[Hank]: It held on for so long, but then… devolved so fast.
We got nothing now.
Nothing makes sense anymore.
Hi, this is David from MinuteEarth, and Grant from 3Blue1Brown, and Dianna from PhysicsGirl
and the Osmosis team and Tom from Tom Scott and the SciShow team and Mithuna from LookingGlassUniverse
and Steven from Welch Labs and Vanessa from BrainCraft and Patrick from TierZoo and Jabril
from Jabrils and Danielle from Animalogic and Joe from It’sOKToBeSmart, and in this
video we all got together to play Telestrations.
That’s the game where one person writes an idea in words.
And the next person tries to draw that idea in pictures.
And the next tries to convert the pictures back to words.
And back to pictures, and back to words, and so on and so on.
Needless to say, the original idea can get very (and amusingly) garbled along the way.
But because we’re doing this with YouTube channels, we took narration from one channel:
“[Arcadi]: Why is that?” and asked the next to illustrate it: “[Arcadi]: Why is
that?”, then the next just got the illustrations and made up the narration: “[Dianna]: And
then get pumped!”, the next just got the narration and made up the illustrations: “[Dianna]:
And then get pumped!”... you get the idea.
Like most games of Telestrations, the initial rounds started off somewhat similar... and
then things started to get REALLY weird!
Here’s how it went...
[Kate]: Popular media stories about science often don’t match up with the actual research
they’re based on, because the information gets shaped along the way.
A scientific journal might only accept a paper about the one part of the research that shows
a positive correlation.
A not-so-science literate journalist might not realize the effect was only found in non-human
subjects.
And a social media manager might confound correlation and causation while he makes as
clicky a post as possible.
By the time science makes it to the masses, its takeaway could be way different from the
research it’s purporting to cover.
[Henry]: Sometimes social media says stuff like “science shows beer is good for building
big biceps” -that’s not based on real research, right?
So how did it get there?
By a game of telephone.
First, a researcher finds that bigger cats drink more beer, though they don’t eat more
apples.
So they publish the result that big cats drink more beer!
Then a journalist reads that research and writes a more “accessible” article about
how more beer makes you bigger!
And finally, a social media influencer sees that article and gets inspired to create a
clickbaity post: beer makes you STRONGER!
Wow, isn’t that amazing?
Well, um, sure!
Any excuse for more beer!
While science cries sadly in the corner…
Sometimes social media says stuff like “science shows beer is good for building big biceps”
-that’s not based on real research, right?
So how did it get there?
By a game of telephone.
First, a researcher finds that bigger cats drink more beer, though they don’t eat more
apples.
So they publish the result that big cats drink more beer!
Then a journalist reads that research and writes a more “accessible” article about
how more beer makes you bigger!
And finally, a social media influencer sees that article and gets inspired to create a
clickbaity post: beer makes you STRONGER!
Wow, isn’t that amazing?
Well, um, sure!
Any excuse for more beer!
While science cries sadly in the corner…
[Arcadi]: Have you seen the news?
"Science proves beer helps your muscles grow!”.
But while these flashy headlines are based on actual research, they’re sometimes…
off.
Why is that?
Well, here’s a secret.
When researchers discover something – say, bigger cats drink more beer than smaller cats
– they write an article for a science journal.
Then, someone writing their own article for a broader audience, wanting those likes, might
say “wow, beer makes us bigger!”.
AND THEN, others read that and post something like “yo, beer makes you swole af!!”,
which can be read and spread and cheered for and still beer-wrong.
Have you seen the news?
"Science proves beer helps your muscles grow!”.
But while these flashy headlines are based on actual research, they’re sometimes…
off.
Why is that?
Well, here’s a secret.
When researchers discover something – say, bigger cats drink more beer than smaller cats
– they write an article for a science journal.
Then, someone writing their own article for a broader audience, wanting those likes, might
say “wow, beer makes us bigger!”.
AND THEN, others read that and post something like “yo, beer makes you swole af!!”,
which can be read and spread and cheered for and still beer-wrong.
[Dianna]: Wanna write a banging title for your essay?
Grab a frothy pint of beer (It’s good for strong biceps).
Calm your mind… and then get pumped!
Cause you’re going to graph the correlation between beer and feline obesity.
You see a clear upward linear trend.
This is relevant to the essay in question.
