The Backyard Scientist
Ping Pong ball filled with Propane spins and EXPLODES
What happens when you fill a ping pong ball with extremely flammable propane, then light it on fire? Does it spin really fast, or make a cool noise, or explode? The answer is yes! Last video, I made a mistake. I forgot to set one of...
The Backyard Scientist
Dropping a red-hot bolt in liquid nitrogen!
Using a 200w induction heater to heat a bolt, then dropping it into liquid nitrogen. The liquid nitrogen starts leaking and science quickly devolves into shenanigans :)
Science360
Successful Completion of NSF South Pole Medical Evacuation
A Twin Otter aircraft successfully completes unprecedented medical-evacuation mission to the National Science Foundation’s Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Two Lockheed Martin contract workers at the station had become seriously ill in...
Science360
Fossilized skull reveals origins of a 250-million-year-old shark-like fish!
In this week’s episode of NSF Science Now, we learn about a new app for bird watchers, girls and stereotypes, beluga whale migration and, finally, the discovery of a 250-million-year-old shark-like fish. Check it out!
The Backyard Scientist
6 Dangerous Ways to Cook an Egg
In this video I explore some crazy ways to cook an egg, and kind of go into the science behind it. Plus, its a great excuse to break out the flamethrower! Making a squirt gun flamethrower is very dangerous. I get a lot of emails asking...
Science360
Face Blindness study sheds light on typical brain function - Science Nation
Behavioral and brain imaging data reveal new details about how facial recognition works in the brain Description: People with acquired prosopagnosia recognize few faces, a condition known also as "face blindness." These are people who...
Science360
Green office holiday party tips - Green Holidays
Sue Van Hook of Ecovative Design discusses sustainable packaging and how to be more "green" while decorating for your office party.
Science360
Chemical investigations -- early concept brain research
Dopamine is a special chemical, neurologically speaking. The neurotransmitter is crucial for decision-making, learning, movement and more. Scientists know that varying dopamine levels affect neurons, but don’t yet have a method to...
The Backyard Scientist
Molten Aluminum Vs. 15 gallons of Sprite
In this video I wanted to see what happens if I poured molten aluminum into a carbonated liquid. Would it fall faster, or slower? Would it explode?! Then I poured molten tin into water to watch it explode in super slow motion.
Science360
Computer scientist Scott Aaronson researches quantum computers
Scott Aaronson is a computer scientist at MIT who studies computational limits and quantum computers. He has been awarded the 2012 Alan T. Waterman Award
Science360
Grip - Science of Speed
There's one thing every driver always want more of: Grip. Grip is the frictional force that holds the tires on the track, but crew chiefs like Steve Letarte describe it as a 'warm and fuzzy feeling' when you have it. Whether mechanical...
Science360
Vying for the Termite Throne
Battles between colonies are a clue to an evolutionary puzzle: Why are whole classes of termites sterile? Social insects--ants, bees, wasps and termites in particular--can have over a million sterile and/or non-reproductive workers and...
Science360
Plasma cutter with pencil lead - Little Shop of Physics
A mechanical pencil lead is used to make a small-scale plasma cutter, cutting shapes in aluminum foil. Parts Needed 4 9 V battery 2 Clip leads 1 5 mm pencil lead Aluminum foil Box or tub Rubber band This demonstration is only for the...
Science360
Engineering and Music: A Powerful Duet for Art and Science - Science Nation
University of Rochester electrical engineer Mark Bocko has combined his passion for music with his passion for engineering, devising a way to digitally reproduce music in files 1,000 times smaller than an mp3! But along with this new...
The Backyard Scientist
Chlorobutanol Synthesis
Recrystallize in enough methanol to dissolve, then place in refrigerator for large crystals (4 days) OR freezer for smaller (4-8 hours). do multiple smaller pulls. 90ml acetone 10ml chloroform 1-2gm NaOH Yield~ 4gm Please note this is...
The Backyard Scientist
Bouncy Liquid Metal
I saw this video online, and wanted to try it out for myself. Hope you enjoy!
Science360
Computer scientist and Watson co-creator David Ferrucci - ScienceLives
When David Ferrucci was introduced to computer programming as a high school student questions flooded his mind … Where does it stop? What can I get the computer to do? "My mind immediately went to the idea of artificial intelligence ......
Science360
Harnessing the potential of architected materials - Science Nation
Academic and industry collaboration explores new architected materials with novel and customized behaviors With support from NSF, engineers Pablo Zavattieri and Santiago Pujol of Purdue University and Nilesh Mankame of General Motors...
Science360
Human Water Cycle - Wastewater
Water. It's an essential building block of life, constantly moving in a hydrologic cycle that flows in a continuous loop above, across and even below the Earth's surface. But water is also constantly moving through another cycle -- the...
Science360
Science Behind The News: Impacts On Jupiter
The impact of comets on the surface of Jupiter are a fairly common experience. At the University of Central Florida, astronomers Joseph Harrington and Csaba Palotai are leading a project that studies precisely how these impacts happen,...
Science360
Supercomputers Assist In Climate Forecasting - Innovators
Responding to the challenge of climate change requires understanding more about climate variability and the changes expected. Jim Kinter, director of the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies (COLA), explains how scientists there are...
Science360
What is the relationship between food, energy and water?
What is the relationship between food, energy and water? Jack Brouwer of University of California, Irvine, answers the question on this edition of "Ask a Scientist." The number of humans alive on our planet today is 7.6 billion. By 2087,...
Science360
Math and its infinite connections - Scientists & Engineers on Sofas (and other furnishings)
Two parts math and one part writer make Jordan Ellenberg a very readable mathematician. Yes, Ellenberg is a professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard that allows him to...