If superpowers were real: Body mass - Joy Lin

View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/if-superpow...
What if manipulating body mass wasn't just the stuff of epic comic book stories? Is it scientifically possible to manipulate your body mass? In this series, Joy Lin tackles six superpowers and reveals just how scientifically realistic they can be to us mere mortals.
Lesson by Joy Lin, animation by Cognitive Media.

[@Dravis1995]

Okay we get it. You ruined all powers. Try ruining telekinesis huh. Can you?

[@johnandan1594]

+Giannis Dravis your brain already takes up 20% of the total energy your body consumes per day if you add telekinesis to that I imagine it would dramatically increase that energy consumption as many heroes you see in movies, cartoons, and comics struggle or have to concentrate very hard to use their power. If we say its equivalent to an exercise like running then it would make sense as the fictional characters we typically see would probably be able to keep using their power for around an hour to a few hours. Now we stumble on a problem, hard exercise is fine on the muscles as they can survive performing Anearobic respiration after all the local oxygen in the system is consumed or even start fat burning when carbohydrate reserves in the muscle run out, but the brain cannot perform either of these. Lack of oxygen will start to damage the brain within a few minutes and cause death within a couple of minutes. The brain also lacks the ability to burn fat as lipids cannot pass through the blood-brain barrier. So this means that you would have to limit your usage of it to a couple of seconds and even then you could cause small damage to your nervous tissue which will add up overtime as the brain does not gain any new neurons as these cells don't perform mitosis so they can't repair damage. To conclude, large usage can cause permanent brain damage, coma, and even death. Limited uses would probably set off early signs or even an early case of Alzheimers or Demetia. So is it ruined for you yet? :3

[@Jade-mm1wl]

+Deathcap Rabadon (Deathcap9087) D:

[@Dravis1995]

+Deathcap Rabadon (Deathcap9087) Damn...you actually ruined it but well...you have your point. So the only way telekinesis would work it would be for a powerfoul mind that with minimum concentration gets outstanding results. That wouldn't make the user need to use it for extended periods resulting non permanent damage but we all know that noone can awaken a power that strong without training and throught extensive training...you just explaied perfectly what would happen. Congrats. You ruined my favourite power. My next favourite is sharingan but dont bother cause blindness is already a big ruin for it. Maybe I'll come up with something awesome possibly unruinable next time. Who knows?

[@OriLOK2]

+Giannis Dravis it depends on the mechanism of telekinesis. if, by gaining this ability, the source of energy in the brain is altered, such as in a modified mitochondria, it could be possible to maintain the power without sustaining damage. if it's a mutation, it might be carried through generations and developed by natural selection, so that people who sustain less brain damage from telekinesis have more offspring and therefore propagate their mutation. so it's possible, but not immediately possible.

[@dudebrogaming8886]

Okay. What if telekinesis and telepathy was as easy as asserting your will? Let's say you had a an, not thinking of anything. If you could A) Transmit your thoughts directly into his brain, or B) convert them into electricity and somehow fire through the air, you might be able to visualize an action, and the body would respond to this. Say, you could think of him shaking his head. However, you would have to use some kind of electrical current to move the signal into the brain, turn it into signals that a the neurons can carry, get it into the neurons, and get the person to not realize that it was occurring, since the action can be stopped if they just think about it. This would also only work with sentient beings, so you can't move rocks and bags and do anything cool with it. It would be more like mind control than telekinesis. Telepathy would need the same kind of thing. You would have to construct the neural pattern for the words and hope the target understands them.

[@yourlostcarkeys3261]

2:36 they should NOT have started from the between the legs...

[@soundsqueerbutokay]

The best part of the video lol

[@tophat5516]

haha

[@focifocus5239]

being a gaint teddy bear does not sound that bad

[@gamzeemakara6826]

A giant teddy bear that's really fat when you go back to normal XD

[@zacrevier8721]

like from star wars

[@thebaseandtriflingcreature174]

Or in option two: A TIIITTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!

