Just A Minute: Volume 10

Hellooooooo!
This is MinuteEarth’s guide to the best science content from our studio and beyond. Every edition includes stuff we’re working on, along with other cool new science-related stories we want you to know about - plus some original games just for subscribers! Make sure to subscribe below so you never miss a minute 🙂.

We’re currently producing a video that I’ve agonized over for the last EIGHT years. Like, I’ve been trying to tell this story since before Fortnite Battle Royale existed. Well, it’s finally happening (I think) and it… is… weird. Here’s a scene from one of the initial storyboards. I don’t think it’s going to help you figure out what the video is about, but please admire the chaos in the meantime.

Here are some videos our team has released on our various channels over the last few weeks!

MinuteEarth

Pollen Is Not Plant Sperm (It’s MUCH Weirder)
I really loved this little ode to the oddness of pollen. It has completely changed the way I think about the stuff; my Spring sneezes now come with a sincere appreciation for plant sex.

MinuteEarth

Your Favorite YouTube Channels Might Not Survive This
Here in the U.S., the new administration has decided to throw a giant monkey wrench in the way that basic science research gets funded. That’s terrible for the researchers, and for scientific progress in general. And weirdly, it’s also pretty bad for certain science communicators like us, because we rely at least in part on funding from partnerships with government-funded organizations like NASA and public universities and the National Science Foundation.

MinutePhysics

The Teleprompter Paradox
Alright, let’s not dwell on massive things we can’t (currently) control. Instead, let’s watch Henry explain how Teleprompters work, and why there’s a specific formula to use to make one’s Teleprompter reading appear as natural as possible.

xkcd’s What If?

What if you built a billion-story building?
Speaking of massive dwellings, Randall and the crew dig into the insane architecture of a real-life gigaplex. It turns out that when you’re building a billion-story abode, you don’t just have to worry about concrete shortages; you also have to worry about it breaking apart and going into orbit.

MinuteFood

The oven setting nobody understands
Finally, Kate digs into the most confounding setting on the oven: convection. It turns out that the concept is actually super intuitive, and that I should be cooking with it way more often. I’m now a big fan (get it?).

• Leo watched Mickey17 and not only did he really like the movie but also it reminded him of a video that we put out in the world almost 5 years ago: is it possible to build a clone army?

• Do yourself a favor and learn Dutch, if only so you can read the original version of this lovely article in a Dutch chemistry journal about MinuteEarth’s own Lizah van der Aart. (And if you can’t be bothered, at least check out Lizah’s awesome drawings in the carousel at the bottom.)

• You probably know Aldo from the funny noises he makes in our xkcd videos, but you should get to know his personal YouTube channel: Know Art. I’m going to recommend starting with his most recent video: The Secret to Precise Movements.

1. Our friends Tibees and PhysicsGirl were honored with their own asteroids. Rock on.

2. This is a pretty interesting research project that used expiration dates on the litter in birds' nests to determine how old the nests were.

3. This video from 3Blue1Brown about measuring the cosmos is so freaking cool. 

4. A great video from Answer In Progress about curry. 

5. While I’ve got you thinking about food, make sure to check out this insane(ly good) video from Estefannie. 

6. Ever recommends “Should Fluoride Be In Our Water?” from Vox, which is a nuanced look into the relationship between fluoride and IQ.

7. Sarah recommends the Veritasium video “The Google Interview Question Everyone Gets Wrong”. She says it’s the perfect combo of interesting psychology, aspects of being human that make you think and inspire you, and some more specific scientific principles mixed in.

by Matthew Goldenberg

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