What is the difference between “#!/usr/bin/env bash” and “#!/usr/bin/bash”?

Question

In the header of a Bash script, what\'s the difference between those two statements:

1. #!/usr/bin/env bash

2. #!/usr/bin/bash<

Answer 1

Instead of explicitly defining the path to the interpreter as in /usr/bin/bash/, by using the env command, the interpreter is searched for and launched from wherever it is first found. This has both upsides and downsides