Why are your fingerprints unique?
It's said that no two fingerprints are the same. Is that true? How did your fingerprints form and why are they unique? This Minute Earth video explores fingerprint science. Learn how loop, whorl, and arch shapes form ...
Reverse engineering the locomotion of a prehistoric reptile ancestor
You can tell a lot about an animal from the way it moves, which is why scientists have been recreating the movements of an extinct crocodile-like creature called Orobates pabsti. Orobates lived well before the time of...
4 levels of brownies, from amateur to food scientist
There are dozens upon dozens of recipes for seemingly straightforward things like chocolate chip cookies or apple pie, with different ingredients, different measurements, different bake times and temperatures. How do ...
Don’t extinguish a metal fire with water
How do you extinguish burning magnesium? In this video from the Royal Institution, science presenter Steve Mould demonstrates what happens when you try to extinguish a metal fire with a CO2 fire extinguisher or water—...
The turret spider’s camouflaged towers
Mud, moss, bark, leaves, and other forest materials cover the towers made by California turret spiders, camouflaging these unusual lairs. Inside, the towers are lined with white silk and can extend six inches down int...
Why do geese fly in V formation?
Why do geese fly in a V formation? In this episode of World By Charlie, our friend Charlie Engelman observes some origami geese to better understand how the vortices of air behind their wings shape their signature V-f...
The Sphere-Packing Problem
The next time you're eating candy, ask yourself: "What's the best way to stack this?" Then start arranging them to find out. The answer to this question can be found in the shape of the candy. In this University of...
What are mosasaurs?
Travel back to the Cretaceous period, where large marine lizards called mosasaurs dominated ecosystems around the planet. While some were the size of a dolphin, others were longer than a Tyrannosaurus rex. How did the...
Portrait, a solo by Michaela DePrince
World-renowned ballet dancer Michaela DePrince performs Portrait, a solo piece choreographed by Peter Leung, with music composed by Nico Muhly. It was filmed by Middle Table. Born in Sierra Leone, DePrince lost he...
Sound sculpture installations by Zimoun
With motors, cardboard, wires, sticks, wood, crumpled paper, packing peanuts, fans, and other materials, Bern, Switzerland-based artist Zimoun creates large-scale sound sculpture installations that vibrate and hum. Th...
