The Insane Real Engineering of the Nazi Enigma Machine

September 21st, 2026

How was the “unbreakable” enigma cracked? Sponsored by Incogni – use code veritasium at https://incogni.com/veritasium to get an exclusive 60% off your annual subscription.

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▀▀▀
0:00 Who invented Enigma?
4:16 How did Enigma work?
10:51 The Secret Spy Mansion
13:10 The First Codebreakers Who Broke Enigma
16:45 Trying To Decrypt An Enigma Message
22:35 Who was Alan Turing?
26:30 How Enigma’s Flaws Were Exploited
34:27 Breaking Enigma – The Bombe
41:39 The Naval Enigma
44:35 What did Alan Turing do after Bletchley Park?

▀▀▀
A huge thanks out to Sir Dermot Turing, Jonah Weinbaum, Andrew Fryer, John Pickles, Peter Hoath, Robert Dowell and all of the experts at Bletchley Park & The National Museum of Computing that helped make this video possible!

Shout out to Jared Owen for letting us use his 3D model of the Enigma machine! Check out his amazing video: https://youtu.be/ybkkiGtJmkM?si=fNtZF6StWhiIxRtB

Bletchley Park is a museum and heritage attraction open daily to visitors. To plan your visit and book tickets, head to: https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/plan-a-visit/

The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park is an independent charity housing working historic machines. Plan your visit here: https://www.tnmoc.org/plan-your-visit

▀▀▀
Can you decrypt this unbroken Naval Enigma message? Let us know in the comments!

JCRSAJTGSJEYEXYKKZZSHVUOCTRFRCRPFVYPLKPPLGRHVVBBTBRSXSWXGGTYTVKQNGSCHVGF

Universal Enigma simulator by Daniel Palloks: https://ve42.co/EnigmaSim

▀▀▀
References: https://ve42.co/BletchleyRefs

Visual References: https://ve42.co/BletchleyVisRefs

▀▀▀
Special thanks to our Patreon supporters:
Adam Foreman, Albert Wenger, Alex Porter, Alexander Tamas, André Powell, Anton Ragin, Balkrishna Heroor, Bertrand Serlet, Blake Byers, Bruce, Bryan Ackermann, Chris Brewer, Data Don, Dave Kircher, David Johnston, David Tseng, EJ Alexandra, Evgeny Skvortsov, Garrett Mueller, Gnare, gpoly, Hayden Christensen, Hong Thai Le, Ibby Hadeed, Jeromy Johnson, Juan Benet, Kelcey Steele, Kyi, Lee Redden, Marinus Kuivenhoven, Mark Heising, Meekay, meg noah, Michael Krugman, Moebiusol – Cristian, Orlando Bassotto, Parsee Health, Patreon mp22, Paul Peijzel, Robson, Sam Lutfi, Shalva Bukia, Sinan Taifour, Steven, Sweet_Nemo, Tair Aurmont, Tj Steyn, Ubiquity Ventures, Vahe Andonians, wolfee

▀▀▀
Writers: James Moore, Gregor Čavlović, Darius Garewal & Emilia Gyles
Producer & Director: James Moore
Additional Directing: Darius Garewal
Presenters: Gregor Čavlović & Derek Muller
Editor: Peter Nelson
Additional Editing: James Stuart & Trenton Oliver
Camera Operators: Rob Newman & Darius Garewal
Animators: Emma Wright, Domonkos Józsa, Alex Drakoulis, Andrew Neet, Rokas Vikšraitis & Aleksandrs Loginovs
Illustrator: Jakub Misiek
Researchers: Darius Garewal & Gabe Strong
Thumbnail Designers: Abdallah Rabah, Daniel Ellacott & Ben Powell
Production Team: Jess Bishop-Laggett, Glen Griffiths, Matthew Cavanagh & Anna Milkovic
Executive Producers: Gregor Čavlović, Emilia Gyles, Henry van Dyck & Derek Muller

Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images and Storyblocks
Music from Epidemic Sound
& Sprach Zarathustra – Conducted by Philip Milman (https://pmmusic.pro/)

Posted in Science |

So You Want to Understand Quantum Mechanics…

September 10th, 2026

Spend two hours exploring the strange, counterintuitive world of quantum mechanics, where particles can exist in multiple states, reality becomes uncertain, and observation itself seems to matter. We’ll break down some of the biggest ideas in quantum physics—from wave functions and superposition to entanglement, uncertainty, and the nature of measurement. By the end, you may not completely understand quantum mechanics—but you’ll understand why nobody else completely does either.