[@Someone-ish]

And you will be fed to poor countries

[@bobwilson679]

focifocus You wouldn’t be able to do anything. You couldn’t lift a car, for example, because you couldn’t do that when you were small. Your muscle *volume* may have increased, but your muscle *mass* did not. Your punches wouldn’t have any more force behind them than your punches at normal size. If someone was falling and you tried to catch them, you would be pulled to the ground (although your lover density may make your hand soft enough to cushion their fall). In other words, having this power would serve no other purpose other than making you look cool. You wouldn’t be able to do anything heroic.

[@Catlord98765]

This show is depressing.

[@leamazingegg6445]

Catlord I know right!

[@Catlord98765]

Scott Mowerson Hello? Is it me your looking for?

[@Kandro]

***** yes

[@builderJP1]

This show is a fun killer

[@thesansicalsam6291]

builderJP Hey, at least it shows how good it is to be normal.

[@jamiejohnson1598]

It's ironic how this guy's name is joy.

[@Mr_Doon]

Which means his game could be considered "gay" (not the homosexual type of gay. the actual meaning of gay.)

[@eucalyptusdreadlord1552]

Isn't the writer Joy? And the person who narrated which superpower?

[@slimeandstuff3050]

I know right

[@lenin7935]

Joy's the writer. The guy who's narrating is not the writer.

[@restitutocariaso9820]

He or she is taking the joy out of imagining about having super powers Lol

[@shyguyx1219]

This is why we ignore all scientific flaws when watching superhero movies lol

[@deva561]

+Jehovanny Garcia and for that Iroman and Batman gets all prizes n.n (meanwhile Hulk according to body mass video is robbering us at cinemas like a boss o.o)

[@tronganhvu7614]

@@deva561 I dont think the energy supper man absorb from sun will be enough for him to fire lazer beem from his eye, to get that much power maybe he must get really close to the sun😑

[@deva561]

@@tronganhvu7614 dude this was 4 years ago. By the way I do agree with you.

[@gwen1781]

As much as these superpowers can pass in fantasy, it's still hilarious to see how they would really play out.

[@eMPaNaH]

the antman logic is the option 1..same weight different volume... that's why he doesn't get giant, he gets small so he becomes a 90kg bullet.

[@JJ24x7]

+Sebastián Muñoz you obviously ONLY saw the movie... true ant man logic can increase or decrease in size Hank Pym was known as Giant Man for some time as well (the true ant man) Utilizing the "magic science" of pym particles, when he increases in size, his mass also increases proportionately when he decreases in size, he typically keeps his normal human mass

[@jareddkearns]

+Sebastián Muñoz how would the agent hide in a suitcase then without the carrier noticing the extra weight. They were not very consistent with that in the movie.

[@redboss1105]

+J-rod2.0 the real comic bookv logic is that when he grows by getting mass from a pocket dimension when he shrinks most of his mass goes into the same place

[@Nvhl34]

The movie is also pretty inconsistent with that, there's one scene where he is running on the barrel of a gun while someone is holding it. Which obviously wouldn't work if he was still 200 pounds

[@arjunswayamkumar2507]

+Sebastián Muñoz i was gonna say that

[@durtunavailable938]

"TED Ed the monster of childhood" I like the sound of that

[@vladimir-savage72]

Reality* Your tormentor,I like that 😂

[@johnpatrick1647]

The Avengers touched on this in the eighties when Wasp shrunk Blob causing all of his mass to condense down to a real small area and send him drilling straight down through the earth.

[@abdullahfaisal2290]

2:40 withstand the expansion....lol..this line and the whole animation weren't really thought of

[@Versudan]

Or there's the third option, he can assimilate mass into himself to grow or expend it to shrink and through nuclear fission and fusion, break molecules down and rearrange them. In other words, he can do it by committing suicide and self destructing in an explosion of fusion/fission energy. Either way, all three options are impossible.

[@Mr_Doon]

3:09 My god.

[@xeno126]

Potato OX Haha that's awesome dude xD

[@xeno126]

Xeno 5:39 xD

[@yaaaamaaaa]

IT Hiya Georgie

[@user-my4lf4bx6v]

Kids: I WANT TO HAVE SUPERPOWERS this show : I'm gonna end this mans whole career.

[@josephmarcillo-coronado]

But that's just a theory! A film theory!

[@anonymousgeoduck5861]

aaand cut

[@sahidcm]

You mean hypothesis

[@tatsy4830]

No its : And Thats A Theory A Comic Theory

[@crisostomodamien]

mat pat mat pat mat pat!

