Why We Can’t See Underwater but Fish Can

[@StarTalk]

If Aquaman can see clearly underwater and on land, do you think he’s rocking magical fish lenses or just has superhero-grade contact lenses?

[@vikingthedude]

Its the power of jason mamoa

[@ethandandu]

maybe he no has lenses but post processes the blurry image in the brain to make it sharp they say that we see upside down because of how the light convergence in the eye lens. i'm so sure i don't see upside down... the ground is down and the up is up it's definitely not upside down...

[@theunknownunknowns256]

Free fish heads in nz. Theres a app.

[@theunknownunknowns256]

Eat whole fish. Don't waste food.

[@theunknownunknowns256]

Kai ika. The app.

[@paulbrungardt9823]

Optometrist here -- The visual disability of underwater vision is in not in the Lens ; it is the Cornea ( clear bubble in front of eye that you can touch). The cornea is mostly water, with index of refraction of 1.33. The average power of 43 diopter of the cornea is dependent on the mostly water cornea interfacing with air ( index of refraction of 1.00) however, if the cornea interfaces with water ( index of refraction of 1.4), the light bending effect of the cornea is practically illuminated. Ergo the human eye is thus 43 diopters farsighted ( Hyperopia). ---Sorry for sounding like a optics geek but it is a part of my soul by now.

[@silvaquick193]

Don't be sorry bro, amazing to see people with real jobs these days

[@spydermonkey9381]

Ngl I find ur comment extremely informative. Keep posting this kinda info more often .

[@CosmicBeing538]

Thank you for all of the hard work you do! 😀

[@bkbekka3039]

Absolutely... do not ever be sorry for being informative. Although I had to read it twice to make sure I had it. Thank you!

[@rickkwitkoski1976]

practically illuminated ?? but you're not a grammar geek... eliminated!!

[@brolythedon]

Every time I watch these videos my mind gets blown and I realize how much I don’t actually know .. KEEP IT UP

[@J.A.Smith2397]

Yall together is what really brings your show together, cause I love some science but Neil alone would just be too much lol love ya tyson he just puts the cookies on the lower shelf better

[@RandomNooby]

I just realised Short sighted means I never had much of a problem with this, never even knew it was a thing....

[@Palidine4M0O]

Yeah, this title and episode was confusing to me too, same reason XD. I'm like, i see SO WELL underwater, ffs

[@ionevenknow-es9yo]

Time to become a fish

[@grc-c8e]

Chuck and Neil constantly lessening the suffering of human existence on a daily basis!

[@brudur4707]

Real

[@earthoid]

For once I thought I would NOT learn anything new from one of your videos but I watched it anyway. Darn it, I still learned a couple things!

[@remander3873]

The single greatest change in index of refraction for humans is as the light transitions from air to the tear film that covers the cornea. That's also why dry eyes can make your vision really blurry.

[@deganlw]

Good point. The curvature of the cornea does most of the refraction in the eye; the lens just does the fine tuning for accommodation between distant and near vision. That’s why LASIK, the vision correcting surgery, is an alteration of the cornea, not the lens.

[@remander3873]

@deganlw True. The tear film and the cornea together account for about 80% of the focusing.

[@Bob-of-Zoid]

My right eye waters quite a bit in cold weather, and if cold enough literally build up ice on my cheek or scarf, and it blurs my vision quite a bit too, so I have do blot it with a tissue ore sleeve, but sometimes both hands ar in use, and then its frustrating! Not enough to pop my own eye out like Wo does the fish though! I lived in Bavaria for a few decades and the farm near by who were my friends had these huge slaughter festivals once a year, and there was one old man that loved pig eyes, and he would chew on them like gum because they were so tough! NASTY!!!🤢

[@BooSpencer]

I’m so glad he answered Fish. I still chuckle when I think of the show comparing counting with base 10 vs base 16.

[@imcbocian]

Yea, that was torture 😅

[@misterx168]

I thought he was going to answer Charles Liu lol

[@MoniJohnson]

@@misterx168 :))

[@NathanNGM]

Chuck-le? I see what you did there! I just saw that counting on base 4 episode and was DYING. Such a good one and good on Chuck for stickin with it!

[@fabiodelgado5457]

Hexadecimal numbering

[@mapiasal]

Being shortsighted makes me able to see underwater better than most people :)

[@mospeada1152]

Yeh, I thought underwater made people short sighted and not long sighted too!

