Things You Thought You Knew – Rocks Float

About This Episode

What would happen in a world with too much oxygen? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice break down how rocks actually float, warm blankets, and why oxygen isn’t actually flammable.

Is oxygen flammable? We explore the element of oxygen, why it’s so important, where it comes from, and its properties. What’s Earth’s history with oxygen? How much oxygen is in our atmosphere? We break down the concoctions of gasses that make up our atmosphere and the atmospheres present in Star Trek. What does oxygen in the atmosphere mean for a planet’s potential to have life? Where does oxygen come from? Discover the science behind “exploding oxygen” in movies. Find out why oxygen doesn’t exactly combust. We discuss the mistakes made in the Apollo 1 capsule and why Jaws isn’t realistic scientifically– amongst other things. Could we produce more oxygen to combat global warming?

Do rocks float? We delve into density where Neil and Chuck get into the evolution of ships and how asymmetric advantages would work in an alien invasion. How did Earth’s early days impact the composition of its crust? Neil explains why rocks are the third lightest stuff on Earth. You will learn why Earth is like a layered cocktail, how geophysicists figure out the density profile of Earth, and why there seem to be so many meteorites in Antarctica.

Why is my blanket so warm? We break down the scientific explanation of why your cozy pandemic work blanket is so dang warm. Discover why a coat is cold when it’s on the hanger, but warm on your body. Why do we describe the blanket as being warm? Is a blanket a source of heat? You’ll learn about transmitting heat energy and what we do to stop it. Can a so-called “warm blanket” keep something cold? Find why the warmest bed would be a thermos. We talk all-things mittens, blankets, and…coolers? Chuck proposes why America is like a glove. We explore why other people might feel a lot hotter or colder than you. Can two people warm each other? All that, plus, find out why you won’t give a blanket to a snake.

Thanks to our Patrons Oli H, Michael, Dodo Moon, Dylan Halse, David Kovner, Alex Morales, Anthony Cole, Mark Stephenson, Dane, Lisa LaVergne, TheCamo1989, Peter, Alyce Adams, Gabriel Prusan, Abby, Rose, Hal Crimm, Khawaja Rashid, Deb Driscoll, Unknown, Robert Scholl, Kristin Laskey, Rahh, Oleg Dashevsky, Mark, Shayan Alvarez, Andre, C.J. Meyer, Kipley Kerley, Jaimie Mcneil, Carmen Hairapetian, Melissa Clark, Alan, Christian Vermeulen, Matt Rosenberg, Elisa Huertas, Chiren C, Tom, Lisa Wade, Emiliano Munoz, Wayne Bell, DM Peterson, Maxwell Warner, John Antoniou, Craig Lowry, Steve, Erica Waterman, Bailee’s Clubhouse, Tim Weil, Katie Morphonios, Riley, MotionChickness, Ryan, David Jenkinson, Talon Scherwinski, Troy Taylor, Conrado, Hanes Welday, NA NA, Travis Osborne, Pasquale, Zach Truett, Jacqueline Thompson, HorrificFang, Mike Preston, Mike Meyers, CC, Mandy Potts, Mandy, Erik Rosales, Nate Harter, Daniel Kerrigan, Carl Celizic, Tyler Blankenship, William Haglid, David Martinez, Khayyal Cameras, Panch Jeyakumar, and Dylan Halcomb for supporting us this week.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free.