Is Chemistry the Same Throughout the Universe? With Kate the Chemist
Free with YouTube's ads, posted by StarTalk (StarTalk by Neil deGrasse Tyson)
It plays in YouTube's player, loaded from youtube-nocookie.com only when you press Play. From then on YouTube's player runs on this page: it shows YouTube's ads, YouTube receives your address and this page's, and its player may keep its own cookies and storage on your device. Pressing Play means you agree to be bound by YouTube's Terms of Service and accept this site's privacy notice, which says what this site keeps; Google's Privacy Policy covers what YouTube collects.
Add to the wallWatch on YouTubeStarTalk on YouTubeStarTalk by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Clips are not offered for films in YouTube's player: YouTube's terms allow no copies of its videos (YouTube API Services Developer Policies, III.E.1).
About this film
Would aliens use the same periodic table as us? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Negin Farsad sit down with Kate Biberdorf, aka Kate the Chemist, to tackle fan questions about the chemistry of life, diamonds, how fire works, and spontaneous combustion.
Is there such a thing as a liquid diamond and could you swim in a pool of it? Kate walks through the phase chemistry of carbon, why melting a diamond means it's no longer a diamond, and what the difference actually is between a crystal and a liquid crystal. Do crystals actually influence energy? We discuss crystal shops, the science behind why crystals are the lowest energy state of their atoms, and why "diamonds are forever" is really just a statement about molecular stability.
Could life on other planets be built from completely different chemistry? Kate and Neil explore silicon as a carbon alternative, the case for methane as a solvent on Titan, amino acids found on asteroids, and the biggest open question in astrobiology: is DNA inevitable, or just one solution among many that the universe stumbled upon? Would intelligent aliens organize a periodic table the same way we do or could they sort by stability, conductivity, or cosmic abundance instead?
What is the fire triangle? Learn about the chemistry of fire and the lesser-known Pentagon of dust explosions, explaining how sugar factory explosions happen. We discuss ATP in the body and its role in transferring and storing energy. The episode closes on a series of spectacular chemistry demonstrations — dry ice vortex pools, exploding paint cans, acid base reactions with glitter and food coloring — and Kate's upcoming live science stage tour. Keep Looking Up!
Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Kate the Chemist 06:20 - Could You Have Liquid Diamond? 11:32 - Do Crystals Have Energy? 16:33 - The Chemistry of Life in the Universe 20:49 - Do Aliens Have the Same Periodic Table? 23:29 - Is Water Necessary for Life? 25:47 - The Fire Triangle 28:55 - ATP: Our…
The title, description, picture, length, category, ratings, broadcast times, where it plays and whether it is made for kids come from YouTube. The rights holder named, how it was checked, what it is by its own title or playlist, and which profiles see it are this site's own.