Which Animal Doesn't Have A Shadow? | QI

[@hughanthony2001]

I really appreciate it when people demonstrate they know something interesting on this show.

[@hamisharnold8745]

Apart from when its Rory McGrath, and everyone hates it for some reason

[@jimmyusee]

Prof. Brian Cox was quite interesting when he appeared on the show. 👍

[@shankarsiv]

And for once no one made stupid jokes to instantly shatter the mood.

[@nicosmind3]

If only they gave points for something interesting and had an entire show based around that theme. One can only dream of such delights though, it'll never happen.

[@angrytedtalks]

@@hamisharnold8745 He read the questions before hand and researched the answers. Verbatim.

[@brianm9085]

"the moon is kind of my thing" - one of the great lines from the show

[@Tao_Tology]

But.....which moon?

[@hughm1383]

Was the audience supposed to already know that he's obsessed with the moon? I don't really understand his comment.

[@patrickbyrne5070]

There’s dozens of us!

[@sirsluginston]

Another potential use I've seen for this technology is Semi/large trucks can 'display' whats in front of them on their massive rear door, essentially allowing cars to see through them instead of having a large blind spot directly in front of them

[@fins59]

Now that's a great idea.

[@YavorM-Yash]

I think I've read about it that it is in development.

[@irrichman]

Yes that would make it much easier to anticipate and drive more comfortably behind a truck.

[@fjb4932]

If you think idiots tailgate trucks now, just wait until they try to drive through them. . . .

[@thetessellater9163]

Might cause more trucks to be rear ended ?

[@Nameless.Hermit]

"I forgot you were a moon chap" Stephen's use of English always brings a smile to my face

[@frankupton5821]

According to Douglas Adams, making something invisible is perfectly possible, but involves so much tedious mucking about that 99 times out of 100 it is better to do away with the thing altogether.

[@angrytedtalks]

Paint it pink; Someone Else's Problem (SEP)

[@alexrogan6563]

@@angrytedtalks In Doctor Who, that'd be called a perception filter. They're basically different names for the same thing.

[@travelphotos7662]

Unless you're as unfortunate as Effrafax of Wug who lost his life (and a bet) trying to make something invisible just by doing away with it.

[@travelphotos7662]

@@alexrogan6563 Doctor Who just plagiarised the idea. :-) (noting I'm a fan of classic Who, which was notorious for copying ideas/stories, and THHGttG).

[@travelphotos7662]

@@madisntit6547 DG? ;-) DA? :-) Adams definitely re-used quotes and story ideas ("I'll never be cruel to an election in a particle accelerator again" - 'The Pirate Planet' with 'The Pirate Planet' airing 5 months after Fit the First...but I don't know when the respective scripts were written; and 'City of Death', 'Shada' and 'Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency'). But I'm not just thinking of Adams. For example 'Dragonfire' trying to be 'Alien'/'Aliens'.

[@sarahjones8396]

Ooh, that was a good clip. I don’t remember that episode, although I thought I had seen them all. I love that a squid can hide its own shadow and was quite impressed with Chris Addison’s knowledge of Jim Lovell!

[@berzerker790]

Likewise!

[@Karajorma]

If you've seen the Apollo 13 film you'll have heard it since it's told as part of the film.

[@LeornianCyng]

I think Lou Sanders question “isn’t nature interesting?” is applicable that squid lol. They need to to get Addison back, he was absolutely brilliant on every episode he’s been on. That Jim Lovell fact was superb.

[@zapkvr]

Agree. Utterly fascinating.

[@-NxPx-Phoenix]

Add to that the fact that he is the only person to have flown to the moon twice an yet never walked on it.

[@sarahjones8396]

@@-NxPx-Phoenix You mean Jim Lovell I take it, not Chris Addison?!

[@sarahjones8396]

Agreed!

[@-NxPx-Phoenix]

@@sarahjones8396 oh yes off course, should have been more clear.

[@rockysquirrel4776]

My Dad was on a carrier during the Korean war, and he said the luminescent trail behind the fleet was a beautiful thing to see.