[@happyheals3755]

collorblind people also see better in the dark

[@ericdeoliveira648]

​@happyheals3755 what, you gotta be kidding, I'm collorblind and I didn't know that, could you elaborate? Please

[@CosmicBeing538]

@@ericdeoliveira648 Some do. I believe colorblind people with more rods see better at night. So it depends.

[@schizoagnostic4577]

Yeah both my eyes are -3.5, and whether im inside water or outside (without glasses), I can see with same clarity.

[@adamr9720]

Did anyone else wish they explained the fish eye thing in the first 90 seconds but then you actually watch until the end, learn about diamonds etc because it’s so flipping fascinating?

[@franky.378]

This isn't KZbin short

[@thomasschodt7691]

Makes sense, I am myopic (near-sighted) and never really noticed a focue problem opening my eyes underwater.

[@OnlyFactsPlease]

Now that you say that, I'm realizing that I've never seen you and Aquaman in the same room together...hmmmmm... very suspicious 🤔

[@Brave7320]

Exactly the same for me. My prescription is -14. I specifically remember being under water when I was a kid and being able to see without glasses for the first time in my life.

[@TheViper4Life]

This is weird to me that so many people are saying this. I too am nearsighted but absolutely can NOT see clearly under water. There definitely has to be more to this.

[@Secret1one2]

@@TheViper4Life How nearsighted are you though? Homie above is -14 and basically blind.

[@Shayzare]

@@TheViper4Life It happened to me in the ocean when I was 8yrs old. The sun was as bright as it could get. I was able to see perfect under the salted water. Also, I was drowning at the time it happened. I tried again around age 15 but this time Either the salt in the water or the person directly next urinated my eyes were burnt red a severely with redness and irritation for four days.

[@dexterfurman9118]

Love these two together. They play off of each other very well while educating us in a fun way.

[@mchllwoods]

My father and stepmom are from The Caribbean. They love their fish and fish eyes.😂❤

[@6degreesN]

There was a young lady named bright, who could travel much faster than light, she set off one day, in a relative way, and returned the preceding night

[@vitalyonga77]

What is this now?

[@shinoa_hiiragi_]

​@@vitalyonga77 a poem

[@YO-qu6ow]

Her exploits were famed far and wide, For physics itself she defied. But Einstein declared, “I’m a little bit scared, She’s warped all of space-time inside!”

[@zJoriz]

I literally facepalmed when I saw "percieved". Other than that, excellent and insightful material again! So much stuff about lenses I didn't know.

[@VaanRavi]

I JUST SAW YOU LIVE IN WORCESTER, MA. Thank you Neil for an awesome night!!!

[@cloudysky1974]

Don’t apologize for having Chuck there! He should always be there for whatever it is you’re filming, you guys have the best dynamic and balance / complement each other. And like you said it’s better than just talking into the void of the camera lens.

[@f0xygem]

What you're saying, about people's vision being blurry underwater, may be true in general, but it is not true for everybody--like me for example. We went to Atlantic City when I was seven. My dad was holding my shoulders as the waves crashed into us. I looked behind us and noticed that the waves were getting successively larger. "Dad, the waves keep getting bigger and bigger. We're about to get dumped into the ocean." No sooner than, when my dad said, "Nah, we're fine", an enormous wave welled up over us and knocked us both into the surf. It occurred to me that this isn't like a city pool where the chlorine would sting my eyes, so I opened my eyes, and I saw the most amazing thing. All these little colourful bits of sand were twirling around in the surf. "So this is what it's like to be a fish", I thought. This underwater scene did not look at all blurry. These tiny pebbles looked sharp and crisp--no blurred edges. But then, I have some unusual visual features such as trichomism (coloured night vision) and 20/15 vision. Since I didn't have my vision checked until I was 18, when I was a kid, I may have had 20/10 (Chuck Yaeger vision) because that's what my son had as a kid. My son is rare indeed because the sons of trichrome women usually are color-blind, but he also has coloured night vision. Maybe I'm just not from this planet.

[@jussayinmipeece1069]

was about to say that as well. its news to me that i am not supposed to see under water. I have never thought about it ever. I just assumed that everyone could see under water.

[@f0xygem]

@@jussayinmipeece1069 Do you have colored night vision as well? Perhaps the two traits are linked.

[@Dubble312]

We love these quick mind blower videos with both of you. Keep them coming.

[@nintendianajones64]

Such a cool video. Please never stop doing these.

[@Jaw-g2z]

You guys are so refreshing to watch.

