I promise this story about microwaves is interesting.

I found an article that said "The microwave was invented to heat hamsters humanely in 1950s experiments." And I thought, no it wasn't. ...was it?
Pull down the description for thorough references and credits.
Thanks to James Lovelock for his time! His latest book is Novacene: amzn.to/3hmKsWz [that is, of course, an Amazon affiliate link]
Filmed safely: www.tomscott.com/safe/ - thanks to jabs, PCR tests, isolation and distancing.
I did consider whether to do an extended interview with Dr Lovelock, but the Science Museum has already done far better than I ever could:
On cyborgs, asteroids and Gaia theory: • James Lovelock on NASA...
On his greatest epiphany: • James Lovelock discuss...
An extended 90-minute interview from the Lovelock Centenary Conference: • Tim Lenton interviews ...
REFERENCES:
HISTORY OF THE MICROWAVE:
I Burrell, in the Independent, 1997: "Your money, or the cat gets microwaved": www.independent.co.uk/news/yo...
M Blitz, "The Amazing True Story of How the Microwave Was Invented by Accident": www.popularmechanics.com/tech...
E Schliephake, "Ultra-short waves in medicine" in Short Wave Craft, Vol. 3, No. 11, March 1933, p. 646 [PDF]: worldradiohistory.com/Archive...
E Ackerman, "A Brief History of the Microwave Oven", IEEE Spectrum: spectrum.ieee.org/tech-histor...
Radarange photo from Acroterion: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... - image licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license, creativecommons.org/licenses/...
James Lovelock in 1962: Photo by Donald Uhrbrock/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images
PAPERS FROM NIMR:
A Smith, J Lovelock, A Parkes, 1954: Resuscitation of Hamsters after Supercooling or Partial Crystallization at Body Temperatures Below 0° C.. Nature 173, 1136-1137. doi.org/10.1038/1731136a0
R K Andjus, J E Lovelock, 1955: Reanimation of rats from body temperatures between 0 and 1° C by microwave diathermy. The Journal of Physiology, 128. doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.1955...
Lovelock, J E, Smith A U, 1959, Heat transfer from and to animals in experimental hypothermia and freezing. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 80: 487-499. doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1...
🟥 MORE FROM TOM: www.tomscott.com/
(you can find contact details and social links there too)
📰 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER with good stuff from the rest of the internet: www.tomscott.com/newsletter/
❓ LATERAL, free weekly podcast: lateralcast.com/ / lateralcast
➕ TOM SCOTT PLUS: / tomscottplus
👥 THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: / techdif

[@TomScottGo]

An update from July 2022: James Lovelock passed away, surrounded by family, on his 103rd birthday. I'm very grateful to have been able to interview him, and my deepest condolences to his family. Rest in peace. His obituary is worth reading, because it covers so much: www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/27/james-lovelock-obituary

[@voidarchon908]

i just talked about him and this video to colleagues on monday

[@afaultytoaster]

If you want to take his ideas seriously, you should go vegan. Animal agriculture is responsible for 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, amongst other forms of environmental damage.

[@norseman2834]

I am glad this video popped up on my feed today, and that I watched it.

[@felixw19]

I clicked on this video randomly and now I'm sad

[@LukeDaNarwhale]

I saw the news and immediately came back to this video

[@BurgerWeeze]

I saw a 101 year old scientist talk about being in a highly radiated room reviving frozen hamsters with a microwave. Tom, the title was accurate, I'm not disappointed.

[@huskywolf01]

Agreed 😂

[@leemon908]

You dont understand how harmless microwaves are do you? Your phone receives signals with microwaves 🤣

[@BurgerWeeze]

@@leemon908 Uhhhh.. it was the 50s and may I refer to 8:10 in the video? Just watch the video before commenting.

[@DanielTseng100]

@@leemon908 Ok but it doesn't light up lightbulbs or set banknotes on fire lmao

[@dingo137]

@@leemon908 your phone doesn't put out 1000 watts of them though.

[@efeerbas2709]

Imagine being a top of the line scientist, doing all kinds of research, contributing a lot of things to science and then somebody knocks your door asking "Sir did you, by any chance, microwave hamsters?"

[@iiiivvvv9986]

Probably makes you think "finally, I get to talk about that instead of Mars for once"

[@goldzero9373]

Dimi dimi bende aynısını düşünüyordum reis :D

[@sazcxieo]

Me: 6:26 👁👄👁

[@DinnerForkTongue]

@@iiiivvvv9986 That sounds very real.

[@bugrasevinc9696]

@@goldzero9373 Adam bir saat adamın yaptığı araştırmayı anlattı, neden öyle birşey düşündün?

[@shangerdanger]

wow that guy was SHARP for 101. unbelievable

[@soundspark]

Ironically SHARP is a brand of microwave ovens.

[@TylerTMG]

Omg look at da verified guy

[@thecatalyst6212]

If you microwave enough rodents you too can be a centurion

[@somemusicnerd637]

I read this 3 minutes through and thought you were talking about Tom haha

[@toasterhavingabath6980]

@@somemusicnerd637 he is

[@wcapeling]

This guy was literally watching technology evolve before his eyes

[@raven4k998]

wait you can freeze someone and then bring them back to life why haven't they perfected this tech then we would have cryo tech finally

[@wcapeling]

@@raven4k998 if you watched the video he said we are to big

[@felixchen1718]

@@raven4k998 10:18

[@lemming3001]

He wasn’t just watching he was helping evolve it further

[@gapplssb]

@@raven4k998 size is a very important factor to this, we are bigger, but molecules don’t get bigger.

