Fossil Videos

October 16, 2019 by Brady Haran

Here are some Objectivity videos that are fit for purpose.

We examine the incredible skeleton of 'Eve' the Plesiosaur at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. More on 23andMe: https://www.23andMe.com/Objectivity More links below ↓↓↓ Oxford University Museum of Natural History website: http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk Follow them on twitter: @morethanadodo Objectivity on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/objectivity Subscribe to Objectivity: http://bit.ly/Objectivity_Sub Films by James Hennessy and Brady Haran Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ObjectivityVideos Twitter: https://twitter.com/objectivity_vid Excavation photographs courtesy of Oxford Clay Working Group.

We return to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History to look at what is likely to be the first bone identified as being from a dinosaur. More on 23andMe: https://www.23andMe.com/Objectivity Featuring Hilary Ketchum from The Oxford University Museum of Natural History speaking with Brady.

Brady and Keith go on the hunt for dinosaurs... Objectivity on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/objectivity Hearts: https://youtu.be/osfNTP0paas Bradypus Giganteus: https://youtu.be/AiHdZMXX5i0 Subscribe to Objectivity: http://bit.ly/Objectivity_Sub Films by James Hennessy and Brady Haran Royal Society website: http://bit.ly/Royal_Society The Royal Society's own YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/RoyalSociety Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ObjectivityVideos Twitter: https://twitter.com/objectivity_vid

Get 10% off your first Hover purchase: https://www.hover.com/objectivity Checking out some rare dinosaur trace fossils. More links below ↓↓↓ Featuring Ray Chapman from Bournemouth Natural Science Society speaking with Brady.

Turing on the £50 note

July 15, 2019 by Brady Haran

The Bank of England has announced Alan Turing will be on the next £50 note.

Here are some videos we’ve made on the topic…

First an Objectivity video in which we speculated about who might be on the note.

Which scientist will feature on the new £50 note? Head Librarian Keith Moore gives us his top three picks... More links below ↓↓↓ Featuring Keith Moore from The Royal Society speaking with Brady. Objectivity on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/objectivity Subscribe to Objectivity: http://bit.ly/Objectivity_Sub Films by James Hennessy and Brady Haran Royal Society website: http://bit.ly/Royal_Society The Royal Society's own YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/RoyalSociety Photograph credits: Godfrey Argent Studio.

On the Numberphile Podcast I spoke with Simon Singh about his role on the committee which made the decision. It’s the early part of the podcast.

Author and campaigner Simon Singh talks about his fascinating career, a famous legal case, and his attempts to change the way mathematics is taught in UK schools.

Here’s are some Numberphile videos about the Enigma Machine from Alan Turing superfan James Grime.

The Nazi's Enigma Machine - and the mathematics behind it - was a crucial part of World War II. Flaw video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4V2bpZlqx8 More links & stuff in full description below ↓↓↓ Brown papers on ebay: bit.ly/brownpapers Dr James Grime demonstrates the machine and discusses its many configurations.

The flaw which allowed the Allies to break the Nazi Enigma code. More links & stuff in full description below ↓↓↓ First video explaining Enigma: http://youtu.be/G2_Q9FoD-oQ Extra footage: http://youtu.be/BdrrJ7qd4HA Brown papers on ebay: http://bit.ly/brownpapers Periodic Videos: http://www.youtube.com/periodicvideos This video features Dr James Grime discussing Enigma, the Bombe and Alan Turing.

And some Computerphile videos…

The Enigma cipher machine, said to be unbreakable. Alan Turing had a pivotal role in cracking Enigma codes during WWII. Professor Brailsford takes us through just what Turing and his team were up against.

Just how did the team at Bletchley Park tackle the problem of decoding Enigma? In Part Two of our series on "The Real" Imitation Game, Professor Brailsford explains how they did it.

