Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell

The mechanisms of evolution explained in one video. The theory of evolution explains how the enormous variety of life could come into existence. How it is possible for primitive life forms to spawn the millions of different creatures, that exist today. Unfortunately, evolution is often misunderstood, because it's mechanisms seem counter intuitive.

An info-graphic trip through the wonders of the Solar system.

Fracking explained in five minutes.

How will the Universe die?

How did everything get started?

Nuclear war, cat gifs and reddit? Wait, what?

Atoms are very weird. Wrapping your head around exactly how weird, is close to impossible – how can you describe something that is SO removed from humans experience? But then again, they kind of make up everything, so let us try anyways.

Everybody is talking about Measles – but what does the virus actually do in the body? Is it really so harmful that you need a vaccination? We go deep into the body of an infected person and see what Measles does and how the immune system reacts to it!

Banks are a riddle wrapped up in an enigma. We all kind of know that they do stuff with money we don’t understand, while the last crisis left a feeling of deep mistrust and confusion. We try to shed a bit of light onto the banking system. Why were banks invented, why did they cause the last crisis and are there alternatives?

The last star in the universe will be a red dwarf. Red dwarfs in general might be great places to look for aliens – or planets for humans to find a new home after our solar system has died.

The war against drugs has been a terrible disaster for everybody involved. Why? And can we do something differently?

What is the Antibiotic Apocalypse? What is it all about? And how dangerous is it?

We are trapped on Earth. Controlled by an ancient debt to the universe...

What shall we do once machines become conscious? Do we need to grant them rights?

Are GMOs bad for your health? Or is this fear unfounded?

Finding alien life on a distant planet would be amazing news - or would it? If we are not the only intelligent life in the universe, this probably means our days are numbered and doom is certain.

What are the principles behind Homeopathy and does it work?

Is String Theory the final solution for all of physic’s questions or an over-hyped dead end?

Organic food is a huge trend: it promises a healthier and better life. But can Organic food really live up to the expectations or is it just baloney?

Humans love to explore. Strangely enough even horrible places – like Mars. Let’s see how building a Mars base could work and how insanely nerve-wracking exactly it would be.

Everybody feels lonely sometimes. But only few of us are aware how important this feeling was for our ancestors - and that our modern world can turn it into something that really hurts us. Why do we feel this way and what can we do about it?

Over the last decade milk has become a bit controversial. Some people say it’s a necessary and nutritious food, vital for healthy bones, but others say it can cause cancer and lead to an early death. So who is right? And why are we drinking it anyway?

For years, you have been asking us how we make our videos. So let’s finally talk about it! From research, writing the script, illustrating, to animating, narrating and composing music, a Kurzgesagt video takes roughly 1.200 hours to produce!

Cancer is a creepy and mysterious thing. While we tried to understand it, to get better at killing it, we discovered a biological paradox that remains unsolved to this day: large animals seem to be immune to cancer. Which doesn’t make any sense – the bigger a being, the more cancer it should have. To understand why, we first need to take a look at the nature of cancer itself.

Nuclear energy creates an uneasy feeling of danger for many people: ancient and dangerous minerals are concentrated to awaken seemingly unnatural powers, creating toxic elements that, if they escape, can and have killed people in horrible ways. How many people has nuclear energy killed and how?

Let us explore the scientific mystery of what would happen to you, if Earth suddenly turned into gold! The “Midaspocalypse”, based on the ancient tale of King Midas who was cursed so everything he touched turned into gold.

Do we need nuclear energy to stop climate change? More and more voices from science, environmental activists and the press have been saying so in recent years – but this comes as a shock to those who are fighting against nuclear energy and the problems that come with it. So who is right? Well - it is complicated.

Today we are answering an age-old very scientific and important question: What if the moon crashes into earth? It’s more interesting and weird than you probably think. Let's start with the basics: Why isn't the Moon on its way to crash into us already?

