How Aquaman's Body Survives the Sea

Aquaman may be part of the Justice League, but should his title as king of the seven seas be considered more impressive? Kyle goes into uncharted waters on this week's Because Science!
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Because Science every Thursday.
Learn more:
• DR. ANDREW DAVID THALER: bit.ly/2RUsmeN
• OCEAN WATER TEMPERATURE: bit.ly/2GbzqlK
• SCUBA DIVING PHYSICS: bit.ly/2RVrvdX
• OSMOREGULATION IN MARINE MAMMALS: bit.ly/2QRBKCw
• WATER LOSS MATH: bit.ly/2S2w6La
#becausescience #aquaman

[@becausescience]

Thanks for watching! I still have more Aquaman ideas, so if you really like this one, let me know. Alright. OK. If you're into ocean conservation and science, consider following Dr. Thaler *pronounced ThAler like whaler, my mistake* who helped so much with this episode: twitter.com/drandrewthaler -- kH

[@lasarith2]

Because Science ummm..... Dr Thaler.... 1:39 🤔.... looks more like obi wan kenobi to me 😉

[@gozzilla177]

Psh is that all he would need? I have all of those things in my closet!

[@matthewwriter9539]

Thor vs Aquaman, who is your daddy?

[@fernandotorres2116]

You should do one about the mecanics of moving underwater. I was thinking that like some deep sea diver animals Acuaman may have more porous bones in order to mantain hydrostatic control

[@candidcomments292]

Props.... PROPS this is because science how dare.... Draw that can!

[@whyarewestillhere7070]

"Aquaman needs to be chunky." *Moto Moto wants to know your location*

[@xxdclan1867]

Madagascar memes😂😂😂

[@Gooooaaaaalllllll]

@KILLER_FOX_90 I like em plumpy

[@emperordraygon]

Aquaman doesn't have to worry about how cold the water is, Jason Momoa's pretty hot already.

[@manamongmen3381]

Yeah, I got the same thing going for me. Takes no time for me to dry off either. It just steams off my well formed abs.

[@goldjustgold5942]

😂 I wasn't going to like this comment... But you got me.

[@tactechchannel7960]

I hear they had difficulty filming because the water around him kept boiling

[@erxs]

@@tactechchannel7960 implying that they filmed in an actual underwater city

[@zidani.s6712]

😏

[@jonathanwilliams6922]

Thank you skinny thor very cool

[@erxs]

_skinny thor_

[@akron067]

Little Thor!

[@tojissock3160]

akron067 *lil* thor

[@verytiredgrimreaper975]

thor junior?

[@thundergozon6439]

Magni?

[@amdreallyfast]

Pssh, we all know he just took half-human for the extra feat

[@zeekeno823]

This guy...

[@TonberryShuffle]

Half-humans don't get an extra feat. For that to work it'd require him to have the human race with the "half atlantean" template added on to get the features of both.

[@amdreallyfast]

@@TonberryShuffle For the sake of the joke, we can be ambiguous on the system :), but if we're talking 5e it'd have to be a Variant Human, but then he'd be human and wouldn't get the racial traits Speak with (Sea) Animals, Natural Armor, Breath Underwater, amongst others. I'm pretty sure that Reclaim the Throne is expected CR 20 encounters, and based on his combat style, he's probably a fighter, taking Polearm Master instead of first ASI and then ASI for the rest.

[@Giagantus]

I got this joke. ...reference :D

[@GazzyD]

It looks good on the resume

[@kaihoneck]

Liver size in marine mammals tends to directly correlate to their size/speed ratio. So a relatively small, fast swimming aquatic mammal like a dolphin or a seal would have a relatively massive liver compared with a large, slow marine mammal, like a whale. Aquaman would qualify as a quite small marine mammal that swims very fast, which would mean his liver may be relatively larger. Which would allow him to survive the massive amounts of alcohol that he's seen drinking in Justice League.

[@SirsasthNigam.]

no more Josstice League

[@jackwriter1908]

Pretty interesting. Now I know how Aquaman can survive under water. Can you make an Episode about Shapeshifting? Both in Marvel and DC are Characters who can change their appearance, but how could they do that? I mean sometimes they can transform themselfs into animals or other humans. Where are their limits?

[@DirtyStinky]

Jack Writer I think one of the largest limitations of this would be turning into something smaller or larger or something that requires more mass than you have. You would need to get a lot of mass to turn into something like a bear which would require in a humans case a lot of food or energy. I think it would also face problems with growth similar to the hulk episode with him gaining and losing a lot of mass pretty quickly the energy for that would need to come from somewhere.

[@theblazinken3501]

Another obstacle would be changing into invertebrates due to different body scheme

[@AstralTyde]

You'd die. Growing or shrinking will kill you and I'm pretty sure the scifi route calls for some painful cellular reconstruction/reformations.

[@tatsusama3192]

I'd love a Beast Boy episode. Good call

[@garethevans6667]

Let's assume Arthur's body is superhuman enough to cope with the 100s of atmospheres of pressure at the bottom of the oceans, let's also assume he has a swim-bladder, and super-duper kidneys.... This still doesn't explain how he can see. Light penetrates in to the ocean but not all that far: at 800 metres it is pretty much black. What kind of super-duper eyes would Aquaman need to avoid swimming face-first in to a rock formation?

[@jeffc3659]

It’s like what vulko said “being Atlantean means more then just being able to breathe underwater. It means our bodies are perfectly adapted to life underwater”

[@JR-ju3kj]

I loved that explanation that Vulko gave.I'm going to be writing my own comics and I'm going to have underwater civilizations in them and I'll also have my own version of Atlantis(which is actually in the public domain and free for anyone to use,since the story of Atlantis originally comes from Greek mythology)and that's the very same explanation I'll give for how all of the underwater races can survive underwater-that they're perfectly adapted in every way possible and imaginable to survive underwater(I'm even to going have a character who is basically a black Superman who can survive in virtually any environment-including underwater-at any depth and temperature but no one-not even him,will know how he's able to do it). But for when the underwater races talk to each other in my comics,my way of dealing with it will be different from how DC does it with Aquaman and how Marvel does it with Namor The Sub-Mariner and the Atlanteans in the Marvel Universe because I'll just have all of the different races communicate telepathically.Because even if you're able to breath underwater and are perfectly adapted to life underwater,that doesn't explain talking underwater since sound travels differently underwater and not to mention the fact that every time you open your mouth,water would rush in. I've never seen Marvel or DC logically and sensibly explain how their underwater characters can talk underwater.I don't think think they know how to explain it,quite frankly,so they don't even bother trying to! Ha! Ha!

