https://youtube.com/channel/UCHnyfMqiRRG1u-2MsSQLbXA An element of truth - videos about science, education, and anything else we find interesting. TV & Film Podsync generator (support us at https://github.com/mxpv/podsync) en-us Tue, 04 Aug 2026 09:24:36 +0000 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:18:02 +0000 https://yt3.ggpht.com/7vCbvtCqtjQ3YLgsJt7Y952MQV1sBvhllSCSxHP8_sVZdcPCBrITfhkN2RdyCuwPnsByq-1GoA=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj https://youtube.com/channel/UCHnyfMqiRRG1u-2MsSQLbXA Veritasium Veritasium no wt4p2oalmRY https://youtube.com/watch?v=wt4p2oalmRY Can you really swing from spider silk? Sponsored by Henson Shaving - Head to https://hensonshaving.com/veritasium and use code “veritasium” for 100 free blades with any razor purchase. Just add both the razor and blades to your cart. Last year, we launched the Elements of Truth game on Kickstarter and were thrilled by the response. We’re now in the final stages of production, with Kickstarter rewards shipping soon. Pre-order the retail edition here: https://ve42.co/YTSpiderSilk If you’re looking for a molecular modelling kit, try Snatoms, a kit I invented where the atoms snap together magnetically - https://ve42.co/SnatomsV For weekly science news, sign up to the Veritasium newsletter - https://ve42.co/Newsletter For early access to work-in-progress videos, join our Patreon - https://ve42.co/VePatreon ▀▀▀ 00:00 Could Spider Silk Let You Swing Like Spider-Man? 00:44 Is Spider Silk Really Stronger Than Steel? 02:29 Testing Spider Silk's Tensile Strength 03:48 The Strongest Silk on Earth 05:34 Spider Silk vs Kevlar vs Steel 07:37 The Nanostructure Behind Spider Silk's Strength 08:42 Why We Can't Farm Spiders 10:16 Engineering Fake Spider Silk 15:04 From the Silk Road to CRISPR 21:31 Real-World Uses and the Ultimate Swing Test ▀▀▀ Special thanks to the experts and collaborators who made this video possible: Professor Todd Blackledge and the Blackledge Spider Lab at the University of Akron, for welcoming us into the lab, walking us through how spiders make and use silk, and letting us put the real material to the test. Jon Rice and the team at Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, for opening their doors, sharing their transgenic silk, patiently explaining how their engineered silkworms work, and helping make the spider-silk swing possible. Professors Keiji Numata, Chris Holland, Sara Goodacre and Greg Holland, for generously sharing their time and expertise in our research conversations helping us understand the extraordinary diversity of spider silks, how they are spun, and how structure, water and chemistry shape their properties. Professors Ingi Agnarsson and Thomas Scheibel, for their guidance that helped sharpen our explanation. ▀▀▀ References: https://ve42.co/SpiderSilkRefs ▀▀▀ Special thanks to our Patreon supporters: Adam Foreman, Albert Wenger, Alex Porter, Alexander Tamas, André Powell, Anton Ragin, Balkrishna Heroor, Bertrand Serlet, Blake Byers, Bruce, Bryan Ackermann, Chris Brewer, Data Don, Dave Kircher, David Johnston, David Tseng, EJ Alexandra, Evgeny Skvortsov, Garrett Mueller, Gnare, gpoly, Hayden Christensen, Hong Thai Le, Ibby Hadeed, Jeromy Johnson, Jesse Brandsoy, Juan Benet, Kelcey Steele, KeyWestr, Kyi, Lee Redden, Marinus Kuivenhoven, Mark Heising, Martin Paull, Meekay, meg noah, Michael Krugman, Moebiusol - Cristian, Orlando Bassotto, Parsee Health, Paul Peijzel, Robson, Sam Lutfi, Shalva Bukia, Sinan Taifour, Sweet_Nemo, Tj Steyn, Ubiquity Ventures, Vahe Andonians, wolfee ▀▀▀ Writers - Vibhor Pandey & Henry van Dyck Producer & Director - Vibhor Pandey & Henry van Dyck Presenters & Narration - Henry van Dyck & Derek Muller Editors- Trenton Oliver, Axel Oliver, James Stuart & George Reynolds Animators - Alex Drakoulis, Andrew Neet, Domonkos Józsa, Emma Wright & Fabio Albertelli Illustrator - Jakub Misiek Researchers - Aakash Singh Bagga, Gabe Strong & Sophia Rose Camera Operators: Henry van Dyck, Petr Lebedev, Casper Mebius and Ben Curtis-Dyck Thumbnail Designers - Abdallah Rabah, Daniel Ellacott & Ben Powell Production Team - Matthew Cavanagh, Jess Bishop-Laggett, Glen Griffiths, Josh Pitt, Luke Lewis, Anna Milkovic & Justin St-Laurent Executive Producers - Henry van Dyck, Emilia Gyles, Casper Mebius & Derek Muller Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images, Pond5 and Storyblocks Music from Epidemic Sound Sun, 02 Aug 2026 13:21:11 +0000 Veritasium Is spider silk really stronger than steel? 