Videos

NASA's Kepler spacecraft has discovered nearly 3,000 possible exoplanets by tracking slight fluctuations in starlight to reveal their orbits. This is one of several methods employed in the hunt for the next habitable world. John Matson explains.

Every year tornadoes rip through the U.S. Midwest, leaving death, injury and billions of dollars of damage in their wake. Where do these twisters come from, and just how nasty can they get? Scientific American editor Mark Fischetti reports.

Scientific American editor Mark Fischetti explains how the leaves of deciduous trees perform their annual chameleon act, changing from various shades of green to hues of bronze, orange and brilliant red.

DIY drone enthusiasts speak out about safety

We're digging deeper into Earth's crust than we ever have before, pulling water up and pumping it down. As Scientific American editor David Biello explains, these are just a few of the many ways humans are triggering severe seismic activity.

Spring fever: that phenomenon that lifts our moods and awakens our libido from hibernation after a long winter. But is it real? Scientific American contributor Yasmin Tayag explains.

Is the world spinning, and you don't know why? Scientific American MIND editor Ingrid Wickelgren explains how your inner ear can make you dizzy. 

Produced & edited by Eric R. Olson
 

Deli meat, sporting equipment and colonial artifacts are just some of the random objects astronauts have carried with them into orbit. In this episode of The Countdown we share five of the weirdest ones.

Host/writer: Sophie Bushwick
Production assistant: William Herkewitz
Edited by Kathryn Free & Eric R. Olson
Producer: Eric R. Olson

Spending any length of time in microgravity can weaken bones and shrink muscles. But there are more subtle ways that space travel wreaks havoc on the human body. In this episode we count down five of the most unexpected.

Host/writer: Sophie Bushwick
Production assistant: Kathryn Free
Edited by William Herkewitz & Eric R. Olson
Producer: Eric R. Olson

It's the classic party prank: smack your beer bottle on top of someone else's and watch as their bottle wells over with a seemingly endless river of foam. As it turns out, the prank has some interesting physics behind it. Scientific American editor Michael Moyer explains.

Video credits:
Edited by Kathryn Free and Eric R. Olson
Produced by Eric R. Olson

Meals during the Apollo era were more functional than social, and there was plenty of bacon to go around.

Whatever your beliefs, most people would agree that the body left behind when we depart this mortal coil is just a heap of bones and flesh. But what happens to those leftovers? Assuming that nature is left to its own devices, our bodies undergo a fairly standard process of decomposition that can take anywhere from two weeks to two years.

Written & narrated by Mark Fischetti
Assistant editor: Kathryn Free
Produced, edited & animated by Eric R. Olson