Huge If True Podcast
Huge If True is an optimistic science and technology show hosted by video journalist Cleo Abram. Each episode takes a deep dive into one innovation that could shape the future, from humanoid robots at Boston Dynamics to supersonic planes at NASA, quantum computers at IBM, and the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The series aims to counter doom-and-gloom narratives by helping a broad audience imagine better futures they can help build. Cleo Abram previously worked as a video producer at Vox and directed for Explained on Netflix, and hosted shows including Answered and Glad You Asked.
Episodes
The Sun Is Weirder Than You Think
If you dove into the sun, the first layer you’d hit is hot enough to make diamonds BOIL. Right now we’re in a golden age of new solar science. For the first time, we’re getting close-up pictures of the Sun like we’ve never seen. Sending probes into its atmosphere. And revealing secrets about our star we never thought possible… Trust me, after this video, you’ll never look up at the sun the same wa
The Vomit Comet ft. Emily Calandrelli
Emily Calandrelli is the host and co-producer of FOX's Xploration Outer Space. She is a grad from MIT and WVU with degrees in aeronautics astronautics, technology and policy
World’s Easiest DIY Electric Train
How do you take copper wire, a battery and magnets and make electric train? With science! This super simple DIY physics demo uses electromagnetic induction to propel a train made of magnets and batteries.
Special Relativity and the Twin Paradox
Special Relativity and the Twin Paradox
How Rainbows Form
How Rainbows Form
Stacked Ball Drop
What happens when you drop a perfectly balanced stack of balls? And how is the result like a supernova? The classic momentum transfer demonstration, taken to the next level. A big thank you to my nephews and niece Drew, Max and Whitney for creating the trampoline footage! Thank you to the Vlogbrothers for sponsoring this video, to Kyle Kitzmiller for filming, and to Island School on Kauai for prov
Calculating Pi with Darts
Pi can be calculated using a random sample of darts thrown at a square and circle target. The problem with this method lies in attempting to throw "randomly." We explored different ways to overcome our errors.
Quarks Explained in Four Minutes
Protons and neutrons are made of three quarks, right? Wrong! Explore the particle they should have told you about when you were a kid!
What do programmers actually do?
What do programmers actually do?
This phenomenon only happens in Hawaii . . . and Cuba & Nigeria & Indonesia & Peru & Sudan & Laos &…
There are only certain parts of the year and certain times of day when you can experience the subsolar point or Lahaina noon. There appears to be no shadow because the sun is directly overhead. This phenomenon happens twice a year for latitudes between the tropic of cancer and the tropic of capricorn at solar noon, when the sun is highest in the sky. But you have to be in the right place at the ri
Ballistic Ping Pong Ball vs. Tennis Ball at 450km/h!
What happens when you shoot a ballistic ping pong ball going 450kph at a tennis ball?
How Fluid Can Climb Upward! SLIME EXPERIMENT
Slime exhibits some crazy unusual properties, like viscoelasticity, because it's a non-newtonian fluid.
How to float a ping pong ball on air - The Coandă Effect
Widely explained using the Bernoulli principle, this phenomenon is actually dominated by the Coanda effect.
What do programmers actually do?
I left a physics job to do software engineering. Was it worth it? What do software engineers actually do?
How does your reflection flip when you bend a spoon inward?
How does your reflection flip when you bend a spoon inward?
Seeing the Smallest Thing in the Universe
Beyond molecules and atoms, how far down can we see below the wavelength of visible light? What is the smallest possible scale in the universe?
Tricky Spool Riddle SOLUTION - ft Anne Wojcicki
Tricky Spool Riddle SOLUTION - ft Anne Wojcicki
What's in the darkest part of the sky? The Hubble Deep Field
What happens when you point the Hubble Space Telescope at the darkest part of the sky for 10 consecutive days? Besides using up extremely valuable time, what would you find?
