Up Next
Back to Show
It's Okay to Be Smart
Measuring the Universe With a 14-Billion Light-Year Ruler
Season 12
Episode 4
Since the time of the ancient Greeks, scientists have been constructing a cosmic measuring tape to measure the universe from our own backyard all the way to its ever-expanding edge: the cosmic distance ladder. In this video, we climb that ladder and explore how each rung has revealed something new and previously unthinkable about the universe we live in.
Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Support Provided By
11:24
I look at a few of the most famous incorrect factoids in science.
7:21
What is ”egg-shaped” even?
16:07
Blind YouTuber Molly Burke shows Joe Hanson a new way to see.
5:27
Walk into any forest, and beneath your feet is what helps make life on Earth possible.
10:26
It never gets dark anymore. Not REALLY dark, anyway.
10:25
Fifty years ago, we sent the first astronauts to walk on the moon’s face.
9:43
Could You Be a Chimera?
11:12
The Art of Gene-Editing Butterflies (Painting with CRISPR!)
5:37
How does eye color work?
5:55
One million species may be at risk of extinction.
10:30
How do astronauts actually drink coffee in space,
8:35
We’ve all gotten dizzy before… but have you ever gotten WEIRD DIZZY?