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Hosted by Matt O’Dowd
Written by Matt O’Dowd
Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer
Directed by Andrew Kornhaber
Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour
Executive Producer: Andrew Kornhaber
Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: Mike Martin

Spacetime is a production of Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios.
This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content.
© 2026 PBS. All rights reserved.

End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka

Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By:

Big Bang
Alexander Tamas
Filip Rolenec
Juan Benet
Kenneth See
Mark Rosenthal
MATTHEW OCKO
Morgan Hough
Peter Barrett
Vinnie Falco

Supernova
Ethan Cohen
Glenn Sugden
Grace Biaelcki
Justin Lloyd
Mark Heising
Rad Antonov
Shaun Williams
Stephen Wilcox
Tristan Lucian Claudius Aurelius Tyacke

Hypernova
Daniel Muzquiz
Alex Kern
Ben Delo
Chuck Zegar
Dean Galvin
Donal Botkin
Gregory Forfa
Jeff White
John R. Slavik
Massimiliano Pala
PAUL C PEDERSEN
Scott Gorlick
Scott Gray
Spencer Jones
Vlad Shipulin
Zachary Haberman
Антон Кочков

Gamma Ray Burst
Jason Bowen
Aaron Pinto
Almog Cohen
Arko Provo Mukherjee
Austin Richards
Ayden Miller
Bert Whetstone
Bradley Jenkins
Bradley Ulis
Brandon Lattin
Cal Harrington
Cal Stephens
Cali Chuck
Chris Liao
Christopher Wade
Collin Dutrow
Craig Falls
Craig Stonaha
Dan Warren
Daniel Donahue
Daniel Jennings
Darrell Stewart
David Giltinan
David Johnston
Diana S Polijar
Donovan King
Doyle Vann
Eric Kiebler
Eric Raschke
Eric Schrenker
Faraz Khan
Frederic Simon
Harsh Khandhadia
Isaac Suttell
James Trimmier
Jeb Campbell
Jeff Harris
Jeremy Soller
Jerry Thomas
jim bartosh
John Anderson
John De Witt
John Funai
John H. Austin, Jr.
John Mieras USN Ret
Joseph Salomone
Junaid Ali
Justin Zheng
Kacper Cieśla
Kent Durham
Koen Wilde
Kurtis Kemple
Kyle Atkinson
Lori Ferris
Marcelo Garcia
Marion Lang
Mark Daniel Cohen
Mark Delagasse
Matt Kaprocki
Matthew Johnson
Michael Barton
Michael Clark
Michael Lev
Michael Purcell
Michael Spallino
Mikk Mihkel Nurges
Nicolas Katsantonis
Nils Anderson
Onemind
Paul Wood
Reuben Brewer
Richard Steenbergen
Robert DeChellis
Ross Kennedy
Ross Story
Russell Moore
SamSword
Sandhya Devi
Sean Owen
Shane Calimlim
Terje Vold
Terrance Cennon
Thomas Dougherty
Tybie Fitzhugh
WILLIAM HAY III
Zac Sweers

Posted in Physics |

A Physics Professor Bet Me $10,000 I’m Wrong…

September 2nd, 2026

A UCLA Physics Professor bet me $10,000 that my video (https://youtu.be/jyQwgBAaBag) about going downwind faster than the wind was wrong.

Here’s how we proved it…

Posted in Science |

JWST May Have Discovered a New Cosmic Object: The Black Hole Star

August 27th, 2026

Gigantic black holes existed in a cosmic eyeblink after the Big Bang. That should be impossible. The James Webb Space Telescope has either made the problem much worse, or solved it by discovering the first Black Hole Star.

