Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell

Is your future already written? Do your past, present, and future all exist right now? Surprisingly, the answer could be yes. Let's take a look at what time is and how it works – in our first video of the year!

A nuclear bomb is the most devastating explosion ever created. One bomb can end tens of thousands of lives immediately and hundreds of thousands through the radioactive aftermath. However, the worst part comes afterward: a nuclear winter that might kill billions, potentially leading to the complete collapse of our civilization. In a nuclear winter, there are no winners – only starving losers. How exactly does it work and what would it look like?

What is outside of the universe? We know that the universe had a beginning 14 billion years ago and that it has been expanding ever since. But something that is expanding should also have an edge, right? What would you see if you went there?

A ruthless murder was committed! Someone killed the dinosaurs and we have the murderer! Witnesses say that an Everest-sized asteroid hit Earth, devastated the planet and caused a mass extinction. A simple, fascinating and convincing explanation. Or… is it?

We often assume that advanced technology will make it easy for aliens to colonize space. But what if space exploration is always difficult, no matter how advanced you are? Let’s travel back in human history, to the colonization of Oceania over 5000 years ago, to find parallels between ancient explorers and extraterrestrial civilizations.

We need to have an honest conversation about smoking: The problem with smoking is that it is way more than just a physical addiction. Smoking creates a temporary problem and offers an instant solution. Once your brain is used to nicotine, for up to 72 hours you are itchy, nervous and stressed – but one drag and instantly, you feel really good. It also helps you focus and take breaks during work, while suppressing your appetite. So why is it such a bad idea?

Black holes might create infinite universes while destroying time and space. Everything in existence could be black holes, all the way down. We might live inside a black hole that is inside a black hole, that is inside a black hole. But let’s start at the beginning and build a black hole out of air.

You may think you have free will and can choose what you do, but this might be an illusion. Your body is made up of particles that blindly follow the laws of physics, with every outcome already predetermined. So, you might not have any free will at all. Is free will an illusion, or does it exist? Which philosophical camp is right?

The white death has haunted humanity like no other disease following us for thousands, maybe millions of years. In the last 200 years it killed a billion people – way more than all wars and natural disasters combined. Even today it’s the infectious disease with the highest kill count. But what is this horrible disease?