This gorÂgeous video of a cymÂbal (shot with a PhanÂtom at 1,000 frames per secÂond) made our mornÂing. And then KotÂtke’s find below — brilÂliant footage of vibratÂing guiÂtar strings — made our afterÂnoon.
Hope you enjoy them as much as we did, and have a great weekÂend!
SheerÂly Avni is a San FranÂcisÂco-based arts and culÂture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA WeekÂly, MothÂer Jones, and many othÂer pubÂliÂcaÂtions. You can folÂlow her on twitÂter at @sheerly.
We reached deep into our archives and pulled out a list of our greatÂest hits — our favorite sciÂence videos from the past five years. 125 videos in total, and the list will grow from here. Right now, it covÂers everyÂthing from AstronÂoÂmy and Space TravÂel, to Physics and BiolÂoÂgy, and then PsyÂcholÂoÂgy and NeuÂroÂscience. Our recÂomÂmenÂdaÂtion? Just jump right in here. But if you want a litÂtle preÂview, then let’s start you off with ten slam-dunk videos from the colÂlecÂtion:
(Note: In the future, you can access this colÂlecÂtion by clickÂing the “Great SciÂence Videos” link under “EssenÂtials.” Top of the cenÂter colÂumn.)
EarthÂrise in HD – Video — In NovemÂber 2007, Japan’s Kaguya spaceÂcraft orbitÂed the moon and capÂtured the first HD footage of an “earthÂrise” and “earthÂset.”
TourÂing the Earth from Space (in HD) – Video — Give NASA 7 minÂutes, and they’ll show you the Earth’s most impresÂsive landÂscapes — as seen from space.
“First Orbit”: CelÂeÂbratÂing 50th AnniverÂsary of Yuri Gagaran’s Space Flight - Video — 99-minute docÂuÂmenÂtary recreÂates the SoviÂet cosÂmoÂnaut’s hisÂtoric launch into space on April 12, 1961.
Arthur C. Clarke Presents the ColÂors of InfinÂiÂty – Video – The futurÂist brings us inside Mandelbrot’s world of fracÂtal geomÂeÂtry.
Physics from Hell: How Dante’s InferÂno Inspired Galileo’s Physics – Video – FasÂciÂnatÂing preÂsenÂtaÂtion by Mark PeterÂson, physics proÂfesÂsor at Mount Holyoke ColÂlege.
Lawrence Krauss: Every Atom in Your Body Comes From a Star- Video – TheÂoÂretÂiÂcal physiÂcist talks about his work at the World EcoÂnomÂic Forum in Davos.
What It Feels Like To Have a Stroke - Video — HarÂvard neuÂroanatomist Jill Bolte TayÂlor recounts her expeÂriÂence havÂing a stroke. One of the most popÂuÂlar TED Talks of all time.
Nature by NumÂbers- Video — Well-known geoÂmetÂriÂcal and mathÂeÂmatÂiÂcal forÂmuÂlas (The FibonacÂci Series and SpiÂral, The GoldÂen and Angle Ratios, The Delauney TriÂanÂguÂlaÂtion and Voronoi TesÂselÂlaÂtions) present themÂselves in nature.
TsunaÂmi RipÂples Across Globe: AniÂmatÂed Video — Video — The NationÂal OceanÂic and AtmosÂpherÂic AdminÂisÂtraÂtion shows JapanÂese tsunaÂmi ripÂpling across the PacifÂic.
Daniel Pink: The SurÂprisÂing Truth About What MotiÂvates Us - Video — Research reveals what realÂly, truÂly motiÂvates us. And it’s all shown with aniÂmaÂtion.
The Texas-based artist and videoÂgÂraÂphÂer JereÂmiÂah WarÂren mountÂed a wide angle lens camÂera on some fireÂworks to give us the fireÂworks’ angle on their own brief, bright traÂjecÂtoÂry. Not surÂprisÂingÂly, the very cool two-minute video — equal parts Strangelove, PynÂchon, and verÂtiÂgo — went viral over the weekÂend.
For more inforÂmaÂtion about WarÂren’s camÂera set-up, check out his Flickr page.
SheerÂly Avni is a San FranÂcisÂco-based arts and culÂture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA WeekÂly, MothÂer Jones, and many othÂer pubÂliÂcaÂtions. You can folÂlow her on twitÂter at @sheerly.
After 30 years and 134 flights, AmerÂiÂca’s space shutÂtle proÂgram draws to a close. And it feels pitch perÂfect to wind things down with a docÂuÂmenÂtary narÂratÂed by William ShatÂner. Of course, you know him as CapÂtain Kirk from Star Trek, the iconÂic sci-fi TV show that ran from 1966 to 1969, smack in the midÂdle of NASA’s heyÂday. (Note: Star Trek has just been added to NetÂflix’s streamÂing catÂaÂlogue.)
