You've Never Heard of the World's Most Common Mineral
AdultsEducationScienceWork...The most common substance in the world is literally IN the world. It's a mineral called bridgmanite, and it belongs to a class of minerals (called perovskites) that scientists are trying to use in the next generation of solar panels.
Why the Hardest Rocks Can Be Easy to Break
AdultsEducationMathPhysics...So, rocks are hard. But the scale we use to rank them, the Mohs scale, is only really good at quantifying that for one kind of hardness, and topaz is a perfect stone to talk about to explain that. And you can check it out in our SciShow Rocks Box subscription!
What Happens if a Supervolcano Blows Up?
AdultsLifeNatureWorld...The Earth is a gigantic ball of semi-molten rock, with a heart of iron as hot as the surface of the Sun. Titanic amounts of heat left over from its birth and the radioactive decay of trillions of tons of radioactive elements find no escape but up.
Why is Mount Everest so tall?
AdultsNatureWorldScience...At 8,850 meters above sea level, Qomolangma, also known as Mount Everest, has the highest altitude on the planet. But how did this towering formation get so tall? Michele Koppes peers deep into our planet's crust, where continental plates collide, to find the answer.
How big is the ocean?
AdultsEcologyNatureEnvironment...While the Earth's oceans are known as five separate entities, there is really only one ocean. So, how big is it? As of 2013, it takes up 71% of the Earth, houses 99% of the biosphere, and contains some of Earth's grandest geological features. Scott Gass reminds us of the influence humans have on the ocean and the influence it has on us.
Volcano Eruption in Papua New Guinea
AdultsEnvironmentNatureNatural Disasters...Australian tourists Linda and Philip McNamara filmed the eruption of Papua New Guinean volcano, Mount Tavurvur, on August 29. You can literally see the shockwave!
largest gathering of snakes anywhere in the world
AdultsAnimalsNatureGeology...Every year, thousands of snakes gather at the Narcisse Snake Dens in Manitoba, Canada. It's billed as the largest gathering of snakes anywhere in the world. Manitoba's climate and geology make it the perfect place for red-sided garter snakes to live and mate. It has become a tourist attraction, but it's not for the faint of heart.