For science!
Hi I'm Neil deGrasse Tyson and this is "Rising Stars." Today we're
talking with the creators of ASAP Science, one of the most innovative
YouTube channels all about science. Mitch Moffett and Greg Brown and they're
here right now!
So what were you thinking?!
So I went and taught in the UK
in this small mining town. If I put on just the YouTube page and it was
the only time they would stop throwing things at me and it
was literally just the YouTube — I wouldn't even have to put a video on!
They'd all be like, 'Oh what's gonna happen?'
- Stare at the blank YouTube screen in anticipation.
- Yeah! Or they would watch this maybe long drawn-out science
video and they were in silence. And so I think that what we started to realize
was, in fact, we could do something like this.
So what are some of your most
popular posted videos?
Well our most popular ones to, still to-date I think, is
the one about the dress, whether it was black or blue. We have one on the
microbiomes. Well, how much sleep do I need? Or why do I get hungover?
'Is masturbation good for you' is still growing very quickly, so there's other
- It's still swelling - Oh my God! That was good. It's still swelling.
No one liked my answer about the dress.
What was your answer?
My answer was, your brain is an awful data intake device
That's all. That's why we have science. So do you have a panel of
professional scientists reviewing?
No, we don't. We use science
information. We use journals. We use peer-reviewed studies and we think about
how we can take the studies and the language to explain it in the best way
that we can. And what we've done now and, we've essentially, is we've hired
writers who are just women. I don't know if it's us as gay men but we're like these women are just who we want to hire.
- Our channel was highly male centric and
the ideas that we thought about. And that is very true. - And it was engrained in us. Even though we
were gay men, everything was coming at it with this specific bias because we
were writing it.
So in a way, you are science journalists. That's what you're
doing. Your medium just isn't the printed word. Yeah.
That's really interesting
because it was almost even today that we were talking with this — making that
connection because sometimes what will happen is we'll make this video and then
like I read The New Yorker every week and sometimes I'll just read their science
section and be like, 'Wait we did that video and the information is quite similar' and I
think we we like to say that we're science communicators is what we're trying to do.
So what's — do you have a goal?
I think the overarching goal has always been
just to pique people's curiosity. In particular, we love that we have
fans that already love science, but it's like how do you find the people who
aren't intersecting with science in the first place?
I'm just thinking about
something: if you guys continue to be successful, it could transform education
in the schools.
We are not replacing teachers. I mean, we have three-minute
videos. A teacher has to spend at least an hour to an hour and a half with one
topic and engaging students for that long is obviously much more difficult
than once a week for three minutes. Same as dating someone. So I do think there is a
place for us to supplement teachers and engage kids and get them fascinated with
a topic and then dive into more but I definitely do think that, I mean Greg can
probably speak to this more because you were a teacher, but classrooms are obviously
transforming with technology and with the interests of kids and trying to
figure out 'OK how to we break out of the format and the structure that
schools have had for so long?' that obviously, in many cases, do not work
and don't cater to different styles of learning, either.
Students being able
to grasp onto what they're interested in first, instead of trying to force them to
be interested in something, is so powerful and education is shifting
towards that. How long is it gonna take to really get there is a big question and I
think that we're just hopeful that we can be a part of that process.
So, so you
guys efficiently communicate a lot of information in a way that's very
pleasing to the eye and to the ear. If you go to classical education, which slow
down, first learn this, and look, pause, and in the modern era, no! No.
That's very interesting and
we actually have a lot of our parents' friends who continually email us and
they'll be like slow down! And I'll feel really bad but I'll be like 'Girl, I think you're just old!' (Laughs)
I feel really bad but
it's a thread. We're like everyone else is keeping up.
By the way, that fact goes way
back. If you look at people writing about the future of computing and the internet
back in the '70s and '80s, they were worried that there'd be like so much
information our brains would melt. Today, anyone like over 60, they're saying
'No, there's too much information. It's moving too fast.' I said ask anyone under 30 that
same question. And I asked. My kids are like 15, 20, I say is there
too much information out there? And they say, 'Dad I don't even understand your
question? Why is that even a question?'
Is it coming at you too fast? 'What?'