[@benedekvegh3561]

The way you explain things is just genuine. Even those who arent into physics can for sure enjoy it. Also i love to see people talking about non realistic things in a scientific way. Keep it up, big fan.

[@CrazyBeardedGamer]

Ok, now my big question is, "Does soda taste better in a submerged submarine?

[@jackguenther6610]

Submarines are actually highly controlled to maintain atmospheric pressure inside the hull! The outside hull is strong enough to support hundreds of feet of water pressure while the inside hun and air systems maintain a normal, safe pressure for use by the crew. All the soda tastes the same as on land from my experience

[@HannaAnderberg]

If I'm not mistaken, the clip with Chris Hadfield is from an underwater habitat where they intentionally keep the pressure at same level as the surrounding ocean. That way they they can dive for longer without having to worry about the bends.

[@alexvogel610]

That just reminded me of Futurama where they took the spaceship to the bottom of the ocean: "How many atmospheres of pressure can this ship withstand?" "Well, it's a spaceship, so anywhere between zero and one..." kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWW1fYKla8eWnrc

[@randomexeter3627]

It would likely be somewhat flat - as if it had lost its fizz - because the reason it has fizz in the first place is because of the gas coming out of the solution.

[@1217BC]

The soda would be flat in the example shown. No gases escaping, therefore no bubbles.

[@Jackal19x]

Liked for "sentient throwing axe" And if that's the standard then Keanu Reeves is a sentient AR-15

[@ryanm7832]

*Sentient AR chambered in .45-70 gov't...because Keanu Reeves.

[@selenagamya1612]

Danny Trejo suddenly makes so much more sense

[@ragnarok1984p]

so what is that "sentient throwing axe" and "AR-15" all about ? googling is throwing different results so what's what ?

[@robertagu5533]

I'd thought John Wick is a sentient Glock or something similar, along with also being a sentient knife and general ass kicker

[@Jackal19x]

@@robertagu5533 well technically his HANDGUN of choice is a Walther P-30L with a compensator... If we're getting technical about it.

[@andreirichmondsalvaleon135]

3 degrees below? Aquaman gives no fudges. He’s Russian. Edit: Aquaman needs no water. All he needs is Vodka. He’s Russian. Aquaman withstands much pressure. Political especially. He’s Russian.

[@samda4739]

Andrei Richmond Salvaleon actually he is American and atlantean

[@devrajchangkakati4994]

No one messed with putin's land

[@VunderGuy]

@Jordan James Yes... a pacific islander who left his lame pacific islander nation for the greener pastures of AMERICA.

[@GazzyD]

@@VunderGuy come on man, no need to refer to us as a "lame pacific islander nation". Unnecessarily harsh my dude.

[@lukesadanala3586]

He spoke Russian in the movie👀

[@zalores8353]

The Sea Force protects hims from things. (Like Speed Force)

[@scottmantooth8785]

aka the suspension of disbelief...the script writers friend when actual physics and reality get in the way of telling a story

[@jadeytg8850]

Q W E R T Y U I O P A S D F G H J K L Z X C V B N M ! ?

[@justicebrown1077]

Lazy asf writing imo if that's the truth

[@benparrish672]

That's hilarious

[@joshuawayneyork]

Like the "Space Force" Trump wanted to make?

[@yama_noki]

Technically the definition you give for osmosis is the definition for diffusion, of which osmosis is a sub-phenomenon that only applies to the diffusion of water.

[@erbgorre]

even more technically, osmosis only discribes the diffusion effects in aqueous solution through some kind of semi-permeable barrier, aka a membrane.

[@theelvenwtich]

You forgot to say Um'Actually.

[@lego4virgo]

@@theelvenwtich YOU forgot to type 'Um, Actually'....

[@Airwave2k2]

Yeah he not so clearly expressed it, that he has the skin as membrane in this assumed system and therefore some osmosis going on instead of just diffusion.

[@JerseyPirates]

I initially thought the same thing but it's definitely more fun to watch him say "spontaneous movement of stuff towards stuff with a higher concentration of things"

[@markruseev2633]

How much food does King Kong eat?

[@thatguyrowan6685]

ILL TELL YA (_)_)::::::::::::::::DDDDD

[@scottmantooth8785]

a bunch

[@MetaFanWing]

that guy rowan Just....why.

[@jonathanng138]

Probably doesn't have to eat probably just needs radiation

[@tijanamilenkovic9442]

@@scottmantooth8785 hahahaha xD xD xD 🦍🍌☢

[@johnsoutherland3459]

You failed to mention the other biggest factor. He regularly dives to depths that would crush a normal human a hundred times over. His skeleton and muscular system would have to be incredibly dense to withstand those pressures.

[@the83rdtrombonist60]

Aquaman would have a higher body temperature with a more complex circulatory system. In addition, in the comics, it has been said that his skin density is far higher than humans and is only beaten by people like Superman. In the justice league cartoon, they weren't able to pierce his skin with a needle. HOWEVER... the biggest issue I have is that Aquaman would have to be larger than he is to have organs of both land animals and sea life. AND they've never explained how he can stand the oceans pressure AND fly above the clouds. I don't think his organs could possibly adjust that quickly.

[@specter0432]

Aren't marine mammals big because of the abundance of food and lesser effect of gravity on their bodies? I think it can be reasonably inferred that since he has tougher skin his bone density is tough as well, which lets him withstand the pressure. Also, Aquaman can fly? O.o

[@the83rdtrombonist60]

@@specter0432 kind of. There's two reasons. One is because of temperature control. It's easier to stay warm with more fat. Two is it isn't gravity, it's pressure. When whales beach, they die because they have a surface beneath them that causes their organs to crush each other. Gravity is gravity everywhere on earth so gravity still exists in the ocean but the water is not solid so ocean pressure pushes in on all sides while, on land, it pushes more from top to bottom instead of on all sides.