26:58 no 1 tL9Lw250spc https://youtube.com/watch?v=tL9Lw250spc The hidden math that governs life. Sponsored by Brilliant - Try Brilliant for free, plus get 20% off an annual Premium subscription at https://brilliant.org/veritasium Last year, we launched the Elements of Truth game on Kickstarter and were thrilled by the response. We’re now in the final stages of production, with Kickstarter rewards shipping soon. Pre-order the retail edition here: https://elementsoftruth.game/ If you’re looking for a molecular modelling kit, try Snatoms, a kit I invented where the atoms snap together magnetically - https://ve42.co/SnatomsV For weekly science news, and an exclusive Q&A where Writer/Director Daniel Leonard discusses the making of this video, sign up to the Veritasium newsletter - https://ve42.co/Newsletter For early access to work in progress videos join our Patreon - https://ve42.co/VePatreon ▀▀▀ 0:00 How much LSD should you give an elephant? 3:09 Metabolic Rate In Animals 5:27 The Surface Law 8:04 What is Kleiber’s Law? 10:49 Why is ¼ everywhere in biology? 13:33 WBE Theory 19:53 Every animal has 1,000,000,000 heartbeats 23:11 Why Humans Live Longer 24:31 Is it better to live in a city or a small town? 30:12 Is there really a universal scaling exponent for life? ▀▀▀ Much of this video was inspired by Geoffrey West’s book: Scale. Check it out here - https://ve42.co/ScaleBook ▀▀▀ Special thanks to the experts who helped make this video possible: Brian Enquist, whose work helped inspire this video, for sharing the story behind WBE theory and helping us make its key assumptions and derivation more accurate. Van Savage, for the generous and detailed feedback that sharpened our explanation of WBE theory, self-similarity, and the current state of the field. Steven Strogatz, for the insightful conversations, on-camera contribution, and careful reviews that helped us keep the mathematics clear and the story scientifically honest. Peter Sheridan Dodds, for helping us understand the objections to WBE theory and the debate over three-quarter-power scaling. And the many other experts who discussed this topic with us as we were developing the script, for their invaluable contributions: Luis Bettencourt, Jayanth Banavar, Aaron Clauset, Juan Rubalcaba, and Douglas Glazier. ▀▀▀ References: https://ve42.co/ScaleRefs ▀▀▀ Special thanks to our Patreon supporters: Adam Foreman, Albert Wenger, Alex Porter, Alexander Tamas, André Powell, Anton Ragin, Balkrishna Heroor, Bertrand Serlet, Blake Byers, Bruce, Bryan Ackermann, Chris Brewer, Data Don, Dave Kircher, David Johnston, David Tseng, EJ Alexandra, Evgeny Skvortsov, Garrett Mueller, Gnare, gpoly, Hayden Christensen, Hong Thai Le, Ibby Hadeed, Jeromy Johnson, Jesse Brandsoy, Juan Benet, Kelcey Steele, KeyWestr, Kyi, Lee Redden, Marinus Kuivenhoven, Mark Heising, Martin Paull, Meekay, meg noah, Michael Krugman, Moebiusol - Cristian, Orlando Bassotto, Parsee Health, Paul Peijzel, Robson, Sam Lutfi, Shalva Bukia, Sinan Taifour, Sweet_Nemo, Tj Steyn, Ubiquity Ventures, Vahe Andonians, wolfee ▀▀▀ Writers - Daniel Leonard, Casper Mebius & Derek Muller Producer & Director - Daniel Leonard Presenters & Narration - Derek Muller & Henry van Dyck Editors - Trenton Oliver, Axel Oliver & Jonny Lennard Assistant Editor - James Stuart Animators - Alex Drakoulis, Andrew Neet, Domonkos Józsa, Emma Wright & Fabio Albertelli Illustrators - Jakub Misiek & Raphael Aubry Simulations - Callum Cuttle & Aakash Singh Bagga Researchers - Aakash Singh Bagga, Callum Cuttle & Gabe Strong Thumbnail Designers - Abdallah Rabah & Daniel Ellacott Thumbnail Design Direction - Ben Powell Production Team - Jess Bishop-Laggett, Glen Griffiths, Matthew