpse into how the skin really works. A celebration of “inner beauty” in all its biological detail.
16. Jurassic Love
Air Date: 2017-10-09
Professor Mustache explores the intimate mysteries of dinosaurs in a playful science-comedy episode. As a tongue-in-cheek paleontology investigation, he asks how giant prehistoric creatures might have reproduced - and whether there is such a thing as a “Kamasutra of Godzilla.” A humorous dive into extinct love lives and scientific speculation.
17. Face Memory
Air Date: 2017-10-11
Professor Mustache explores the brain’s complex visual systems in a science-comedy journey through neural pathways specialized in image processing. He examines how we recognize faces and connect them to names - and why this seemingly simple task so often fails in everyday life.
18. Baumgartner’s Supersonic Jump
Air Date: 2017-10-12
Professor Mustache examines the extreme feats of Felix Baumgartner, the daredevil who leapt from record-breaking heights and even from near space. In this science-comedy episode, he breaks down what really happens when a human body falls at supersonic speeds.
19. Parabolic Flight
Air Date: 2017-10-16
In this science-comedy episode, clever minds explore how gravity can be temporarily “outsmarted” by flying specific curved trajectories inside an aircraft. Professor Mustache breaks down how these parabolic maneuvers create brief moments of weightlessness, turning flight into a playful experiment in physics.
20. Medical Dramas Under the Microscope
Air Date: 2017-10-18
Professor Mustache takes on the gap between hospital reality and TV fiction. From overconfident surgeons to exaggerated diagnostics, he contrasts real medical practice with popular characters like Dr. Derek and Dr. House, showing what actually happens in an operating room.
21. Urinals and Men
Air Date: 2017-10-19
Professor Mustache takes a humorous look at the peculiar social behaviors of men in public restrooms. What seems like awkward everyday etiquette turns into an amusing exploration of human habits, space, and unwritten rules in shared facilities.
22. Teleportation
Air Date: 2017-10-23
Professor Mustache explores the idea of instantly moving from work straight onto the sofa at home. While it sounds convenient, true teleportation remains firmly in the realm of theory and imagination rather than real-world science.
23. The Chemistry of Looking Good
Air Date: 2017-10-25
Professor Mustache explores the world of cosmetics, from laboratory research to marketing strategies. He uncovers what really goes into beauty products and how science, perception, and advertising shape what we put on our skin every day.
24. Unlucky Scientists
Air Date: 2017-10-26
Professor Mustache looks at famous figures like Max Planck and Albert Einstein from a less heroic angle. Behind their celebrated scientific breakthroughs lie surprisingly difficult and often unlucky personal lives, revealing that even geniuses don’t always have it easy.
25. Face Transplants
Air Date: 2017-10-30
Professor Mustache explores the idea of facial transplantation, inspired by cinematic plots where identities can be swapped like costumes. He contrasts Hollywood-style simplicity with the complex medical, biological, and ethical realities behind real face transplant surgery.
26. Darwin’s Wormy Turn
Air Date: 2017-11-01
Professor Mustache revisits Charles Darwin’s life after his famous voyage, imagining a more melancholic side where he turns his attention from evolution to earthworms. Blending fact and playful exaggeration, it explores how scientific curiosity can take unexpected and oddly humble directions.
27. Vaccine Science
Air Date: 2017-11-02
Professor Mustache gets a close-up look at how vaccines work by diving into the human immune system. From white blood cells to invading viruses, he explores the body’s microscopic defenses and how they are trained to fight disease.
28. Time Travel
Air Date: 2017-11-06
Professor Mustache experiments with the idea of a time machine to revisit past moments, including his own vacations. Blending physics concepts with playful speculation, he explores time paradoxes and the limits of what modern science considers possible.
29. Biomechanics
Air Date: 2017-11-08
Professor Mustache explores how the human body moves, falls, and gets injured, with a special focus on dramatic football dives that frustrate fans but fascinate scientists. From sports fields to crash tests, he shows how biomechanicians study forces, impacts, and fractures to better understand physical limits.
30. Space Cadavers
Air Date: 2017-11-09
Professor Mustache tackles a grim but fascinating question from deep-space travel: what happens if an astronaut dies on a long mission to Mars or beyond? From freezing in vacuum to strict international regulations, he explores the practical, legal, and scientific challenges of handling human remains in space.
