Awesome Science

Superstar physicist and TV host Neil DeGrasse Tyson responds to the question, “What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the universe?” Watch the original interview here.

We’ve seen a periodic table of tables, but this one’s more impressive. Wolfram Research co-founder Theodore Gray made this wooden table and filled each drawer (and his office) with element samples.

Looking for a cool parlor trick? Watch this metal spoon completely disintegrate as it’s stirred into water. The trick? It’s made out of 99.998% pure gallium, which melts at 86°F. Try it yourself here.

The Inside Knowledge Project took random lab equiment and turned it into instrumentation for the classic White Stripes tune – though it would have been cooler as a live performance.

Researchers near Madagascar have discovered chameleons that measure in at just 29mm long when fully grown. We’re still waiting for microscopic polar bears we can have as pets, though.

When ISS astronaut Don Pettit whips out a pair of needles in orbit, he’s not making a blanket, he’s demonstrating the strange forces at work when you combine static electricity, water and zero-gravity.

Chefs at Chicago’s famous Alinea restaurant continue to innovate and stupefy at the dinner table, with their latest creation – an edible green apple balloon – filled with helium you can inhale.

Ayumu the chimp proves that in some ways, the apes have capacities which exceed most of us – as he memorizes complex numeric patterns faster and more accurately than your average child genius.

It’s pretty stunning to see how the human mind can be programmed. These Japanese children perform complex calculations using imaginary abacuses while we still have trouble counting on our fingers.

While we dream about the future of racing, the Japan Institute of Science and Technology build sweet tracks for Wipeout model vehicles and race them using quantum levitation.

It’s pretty cool to watch, but we don’t recommend you recreate Fysikshow’s Pyro Board for your NYE blast. It works by transmitting sound waves through a flammable gas to create flame patterns.

Today’s Minute Physics lesson teaches us something we never really needed to know – no matter how hard you try, you can’t comb a hairy ball. Is this what we’re teaching kids in school these days?

Developed by Ross Nanotechnology, NeverWet is a silicon-based coating that repels water- or oil-based substances, making it useful for protection against corrosion, bacteria, water damage and more.

The latest video from Symphony of Science celebrates “the importance and inspirational qualities of space exploration.” Featuring scientists Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Cox and Carolyn Porco.

We’ve been pretty impressed by the previous footage shot from the International Space Station orbiting the Earth, but this 5 minute edit by Michael König is truly the pièce de résistance.

Ever wonder what happens when you crack a raw egg 100-feet underwater? Us neither, but these divers show the effect of the pressure levels at that depth. Oh, and that somebody wants lunch.