Awesome Learning

A team at Columbia University have come up with a new way to capture energy. The tech uses bacteria that expand and contract based on the level of humidity. With enough linked together, they can propel a machine. More on Quartz.

Comic engineer Mehdi Sadaghdar tests if he can jump-start a car using only a dozen AA batteries. Yes, his car’s battery was actually dead and yes, he’s going to intentionally do something stupid so you won’t.

Wisecracks‘ 8-Bit Philosophy series explores the musings of Martin Heidegger set against the backdrop of Star Wars to explore how our desire to make things ever more efficient can blind us to the beauty of the world around us.

University of Columbia professor Paul Olsen hilariously overanalyzes several children’s dinosaur toys, pointing out the numerous mistakes in their anatomies and sounds. He came up with the best dinosaur name in the process.

Students from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University shine a light on the not-so-flattering impression foreigners have of Americans. So what did we learn here? We’re all lazy, fat, slovenly, cocky, loud drunks. And friendly.

Vsauce explains why the bright side of the moon doesn’t always align with its apparent position relative to the sun. Our vision is influenced by visual clues and previous experiences, making us susceptible to optical illusions.

After explaining the basics of the Fermi Paradox, Kurzgesagt concludes its discussion by expounding on a few possible reasons as to why, assuming they do exist, we haven’t encountered any aliens yet.

Mental Floss‘ John Green regales us with an ample helping of knowledge about many of the foods we eat, and the frequent misappropriation of nationalities that have nothing to do with where the food came from.

(PG-13 Language) Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe reminds us that so-called “reality” shows are as made up as any show on TV. Cameras, digital storage and editing software let directors manufacture any plot from a pool of raw footage.

(PG-13: Language) Every Frame A Painting highlights the importance of production design by examining chairs in movies and TV shows. Chairs can clue us in on the setting, a character’s personality or stature, or the mood of a scene.

CineFix chose its best movie sets based on a variety of criteria, making for a wonderfully diverse list. You’ll find entire fake cities big and small, virtual realms and even mental ones that existed beyond the set itself.

The always informative Minute Earth teamed up with the animators at Kurzgesagt to explain the importance of Earth’s atmosphere, and the problems that greenhouse gases cause for the stability of our oh-so-important solar shield.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is not merely about having habits or preoccupations. Neither is it a cute affectation; it is a serious and crippling condition. TED-Ed breaks down the ailment’s basics.

National Geographic engineer Alan Turchik captured amazing aerial footage of these 3,000 year-old Nubian royal burial chambers from a unique perspective as he flew his quadcopter over these relics of an ancient civilization.

Learn from experienced celebrities. Right now you can learn acting from Dustin Hoffman, tennis from Serena Williams and writing from James Patterson. Each course gets you lifetime access to videos and interactive tools and exercises.

SciShow explains why our stomachs make growling noises. The noise is caused by small pockets of air moving in our digestive tract. Food can muffle those noises, but the truth is it happens a lot, even when we’re not hungry.

Pigeons are considered pests and pose health risks in many urban areas. But Vox reminds us that these birds have a rich and fascinating history, and uncanny abilities that we barely understand even today. Plus there’s this badass.

Pitchfork’s The Dissolve take a looks at the genesis of the PG-13 rating in Hollywood, driving home the point that the MPAA’s rating system is both dated and arbitrary, and how the system favors violence far more than sex and profanity.

Elliot Morgan of Mental Floss is visited by a couple of special guests to fill us in on some Muppet trivia, including the time that Kermit hosted the Tonight Show and SNL had Muppets. And we still don’t know the Swedish Chef’s name.

Despite the potential, why is it that we’ve never run into aliens? Is it really possible we’re the only life forms? Kurzgesagt looks at the many reasons why we have yet to find anyone else out there. Basically, it’s just really hard to make life.

YouTube Educator CGP Grey explains to us that the part of Nevada that we think is Las Vegas isn’t really Las Vegas at all. Rather, the entire Strip we know and love is an unincorporated area known as Paradise.

A bicycle with a reverse handlebar made Smarter Every Day wax philosophical. We wonder if someone who doesn’t know how to ride a bike can learn to ride the backwards bike as fast as a normal one.

SciShow explains why a Number 2 or HB pencil is often required to answer multiple choice exams: it’s dark enough for scoring machines to detect yet light enough that it won’t register as a false positive when erased.