An essay that magically copies itself, and it’s very popular on Facebook.
Now replace those graph cats with humans.
Did I say humans?
I meant giant biceps!
And we see the same upward trend, a great example of fake news.
And that always makes for a catchy title.
Wanna write a banging title for your essay?
Grab a frothy pint of beer (It’s good for strong biceps).
Calm your mind… and then get pumped!
Cause you’re going to graph the correlation between beer and feline obesity.
You see a clear upward linear trend.
This is relevant to the essay in question.
An essay that magically copies itself, and it’s very popular on Facebook.
Now replace those graph cats with humans.
Did I say humans?
I meant giant biceps!
And we see the same upward trend, a great example of fake news.
And that always makes for a catchy title.
[Tom]: While there was plenty of anecdotal evidence, actual scientific research into
bartender's elbow didn't start until the 1970s.
At the time, serving pints of beer was said to make you strong: but those early studies
found it was more likely to give you chronic tendonosis.
Breakthrough experiments on cats found that the heavier you were, the more beer it took
to cause problems.
There were a lot of questions about why that might be, and it wasn't until modern data
analysis came along that scientists could confirm it with human trials.
But now the data is in: to avoid bartender's elbow, gain weight.
And it might help you get strong arms as well.
The old anecdotes were absolutely right.
While there was plenty of anecdotal evidence, actual scientific research into bartender's
elbow didn't start until the 1970s.
At the time, serving pints of beer was said to make you strong: but those early studies
found it was more likely to give you chronic tendonosis.
Breakthrough experiments on cats found that the heavier you were, the more beer it took
to cause problems.
There were a lot of questions about why that might be, and it wasn't until modern data
analysis came along that scientists could confirm it with human trials.
But now the data is in: to avoid bartender's elbow, gain weight.
And it might help you get strong arms as well.
The old anecdotes were absolutely right.
[Mithuna]: Are you worried you won’t even be able to pick-up an empty glass when you
return to the bar post-quarantine?
After months of disuse, even flexing your bicep can cause pain in your weakened tendons.
But don’t worry, it’s not too late to change this, no matter how you’ve been spending
your quarantine so far.
You see, the pain will actually decrease as you train lifting heavier and heavier things.
So, keep flexing your muscles, and you’ll be back at the bar - pain-free - in no time.
Are you worried you won’t even be able to pick-up an empty glass when you return to
the bar post-quarantine?
After months of disuse, even flexing your bicep can cause pain in your weakened tendons.
But don’t worry, it’s not too late to change this, no matter how you’ve been spending
your quarantine so far.
You see, the pain will actually decrease as you train lifting heavier and heavier things.
So, keep flexing your muscles, and you’ll be back at the bar - pain-free - in no time.
[Vanessa]: New research has found a fitness trend that actually works: shaking a cup of
ice.
Results are striking; it actually causes your biceps to grow.
And there’s a scientific consensus that when biceps are larger, people are really
big and strong.
Most importantly, the ice-shaker method leads to big biceps for three months!
Another study found that the more weight you use in your cup, the bigger your big muscles
grow.
Who knew that ice was such a heavyweight?
New research has found a fitness trend that actually works: shaking a cup of ice.
Results are striking; it actually causes your biceps to grow.
And there’s a scientific consensus that when biceps are larger, people are really
big and strong.
Most importantly, the ice-shaker method leads to big biceps for three months!
Another study found that the more weight you use in your cup, the bigger your big muscles
grow.
Who knew that ice was such a heavyweight?
[Jabril]: A person (presumably bald) grabs a glass of ice.
Person shakes the glass of ice, then eventually gets a flashy strength power up and this power
up experience goes directly to his striking stat.
So when the person goes to shake the glass of ice again, flower 1 to 3, sun 1 to 3,
leaf 1 to 3, snowflake 1 to 3, replaces from Sun 2 to Snowflake 1 with strength in the
sequence.
The result of this is the ability to lift bigger glasses of ice, thus more power ups,
and thus bigger arms.
[Jabril]: A person (presumably bald) grabs a glass of ice.
Person shakes the glass of ice, then eventually gets a flashy strength power up and this power
up experience goes directly to his striking stat.
So when the person goes to shake the glass of ice again, flower 1 to 3, sun 1 to 3,
leaf 1 to 3, snowflake 1 to 3, replaces from Sun 2 to Snowflake 1 in the sequence.