[@specter0432]

@@the83rdtrombonist60 yes if you are swimming at deeper depths that is. And yes the upthrust cancels some of the forces of gravity on their bodies so the resultant force is less.So aquaman does necessarily have to be 'big'/'have large organs', he just needs to be durable and probably a buoyancy bladder( a sizeable one), right?

[@the83rdtrombonist60]

@@specter0432 again, kind of. Think of it like this: if you take a foam ball or a rubber ball, like a basketball, on land, it flattens out at the bottom even if it's slight. But when you put it in water, it has no flattening. You can also do this with a balloon filled with ~70% water.

[@grinreaperoftrolls7528]

If they weren't able to pierce his skin, it doesn't necessarily mean it's denser, only that the bonds between the chemicals that make his skin cells (and the forces holding his skin cells together) are stronger.

[@ArthurEKing8472]

Interestingly the countercurrent exchange you mentioned in marine animals also happens in a lot of arctic mammals, like the arctic fox, who's feet have a similar system in order to allow the animal to retain body-heat while remaining in contact with the frozen tundra. Also another adaptation that might be helpful is the presence of glycoproteins to work as anti-freeze, (Much like the Antarctic toothfish Dissostichus mawsoni) as in the depths and arctic oceans his blood might actually reach sub-zero temperatures, especially in those extremities and near the surface of their skin, where that countercurrent heat exchange keeps the cold blood away from their internal organs. Also there is evidence that suggests that our lungs evolved from a swim-bladder, so if the Atlantean DNA is close-enough linked to ours that we can inter-breed (unlikely in reality, but hey, it's comics, lets go with it, seeing as it's canon) then there's every reason to believe that the Atlantean swim-bladders are modified lungs, or vice-versa, and so IF this is true, any escaping air likely wouldn't be escaping via flatus as you suggested, but more likely as just breathing out on occasion. Either way, it's a really interesting thought-experiment, to think about what kinds of biological adaptations we would need to survive in extreme environments. Perhaps you could do something like this but for humans surviving on Mars! Is it possible? And if so, how?

[@funnyppl93]

Can you imagine the look on his first human doctors face when Aquaman was a child? "Has the Curry boys scans come back?" "Yes Doctor but there is something strange about them." "What in gods name is that?"

[@samueltowell7190]

I love these videos, and the comedy that’s added in it lol. Y’all keep up the awesomeness!!!!

[@Ihavetoreturnsomevideotapes]

*wait ....isn't he aquaman ..in disguise*

no he is Thor

[@denlara3882]

It would be amazing if Aquaman had a swim bladder and every time he surfaced he had to belch like Barney from The Simpsons.

[@OlaftheGreat]

But... FARTZ R FUNNI

[@youtubevoice1050]

A small correction or addendum: Curiously, water has its highest density at 4 degrees Celsius, not at 0 degrees. Therefore the water temperature at the bottom of lakes or deeper in the oceans will always be 4 degrees. Only water closer to the surface will reach freezing temperature. Not that it would nullify the problem of hypothermia, but deeper is better in this case.

[@FrJacobSJ]

Not only is this really fascinating, but I think this is the funniest of your videos I've yet seen.

[@axe693axe]

This episode is Overflowing with puns.

[@MegaPokefan97]

Seems fishy to me

[@mrrathalos3576]

This seems a lil fishy to me

[@silverstarofsootclan7507]

It's a tidal wave of humour!

[@redmoon383]

My man!

[@Sketchy_Dood]

axe693axe I sea what you did there

[@mnaltacc7450]

Wouldn’t the flash or quicksilver technically be able to fly because of how fast they’d be pushing against the air. Interested to hear your opinion on it.

[@shanok3]

He already said it a lot of times The force needed to run so fast is superior to escape velocity, but since flash has the speed force or "the ultimate physics annihilator" that does not happen

[@maclennanld]

They would need a way to transfer that pressure into lift, the ability to continue applying force on the air and usable control surfaces. If they meet these requirements they could. The second one could potentially be meet by air kicking, depending on their cannon ability to withstand the additional tensile forces their legs would be subject to without the impact of their feet hitting the ground. The other two they would need technological assistance

[@joxerd]

i.imgur.com/kizwn9a.jpg Remember he has help of the Speed Force, energy source with specials property while he is thinking and run. PD. Sorry if a little weird to read my english to write is bad.

[@brokenwave6125]

Speed doesn't equal flight...bullets don't fly, they start falling the instant they leave the barrel.

[@MrInfamous777]

Flash accidently took flight and nearly died before he got the hang of the speed force. Which is how he helped another kid flash from accidently flying too far when he hit a certian speed.

[@Derek_Baumgartner]

Thanks for these episodes, Kyle! Favorite part of this one: "Aquaman's" interjections, especially the DK64 "O-K"!

[@callingsplash4567]

I do free diving when I’m on holiday and going just 6/8 meters down starts to actually hurt your head so you have to equalise by holding your nose and trying to pass air through it popping your ears and that stops your head hurting. When you get to about 10 meters down you can feel the temperature difference and it is so much colder than on the surface, it’s still really fun though.

[@darkdragonsoul99]

2% body fat would kill you , you enter into dangerous areas when you hit 5% Body builders hover around 6-7 % when cut for competition and they can't maintain that for very long. Aquarman is probably at 8-10%.

[@darthgorthaur258]

Laughingpug 2% body fat can kill you ? Really...thats pretty mad, can you provide any relevant reading for further information about the topic ???

[@darkdragonsoul99]

​@@darthgorthaur258 That fat is there for a reason. Healthy body fat percentages bottom out at 8% going below that starts negative side effects because your body is literally starving. Yes 2% body fat would kill you slowly. and no I can't provide any relevant reading I read so much crap I can never keep sources straight.