[@Silvia6]

Neil is such a pleasure to listen to and I always enjoy Chuck on the show 🎉

[@Williamsmel]

You guys are awesome together. Thank you for the informative knowledge and humor

[@pferlito]

6:19 I perceive a typo…

[@craigcraig8625]

Yes, I before e except after c!

[@GersonH2.0]

​@@craigcraig8625That's weird.

[@MDuarte-vp7bm]

Nonsense fake rule that disrespects the actual language ​@@craigcraig8625

[@Gandhi_Physique]

Not that big of a deal. You understood it. Good enough.

[@alargeturtle]

'Weird', 'height', 'caffeine'. Plenty of exceptions to that rule...

[@phasomyr]

I would just like to point out that "As always, keep looking up" is such a fantastic outro. Whether it be for a podcast, or any sort of speech or class or whatever the case.

[@carrito1981]

The graphics have been getting and better!

[@Game_Theory_solution]

It is great to see physics related topics that influence real life situations.

[@d3fct]

Very cool animations, helped me visualize it better.

[@danielbeck2414]

super cool discussion. I had never thought about sunrise and sunsets and light refraction before this discussion.

[@ernestorivera3517]

I happened to walk into a jewelry store while my pupils were dilated because just had an eye exam! That’s when you see the magnificent splendor of diamonds, not recommended but they look awesome

[@alexdelarge8772]

LSD does that, too. 🤣 But, I don't recommend that either.

[@TheColdbrews]

​@@alexdelarge8772I remember being blown away by all the colors when I walked into a gas station while on LSD.

[@mgelliott1]

Great vid. Learned a lot. That said, your graphics person misspelled perceived.

[@mrquirky3626]

I first read that title as "Why we can't see underwear but fish can". I really needed more sleep last night.

[@StoneE4]

If the underwear is in the water you'd be correct.

[@Rot-god]

I also need it, I read your comment as as "Why we can't see underwater but fish can" and checked the title to see if it was wrong.

[@MasterWingman]

I wish I could have dinner with Neil. It would be an interesting and educational experience.

[@cneuzil]

Hey, small nitpick - "perceived" is misspelled around 6:41.

[@initiativeplaytherapy88]

Clearly, the person who made this slide has never seen "A Boy Named Charlie Brown." 😂

[@benhasglasses]

No one is perfect :)

[@pop5678eye]

What I love about science is that it questions even things we take for granted.

[@kriminalxrr]

I love these videos, keep them coming. I've learned so many things watching you guys. "Knowledge is power"

[@ColeSotil]

SO Glad to have a personal physicist! Was feeling a bit big in my britches earlier as I was telling a friend I needed to check with my own personal physicist for some data that could help bring to fruition a good hypothesis in this very subject

[@Vasanbunshichi]

Charles liu playing the “I got your nose “ game “I got your eye” 😜😂

[@RisingPivot]

You and Chuck are the best! My most watched podcast of 2024

[@gggodare]

I am extremely near sighted. I assume that is related to why I see underwater fine as long as I'm not wearing any corrective lenses. I was almost addicted to swimming because I could finally see.

[@Pez_Destroyer]

I like listening to you guys 'just talk' it's always a fun journey!

[@EmmanuelBrito]

I love it here 😂

[@mathewmcfool]

Please keep this up, well done gentlemen

[@cryp4life509]

So how do fish see when they get pulled out of water?

[@JDRED_Wallis]

Not very well

[@desiGnampthia]

like my granpappy always told me: a fish out of water can't sea.

[@literature392]

Fish jesus

[@Steffox1312]

Out of the water, fishes start to cry. 😥 Which adds a layer of water in their eyes enabling them to see clear.🤓 (I'm joking of course...)

[@Syrgwhite]

Do lab grown diamonds have the same density?

[@joe_hoeller_chicago]

One of the few best podcasts left-love you Neil! 💫

[@neilbond2483]

Thanks

[@BioAlpha5]

my coworker asked me how fish see and now i can show him this lmao

[@tonyg8129]

You two are so entertaining. Love your podcasts.

[@harrymoyes5069]

Humans can **see** reasonably well underwater. We just can't focus. And the osmotic pressure is also a medium term a problem We can construct contact lenses that allow the human eye to focus under water, but putting a bubble of air in front of the eye is significantly simpler, universal, and avoids the problem of osmosis.

