EBS Knowledge Channel e to air three-day series on science and history

EBS Knowledge Channel e will broadcast three episodes from October 26 to 28 exploring mosquito scent preferences, the 150-year social ascent of a 17th-century slave family, and the psychology of cuteness. The series includes research from Rockefeller University and Florida International University regarding how different mosquito species react to the body odors of 119 people.

EBS Knowledge Channel e will broadcast three episodes covering science, history, and society topics over three days from October 26 to 28. The series will sequentially introduce why some people are bitten by mosquitoes while others are not, the process by which a 17th-century slave family changed their social status through household registers and marriage, and how looking at cute objects affects emotions and attitudes toward others. The broadcasts will air daily at 12:40 a.m. on EBS1. According to the program introduction released by EBS, the first episode covers an experiment on mosquito scent preferences, the second follows the 150-year journey of social ascent for Su-bong, a slave from Danseong County, Gyeongsang-do, and his descendants, and the final episode introduces research showing that cuteness mitigates negative emotions and is linked to an attitude of observing others carefully.

The three episodes cover scientific experiments, Joseon Dynasty household registers, and the emotions and attitudes of people looking at cuteness. The first broadcast begins with a 2022 experiment by researchers at Rockefeller University in the United States, who collected body odors to observe mosquito selection. This is followed by a study from researchers at Florida International University in the United States, which compared the reactions of three species of mosquitoes to the body odors of 119 people. The second broadcast covers how Su-bong accumulated wealth to gain freedom from slavery, changed his surname and household register, and the subsequent challenges his descendants faced regarding military cloth tax burdens. The third broadcast examines the relationship between changes in emotion, attention, and consideration when looking at cute objects.

Mosquito selection criteria studied through body odor

The question for the October 26 broadcast is, "Why am I the only one being bitten?" While some people are bitten much more frequently by mosquitoes even when in the same location, others are relatively less bitten. While there are speculations that blood type or consumed food are the causes, the broadcast examines the criteria mosquitoes use to choose people through body odor research. According to the introductory materials, scientists conducted an experiment where they collected human scents and let mosquitoes make a selection to solve this mystery.

In 2022, researchers at Rockefeller University in the United States collected the body odors of participants by covering their arms with nylon stockings and then letting mosquitoes smell them. In an experiment where mosquitoes were made to distinguish participants based solely on scent, one participant's mosquito preference score was more than 100 times higher than the lowest participant. However, the mosquitoes used in this experiment were of a single species. The broadcast continues by questioning whether the preference observed in one species of mosquito appears identically in other species.

In 2026, researchers at Florida International University in the United States compared how three species of mosquitoes reacted to the body odors of 119 people. The introductory materials explain that even with the same person's scent, the "popularity rankings" varied depending on the mosquito species. Knowledge Channel e will cover how different preferences appear for each mosquito and whether these differences can serve as clues for finding new control methods. Rather than presenting speculations about blood type or food as the answer, the program is structured to examine research that collected and compared body odors and the differences in responses by mosquito species.

The 150-year social ascent of Su-bong and his descendants

On October 27, "Su-bong's Escape from Slavery" will be broadcast. The setting is Danseong County, Gyeongsang-do, in the 17th century. Instead of running away or rebelling, the slave Su-bong attempted to overcome the barriers of social status by accumulating wealth and changing documents. According to the program introduction, after accumulating enough wealth to own land and slaves, Su-bong successfully gained freedom by paying grain to the local government office. After escaping slave status, the process of changing the family's status through surnames, marriage, and household registers continued.

Su-bong adopted the Gimhae Kim clan, a common surname in the village, and married his children to commoner women. He also changed the official duties of his deceased ancestors to those of commoners and erased traces by changing family names whenever new household registers were created. The broadcast introduces this process as "social status laundering." It did not end with Su-bong's individual liberation from slavery; the marriage and household register adjustments of his descendants continued, and the family attempted social ascent over several generations to obtain the names of the nobility.

Even after becoming commoners, Su-bong's descendants were left with the annual military cloth tax to pay. It was as if another burden lay between escaping slave status and obtaining the names of the nobility. The program introduction presents the time the Su-bong family took for social ascent as 150 years, examining the grain and money accumulated, the choice of surname, and the marriage and household register renewals in that process. The broadcast follows the case of a family that changed their status using documents and family relationships instead of fleeing, covering the process of social ascent that continued even after becoming commoners.

Changes in emotions and attitudes when looking at cuteness

The title of the October 28 broadcast is "Does cuteness save the world?" The program starts from the experience of briefly forgetting fatigue and gaining peace of mind when looking at small, cute things. The introductory materials explain that looking at cuteness does not merely improve one's mood but can also bring changes to emotions and attitudes. It explores what emotional value cuteness holds in an era where it is difficult for people to open their hearts to one another.

According to the research cited in the program introduction, the act of looking at a cute object mitigates negative emotions and increases attention to understand the object more deeply and observe it closely. The introductory materials state that the feeling of pitying or wanting to handle an object carefully can extend to attitudes of consideration and how one treats other people. The broadcast covers the process by which the meticulous attention generated by looking at cute objects connects to kindness toward others.

The theme of this episode also includes a gaze that warmly views even the vulnerable points of others. The broadcast introduces that looking closely at small things can create a warm space in the heart. Rather than treating cuteness as a mere preference or momentary pleasure, the program is structured to link it to the attitude of observing others carefully and treating them cautiously. Through this episode, EBS introduces the impact of cuteness on emotions, attention, and consideration for others.

Broadcasting daily at 12:40 a.m. for three days

The three episodes will be broadcast in the order of mosquito body odor research on Monday, October 26; the social ascent of Su-bong's family on Tuesday, October 27; and cuteness and kind gazes on Wednesday, October 28. All can be viewed at 12:40 a.m. on EBS1. EBS has noted that related photos can be found on the highlights corner of the Cyber PR Office on the institution's website on the corresponding broadcast dates.

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