5 Levels
1 season, 6 episodesCan everything be explained to everyone in terms they can understand? In 5 Levels, an expert scientist explains a high-level subject in five different layers of complexity— first to a child, then a teenager, then an undergrad majoring in the same subject, a grad student and, finally, a colleague.
Season 1
Technology
23-year-old musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier explains the concept of harmony to 5 different people; a child, a teen, a college student, a professional, and jazz legend Herbie Hancock.Science
Blockchain, the key technology behind Bitcoin, is a new network that helps decentralize trade, and allows for more peer-to-peer transactions. WIRED challenged political scientist and blockchain researcher Bettina Warburg to explain blockchain technology to 5 different people; a child, a teen, a college student, a grad student, and an expert.Technology
The technology behind modern virtual reality is rapidly evolving, but what exactly helps create a better sense of realism and immersion? WIRED has challenged Oculus CTO John Carmack to explain the concept of realism in virtual reality to 5 different people; a child, a pre-teen, a college student, a grad student and a VR expert.Science
CRISPR is a new biomedical technique that enables powerful gene editing. WIRED challenged biologist Neville Sanjana to explain CRISPR to 5 different people; a child, a teen, a college student, a grad student, and a CRISPR expert.Science
The Connectome is a comprehensive diagram of all the neural connections existing in the brain. WIRED has challenged neuroscientist Bobby Kasthuri to explain this scientific concept to 5 different people; a 5 year-old, a 13 year-old, a college student, a neuroscience grad student and a connectome entrepreneur.Science
WIRED has challenged NASA's Varoujan Gorjian (Research Astronomer, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab) to explain black holes to 5 different people; a child, teen, a college student, a grad student and an expert.