Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains Oxygen

Is oxygen flammable? On this explainer, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice explore the element of oxygen, why it’s so important, where it comes from, and its properties. What’s Earth's history with oxygen?
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How much oxygen is in our atmosphere? We break down the concoctions of agses that make up our atmosphere and the atmospheres present in Star Trek. What does oxygen in the atmosphere mean for a planet’s potential to have life? Where does oxygen come from? Discover the science behind “exploding oxygen” in movies. Find out why oxygen doesn’t exactly combust. We discuss the mistakes made in the Apollo 1 capsule and why Jaws isn’t realistic scientifically- amongst other things. What would happen in a world with too much oxygen? Could we produce more oxygen to combat global warming? All that and more, on another StarTalk explainer!
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About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
#StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson

[@Nehmie]

This is proof that education can be even more fun with the right teachers! Bravo 👏

[@cyvonn]

True.

[@KeyBoard-io8nl]

Absolutely. So I can finally breathe relief and relax no probs aheadrt?

[@sicfxmusic]

Not going to happen. No teacher s going to explain like a scientist and no teacher is going above and beyond wasting their time for the salary they're paid.

[@prohandyman4264]

"The Diner Doctor" has to be a recurring character! Hands down some of Lord Nice's best!

[@prohandyman4264]

Way too much thought on this but... Doc's Diner: "The Heavenly Hash Editions"

[@lemongavine]

He was cracking Neil up there

[@ThizzRyuko]

Sounded like the women from the TV show Venture brother, also it's a good way to lose brain cells

[@swistedfilms]

Lord Nice...good callback!

[@ragnabrok]

unintentional mrs. bighead impression

[@adrianscarlett]

Chuck could play half the characters on the Simpsons with that voice

[@ThizzRyuko]

Chuck could play a lot of different characters and I hope he continues to get work for the rest of his life that just keeps elevating his career.

[@NOMAD-qp3dd]

that smoker's voice was so hilarious!😄

[@Brett.McMillin]

Dr Hibbart for sure at least lol

[@joshuawebster5847]

How did Indeed let you record an ad copy in a bathroom in a stadium? Your audio is usually so much better. Airpods? No offense meant but I'm a little disappointed. Love you both.

[@Eremon1]

Sounded exactly like Harvey Fierstein with his diner waitress voice.

[@IanUniacke]

1 billion years from now, Cyanobacterianoids are celebrating their independence day. "Let us give thanks to the humans who graciously sacrificed their environment so that we could thrive. Abacteria."

[@vladmirrazkolov92]

"Abacteria" that's gold right there

[@sosheeanand3537]

Very impressive

[@sopanroy1506]

Abacteria 🌹

[@RECTALBURRITO]

Nice.

[@reasonerenlightened2456]

Cyanobacterianoids obtaining self-awareness is impossible without proper environment in which to allow them fast communication (for example, human brains need the environment of the body. And not every brain in a body is self-aware.).

[@chall4113]

“oxygen is like a non-burning accelerant?”-Chuck N. “Mmmkay,”-Dr. Tyson Lol Delightful as always. Made my Tuesday better.

[@annewayman4862]

Not only do I learn stuff, like O2 only promotes combustion, but I bust a gut laughing. What great teachers you two are.

[@carultch]

In Titan's atmosphere, O2 is flammable, and methane only promotes combustion.

[@whatabouttheearth]

All beings need nitrogen and it's all around us, but only bacteria can fixate nitrogen, so all beings consume bacteria to get fixated nitrogen. Not really an intelligent efficient design

[@jamesmiddleton8128]

In metal welding, oxygen is an accelerant. Mixing oxygen with a flammable gas or liquid will net a higher temperature flame in the right ratio.

[@nikitagloukhovtchenko6857]

Yes, I agree. Oxygen is 8th on the periodic table and any chemical is an accelerant if exposed to heat to push the particles forward with the faster motion of those particles.

[@vikingslayer34]

Actually oxygen is a contaminant in welding. I think you meant metal cutting.

[@galactic-gumbo9911]

Man chuck makes this show so much better he’s just great😂

[@hououinkyouma5539]

If you need him to find this interesting, you weren't really interested in the first place

[@EliasBac]

@@hououinkyouma5539 Buzz Killer. He didn't say it would suck without him. And even tho he was not interested in the first place (assumption) - Now he is. Mission accomplished.