[@antreiriukula4015]

I love how this old inventor says giddily "I put a potato in it, and baked it, and it was completely allright"

[@Diggnuts]

And then I tortured an animal..

[@crumpet3302]

@@Diggnuts For important medical research.

[@Electrk]

@@crumpet3302 still torture

[@crumpet3302]

@@Electrk Sure, but if it's supporting research that could save hundreds of thousands or millions of lives... It's probably justified.

[@Electrk]

@@crumpet3302 Is it though? There have been a lot of cruel and unethical experiments done whose results have been used in further research. A lot of advancements have come from unethical experimentation, but I don't think the ends justify the means.

[@12boxes]

Thank you Tom. That was what you might call public service broadcasting. "Nobody has asked me about that before". Priceless.

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

I have to imagine he would often get interviews through the decades on his many many important projects. He must have been quite puzzled to be 101 and be called about the hamster reanimation work of all things! So glad we have him on the record about it. Truly amazing. But he did invent the microwave in the course of it!

[@oakenshadow6763]

The fact that he was willing to be interview all these years later made me so happy. And how happy he was to share.

[@Felix-ix7ic]

He microwaved hamsters.

[@EricNoneless]

@@Felix-ix7icthankfully!! 😀

[@burgernthemomrailer]

@@Felix-ix7icdo you need me to call whine-1-1 for a waaambulance?

[@RobbyBobbyBoy]

The guy casually exposed himself to unshielded microwave radiation in his youth and is still strolling down the beach at 101

[@karthiksashank6829]

The wavelength of microwave radiation are too big (≈1cm) to cause much harm

[@Esli26]

Best summary of the guy till now

[@necrobynerton7384]

@@karthiksashank6829 Warning: Still do not try this without proper shielding and protection. Don't do this at home either.

[@leexabyz]

Microwaves are not ionising radiation, there isn't any hidden underlying damage like with nuclear radiation. It's like standing near a furnace, you're either obviously hurt, or you're fine

[@floskater99]

Whaaat he's 101?! Damn. I thought he's like 80 xD

[@janmelantu7490]

“So I decided to ask him about it” was the biggest twist, I wasn’t expecting a 1950s scientist to still be living. Just goes to show how important it is to record knowledge while we still can

[@DyslexicMitochondria]

ikr

[@mattearenzi8972]

@@DyslexicMitochondria Ayyy bro I watch ur channeII. Love ur work

[@ThreeMountainsStudio]

@@DyslexicMitochondria hello there

[@karlkastor]

biggest twist since "so I chartered a plane"

[@BuGBurnout]

I literally yelled WHAT at that part

[@PaulDixon25]

10:50 "You cannot freeze a human, ..." when he stuttered there, I just could picture him finishing that with "I know, I've tried"

[@Winasaurus]

"You can't freeze a human, and in an unrelated note, want to hear how my colleague lost his left hand to frostbite?"

[@tshephangmoswete1286]

@@Winasaurus If you put antifreeze into thewhole of that hand, it will freeze without ice crystal damage- the cause of frostbite

[@Jeod]

Oh my God. This man's cognitive ability at age 101 was so good it actually relieved my own fear of old age. You can see he had some speech hiccups, much like anyone would have while tired or nervous, but when the sentences came out, they were perfectly sound and relaying information was effortless. I wish to have such a brain when I'm old.

[@MerelyFlowers]

Maximum respect for not calling this "Hamster Necromancy: the Secret History of Microwaves"

[@charliespinoza1966]

😂👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@daftbence]

Meh, Tom is not a big one for memes.

[@stickmanonastick6089]

The funniest thing is that it wouldn't even be clickbait; the hamsters were genuinely dead, and the microwaves were capable of bringing them back to life. A part of necromancy is raising the dead. So, anything along the lines of "The Mad Scientist Who Practiced Hamster Necromancy with Microwaves" is a perfectly valid and true title.

[@TheHamsternecromancer]

Stickman on a stick so I can become a Hamster necromancer lord of the dead

[@TheHamsternecromancer]

I have succeeded in becoming hamster necromancer lord of the dead

[@jeanneelise5118]

imagine being 101 years old and still able to think straight, no amnesia, and fully capable of interacting with the people around you as if you were still 60/70/80.

[@Die-Coughman]

It's the dream really

[@RumerPriestly]

@@Die-Coughman I’d quite genuinely not like to get that old, personally. It’s the nightmare for some, haha.

[@Die-Coughman]

@@RumerPriestly clarification: if I get that Old lmao

[@RumerPriestly]

@@Die-Coughman fair and valid!

[@NOWThatsRichy]

@@Die-Coughman Even after being exposed to a few microwave incidents!

[@crystalsoulslayer]

"A hamster is an acceptable size" is a phrase I did not know I needed in my life until I heard it.

[@runefaustblack]

r/BrandNewSentence

[@samable668]

It's really not that weird of a sentence?

[@15sixmedia]

My word, James Lovelock was in incredible shape and incredibly sharp for 101 years old. May he rest in peace.

[@sroberts605]

Two wives, many inventions, Dorset coast, can't beat it!