[@ArtFreak17]

@@darthgorthaur258 to expound on laughingpug's reply. The body has two main purposes of body fat: energy (and nutrient, especially in regard to fat soluble vitamins) storage and essential fat (fat needed for vital systems to function properly; for one cholesterol is a key building block to making the various hormones the body needs to regulate itself). One of the most noteworthy that I've learned is it can cause amenorrhea - ceased menstruation. Which is a sign that hormonal balances are getting thrown out of whack. (When estrogen takes an abnormal dive, you're at greater risk for osteoporosis, for example.) Here's a good article (mostly as a jumping off point for further exploration): inbodyusa.com/blogs/inbodyblog/is-it-healthy-to-have-a-low-body-fat-percentage/

[@emmettobrian1874]

I had about 5% body fat most of my childhood and adolescence. My Uncle (3 years older than me) had 2% body fat when he was on the track team. This was confirmed by doctors multiple times throughout my life. I was just a really skinny kid.

[@darkdragonsoul99]

@@emmettobrian1874 It takes rather ridiculously expensive tests to actual confirm ones body fat percentage. No the BMI is not accurate. No you can't just eye ball it.

[@RhysThePiece]

Re: Whale Bones: Nature is happy with "meh, good enough."

[@davidmowbray5352]

If it ain't broke, dont fix it

[@OlaftheGreat]

Then why do we see unbroken whale skeleton? BECAUSE SCIENCE

[@rafaelalodio5116]

That's why cancer exists, it kills but it doesn't stop you to reproduce and pass your genes.

[@OlaftheGreat]

@@rafaelalodio5116 cancer also exists because of carcinogens and ionizing radiation.

[@rafaelalodio5116]

OlafttheGreat1998, Can't deny that.

[@ryanmcanelly6556]

Hey Kyle, quick comment. As others have mentioned, you didn't touch on the problem of water pressure on his body. I know that some animals like the blobfish have a soft gelatinous outer layer of flesh that absorbs a lot of the pressure which make them look like normal fish in their habitable zone but in less pressurized environments they're very blob like. It'd be interesting if that had been part of his physiology so while he's in Atlantis he'd be super ripped, but when he surfaces, well.... You get the idea.

[@arfadilah1]

u deserve more audience and subscribers.. keep posting!

[@cameronrothgeb8004]

Just a little fun fact, but if we were to have gills, for them to be of ANY use, they'd have to be our entire body length, due to our size. So whenever you see a humanoid creature with small little slits on their necks and nothing else to breath underwater, they are most likely, no, absolutely going to drown. Also, I love shows like yours and those on the Game Theorists!

[@kysier6015]

Awesome video as always ^_^ One question. Aquaman is capable to surviving, and thriving on dry land as well. That's extremely unusual, as the adaptations he would need to live, indefinitely, underwater would directly contradict the mechanisms needed for land survival. That's why seals, and other mammals that live in both environments, typically can only survive in one environment for extended periods, (seals for example can survive on land indefinitely, but would eventually die underwater). My question is what, likely unique, qualities would allow him to live on land and still keep everything needed for ocean survival?

[@moukidelmar]

He'd need very tough yet still semipermiable skin to breathe through and exchange gases, multispectrum eyes to be able to see in an out of water, adapted muscles to handle to pressure differentials and so on. Basically he's a super amphibian.

[@PlatinumJim]

It used to be that Aquaman could only stay out of the water for an hour before returning to the water or drinking fluids otherwise he gets severely dehydrated and passes out and dies. But that limited to what adventures Arthur could go on so DC likely got rid of that limitation.

[@kysier6015]

@@PlatinumJim Huh, I never knew that. Can understand why itd be hard to write adventures for a superhero limited to 1 hour on land though.

[@GlacialScion]

His superhuman strength, speed, and durabilty is probably purely a result of the adaptations needed to be able to survive and move quickly at extreme depth. His skin being so difficult to breech would be an adaptation to the extreme pressure differentials he can survive, preventing himself from exploding when he goes from the deep sea to a beach.

[@antwan2378]

Fiction

[@niarudle]

Hey, Kyle! Would love to hear more about Aquaman physics! I still have one question: as you mentioned in the video, Aquaman is depicted as moving under water as quickly as if he was on land and swimming even faster than sea animals. How could he pull that off when sea pressure is constricting his movements?

[@strpe9701]

You’ve done videos on the flash’s power’s effects and such. but can you do an explanation of the speed force and flash lightning?

[@drewdonovan3444]

I see that you are a man of culture like myself I know this because you drink sprite like I do

[@DatsRandom]

Drew Donovan Want a Sprite Cranberry?!

[@MichaelTwitt]

That would actually be an awesome ringtone

[@no_nope_knope]

Muskwatch!

[@marysherrill8821]

Fun fact. The underground lake in Sweet Water TN used to have a bar located about 3/4 mile under ground. People could go and drink as much alcohol as they wanted with out getting drunk until they traveled upwards back outside. Then the alcohol in their system would overcome them and they would get drunk rapidly and quickly fall back down the hill. They had to close the bar.

[@kartikkaria7842]

I just loved how the muskwatch theme played each time the phone ringed

[@JeremyWS]

I was listening to all the changes that would have to be different in body and dna for Aquaman to hypothetically exist. Taking all these differences into account, would this not make him at least a different species of human? Let's call it _Homo syreni_ [Atlanteans]. My next question is: Would there be enough dna similarities between _Homo syreni_ and _Homo sapiens_ [land-dwellers/us] for an interbred hybrid to viably be born and survive to adulthood? If we assume the answer is "yes," then my next question is: Would a _H. syreni_ / _H. sapiens_ hybrid be able to go on and have his/her own children, which would then also survive into adulthood and have children of his/her own etc.? Or would any hybrid between _H. syreni_ and _H. sapiens_ be sterile? Please explain in detail and bonus points for referencing DC Comics lore. Great video, keep up the good work. Have a nice day/night.