The 80 minute docÂuÂmenÂtary takes you through the hisÂtoÂry of the Space ShutÂtle proÂgram, which first got underÂway durÂing the Nixon adminÂisÂtraÂtion. The film spends ample time lookÂing at the design chalÂlenges NASA engiÂneers faced in tryÂing to creÂate a reusable shutÂtle, while also showÂing earÂly proÂtoÂtypes. Once the design phase was comÂplete, conÂstrucÂtion began on the first orbiter in June, 1974 and wrapped up two years latÂer. NASA called its first craft Space ShutÂtle EnterÂprise, payÂing homage to the ficÂtionÂal StarÂship EnterÂprise. Next, it was time to boldÂly go where no one had gone before.
When Charles DarÂwin finÂished readÂing Charles LyelÂl’s PrinÂciÂples of GeolÂoÂgy, a book sugÂgestÂing that there are clear limÂits to the variÂaÂtion of species, he wrote in the marÂgins: “If this were true adios theÂoÂry.” It’s a great piece of marÂginÂaÂlia. And it’s just one of many comÂments that adorn books in DarÂwin’s perÂsonÂal library, and help illuÂmiÂnate his intelÂlecÂtuÂal path to writÂing On The OriÂgin Of Species(1859).
In 2005, Vice PresÂiÂdent Dick Cheney perÂsonÂalÂly engiÂneered a loopÂhole in the U.S. enerÂgy bill exemptÂing comÂpaÂnies that use an oil- and gas-drilling proÂceÂdure known as hydraulic fracÂturÂing, or “frackÂing,” from regÂuÂlaÂtion under the Safe DrinkÂing Water Act. As a result, tons of diesel fuel and assortÂed chemicals–some of them toxÂic, like benzyne–are injectÂed at high presÂsure into the earth at the sole disÂcreÂtion of the comÂpaÂnies doing the injectÂing. One of the chief benÂeÂfiÂciaÂries of Cheney’s string-pulling is the comÂpaÂny that inventÂed the proÂceÂdure, HalÂliburÂton, which employed Cheney as chairÂman and CEO just priÂor to his becomÂing vice presÂiÂdent. (A coinÂciÂdence?)
In the wake of the HalÂliburÂton LoopÂhole, as it has come to be known, there have been a growÂing numÂber of water polÂluÂtion casÂes, from PennÂsylÂvaÂnia to ColÂorado, assoÂciÂatÂed with frackÂing. Some of those casÂes were docÂuÂmentÂed in last year’s SunÂdance Film FesÂtiÂval award-winÂning docÂuÂmenÂtary, Gasland, by Josh Fox, who said in a PBS interÂview, “I could take a car batÂtery and throw it in the waterÂshed and go to fedÂerÂal prison, but these guys can take the same chemÂiÂcals and inject it by the thouÂsands of galÂlons, and they’re exempt. It makes no sense.”
It’s a seriÂous issue involvÂing two of AmerÂiÂca’s vital interests–the need for enerÂgy and the need for safe drinkÂing water–but a group of jourÂnalÂism stuÂdents in New York UniÂverÂsiÂty’s StuÂdio 20 masÂter’s proÂgram, in assoÂciÂaÂtion with the pubÂlic-interÂest jourÂnalÂism group ProPÂubÂliÂca, has takÂen a light-heartÂed approach, creÂatÂing a music video to raise awareÂness of frackÂing. It’s called “My Water’s on Fire Tonight (The FrackÂing Song).” The purÂpose of the project, accordÂing to group leader David Holmes, is to encourÂage peoÂple to read ProPÂubÂliÂca’s reportÂing on the issue. “We were conÂcerned with buildÂing a betÂter entryÂway into that invesÂtiÂgaÂtion,” Holmes told Poynter.org, “and we figÂured a song would be the perÂfect way to do it–especially since it’s called frackÂing.”
If you were stuck someÂwhere far away from yesÂterÂday’s lunar eclipse, here’s some conÂsoÂlaÂtion courÂtesy of NASA. The SciÂenÂtifÂic VisuÂalÂizaÂtion StuÂdio at the GodÂdard Space Flight CenÂter has comÂpiled this two and a half minute video from over a year’s worth of data recordÂed by the Lunar ReconÂnaisÂsance Orbiter (LRO), which has been orbitÂing the moon at 50 kiloÂmeÂters above its surÂface for over a year.
The results are pretÂty specÂtacÂuÂlar, and might renÂder the pain of missÂing a chance to watch the moon turn red a litÂtle more bearÂable, espeÂcialÂly for all you heartÂbroÂken CanÂcers (we’ll get through this.)
SheerÂly Avni is a San FranÂcisÂco-based arts and culÂture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA WeekÂly, MothÂer Jones, and many othÂer pubÂliÂcaÂtions. You can folÂlow her on twitÂter at @sheerly.
We're hoping to rely on loyal readers, rather than erratic ads. Please click the Donate button and support Open Culture. You can use Paypal, Venmo, Patreon, even Crypto! We thank you!
Open Culture scours the web for the best educational media. We find the free courses and audio books you need, the language lessons & educational videos you want, and plenty of enlightenment in between.