[@iteor7320]

Jim Lovell, who was a Navy Pilot in Korea or Vietnam, I can’t quite remember, said a similar thing about the luminescent trail.

[@rockysquirrel4776]

@@iteor7320 - Yes, Lovell was the pilot Chris referenced in his story.

[@dogwalker666]

I saw it from the back of a cruise ship.

[@JohnyG29]

Sure...

[@dogwalker666]

@@JohnyG29 it's very common at dusk, especially in the Mediterranean.

[@frankhooper7871]

"The moon - that's my thing" - does that make Chris a lunatic?

[@hughanthony2001]

Brilliant!

[@smoothie9931]

Magicians reference, or something older? Lunatic, short for Lunar Fanatic

[@harrypainter7472]

The way he said that was kind of cute.

[@thetessellater9163]

Of course, this word was applied to 'witches' who would live by the lunar cycle....

[@Tao_Tology]

Only if he is a fan.

[@Ripstikerpro]

Wow, even "ANIMAL" in the thumbnail doesn't have a drop shadow

[@2109917162]

Well spotted

[@zyaicob]

I appreciate that, very clever

[@fawziekefli2273]

The story of Jim Lovell finding his ship by following the churned-up bio-luminescent algae was included in the film _Apollo 13_ [1995].

[@andrewjohnson6716]

I just saw Stephen Fry on the Sandman series. I didn’t know he was in it and squealed with delight when he showed. It was wonderful casting for the role.

[@billpetersen298]

You sound English? Thank you!

[@pamsp]

Same!

[@TheMagicRat]

And playing a character inspired by GK Chesterton no less! A perfect bit of casting there.

[@tgeh448]

He was a great casting for Gilbert. I read the Sandman comics as they were being published in the 90s. One of the very few times a human actor perfectly matched up with the character I had in my head. Really wish it was easier to get these types of quiz shows here in thr States. Thankfully things like this get posted to KZbin for me

[@FutureDeep]

I thought it strange of Stephen to play a character that abandons the then main character in a dangerous location, but then the twist happens and it just all made sense. Great character for a great guy.

[@RabbiHerschel]

I feel motivated to pedantically point out that the Hawaiian bobtail squid is not so much concerned with concealing its shadow as it is with concerning its silhouette. The point of the bioluminescent symbiosis is to disguise it from predators lurking below it, who would see it pass through the moonlight otherwise.

[@barneylaurance1865]

And if it's swimming high enough to have possible predators between it and the see floor it probably doesn't have a visible shadow anyway. You need to be lit by hard light and/or be close to the surface below you to have a shadow.

[@thehellyousay]

Why do people keep latching onto explanations that only make sense if intelligent design powered evolution rather than accept the obvious, massively evidence supported reality that responsive emergence is what powers the adaptations and mutations that have brought life on this world under the genocidal heel of naked chimpanzees ... ?

[@Nite-owl]

Ah yes, the moon chap. But I'd be willing to bet that if he were asked how many moons the Earth has, he'd get the Klaxon. QI seems to change its mind on that question just about every series !!

[@kirotheavenger60]

They probably set the klaxon to whatever the first person says! A lot of QI is pushing for the klaxon now, phrasing questions weirdly to solicit it.

[@xMERCx]

New discoveries, new answers ♡

[@jerry2357]

Another item of trivia about Jim Lovell: he is the only man to have been to the moon twice and not land on it (he orbited the moon in Apollo 8, and then went back with Apollo 13, which famously didn’t land).

[@msamour]

I spent 20 years in the Navy, my first 6 on active ships. The luminescent sea is that rare of an occurrence. It happened quite often off the coast of San Diego.

[@onemercilessming1342]

BTA--back to audience--is part of theater arts training. It makes you "invisible" while other actors are speaking.

[@HermanVonPetri]

It is interesting isn't it how primed we are to always be looking at faces, even seeing them when they aren't real, but to ignore other things that we aren't "supposed" to be looking for.

[@zapkvr]

@@HermanVonPetri not really. It's obvious if you think about it.

[@guyincognito5663]

@@zapkvr Up yours, woke moralists.