31. Radiation at the Movies
Air Date: 2017-11-12
Professor Mustache looks at how Hollywood misrepresents radiation, often turning it into a magical force that mutates anything from peas to people into monsters or superheroes. He contrasts cinematic fantasy with the far more complex and far less dramatic reality of ionizing radiation.
32. Celiac Plexus Spotlight
Air Date: 2017-11-14
Professor Mustache explores the surprising neural connections behind intense pain responses, such as the nausea triggered by a blow to the lower abdomen. He breaks down how the nervous system processes injury signals and why certain areas of the body can provoke such extreme, whole-body reactions.
33. Forensic Entomology
Air Date: 2017-11-15
Professor Mustache investigates how insects can help solve crimes by revealing the time of death. At a crime scene, different species arrive in a precise biological sequence, and by studying these “tiny witnesses,” he can reconstruct when the victim died - a surprisingly accurate method of forensic science.
34. Baby Drool
Air Date: 2017-11-20
Professor Mustache explores why infants produce so much saliva and why it so often ends up running out of their mouths. Beyond their adorable appearance, babies reveal simple but fascinating physiological reasons behind drooling, from anatomy to early development.
35. Turbulence
Air Date: 2017-11-22
Professor Mustache demystifies airplane turbulence and the fear it often provokes in passengers. While bumps in the air may feel alarming, he explains how aircraft remain stable even in rough conditions and why turbulence is usually far less dangerous than it seems.
36. Fossil Dreams
Air Date: 2017-11-23
Professor Mustache explores how fossilization works and why becoming a museum-worthy fossil is extremely rare and slow. From natural processes to pop culture ideas, even ambitious figures wondering how to become fossils after death learn it’s far from simple.
37. Breathing Underwater
Air Date: 2017-11-27
Professor Mustache explores whether humans could ever breathe underwater, from mythical “men of Atlantis” with gills to sci-fi concepts like liquid breathing seen in films. While such ideas are fascinating, he shows why human biology is fundamentally adapted to air, not water.
38. Animal Expressions
Air Date: 2017-11-29
Professor Mustache dives into the subtle world of animal communication and behavior, revealing that seemingly passive creatures often display complex signals and hidden abilities. From feline facial cues to overlooked survival strategies, he shows how much expression and information animals convey beyond human perception.
39. Doped Up
Air Date: 2017-11-30
Professor Mustache explores the science and culture of performance enhancement, from professional athletes willing to ingest almost anything to gain an edge to everyday reliance on stimulants like coffee. Through a science-comedy lens, he examines why humans seek chemical shortcuts to productivity and performance.
40. Animal Same-Sex Behavior
Air Date: 2017-12-04
Professor Mustache explores same-sex behavior in the animal kingdom, showing that it is widespread across many species, from primates to birds and insects. Through a science-comedy lens, he highlights how such behaviors are a natural part of biodiversity, contrasting human cultural debates with biological reality.
1. Corn on Mars?
Air Date: 2020-03-02
Professor Mustache takes a science-comedy look at the scientific plausibility of space colonization stories, especially the idea of growing crops like corn on Mars. He breaks down the real challenges of extraterrestrial agriculture, from radiation and soil chemistry to the limits of current space missions.
2. Ancient Anatomy
Air Date: 2020-03-04
Professor Mustache explores how early thinkers like Aristotle tried to understand human anatomy with limited knowledge. In the absence of “Doctor Google,” ancient theories often mixed apples with pears and chickens with women, blending observation, speculation, and imagination - revealing both ingenuity and misconceptions in early medical thought.
3. Narcissistic Personality
Air Date: 2020-03-05
Professor Mustache explores the psychiatric meaning behind the often casually used label “narcissistic pervert.” Moving beyond everyday language, he explains how such terms are understood in clinical psychology and why popular usage often differs from medical definitions of personality disorders and behavior.
4. The Future According to Tom Cruise
Air Date: 2020-03-09
Professor Mustache explores the gap between science fiction and real technological progress, using films like Minority Report as a starting point. While Hollywood often predicts futuristic innovations, he shows why many of these ideas remain science fiction rather than engineering reality.
5. Enteric Neurons
Air Date: 2020-03-11
Professor Mustache explores the surprising complexity of the digestive system, which contains a vast network of neurons sometimes compared to a small animal brain. He explains how this “second brain” in the gut works and why such comparisons, while striking, have important scientific limits.
