Awesome Learning

If you find space science fascinating, check out this clip from Kurzgesagt, in which they explain how neutron stars work. These phenomena may only be a few kilometers in diameter, but have an insanely dense atomic nucleus and powerful gravity, thanks to their origins as massive stars which have collapsed and gone supernova.

There are lots of things to be frightened of in the world, but is there a universally worst terror for all people, regardless of age, race, sex, culture or other attributes? Michael Stevens of Vsauce digs into the notion of fear, and how these unpleasant feelings are triggered in our brains. He also hates purple squares now.

Back in the 1950s, a new method of transportation was in development. The Fairey Rotodyne looked like the offspring of a helicopter and an airplane, and could take off and land vertically. But fast as it appeared, the Rotodyne vanished. Mustard takes a look at this unique aircraft, and why it never got off the ground.

It’s a terrifying thought, but in the interest of keeping us educated about the dangers of nuclear weapons, Kurzgesagt is here to teach us just how awful it would be if humans ever were ever to detonate a nuclear weapon in a city. Even worse, we actually did this to people back in WWII.

During WWII, Oak Ridge, Tennessee served as a facility for nuclear weapons development, housing nearly 75,000 people, all while managing to keep the entire existence of the town top secret. Half as Interesting explores the fascinating history of this small southern town.

The industrial revolution kicked off the biggest boom of innovation in the history of humanity. Machine Thinking looks back at one specific machine which came at the very start of that era that he considers as the linchpin for much of what came after.

“There are more phages on Earth than every other organism combined.” Kurzgesagt takes a few minutes to educate us on the finer points of the bacteriophage, a type of virus which is constantly killing off billions of microscopic organisms all around and inside of us.

Ever wonder what the quietest and loudest sounds in the universe might be? With the help of their imaginary robot Noisy, and Microsoft’s anechoic chamber, Bright Side digs into this question, and some of the science behind the way sounds travel and how our hearing works.

Computers and other gadgets cram a ton of componentry onto ever more compact circuit boards. But not that long ago, electronic circuits were anything but efficiently packed onto a small green motherboard. Techquickie looks at how we got from there to here.

While jet engines do have the ability to reverse their thrust to slow down, or even taxi backwards, it’s not possible for an airplane to do the same in the sky. Bright Side provides a layperson’s explanation of the physics and safety issues that prevent this from happening.

While you might think that origami was exclusively an art form, engineers are taking inspiration from the paper-folding craft to create innovative designs that can shape-shift to fit objects to into smaller spaces, and enable compact mechanisms, while decreasing the number of parts used. Veritasium explains.

In a just barely Halloween-themed episode, musical expert 12tone walks us through the complexities of distortion, and what it is about such sounds that make them more creepy and off-putting than others – sort of like the way he draws from right to left across the page.

Ahoy presents an incredibly in-depth analysis of the origins of video games, swiftly debunking any confusion that Pong was the first video game ever, and looking back at early titles like Computer Space, SpaceWar!, Tennis for Two, and their programmers. Turns out hunting down the very first video game isn’t that simple.

The What If channel likes to imagine some pretty gory hypotheticals, but this one takes the cake so far, as they envision what might happen to our bodies if we were to jump into a swimming pool filled with stomach acid. TL;DW: just get out of there and hose off quick.

Have you ever wondered why insects, birds, fish, and bats gather together into huge and coordinated groups? TED-Ed’s Maria R. D’Orsogna explores the fascinating science behind this behavior, which drives many species as a method of survival and group productivity.

Nature show host Zefrank1 is here to educate us on the Deinopis, also known as the “ogre-faced” spider. This creepy crawler has big beady eyes that see better than your best camera lens, and creates a stretchy net she holds between her legs to ensnare and cocoon her prey.

Learn new languages quickly and easily with Mondly. The mobile app uses speech recognition tech to help you train your pronunciations, and lets you take part in virtual conversations. There are 33 languages to choose from, and you can grab a 1-, 3-, or 5-language lifetime subscription in The Awesomer Shop.

The Ordinary Guy provides an amusing and informative lesson on where the Moon came from, its roles in society, pop culture, politics, and more. From philosophers, to scientists, to religions, to governments, to conspiracy theorists, the Moon has fascinated humans for as long as they could look up into the sky.

There’s a four-note melody which has found its way into numerous films, often at a moment when a character dies, or is in grave peril. Vox explores the origins of this ominous music, known as Dies Irae, which dates back to the 13th century.

Expand your mind every day with this app that offers up new content 30 times a month. Each of its non-fiction micro books is designed to be read or listened to in less than 12-minutes, making it a perfect complement to your daily commute or your lunch break. Grab a lifetime subscription in The Awesomer Shop.

Real Engineering explains the history of vinyl records, how they are made and how they work. In doing so, we learn that they are in no scientifically-demonstrable way superior to digital music. That said, the tangible and simple nature of vinyl still holds an appeal.

Exercise is important to our health and long-term survival. So why is it that our genetic programming doesn’t make it something that we instinctively crave? MinuteEarth explores how evolution may have affected our feelings about working out and being active.

Insider visited Dr. Martens’ only shoe factory in the UK to give us a peek at how the company makes its famously tough-as-nails shoes and boots. The factory employs 50 people, who make about 100,000 pairs every year.