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Spacetime is a production of Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios.
This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content.
© 2026 PBS. All rights reserved.

End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka

Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By:

Big Bang
Alexander Tamas
Filip Rolenec
Juan Benet
Kenneth See
Mark Rosenthal
MATTHEW OCKO
Morgan Hough
Peter Barrett
Vinnie Falco

Supernova
Ethan Cohen
Glenn Sugden
Grace Biaelcki
Justin Lloyd
Mark Heising
Rad Antonov
Shaun Williams
Stephen Wilcox
Tristan Lucian Claudius Aurelius Tyacke

Posted in Physics |

It’s impossible to choose a number at random

August 24th, 2026

In math you can’t truly pick things at random because formulas always give the same result.

So if we can’t pick randomly, how do we select anything in math?

Posted in Science |

There’s Something Massive Hiding Behind the Galaxy’s Strangest Star

August 13th, 2026

Check Out Eons: The first two episodes are out now – free on the PBS app or the website if you’re outside the US. https://to.pbs.org/EonsST
From Dyson swarm to comet apocalypse—it’s been 10 years since the discovery of Tabby’s star and we finally have a leading contender to explain the strangest known star in the galaxy.

Check out the Space Time Merch Store
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Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements!
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Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/

Spacetime is a production of Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios.
This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content.
© 2026 PBS. All rights reserved.

End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka

Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By:

Big Bang
Alexander Tamas
Filip Rolenec
Juan Benet
Kenneth See
Mark Rosenthal
MATTHEW OCKO
Morgan Hough
Peter Barrett
Vinnie Falco

Supernova
Ethan Cohen
Glenn Sugden
Grace Biaelcki
Justin Lloyd
Mark Heising
Rad Antonov
Shaun Williams
Stephen Wilcox
Tristan Lucian Claudius Aurelius Tyacke

Posted in Physics |

We Thought All Black Holes Came From Stars. We May Have Been Wrong.

August 4th, 2026

Get Up to 60% off Incogni Annual plans at https://incogni.com/spacetime by using the: Code: SPACETIME

LIGO may have detected a black hole that shouldn’t exist, potentially revealing the first evidence of primordial black holes formed in the earliest moments after the Big Bang. But the bigger story is how a decade of gravitational-wave astronomy has transformed from proving Einstein right into a mature science capable of uncovering entirely new physics.

Check out the Space Time Merch Store
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Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements!
https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/spacetime

Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/

Spacetime is a production of Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios.
This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content.
© 2026 PBS. All rights reserved.

End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka

Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By:

Big Bang
Alexander Tamas
Filip Rolenec
Juan Benet
Kenneth See
Mark Rosenthal
MATTHEW OCKO
Morgan Hough
Peter Barrett
Vinnie Falco

Supernova
Ethan Cohen
Glenn Sugden
Grace Biaelcki
Justin Lloyd
Mark Heising
Rad Antonov
Shaun Williams
Stephen Wilcox
Tristan Lucian Claudius Aurelius Tyacke

Posted in Physics |

Is spider web really stronger than steel?

August 2nd, 2026

Can you really swing from spider silk? Sponsored by Henson Shaving – Head to https://hensonshaving.com/veritasium and use code “veritasium” for 100 free blades with any razor purchase. Just add both the razor and blades to your cart.

