Videos

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

Twenty-seven percent of the Universe is made of invisible dark matter. But what is it? In this episode, we cover the top five candidates that may fit the bill.

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

There were a lot of firsts on Apollo 9, but thankfully the mission didn't pioneer the contingency of abandoning astronauts in orbit. For more, check out Dave Scott's autobiography, written in cooperation with cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, called "Two Sides of the Moon."

On March 17th, physicists with the BICEP2 experiment announced they had detected the remnant of gravitational waves in the cosmic microwave background, the light left over from the big bang. Although still needing confirmation, the discovery lends weight to the idea that the early universe underwent rapid expansion.

Video credits - writer/host: Sophie Bushwick, production assistant: Geoffrey Giller, editor: Kathryn Free, producer: Eric R. Olson

As legend it has it, finding a four-leaf clover is supposed to be a sign of good luck. If we put our collective scientific knowledge to the task, however, we stand a better chance of finding a lucky charm. Scientific American editor Eric R. Olson explains.

Video credits: Edited by Kathryn Free & Eric R. Olson

Since at least the 1960s, astronauts and satellites have been snapping photos of planet Earth from on high. While many of these photos possess an intrinsic beauty, some hold important clues about the goings-on of the inhabitants below. In this episode of The Countdown, we bring you five images that speak loudly about the challenges facing the human race.

Video credits - Host/writer: Sophie Bushwick, production assistant: William Herkewitz, editor: Kathryn Free, producer: Eric R. Olson

Why do the number of spirals in a sunflower match up with the integers 34,55, 89 and 144; numbers found in the famous Fibonacci Sequence? Scientific American editor John Matson explains.

There were more complications on Apollo 13's failed lunar mission than most people realize. The astronauts carried plutonium on the lunar module they brought back to Earth with them.

We take for granted that we exist as 3-D beings in a 3-D universe, but physicists suggest that our world is just the projection of a reality written in 2-D. Scientific American editor Michael Moyer explains.

Video credits - Production assistants: Kathryn Free & William Herkewitz, produced by Eric R. Olson

With jet thrusters and an aluminum alloy casing, the Exosuit is a submarine you can wear. Later this year, scientists will suit up and plunge 300 meters below the ocean surface to study bioluminescent organisms. Diving safety officer Michael Lombardi of the American Museum of Natural History explains how the Exosuit extends the time a diver can stay submerged at 30 times the surface pressure.

Video credits - Interviewer: Larry Greenemeier, produced by Kathryn Free