[@Aleph_Nul]

I can't believe the fact that this story could have been completely lost to history if Tom hadn't stumbled upon a random line.

[@h-Films]

@Rita - F*СΚ MΈ ! nobody: Bots: The

[@TheFlyfly]

@Rita - F*СΚ MΈ ! The?

[@daveynorton]

These bots are high

[@AhmedIbru]

Please report bots everyone 🙏 in all social media platform. The content creators can't do much while the platforms does nothing, report them and help the algorithms delete it so no one gets scammed.

[@kezzyhko]

now imagine how many such stories were lost, because noone stumbled upon them

[@santumChannelYes]

man's 101 years old and can still speak perfectly and recall the exact story. legend

[@May-gr8bp]

absolute legend. it's great that this information is documented :D

[@leonardol8158]

And I can not remember something I did last week. God damnit.

[@DerangedScout]

Man's? You married to him or something?

[@jad4945]

@@leonardol8158 To be fair if you'd brought a hamster back to life you'd probably remember!

[@junglefett]

@@jad4945 Hahah, true!

[@AdmiralOctopusOBE]

You can see his face light up as he talks about his crazy scientific experiments, what an incredible human being

[@garythecyclingnerd6219]

This is the kind of elderly life I want. 101 years old, still speaking great, and even walking daily

[@aronseptianto8142]

"He's 101 years old and takes a walk on this beach every day" i have this image in my head of Tom just standing there in a random beach, 6am in the morning, stopping someone who vaguely looks old enough to be 90+ and ask "by any chance, did you put a hamster in a microwave while you were younger?"

[@neeharika422]

“Hello sir! Did you by any chance put hamsters in microwaves? No? Alright. Good day.”

[@parrotshootist3004]

It's the age of the internet. I'm not sure you want some to answer that question.

[@JKVeganAbroad]

Only when you quote it like that do I realise that this whole video was a ruse actually intended as a dating advertisement.

[@pedrocrb]

He's like "they dont know i invented the microwave"

[@MrArtVein]

@@JKVeganAbroad 🎶 *lowered expectations* 🎶

[@fitchyyboi]

101 year old guy is more coherent than me. What an absolutely incredible dude

[@Steph.98114]

Ikr, dudes still sharp as a tack

[@JC-zw9vs]

James Lovelock is not just any guy.

[@rapdactyl]

My position involves working with older demographics. The correlation of reduced coherence and age is really not a smooth as you'd expect. I've talked to 55 year olds that hardly remember what I explained 30 seconds ago, and I've talked to 90 year olds that I don't have to explain anything to because they did their own research already. It's really changed my perspective on aging.

[@wannabefoleyartist9635]

@@rapdactyl probably has got to do with a combination of diet, iq, activities and stress that makes you healthier later in life.

[@XDarkGreyX]

Yaaaap....

[@pitirimelea8686]

Incredible history. RIP James Lovelock. I'm astonished how well he was at his 100's even he remembered the stuff he did 50 years ago.

[@KorOsion]

Closer to 70 years ago...

[@thetruth1862]

Thank you Mr LoveLock for helping people burn popcorn for the past 40 years

[@woodhonky3890]

😁

[@ludicrous7044]

And ballistic KZbin channels blow them up!!💣

[@DazedAlligator]

This didn't happen in the 80s

[@sh7de553]

"Do you mind if I borrow a bit of military kit to revive a hamster?" "Here you go, mate. You can keep it. "Top lad."

[@amberpask9701]

Imagine this happening today! Oh my god this would be hours of meetings, days of paperwork, weeks of negotiations and would cost probably millions.

[@voidofspaceandtime4684]

@@amberpask9701 imagine the amount of innovation truly lost because there simply was so much time lost to beuracracy.

[@rogink]

Especially so - if the research base was just outside Portsmouth it would have been a top secret naval base, which is still there. I could see it from where I'm sitting - if it wasn't so cloudy (and if the houses weren't in the way!).

[@1nsaniel]

@@amberpask9701 I mean today stuff is a bit more dangerous.

[@BluCappy419]

@@1nsaniel I mean they were microwaving everyone in the room... things back then were dangerous, they just didn't know it yet.

[@jcfiggy]

The cool thing is that at 101 years old, not only is Lovelock Medically Alive, but also Mentally Alive.

[@CZghost]

He's gonna live another 10 years I believe :)

[@Sebby_Nineteen]

@@CZghost Nah, say 19 more years. Minimum.

[@Saareem]

And sharp! At least microwave experiments didn't destroy his health.

[@masterpig5s]

Exactly

[@alexcrouse]

Sharp as a tack, and a darn nice guy!

[@nfsm654]

I come back to this video a lot. I can’t help but feel that James Lovelock was the very last of a certain type of person we may never see again. I’m still very thankful that Tom got to introduce this brilliant man to the world.

[@WillyWielder]

Rest in peace Dr. Lovelock❤ 103 is a heck of an age to get to, so glad this video exists of you getting to talk about your crazy scientist life with a big smile on your face

[@InvictusByz]

"I put a potato in and baked it. It was alright." Microwaves in a nutshell, tbh.