[@anthonymatrisciano924]

Joseph Marcillo-Coronado game theory...

[@TEDEd]

Thanks! The educator, Joy Lin, has used a discussion-based version of these lessons in her classes for many a semester. She says they start a really enjoyable, and appropriately nerdy conversation about science/ physics without fail. She was really excited a few days ago when Comic Con shared the series from their FB page. Needless to say, we were too!

[@jacobiansyntax9866]

Thank you Ted ed this is a great lesson and this is what our society requires proper education not teenage fantasies

[@hassanchmali1180]

Pls can he stop the comics voices it's irretating, God.

[@aashiyanaashfaqueiv-aroll-4131]

@@hassanchmali1180 I think so too

[@clementfermn6711]

This just needs to be called "The curses of powers"

[@kin123qaz]

Holy crap. Stop doing the comic voices. They're ear-splittingly terrible.

[@AlxM96]

Copycat much?

[@jenjenneration]

I actually enjoy the way he talks, it's very comical and smooth

[@jenjenneration]

+Sapphire gem except for the teddy bear moment...

[@Ethan-io7fh]

Wong Wa Kin Don't Copy Other Comments, Especially If They Are Right Above You

[@thevirtueoflove3935]

Ethan 15 if you are referring to the comment in the direction above this one, might I remind you that earlier comments are further down in the list of comments for a video. So what you are referring to came after. If you mean down below, then I would understand if there is one. in an individual thread like this one the later comments are at the bottom. don't believe me? comment your own comment on a video out of a thread, and watch it show up at the top, above the earlier comments

[@matthewclifford7217]

I had to endure the comical effects just because I'm interested in the lesson... ugh, stop it already.

[@harry5169]

Humor of a 4 year old

[@LewisPDiDdle808]

Ikr it's painful

[@gauravgarg4183]

It's targeted towards kids. Read the notif at the end.

[@josephlouwerse2105]

+gaurav garg 2:40 very kid friendly

[@Armyjayden33]

Joseph Louwerse hahaha

[@kiramki3049]

When you realize you're actually falling asleep instead of listening but you're also interested...

[@TheLegendofHaloid]

The temperature requirement for fusion could be overcome if one of the secondary powers of the size alteration was the ability catalyze fusion reactions, because the only problem we're trying to overcome in this situation is activation energy.

[@riyak.7393]

I'd really like to see more of this series, for example, what about ability to stop time?

[@itslongford]

7 years late

[@cixlo]

I love this guy;s voice. It's so optimistic and nerdy.

[@acejones9074]

this now has me thinking of clothing company's sponsoring this hero by making him specially designed clothes

[@innsj6369]

I love this guy's voice. I don't know why, it's just so satisfying.

[@Rikri]

goddamnit! You're making ALL of the superpowers EVAH look bad!!!

[@jiraiyahermit4999]

+Henry rogers This was actually smart, never thought of that.

[@Kandro]

***** how do you catch the fucking bullet? you're not invincible, you're only really fast. i get disarming the mugger, but catching the bullet? nah.

[@animeshuffleIT]

This series is my favourite of Ted Ed!!

[@soslothful]

The cartoon voices make this unbearable.

[@scrotymcboogerballs6756]

Awesome facts given about changing your body mass: 1. You don't 2. It sucks anyway

[@indigo9645]

I’d like a TedEd cake mix with extra protons in it.

[@shannonwilson8231]

This is sooo funny and cool!! I love it! Good job 😎

[@kj9004]

There is actually a hero that does obey the density logic. He's called Mass Master from the Power Pack, and most of the time he just expands his mass to a covering mist then quickly compresses himself to land on his opponents with the weight.

[@commenter781]

Yes but what if it's just the space between his/her atoms that gets bigger or smaller? (This is referring to what he said about matter not able to be created nor destroyed in the beginning.)

[@NeonNeon360]

Do an episode on telekinesis!

[@sergiusava9151]

It does not beg the question (like in informal logic) it just raises the question.

[@anshhseksaria5547]

I came here just for the animations, they are called superpowers and superhumans for a reasson, they can withstand all of it, you actually its fun, thanks a lot

[@Sokhele]

He's getting the silicone form Kim Kardashian

[@yerkovichcevaschino771]

Nice comment, so freaking funny.