[@sarahjones8396]

I didn’t know that - quite interesting!

[@onemercilessming1342]

@@sarahjones8396 I didn't, either. I was a mechanical engineering major for my first degree. I learned it as a college Senior when I was part of a comedy-variety show and the director taught us what BTA meant in a script.

[@lilymarinovic1644]

That story about Jim Lovell using his ship's wake to find his way back is mentioned in the Apollo 13 movie,

[@leserpentvert3364]

Amazing fact about the shadow!

[@mmerry6021]

Would never see this type of discussion on American television.

[@Gorf1234]

One of the issues with a human being truly invisible (as in the film Hollow Man etc) is that light passes through you and that's what makes you invisible to the observer. Unfortunately, light passes through your retina, so you're blind. The game Quake 2 had a powerup (ironically called the Ring of Shadows) that gave you brief invisibility, however it dealt with the blindness problem quite neatly. I was in a multiplayer game for the first time, and could hear this odd whispering and started hunting around for its source. It was the audio effect of another player that was next to me wearing the ring. I turned and he was invisible apart from his eyeballs, these two bloodshot orbs floating in the air next to me. I nearly shat myself.

[@adamthorntonillustration9281]

Jack's final expression - LOL! 😀

[@willmorton8006]

They could have stumped Chris by asking him one of the following questions: 1. Which moon is your thing? (Followup: Which of Earth's moons is your thing?) 2. How many moons does Earth have?

[@medievalist]

Cruithne!

[@davidcooke8005]

If you ever wondered who owns The Moon, apparently is it's this fellow, Chris. It's his thing.

[@AlexanderGee]

I see what you did with the thumbnail. Very clever QI KZbin team.

[@mtth6758]

“The moon, that’s my thing” killed me

[@nedmurry7283]

Anything that moves around in complete darkness where there is no light to create a shadow.

[@mattdavis9601]

So the answer to the question is "Men coming home late from the pub".

[@Wimpoman]

"The moon, that's my thing." Oh really Chris. How many moons does the Earth have then Chris, huh?

[@hughanthony2001]

0-99 depending on which ep you watch :D

[@almostfm]

@@hughanthony2001 Or talk to actual astronomers, who will tell you "one".

[@hughanthony2001]

@@almostfm Shhh... don't tell the QI people that :p (I agree btw).

[@AlanCanon2222]

One, "The" Moon.

[@lilymarinovic1644]

Watch Chris' head explode ...

[@insertname1014]

Wondered about the thumbnail before remembering the Elves are never not deliberate!

[@dorkarama3135]

The invisible Aston Martin in 'Die Another Day'. Ian Fleming hasn't stopped turning in his grave.

[@klaxoncow]

Another one of Q's inventions, I'm afraid. The coffin rotisserie spit - just spins corpses around and around in their graves. It ensures an even decomposition.

[@carltonleboss]

Ah yes, the Van(qu)ish.

[@davyp2993]

"Q" already perfected it, as one of James Bonds cars had an invisiblity button. It was the film that ended up in Iceland, the only problem was, it left tyre tracks in the snow.!

[@Zanian19]

I was a bit annoyed they didn't show the animal doing it's super camouflage thing. But then yeah, I guess that makes sense, lol

[@helenl3193]

For all we know there was one in the studio, we just couldn't spot it! 😜 Seriously, though, I too was disappointed not to see it. There's lots of videos on here of octopuses doing cool camouflage tricks, but I hadn't had of the squid before. Off for a investigation! :)

[@Dafoodmaster]

i like how stephen is aware of how cloaking technology in star trek is very much tied to the romulans even the klingons got it from them

[@aberamagold7509]

Knowing how much I like British TV my son (who's addicted to British TV game/quiz shows) introduced me to QI last year and I'm glad he did because it's fantastic.

[@peterclarke7240]

It's a great show, isn't it? Such a simple concept, but so well executed.