Singing plates - Standing Waves on Chladni plates
Use physics to create cool patterns on a vibrating plate. How is this like a guitar string or a singing wine glass?
Glaciers Are Disappearing Almost As Fast As You Can Ski Down Them | Climate Games
How badly is our planet heating up? I’ve put together an experiment that asks: How much of an olympic-sized swimming pool would be filled with glacial meltwater in the time it takes to ski down a glacier? Helping me - by actually skiing down a glacier - is JT Holmes. And you won’t believe the final answer.
SLOW MOTION SCIENCE! Ferrofluid dropping on magnet
See ferrofluid falling on a magnet filmed at 1000fps. How does the science of falling ferrofluid droplets mimic speghettification while falling into a black hole?
Gravitational Waves Discovered for the First Time!
In the press conference heard round the world, they showed the tell-tale waveforms indicating that huge event in which two black holes merged 1.3 billion lightyears away, had created waves that passed by the LIGO detectors and were finally heard. Einstein predicted the existence of these waves in his 1915 theory of general relativity. But it took a long time for us to come up with the technology t
How does laser cooling work?
How can light be used to cool atoms and molecules ? Lasers are known to burn things, fix eyes, and dance on powerpoint presentations. But they can also be used to cool objects to some of the coldest temperatures in the universe.
How science explains monster waves
Rogue waves - enormous, spontaneous surface waves in the open ocean - were once the tall tales of sailors. They are waves that reach 2-3x taller than the largest average waves in the area, reaching heights of 75 – 100ft. With the help of a ESA satellite survey, the scientific community now accepts they happen frequently. What causes rogue waves?
Craziest eclipses in the solar system
Craziest eclipses in the solar system. .....
Experiments with $100,000+ Speakers
new show SoundField as they experiment with giant $100,000 speakers and aim them at your body parts looking for resonance, at oobleck, at googly eyes, and at candles to explore the physics of sound.
Can you take perfect 3D photos?
3D movies and TV are is increasing in popularity, but is any of it truly 3D? How true is the 3D in movie theaters? How do glassess-less 3D TVs work? Try catching a ball with one eye closed. If you find it easy, try having the ball thrown a couple of feet in front of you, or from further away. It becomes increasingly difficult when the throw is off.
New Horizons first probe to reach pluto!
The New Horizons probe reached its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015 at 7:49 EST. We have received more and more detailed images and data about the dwarf planet and its largest moon, Charon. Very exciting times!
Are perpetual motion machines possible?
A wheel that spins forever; a bird that never quenches its thirst; a clock that never stops ticking, an endless source of free energy. These are but the dreams of inventors striving to make perpetual motion machines, machines that can work forever without any energy input. Are these machines possible without violating the laws of physics? No.
Everything you should know about TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets
The TRAPPIST-1 exoplanet system has seven earth-like planets and is only 39 lightyears away! I am joined by Professor Adam Burgasser and Dr. Katherine Deck, both astrophysicists on the Nature paper to discuss the discovery of this planetary system.
Oxygen is MAGNETIC?!
Liquid oxygen has unusual magnetic properties. This demonstration with the MIT Technical Services Group and a crazy blowtorch demonstration on the curie point of iron share a glimpse into how different kinds of magnetism work.
SPOOL RIDDLE - Which way will it roll?
Can you answer the spool riddle? Special guest Anne Wojcicki joins Physics Girl for the answer(s?!) to the hiker riddle and to hear the next riddle
Amusing Surface Tension Experiment
How does soap change the surface tension of water? I have used my degree to make a fifth video -- for you all -- to explain this very question.
How to Make a Cloud in Your Mouth
Learn how to make a wispy cloud come out of your mouth, even when it's not cold out. Like any awesome trick, physics is to thank for the mouth cloud. This simple and fun demonstration can be used to explain the cloud in a bottle experiment, and real clouds in the sky.