[@Shep-1701]

I tend to do them in the microwave for about 5 minutes and then finish them in the oven for half an hour to crisp up the skin Edit: Make sure you prick it all over with a fork before you nuke it. Tend to heat the oven to 200/180c (fan), stick it on a baking tray, rub a little oil over it, and then some salt and pepper to give some nice flavour to the skin. Delicious

[@ChronicTaxEvader]

Ζήτω Η Βασιλεία Ρωμαίων

[@CharlieTodd86]

I thought this haha

[@GuyWhoCooks]

*Perfectly alright

[@BlueSatoshi]

Wash it, perforate with a fork, heat for 10 minutes, chop it in half, mash with a fork, and add butter.

[@uncinarynin]

I'm fifty years old and I just found a new goal of life: Be as cool as Professor Lovelock in the year 2071 when I'll be 101.

[@C4CH3S]

Don't know what you do or who you are, but as a 21 yo I hope your dreams of being the cool nerd grandpa materializes.

[@zaidlacksalastname4905]

@@C4CH3S amen

[@zaidlacksalastname4905]

I won't make it that far because of my unhealthy eating habits but I hope I can be half as much of a cool old guy at least

[@RolyMoes]

@@C4CH3S Same here, hope you're around in 2101.

[@uncinarynin]

@@RolyMoes And I hope that Zero Wing was wrong in predicting "IN A.D. 2101 WAR WAS BEGINNING"

[@magicalmacaw]

My mind was blown by this video. It's hard to believe that experiment worked. The interview with the still-sharp 101-year-old was incredible too.

[@Lucas_McToucas]

he was so happy to remember his glory days as a scientist, you could really see his eyes light up whaen he was describing his magnetron faraday cage hamster box

[@mocianK]

That 101-year-dude looks like a healthy and clear minded 80 year old, I'm impressed. All the best for him!

[@Safiyahalishah]

@@ezicarus8216 It's a thousand times better than mine and I'm not even a quarter his age.

[@deusexaethera]

Some people just get the good genes.

[@krashd]

Hearing people talk vividly about things that happened 70 years ago scares me and makes me think I have a condition because my memory recall of events is almost non existent, I can remember places I worked at 10 or 15 years ago and what the job entailed but no details, no colleague's names, nothing specific. Just that I worked there for several years. And yet when it comes to trivia and general knowledge I'm practically a sponge as once I learn something it sticks. I can give you a detailed run down of the Punic wars but I can't describe what any of my previous homes were like :/

[@1lovesoni]

@@krashd it's all about your intent and interest in the info. I remember the titleI, and songwriters name (and often even the albums' name) of nearly every song I've ever heard. However I can barely remember concepts from basic algebraic math, especially balancing polynomial equations.

[@onebronx]

Looks like frequent exposure to electromagnetic radiation makes wonders, hehe. ** Need moar 5G towers! **

[@illusionismm]

he's doing remarkably well for 101 years old

[@bilalmaati2205]

You just cant stop smiling when ever his talking

[@hungrymusicwolf]

@@bilalmaati2205 His smile just lights up adorably like a child.

[@timharris559]

His cognitive recollection is amazing

[@MattPratt]

Clearly being exposed to that microwave radiation in the lab didn't have too many adverse effects.

[@duo2146]

i thought you were talking about tom scott 😭😭 i only just started the video

[@JohnRay1969]

This is the third time I've watched this and it still makes me smile. Mr. Lovelock is adorable when he talks about the light bulbs lighting randomly from the radiation bouncing around the room. I love everything about this piece.

[@maartenkeus8627]

This is genuinely the nuttiest story I've ever heard and I'm not surprised it came from you Tom

[@quispor1765]

I don't think I've ever seen the "historical scientist who discovered this" is actually still alive and willing to tell the story before. Really unique and incredible story, Tom

[@willeveryday]

Jax1 how cool is this? We need more of it Tom! I think that most scientists will talk at length and with great enthusiasm about their interests.

[@allahm-ast3mnlywlatstbdlny164]

Mashallah

[@Kugrox]

Oh scientists are around, and they tell the truth about their creations. But you'll never be allowed to know about it unless the democrats who run the social media tech world green light it. Take the PCR test for example. most people aren't aware that it isnt capable of detecting infection, the creator himself said this. Yet thats how we test for covid. And you wonder why the CDC reports 50% inaccurate testing

[@designator7402]

"So I asked him" Now that's a twist I didn't see coming.

[@JoBot__]

Me too. I didn't expect him to still be alive.

[@sandorsalamon4012]

When Tom says "I promise it will be interesting", I just listen because I know it will be amazing!

[@1874WL]

The way he describes his experiments with such detail, and enthusiasm is just amazing.

[@richtigmann1]

I'm surprised that Tom was able to get an interview with a 101 year old scientist about an experiment decades ago

[@rndmvar]

That interview made both of their days I'm sure. That was awesome.

[@CCCW]

absolutely hope my mind is as good as mr lovelock's at 101.

[@soup1892]

@@CCCW mr lovelock is whoi aspire to be in the future

[@bennoreuter4393]

I would have assumed him to be dead or at least have Leukemia due to radiation.

[@chemplanes10]

@@bennoreuter4393 Microwave radiation isn't ionizing. It makes molecules rotate faster and thus "heat up" but it can't alter chemical bonds, such as those in your DNA, the photons don't have enough energy. The only danger regarding unshielded microwaves is getting burns.

[@LakierosJordy]

Mr. Lovelock is by far be the healthiest clearest-minded 101 year old I've ever seen, that alone was incredible.