[@andrestoro2391]

Silicon, not silicone!

[@readyrepairs]

2:30 I too have trouble finding underwear capable of handling the expansion.

[@Ryakki]

Not bad. This is the first one in this series that actually made some sense. Enjoyed it.

[@rileymoore1895]

As a correction, matter can be destroyed or created, energy cannot. So by some difficult calculations you can increase the spin of quarks and bosons so that both mass and size increase as the Higgs boson creates more mass and the distance between the electrons and nucleus increases due to the increase in magnetic force from extra “spin.” This also can be possible if by some phenomenon, the reaction of events (which we call time) slows down. Thus creating a relative low area of energy compared to the outside so energy flows into his body. It actually can theoretically be done.

[@thatoneguy9582]

2:50 “Relativey”

[@jaminschmitt]

TED-Ed: To get less dislikes on your videos I recommend not having your narrator using childish commentary. These videos, more than likely, will not be understood by most 3rd graders (which the narrator clearly thinks we are). The content itself is more suited for High-Schoolers and adults. If I wanted narration like this I'd go to "Tumble-books". The pictures and animations in your videos as well as basic, simple commentating send a clear enough image without the cheesy voices. Thanks!

[@Hfajardo97]

I like it because it is different and informative. It also brings nostalgia for those people old enough to have enjoyed the golden age of comics (i was born as it was ending).

[@Andres.Guzman]

a friend and i were having discussions just like these about the powers we would choose. Teleporting and stopping time. we discussed that stopping time would make you relatively older than everyone else and perhaps meet friction/impact issues when moving around. teleporting would require a method of area displacement. also what if you teleport to a higher elevation, do you get the bends?? could there be videos on these powers, or does anyone else have insight as to what other problems these abilities could pose?

[@mr.sweatypants5520]

Haha i dont know why but i love this series Also the voices are awesome (sorry for bad english ) and thank you for the education :)

[@tyriquesmith8850]

this is literally killing my childhood :(

[@welegi]

good

[@feathers6664]

very good

[@celestialbeing985]

Ur childhood is already dead

[@tyriquesmith8850]

@@celestialbeing985 salt in the wound my friend :'(

[@richardstone3037]

he should have no problem eating that much food in his giant state.

[@AdityaMahat]

finally someone made a video of what i have been explaining to people for all this time.

[@neelavapurkait4690]

I Feel like Deadpool showing the faults of superpowers

[@revelation1234]

He could be absorbing the mass around him and then release it when we shrinks back down.

[@thislittlemiggy]

Do one on teleportation or telekinesis pretty please? :)

[@Huh394]

BIG FAN OF THIS CHANNEL AND PLS DO LIGHTNING POWERS NEXT, also is that chuck norris

[@Huh394]

Or teleportation or turning into steel

[@DaxterL]

that's why comics, video games, anime, tv shows etc, they have some sort of external energy source from which they harmlessly gain energy, the force, chakra, mana, flash has his speed dimension and so on and so on.

[@fulviopontarollo2952]

5:25 hey that skeleton looks like a watchmen reference

[@TransSappho]

I don't think it's a reference. They just straight up stole the panel

[@lisala-qw1vo]

+Fulvio Pontarollo and at around 5:27, the name "starman" is a mario reference

[@colslawmaster7]

+Ben Hubbard (potato12ification) I actually think that is a David Bowie reference. Or maybe both?

[@imaturtlelol4697]

can you do shape shifting?

[@Hanlb]

Notice how most of these videos assume you only have one super power. So super strength, durability, and a way to store and absorb lots of energy would make most superpowers work.