Alan Turing almost accidentally created the blueprint for the modern day digital computer. Here Mark Jago takes us through The Halting Problem. Turing Machines Explained: https://youtu.be/dNRDvLACg5Q Busy Beaver: https://youtu.be/CE8UhcyJS0I VR Simulator: http://youtu.be/Lm0lA0enPSk What on Earth is Recursion?: http://youtu.be/Mv9NEXX1VHc Thanks to Assistant Professor Mark Jago of the University of Nottingham.

Plus, while we’re speaking of the Bank of England, some gold in their vault…

Moon Rocks

July 09, 2019 by Brady Haran

Four years ago I visited Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The cool people at NASA (and my mate Destin from Smarter Every Day) arranged the visit and we went to my equivalent of a Holy Place — the vault in which the Apollo moon rocks are stored.

Among the collection was a cabinet full of the Apollo 11 rocks from Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s famous first moonwalk.

We also saw The Genesis Rock - a famous sample collected during Apollo 15.

It has taken a while, but the video from that visit is finally published on Objectivity.

In this very special episode Brady goes behind the scenes at Johnson Space Center to look at priceless rocks collected from the Moon. More links below ↓↓↓ Featuring Ryan Zeigler, NASA's Apollo Sample Curator at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Special thanks to Destin from Smarter Every Day for organising and filming this video.

Destin did his own video too, of course.

Earn your subscription? → http://bit.ly/Subscribe2SED Objectivity Vid ►► https://youtu.be/yvhLBzsDwSQ Joe's IOTBS Vid ►► https://youtu.be/Qr28zMXQ3bU ⇊ Click below for more links! ⇊ Brady's Objectivity Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvhLBzsDwSQ Joe Hanson's video on "It's Okay To Be Smart" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr28zMXQ3bU ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A HUGE thank you to Andrea Mosie - Lab Manager (You're one of my favorite people Andrea...you made a lasting impression!)

And Joe Hanson from It’s Okay To Be Smart also visited and released his video in conjunction with ours.

For an Apollo fan like me this was an amazing experience.

My thanks to Destin, the lab staff at NASA, and our friend Gordon who also helped make this possible.

Click here for more space-related videos on Objectivity.

Including this one with Public Service Broadcasting.

Sputnik, Gagarin, Tereshkova, Apollo - it's a space race extravaganza. Don't miss The Race for Space album: http://bit.ly/Space_Album Thanks to special guest J. Willgoose Esq from Public Service Broadcasting. A blog with more detail and pics: http://www.bradyharanblog.com/blog/2015/8/18/the-race-for-space J. visited the Royal Society archives with Brady and Keith.

Cheeky pic of Moonwatch in Moon Rock room!

The Future of Objectivity

June 18, 2019 by Brady Haran

I’d like to update people about our Objectivity video series. And ask people to consider supporting it on Patreon.

Objectivity has been running since late 2014 and recently passed 200 episodes.

The videos are filmed and edited by James Hennessy. They’re some of the most fun projects I work on and we’re both very proud of the channel.

Who wouldn’t enjoy opening treasure chests and seeing the remains of a real dodo bird?

Since the start, Objectivity has mainly been filmed at The Royal Society.

The society has been incredibly supportive, both with access to its archive and funding.

Head librarian Keith Moore and his team go well beyond the call of duty.

This will not change. You will continue seeing Keith and treasures from the society collection.

However funding changes mean we can no longer produce fortnightly videos.

Instead, we’re looking at a reduction to one upload per month.

But ideally we would like to maintain a fortnightly schedule. This is why we’re appealing for help on Patreon.

LIST OF CURRENT PATREON SUPPORTERS

Funding is what allows us to travel to more museums (in addition to the Royal Society) and pay for the cost of production.

White Gloves of Destiny at the AP Archive

Even as little as $1 a month makes a difference - it all adds up.

From my experience most patrons aren’t seeking big perks and rewards. However James and I are devising some nice ways to show appreciation to Patreon supporters - more news on that soon.

Finally - the best way anyone can support Objectivity is simple: keep watching.