[@katfoster845]

I care for a 98 year old who has a similar level of clarity.

[@chamarasilva7700]

maybe open microwave had something to do with that **X-Files theme song starts**

[@Ezullof]

He's just stored in the fridge most of the time.

[@Mevi]

He's only just been thawed after 20 years in cryopreservation

[@electronraygun6346]

@@chamarasilva7700 I was going to say, if he's looking that good at that age after all that exposure to radiation I'm going to start running my microwave with the door open! (Don't try this at home 😆)

[@Twisted_Code]

thanks for capturing this interview before he passed. You may have saved this bit of history from relegation to myth and legend.

[@4Grace4Truth]

I am super curious about what he’s referring to at 11:00 when Dr. Lovelock says: “It’s partly a matter of how quickly you can get the anti-freeze agent to diffuse into the cells. Human’s too big. It’s just a matter of size. A hamster is an acceptable size.”

[@Winasaurus]

You need to thaw all of the cells at around the same time. Otherwise you get major issues with blood flow, and organs being half-cold which can cause the barrier between the temperatures to experience heavy damage, such as local overheating which can cause boiling and internal boiling is naturally no good. Hamsters on the other hand are small enough that you generally can heat the whole thing at once, without local areas having large temperature ranges. You'll still get a little damage but ideally not enough to cause long term problems. Maybe temporary blood flow issues but that settle once fully heated. Single cells like bacteria are the best example, as they can be frozen essentially indefinitely and revived. Because the whole thing heats and cools at once.

[@silversleeper1193]

You know that being asked about this made James Locklove’s entire year. We need to interview more former scientists and history makers about the things the school books don’t feel important enough to talk about

[@DarrenBates]

And get conversations with them recorded!

[@nooneherebutuschickens5201]

Agreed!

[@jlockers52]

Lovelock*

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Reminds me of SmarterEveryDay's video that interviewed an Apollo 11 engineer.

[@134StormShadow]

Absolutely

[@EamonBurke]

He's so lucid for his age, this guy is a treasure.

[@MusaGaming]

Lucid. Wth. Okay. Weird choice of WORD'S

[@simianto9957]

@@MusaGaming ?

[@SAMPLETEXT285]

@@MusaGaming why are you confused?

[@MishKoz]

I know his hair's going grey, but of course Tom's still lucid, he's only 37!

[@coffeemakerbottomcracked]

@@MusaGaming wth to you

[@stopsign38]

Loved that interview with James. His recall was amazing, thanks for sharing the interview and obituary.

[@nathanmasterson5130]

Me halfway through: “Shame Lovelock has passed away. Would have been good to…nope. Nope the dude is over 100 and in better nick mentally than I am”

[@blahhblaah74]

Perhaps open microwave radiation is a good anti-age treatment

[@themightywrighty]

Same! Half way thought... "It would be really good if they could have got an interview with him" and then we did :)

[@Safiyahalishah]

@@blahhblaah74 Tom should've added that in as another 'do not try this at home'. 😅

[@DJAsHeRMusic]

@@blahhblaah74 was literally thinking that. I'm off now to rip the door off my microwave and jam couple of things in the catch so I can run it being open.

[@richtigmann1]

That's exactly what I was thinking

[@unclecreepy4185]

“Don’t do this at home.” Do it at your government job.

[@themitshomane]

💀

[@darnoc4470]

Great, now my Mayor is shouting at me for splatting a hamster in the pause room.

[@simon6071]

Yup, ask Andrew Cuomo the governor of New York State about his experiment of sending COVID positive patients to nursing homes while denying them both the rights to know and test the person being admitted for COVID. The result was shocking, well, not to Cuomo though. About 150,000 people in nursing home in New York died from COVID as a result.

[@simon6071]

Ask Obama's decision to fund a P4 lab in Wuhan China to do research on deadly pathogens with Fauci's support before the outbreak of the Wuhan flu (COVID-19) in China and then all over the world. The so-called FactCheck site denies the information by saying that Obama did not give $3.8 million to China for research of deadly pathogen by claiming that it is false. But the fact is that the Obama regime did fund research of deadly pathogen in China. It was only the amount of money being less than $3.8 million that was disputed.

[@simon6071]

By the way, don't you guys know that the COVID vaccines are only experimental vaccines approved under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA)?

[@onekie5787]

Sadly James Lovelock died 26th July 2022. His 103rd Birthday.

[@felicitygee381]

Oh he died on his birthday, how sad, I hope it was after a good celebration with friends and family. X🙏

[@travishensley9155]

thank you for interviewing and sharing james story with millions! his life shall forever live on thanks to you tom

[@Makimars]

A 101 year old scientist explaining his crazy experiments is the best smile I ever saw.

[@RichConnerGMN]

nice pfp

[@Makimars]

@@RichConnerGMN Thank you, I'm quite proud of it.

[@rikmulder183]

I love his smile at 7:57

[@thereddufus]

Seriously, that was wonderful to watch. Now I want to just hear him tell stories for the next six hours. I can only hope to have such good stories and such a sense of humor at that age. Great job Tom, amazing video.

[@BillBodrero]

Indeed. It made my day to relive his adventures with him. And what a treasure piece of history that almost got lost. Good work Doctor L, and good work Tom Scott.