[@the_blurbob2556]

Great video, but wouldn't he collapse at his own internal pressure and what if he would also have air sacs on different parts of his body (the more important/fragile bones aka; around the spine, rib cage, metatarsals and phalanges) that would negate the cubic square law, and also help with the internal pressure if he could store the presureced gasses he has on his body and take them out of his system but also kind of (not really) fixing the extra mass problem and if he could use the air-sacs of his metatarsals and phalanges on his feet he would have more area to step on thus distributing the weight a bit more, and if could move the sacs freely he could cushion his fall a bit, but maybe that's asking to much for the sacs to do, and would probably burst if they got a sharp enough blow and in the case of the spine sac(s), the spine would break because it would be to reliant on the sacs and collapse, and if any of the other sacs would burst they would leak the internal gases and probably creating even more pressure and it would built up until it explodes and killing him in the procese. Sorry if I am ranting to much I just thing this topic is cool, thanks for reading till' the end. also english is not my first language so if make any mistakes please feel free to call me out on them!

[@timmcgough7714]

Can't he just draw the energy from the air around him?

[@FengXingFengXing]

Thermodynamics law number 2 say no.

[@graysonalt3884]

This explanation is so much better then the actual power.

[@KaboHammer]

That's why in comics it is said that people who change sizes gather mass from a different dimension.

[@MAllen-gm2zq]

These videos consistently ignore the additional traits and abilities that come with these powers, but these videos are interesting in the context of a normal human, existing in our reality, with no other super-traits, receiving a super-ability.

[@darion8476]

It would suck ass to watch superhero movies with this guy..

[@malcolmisgee]

FALSE: the only way to quickly utilize fusion is the portara earrings, pfft everyone knows that.

[@lenin7935]

Amateurs

[@buckyryan2804]

thanks for the video

[@gilanin]

I want TED-Ed to do a superpower video of Super Pig, she was my favourite superhero ever.

[@CaesarAugustus.]

So how do we grow from newborn size to adulthood?

[@0VistaDelMar0]

I agree. The superhero is able to utilize the energy already available through normal growth to expand in size instantaneously.

[@greenbeast1345]

We grow because our bodies keep renewing and making more cells.

[@jimmboy93]

Caesar Santizo todd matheson Because we get the material necessary to grow from the food we eat and the water we drink. And over time the body "converts" it to the appropriate cells. If someone really were to be able to grow cells super fast they still would need some kind of way of getting the building material to actually facilitate the growth. Then if the superhero would be able to shrink again they would need some kind of way of striping there own body cells and then also getting the excess amount of dead cells out of the body in a very short amount of time.

[@jimmboy93]

johnny harris Okej.... what did I write then? Did I not write that we in part get what we need to grow from food? Don't see why you even commented. If you are going to comment on something make sure to read the text properly first. Spell-check also exist ;)

[@shiloarobas4723]

its called food

[@jennymk01]

The sound effects and voices ruin it

[@xipepb7887]

At 5:24 there's a cool little reference to watchmen on the central top square

[@ariryan8832]

This guy's voice is awesome!

[@petersmythe6462]

The supervillain option seems attractive here. Just eat 1 human per day.

[@johnlamb95]

LOL that’s hilarious!!!!!

[@quinson93]

This kind of reminds me of Ratchet and Clank... the voice that is.

[@connor863]

Not to mention that your bones would collapse under their own weight when you get too large due to the square cube law. Your heart wild also fail to pump the blood all the way down to your feet and up to your head.

[@paragonjones13]

I've seen all six videos and I have to say, this guy sounds like a cross between James Arnold Taylor, Nolan North and Jim Ward. It's really cool.

[@maxschubert345]

+paragonjones13 are we the only ones who think it is james arnold taylor?

[@paragonjones13]

Max Schubert Might be :/ He does do a lot of work for the Star Wars Celebration lectures - he might be.

[@paragonjones13]

Max Schubert Considering Joy Lin is a woman, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it is

[@maxschubert345]

thats good to know, i spent so long trying to prove it but nothing. gotta love his voice tho

[@TENINCHLUVABOY]

Look , the guy can just cause his cells to divide and increase . That's how we grow in the first place .

[@Shanx317]

Wouldn’t his life span be decreased dramatically?

[@FengXingFengXing]

Meters, kilograms, joules please, use international science standard.

[@bryanhartono2933]

the elastopants description is hilarious

[@Frostyhoff]

There is a typo at 3:43, it should read "...nice and quiet" or "...nice and quite [adjective]"

[@banit1122]

destroyed all our fantasies

[@stephtoms6444]

no, he is forgetting magic, if magic is real then it all works out!

[@jw8628]

So annoying....

