February 25, 2014

Jetpack Rocket Science

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Ever wonder how jetpacks work? The motorcycles of tomorrow may not be populating the skies just yet, but you can test drive a jetpack. There’s a famous jetpack instructor who teaches lessons, and there are also fun courses for the adventurous in Southern California.

In this video, Veritasium breaks down the physics of jetpacks and simplifies the rocket science.

Image credit: Key West Wedding Photography/Flickr

The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

A man sits on a stool in front of a white backdrop with a black circle behind his head, surrounded by colorful, nebula-like clouds.

Are black holes the key to unlocking a quantum theory of gravity?

“Could black holes be the key to a quantum theory of gravity, a deeper theory of how reality, of how space and time works?”

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01:18:29 min

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with

Brian Cox

Three different 3D protein structures are displayed on a light grid-patterned background, each occupying a separate quadrant in the image.

Health

Gaming cancer: How video games and citizen science could help cure disease

By inviting players to tackle real scientific problems, games can offer a hand in solving medicine’s toughest challenges.

A visual simulation of two objects orbiting and merging, distorting a red-orange grid representing spacetime—illustrating gravitational waves once thought to be the worst prediction in science.

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: Can we fix the worst prediction in all of science?

The measured value of the cosmological constant is 120 orders of magnitude smaller than what’s predicted. How can this paradox be resolved?

Split-screen image: left side has the words "an excerpt from" on a pale blue background; right side shows the book cover of "After the Spike," which explores how population and environment shape our future, by Dean Spears and Michael Geruso.

Books

More people, more pollution? Dispelling an environmental myth

In “After the Spike,” Dean Spears and Michael Geruso show why policy, rather than high population density, has the most significant impact on the environment.

Collage featuring photos of wildlife, ancient stone carvings, and a camel, with the text "THE NIGHTCRAWLER" at the top on a gray grid background—an homage to Sean B. Carroll’s explorations of nature and history.

Business

The hidden rules of business — according to nature

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

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