[@nulllex0099]

No one's tried to answer yet so I will try. Be mindful though that I'm nothing close to a biologist, just someone who likes to read up on it. TL;DR: Yes, it's likely that a _Homo sapiens/syreni_ hybrid can be formed and for it to live to adulthood, though several traits become less and less plausible because of how sexual reproduction works, which are (from most to nigh-impossible): Have all the traits needed for life in the ocean, be able to breed with either parent species and, finally, start a bloodline that'd go past the fourth generation. FYI Fact: I can't remember the number, but a sizeable portion of humans alive today have genetic material from _Homo Neanderthalis_ Long Info: Much like the osmosis problem in the video, a slave to chemistry, viable reproduction between _Sapiens_ and _Syreni_ is a slave to meiosis, the process by which our gametes (sex cells) are made and, key to your question, how our genetic code as individuals arises. I won't dumb all the info on you, but I'll refresh you on what Sexual Reproduction actually does for genetic variety; getting genetic material from two parents isn't all that happens, what actually yields results that made sexual reproduction a viable plan to stick to as very complex creatures, is that along the process, the genetic information received from both parents is swapped between them and mixed. The reason this is key is because the information stored in chromosomes codes for exactly the same thing, *when we're dealing with the same species.* For a severe, quick, example, think what it'd do for a fetus if the _Syreni_ region that codes for heart development got mixed up with the _Sapiens_ region for hair colour. Now, I should mention that hybridisation, as a *process* is actually a *spectrum* in between not being able to breed at all and breed as normal, *throughout time* (I'll come back to this later). Here is where the swapping of genetic material I explained earlier is relevant: what position your hybrid has on this spectrum depends on how genetically similar the genetic regions of its parents are; in simpler words, that the same areas of their chromosomes code for the same things. With all of that, I'll try to answer your question now. Given how both _Sapiens_ and _Syreni_ are part of the _Homo_ genus, we can reasonably expect their chromosomes to be similar enough to produce a hybrid that might very well live up to adulthood. However, in light of this very video, there's a considerable chance that one of the _Syreni_ traits required for life in the ocean could be affected in the genetic mixture, especially the swimming bladder as it is an organ we humans simply don't have (even if you see it as a modified lung, it'd still be a "third lung" for which we have no material whatsoever). So, even if it could be born and live, its life at sea would likely be compromised. Here's the kicker though, and back to the time thing I mentioned. Your hybrid MUST be infertile unless it were FEMALE. This happens because of a thing called Haldane's rule, where the sex that's made from different copies of the sex chromosome, here the mammalian XY male, would be sterile, as hybrids are sterile as a rule, that I think has never been broken with mammals. It's a pretty complex thing really that only gets worse the farther away you go from creatures like us, like with insects which aren't even the same phylum and plants, that aren't even the same kingdom. So, at absolute best, Aquaman here could live life as a human and an atlantean without consequences, but he could not father children with anything, be it a human, an atlantean or another hybrid. The REAL kicker, even if Aquaman were female, are the offspring she'd have themselves. If they too could breed, or if male hybrids could breed and keep it on, then, by definition, *they were NEVER different species to begin with* as this is the one thing that still makes a species one. That's why all breeds of dogs, despite the pletora of diversity we've introduced into their genetic make up, are still the same subspecies of grey wolf our ancestors domesticated ages ago.

[@JeremyWS]

@@nulllex0099 Thanks for your attempt that was helpful. I like it.

[@nulllex0099]

@@JeremyWS I don't know about comics but I do know some things about nature. Glad it served for sth ^^;; In case you were wondering, I listed the fourth generation limit because it seems to be the most you can push a mammalian hybrid linage to keep going before their genetic defects are so great they can't even be born, based on the grandchild of a lion and a tiger, which has or had a pretty low health as is. Mules, argubly the most successful mammalian hybrid still suffers from the setback of being completely sterile, regardless of sex (as far as I know). Hybridisation, much like continued incest, is just a terrible reproductive plan for our class.

[@JeremyWS]

@@nulllex0099 It's cool. Thanks again. That was very informative. I like it.

[@nulllex0099]

@@JeremyWS You're quite welcome!

[@marekmrozowski1060]

Hey Kyle, great episode as always ! Given he has all these hybrid organs that activate when needed and assuming he can withstand the pressure at sea floor lever, how in earth would he be able to move that fast anyway ? In the trailer they are having an epic mortal combat style fight and meanwhile I can't even kick a ball in a meter od water. How could they move soooo much water out of the way to punch or kick like that ??

[@Jeremy-gu6wk]

Love the channel! Keep it up guys. Great work! :)

[@Sodalis_]

10:22 it can still hold the same amount of gas. However, it finds a new balance as pressure decreases which just happens to have more gas (higher pressure causes an environment, the can, to go to a state of fewer gas mols, storing the "fizz")

[@jasonmolisani1864]

This was an interesting episode, but I wonder if the bends is something that really is a problem. You skipped over his breathing method, but I think it might be rather relevant. If the reason for the bends stems from higher pressure gasses in the lungs forcing more air to be absorbed into the bloodstream, then what if the lungs contain no air while he is underwater. If Aquaman uses gills to breathe underwater, then his lungs should be temporarily useless. The question (which I have no idea regarding the answer too) then becomes, do fish, who use gills to breathe, to experience anything like the bends? If not, then this should not be a problem for Aquaman either.

[@floriant7092]

I think you hit the nail on the head here, Gills absorb oxygen dissolved in the water. As the water does not contain a substantial amount of nitrogen there should be no accumulation of nitrogen in the blood and tissue which causes the bends. Another interesting question would be how much water aquaman has to filter through his Gills to absorb enough oxygen.

[@charleswilliams3366]

Yep, this is what I was mentioning as well. Take free divers for example. They aren't at risk of getting the bends because they aren't inhaling pressurized air.

[@randomexeter3627]

Technically, any animal that functions using blood with dissolved gas can get the bends.

[@coryzilligen790]

But that would then raise the issue of whether his gills could actually support his oxygen needs. From what I can gather after a bit of quick online research... no, they could not. At the very least, they would need to be much, _much_ larger than just a few tiny gills on his neck.

[@coryzilligen790]

@@samarnadra - I think that still wouldn't be enough. Gills work in part by greatly increasing the surface area where the oxygen transfer can take place, so they would actually be far more effective than oxygen-permeable skin. Amphibians can get away with it because they are small, and therefore aren't dealing with the repercussions of the square-cube-law as badly as something human-sized. Now, an adaptation more along the lines of a lower body temperature would probably be more helpful. The lower the core temperature, the less energy required to maintain it against heat loss to the surroundings, and therefore the less oxygen required for metabolic processes.