Stacked Ball Drop
What happens when you drop a perfectly balanced stack of balls? And how is the result like a supernova? The classic momentum transfer demonstration, taken to the next level. A big thank you to my nephews and niece Drew, Max and Whitney for creating the trampoline footage! Thank you to the Vlogbrothers for sponsoring this video, to Kyle Kitzmiller for filming, and to Island School on Kauai for prov
5 physics experiments for the holidays!
These 5 holiday-themed physics experiments will keep you and your family busy with science during the winter holidays! All experiments involve materials found around the house. Parental supervision advised . Flame Eraser – put out a candle by pouring CO2 over the flame! Easy-to-do experiment, and CO2 is made from household ingredients: Baking soda and vinegar. Materials: cups, baking soda, vinegar
What is a quantum coin toss?
Quantum coin flipping is the fairest way to flip a coin over the phone. How does it work?!
Crazy tic tac bounce!? | EVERYDAY MYSTERIES
Tic tacs have the strangest behavior when you bounce them on a very hard surface. What is going on?! Find out the physics.
Bowl Riddle Solution (Plus 2 BONUS riddles) ft. Kurt Hugo Schneider part 2/3
See if you can solve the next two riddles in this video: (1) the silent round riddle (2) the broom riddle ft. Kurt Hugo Schneider!
Why are there giant concrete tunnels in the desert?
Thanks to LIGO Hanford, Michael Landry, Amber Strunk, Sharan Banagiri and Salvatore Vitale.
Why are there giant concrete tunnels in the desert?
Thanks to LIGO Hanford, Michael Landry, Amber Strunk, Sharan Banagiri and Salvatore Vitale.
Ice Diamond Riddle SOLUTION ft. Vsauce's Michael Stevens
Ice Diamond Riddle SOLUTION ft. Vsauce's Michael Stevens
What stretching actually does to your body ft. Sofie Dossi
Ever wondered, what does stretching do to your muscles and your body? What in the best way to stretch? Science has some answers.
How Fluid Can Climb Upward! SLIME EXPERIMENT
Slime exhibits some crazy unusual properties, like viscoelasticity, because it's a non-newtonian fluid.
How Mirrors Could Solve our Energy Problem
We visited a giant field of solar mirrors to learn about Concentrated Solar Power technology!
It's Official: We Were WRONG About the Big Bang
Creator/Host: Dianna Cowern Editor: Levi Butner Expanding Universe Animation: Keegan Larwin Cosmology Consultant: Dr. Ethan Siegel
First Update From Dianna
First Update From Dianna
What Schrödinger’s cat REALLY means
What Schrödinger’s cat REALLY means
99 Years Later... We Solved It
Special thank you to our X-Ray tier patrons: Adrian Archuleta, Austin Rose, Carlos Patricio, Christopher Kemsley, David Cichowski, Fabrice Eap, Gil Chesterton, Gnare, Isabel Herstek, Margaux Lopez, Matt Kaminski, Michael Schneider, Patrick Olson, Vikram Bhat, Vincent Argiro, Zoran Dekic
This result could change physics forever
This result could change physics forever
Dianna's Intro Physics Class: Trailer - Physics 101, AP Physics 1 Review with Physics Girl
In this class we will cover these topics: 1D Motion Free Fall 2D Motion Newton’s Laws Free Body Diagrams Friction Circular Motion Gravity & Orbits Energy & Work Energy Conservation Power Momentum Impulse Collisions Rotation Angular Momentum Simple Harmonic Oscillations Waves Sound Electric Charge DC Circuits
I found a Mud Volcano in California
Subscribe for more physics, science and curious phenomena. Why are there holes all over the southern California desert? This area is a unique basin that should actually be 20,000 ft below sea level. So I traveled there and spent 4 hrs looking for muddy holes in the ground.