6. Fruit Fly Blues
Air Date: 2020-03-06
Professor Mustache takes a science-comedy look at the bizarre reproductive biology of the fruit fly Drosophila, which produces a single sperm cell that can be many times longer than its own body. He explores how extreme evolutionary strategies can lead to surprising and counterintuitive biological adaptations.
7. Santa Physics
Air Date: 2020-03-12
Professor Mustache takes a science-comedy look at the legendary logistics of Santa Claus, who would have to travel unimaginable distances at extreme speeds to deliver gifts worldwide in a single night. He breaks down why this raises serious questions of physics, time, and feasibility.
8. Female Desire
Air Date: 2020-03-13
Professor Mustache explores the science behind female arousal, questioning whether physical and mental stimulation can occur independently. In this science-comedy episode, he examines how researchers study desire, challenging common misconceptions with insights from psychology and physiology.
9. 28 Days Later (Body Edition)
Air Date: 2020-03-16
Professor Mustache explores the biological purpose and mechanisms behind the menstrual cycle, asking why humans regularly shed blood each month. In this science-comedy episode, he breaks down reproductive physiology and challenges common misunderstandings about what nature is doing - and why.
10. Erection Mechanics
Air Date: 2020-03-18
Professor Mustache explores the physiology of erection, revealing how the human body uses surprisingly sophisticated hydraulic-like mechanisms. In this science-comedy episode, he breaks down the biological processes behind it, showing that nature’s “engineering” can be as inventive as any human invention.
11. Raven Messengers
Air Date: 2020-03-19
Professor Mustache explores why fictional worlds like Game of Thrones use ravens as message carriers instead of more familiar birds like pigeons. In this science-comedy episode, he looks at real animal behavior, training feasibility, and why certain species are more practical than others for long-distance message delivery.
12. The Ig Nobel Prizes
Air Date: 2020-03-20
Professor Mustache explores the quirky world of the Ig Nobel awards, which celebrate real scientific research that first makes people laugh and then think. In this science-comedy episode, he highlights how seemingly absurd studies can still reveal surprising insights about human curiosity and scientific creativity.
13. No Exit: The Parachute Problem
Air Date: 2020-03-23
Professor Mustache explores why commercial airliners equip passengers with life vests rather than parachutes. In this science-comedy episode, he breaks down the practical, physical, and safety-related reasons that make parachutes unsuitable for mass passenger use during flight emergencies.
14. Busy Bees and Lazy Myths
Air Date: 2020-03-25
Professor Mustache explores the popular belief that bees and ants are tireless workers compared to humans. In this science-comedy episode, he examines insect societies and labor division, questioning how “hard work” really functions in nature and whether these stereotypes hold up under scientific scrutiny.
15. Passive Aggression
Air Date: 2020-03-26
Professor Mustache explores the origins and meaning of the term “passive-aggressive,” tracing it back to its historical use during World War II to describe certain military behaviors. In this science-comedy episode, he unpacks how the concept evolved into everyday language for describing indirect or covert hostility.
16. Anatomy’s Best-Kept Secret
Air Date: 2020-03-27
Professor Mustache explores the anatomy and biology of the clitoris, a highly sensitive and complex organ that has long been underrepresented in scientific discussion. In this science-comedy episode, he sheds light on its structure, function, and the historical gaps in medical understanding.
17. Mad Geniuses
Air Date: 2020-03-30
Professor Mustache takes a science-comedy look at famous scholars like Pythagoras and Newton, often remembered as wise and rational figures. In reality, many historical thinkers had eccentric, strange, or even bizarre ideas alongside their groundbreaking discoveries.
18. Iron Man Physiology
Air Date: 2020-04-01
Professor Mustache explores whether a human could realistically survive inside a high-tech armored suit like Iron Man’s. In this science-comedy episode, he breaks down the extreme forces, acceleration, and physiological limits that would turn superhero flight into a serious biological challenge.
19. Dino Cloning
Air Date: 2020-04-02
Professor Mustache explores the idea of bringing dinosaurs back to life, inspired by Jurassic Park. In this science-comedy episode, he examines the limits of ancient DNA preservation, questioning whether genetic material trapped in amber for millions of years could ever be used for cloning extinct species.