[@galactic-gumbo9911]

@@hououinkyouma5539 come on buddy it ain’t that serious chill out we all here to learn and laugh😂

[@dahc0023]

@@hououinkyouma5539 attention seeker spotted

[@Dontbustthecrust]

Yeah Chuck is pretty Nice.

[@bigdongled3077]

I love Chucks dad joke banter is always one of my favorite parts of Star Talk lol

[@thejoshbtv]

Chuck was killing it this episode.

[@amadiohfixed1300]

This inspired me to become an oxygen dealer

[@TraGamer1606]

“Yo I got that good ox bro”

[@radicallybean]

@@TraGamer1606 nah, but I got OxyContin

[@wrinkyscarnagecrew]

@@radicallybean lol do you deliver? Or mail lol

[@MrSean03839]

It's regulated, so you need a license and certifications. ;)

[@richtomlinson7090]

Psst hey kid, first ones free, tell your friends about it. It'll make you feel good!

[@FinalConsensus]

Neil and Chuck have the perfect dichotomy for this show. It wouldn't work with another comedian or any other astrophysicist. They're perfect

[@terrellgray9777]

Love this show I’m 22 and I think we know the predicament of the schools in America right now so I don’t mind getting a “refreshment” lesson on oxygen 😭

[@REDv350]

Felt

[@MelzFootballEditz]

I love this show too! I turned 11 on Monday

[@Corn0nTheCobb]

@@REDv350 one of my favorite materials

[@REDv350]

@@Corn0nTheCobb word

[@isaaclark]

When chuck makes Neal laugh its so wholesome lol I can't help but join in 😅

[@trellchargest4042]

Spelled neil wrong

[@vatz8341]

Okaay! The Diner Doctor has to be a recurring character on the show! HAS TO xD

[@russelltaylor535]

In the Apollo 1 accident, the capsule was pressurised to 1 atmosphere with pure oxygen. That made the fire progress almost explosively. There was no way to reduce the pressure in the capsule below ambient, this would have required a vacuum pump, although they could have used atmospheric air for the test instead. Note that pure oxygen at .2 atmospheres has the same fire risk as 78% N2 - 20% O2 at 1 atmosphere.

[@FranciscoNogueira]

Cool. Nice to know... That explains why they didn't need to reinforce the capsule structure. Although I then wonder where that whole story about having to redesign the capsule due to the need to pressurize it came from...

[@Nuchello]

Neil explains it !!!

[@ecospider5]

So does that mean the plan was to reduce the cabin pressure to 0.2 atmospheres once they got to the vacuum of space?

[@1953bassman]

@@FranciscoNogueira Since the capsule was on the launch pad for tests, and not in space, it was pressurized to one atmosphere to equal the outside pressure or it would have had to be reinforced to keep the outside air from leaking in.

[@thomasrussell5562]

Man, Doc Tyson and Lord Nice, would have been a great addition to the Myth Busters series ! If teachers would have taught anywhere near this effectively back in my day we all would have benefited greatly and the future would have compounded benefits abundantly! Y’all are great - please keep up the good works. Tom

[@trellchargest4042]

Damn right

[@Goldengirl48]

I agree. If there was more laughter in education and less stress, we would not have as many kids dropping out of school.

[@ProfPoindexter1968]

Some teachers do teach like this. You might have one if you're really, REALLY lucky!

[@linedanzer4302]

That diner doctor voice was priceless! Please bring him back. *Often!!*

[@Real28]

Chuck, the symbol isn't flammable. It's the Oxidizer symbol. It's an O that's on fire. The flammable symbol is just flames.

[@carultch]

Do you have any idea why inflammable means the same thing as flammable, when it sounds like they are opposites?

[@MemphiStig]

@@carultch technically, they don't mean exactly the same thing, but the opposite of both is non-flammable, so go figure.

[@77gravity]

@@carultch This is why the UN (some nerd department) ruled that the term "inflammable" should not be used, and the word "flammable" is correct. Thus, you rarely see "inflammable" on labelling and safety signs today. Flammable vs Not Flammable.