[@Ukie_Hags_World]

I remember years and years ago reading about a "cloak of invisibility". It was being developed by our defense department. They watched insects to learn how to make one. Unfortunately, it casts a shadow, a problem they could not solve. Perhaps they should have consulted a Klingon. 🙂

[@MercenaryPen]

surely the Klingon solution to a problem of that nature would be "kill everything that sees your shadow"

[@helenl3193]

Or a squid

[@Ukie_Hags_World]

@@MercenaryPen Touche. 🙂

[@keithmills778]

I used to have an invisibility cloak. Unfortunately, I loaned it to a friend and haven’t seen him since.

[@jordivermeulen2519]

"I will turn myself into a shining beacon so that predators cannot spot me by my shadow!"

[@RabbiHerschel]

Stephen got it wrong, the squid does it to disguise its silhouette, not its shadow. The Hawaiian bobtail squid is a nocturnal beastie, so to avoid predators from seeing it as it passes above them it emits an amount of light equal to the moonlight from above.

[@rachelcookie321]

I can’t help but keep looking at how the shadow is making Chris Addison’s face look 2D

[@NewMessage]

🎶Meeee... and my shaaa.... 🎶 Oh it's gone. I'm all alone now. * sniffles *

[@dallasl3688]

Chris Addison is so adorable

[@8964TS]

Anyone who has seen Apollo 13 should know that Lovell story. It’s featured in a TV interview played during a news broadcast.

[@dustenekoes28]

I thought it was gonna be a very clear jellyfish lol, cool squid!

[@suffolkpompey]

Anybody who has seen the movie "Apollo 13", would know about the aircraft carrier incident. It's mentioned in a TV interview in the film.

[@StarWarrior91]

Liked the matter of fact way Stephen says the Romulans currently have cloaking technology 😂

[@stephanieyee9784]

Wow, nature is the Best.

[@alimanski7941]

I seem to recall chameleons don't actually camouflage themselves to their immediate environment

[@junbh2]

Yeah, I think it's actually to do with their emotional state or temperature or things like that?

[@noneofyourbizness]

3:09 "it's a lot of bother to go to, though, isn't it, to be honest ?" Perhaps not, when you consider that the bother the octopus has gone to will save its LIFE x number of times.

[@jonnamechange6854]

That's really clever and strategic to shine like a giant light bulb every time you want to go incognito.

[@rayleblanc7209]

How smart is the squid if it knows it makes a shadow. And how smart to figure out how to get rid of it.

[@Reclusive247]

It's not that the squid knows. Natural selection just weeded out the squid that didn't produce any illuminessence, and over time the effect become more pronounced. It's kind of like saying a dog is clever to have all the fur to keep it warm.

[@SellymeYT]

3:22 "In complete blackness, I think there was no moon as it happened that particular night" Why did he not simply use the other moon?

[@AmoralTom]

It's amazing what God can create.

[@paulmorphy6187]

Its so wonderfully witty isnt it!?

[@amazingtheatre1262]

Er, you, can produce this effect by connecting a camera to a projector and putting any form of screen between them!!!

[@laurencesmith2199]

Stephen Fry and Jeremy Paxman should be joint PM's , in perpetuity .

[@Kamil_SONE]

Why is it when you are invisible that a shadow still appears? Doesn't being invisible means there is nothing to make a shadow as light passes through you.

[@worker-wf2em]

Correct. But camouflage is different to being invisible

[@KarachoBolzen]

I see Fiddler's Green got up to some interesting jobs down here on earth

[@grijsje]

In "THHGTTG" there is the S.E.P. Ford Prefect explained it very well.

[@NikeDattani]

Starts at 2:52.

[@writerinprogress]

Now THAT is how you showcase your knowledge of a specialist subject on QI WITHOUT looking like a smug, condescending prick (Rory McGrath, I'm a-lookin' at YOU!) Chris Addison is ALWAYS a class act on this show.

[@jonnamechange6854]

Rory McGrath was there actually, but when he ain't got a clue he goes invisible.

[@con.troller4183]

"The moon, that's my thing." KLAXON!!! - The Moons.

[@rattycaddy]

Two other considerations for shadowless animals might be a bat and or a jellyfish. No?