Last year, we launched the Elements of Truth game on Kickstarter and were thrilled by the response. We’re now in the final stages of production, with Kickstarter rewards shipping soon. Pre-order the retail edition here: https://ve42.co/YTSpiderSilk

If you’re looking for a molecular modelling kit, try Snatoms, a kit I invented where the atoms snap together magnetically – https://ve42.co/SnatomsV

For weekly science news, and an exclusive Q&A where writer/director Vibhor Pandey discusses the making of this video, sign up to the Veritasium newsletter – https://ve42.co/Newsletter

For early access to work-in-progress videos, join our Patreon – https://ve42.co/VePatreon

▀▀▀
00:00 Could Spider Silk Let You Swing Like Spider-Man?
00:44 Is Spider Silk Really Stronger Than Steel?
02:29 Testing Spider Silk’s Tensile Strength
03:48 The Strongest Silk on Earth
05:34 Spider Silk vs Kevlar vs Steel
07:37 The Nanostructure Behind Spider Silk’s Strength
08:42 Why We Can’t Farm Spiders
10:16 Engineering Fake Spider Silk
15:04 From the Silk Road to CRISPR
21:31 Real-World Uses and the Ultimate Swing Test

▀▀▀
Special thanks to the experts and collaborators who made this video possible:

Professor Todd Blackledge and the Blackledge Spider Lab at the University of Akron, for welcoming us into the lab, walking us through how spiders make and use silk, and letting us put the real material to the test.

Jon Rice and the team at Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, for opening their doors, sharing their transgenic silk, patiently explaining how their engineered silkworms work, and helping make the spider-silk swing possible.

Professors Keiji Numata, Chris Holland, Sara Goodacre and Greg Holland, for generously sharing their time and expertise in our research conversations helping us understand the extraordinary diversity of spider silks, how they are spun, and how structure, water and chemistry shape their properties.

Professors Ingi Agnarsson and Thomas Scheibel, for their guidance that helped sharpen our explanation.

▀▀▀
References: https://ve42.co/SpiderSilkRefs

▀▀▀
Special thanks to our Patreon supporters:

Adam Foreman, Albert Wenger, Alex Porter, Alexander Tamas, André Powell, Anton Ragin, Balkrishna Heroor, Bertrand Serlet, Blake Byers, Bruce, Bryan Ackermann, Chris Brewer, Data Don, Dave Kircher, David Johnston, David Tseng, EJ Alexandra, Evgeny Skvortsov, Garrett Mueller, Gnare, gpoly, Hayden Christensen, Hong Thai Le, Ibby Hadeed, Jeromy Johnson, Jesse Brandsoy, Juan Benet, Kelcey Steele, KeyWestr, Kyi, Lee Redden, Marinus Kuivenhoven, Mark Heising, Martin Paull, Meekay, meg noah, Michael Krugman, Moebiusol – Cristian, Orlando Bassotto, Parsee Health, Paul Peijzel, Robson, Sam Lutfi, Shalva Bukia, Sinan Taifour, Sweet_Nemo, Tj Steyn, Ubiquity Ventures, Vahe Andonians, wolfee

▀▀▀
Writers – Vibhor Pandey & Henry van Dyck
Producer & Director – Vibhor Pandey & Henry van Dyck
Presenters & Narration – Henry van Dyck & Derek Muller
Editors- Trenton Oliver, Axel Oliver, James Stuart & George Reynolds
Animators – Alex Drakoulis, Andrew Neet, Domonkos Józsa, Emma Wright & Fabio Albertelli
Illustrator – Jakub Misiek
Researchers – Aakash Singh Bagga, Gabe Strong & Sophia Rose
Camera Operators: Henry van Dyck, Petr Lebedev, Casper Mebius and Ben Curtis-Dyck
Thumbnail Designers – Abdallah Rabah, Daniel Ellacott & Ben Powell
Production Team – Matthew Cavanagh, Jess Bishop-Laggett, Glen Griffiths, Josh Pitt, Luke Lewis, Anna Milkovic & Justin St-Laurent
Executive Producers – Henry van Dyck, Emilia Gyles, Casper Mebius & Derek Muller

Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images, Pond5 and Storyblocks
Music from Epidemic Sound

Posted in Science |

Why does every mammal get 1 billion heartbeats in their life?