When we think about alien civilizations we tend to look into the vastness of space, to far away planets. But there is another incredibly vast dimension that we might be giving too little thought to: time. Could it be that over the last hundreds of millions of years, other civilizations existed on earth? Indigenous technological species that rose and died out? And that they or their artifacts are buried beneath our feet? What does science have to say about this and what are the implications for us?

Our home is burning. Rapid climate change is destabilizing our world. It seems our emissions will not fall quickly enough to avoid runaway warming and we may soon hit tipping points that will lead to the collapse of ecosystems and our civilization. While scientists, activists and much of the younger generation urge action, it appears most politicians are not committed to do anything meaningful while the fossil fuel industry still works actively against change. It seems humanity can’t overcome its greed and obsession with short term profit and personal gain to save itself. And so for many the future looks grim and hopeless. Young people feel particularly anxious and depressed. Instead of looking ahead to a lifetime of opportunity they wonder if they will even have a future or if they should bring kids into this world. It’s an age of doom and hopelessness and giving up seems the only sensible thing to do. But that’s not true. You are not doomed. Humanity is not doomed.

You are cells. Your muscles, organs, skin and hair. They are in your blood and in your bones. Cells are biological robots. They don’t want anything, they don’t feel anything. They are never sad or happy. They just are, right here, right now. They are as conscious as a stone or a chair or a neutron star. Cells just follow their programming that has been evolving and changing for billions of years, molded by natural selection. They are impossible machines and yet, here they are, driven entirely by the fundamental forces of the universe. The smallest unit of life, right at the border where physics becomes biology. Sometimes, to get a truer understanding of how amazing something is, you need to hold your breath and dive in really deep. So, what are cells and how do they work?

There is this idea floating around that what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. That surviving a disease leaves you better off. And it seems to make sense because we have all experienced this. When you go through hardship, often you come out more resilient, more ready to face a difficult situation in the future. But it turns out that sometimes, what doesn’t kill you makes you weaker. So, what happens when you get sick?

In 2023, Kurzgesagt has existed for 10 years (which is insanely long in internet years). We are among the largest sciencey channels on Youtube and still a bit of a black box to people. So let us talk about ourselves in three parts: Our backstory, how we finance our work, and the values of Kurzgesagt!

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?

Humans assume aliens look human. But why would they? Let's explore what life might actually look like in strange, distant worlds.

Most of us love animals but also eat meat. Unfortunately, most animals we eat live in truly horrible conditions. We don’t torture them for better meat, just for cheaper meat. If we all paid just a bit more, we could avoid most animal suffering – often just for a few cents per meal. What would it truly cost us to avoid animal torture and still eat meat?

Reality is not real. Your world is a prediction. Every sight, sound, and touch you experience is the result of calculations your brain makes before reality even reaches you. It fills in gaps, fabricates details, and even alters time itself so you feel like you’re in control. But if everything you know is an illusion… what does that say about you? What does it mean for your choices? Is there even free will?

Trees are among the most fascinating life forms on Earth, but what makes them truly fascinating is hiding underground! They are able to break solid rocks with hydraulic roots, all while working together with the underground fungal networks that can stretch for kilometers. Above and below, trees are running biological empires we’re only beginning to understand. How does something so massive survive with roots growing so shallow? What are trees really made of and how are they able to grow so big?

Losing weight is hard, and obesity is one of the unhealthiest things that can happen to your body. It increases your risk of diabetes, heart attacks, cancer, and can lead to a series of other health complications. But today, the new weight loss drugs are changing people’s lives in a way no diet ever has before. They seem to melt fat away, reduce addiction and even prevent or reverse the negative effects of obesity. How do these drugs work? What do they do to our metabolism, and could they change public health forever?

Most of the universe is not made of stars, galaxies, or beautiful glowing nebulae. Instead, the majority of it is what seems to be vast, silent emptiness. Huge cosmic voids stretching hundreds of millions of light years across, containing almost nothing at all. But these dark regions are not just empty space. They are dynamic structures that grow, merge, and shape the entire architecture of the universe. What exactly are cosmic voids and how did they form? What makes them so strange, and what role might they play in the future of the universe?