They're born into it. It's a new
blog rate for the brain. So you guys are thriving in a medium that was only
recently invented. Is there some future that you look forward to?
Like what when we're older, and we're looking back and like 'Wow'
Like that? Is that what you mean? (Laughs) Because yeah, I think so.
- I think about that all the time. - Is it like living forever? - That's what you want to do.
I love the idea of living
forever. I often ask friends - It's very selfish of you, by the way. - Well I want everyone to live
forever like with me, OK? - That means no one new will be born unless you
move. Unless you colonize other planets. - Oh yeah, we got to get there.
- Just a couple of things - First colonize another planet, then I can live forever.
Another thing we've researched about is called
"utility fog" — have you heard of it? - No. - It's very much a concept.
It's like tons of micro
technologies that communicate with each other. - It's modular - This chair could be made
of this utility fog. It assembles and makes a chair and then as we leave, it
can disassemble and become something else.
Oh I see, because most of the time you're not using things for why they were designed.
Exactly and like for space and for overpopulation, I think the theory is
that you could have living modular headquarters and places that would
disappear when the function of them is not necessary because there's gonna be
less space.
But the idea that we somehow can control the environment and have it
serve our needs in that moment... - And it learns
But also, I was thinking about the other day about how, whenever you would watch a sci-fi movie
from the past and they would think of the future and driving, they would always
have someone in like a hovercraft, driving. Being like 'Look at
this new car!' But now, as they're getting with driverless cars and thinking
of how it's all gonna maybe be an algorithm, sorting each other out, I was
like it is so interesting that in the past, they couldn't have the foresight to
make the sci-fi movie where no, in fact, no one's driving.
Now we all love
science fiction movies, is there one that has the kind of future you want or is
there one in particular that you know you don't want?
"Children of Men," have you seen "Children of Men?"
Yes I have! - Fantastic movie. Disturbing. - That's disturbing. Oh my gosh.
Fascinating movie, but that's one I don't want.
That's when people are no longer able to reproduce.
That was the same director as the movie "Gravity?" - That's "Gravity," yes. Alfonso Cuarón.
One of my favorite directors, yeah. Did you like "Gravity?"
Yes I did! People thought
I hated it 'cause I said some stuff they could have done, ya know?
They overlooked some physics
But no, I thought it was brilliant.
I think when it comes to science fiction
movies where it's a world that I want is more rare.
Could it be Ray
Bradbury's famous comment when they said why are you showing us these futures
that are so disturbing. Is this what you think the future is? He
said, 'No.'
No I think that there's a lot of science fiction movies, you're right, are
rooted in a lot of fear and there can be a lot of good from that especially when
maybe it's something to do with climate change or like talking about natural
disasters and things like that. Because I do - Or artificial intelligence
Both of you have strong biology backgrounds, right? And so you might be
better equipped to think creatively about what alien life might look like.
Have you thought much about that? What are they likely to be made of? What's
successful on Earth? What would might likely be successful in terms of bio
functions on another planet? Have you thought much about that?
Yeah I
think it's obviously much more complicated to understand like what is
alien life in the first place? We intrinsically jump to decide that they
look like us. - Well 'cause of the actors in the rubber suits.
Exactly, in the sci-fi movie. But yeah I think that it's so
complicated to think about like if you think about that utility fog maybe it's
more of a life form that's not like mobile in the same way - At all - Exactly. That doesn't function
in a way that we can really predict.
I have a question for you.
- Yeah. - 'Cause I've always thought about this. Could aliens also be made of substances
that we wouldn't be able to see visually?
It's not likely, no, and I'll tell you why
Because I'm a scientist and I have dozens of senses because we have methods
and tools that measure things in your environment that your human physiology
has no clue is there. From multispectral imaging to gravitational fields to
ionizing radiation to polarization and so to say there's a thing we will not
detect, maybe, but we detect so much that you
already don't see
I see you what you mean. So if aliens come, we'll see them. In some way.
We'll find some
way to know so we know who to punch in the face. (Laughs). Where they are.
All right, well you may actually be a force in enabling that future based on your
influence of those who are touched by your videos. - Thank you so much! That's our hope.