[@MiniArts159]

"Can I borrow your magnetron?" "Oh, no, just take it!" 50s science was a wonder

[@JayTerref]

You know one the best things about science? This still happens quite a lot. I am finishing my Master's research right now and if there's just one piece of advice I can give you, it's this: if you need something from another researcher, ask away! Sure, not all of them will help you, but you'd be surprised how many researchers are willing to go way out of their way to help you

[@EebstertheGreat]

@@JayTerref As an undergrad, and even a high school student, I found that emailing random professors questions related to their work had a ~50% reply rate (if you asked nicely). That's crazy to think about. It's not quite as high anymore (probably because they get so many emails), but I can't imagine having that much luck in any other profession. I wouldn't just email an accountant out of the blue with some questions about CPI and expect a prompt response.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

I hope that's not how they got the hamsters.

[@exterminator9676]

I guess Portal 2 really wasn't that far of, huh?

[@jimlewis1]

Lovelock was an incredible individual. I did once have the pleasure of hearing a lecture from him. Sadly missed

[@LibertyMonk]

I absolutely adore KZbin creators who wind up doing primary research for whatever random deep dives they happen to be on. Im so glad you asked this question in time, there are a few times when a creator brought up that they weren't in time to interview the primary source.

[@CaptainTowll]

It's absolutely brilliant that we have an 101 year old in the video. He's looking remarkably spritely for his age

[@welshgit]

And he's amazingly coherent too!

[@ThreadBomb]

I'm sad that he's sharper than me at twice my age.

[@Boodoo4You]

@@dont8430 Wasn’t going to.

[@tongus5799]

@@dont8430 fine you’ve convinced me not too

[@averagecatenjoyer8219]

@@dont8430 shut it

[@shigekax]

Mr lovelock lived most of his life knowing what microwaving a hamster was like

[@HaloInverse]

Mr. Lovelock lived most of his life knowing how to _reliably_ reanimate the dead. With only a few caveats.

[@martinstojanovic2123]

Lives is a correction to both of you if im correct

[@ItsAsparageese]

@@martinstojanovic2123 I think "has lived"* is the correct correction, if you're correct :P

[@aperture624]

I think I'm correct

[@white-devil42]

me, about to find out

[@kongchingpow]

Rest in peace, Mr Lovelock.

[@synarchy8377]

What a amazing guy. Glad he got to live a long and happy life and to enjoy these experiments he was apart of and the smile he has telling others

[@anz111]

100 years old James Lovelock is better at recalling stories than me at my 20s

[@jeroenritmeester73]

This is exactly what I was thinking. How lucky you must be to be that clear of thought at such an age!

[@monad_tcp]

you have 20 ? you look like 45 already

[@maxhax367]

lets be honest. his stories are more interesting and memorable than just about all of out stories combined

[@kerza1358]

you cant just simply forget such story

[@XPLexi_]

@@monad_tcp damn you didnt need to murder him

[@Tripeefy]

May he rest in peace what a true human he was

[@lucyk.5163]

Extremely sharp and mind active at 101yrs old, memories still there almost intact. This is amazing. I hope this video gets saved for posterity forever. Bet you made him so very happy! You can see how pleased he is to talk about it ❤

[@philipocarroll]

Finding James Lovelock alive and well, feels like you just found Charles Darwin in his house in Kent

[@sparklestarspompomunicorn]

yep

[@conservativecalvinist3308]

No comma

[@scoxocs]

The secret to a long life: microwaves!

[@hickyxnicky411]

ikr

[@NawidN]

@PorgPrinterz 3D A very Dirk move.

[@TheWyldDragon]

Seeing him talk so excitedly about his experiments nearly 70 years ago is adorable.

[@altuervo]

@Rita - F*СΚ MΈ ! piss off, rita is temporary, lovelock is forever

[@Folkert.Cornelius]

I agree! The experiments were not very ethical but he's forgiven cause he's an awesome inventor and an awesome person for giving an interview at 101!!

[@0.705]

@Rita - F*СΚ MΈ ! Rita is temporary, Doom Is ETERNAL

[@Giggi2222]

@@Folkert.Cornelius lot more humane then doing it in humans

[@cyberGEK]

5:03 When I heard that he invented the Electron Capture Detector, my ears perked up, no one knows what those are, except chemistry geeks and “scientists” 😂 Used them daily for years! Fantastic invention!

[@ronlucock3702]

Tom Scott doesn't have to "promise" that any video he puts up will be interesting. Interest & passion for any topic exudes from his face & is a joy to watch, & learn something along the way.

[@sungvin]

Imagine you live a quiet peaceful life and a complete stranger comes to you and he's interested in crazy things you've done 80 years ago. That's so cool!

[@RNCHFND]

I wouldn't want to talk about stuff I did only 5 years ago, let alone 80

[@WolfDeity]

@@RNCHFND If it was hamster resurrection you probably would.

[@theenzoferrari458]

Tom Scott is far away from a complete stranger dumbass.

[@andyseinfeld1954]

@@theenzoferrari458 Are you stupid...everyone is a stranger if you don't know them

[@khqlifq]

@@theenzoferrari458 A person you don't know personally is a stranger.

[@indierodo]

- hey can I borrow one of your magnetrons? - why? what are you doing to do with it? - I'm going to freeze hamsters and warm them up again to see what happens - Are you serious? You can keep it!