[@wolfgangBuonarotti]

yeah i feel like i can see decently (a bit like one's playercharacter being drunk in a video game) in natural freshwater, its just that my eyes have to be acclimated to the water, and water we swim in often has irritating chemicals like chlorine or salt. these two are NYC and Philly guys though lol so idk if theyve 'bathed in the crystal waters of lake Minnetonka' like some of us have

[@vampireraef]

So goggles

[@traphomebaby]

I feel like my vision doesn’t get effected underwater what does that mean😂

[@ronaldpatterson1701]

If you can't focus underwater, that means you can't see well underwater, genius😅😅

[@LikeSpee]

@@ronaldpatterson1701🤦🏽‍♂️😅

[@enoughstuff333]

Just saw Neil Degrasse Tyson at The Hanover Theatre in Worcester, MA, and he was brilliant and funny, and I loved every minute. ❤ Great early Christmas gift 2024

[@hedonepicurea4327]

6:09 Fish eye is pretty delicious.

[@MarcusGray-b3f]

You make the simplest things just mind boggling! You also simplify things to where I think I understand it!☺️

[@christopherhead686]

I'm shortsighted, and I see clearly without specs underwater!!

[@failorrise7093]

Thanks, Neil. You're a gift to us all.

[@johnjames6344]

I am very near-sighted. I can actually see quite well underwater. The "environmental farsightedness" imposed by water almost exactly counteracts my nearsightedness (myopia). If only it was a simpler matter to take out my contact lenses ...

[@Brave7320]

Same here, I’m very near sighted as well. It’s been fun to read through all the comments and hear from others that have felt the same struggle.

[@Gandhi_Physique]

I wonder if it would work for me. Do you know the sphericity value of your eyes?

[@johnjames6344]

@Gandhi_Physique My contact lenses are -8

[@One_with_bodie]

I love these short topics and convo clips. Perfect duration. Interesting topic guys.

[@commentreaderspresident234]

So technically we can't see clearly in space, unless you're in a spacecraft of a space suit, and the air in them helps you see in space

[@lemongavine]

I didn’t expect to learn about binoculars and diamonds. Amazing stuff

[@Mantas.N]

If you're a short sighted person that's beyond recovery with lenses or glasses, does it mean that underwater you generally have better chances to see more clearly compared to others ?

[@mrmark8564]

I see absolutely perfectly underwater. In air I can't see four inches past my nose.

[@vermasean]

Congratulations on 4 Million Subscribers!!!! 🌌

[@micron001]

So if a near sighted person opens their 'bare' eyes under water is the far sighted-ness phenomena corrected to some degree? When it comes to fish eyes, one place you don't want to see them is in your automotive paint job (look it up)!

[@Brave7320]

Absolutely. I’m very near sighted and can see clearly underwater. 0 is perfect sight, I’m -14. Legally blind starts at about -2.5.

[@beeheart6529]

I love when Chuck makes Dr Tyson laugh!! ❤

[@ServiteJack]

I LOVE This guy. You are awesome ive learned SO much

[@malaihiboi]

You guys are funny! It's nice seeing people be their true self around their good friends. We'd always eat a fish eye growing up here in hawaii. Right off the hibachi. Outside is soft and inside is hard af.

[@savagepro9060]

Neil: "Why we need air to see" Things inside a vacuum: "Are we a joke to you?"

[@FusionDeveloper]

I assumed the reason why underwater looked blurry, was because of irritation to my eyes. Thank you soo much for the free educational videos.

[@josepht5331]

Dr. Tyson is everyone’s tutor. We are all Chuck lol. Now sometimes we have to wait on Chuck to catch up with the rest of the class but we don’t mind. He’s funny and enthusiastic to learn so we let it slide 😂😂

[@kyzikpikes5705]

Great work guys with all the new details and graphic design !! - Definitely helps.

[@faraimuwanigwa3048]

Now I know why I have had to wear spectacles, I can see clearly in water without goggles

[@JDRED_Wallis]

Wow you’re unique.

[@aboutsean]

@@JDRED_Wallis No, he's not unique . I can too and I don't know ANYONE who CAN'T see underwater.

[@brainbleedthepirate]

*Fish enter the chat

[@mrmark8564]

I also have perfect underwater vision and am definitely not a fish, although sometimes a bit fishy.

[@paolomoscatelli]

this one was great. listening to you guys i get smarter every day. oh, wait, that's a different youtube chanell

[@justasasquatch]

Those who say you can’t see underwater have never been to the north end of the Florida Keys.

[@ianholland4285]

Relativity

[@remander3873]

I was hoping you guys would discuss the "four-eyed" fish that has two separate optical systems per eye: one above the water line and the other below. Fascinating!