[@johnamil2342]

lol

[@NintodoMan64]

It's hilarious 😂👏👍

[@jw8628]

NintodoMan64 You're profile pic just tells me that's your kind of humor. Cheers!

[@coleb.1191]

*your

[@jw8628]

Cole B. thanks

[@pondererofpointlessdreams5029]

If I had to choose a superpower, I would choose to manipulate the weather. So I can make snow here, hehe.

[@powerist209]

Thus why Pym Particles (So that your body of original size is similar when shrunk or grown) or Unstable Molecules (Clothes can stay fit no matter what) was created for this occasion.

[@richardlawrence2308]

dark matter. when he grows he absorb dark matter and dark energy

[@nonexistence1836]

wow you're like an expert or something trying hard to sound smart eh?

[@ThatFoxxoLeo]

That sounds a hell of a lot like wunna-those "lil Timmy's first OC"s.

[@Rohan-rp3kg]

if there was dark matter on earth there would be another source of gravity instead of the earth

[@cisculog9628]

Richard Lawrence Thats... kinda dark

[@satanicgamer5128]

Does anyone else think he taught a Year 1 class

[@UpsideDownMon]

it would be great to hear about project and research on how we are striving to realize these super powers too

[@dylantruong897]

thank you for putting a bowie bolt on Star man. Great detail.

[@meliocurie1809]

The guy talking reminds me or Cicero Jokey and other clowns so annoying!!!

[@bannana3993]

Alvin Tan definitely Cicero

[@josephujoostaa4462]

Alvin Tan Definitely Ratchet

[@orcarmon4527]

5:44 david bowie

[@elvenphoenix1390]

Lol, I just commented about that!

[@openaardvark419]

E=mc^2 tells us that mass and energy are interchangeable, so energy is taken in and released when required.

[@jaspero0o]

you didnt cover the fact that he can use energie/mass from the surroundings when growing. Also by changing from material can come from molecules surrounding him, or he just has a special stash of molecules, somewhere stored in his body, he is afterall a superhero ;)

[@SciAm14]

The worst narrator ever

[@andrewnguyen5755]

Science ruins every cool things

[@ThatFoxxoLeo]

Including magic.

[@GrayShark09]

Crafta9000 Remember: An enough advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic ;)

[@ThatFoxxoLeo]

Akira Mishtokaru Yes.

[@smokingwinja]

I did not find this boring. I don't think that showing this to a kid that is interested in both science and sci-fi would crush their dreams, this video just makes lite of the elements of superhero fantasy that quickly fall apart when looked at with real world context.

[@someperson5506]

If the right elements were nearby, and you had superpowers, couldn't you absorb them, adding mass as you got bigger? Of course, if you're mainly getting it from the air (oxygen and carbon are two key things) then you're making it denser to join your body, making the surrounding air somewhat thinner and harder to breath... and if you tried with water, you'd probably dry up part of a lake.

[@joops110]

Annoying narrator.

[@angelunar]

i love this series

[@DaShivdawg]

They're called Pym Particles (I think), just watch the film theory

[@dumdum1234ifyable]

Just avoiding how awesome it could be to turn into a giant teddy bear xp

[@curtisornot]

About the nuclear fission. What if the power also counteracted the area around them to cool off at a temperature cool enough to cancel both the heat and cold out as they grew.

[@bagel4404]

I like the Watchmen reference at 5:26. (Panel 2)

[@martinmickels1478]

Are there any superhero-powers that are possible? I know Einstein, Plato etc. are kinda superheorish but are there any ones from the comic books and movies? Maybe: -super smart (or AI) -ability to use a lot of energy -ability to develop a resistance or immunity to whatever they were injured by or exposed to -sonic scream -night vision

[@salsapigeon]

Seeing as animals have night vision, it is clearly possible. Unfortunately, biological night vision comes at the cost of the clearness of your regular vision. Sure, you could see in the dark, but things would not be as clear as you would like. I'd much rather use technology at night and keep my detailed vision during the day, no?

[@SStefanovski]

In the anime Full Metal Alchemist, one of the characters known as Greed had the power to rearrange the carbon in his body to make his skin as hard as diamond. That seems feasible... using alchemy =) On another note what if I don't expand my body but shrink the world instead?