[@adamsmith1300]

Didn't we just witness how Chuck solved the carbon emission problem?

[@shaneboal1030]

At 17 minutes into the video. Dr. Tyson mistakenly states that the insects of the Mesozoic were larger due to increased oxygen levels. It was actually the late Paleozoic that had large insects due to increased oxygen levels. Also it's my understanding that insects primarily obtain oxygen from air tube systems and not through their surface directly. Not major mistakes but accuracy matters. Thank you for all you do! ❤️

[@margarita8442]

I agree

[@vladimir5836]

There is another big mistake that runs through the whole show and that is that trees produce oxygen, this is a complete lie, although it is factually true that trees produce oxygen it is also true that trees use up all that oxygen because everything alive uses up oxygen including trees . Not only that, trees also consume oxygen at night, but at that time they do not produce oxygen at all due to the lack of photosynthesis.

[@Nuchello]

Yeaaaa Wooow He has a episode on how we have oxygen !!! It's called Photosynthesis learned in 3rd grade !! Plants pull in carbon dioxide and water plus sun converts it to Sugers that feeds plants and guess what's the by product. Of that chemical reaction. Oxygen. Yeaaa if you still using the word factual. Just watch the Movie Martian with Matt Damon !!!

[@northuniverse]

@@vladimir5836 this doesn't sound right. Are trees not net producers of O2?

[@vladimir5836]

@@northuniverse Trees use up oxygen because everything alive uses up oxygen including trees. Do trees use oxygen?

[@GeorgePap99]

Great video as always, thank you! While hearing about how oxygen isn't flamable and how a whole place would catch fire after lighting a match in case it was, I realized how incredible of a fact this was! Then I remembered the way water turns into ice and only the top layer of a lake will freeze allowing all the fish survive during the winter for example. Are there any more incredible facts like these 2 that could make a whole mind-blowing Explainer? Greetings from Greece! :D

[@musingsbymarco5001]

I'm really loving these videos lately StarTalk, keep it up!

[@stevedoty7115]

I was a submariner and one of my duties was atmospheric analysis. Wish you would have hit up on pressure and O2 relationship vs pressure and our ability to live. Overall though great discussion.

[@victroiki7321]

Thank you for your service

[@infiniteuniverse9528]

Oxygen, one of the many chemicals I'm addicted to. Soon American corporations will find a way to start charging money for it.

[@Raz.C]

Dude, I wouldn't be surprised at all. As an aside, have you seen Spaceballs? Given the subject matter, it seems particularly relevant : D

[@Prince_Of_Fish]

distopian as it would be, living in the Lorax Movie would be funny.

[@danm3570]

this is great, been trying to find a quick explanation of how oxygen works and basics of our atmospheres composition

[@patrickwalsh2361]

I’ve never watched a StarTalk (or Cosmos) that didn’t have a new story of scientific trivia that wasn’t really interesting! Keep them coming guys!

[@jgraytopgun]

My son and I really enjoy listening to your videos on our 30 min ride taking him to school every morning!!!

[@pushing2throttles]

Doc... keep looking up! What an awesome episode on a subject that most people think they understand. Well done sir. I learned something new. By watching the explainer series i also am relearning how to learn and how to think within a different paradigm.

[@michaelsord6475]

Going through alot these days. One of my few smiles come from these guys I never miss a video thanks for the knowledge guys. Keep up the good work.

[@fit_pharmd4830]

Hope things have gotten better in the 9 months that have passed

[@KeyBoard-io8nl]

like how do you apply the knowledge tho?

[@josemi8828]

Great video guys! Could you explain the periodic table of elements next and why is the way it is?

[@carultch]

It's complicated. Study quantum chemistry.

[@thisthespies9389]

Always grateful for your conversationally explaining well enough for a layman like me to understand

[@tonysimons4883]

I love this show, Neil is one of the greats and Chuck always adds his spark to proceedings

[@Coal_XVII]

They finally got a sponsor !!!