[@michaelclatecki8157]

Those were great videos back in the 90s lol

[@Tom-_-Hanks]

😊 Thanks, thumbs up, have a great day.

[@brunnomenxa]

I would like to say that relevantly to the theme of this video, Veritasium has just posted a video about optics on their channel, talking about the phenomenon that leads to the formation and perception of rainbows. Really cool.

[@bf99ls]

It is indeed brilliant.

[@navajyotichetia8968]

Entertaining science candies is the retired scientists forte- for the better of course

[@colbylapresi5601]

What’s good Chuck!

[@danboricua4]

The stick figured man had a tiny bended shadow. Give the graphics person an award.😂

[@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88]

4:28 I love when Chuck leaves Neil hanging with what seems an easy answer, and Neil's got the look that only an experienced educator has mastered 😂

[@drkneevil]

Fantastic. I love to learn

[@bradleyfitzik2447]

There are a lot of animals that can see well both in air and water. Crane birds, seals, otters, penguins, etc. What kind of lens do they have to see in both?

[@tumbikani739]

My guess is that their level of accommodation is far superior to humans. Giving them the ability to adjust the shapes of their lenses to accommodate the changes in medium

[@jonasbraud2181]

Amphibians?

[@bradleyfitzik2447]

Yep amphibians too. All the animals that can see well both in water and air must have lenses that are thick enough to see in water but thin enough to still see in air. Must be a crazy thin line 🤏

[@oreopharaoh3748]

It’s nice to finally be welcomed as a ease dropper

[@savagepro9060]

Neil🧑‍🚀: " Why We Can’t See Underwater but Fish Can " Fish: "We eat Sea-Carrots"

[@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88]

That fish emoji makes this even funnier 😂

[@petergreen5337]

❤Thank you very much for this helpful lesson Professor

[@JeremyHomicki]

I was wondering after you talked about the diamond, how would light go through one if it was a sphere?

[@anonablous]

the archerfish (Toxotes) shoots bugs off of over hanging branches, and corrects for the refraction from water to air. with fair accuracy :)

[@soundcheck6885]

Do seals and otters also have fat lenses?

[@Seattle_Daniel]

Otters are capable of adjusting the shape of their lenses while diving, allowing them to focus light more effectively underwater. This ability compensates for the reduced bending of light that occurs when transitioning from air to water

[@vermasean]

4 Million Subscribers around the corner!!! 🌌 ❤

[@betheblessing206]

Except, I can see underwater..🤔

[@mahendrasinghadhikari6830]

Nice to meet you fish

[@nicklindberg90]

🐠🐟

[@Teqnyq]

Maybe you are a fish

[@ethandandu]

yes i can see too... but it's alot more 4k hd hdr and the salt water doesn't burn my soul when using goggles are they saying that fish see as good as me with goggles... or the equivalent of me seeing on land? do fish see in colour?

[@JakeSmith-ps4vr]

Gayfish? ;) ​@@Teqnyq

[@RandomMusingsOfLowMelanin]

0:32 Damn those gains on Chuck!

[@theweeklydaily2024]

Red Dead Redemption 2 actually perfectly captures the fish in water concept. if you try and shoot fish in the water and aim directly where the fish is, you’ll miss. you have to aim slightly lower. that’s amazing

[@dontanton7775]

Hey StarTalk, the really interesting question that didn't get answered (maybe you can do an addendum) is: WHY is the light bending when it changes medium? I never understood that.

[@themoss7115]

I think I saw document about weird changes of metals at extreme pressures. One of those weird things was transparency.

[@Drazzuhmas]

I'm totally getting some long sighted glasses from pound land! I wondered how the dencity change effects prescription?!

[@TiTaughtYou]

This was one of the most captivating illustrations I’ve ever seen and heard. 🙂

[@diybassfishing5757]

Would love to hear more about how the light spectrum is disrupted by atmosphere and water and how different animals and aquatic life perceive the light.

[@ThePrufessa]

1:44 this graphic demonstrates why sunsets and sunrises extend our daylight by ten minutes every day. 5 extra minutes for each.

[@cornfarts]

? Please explain to a dummy like me

[@momouelf]

Love these explainers. Please keep doing them!

[@LeonardoBuntemeyer]

It would be interesting mention alligators and crocs. The have an adicional membrain in their eyes to see underwater. Cheers from Brazil.

[@justinkane290]

As an undergrad in Engineering you only can take so many electives. I regret not taking optics, it is so interesting.