[@randomuser5237]

- why? what are you doing to do with it? - I'm going to freeze hamsters and warm them up again to see what happens. I have a feeling this'll go viral more than half a century later. - Sounds dangerous! - Yes, but not exactly what you're thinking.

[@QuaA]

I appreciate your citations! and as always, love your well researched videos....

[@toddwmac]

That interview is a gift! Thanks

[@jonasdatlas4668]

Whoa, whoa, you actually *spoke* to James Lovelock? That’s kind of stunning. Actually finding the guy who did the thing in the 1950s is something you truly don’t see every day.

[@SiPakRubah]

And the fact that this person is still alive is kinda shocking too. Not a usual things for a people to met someone who's part of a big history moment that still alive these days tho

[@bruhbigchungus]

Turns out he's an absolute gangster, too

[@antipro8]

@@bruhbigchungus A gangster? In what way

[@jonasdatlas4668]

@@SiPakRubah my point was the longer ago the thing happened, the worse your odds are that the person is both still alive and you’ll actually find them.

[@SiPakRubah]

@@jonasdatlas4668 Agreed

[@SaneGhoul]

"What kind of job did you have when you were younger grandpa?" "Oh, several things, I used to microwave hamsters for a while."

[@PianoKwanMan]

It's the kind of story that would make the most unruly kids interested in science

[@MakalaDoulos]

😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁

[@bobpobcf9723]

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣶⡾⠏⠉⠙⠳⢦⡀⠀⠀⠀⢠⠞⠉⠙⠲⡀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⣴⠿⠏⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢳⡀⠀⡏⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢷ ⠀⠀⢠⣟⣋⡀⢀⣀⣀⡀⠀⣀⡀⣧⠀⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⡇ ⠀⠀⢸⣯⡭⠁⠸⣛⣟⠆⡴⣻⡲⣿⠀⣸⠀⠀OK⠀ ⡇ ⠀⠀⣟⣿⡭⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢱⠀⠀⣿⠀⢹⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⡇ ⠀⠀⠙⢿⣯⠄⠀⠀⠀⢀⡀⠀⠀⡿⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⡼ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠹⣶⠆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡴⠃⠀⠀⠘⠤⣄⣠⠞⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣷⡦⢤⡤⢤⣞⣁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⢀⣤⣴⣿⣏⠁⠀⠀⠸⣏⢯⣷⣖⣦⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⢀⣾⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⠛⢲⣶⣾⢉⡷⣿⣿⠵⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣼⣿⠍⠉⣿⡭⠉⠙⢺⣇⣼⡏⠀⠀⠀⣄⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣿⣿⣧⣀⣿.........⣀⣰⣏⣘⣆⣀⠀⠀

[@prakharmishra3000]

@@bobpobcf9723 sus

[@Kat21]

Haha

[@JFrizey]

I love how happy and enthusiastically he spoke of his experiences and being soo pleased to share them. I hope I'm as sharp as him at that age. RIP James

[@melodiejohnston9528]

Brilliant! Every aspect was engaging, entertaining and wildly informative. Thank you so much for introducing us to James Lovelock, what a lovely fellow. I'm astonished that you were the only one to interview him about this project. What a loss for us all. I do have to say that I now completely understand the "pop goes the weasel" urban legend.

[@rufusgreenleaf2466]

Just over a century old and the guy was still speaking clearly, smiling and full of life.

[@gerarddip]

Maybe the unconfined microwaves gave him a longer life lmao

[@Hoik_it]

@Parikrma hard you

[@evancain4906]

@Parikrma You did

[@muffinman3052]

@Parikrma it was me. I asked

[@tiagoaversa3060]

I agree Rufus

[@hotelmario510]

The twist that James Lovelock is STILL ALIVE actually broke my brain for a few seconds

[@TheSecondVersion]

I thought it was going to be a phone/skype interview, and then we see the guy *in the flesh,* moving around and talking like a guy half his age

[@proloycodes]

me too

[@WarrenGarabrandt]

Turns out, running microwaves in your lab with no shielding, setting fire to things and lighting up lightbulbs is actually the key to a long life. Huh. Who would have thought?

[@DrZaius3141]

@@WarrenGarabrandt [citation needed]

[@Tommuli_Haudankaivaja]

@@TheSecondVersion Actually almost 3 times younger.

[@TheAtl0001]

RIP James Lovelock. Incredible to think he was a Centenarian when interviewed.

[@dancing_drake]

Thank you so much for saving and recording this awesome historically interesting story.

[@mytherrus2068]

When you said "so I asked him" and I heard his voice, my jaw dropped. Absolutely fascinating

[@honorarymancunian7433]

Took me a second for it to sink in!

[@UnderfundedScientist]

Very same

[@jd43]

The guy seemed so enthusiastic about being interviewed. Very wholesome. Imagine if this guy just came up to you at such an old age to ask about your inventions.

[@lolpl0000]

seemed like such a sweet fella.

[@derpninja7904]

"Sonny you the calibration all wrong in here, put it here and it'll work"

[@jamesmccune2681]

I love that 70 years later he remembered so many details.

[@lordpetrolhead477]

One of your very best videos Tom. Brilliant stuff!

[@BartokandBadIdeas]

Lovelock still being alive was more of a surprise than any M Night Shamylan movie

[@rita25y.o-checkmyvideo79]

Nj

[@master_ace]

Still alive and kicking at 101 in 2021 - what a legend

[@HaasGrotesk]

HAHA! You've obviously watched plenty of them! :)

[@DonalMountain]

Doesn’t look much older than bill gates

[@nocassix4929]

@Luc Bloom maybe that's his secret?