[@nihalnova]

It has become my morning ritual on weekend to start with Star Talk... Love both of you guys Neil & Chuck, thanks for making this content for free. Great Stuff

[@DaBlondDude]

This was fascinating, I never knew that about the Apollo missions, just that six had been scrubbed. Now I'm wondering what replaces it in subsequent Apollo missions, etc. The self-regulation of plants is surprising too but makes perfect sense. That cyanobacteria idea sounds cool except for the problems mentioned with plants self-regulation, which might counter the process?

[@jseance]

Chuck you have single handily solved our current problem 🤣🤣

[@KernsJW]

Great episode. Never have given oxygen much thought, but you really put things into perspective. I thought at one point you were going to talk about o3. Ozone seems to have a lot of misinformation out there. Thanks for always sharing knowledge and making it fun!

[@druggy1868]

Can one breathe o3

[@hemiolaguy]

@@druggy1868 No.

[@trevorcorwynn1311]

Think of the term used in chemistry for burning things. Rapid Thermal Oxidation. Oxygen bonds to other molecules, and in doing so releases heat. Heat in turn excites nearby molecules, and makes it easier for oxygen to bond with them. When this happens rapidly enough, you get fire.

[@wrinkyscarnagecrew]

Great video as always you should have brought up the fire triangle that could have helped your explanation just saying

[@toniodmonio]

This is fascinating. Always love the history on how things are done.

[@abhi123shake]

Always worth the wait. God bless you sir 🙏🏻

[@CraigCail]

I think Chuck just solved the global warming crisis with that suggestion.

[@dumaskhan]

no, he didn't.

[@xtevexeairoux2637]

Great idea Chuck the CO2 scrubber I was thinking about something like that last week but I couldn't come up with what bacteria or natural means to achieve said goal. thanks Neil that was what I needed is to know that particular bacteria's name.

[@evangaudet]

Neil and Chuck are the perfect two people to listen to having a conversation. What wonderful goofballs.

[@stevestumpy6873]

You could use O2 as a fuel in a stove in a 100% CH4 atmosphere.

[@druggy1868]

Why would you even need a stove the whole atmosphere will be flammable right?

[@stevestumpy6873]

@@druggy1868 not if there is no oxygen

[@Chris-hx3om]

No, the 'methane atmosphere' is still the fuel, and the oxygen is still the oxidizer. The rules of chemistry don't change just because you change the position (or ratios) of the fuel and the oxidizer...

[@stevestumpy6873]

@@Chris-hx3om six in one hand, 1/2 a dozen in the other.

[@FelixEnder]

Cody'sLab made a Video "Burning Oxygen In Propane Atmosphere"

[@HululusLabs]

Some much needed fresh air in my KZbin feed

[@BlueRain508]

These explainer videos are my favorite!

[@WalterGreenIII]

Years ago I worked in a place where we repaired commercial stoves. One morning we walked into the work shop / warehouse, flipped on the light switch. The entire warehouse from end to end flashed a blue light starting roughly knee high and flash burned from near where we stood of toward the other side of the warehouse. I happened so quick no one had a chance to respond. what had occurred is that because we did NOT have city gas lines (compress natural gas) we we instead used methane. Methane works as it has very similar properties, Although the gas going into one of the stoves we were testing was shut off at the stove, it was not shutoff at the tank. A minute leak in the line going from the tank to the stove had a previously undetected, caused the tank to empty over the week end. It filled the room, but only up to knee level. It happened so quick, we did not have time to be scared, or react except for the releaf of knowing we had not blown up, the only thing we felt was a slight warmth at knee level. The boss for his part was not angry, but slightly bemused because he had the habit of walking around turning off ALL valves at the end of the day. Somehow this one valve did not get shutoff on Friday/. All we could do all day is laugh about how cool looking the flash flame was, but also how weird and scary it was after we had all day to think about it.

[@ross350tube]

if the co2 levels were higher when that bacteria started making all that oxygen, the temperatures were probably higher too, to support the reproduction rate at such a level that it could have the impact it did. Considering this, maybe we can increase the heat inside a bacteria box that can also sustain those high temps while a stream of air flows through them. considering this further still, that principle could be used to introduce large amounts of oxygen to another planet, and so there's a good reason to make the bacteria able to survive in a another gas, cut the leg work for was, krypton. make the bacteria able to sustain an environment similarly enriched with krypton gas as nitrogen on earth, the density of it means it can stay inside tunnels on mars.. and because it can be output from uranium fission... and we think there's a fair bit of uranium on mars.. and if we can dig and fill the holes with a mixture of krypton and oxygen, then we can sorta actually get the ball rolling there.