The result of this is the ability to lift bigger glasses of ice, thus more power ups,
and thus bigger arms.
[Joe]: Evolution is kind of like Dungeons & Dragons.
It reaches for a bunch of dice, and gives them a good shake.
Every roll is a fight versus nature.
And an organism gets stronger as it punches its way to the next round.
And the stronger the organism, and the more good roles it has, it makes more offspring.
It’s true for flowers, viruses, trees, probably even snowflakes!
And as an organism gets stronger and levels up, it never wins the game, it just has more
dice to roll in the next round.
Ok…
That got weird…
We had all the participating channels react to the final video on camera, but before we
show that, we want to thank the real Telestrations board game for sponsoring this video.
As we were working on this idea, I reached out and told them what we were up to, and
they got excited about it and actually helped us make it happen.
Which is great, because Telestrations is the MinuteEarth team’s favorite game to play
together.
Anybody can play - regardless of drawing skills - and there are no winners or losers - just
hilarious miscommunications.
Telestrations has provided joy to all ages all over the world for more than a decade
now.
To get your own game set, go to theop.games today.
That’s www.theop.games.
Thanks Telestrations and The Op Games!
And now, some of our favorite reactions...
[Mithuna]: Oh my god…
We’ve done this with this piece of information, haven’t we?
[Kate]: … its takeaway could be way different from the research it’s purporting to cover.
[Tom]: Ok, so that’s what it was about… alright.
[Savannah]: Ok, so I get it.
You did a meta, you did a meta thing of like, “Look how much stuff changes in the…”
I get it.
You’re smart!
It’s clever.
[Stephen]: These are really nice animations.
I wish I knew how to, like, draw stuff.
That’d be awesome.
[Dianna]: Wanna write a banging title for your essay?
Grab a frothy pint of beer (It’s good for strong biceps).
[Tom]: Ok, this is where it fell apart.
This is, this is where it all fell apart.
[Dianna]: A great example of fake news.
And that always makes for a catchy title.
[Vanessa]: This is so funny!
But it’s actually really depressing when you think about it.
[Tom]: While there was plenty of anecdotal evidence, actual scientific research into
bartender's elbow didn't start until the 1970s.
[Joe]: What?!
Bartender’s elbow.
It’s probably a real thing.
[Tom]: Ok, I just made up “bartender’s elbow,” alright?
Like, I tried to figure out some story that would fit the graphics, I just made up “bartender’s elbow.”
[Grant]: I love how the SciShow quality of animation is like five times what anyone else
provided.
[Mithuna]: Ahhh, I see how this happened.
I’m annoyed.
I had no idea what I was illustrating.
[Mithuna]: Are you worried you won’t even be able to pick-up an empty glass when you
return to the bar post-quarantine?
[Vanessa]: Results are striking; it actually causes your biceps to grow.
[Joe]: Ok.
And there’s a scientific consensus that when biceps are larger, people are really
big and strong.
[Joe]: I’m not gonna name names here, but I see where the confusion started.
[Jabril]: ...and thus bigger arms.
[Tom]: Wow, I can’t fault you at all there.
Like, that was an accurate description of what was on screen, but … good grief good
luck to whoever’s next.
[Jabril]: I had no idea what I was looking at.
I didn’t know that the twelve squares represented months.
I didn’t know.
[Tom]: The artwork’s beautiful!
[Jabril]: ...flower 1 to 3, sun 1 to 3, leaf 1 to 3, and snowflake 1 to 3…
[Jabril]: Oh my god!
...replaces from Sun 2 to Snowflake 1 with strength in the sequence.
[Jabril]: ...and thus, bigger arms.
[Kyle]: I wish I looked like that.
[Joe]: ...it just has more dice to roll in the next round.
[Tom]: Joe!
Joe, that’s lovely!
How we got there, I don’t know, but Joe’s final setup is just really, really nice.
Yep - I think Tom’s right.
Pretty much everything about the original script changed by the time Joe was done!
Thank you so much to every channel that participated - check them out in the description and subscribe
to them!
And thanks again to Telestrations the game, for helping to make this happen.
We’ll be back with something a little less weird, a little less goofy... um… a little
more sciency… soon.
Thanks.