20. Photogenic Mystery
Air Date: 2020-04-03
Professor Mustache explores why some people appear more flattering in photos than others. In this science-comedy episode, he examines how perception, optics, and brain processing interact to shape our sense of “photogenic” appearance, questioning whether the issue lies in human vision or photographic technology.
21. Medical TV Reality Check
Air Date: 2020-04-06
Professor Mustache compares the idealized world of hospital dramas with real medical practice. In this science-comedy episode, he examines how series like Grey’s Anatomy or House dramatize medicine, and what aspects of real clinical work are accurately portrayed - and what is pure fiction.
22. CRISPR Gene Editing
Air Date: 2020-04-08
Professor Mustache explores the revolutionary CRISPR-Cas9 technology, a powerful tool that allows precise editing of DNA. In this science-comedy episode, he explains how genetic “scissors” work across living cells and organisms, and why altering genes raises both exciting possibilities and complex biological and ethical questions.
23. Autopilot Systems
Air Date: 2020-04-09
Professor Mustache explores how automation and autopilot technology work in aviation and beyond. In this science-comedy episode, he examines the limits of replacing human control with machines, from aircraft to cars, and questions how far a fully automated world can realistically go.
24. The Strange Joy of Schadenfreude
Air Date: 2020-04-22
Professor Mustache explores why people sometimes feel pleasure at the misfortune of others. In this science-comedy episode, he examines the neural and psychological mechanisms behind this emotion, showing that it is not simply “meanness,” but a complex and deeply human brain response.
25. Punk Scientists
Air Date: 2020-04-10
Professor Mustache explores the risky side of scientific discovery, where researchers sometimes experimented on themselves in the name of progress. In this science-comedy episode, he highlights how far some scientists went - occasionally to the point of serious harm or even death - in their pursuit of knowledge.
26. Gene Transfer
Air Date: 2020-04-13
Professor Mustache explores how genetic material can be passed or manipulated in nature, contrasting Hollywood-style ideas of gene swapping with real biological mechanisms. In this science-comedy episode, he explains how gene transfer actually works across species and why nature’s methods are both more subtle and more complex than fiction suggests.
27. Atomic Goat
Air Date: 2020-04-15
Professor Mustache explores historical experiments investigating the effects of nuclear explosions on animals, including attempts to understand both physical and behavioral impacts. In this science-comedy episode, he reflects on Cold War-era research practices and the strange lengths taken to study the consequences of atomic weapons.
28. Pseudoscience
Air Date: 2020-04-16
Professor Mustache explores various disciplines that imitate scientific methods without being based on solid evidence. In this science-comedy episode, he shows how such ideas can look convincing on the surface while lacking real scientific foundation, and why critical thinking is essential to tell them apart.
29. Scientific Congress
Air Date: 2020-04-17
Professor Mustache explores the world of academic conferences, where researchers gather to present findings and exchange ideas. In this science-comedy episode, he takes a humorous look at the rituals, networking, and professional dynamics that shape scientific meetings behind the scenes.
30. The Blob
Air Date: 2020-04-20
Professor Mustache explores the extraordinary organism known as the “blob,” a resilient, brainless life form with surprising abilities such as regeneration and problem-solving-like behavior. In this science-comedy episode, he shows how this unusual creature challenges our definitions of intelligence, survival, and biological complexity.
1. The Size is the Limit
Air Date: 2025-06-02
Could Godzilla and King Kong, who are bigger than any dinosaur, exist in real life and destroy the world? For Professor Moustache, there is no such thing as a dumb question
2. Don’t Sweat It!
Air Date: 2025-06-03
Why do humans sweat so much and smell so bad, when I smell so good? For Professor Moustache, there is no such thing as a dumb question.
3. Baby Boomers
Air Date: 2025-06-04
What does “OK boomer” mean? And what’s a boomer anyway? At full gallop on his time pony, Professor Moustache prances into the past to look at how generations are formed and why they never seem to understand one another. It seems psychological biases and the lazy mechanisms of our brains are to blame.
4. Coronaviruses
Air Date: 2025-06-05
Oh Covid. We were fed up with it at the time and we’ve been confused ever since. Who was to blame again, bats or pangolins? How does a virus travel from animals to humans? Professor Moustache teaches us about the world of coronaviruses. That’s right, Covid-19 is not the only one.