What happened to my face
What happened to my face
Why Elon Musk is Really Building Starlink
Why Elon Musk is Really Building Starlink
Formula 1, Explained for Rookies
Formula 1, Explained for Rookies
The Real Fight Over AI Art
Why DALLE, Midjourney, and other AI image generation tools are so controversial... Subscribe for more optimistic science and tech stories! You’ve probably heard about the AI that can make any image you want. With these, anyone can make art in seconds. Artists, understandably, have concerns about that. This technology has quickly become VERY controversial.
Would You Use An Artificial Womb? (I Would)
Artificial wombs are the stuff of science fiction, the scary kind. I think of The Matrix, when Neo wakes up in the real world, covered in goo. But in recent years, researchers have taken enormous leaps in helping embryos survive and grow outside a uterus. Artificial wombs are becoming more science, less fiction. Any conversation about this topic gets heated, fast. Some people HATE the idea of an a
The Shoe That Broke Running
When is sports gear so good it’s actually cheating? Subscribe for more optimistic science and tech stories! There is a ton of cool sports gear that’s banned from sports for making athletes too good. Swimsuits that make a swimmer too streamlined, gloves that make a receiver’s hands too grippy, bats that let a player hit the ball too hard, and shoes that help a runner go too freaking fast…
Quantum Computers, explained with MKBHD
You’ve heard about quantum computers. Maybe you’ve seen the “race for quantum supremacy” between governments and companies, or read that quantum computers will break all encryption, or heard terms like “qubits” or “superposition” or “quantum mechanics” in a confusing tv segment. But you might be wondering… what does a quantum computer actually DO? And how could it actually affect my life?
Dinosaurs Were Weirder Than We Thought
I’m finally learning the truth about dinosaurs. I’ve loved dinosaurs since I was a kid, but it turns out a lot of what I thought I knew is wrong… or at the least outdated. So, in this video, I’m gonna show you the cutting edge of dinosaur discovery. I’ll give you rare access into a warehouse full of dinosaur bones, try to find my own fossil, and show you something new these scientists just discove
Why NASA Is Sending This Truck To The Moon
This truck is going to the moon. So we put it to the test… Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans. Use code CLEO at checkout.
The New Hunt for the Colossal Squid
The New Hunt for the Colossal Squid
The Truth About Egg Freezing
The Truth About Egg Freezing
The Ocean Is Deeper Than You Think. We Need Better Maps.
Why deep sea maps are SO BAD (and how to fix it)... Subscribe for more optimistic science and tech stories. Our maps of the ocean are surprisingly bad! On Google Maps it looks like we know so much… but we know less about the ocean floor than we do the surface of Mars. And that’s a big problem, because we are using the ocean all the time: We’re laying internet cables across it, we fight wars in it,
The Real Reason To Care About The Apple Vision Pro
Honestly, with all the jargon and hype (VR! AR! Spatial computing! Metaverse!), I’ve been tuning out the news about these devices for a while. But now, I think it’s time to turn the volume back up and pay attention. There is a deeply optimistic future that’s possible here. Not Ready Player One, but something else entirely. I’m going to try to show you what it might really look and feel like. If th
Why This Robot Kills Weeds With Lasers
Right now, we’re living through one of the most pivotal moments in food history… and most people have no idea it’s happening.
Quantum Computers, explained with MKBHD
You’ve heard about quantum computers. Maybe you’ve seen the “race for quantum supremacy” between governments and companies, or read that quantum computers will break all encryption, or heard terms like “qubits” or “superposition” or “quantum mechanics” in a confusing tv segment. But you might be wondering… what does a quantum computer actually DO? And how could it actually affect my life?
Humanity’s Real Plan to Stop This Asteroid (Feat. Mark Rober)
Imagine, it’s 2034, and a rock the size of a mountain, far off in our solar system is on a direct impact course for Earth. How would we know? And what would we actually DO about it? In this video, we play out a fictional asteroid headed for Earth – with help from my friend and former NASA engineer Mark Rober and rare access into a remote facility where they discover NEW asteroids – to show you all
Why This Olympic Sport Bothers Physicists
Every four years, people lose their minds over one Olympic sport. They make fun of it! But the more I learned about it, the more obsessed I got… and I realized that all these people making fun? They’re getting this totally wrong. This is the coolest Olympic sport by far. The sport I’m talking about is… CURLING.