[@RexusprimeIX]

Lovelock had a classic mad scientist moment where his experiment was doing weird stuff to his room, like lighting up the lamps and making things catch on fire, while reanimating a dead animal.

[@robertpetrovich1923]

And the smile he's got talking about it

[@deepsleepist9097]

"It's ALIIIIVE!"

[@nothingisreal6816]

Which things catched on fire? I missed that.

[@solsystem1342]

@@nothingisreal6816 oh that happens all the time when we invent new physics, the universe has to readjust itself around the new rules. I mean discover, discover new rules...

[@tanstaafl1960]

@@nothingisreal6816 Pound notes. 🔥

[@DarrenMansell]

My dad was the local electronics engineer in our area and supplied microwaves to local chip shops. He got called out to one when they were complaining about it taking longer to heat food. It was a small chip shop and they didn't have space to open the microwave door so just cut the window and front mesh out. As far as I know no-one got organs cooked but it was a bit dodgy.

[@pikkon899]

@9:47 I love a happy ending 🥲

[@MrSamulai]

101 year old can accurately remember details from 70 years ago, while I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday.

[@lava2istrue]

Well. What did you have for breakfast/lunch today?

[@Sekir80]

Nobody interested in your lunch today or yesterday. What you invented 2 (or 70) years ago, might be another story. ;)

[@lapeciq]

Well if you had lunch with someone famous you would remember that until your death too, let's be honest if you had been reanimating hamsters with brand new technology at your time you would remember that too and please don't wooosh me :)

[@camelopardalis84]

Ten years and five days ago, at some point between 10.10 and 12.00, someone asked me to remember the number 1081226 for a couple of seconds. But don't ask me what the weather was like 13 hours ago, the last time I was outside. (I have slept since, but still.)

[@defensivekobra3873]

That is how human memory works, similar or uninportant memories are mushed together to save space, important and novel stuff sticks around

[@FullMetalAtheist]

This is the most alert and youngest looking 101 year old I have seen. Good for him.

[@IfUReadThisEatADick]

Im not that alert at 22

[@samc2]

Yes, very alert and clear minded too

[@lostpockets2227]

Thx

[@prashantsurti5788]

maybe I'll be alert too if I survive that long

[@sidarthurgortimer355]

How many 101 year olds have you seen though?

[@carmenm.4091]

I remember someone telling me that in WW2 a Japanese scientist used enormous microwave ‘ovens’ to experiment on people, mostly Koreans. The horrors of war… sometimes history is a horror story but not something we may ever forget.

[@dillongage]

Mr. Lovelock is a treasure. Watching him reminisce about what was clearly good times for him, and simultaneously an important discovery in multiple ways. Thank you for all the contributions you've made to our collective knowledge.

[@johnmcclainejriii5829]

For many Hamsters; it was a heartwarming story.

[@clarcktumazar]

NOOOOO 😭😭😭😭

[@clarcktumazar]

Bro Literally heartwarming!

[@jimbobalot]

Oh no

[@pandoratheclay]

Body warming too

[@choombi6721]

that pun was horrible, have a like

[@jacoblandauer9974]

It looks like you made Mr. Lovelock's day by asking him to tell his story

[@cucuawe465]

I see a joy in him telling the story. It reminds me while im still a kid and spend time with my late great grandma.

[@haplon33]

Top notch interview on an incredibly fascinating topic - thanks!

[@kiwihame]

That's as hilarious as it is fascinating as it is brilliant. Great film. Thank you Tom and James.

[@kalenathai]

lovelock: "i put a potato in it...and baked it!" his wholesome little smile-

[@drawlast]

His giddiness while explaining how light bulbs were lighting up and pound notes were catching fire as radiation bounced around the room is priceless ❤️

[@andyc9902]

Love him

[@ThereminHero]

What a legend!

[@canowow11]

loved it

[@superman2j3]

YES

[@nikolielite1379]

The reveal that Lovelock was still alive just hit me harder than I would've thought.

[@yoymate6316]

I literally had to pause the video to recover from the shock

[@za7v9ier]

and he's a centenarian!

[@zaidlacksalastname4905]

Science rockstar

[@devilaverage6718]

Exactly

[@letsgoBrandon204]

And still has all his marbles. Can't get much better than that

[@rafaelveggi]

Immense respect for this episode in special, thank you dearly.

[@z_z7976]

Darn he passed away less than a month ago. Has anyone tried to reanimate a human with a larger microwave, since he said size is an issue?

[@Germanlecraft]

The microwave is not the problem. It's not working as far as I understood. Has something to do with the freezing

[@stocktonjoans]

"Another Cold Morning" from Warren Ellis' Transmetropolitan is _the_ best sci-fi story about being cryogenically frozen and reanimated

[@taylorhancock5834]

This started out as me going “Tom, you don’t need to tell me Microwaves are interesting, I’m a fan of Technology Connections,” but then when you gave us a 101 year old scientist happily recalling his experiments, I got really happy. This video was great, and I’m happy you decided to make a video on the “boring” concept of microwaves!

[@MonkeyJedi99]

You too? Sweet!

[@plzletmebefrank]

Ahem. Look up. Tech Connections commented on here.