Rubies get their bright color from some fascinating chemistry. Matthew Hill/Bloomberg Creative Photos via Getty Images Daniel Freedman, University of Wisconsin-Stout The colors of rubies and emeralds are so striking that they define shades of red and green – ruby red and emerald green. But have you ever wondered how they get those colors? I […]
Nature finds a way—even when it comes to fish appearing in remote mountain lakes! MinuteEarth dives into the surprising ways fish end up in isolated alpine waters. From seasonal overflows and human airdrops to the, uh… less glamorous method of hitching a ride through a duck’s digestive system, life has been spreading across the planet […]
Feeling stuck in the middle of a project? You’re not alone! Motivation often peaks at the beginning and end, but the middle can feel like a slog. Psychologists call this the “stuck in the middle” effect, where progress feels slow and discouraging. But there’s a way out! This insightful video explores the psychology behind motivation […]
Every day, planes drop millions of sterilized flies over the Panama-Colombia border. It sounds like a sci-fi horror plot, but it’s actually a decades-long strategy to stop screwworms—flesh-eating pests that once ravaged livestock across North America. The plan? Raise screwworm flies, sterilize them with radiation, and release them into the wild. Since female screwworms only […]
Lightning, when coupled with solar flares, can knock electrons flying above the Earth out of place. AP Photo/David Zalubowski Lauren Blum, University of Colorado Boulder There are trillions of charged particles – protons and electrons, the basic building blocks of matter – whizzing around above your head at any given time. These high-energy particles, which […]
Imagine stepping into a universe where alien life flourishes in the most unexpected ways. Kurzgesagt’s latest video takes us on a journey through three wildly different worlds, each teeming with unique and bizarre creatures shaped by the extreme conditions of their home planets. On the oceanic planet Eye of Iper, blind creatures thrive in its […]
Maikel Rheinstadter, McMaster University We live in a golden age for space exploration. Scientists are gathering massive amounts of new information and scientific evidence at a record pace. Yet the age-old question remains unanswered: are we alone? New telescope technologies, including space-based tools such as the James Webb Telescope, have enabled us to discover thousands […]
A newly discovered asteroid, designated 2024 YR4, has drawn significant attention from the global scientific community after calculations revealed a 1.3% chance of it colliding with Earth on December 22, 2032. Measuring approximately 100 meters in width, the asteroid was first observed on December 27, 2024, by an automated telescope in Chile. Since then, it […]
Super glue: it’s tiny, it’s sticky, and it’s way more powerful than you think! In this video from Veritasium, host Derek Muller takes you on a fun journey through this accidental wonder of science. Originally invented in the 1940s as a clear plastic for gunsights, it wasn’t long before its incredible sticking power was discovered—and […]
Ever wondered how the world really keeps rolling? It’s all thanks to balls: big, small, smooth, and sometimes rough. And no, this isn’t a setup for a cheeky joke (okay, maybe a little). From the tiniest precision-engineered spheres to industrial-strength heavy hitters, balls are the unsung heroes of modern technology. This video dives deep into […]