Cavanagh, Luke Lewis, Anna Milkovic & Justin St-Laurent Executive Producers - Casper Mebius & Derek Muller Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images, Pond5 and Storyblocks Music from Epidemic Sound Sat, 25 Jul 2026 17:29:09 +0000 Veritasium Why does every mammal get 1 billion heartbeats in their life? 35:32 no 3 2_VB-oc_pmk https://youtube.com/watch?v=2_VB-oc_pmk Put a cat in a box with a radioactive atom. Add a radiation detector that triggers the release of poisonous cyanide gas. Schrödinger's thought experiment was supposed to be a criticism of quantum mechanics and is now one of it's best explainers. Here's why and what happens to the cat... Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:31:18 +0000 Veritasium What happens to Schrödinger's cat? 1:43 no 4 RmHcX5oVzvs https://youtube.com/watch?v=RmHcX5oVzvs Why do objects travel with waves? We're taught waves only transfer energy, not material, but objects wash ashore all the time. How does this work? #veritasium #science #physics Fri, 17 Jul 2026 13:28:38 +0000 Veritasium Why Waves Travel Faster At The Top 1:58 no 5 GK2pZ_oVU1o https://youtube.com/watch?v=GK2pZ_oVU1o Why is the Smith Chart one of the scariest charts in electrical engineering? Sponsored by Incogni - use code veritasium at https://incogni.com/veritasium to get an exclusive 60% off your annual subscription. Last year, we launched the Elements of Truth game on Kickstarter and were thrilled by the response. We’re now in the final stages of production, with Kickstarter rewards shipping soon. Pre-order the retail edition here: https://elementsoftruth.game/ If you’re looking for a molecular modelling kit, try Snatoms, a kit I invented where the atoms snap together magnetically - https://ve42.co/SnatomsV For weekly science news, and an exclusive Q&A where Writer/Director Henry discusses the making of this video, sign up to the Veritasium newsletter - https://ve42.co/Newsletter For early access to work in progress videos join our Patreon https://ve42.co/VePatreon ▀▀▀ A big shout out to Imperial College London for letting us use their screened RF anechoic chamber. In particular, a massive thanks to Prof. Stepan Lucyszyn and Ian Rossuck for helping us set up the demos seen in this video. Also special thanks to Zach Star, Dr. Cynthia Furse, Dr James Nagel, and Ralph Gable for their invaluable expertise! Check out @zachstar 's video on the Smith Chart here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXWbdxOAuDs Check out @3blue1brown 's video to learn more about transformations and conformal maps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldxFjLJ3rVY ▀▀▀ References: https://ve42.co/SmithChartsRefs ▀▀▀ Special thanks to our Patreon supporters: Adam Foreman, Albert Wenger, Alex Porter, Alexander Tamas, André Powell, Anton Ragin, Balkrishna Heroor, Bertrand Serlet, Blake Byers, Bruce, Bryan Ackermann, Chris Brewer, Data Don, Dave Kircher, David Johnston, David Tseng, EJ Alexandra, Evgeny Skvortsov, Garrett Mueller, Gnare, gpoly, Hayden Christensen, Hong Thai Le, Ibby Hadeed, Jeromy Johnson, Jesse Brandsoy, Juan Benet, Kelcey Steele, KeyWestr, Kyi, Lee Redden, Marinus Kuivenhoven, Mark Heising, Martin Paull, Meekay, meg noah, Michael Krugman, Moebiusol - Cristian, Orlando Bassotto, Parsee Health, Paul Peijzel, Richard Sundvall, Robson, Sam Lutfi, Shalva Bukia, Sinan Taifour, Tj Steyn, Ubiquity Ventures, Vahe Andonians, wolfee ▀▀▀ Writer, Producer & Director: Henry van Dyck Presenter: Henry van Dyck Editors: Trenton Oliver, Axel Oliver & Peter Nelson Animators: Emma Wright, Alex Drakoulis, Andrew Neet & Fabio Albertelli Illustrator: Jakub Misiek Researchers: Darius Garewal & Gabe Strong Asst. Editors: James Stuart & Jonny Leonard Simulations: Darius Garewal & Henry van Dyck Camera/Drone Operator: Robert Newman Additional Writing: Darius Garewal Thumbnail Designers: Abdallah Rabah & Daniel Ellacott Production Team: Jess Bishop-Laggett, Glen Griffiths, Matthew Cavanagh, Luke Lewis & Anna Milkovic Executive Producers: Casper Mebius Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images and Storyblocks Music from Epidemic Sound Tue, 14 Jul 2026 18:03:28 +0000 Veritasium The Scariest Chart In Electrical Engineering 39:44 no 6 Xhl5TzKZbpw https://youtube.com/watch?v=Xhl5TzKZbpw Plants can stay cooler than the air around them, even in full sun. How is that possible? We partnered with Anker to find out… Pick up your Anker Prime Charger here: https://ankerfast.club/noagy5 #AnkerTech #Anker #AnkerPrime Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:04:35 +0000 Veritasium AD - Why are plants colder than their surroundings? 