KAMRI: Hey guys, it's Kamri.
My friends and I are having a movie night
and I'm making some popcorn.
Popcorn is just one of those weird things that I always
took for granted.
How does it pop and why does it transform from a crunchy
kernel to fluffy white popcorn?
I'm gonna need some help for this.
Thankfully, National Geographic Kids sent me
their expert in popcorn popping.
Here she is now!
ASHER: Hey Kamri!
I'm Asher Jay, a National Geographic Explorer and a
creative conservationist.
My friends call me the Popcorn Pilgrim.
I'm always looking for kernels like yourself to transform.
KAMRI: Really?
ASHER: Yes, I used to be in fashion and I'm a big fan of
instant makeovers.
Popcorn is an instant makeover if I ever saw one.
KAMRI: OK, so what are popcorn kernels?
Are they just dried up pieces of corn?
ASHER: A popcorn kernel is corn, just a different
species of corn than what we eat at a barbeque.
A kernel of popcorn has a stronger shell,
or hull, which makes it better at trapping steam.
KAMRI: How does trapping steam make a popcorn kernel pop?
ASHER: Each of these kernels is like nature's little
pressure cooker.
When heat is added to the seed,
the moisture inside them turns to steam,
filling the inside of the kernel.
KAMRI: Like a tea kettle! ASHER: Exactly!
Except, the steam has nowhere to go.
KAMRI: Because of the kernel's strong hull.
ASHER: Bingo.
Eventually, enough steam pressure builds inside the
kernel that it bursts through the kernel's shell.
KAMRI: So is the popping the sound of the shell breaking?
ASHER: It's actually the sound of steam rushing out of the kernel.
Kind of like the popping sound of opening a soda bottle.
KAMRI: So what's the white stuff of popcorn?
ASHER: That stuff is the starch of the kernel.
It's stored food the seed consumes
to grow into a sprout.
KAMRI: Popcorn is amazing!
To get a better perspective, I think we'll have to see
one of those kernels up close and personal.
ASHER: Yes. Wait, what?
KAMRI: We'll just enlarge a popcorn seed
and see how it all works.
Stand back!
ASHER: Amazing! OK.
This is the seed's hull. It protects the seed.
KAMRI: And also traps the steam.
ASHER: This is the endosperm.
It's the starch that is the seed's fuel to grow into a plant.
KAMRI: So when the kernel pops,
it bursts out of the shell and becomes the
fluffy, tasty part of popcorn.
ASHER: And this is the seed's germ.
It's the part of the plant that would develop if the
seed were to grow on its own.
KAMRI: It's getting hot in here, like a sauna.
ASHER: That's the steam, building inside the shell.
KAMRI: Wait, that means this kernel's ready to.
Whoa!
Now that you know how that works,
catch up on all the other episodes of How Things Work
by clicking right here.
And also make sure you subscribe to Nat Geo Kids
by clicking down here.
See you next time. Bye!
Captioned by Cotter Captioning Services.