[@axe693axe]

0:28 I see what you did there... Don't Phunk with My Heart Kyle. *Just Do IT !*

[@MauroHervas]

Imma padme right now and die from a broken heart

[@wesleyhicks5851]

Your definition of osmosis is quite literally the most elegant and informative description I’ve ever heard. Bravo skinny Thor, Bravo.

[@0ptimusv0ltr0n]

Awesome episode I still hope for a episode about The Silverhawks!!

[@axe693axe]

Hey, evolution is not perfect, just look at koalas.

[@Sodalis_]

Aussie Aussie Aussie oi oi oi

[@mastertofu]

I mean, they have adapted to handle the toxins from their food. Maybe it's because they are picky.

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

*_Ocean Man take me by the hand lead me to the land if you understand..._*

[@babyfishbtw742]

Friendship how do u type like that

[@SoI_Badguy]

*take me by the hand

[@otakuribo]

@@babyfishbtw742 enclose your text in asterisks ( * ) for *bold* , underscores ( _ ) for _italics_ , and both for *_both_* , careful that those control characters don't touch any other punctuation marks like commas, or else it won't work,_*like this*_.

[@XYZ-qt5rn]

clockwork orange...

[@rawbagle]

Oh my god the butchering is so bad, you ruined a good song. Just copy and paste some lyrics next time

[@smaspa8627]

"Sentient throwing-ax, Jason Mamoa" killed me.

[@laffywaffy1989]

Great video and content as always great explaining it since this works with how namor in marvel too

[@sebastiancallemesa724]

"Aqua Man is the undisputed king of the 7 seas" Namor -**excuse me wtf?**

[@JR-ju3kj]

Not to mention that Namor was actually created BEFORE Aquaman(and so was another aquatic hero,Shark,who is in the public domain) but a lot of people don't know that.

[@Painfully_Punny]

I'm so glad you talked about pressure but you forgot to mention one thing (the physical pressure). Big example the Mariana Trench is estimated to exert 15,750 psi that's over 108 million newtons of force, if you just forget about eardrums and lungs and everything else and remember the human skull takes about 2,300 newtons of force to crush and while that's the deepest part of thee ocean there are several areas that are still devastatingly cool...... Pun not intended.

[@floriant7092]

But as the skull is filled with tissue which is mostly water and thus not really compressible and because the skull is not a closed cavity the pressure differential from the inside of the skull to the outside will be equalized as he dives so no squished skull. All the cavities containing air however will be worse off, as those will be compressed and squished unless they are all filled with water.

[@alexvogel610]

@@floriant7092 Kind of what I was thinking--the skull would remain intact, but the pressure would compress the eyes and brain and all the soft tissue. You'd probably just pop, and your face and brain would contract into a little ball inside your still-intact skull...

[@Painfully_Punny]

@@floriant7092 thanks door the info on that, your right and I've thought about this before and never once looked into it anymore then the bone breaking pressure i just always jumped straight to pressure equals death forgetting that there are other factors in play. With that being said, still dead lol.

[@LucRio448]

I had a training program for becoming a paramedic last month and just 3 weeks ago had a discussion with one of my trainers about how and why Nitrogen - which is mainly to blame for DCS - even comes to be inside the cells as much as it is under water while it does not in everyday life for us. So...thanks for proving my point (assuming I got everything you said more or less correct) today :D

[@joshuajwars4271]

Wow well done again plus with Arthur Curry or Aqua-man (Jason Momoa 3)’s voice is just epic.

[@TheAdanChannel]

I got a question: Is the void a glass in front of you and then you mirror the image so we can read what you write? or is it CGI? in any case are you a lefty?

[@justben7564]

he writes with his right hand on glass then flips it

[@TheAdanChannel]

@@justben7564 are you sure????

[@justben7564]

@@TheAdanChannel he has answered this question many times

[@TheAdanChannel]

@@justben7564 that means we are living in a simulation !!!

[@manamongmen3381]

He writes it. Sometimes from his side. He seems to be a righty.

[@danny499]

3:56 “Aquaman would have to be at least chun....” Me: BIG CHUNGUS “....chunky” Me: sure. that too.

[@MyWeedIsVeryGood]

*Please explains how in the scene when King Orm and King Nereus meet, how their armor clanged so dang loudly. Please and thank you.*

[@ajlanger5]

“Nature has figured out a SOLUCHEN” @6:32 :P lol

[@seedcraftthree]

Hey Kyle, I have a physics question for you, unrelated to this episode. Which was pretty great by the by. Assuming the Big Bang Theory is correct, and I believe it is, everything is expanding and shooting away from the relative center of the universe. Meaning we as earth and the milky way already have an incredibly high velocity through space. And as an object speeds up, it gains mass exponentially related to the speed of light. So if we took a shuttle and flew it in multiple directions, and NASA did a bunch of their math science stuff, couldn't we determine when that shuttle is losing a tiny fraction mass and therefore getting closer to true zero velocity, and therefore which way the true center of the universe is?

[@brokenwave6125]

Sounds like you don't actually understand the Big Bang Theory... It's not about space and matter being flung away from the center...it wasn't an explosion, but an expansion. More like an expanding foam. We haven't observed anything to indicate that space and matter are expanding from a relative center. Cosmologists will tell you, there is no center of the universe.

[@jackvos8047]

As hard as it may be to fathom very point of the universe is the centre of the universe.

[@jackvos8047]

@@samarnadra yes yes you are. As is everyone else in the comment section and Kyle himself in the void.

[@SheepSlayer]

The big bang theory suggests that everything is moving away from everything else, or that everywhere is the center of the universe.

[@RedRoseSeptember22]

Thor and Iron Man had a baby you guys, isn't he cute? LOL...Thor's good looks and Tony's smarts, double threat!!!

[@Sabrina1999B]

Wait who gave birth ? 😂😂

[@tijanamilenkovic9442]

@@Sabrina1999B either Thor or Iron Man and either of them probably carried him in his butt and farted him out I like big butts and I cannot lie

[@AifDaimon]

Already watched the movie yesterday.. It was a visual feast to behold!!