2:40 no 9 dquI8khH1Zk https://youtube.com/watch?v=dquI8khH1Zk Why does a charger sometimes spark when you unplug it, even when it's switched off at the wall? We partnered with Anker to find out… Pick up your Anker Prime Charger here: https://ankerfast.club/noagy5 #AnkerTech #Anker #AnkerPrime Tue, 30 Jun 2026 14:00:19 +0000 Veritasium AD - Why do I get this spark when I unplug my hair dryer? 2:22 no 10 mvcesPWvUIc https://youtube.com/watch?v=mvcesPWvUIc How accurate is modern forensics? Sponsored by Saily - Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use code veritasium at checkout. Download the Saily app or go to https://saily.com/veritasium Last year, we launched the Elements of Truth game on Kickstarter and were thrilled by the response. We’re now in the final stages of production, with Kickstarter rewards shipping soon. If you missed the campaign, you can now pre-order the retail edition through our new website here - https://ve42.co/ForensicsDes If you backed us on Kickstarter, don’t worry, your game will ship before any pre-orders are fulfilled. If you’re looking for a molecular modelling kit, try Snatoms, a kit I invented where the atoms snap together magnetically - https://ve42.co/SnatomsV For the latest science news, and for an exclusive bonus Q&A with the director of this video, sign up to the Veritasium newsletter - https://ve42.co/Newsletter For early access to work-in-progress videos, join our Patreon https://ve42.co/VePatreon Correction: At 2:47, we state 96% of cases were declared false, the FBI report found that examiners gave erroneous or exaggerated testimony under oath in 96% of those cases. ▀▀▀ 0:00 The First Forensics Investigation 1:51 How accurate is hair in forensics? 3:30 Why Bite Marks Should Never Be Used In Court 5:22 Blood Spatter Analysis 8:04 How unique are fingerprints? 16:33 Is DNA evidence reliable? 21:38 How can we improve forensics as a science? ▀▀▀ Special thanks to the experts and collaborators who made this video possible: For their fantastic insights and time in contributing to this video (in order of appearance) - Dr Mary Bush from the University at Buffalo, John Foster at the University of Greenwich, Dr Itiel Dror, and Professor Turi King. For key expertise and consultation on the animations as well as wider research, Professor Denise Syndercombe Court of King’s College London and Dr John Butler of the National Institute for Standards and Technology. For their expert contributions to the development and research of the video (in alphabetical order), Zack Kowalske (@TheScienceDetective), Dr Emmanuel Nsiah Amoako, Professor Nick Scurich, Derek Tremain, Dr Sophie Turfus, Theron Vines, Professor Graham Williams and Jerri Williams. For key inspiration in the making of this video, Forensics: The Anatomy of Crime by Val McDermid, Patented: History of Inventions Podcast by History Hit, Murder Is Her Hobby: Frances Glessner Lee and The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death Exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, deathindiorama.com, and @forensicsprof videos on the Henry Classification System for fingerprint analysis. ▀▀▀ Reference List: https://ve42.co/ForensicsRefs ▀▀▀ Special thanks to our Patreon supporters: Adam Foreman, Albert Wenger, Alex Porter, Alexander Tamas, André Powell, Anton Ragin, Balkrishna Heroor, Bertrand Serlet, Blake Byers, Bruce, Bryan Ackermann, Chris Brewer, Data Don, Dave Kircher, David Johnston, David Tseng, EJ Alexandra, Evgeny Skvortsov, Garrett Mueller, Gnare, gpoly, Hayden Christensen, Hong Thai Le, Ibby