July 25th, 2026

The hidden math that governs life. Sponsored by Brilliant – Try Brilliant for free, plus get 20% off an annual Premium subscription at https://brilliant.org/veritasium

If you’re looking for a molecular modelling kit, try Snatoms, a kit I invented where the atoms snap together magnetically – https://ve42.co/SnatomsV

For weekly science news, and an exclusive Q&A where writer/director Daniel Leonard discusses the making of this video, sign up to the Veritasium newsletter – https://ve42.co/Newsletter

For early access to work in progress videos join our Patreon – https://ve42.co/VePatreon

▀▀▀
0:00 How much LSD should you give an elephant?
3:09 Metabolic Rate In Animals
5:27 The Surface Law
8:04 What is Kleiber’s Law?
10:49 Why is ¼ everywhere in biology?
13:33 WBE Theory
19:53 Every animal has 1,000,000,000 heartbeats
23:11 Why Humans Live Longer
24:31 Is it better to live in a city or a small town?
30:12 Is there really a universal scaling exponent for life?

▀▀▀
Much of this video was inspired by Geoffrey West’s book: Scale. Check it out here – https://ve42.co/ScaleBook

▀▀▀
Special thanks to the experts who helped make this video possible:
Brian Enquist, whose work helped inspire this video, for sharing the story behind WBE theory and helping us make its key assumptions and derivation more accurate.

Van Savage, for the generous and detailed feedback that sharpened our explanation of WBE theory, self-similarity, and the current state of the field.

Steven Strogatz, for the insightful conversations, on-camera contribution, and careful reviews that helped us keep the mathematics clear and the story scientifically honest.

Peter Sheridan Dodds, for helping us understand the objections to WBE theory and the debate over three-quarter-power scaling.

And the many other experts who discussed this topic with us as we were developing the script, for their invaluable contributions: Luis Bettencourt, Jayanth Banavar, Aaron Clauset, Juan Rubalcaba, and Douglas Glazier.

▀▀▀
References: https://ve42.co/ScaleRefs

▀▀▀
Special thanks to our Patreon supporters:

▀▀▀
Writers – Daniel Leonard, Casper Mebius & Derek Muller
Producer & Director – Daniel Leonard
Presenters & Narration – Derek Muller & Henry van Dyck
Editors – Trenton Oliver, Axel Oliver & Jonny Lennard
Assistant Editor – James Stuart
Animators – Alex Drakoulis, Andrew Neet, Domonkos Józsa, Emma Wright & Fabio Albertelli
Illustrators – Jakub Misiek & Raphael Aubry
Camera Operator – Chris Anstis
Simulations – Callum Cuttle & Aakash Singh Bagga
Researchers – Aakash Singh Bagga, Callum Cuttle & Gabe Strong
Thumbnail Designers – Abdallah Rabah & Daniel Ellacott
Thumbnail Design Direction – Ben Powell
Production Team – Jess Bishop-Laggett, Glen Griffiths, Matthew Cavanagh, Luke Lewis, Anna Milkovic & Justin St-Laurent
Executive Producers – Casper Mebius & Derek Muller

Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images, Pond5 and Storyblocks
Music from Epidemic Sound

Posted in Science |

The Universe Has Been Expanding Since the Big Bang. Just Not How We Thought.

July 16th, 2026

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Last year, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument—DESI—made headlines around the world. Its enormous map of the Universe hinted that dark energy—the mysterious something causing the expansion of the Universe to accelerate—might not actually be constant. Last month, another giant cosmology experiment released its final results. The Dark Energy Survey. DES. Its results are intriguing. But did they confirm the DESI measurement? We’ll, let’s see, but there’s also a much more interesting question—Why are completely different scientific studies so much more powerful in combination than any one study on its own? The answer brings us to the heart of what science really is.

Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements!
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Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/

End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka

Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By:

Big Bang
Alexander Tamas
Filip Rolenec
Juan Benet
Kenneth See
Mark Rosenthal
MATTHEW OCKO
Morgan Hough
Peter Barrett
Vinnie Falco

Supernova
Ethan Cohen
Glenn Sugden
Grace Biaelcki
Justin Lloyd
Mark Heising
Rad Antonov
Shaun Williams
Stephen Wilcox
Tristan Lucian Claudius Aurelius Tyacke

Posted in Physics |

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