[@willclark4449]

8:39 ah justice league unlimited reference. nice best DC animated ever.

[@toroviamimations2744]

Actually, there aren’t seven seas, but seven oceans.

[@Lewis8Z]

Seven seas sounds better

[@shimata17]

@@Lewis8Z "Whats the best Tuna? Chicken of the Ocean".... yeah it doesnt sound the same...

[@GlacialScion]

Actually it's one ocean.

[@manamongmen3381]

I sea what you did there...

[@manamongmen3381]

I'm not salty. Or at least not on porpoise...

[@sankalpabanerjee6218]

Aquaman? Don't you mean, BRAH-QUAMAN?

[@RickyUzumaki993]

Sankalpa Banerjee Lol. Nice

[@thatguyrowan6685]

No.

[@snakeslayer8085]

Anti-freezing peptides, many arctic fish have it to keep from freezing. From what I remember, it is a chain of proteins. They were also injected into Solid Snake in MGS1 due to being in Alaska.

[@Temperans]

As others have suggested, his gills (depending on how effective) may reduce the problem of the bends. If so, would it be possible for his lungs to function as swim bladders, while submerged? Otherwise, I feel like everything would be squished do to the extra organs (swim bladder and marine kidneys)

[@eingoluq]

I'm so ready to *DIVE* into this!

[@thomasallen2037]

Kyle, love the show! Your point about the bends is well reasoned but I would contend that Aquaman would not have that issue. Since he doesn't breath compressed gas at depth, and would theoretically have only 1 lungful of 1 atm air when he dove beneath the surface he would only need to contend with his gills. As these are only bringing in oxygen it would not necessarily be a gas that would dissolve from solution as a gas, thus eliminating his DCS problem. Keep up the wonderful work!

[@Shaiyo5]

I was just about to comment the same thing. Aquaman's gills would take over for his lungs, removing the need to ascend slowly.

[@coryzilligen790]

I'm not so sure about that. From what I can gather after a bit of online research, fish are only able to get away with using gills to get their oxygen content because they are cold-blooded and therefore have much lower oxygen requirements. I don't think that even full-body gills would be sufficient to provide the oxygen needed for an active warm-blooded creature of Aquaman's size. Artificial gills are an actual concept that has been considered, it just doesn't seem to be a feasible one.

[@Guhritta]

As always. Amazing video

[@ShadowCrap13]

So the fizzy bubbles that come out of a freshly opened pop/soda is from the bends effect? How does shaking the can before opening it affects the bends so that the pop explodes everywhere?

[@wtgrm5353]

We want MUSKWATCH! 0:27

[@chriskenzie2418]

How would going from fresh water to salt water affect his boddy?

[@arez1152]

Kyle hill..i heard you can talk to fish..

[@thatguyrowan6685]

Yeah and I heard you can talk to your own shits and they talk back .|.

[@scottmantooth8785]

the fact that i can convince a whale to swallow you does not give you pause to reevaluate your mode of insult should be more worrisome to those to whom you owe money

[@slapain547]

Even with all these hereditary traits from his fishy side, if he were to get hurt he could bleed out due to the fact that his blood may not coagulate and seal the wound.. In this case he would also need to evolve a way to close wounds or have the sells self repair the affected area to get past this barrier. Fun episode keep up the good work.

[@KaitouKenshiro]

Really liked this video makes a lot of sense that he'd have extra organs and bodily system similar to fish and marine manuals. Was really hoping you'd touch on how strong and tough realistically Aquaman and normal Atlanteans would be compared to humans after having adapted to deal with the immense crushing pressure of deep oceans.

[@flyingfree333]

Aquaman doesn't breathe air while underwater so there wouldn't be nitrogen entering his system.

[@maxwellvandenberg2977]

Gasses dissolve into liquids, that's how gills work. They get atoms and molecules of gasses dissolved in the water and have them pass into the bloodstream in a way similar to how the salt passes from higher concentrations to lower concentrations. When the temperature changes the water can't hold as much gas, and that's part of why sometimes warm water will kill a bunch of fish, because the water cam no longer hold as much dissolved oxygen. Where does the oxygen go when the water can't hold it anymore? It forms bubbles and floats to the surface.

[@Shaiyo5]

@@maxwellvandenberg2977 You're missing the other issue. The bends is also caused by the higher pressure air being pumped into the lungs by the scuba gear. By switching over to his gills while underwater, Aquaman would be able to internally regulate the amount of nitrogen in his bloodstream at all times.

[@RustyDust101]

Shaiyo5 It is not the nitrogen, per se. It is the volume of gas dissolved in Aquaman's blood and other bodily fluids. When he surfaces quickly he rapidly decreases the pressure around his body, thus decreasing the pressure on his blood/lymphe system as well. This would cause the gas dissolved to change volume and form bubbles. Nitrogen is only the most abundant gas (ca. 78.9%) in the air we breathe with oxygen making up only ca. 20.8%. That is why tech divers who go to great depths exchange the nitrogen for helium, or even hydrogen at extreme depths, at very exacting gas ratios for very specific depths.

[@Marsumaniac79]

If Aquaman had (has?) gills, wouldn't that solve the problem with the bends? No nitrogen, no bubbles?

[@RustyDust101]

The bends is not the problem of the gills, it is the insane speed at which he surfaces. The gas that is extracted from the gills is still a gas that is passed into his bloodstream, and from there throughout his body. Nitrogen is the problem for divers because it is the greatest part of the pressurized gas they breath under water. But Aquaman still needs oxygen. Even if he extracts it from the water (where it is also dissolved at the local pressure), he exchanges it into his blood at the pressure he took the water in. And this oxygen is disolved in a gaseous state in his blood. When Aquaman surfaces (at the speed of up to 3000m/s) he decreases the surrounding pressure by a total of 300 atmospheres/bars in a second. That results in an unfortunate accident for Aquaman's complete circulatory system inflating by more than a factor of 300 in one second. I assume you can see why that would be a problem.