Hadeed, Jeromy Johnson, Jesse Brandsoy, Juan Benet, Kelcey Steele, KeyWestr, Kyi, Lee Redden, Marinus Kuivenhoven, Mark Heising, Martin Paull, Meekay, meg noah, Michael Krugman, Moebiusol - Cristian, Orlando Bassotto, Parsee Health, Paul Peijzel, Richard Sundvall, Robson, Sam Lutfi, Shalva Bukia, Sinan Taifour, Tj Steyn, Ubiquity Ventures, Vahe Andonians, wolfee ▀▀▀ Writers: Sarah Houlton and Gregor Čavlović Producer and Director: Sarah Houlton Presenter: Gregor Čavlović Editors: Trenton Oliver and Axel Oliver Assistant Editors: James Stuart and Peter Nelson Animators: Emma Wright, Domonkos Józsa, Alex Drakoulis, Andrew Neet and Fabio Albertelli Illustrator: Jakub Misiek Researchers: Sophia Rose and Gabe Strong Director of Photography: Richard Ing Camera Assistant: Jack Stevenson Additional Camera: Sarah Houlton Additional Writer: Sophia Rose Thumbnail Designers: Abdallah Rabah, Daniel Ellacott, Patryk Ziolkowski and Ben Powell Production Team: Jess Bishop-Laggett, Glen Griffiths, Matthew Cavanagh, Anna Milkovic and Justin St Laurent Executive Producers: Gregor Čavlović and Casper Mebius Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images and Storyblocks Music from Epidemic Sound Mon, 22 Jun 2026 14:40:50 +0000 Veritasium We've Been Using The Wrong Science In Court For 50 years 23:22 no 11 8HBDE-msUjw https://youtube.com/watch?v=8HBDE-msUjw Do twin primes go on forever? Sponsored by Brilliant - Head to https://brilliant.org/veritasium to try Brilliant’s tutor for free, plus receive 20% off an annual Premium subscription If you’re looking for a molecular modelling kit, try Snatoms, a kit I invented where the atoms snap together magnetically - https://ve42.co/SnatomsV Sign up for the Veritasium newsletter for weekly science updates - https://ve42.co/Newsletter For early access to work in progress videos join our patreon https://ve42.co/VePatreon ▀▀▀ A huge thank you to Alex Kontorovich, Andrew Granville, James Maynard, Roger Heath-Brown, Dimitris Koukoulopoulos, Debmalya Basak & George Shakan for their invaluable expertise and contributions to this video! ▀▀▀ 0:00 What are twin primes? 3:08 How To Find Prime Numbers 6:11 The Sieve of Eratosthenes 11:26 The Closest We’ve Come To Proving Twin Primes 15:54 Searching For A Bounded Gap 18:47 How A Subway Worker Changed The Game 29:20 Finding An Upper Bound 32:04 Maynard and Polymath 36:42 Will we solve the twin prime conjecture? ▀▀▀ References can be found here: https://ve42.co/TwinPrimesRefs ▀▀▀ Special thanks to our Patreon supporters: Adam Foreman, Albert Wenger, Alex Porter, Alexander Tamas, Anton Ragin, armedtoe, Balkrishna Heroor, Bertrand Serlet, Blake Byers, Bruce, Charles Ian Norman Venn, Daniel Martins, Data Don, Dave Kircher, David Johnston, David Tseng, EJ Alexandra, Evgeny Skvortsov, Garrett Mueller, Gnare, Hayden Christensen, Hong Thai Le, Ibby Hadeed, Jeromy Johnson, Jesse Brandsoy, Jon Jamison, Juan Benet, Kelcey Steele, KeyWestr, Kyi, Lee Redden, Marinus Kuivenhoven, Mark Heising, Martin Paull, Meekay, meg noah, Michael Krugman, Moebiusol - Cristian, Orlando Bassotto, Parsee Health, Paul Peijzel, Richard Sundvall, Robson, Sam Lutfi, Shalva Bukia, Sinan Taifour, Tj Steyn, Ubiquity Ventures, Vahe Andonians, wolfee ▀▀▀ Writers: Vibhor Pandey, Casper Mebius and Alex Kontorovich Producer & Director: Vibhor Pandey Presenters: Derek Muller & Casper Mebius Editors: George Reynolds & Trenton Oliver Camera Operators: Casper Mebius & Derek Muller Animators: Emma Wright, Andrew Neet, Alex Drakoulis, Domonkos Józsa & Fabio Albertelli Illustrators: Jakub Misiek Additional Editor: James Stuart Researchers: Darius Garewal, Gabe Strong, Sophia Rose Thumbnail Designers: Abdallah Rabah, Ben Powell, Daniel Ellacott & Patryk Ziolkowski Production Team: Jess Bishop-Laggett, Matthew Cavanagh, Anna Milkovich & Josh Pitt Executive Producers: Derek Muller, Casper Mebius & Emily Zhang Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images & Storyblocks Music from Epidemic Sound Sun, 14 Jun 2026 15:18:45 +0000 Veritasium We're 99.9% sure this pattern is true, but no one can prove it 41:30 no 12