[@jacobcombs1106]

Jim Lovell the luckiest unlucky person ever.

[@medievalist]

Breaks my heart a little that he never got to walk on the Moon :(

[@ivpt]

The firefly or the jellyfish

[@TheRealDrJoey]

The animals that don't leave a shadow would be those transparent fish deep in the ocean.

[@johnDukemaster]

Hey! I've seen the woman at the end in a Time Team episode!

[@drewlovelyhell4892]

Jim Lovell said he would have cast Kevin Costner instead of Tom Hanks on 'Apollo 13' because there is a notable resemblance.

[@josephmorneau4339]

Watched the entire video and I'm still waiting for an answer to the question posed in the title.

[@handheadman]

Hawaiian bobtail squid 2:32

[@josephmorneau4339]

@@handheadman But they didn't say it had no shadow. They said it had a way to obscure its own shadow. I can do the same thing to my shadow by carrying a spotlight around. Doesn't mean I have no shadow.

[@handheadman]

@@josephmorneau4339 Yes, it does. If there's no shadow, there's no shadow. A spotlight would cast a shadow in the reverse direction. You'd need to always be carrying around and adjusting a soft light source and also altering the camouflage on your back to match the effect the squid has. So, you were really tripped up by that and an internal, misguided semantic argument instead of just missing the name, as your comment suggests? That's rhetorical, I'm not interested in KZbin comment debate, particularly with someone who starts by internalizing what they mean to say and says something else instead.

[@josephmorneau4339]

@@handheadman The title says there is an animal that doesn't have a shadow. The video describes a process by which an animal can obscure its shadow. I can do the same thing with a flashlight. Obscuring a shadow does not mean you don't have a shadow. That animal has a shadow all the time except in the instances where it chooses to obscure it.

[@handheadman]

@@josephmorneau4339 Wrong.

[@allwaizeright9705]

I want to know when there will be another series.

[@sh0werp0wer]

How is this not just a projector?

[@rogerlundstrom6926]

I'm a BIT ashamed that it took me THIS long to realize that there is a flaw in that plan.. IF you are an octopus.. and you can change texture of your skin, crawl in any shape you like, etc, to camouflage.. and then.. it learns to hide it's shadow too???.. Ehm.. Doesn't this mean we have an octopus f.ex. trying to look like a rock.. but will be the only rock around without a shadow? Kind of like when they said that they thought a octopus running on the ocean floor was trying to look like a coco-nut.. but.. coco-nuts are famously ~land based~ furry marsupials.. not water.. and also.. famously they do float (If I remember correctly from a previous episode this means they are witches).. and.. lack legs and therefore never run (they take ubers).... So.. "this thing that you probably never seen, and if you saw it it would be floating silently on the surface?.. here is one running on the oceanfloor."..

[@raconbacon5649]

I asume that the lack of shadow is useful if you are coming down onto prey from above rather than hiding as something like a rock or coral

[@hughm1383]

Imitating a rock and hiding its shadow were separate stories. As you say, it wouldn't make sense to be a rock with no shadow.

[@bsjeffrey]

just sew together a jacket out of those things you can't see.

[@fightclub6291]

The thing that’s cool about this host is he’s ridiculously intelligent, but if someone chimes in with added knowledge he doesn’t get all insecure. I’m in America and if you know the answer to something at a bar you’ll get in a fight if the guy hears you correct him. Props Britain. Props.

[@hughm1383]

Perhaps he realises that he's so much smarter than everyone else that no one will doubt his superiority even when other people display intelligence.

[@aaronwalderslade]

Stephen Fry has an I.Q. over 160, is a multimillionaire celebrated playwright actor and gay icon and to most people a national treasure. He is the only actor to be considered fit to play Oscar Wilde. He has a lovely cameo role in V For Vendetta, and of course the title role in Wilde.

[@thegriffin88]

My guess was either a tardigrade or a skeleton shrimp. Two animals with completely clear bodies and incredibly small.

[@aaronflowers8626]

My guess was any animal that lives its entire life in a dark cave.