[@toreadoress]

Yes the Earth was much warmer before the cyanobacteria started pumping oxygen around 3 billion years ago (some sources say 3.5. Billion years, others say 2.7 so I rounded it at 3 Billion), majority of the atmosphere was CO2 and methane, which are much better insulators than Oxygen) and the whole Earth cooled down to subzero degrees because the Sun was 20-30 % weaker than it is today (it grows roughly 10 % per Billion years) and the whole Earth was what's called "Snowball Earth" from poles to the equator for hundreds of millions years with small areas around the equator where it retain liquid state like lakes. Then the sun intensity grew the more Hydrogen was fused to Helium and more volcanic activity started pumping more CO2 and the Earth began to warm up again.

[@ross350tube]

​@@toreadoress Fascinating, I guess air was also more dense with co2, like aluminium frying pan vs cast iron, the ability to hold heat increases with density. like a heat sync , absorbing heat from the atmosphere.

[@SundbyCPH]

I like the chemistry between these two guys🤣🤣

[@gageguy]

Yeah there's an element of compatibility between them.

[@RetNemmoc555]

These guys are a gas!

[@gageguy]

@@RetNemmoc555 But their performance is solid.

[@harvey66616]

Love all the facts; an impressive density of information in such a short presentation. As usual, Tyson and Nice provide a fantastic balance in the presentation. It's pretty obvious that if Nice had decided to go into astrophysics instead of stand-up/radio/etc., he'd have given Tyson a run for his money and might have wound up the planetarium director instead! He's clearly got the smarts for it. That said, I was a little disappointed that the brief discussion about the methane-filled stove didn't touch on the facts that combustion requires not just the presence of oxygen and fuel, but also proper mixing and stoichiometric balance. There's a great hazard from leaking methane or propane of course, but it's theoretically possible for the gas to remain insufficiently mixed and/or in far too little or far too great a quantity to support combustion. No doubt there have been the occasional if rare lucky folks who _didn't_ get blown up in spite of a gas leak.

[@rosemarienoone]

Love this! You made my day Neil & Chuck

[@johndaniels5226]

I come for the knowledge bombs, but I stay for Neil’s belly laugh. Love these guys.

[@garyblackwell3023]

The consequences of cyanobacteria was a massive ice age. One of the supposed snowball earth events.

[@NotTheEx]

The bad thing about your videos is that I constantly have to rewind them to catch the parts I missed because I was laughing too hard to hear another word. LOL

[@VrejHAI]

I love this show. It's the perfect thing to listen to while I'm doing dishes. I have one question though, we can tell what gases are common in some planets, ie methane etc. Have we found planets that contain oxygen?

[@stevestumpy6873]

If you remember when they visited Vulcan, and Kirk and Spock fought they talked about the thin atmosphere, and some were they talked about more gravity on Vulcan and that why they are stronger.

[@booqueefious2230]

Yeah in the episode where Kirk had to fight Spock, Bones gave Kirk a shot to boost his blood oxygen to make the fight more fair

[@AJD...]

Also the increased oxygen concentration in the atmosphere will mean there's less CO2, which will stifle plants correcting the ratio of CO2 and O2

[@AJD...]

I think the reason why we have 3% CO2 and 21% O2 is because of the difference of their molecular mass. CO2 is way heavier than Nitrogen or oxygen so plants will little of it to make do, compared to animals who require higher concentration of lighter oxygen

[@goodmorninggilw2836]

Cool oxygen commentary… Chuck! You're the man bro

[@timodne5741]

A special thank you to the category five🌸

[@spark_two]

Thank you for making science fun Neil!

[@morbidmanmusic]

There was on Star Trek where they had that built into there regular suit. One episode only, talked about that.

[@MegaSkills9]

A log burning in a fireplace is an example of Rapid Oxidation. Rust forming on an old car is an example of Slow Oxidation.

[@jean-michelargentin5465]

Tyson that’s was an eye opener to me. Now I understand the benefit and danger of oxygen that’s a great teaching Sir..