Something’s Happening to the Ozone Hole
This is ANTARCTICA. And in 1985, it became the center of a global crisis… Directly over Antarctica, high up in the stratosphere was a massive hole. And if we hadn’t done anything about it, today, we’d be living in an alternate world. By now, a hole would be forming over the North Pole as well. By 2040, the “hole” would be over the entire planet. By 2065, skin cancer rates would be soaring. Kids wo
Jony Ive Shows The Real Process Behind the Ferrari Luce
The first all electric Ferrari, the Ferrari Luce, isn't what you think... (feat. Apple legend Jony Ive and Ferrari Chief Designer Flavio Manzoni) For more optimistic science and tech stories, subscribe to HUGE*! You’re about to see the first ever all electric Ferrari. A car Ferrari said they’d never make, that will probably be the most controversial car they’ve ever made. Above all, it will defini
The Massive Machine at the Bottom of the Sea
Off the coast of Sicily, there’s a massive underwater machine. It looks like a forest of floating spheres… And on the surface, hidden in an abandoned winery, a computer watches them and waits. And in 2023, they saw something… Something WAY smaller than an electron tore through that forest, setting off a signal nearly 30x more powerful than anything like it we’ve seen before, which means something
What If You Just Keep Digging?
Have you ever thought, “what if I just dug a really really deep hole?” Well, the USSR actually did. The hole they dug is deeper than the deepest part of the ocean. It’s deeper than Mt. Everest is tall! They began digging it in the 1970s as part of a space race, but down. The United States only got to 600 ft before pulling funding. But the USSR kept going for 20 years. They made it about a third of
What If You Just Keep Digging?
Have you ever thought, “what if I just dug a really really deep hole?” Well, the USSR actually did. The hole they dug is deeper than the deepest part of the ocean. It’s deeper than Mt. Everest is tall! They began digging it in the 1970s as part of a space race, but down. The United States only got to 600 ft before pulling funding. But the USSR kept going for 20 years.
Why Aren't Planes Electric Yet?
Electric planes are already here. But they don't look like I thought... If you want more optimistic stories about technology, subscribe to support our show! Are electric planes possible? And if so, when are they coming?? Turns out, they’re already here.
How This Telescope Searches For Aliens
This new image will help us answer the biggest question: Are we alone? Subscribe if you love optimistic technology stories. NASA just released the first pictures from the James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful telescope ever built. They’re incredible. They show the deepest we’ve ever seen into space, stars being born, galaxies colliding.
The Big Misconception About Clean Energy
I’ve been thinking about energy use all wrong. Subscribe to support Huge If True, an optimistic tech show. As long as most of our energy still comes from fossil fuels, we’re in kind of a trap. Using less energy is our only real option to slow climate change. So most of us have heard only one message throughout our lives: “Conserve energy. Because terrible things will happen if we don’t.”
Why This Olympic Sport Bothers Physicists
Every four years, people lose their minds over one Olympic sport. They make fun of it! But the more I learned about it, the more obsessed I got… and I realized that all these people making fun? They’re getting this totally wrong. This is the coolest Olympic sport by far. The sport I’m talking about is… CURLING.
Why More Sports Need Robot Referees
this video create was 2023 but recently I create new podcast so I posted this show.
Something Huge Is Coming...
Over the past two years on Huge If True, we’ve explored all kinds of new ideas and technologies that could change the world we live in. Like quantum computers, particle colliders, humanoid robots, new supersonic planes, and much more.
We make this show because we believe that by envisioning better futures, we make them more likely to come true. Along the way, I’ve gotten to talk to some of the mo
