- You know, after 757 videos,
there isn't much that surprises me in terms of facts.
And if you've been rocking with me for a while,
you've probably learned so much that you feel the same.
But recently, there are some facts
that I discovered about our world
that blew me away, some of which
came directly from the Gates Annual Letter,
which I read every year.
So today, in collaboration with Bill and Melinda Gates,
and in the spirit of the Gates Annual Letter,
here are the 10 most surprising facts you never knew.
Number 10 is perceiving reality.
In the early 19th century, a physicist names Thomas Young
conducted the first recorded double slit experiment.
In this, he sent a beam of light
through two vertical parallel slits in a piece of cardboard
and studied how it impacted the screen beyond it.
This and similar experiments conducted after
reveal that even when one photon was sent through at a time,
it seemed to interfere somehow with itself,
meaning it was actually a wave, not a particle.
But that somehow changed
as soon as a recording device was added
to see which slit each photon was traveling through,
as then they began acting like particles.
The only variable changed was the addition
of something to observe the experiment,
meaning perceiving reality actually had an effect on it.
That means that we literally make our own reality,
so that's why you should stay positive,
'cause you make everything happy around you.
Number nine is the data in your DNA.
Imagine being able to store every bit of data
that human beings have recorded
throughout the history of the planet
inside something that's around the size of a small room.
That'd be crazy, right?
Well, according to numerous experts,
this can soon be a reality,
but instead of using hard drives or CDs,
this massive amount of information
could be stored inside DNA.
In August of 2012, two scientists
at Harvard's Wyss Institute managed to store 5.5 petabits,
which is around 700 terabytes or 700,000 gigabytes
of data in a single gram of DNA.
But that's only a fraction of what
the gene carriers could actually hold.
It will soon be possible to store 215 petabytes,
or 215 million gigabytes of data within a single gram of it.
Just think of how much data
you could store inside your own body.
All the students right now are like,
"Yes, I can study less!"
Number eight is the oldest people on Earth.
In May of 2016, the World Health Organization
released a list of countries with the highest
life expectancy on the planet, and Japan topped it.
The report revealed that millions of women there
were enjoying living to an average age of 86.8 years,
while men lived to a respectable 80.5.
However, nowhere in Japan were the ages of people
more impressive than on the island of Okinawa,
where an incredible number of people
are living well past that.
Okinawa island is home to over 400 people
over the age of 100.
Many experts believe the reason for the large number
of centenarians is the diet of those living there.
Okinawa cuisine is most often made up
of lighter portions of food focusing on low-calorie,
natural ingredients grown there, as well as fish.
If you're looking to leave to 100,
Okinawa is the place for you.
Number seven is people without bank accounts.
A report published in April of 2015 by the World Bank
revealed that only 62% of the world's adult population
have accounts at banks or other types
of financial institutions.
The remaining 38% of the population do not,
meaning around two billion people
rely solely on cash to pay for things.
The report went on to show that progress had been made,
as between 2011 and 2014, the number of people
with bank accounts had increased by 700 million individuals.
Surprisingly, of these people with bank accounts
living in developing countries, around 1.3 billion of them
still choose to pay bills for things like garbage removal,
water, and electricity with cash
over utilizing the more modern forms of payment.
Additionally, over 500 million of them
still pay for things like school fees in cash too.
Number six is that age of everything.
The world around you is much older than you probably think.
In fact, which it's only the year 2019 right now,
it's been much, much longer than 2,019 years
since the Earth formed itself.
Experts estimate that our planet
is around 4.54 billion years old,
which is less than a third of the age of the universe
to figure out the universe's age,
scientists first determined the age of the oldest items
that have been discovered within it.
This was combined with data collected
from missions such as the European Space Agency's
Planck Spacecraft, which revealed the Hubble constant,
the rate in which the universe is expanding.
The universe, as it turns out,
is over 13.8 billion years old.
Number five is the power of mobile phones.