[@Alex-yv5do]

@@RustyDust101 Aquamans musculature and bones are strong rnough to whitstand bullers and the pressure of the bottom of the ocean so Iunno if that would be a problem. Maybe his circulatory system could handlr the strain

[@manamongmen3381]

it's less of a matter of what's in the blood then how it's contained. You see the boiling point of any substance is much higher when under pressure such as what the sea would give, so going to a lower pressure zone can cause liquid to boil at a lower temperature. This allows the trapped gasses that normally don't cause problems to emerge with greater ease, and even if there's no nitrogen, there would be some crazy stuff going on. Also, since he stated that aquaman is a marine mammalian, the breathing air bit is kind of required, so it's a moot point really.

[@thatguyrowan6685]

AQUAMAN BAD

[@anekdoche7055]

i have to say that your hair is absolutely dashing

[@K1ng1995]

Some future episodes I'd like to see would be on the different elemental kinetic abilities

[@wuznab5109]

He must have the best eyesight in the world in order to see in the depths of the ocean.

[@JR-ju3kj]

The comics address that.He and the other Atlanteans are adapted to survive underwater in every way imaginable so that also means being able to see clearly in the depths of the ocean.

[@mr.knightthedetective7435]

3:09 E X T R A T H I C C 9:05 Goddamn it Hydraulics...

[@XtoverusRex]

I had to pause for a laugh break at "sentient throwing ax, Jason Momoa".

[@engineer547]

Because Science, you gotta try and science out the super car flying between 3 buildings in the fast and furious 7 movie!! I am a die hard fan of fast and furious, and I love your channel!! This would be amazing to see you show this off with actual math and science!!

[@chalgress12]

most of this is based on the idea that atlaneans are mammals, so he's fully mammal. maybe the fish heritage is dominant, and his human side would just be expressed in 'brain chemistry', so to speak - by which I mean in most scifi or fantasy stuff, if a thing is half human, they're basically whatever the other race is plus a more human disposition (if orc, less warlike and more willing to talk out a dispute, if elf a bit less haughty and hating of other races, etc). humans in fantasy never seem to give their physical traits with maybe the exception of increasing lifespan, take stronger ones if interbred, and maintain the adaptive nature of the 'human mind'. though, they're almost always social outcasts, so with that comes mental illness of various sorts and self-identity conflict. so hey. maybe aquaman is entirely atlantean physically, but with what their race would consider a weird or insufferable disposition that their kind does not normally possess.

[@stevenjimenez6977]

That BvS joke......beautifully executed👌😂.

[@OlaftheGreat]

Yup. WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?!?!?

[@neilhenderson5581]

There was a comic in the 1990s where a military outfit conspired to give Aquaman the bends by forcing him to surface very quickly. It worked, but the numbers involved were considerable: they had to give him a pressing reason to travel several kilometres straight up from the ocean floor in the space of a few seconds, if I recall correctly.

[@richardneri9759]

Great episode, I would try to make corrections or try to add something but I'm no science guru, but I was disappointed no auditory effects were inserted when Kyle went "underwater." Because lets face it, we all know that there is no water in the void, only the magic of that occasional voice of the void as well as magnificent hair products to keep that glorious mane... well glorious. You've heard it thousands of times before, but loved the video and keep up the good work.

[@KingKeanuTheFirst]

I'm still waiting for that video where I can say something smart

[@becausescience]

One day, one day. -- kH

[@alexvogel610]

"Something Smart"

[@JoaoPessoa86]

Was that the Muskwatch guitar riff? Is that a clue to something?

[@poja82]

Nice video, love that nature figured a solutchion.

[@Nature-hr9vk]

One thing that is brought up in Young Justice that might help with the heat problem is that Atlantian skin is quite dense in order to deal with the immense pressures they have to deal with at the bottom of the ocean. It is also brought up that regions like deserts make them dry out quite quickly thus making high-heat environments dangerous for them.

[@corwin32]

Aquaman has almost the exact same fur as Kyle

[@AronBagel]

Is that the return of Muskwatch I hear? 4:10

[@shimata17]

You didnt mention it outright, but I think Aquaman does not have sweat glands. That would help his internal temperature and prevent osmosis. This would explain Aquaman's weakness on land (as shown in the comics) He is basically overheating when on land and the salt concentration in his body is incompatible with the fresh water that land lubbers use

[@jonathanhall7223]

That would be a great visual gag for an Aquaman movie. Have some terrifying monster or threat appear during a critical moment in the film, and have bubbles appear floating up into view behind Aquaman. Then have him blame it on his swim bladder. Then as he fights the monster or threat, have the other Atlantians patiently and clinically explain what that is. Lol.

[@SeantheBawse]

I have no corrections..., but I want to say something about buoyancy force... Also...SHOW MORE MATHS, PLEASE...

[@jackguenther6610]

Although the pressure would increase as you go underwater, the buoyancy force would actually stay the same once you are fully submerged. Buoyant force is caused by a difference in pressure from the top of an object and the bottom, so on a human shaped being there would be a pretty small force lifting aquaman up (especially compared to how strong he is)

[@SeantheBawse]

@@jackguenther6610 I just happen to be looking at Buoyancy Force in my Physics book as he uploaded this ep. and I couldn't get it out of my head.

[@jackguenther6610]

@@SeantheBawse yeah buoyancy is an interesting concept because it actually has nothing to do with pressure! It actually relates to the density of a material (water) and the density/volume of the object (aquaman) replacing it. Ships can float because there is enough air in them to make the entire ship as dense as the amount of water it displaces. Think about the last time you went swimming; if you take a deep breath before swimming down, it is a lot harder than if you emptied your lungs before swimming to the bottom of a pool. The farther down you swim, the pressure below you pushing you up increases but so does the pressure pushing you down.

[@goldjustgold5942]

Aquaman's body is more complex than my relationship with my girlfriend. 😐 I have no girlfriend. 😞🤦‍♂️

[@thatguyrowan6685]

I CAN TELL

[@vegeta3116]

From Hill to Hill good work "my man"

[@kaimagnus5760]

As far as Ocean Temperature goes he may have a simmilar Antifreeze Glycoproteins as "Ice Fish" (Notothenioidei) such as the Antarctic Toothfish. Those proteins would allow Aquaman to cope with below freezing water temperatures as well as potentially regulating his body temperature on land since the same Glycoproteins were discovered to effect heat in the same way as colder temperatures.