Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell (2013)
Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell
2013Kurzgesagt (German for "in a nutshell") is a Munich based design studio with a distinctive perspective on design and animation within the fields of education, science and commerce. Founded in 2012 by Philipp Dettmer & Stephan Rether, the studio engages in information design projects of all kinds. We love science, minimalism, colors and music. But most of all combining them to tell stories.
Seasons & Episode
Is your future already written? Do your past, present, and future all exist right now? Surprisingly, the answer could be yes. Let's take a look at what time is and how it works – in our first video of the year!
A nuclear bomb is the most devastating explosion ever created. One bomb can end tens of thousands of lives immediately and hundreds of thousands through the radioactive aftermath. However, the worst part comes afterward: a nuclear winter that might kill billions, potentially leading to the complete collapse of our civilization. In a nuclear winter, there are no winners – only starving losers. How exactly does it work and what would it look like?
What is outside of the universe? We know that the universe had a beginning 14 billion years ago and that it has been expanding ever since. But something that is expanding should also have an edge, right? What would you see if you went there?
A ruthless murder was committed! Someone killed the dinosaurs and we have the murderer! Witnesses say that an Everest-sized asteroid hit Earth, devastated the planet and caused a mass extinction. A simple, fascinating and convincing explanation. Or… is it?
We often assume that advanced technology will make it easy for aliens to colonize space. But what if space exploration is always difficult, no matter how advanced you are? Let’s travel back in human history, to the colonization of Oceania over 5000 years ago, to find parallels between ancient explorers and extraterrestrial civilizations.
Black holes might create infinite universes while destroying time and space. Everything in existence could be black holes, all the way down. We might live inside a black hole that is inside a black hole, that is inside a black hole. But let’s start at the beginning and build a black hole out of air.
You may think you have free will and can choose what you do, but this might be an illusion. Your body is made up of particles that blindly follow the laws of physics, with every outcome already predetermined. So, you might not have any free will at all. Is free will an illusion, or does it exist? Which philosophical camp is right?
The white death has haunted humanity like no other disease following us for thousands, maybe millions of years. In the last 200 years it killed a billion people – way more than all wars and natural disasters combined. Even today it’s the infectious disease with the highest kill count. But what is this horrible disease?
Humans rule Earth without competition. But we are about to create something that may change that: our last invention, the most powerful tool, weapon, or maybe even entity: Artificial Super intelligence. This sounds like science fiction, so let’s start at the beginning.
Fever feels bad. So we take medication to suppress it – but is this a good idea? It turns out fever is one of the oldest defenses against disease. What exactly is a fever, and how does it make your immune defense stronger? Should you take a pill to combat it?
Time travel is possible. In fact, you’ve been doing it since the day you were born. But what if we told you there’s a way to hack the universe and manipulate time itself? We just have to do two simple things to make it happen: 1. Make a lot of physicists grumpy. 2. Shoot one twin through space against their will, while the other chills on Earth. Let's go!
Exercising doesn’t help you lose weight. In fact, it barely changes your daily calorie burn. Welcome to the workout paradox! Let’s dive into the science of how your body actually handles calories and sabotages your best efforts to burn them.
You’ve got trillions of viruses inside you – right now! But these aren’t the viruses you fear. Some of them are your body’s secret protectors, keeping deadly bacteria in check and even killing cancer cells. But what happens when they turn against you? Let's look at the wild world of the human virome.
58 of you watching this video right now will not be alive next week. And it’s not because of some freak accident or rare disease. It’s because of everyday actions you probably think are harmless. Let’s save your life today by looking at what is most likely to kill you next week – so you can avoid it.
“Your blood vessels stretch a staggering 100,000 kilometers, enough to wrap around Earth twice!" Sounds amazing, right? We spent over a year trying to confirm this claim, and let's just say – things aren't as they seem. Join us on our year-long journey that uncovered outdated science, speculation, and a lot of dead ends.
At the height of the Cold War, a terrifying concept emerged: a bomb so powerful it wouldn’t need to be dropped. Known as Project Sundial, this doomsday device would have left a 400-km radius in flames and plunged the world into darkness. It was a bomb that would destroy everything – not a weapon, but an apocalypse. How close did we come to pressing the button?
Cannabis is finally being decriminalized in more and more places around the world. And for very good reasons! Compared to other legal drugs such as alcohol, cannabis is pretty mild and most users enjoy it without issue. But there’s a dark side for some. So let’s take an honest look at some of the latest research together.
Vaping is marketed as the “safe” alternative to smoking, but it’s far from being harmless. Unregulated ingredients, hidden toxins, and extreme nicotine levels mean we’re conducting a massive experiment on ourselves. Let’s dive into what we know – and what we don’t know, yet.
Kurzgesagt (German for "in a nutshell") is a Munich based design studio with a distinctive perspective on design and animation within the fields of education, science and commerce. Founded in 2012 by Philipp Dettmer & Stephan Rether, the studio engages in information design projects of all kinds. We love science, minimalism, colors and music. But most of all combining them to tell stories.