5. Babyface
Air Date: 2025-06-06
Sometimes when you see a newborn baby, you don’t really know what to say. It doesn’t really look like its parents; it looks more like a crumpled creature. You may think you’re heartless for finding it a little ugly, but Professor Moustache and science are here to explain why! Don’t panic, it’ll get better with time.
6. Anger Games
Air Date: 2025-06-09
We tend to look at whether young people with violent behaviour play video games. But what does the research say? Professor Moustache delves into some pretty dodgy psychological experiments to find out more about the science behind this association.
7. Homo Augmentus
Air Date: 2025-06-10
Captain Hook had a hook as a hand. Darth Vader had bionic limbs. Films make it look easy to replace severed limbs. But is it that easy in real life? What is scientifically possible when it comes to prosthetics? Professor Moustache takes a look at different innovations.
8. Furry Insects
Air Date: 2025-06-11
There are researchers who have not only counted the 3 million tiny hairs found on a moth, but who have also studied how often they clean their fur. If it were up to Nathanaël, we’d put an end to pointless studies like these. Luckily Professor Moustache is there to prove him wrong and show him how the scientists behind this researched ended up helping NASA.
9. Skynet, the Artificial Unintelligence
Air Date: 2025-06-12
If robots in the future developed a conscience, would they want to kill humankind like in “The Terminator”? Let’s imagine for a minute that it was their ultimate goal. Professor Moustache wonders if Skynet could have come up with smarter ways of killing us off, rather than just shooting everyone like in the film.
10. Conscious AI
Air Date: 2025-06-13
Everyone is afraid of the singularity – that stage when machines become conscious and inevitably decide to kill us all. Professor Moustache explains that, in order for that to happen, machines would need to develop common sense. And that’s no mean feat when you’re trapped in a robotic body.
11. Cry Baby Cry
Air Date: 2025-06-16
Screaming babies anywhere can be unbearable. Especially on trains. Professor Moustache explains that it’s normal to sometimes want to chuck them out the window when they won’t stop crying. Researchers have found that our brains are wired to go nuts when we hear a baby cry. In fact, it’s essential for their survival.
12. It’s Not Me, It’s Evolution
Air Date: 2025-06-17
Why did Mother Nature make babies who won’t let their parents get any sleep? Or who refuse to eat mum’s delicious mashed potatoes? In this episode, a baby goes on trial with evolutionary ethologists at its defense, Professor Moustache as the judge and its parents at their wit’s end.
13. Of Machine and Men
Air Date: 2025-06-18
Why did we feel sorry when that man kicked the cute dog robot? But then we feel nothing when we see a broken blender? Researchers have studied this bizarre human weakness; our tendency to see a soul where there is none. Be careful, you’ll never look at your hoover the same way after watching this episode.
14. Plants with Feelings
Air Date: 2025-06-19
While mowing the lawn, do you ever think about whether grass or flowers can get hurt when they’re cut? What about whether plants talk to insects? Can Professor Moustache mow the lawn without feeling guilty? Don’t let this be an excuse to miss out on your five a day, but science has shown that the plant kingdom communicates – a lot.
15. DIY Poop Survival
Air Date: 2025-06-20
Various Inuit legends say that in sub-zero temperatures, it’s possible to carve a tool out of a frozen turd. Without any scatological judgment, brave archeologists decided to test it for themselves and fact-check the legend. Professor Moustache explains.
16. The Superpower of Spit
Air Date: 2025-06-23
Is it a good idea to use your saliva to clean things? Like a dummy that fell on the floor, or a stain on a table? How about washing Timothée Chalamet’s sandy face in Dune? Scientifically speaking, given the composition of saliva, it’s actually not such a bad idea.
17. In Your Face, Santa!
Air Date: 2025-06-24
Thankfully there are researchers who ask fundamental questions. Like John Trinkaus, a US professor who wanted to find out whether children really enjoyed having their photo taken with Father Christmas in a local supermarket. Turns out, his methodology was 99 percent statistics and 1 percent psychology.
18. Twenty Thousand Eyes Under the Sea
Air Date: 2025-06-25
People are afraid of taking airplanes because they fly high and can fall around 11 kilometres. But why aren’t they just as scared on a cruise ship? The boat could also sink 11 kilometres deep. Professor Moustache looks at the science of the deep sea to get a better understanding of his underwater phobia. There is no guarantee he’ll cure it, though.