Mobile phones are incredibly powerful devices,
allowing us almost instant access to information
and of course each other.
But while they're making life easier for us
in first-world countries, the impact this technology
is having on women living in the world's
poorest regions is far more significant.
Advancements in communication technologies
have given these women the ability to connect
with potential employers, learn and develop new skills,
and finally gain access to bank accounts.
Believe it or not, that last one is something
they were unable to do before mobile phones were introduced.
Not only are women gaining new opportunities
through the use of cellphones,
but they are affecting the economy
of the communities around them too.
Number four are textbooks are becoming obsolete.
Due to advancements in technology,
specifically in educational tools,
the age of paper textbooks may be reaching an end.
A poll conducted in 2017 in the United States
revealed that nearly 70% of teachers
believe that it's more important to have technology
such as interactive whiteboards
than to have traditional textbooks.
Every day, more and more educators are turning
to more engaging methods to teach their students,
and the results are proving
that teachers are choosing wisely.
A study conducted using 138,000 students
attending introductory classes
at higher education institutions
revealed that those of them utilizing digital tools
got better grades than those who stuck
to the old-fashioned methods of reading textbooks.
Plus, students can save as much as $121 per course
by switching to tech over paper.
I'm kinda jealous that I didn't have that opportunity
when I was in school, 'cause I used to lug around
at least 50 pounds of books
when I was studying to be an accountant.
Yeah, I used to study to be an accountant..
The Canadian Tax ACT?
(blowing a raspberry)
No thanks, it's like 10 pounds.
Number three is that state of global sanitation.
Flushing toilets are, without a doubt,
one of the most important things invented by human beings,
as they take waste away from people
and thus help prevent the spread of disease.
Surprisingly, these life-saving items
haven't changed much in over a century,
but that isn't good news.
Due to their need for large amounts of water to operate,
and the sewage systems they require
to carry the flushed contents away
being quite expensive to build,
toilets are a luxury that too few have to their disposal.
There are nearly two and a half billion people worldwide
who don't have easy access to toilets,
which has led to huge amount of waste going untreated.
According to UNICEF, over 750 children
under the age of five years old die every single day
due to issues caused by a lack of proper sanitation.
Number two is agricultural contributions to climate change.
In addition to all the non-renewable fuels
being burned to keep our cars running and our lights on,
there is another large contributor to global warming,
and it's on your plate.
Cows and sheep release methane gases in huge amounts,
creating as they digest their food.
In fact, it's estimated that,
for every kilogram of beef that we eat,
the equivalent of 34.6 kilograms of CO2 is produced.
18% of the greenhouse gases released worldwide
is due to farming, which is more than all
of the transportation sector combined.
30% of Earth's land surface is now used for livestock,
and the number is growing, leading to more deforestation.
The reality is we as human beings
could actually reduce our carbon footprint
and positively affect climate change,
simply by reducing the amount of meats
and dairy products that we consume.
I get it, I get it, bacon and beef can be really tasty,
but just keep this in mind, just saying.
And number one is Africa is the youngest continent.
According to the 2017 revision of the United Nations
World Population Prospects, 60% of the people
living in Africa are under the age of 25.
The median age across the continent is just 19 years old,
which is barely an adult by most standards.
Compare those numbers to North America,
and they become even more staggering,
as on this continent only 32% of the population
is under 25, and the average age is actually 35 years old.
Despite the colossal amount of young people
already living in African countries,
their numbers are expected to increase
even more over the next few decades.
This is creating hardships, as these nations
are already dealing with severe poverty
due to a lack of meaningful employment opportunities
and little access to proper healthcare.
So, those were the 10 most surprising facts you never knew.
This video was made possible by partnering
with Bill and Melinda Gates.
Every year, they release their Annual Letter
outlining the great accomplishments
humankind has made over the year.
If you want another big reason to smile
with additional positive facts about our world,
go to gatesletter.com to read why Bill and Melinda
are so optimistic about the future in their annual letter.
(relaxed electronic music)