[@Slum0vsky]

In the old Columbo TV series Nimoy/Spok once played a criminal surgeon and he smoked, I'd love to listen to him talking with dr. Diner here xD

[@LexoG33]

Molecular oxygen (O2) is a reactant in combustion reactions. Oxygen is the 2nd most electronegative ("electron hungry") element in the universe. The small size of the oxygen nucleus relative to the valence electron configuration allows it to strongly attract elections from the atoms of many other elements to create covalent bonds. All this means oxygen is highly reactive.

[@tonywooten596]

is carbon #1?

[@tonywooten596]

ok I see it's flourine

[@raytaylor8381]

I have more questions now. Every explanation brings new questions. I could spend a life time asking questions. 😊

[@dreamrestore213]

Chuck working extra hard to make this entire conversation seem interesting..... ....GIVE THAT MAN A RAISE..!!

[@drivewasher]

The gas in your house has to be the correct ratio of gas to air(oxygen) to actually expolde /ignite. Also any dust IE coal even flour will become flamable when at the right ait mix

[@SentinelGhost]

Indeed. That's why saw mills and sugar producing factories can and have exploded

[@steveDC51]

Custard powder is particularly dangerous - certainly not to be trifled with.

[@technician0096]

There’s more oxygen in the earths crust, actually it’s the most, or one of the most abundant elements in the earths crust. Mostly found in the silicone dioxide all over our beaches… also known as “sand” and most of the other rocks here.😅 there’s more oxygen in the ground then there is in the air we breathe, and to me that’s just weird 😂

[@MattIsntYoung]

Lots of oxygen in the oceans too.. wild h2o

[@lxathu]

The supernova that had left its remnants of which the Solar system built up had fused a lot of iron at its core that we make use of in the core of the Earth for a magnetic field and in our hammers, but had also fused a lot of lighter elements before that and at its outer layers. Oxygen, nitrogen and carbon are examples for those whose fusion starts at an early stage of a huge star, after it burnt all its hydrogen into helium. Silicon is just forged together out of oxygen. This way there's a big chance that during the explosion of the ancestor star, these elements are close and when the temperature decreases to the level when chemistry can take place finally, but is big enough for the real, chemical burning to that we know much better than fusion, a lot of compounds is created participating the insane oxygen... and, btw, to our luck: carbon.

[@enoughofthis]

Most abundant by atomic weight

[@technician0096]

@@lxathu I wouldn’t be able to go into detail myself like you have, but I am aware of the process to some degree. Honestly, the fact I mentioned was something I needed to know for a introductory chemistry course I did 2 years ago before moving into my electrical field of study 😅

[@reginaromsey]

Love the info about Cyanobacteria!

[@skeptickhan4239]

Neil & Chuk are the best scientific combo, keep on producing the quality content. Appreciated ❤

[@markpodesta4605]

Oxygen peaked at 35% of the atmosphere during the Carboniferous period.

[@andrewgregory6680]

I know you guys probably won’t read this but I freakin love Chucks commentary because (exactly like me) he knows enough of the topic for say something true but topical of a subject. Then Dr. Tyson blows his mine with the rest of ours lol. And who as an adult thought the atmosphere was only oxygen?? There is a lot of weird stuff going on in our world, what we breath is no different lol

[@tahasamer4958]

I'm practicing on listening I didn't know every word he said but it was great episode

[@DrakiniteOfficial]

I feel like this was an incomplete explanation about Oxygen's role in combustion, but the anecdotes that Neil discussed were still very interesting and informative.

[@adambomb42x]

Mythbusters had an episode on the Jaws ending. The result was the mouth rocket.

[@harliiquinnstarlight]

In regards to the rocky desert like planets that the Star Trek crewmembers were beaming down to just because that's what we were given as far as an area doesn't mean the entire planet is Desert like similar to being in the middle of the Sonoran Desert or worse yet the Saharan Desert they're still oxygen in the middle of the Sahara Desert isn't there?

[@Dontbustthecrust]

So Picard just really likes alien deserts.

