The Crazy Story Behind Fahrenheit and Celsius
As an Australian-Canadian the Fahrenheit temperature scale always seemsed a bit arbitrary. I mean why does water freeze at 32 degrees? And what exactly does zero represent? According to many sources the Fahrenheit scale was defined by setting zero degrees equal to the...
How do we study the stars?
This TED Ed from Harvard University's Yuan-Sen Ting gives us a glimpse into how we can know so much about galaxies, planets, and stars. This is how astrophysicists see the universe. “Want to know the secrets of the universe? Just follow the light.”
Crazy, epic Rube Goldberg machine
Seven builders collaborate to make this epic Rube Goldberg machine, a complex chain reaction that travels through the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, office, living room, patio, and backyard, using everyday objects to automatically pour lemonade for the entire team of...
Winter Magic: Soap and corn syrup bubbles freezing
Using a mixture of 6 parts water, 2 parts dish soap and 1 part white corn syrup, Don Komarechka filmed ice crystals forming across the thin walls of freezing bubbles. The corn syrup is an important ingredient as it allows the bubble to thicken on the bottom and acts...
Why do geese fly in a “V” formation?
Charlie from "Weird But True!" and "Nature Boom Time!" on National Geographic explains why geese fly in a "V" formation.
Why are our fingerprints unique?
Because of the chaotic way fingerprints develop and the multiplying effect of compound probability, it's basically impossible for any two fingers to have matching prints.
Seven rad science experiments with surface tension
You can easily do all these experiments at home if you've got a plate, a glass, an index card, a q-tip, a penny, an eye dropper, dish soap, some food coloring, or a cup of coffee. Try one or all of them today!
What is surface tension?
In this mesmerizing video, see how a water strider walks on water, and how a drop of milk in water actually stretches the water's surface instead of breaking it. It has to do with the elastic property of the water surface, a phenomenon called surface tension.
NEBULAE: A Cosmic Meditation
Watch this stunning footage taking you deep inside a space nebulae. "A cloud that veils one of nature's secret places. This is a stellar nursery, a place where stars are born. They condense by gravity from gas and dust until their temperatures become so high that they...
What is Dust Made Of?
Less than a tenth the size of an ant, a dust mite’s whole world is contained in the dusty film under a bed or in a forgotten corner. This realm is right under our noses, but from our perspective, the tiny specks of brilliant color blend together into a nondescript...
Welding in Space
In space, metals can weld together without heat or melting.
Rescuing a Tiny, Newborn Sloth
The Very Hungry Maggot: Can Maggots Devour All Our Food Waste?
How Deep is the Ocean?
How Trees Talk to Each Other on “The Wood-Wide Web”
Utah Wildlife Department Stock Lakes with Fish from Airplanes
What Do Sand Dollars Look Like When They’re Alive?
Bumblebee Barf: How it Creates Queens
For honey bees, making a new queen is as simple as adding royal jelly, a unique protein rich secretion, to the cell of a growing larvae. This fairly well studied addition causes a cascade of physiological changes in the growing larvae and voila! A queen is born....
What is Fire? A Solid, Liquid, or Gas?
"Sitting around a campfire, you can feel its heat, smell the woody smoke, and hear it crackle. If you get too close, it burns your eyes and stings your nostrils. You could stare at the bright flames forever as they twist and flicker in endless incarnations… But what...
Killer Whale Grandmas Are Rad
Pods of killer whales inhabit the waters of every major ocean on Earth. Each family is able to survive thanks mainly to one member, its most knowledgeable hunter: the grandmother. These matriarchs can live 80 years or more and their expertise can mean the difference...