There are a few key ingredients are needed for life to exist.

The year was filled with amazing influential discoveries that rock the world of science.

Learn how to protect your pets from the chemicals in your home; and why resilience is a process, not a fixed trait.

Learn why some scientists are comparing an ancient bacteria to the Fountain of Youth; how temperature might affect how you spend your money; and, a rule you can use to develop new skills in just a few hours a week.

Learn about a nearly mile-long trackway of fossilized human footprints is the longest ever found, a trick to keep experiences feeling fresh and new, and the more you wish for self-control, the less of It you have.

Learn the truth behind this famous wacky tongue photo.

Learn about some of the weirdest types of planets in our galaxy; the right way to tap on a can of soda to keep it from exploding; and whether you can actually taste how strong a drink is.

Learn about why envy isn’t always a bad thing; how the Coriolis Effect affects the way things on the Earth rotate; and how RNA knows how to read DNA, with some help from a special guest from Science News and Qs (also known as SNaQ), a Carnegie Science Center podcast.

Learn about why high school starts too early; why daydreaming might be a good sign; and finding life on Hycean planets.

Learn about a personality trait called the D Factor that might be behind all the evil in the world; why the Pluto planet debate just won’t go away; and how much time it takes to grow giant, prize-worthy pumpkins.

Hugo Fruehaf, one of the inventors of GPS, discusses the dark origins of GPS and how far we’ve come since. Plus: learn why quiet wakefulness makes it okay to take a nap without actually falling asleep.

Learn about how to avoid getting dragged down by “Sludge”; how hybrid fruit like plumcots are made; and pirate parlance.

Learn about the “superhabitable” planets that may have conditions better for life than Earth. Then, biologist and best-selling author Neil Shubin will explain a common misconception about how animals evolve.

Learn about why short-term pleasures are important for your well-being; a Thorne-Żytkow Object, which is what astronomers call a star within a star; and how science identified the culprit for your smelly armpits: Staphylococcus hominis.

Learn about the key ingredients for forging a friendship; why it’s so hard to make decisions with friends; and what it would mean if dark matter doesn’t exist and the law of gravity is wrong.