19. Space and Furious
Air Date: 2025-06-26
If we’re going to live on the Moon, can we bring our good old Fiat 500 with us? Unfortunately, my friends, terrestrial cars are not cut out for lunar weather conditions. We would need to build entirely new automobiles fit for purpose. Luckily, NASA already did.
20. Selfish Humans
Air Date: 2025-06-27
Professor Moustache loves John Trinkaus because he tackled so many everyday mysteries with scientific research. For example, what is the percentage of people who actually respect the ten item limit in the supermarket express lane? Or stop their cars at stop signs? Trinkaus, the ultimate pessimist when it comes to human behaviour, had the answers.
21. Crimes Without Gravity
Air Date: 2025-06-30
Every country has its laws. But what happens when a crime isn’t committed on Earth? What if an astronaut kills a colleague on the International Space Station? And what about on the Moon or Mars? Professor Moustache takes us on an interstellar cruise to explain a few useful treaties and helps us answer these questions.
22. An Atomic Blast in Paris
Air Date: 2025-07-01
What would happen if an atomic bomb were dropped on Paris? Would those outside the ring highway that surrounds the city make it? According to Professor Moustache, they would, but only if they follow strict instructions given by two Greek researchers on how to survive a blast. Watch out, you’ll have to move quickly…
23. Happy as a Tardigrade
Air Date: 2025-07-02
The tardigrade, an eight-legged micro animal that looks like a teddy bear, can be found everywhere. And Professor Moustache loves them. It may be cute and microscopic, but the tardigrade is extremely resistant! It also only grows at a rate of 3cm per month and uses snails as means of transport.
24. Mushroom Zombies
Air Date: 2025-07-03
In the TV show “The Last of Us”, people become zombies after a fungus takes over their brains, which was inspired by something that happens in real life. There is a fungus that does exactly that to ants. But don’t worry, Professor Moustache is here to reassure you that the human brain is a tad more complicated than that of an insect.
25. Monkey Talk
Air Date: 2025-07-04
If only it were possible for our pets to speak to us and tell us how much they love us… Well, it turns out that scientists have already tried to get monkeys to speak to us using words, signs and symbols. One researcher even managed to recreate the ‘voice’ of a chimpanzee! But would animals actually tell us they love us? Professor Moustache certainly doesn’t think so.
26. Researchers with Ants in Their Pants
Air Date: 2025-07-07
Imagine you’re a tiny ant in a jungle and you find a massive cookie chunk just three metres from your anthill. You rush to grab a piece of the cookie, but how will you find your way back to your anthill? You’ve walked so many zigzags and your eyesight isn’t exactly the sharpest. Professor Moustache dives into the world of myrmecology, the study of ants, to find an answer.
27. Tiny-Arms-Osaurus Rex
Air Date: 2025-07-08
Even though it is a predatory killing machine in many ways, the poor T-Rex has also been a laughing stock because of the size of its arms. Scientists have long wondered why they are so tiny, so Professor Moustache has decided to take a look at their hypotheses.
28. Doggy Supernose
Air Date: 2025-07-09
Professor Moustache finds it a little too easy to make fun of dogs he sees online who would do anything for a biscuit. But if humans were to develop the same sense of smell as dogs, we would quickly realise that actually, humans are totally nose-blind. Maybe we are the ones who should be made fun of?
29. Anatomy of a Football Fall
Air Date: 2025-07-10
If there is one sport that science has studied in detail, it’s football. We thought we knew everything there was to know about football players, but then female players came along! And now, researchers are finding surprising differences between the two genders – especially when it comes to behaviour.
30. How Can I Grow My Own Meat?
Air Date: 2025-07-11
It is possible to grow meat in a lab without killing cows, like growing a plant in a pot. Now, Nathanaël dreams of harvesting his steaks along his window sill. But turns out growing meat is more complicated than we think. Who’s here to crush Nathanaël’s dreams? Professor Moustache, of course!
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Rating
8.3/10
Release Date
2015-08-23
Episodes
130 (4 seasons)
Status
Returning Series
Cast
Production Companies
ARTE
Folimage
Agat Films & Cie / Ex Nihilo