And maybe double click that notification bell so you’ll be sure see our new stuff.

Thank you to everyone who already watches and encourages the series.

We love all your comments and feedback.

Messier's Missing Object

June 07, 2019 by Brady Haran

I just wanted to share some fascinating images and information which I received too late to include in a video.

The video was this one about Messier 102 on Deep Sky Videos.

Professor Mike Merrifield discusses the doubts and mistakes swirling around M102 - which *might* have been NGC 5866.

Professor Mike Merrifield mentions that M102 was a late inclusion on Charles Messier’s famous list of objects - contributed by his colleague Pierre Méchain.

Its exact co-ordinates on the sky were not included, just a description of where it could be found.

As our video mentions, Messier later mentioned some co-ordinates, but it seems this has only added to the confusion for astronomers and historians.

I read more on the excellent SEDS database (an amazing Messier resource) and learned of Messier hand-wrote co-ordinates in a personal copy of the list.

This “personal copy” was tantalizing, so I contacted the people at SEDS and asked to see it.

Alas I did not receive a response in time - but eventually I did receive a response.

I was kindly supplied with multiple copies of the document in question - and it turns out Messier’s annotation was not very clear.

First here’s a standard photocopy, and I’ve highlighted Messier’s co-ordinates, which are on a facing page from the actual M102 entry.

Second, a deeper scan to show up more detail of the writing.

And finally a copy annotated by Dan Greely (who supplied the copy to SEDS in 1995) and Audouin Dolfuss. It’s fascinating to see these “astro detectives” at work.

My thanks to Hartmut Frommert from SEDS - the SEDS database is a treasure.

See his detailed article on the matter here.

Objectivity reaches 200 videos

April 09, 2019 by Brady Haran

Objectivity is one of my more niche channels - but today we've reached 200 episodes.

Episode #200 is here! We asked Keith to pick out something special from the Royal Society archives... More links below ↓↓↓ Featuring Keith Moore from The Royal Society speaking with Brady.

I’ll take the opportunity to reflect on some of the project’s highlights and thank a few people.

Most importantly, huge credit to James Hennessy who shoots and edits the videos. He puts real care and craftsmanship into every episode.

Also Keith Moore, head librarian at the Royal Society - the undoubted “star” of the channel. He has given so much of his time and vast expertise. A great guy and true professional (despite the corny jokes).

I’m sometimes asked what my favourite video is - if forced to choose, I’d pick this one about treasure chests.

Two treasure chests - the contents of which are unknown... Will Brady and Keith find gold?! Films by James Hennessy and Brady Haran Royal Society website: http://bit.ly/Royal_Society The Royal Society's own YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/RoyalSociety Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ObjectivityVideos Twitter: https://twitter.com/objectivity_vid

Close second is this one with Public Service Broadcasting.

Oh, and unboxing a dodo bird!

Brady joins Mark Carnall at The Oxford University Museum of Natural History to look at a very special object.

I also love the videos in which some of my friends come along as guest stars.

Among the pioneers were Destin from Smarter Every Day, Michael from Vsauce, and the gang from the Festival of the Spoken Nerd.

Rocket and ballistics expert Destin Sandlin (from Smarter Every Day) joins Keith at the Royal Society. What will they look at? More special guests on Objectivity: http://bit.ly/Objectivity_Guests Smarter Every Day: https://www.youtube.com/smartereveryday Destin is chatting with Keith Moore, head librarian at the Royal Society (who came in to film with us on a Saturday - thanks Keith!).

Here’s a playlist of videos with most of our “guest stars”, including Tom Scott, Dianna Cowern and Hank Green.

Special guest presenter Tom Scott shows us some awesome space shuttle artifacts at The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. More links below ↓↓↓ Featuring YouTuber and educator Tom Scott speaking with archivist Ed Stewart.

And of course I must mention The White Gloves of Destiny - those lucky dips into the card catalogue which result in randomly chosen objects and documents.

