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Reactions
How to Survive a Real-Life "Fallout"
Season 2
Episode 52
Reactions is checking out some Fallout science. Does chemistry allow you to survive a real fallout? It’s a big week for gamers now that the long-anticipated Fallout 4 video game is out. The series takes place in a world decades after nuclear war has destroyed most of civilization. Only those who hid in fallout shelters survived.
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3:44
This ice burns because it’s actually methane trapped in water.

4:09
Pouring fuel over a flame can cause a ten-foot fireball to shoot out – flame jetting.

3:15
You can never buy fresh olives because of a bitter chemical called oleuropein.

3:58
There’s a sweet smell in the air after it rains: petrichor. How and why does this happen?

2:51
How do we know the half-life of uranium? Can you recover gold dissolved in acid?

2:49
Cows burp up a lot of methane, and it has huge climate change consequences.

2:52
Fermentation turns these green and black preserved eggs into real Chinese comfort food.

5:39
We’ll show you a sneak peak at what really happens in forensics science lab.

5:39
Learn how your nose can go "blind" to some smells, and how sanitizers and mouthwash work.

3:04
These science-inspired life hacks should help improve your cold weather pick-me-up.

2:29
Airplane contrails happen when burning jet fuel meets the chemistry of air.

5:34
We look at the chemistry of gallium, the science behind the holes in the periodic table.