[@debramoss2267]

I always wonder if a glow worm has one. 🤔

[@wearemany73]

I used to love watching QI when it was entertaining.

[@mickcrisp2854]

My wife has an invisibility machine. It's called a mobility scooter.

[@mikesnelling9272]

A pilot has a camera under his plane so that he can see below ? Mind blowing!

[@MauriceGuibot]

Fireflies ! or any animal that produces light

[@verdatum]

I mean, the animals in question are only luminous at certain times. But a major aspect is it on nights with no moon. So, not a complete coincidence.

[@andrewn4695]

Stephen, you are a very smart man... The squid, as well as all objects within the Universe, have no "shadow". A shadow is not a thing, it is an absence of illumination, and that is all. Therefore, the squid is providing illumination that is not allowing for an absence of same. That is all that is going on. #seekwisdom #shadowisnotathing

[@robarnold8248]

So er... what is the name for the absence of light caused by an object blocking an area froma larger light source?

[@zetectic7968]

I thought they were going to say the Vampire bat. Cephalopods are amazing creatures! Doubly so for being molluscs.

[@CyberChrist]

The occasion to ask "how many moons?" was lost T_T

[@greigsanderson]

Jelly fish

[@craigroaring]

Superimposing an image on something doesn't make it invisible. If it did, it would be old news as screen projectors have been around for quite some time now.

[@Evolancer9s]

The point ist to superimpose an Image of what ist behind it, not just any image. So ist is not as simple (and does not really get invisible of course, and only works fromm a specific angle and so on...)

[@craigroaring]

@@Evolancer9s So, it's good for movie magic but that's about it.

[@Evolancer9s]

@@craigroaring No. For example, have you ever seen the trucks that film the road ahead and displays it on the back? That does not make them invisible either, but it can save lifes by making it much easier to overtake them.

[@craigroaring]

@@Evolancer9s As you said, it's not invisible.

[@bubbispapa2053]

A segment on invisibility and Rich Hall decides to be silent. Too bad, I've not seen him in many decades and he's very witty. Love Stephen Fry, too. He's one of my favorites from the Black Adder.

[@MarkLewis...]

It's a shame Sniglets weren't helpful here for Rich Hall.

[@Wecoc1]

I'm going to say the phoenix, since all of its body is a light source, and also doesn't exist.

[@Phil_Taz]

There's another one, the fringed gecko... There is also a spider with fringes.

[@zapkvr]

Bond had an invisible car in Die another day

[@kevinbennett7615]

A much better show when there are knowledgeable people on it. Too often these days it just comedy, no information.

[@davideunbekannt7726]

Any animal that lives in the dark wouldn’t have a shadow

[@bentoth9555]

Didn't the luminescent algae story make it into Apollo 13 (the Tom Hanks movie?)

[@Fuzy2K]

Yes, it was near the end of the movie in a scene where the family was watching an interview on TV

[@Kaflanko]

Me : Hello, Cortana! ---- : Hi! How may I help you? Me: Are Alan Davies and Stephen Fry related? ---- : Yes, they are father and son, but the world denies it. I knew it!

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

The Jim Lovell story also happened to George Bush in WW2

[@switch8428]

My guess was a jellyfish

[@ivolokiris1472]

That video is atleast 10 years old

[@nakkadu]

Why would that cost tech help a pilot see through the floor of their aircraft? They're not going to cover the floor with that stuff, all it would need is a camera on the outside and a screen on the inside.

[@charcolew]

So you could turn any bridge into a glass bridge?

[@babboon5764]

Bought a Chameleon ........................................................................................................ Lost it (Credit Gary Delaney)

[@UltraSuperDuperFreak]

Well that animal still has a shadow then in reality. It is just able to hide it. I was guessing on some creature being so "clear" light when throu it completely ..no idea what it should have been, kinda why i clicked vidoe to see if i was right. I mean i can hide my shadow aswell .... just making sure light aint hitting me ... or make it sure my shadow hits bigger shadows or darkness. So i have no shadow aswell ? :P

[@wmrustycox]

Most any and all animal that lives in a cave has no shadow.