Here’s the full playlist - but the one featuring astronaut Don Pettit is perhaps the most memorable.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit takes a lucky dip into the vaults at The Royal Society. Archive footage and images courtesy of NASA. Subscribe to Objectivity: http://bit.ly/Objectivity_Sub Films by James Hennessy and Brady Haran Royal Society website: http://bit.ly/Royal_Society The Royal Society's own YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/RoyalSociety Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ObjectivityVideos Twitter: https://twitter.com/objectivity_vid

The videos have resulted in a number of “white glove pilgrimages” to the Royal Society.

There are plenty of other people who have helped along the way - but I must say a special thank you to Tracey Hughes and Rupert Baker at the Royal Society, and Jake Chudnow at YouTube who really got things off the ground.

Also the various other organisations which have hosted us, including Nasa, the Royal Astronomical Society, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, the AP Archive, and even the Clifton Suspension Bridge!

I’ve not named everyone - that would take weeks - but hopefully you know who you are.

And finally - a huge thanks to our Patreon supporters. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who takes the time to watch and interact with the videos - but our Patrons have been able to go a bit further a chip in a dollar or two and we really appreciate that.

Here’s a list of Patrons.

POSTSCRIPT: James tells me his favourite video is this one.

33 and the sum of three cubes

March 11, 2019 by Brady Haran

You may have seen that 33 can be expressed as the sum of three cubes.

They are (8866128975287528)^3 + (-8778405442862239)^3 + (-2736111468807040)^3 = 33

The solution was discovered by Andrew Booker from the University of Bristol.

Check out his paper.

If I may quote Andrew’s abstract (ahem!)…

Inspired by the Numberphile video “The uncracked problem with 33” by Tim Browning and Brady Haran, we investigate solutions to x^3+y^3+z^3=k for a few small values of k. We find the first known solution for k=33.

In all the excitement, some people mistakenly attributed the finding to Tim Browning (formerly of Bristol but now in Austria), who was helping publicise Andrew’s result. Tim had introduced many people to the problem via the Numberphile video.

A embarrassed Tim has been quick to remedy this, pointing out Dr Booker’s paper.

33 was previously the lowest number for which the sum of three cubes status was unknown.

There are lower numbers which can never be expressed as the sum of three cubes (4, 5, 13, 14, 22, 23, 31, 32 ) but these were known to be impossible because they can be represented as 9k+4 or 9k+5.

Until now, 33 was the lowest number which was unknown.

There is yet to be a formal proof that all numbers (outside the 9k+4 9k+5 category) can be expressed in this way.

For more on this, see the Numberphile video: The Uncracked Problem with 33 - Numberphile

Update March 2019: 8866128975287528^3+(-8778405442862239)^3+(-2736111468807040)^3 33 is the lowest unsolved problem in the world of "summing three cubes". But 30 was also a tough nut to crack! More links & stuff in full description below ↓↓↓ Featuring Tim Browning from the University of Bristol.

PS: This is the second breakthrough inspired by the 33 video.

A breakthrough by a Numberphile viewer (with help from some computers). More links & stuff in full description below ↓↓↓ Extra footage: https://youtu.be/d6nUVa8EtlU Original video: https://youtu.be/wymmCdLdPvM See the paper by Sander Huisman: http://bit.ly/Sander_Paper Discussed by Tim Browning from the University of Bristol.

UPDATE… Now a video with Andrew Booker about the breakthrough.

42 is the only remaining (eligible) number below 100 which has not been represented as the sum of three cubes... 33 was cracked by Andrew Booker from the University of Bristol. More links & stuff in full description below ↓↓↓ The original 33 video: https://youtu.be/wymmCdLdPvM The 74 cracked video: https://youtu.be/_-M_3oV75Lw Casting out nines: https://youtu.be/FlndIiQa20o Andrew Booker's webpage: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/maths/people/andrew-r-booker/overview.html Some of the papers we referenced...