Awesome Videos

Microbiologist Hendrik Jonkers came up with bacteria-infused concrete. When water seeps into the concrete’s cracks, the bacteria awaken and secrete limestone, which end up patching the cracks. The bacteria can also be applied as a spray or a mortar.

(PG-13 Language) Earth finally makes contact with an alien race, but it turns out the guy on the other end of the line thinks our human representative is a telemarketer. Then the alien decides to have a little fun with the caller.

Did you know that on average, you’ll lose half of your friends every 7 years? But don’t worry, because you’re also bound to gain the same number of new buddies. All that and more in Mental Floss’ episode about the science of friendship.

Asap Science breaks down how the human body breaks down upon death. These processes help coroners and investigators determine a person’s time of death. TL;DW: compounds and microorganisms decompose us from the inside out. Boy, that was depressing.

(SPOILERS) CineFix spoils numerous movies to discuss different kinds of twists, such as the setting, the unreliable narrator and the identity of the hero or villain. There are popular films here, but we’re grateful for the old ones that are now on our watch list.

The Walking Dead and The Impression Guys actor Ross Marquand showed off his specialty on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, impersonating different celebrities accepting an Oscar. It’s not as good as his prepared ones, but for an on the spot performance he did a great job.

Jaguar is teaming up with British skiing champion Graham Bell to see just how fast a man can glide across the snow. In 2017, Bell will don a special ski suit and jet pack to push him up to 160mph. Until that happens, watch Bell hit 100mph as he’s towed behind a Jaguar XE.

Eleven-year-old Taylor Crozier was one of the first kids to try out Tiger Woods’ children’s golf course in a private country club in Texas. With parents, media and Woods himself watching, Taylor showed how one becomes a legend.

Low-cost electrocardiogram developer MobileECG created this awesome business card which uses two thumb sensors and a tiny OLED display to display a real-time ECG of its holder. While not diagnostically accurate, it’s still awesome.

Two friends come upon a statue man in the middle of their hike. Curious about the performer’s choice of territory, they indulge him with a donation. Things escalate quickly in Boat Comedy’s allegory of the hellish realm known as the real world.

In the distant future, a visionary scientist invites his colleagues to witness the fruition of his entire body of work. An ancient wonder they never thought could co-exist with human beings ever again: a clear blue sky and lush trees. Directed by YouTuber Vidsplode.

Ben Affleck surprised fans taking the Warner Bros. studio tour in this promotion for Omaze’s Batman v Superman charity raffle. Donate at least $10 (USD) for a chance to hang out with Ben, Henry Cavill and Jesse Eisenberg at the movie’s premiere.

Another video to file under the “oddly satisfying” category, Cpack Pendle Machinery shows off the SP7, their latest “skin packaging” machine – a device which uses heat and a vacuum to seal oddly-shaped items into flat packages.

The so-called war on drugs is about short term gains and check marks for politicians. It goes after suppliers, but drugs are addictive. Users are willing to pay high prices for drugs, which encourages suppliers. The solution is to alleviate the demand for these substances.

Body paint artist Kay Pike has dressed herself in a number of incredible “outfits” made almost entirely from makeup. Her latest creation – the Boy Wonder himself. You can watch the design come together in her time-lapse video.

This truly amazing musical instrument was created by Swedish musician Martin Molin (aka Wintergatan). It uses an incredibly complicated mechanism to produce notes and rhythms using human input and the sound of 2,000 falling metal marbles. (Thanks Paul!)

John Downer Productions set their spherical Snowball Cam loose in the midst of a group of polar bears. The bears end up kicking around the ball for a sort of impromptu game of soccer. Clearly these bears haven’t heard that club soda can get blood out of white fur.

Aliaksei Zholner’s miniature engine factory continues to progress. The papercraft artist’s latest work is a functional rotary engine. It has three main parts and like its predecessors is powered with compressed air.

Corridor Digital used YouTube’s 360º video playback to create a live action and interactive version of Where’s Waldo. Yeah you can pause the video, and we advise you to do so because it has several Easter eggs as well. Making of here.

The master hoonigan returns to tear up some pavement and leave behind a thick layer of rubber and dust in his latest Gymkhana stunt video, taking on wild animals, exotic sports cars, and even a jumbo jet in and around Dubai in his tricked out Ford Fiesta RX43.

Like a Spirograph on steroids, Joe Freedman’s Cycloid Drawing Machine uses a series of highly adjustable geared discs for create incredibly complex geometric images. Skip to 1:00 if you don’t care to hear how amazing the cardboard box was. Or skip to 3:31 to see it in action.

Computer graphics artists and technologists are constantly finding new ways to imbue their creations with life, texture and dimension. This highlight reel soliciting submissions for SIGGRAPH 2016 compiles some of the more wondrous CGI submissions from 2010 to 2015.

CGP Grey follows up his fascinating Americapox essay with a look at why we domesticate and farm some animals and not others. Bottom line is that the critters we leave in the wild are either too dangerous, hard to train, too independent, or too expensive to feed and keep captive.