[@harliiquinnstarlight]

@@Dontbustthecrust Kirk also. 😆

[@Dontbustthecrust]

@@harliiquinnstarlight that's who I actually meant to refer to but I was too lazy to correct it. Lol

[@DmytroHolub]

Thanks for the show and science! :)

[@GeoHvl]

The big O. US Navy had a fire fighting school. Lots of demonstrations on Oxygen along with Magnesium, and every type of fuel used. Classes on fighting these fires.

[@akumarolls8532]

Wondering why Sheldon never brought this up

[@Abs0lutZr0]

Informative and entertaining. I love it!!

[@Abs0lutZr0]

@WhatsApp➕①⑤①⑤⑦⑤⑧⓪⑧①⑧ I saw your pic and thought I was special for two seconds 😂

[@beatsbyduffy9763]

lover the 20 min explainers

[@TamTran-vw7zm]

Gods, I love you guys! You make knowledge fun for this old teacher, recapturing the passion I had in grad school. Thank you so very much. You two are great together.

[@se7en857]

Wow that was very informative and I just learned a lot about the small and simple science about oxygen that I never knew and I love science but it's so much we think we know that it's more knowledge there to learn

[@ismaelgrahms]

Great explanation

[@richardfarlow1955]

One of the issues cited in the final accident report on the Apollo 1 fire cited the overuse of velcro. They had been warned about overusing the flammable material by the manufacturer.

[@rvowave3227]

The self correcting part is just mind blowing on the level I never knew. 14:21

[@MeteorMark]

The example with the sigaret and a pure Oxygen atmosphere happened at a dry dock long time ago. Think I saw it on YT long time ago, an explainer what had happened to cause the severe incident. Long story short, somehow someone got an adapter to run compressed air tools from the compressed Oxygen (for Oxyacetylene torches) line that had different connectors. Resulting in higher Oxygen levels, enabling Diesel fumes to ignite by a curiosity faster burning sigaret.... Resulting in many workers dead and wounded from the fire...

[@MeteorMark]

A fun and informative videos again Gentlemen! On a side note, there is also dissolved Carbon Dioxide in water, from which Algae (with the help of sunlight) produce Oxygen, that stays dissolved and the sea life can "breathe" through gills. And the Oxygen produced seeps into the atmosphere as well. The Cyanobacteria Carbon Dioxide scrubbing is done by Algae, to produce food ( Spirulina) or fuel, and Oxygen, good technology on a long spaceflight!

[@DanSchallerforPOTUS]

In Star Trek (any), the M classification is that of Earth. That comes from the word for Earth in Vulcan begins with M - It is something I learned from some video done by someone way more into the Star Trek universe than I will ever be. - which defines planets as those capable of sustaining Humanoid life with a comparable gravitational pull and atmospheric content to that of Earth. The biggest issue I had was when they were in a shuttle craft and did NOT do any kind of test before opening the shuttle door upon landing the craft on an unknown planet.

[@Theomatikalli]

Hi Neil n Chuck, thanks for the explainers, nuggets for the brain :D

[@bobjackson6669]

Loved the video.

[@wisnog99]

I love that indeed sponsored you guys! I love indeed, I got jobs from indeed before and I landed my career off indeed!

[@danmcbride1478]

Good stuff but I’m surprised Neil didn’t mention O2 is an oxidizer. And how chemical reactions rely on it for combustion/oxidation.

[@Wuntayk.J]

i took astrronomy in highschool and we learned about apollo 1 and we seen pictures and i think there was a video of it or recording

[@crisscrossam]

Although this wasn't stated directly in the episode, but if you think about it, it makes sense: The reason candles/stoves/etc. Burn at certain rates isn't just due to how much gas they have access to, but also how much oxygen they have access to, because if a candle had access to more oxygen and less nitrogen from the air it would burn brighter and hotter and would get consumed more quickly. If a gas stove somehow sent gas and the tube was connected to another tank with oxygen feeding where the gas comes out and the fire is sustained, you'd have to open up the gas more to keep a sustainable flame and of course that flame would also be a lot hotter.

[@helloSanders]

As always, pleasantly unexpected explanations~

[@carultch]

Hello Easter Islander

[@SwapnilV]

please do an explainer on the concept of Fire Breathing Dragons!

[@TheZenbudda]

Actually hooper said “thats compressed air. You fool around with these things and they’ll blow up”