How Pigeon Poop Helped Unlock the Universe’s Secrets

Is it bird poop? Is it nuclear fallout? Nope. It’s the Big Bang!
The sound that gave us the answer to one of the universe's biggest mysteries was discovered...completely by accident. This noise let science move on to explore what the heck our universe is doing today, and spoiler alert: we only understand what a measly 5% of our universe is made of.
Fascinating Fails tells the stories of accidents in history that have resulted in some of our biggest discoveries, inventions, and breakthroughs. Following those often jaw-dropping (and sometimes hilarious) fails through time to today, host Maren Hunsberger asks: "What's next?". By talking to today's innovative young scientists, engineers, artists, and other big thinkers, we see how the mistakes of the past are leading us into the science of tomorrow...and toward a better future.
Original Production Funding Provided by National Science Foundation - Grant No. 2120006 Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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Пікірлер: 168

  • @zombiedad
    @zombiedad3 ай бұрын

    Politely: PBS space time sent me. Loved it! Enjoyed the video immensely. Really fascinating. Thank you.

  • @sarahb1862

    @sarahb1862

    3 ай бұрын

    Same! this was awesome to watch :)

  • @Kondiqq

    @Kondiqq

    3 ай бұрын

    This video actually showed me why I watch PBS Space Time and why I don't watch Terra, even though I'm subscribed to it. The phone call was so annoying, I wanted to turn the video off. Same with some comments while talking about the Rachel telescope or the comment that galaxies are moving away from us like we have a bad breath. I don't like to use this word, especially that I rarely feel this way, but I feel the cringe or just being uncomfortable when I hear such stuff. It's unbearable for me, maybe it appeals to kids more.

  • @soad3838
    @soad38384 ай бұрын

    Why is Maren not the director of a production company? This woman has charisma and skills for daysssss

  • @mascadadelpantion8018
    @mascadadelpantion80184 ай бұрын

    Who knew that the white noise The t v made when I was a little kid, was actually the noise of the birth of the universe?

  • @EskiMoThor

    @EskiMoThor

    4 ай бұрын

    Wasn't the universe opaque the first few hundred thousand years, though? So, it wouldn't be the birth itself, more like the screams of the newborn universe.

  • @Dai5tr0y3r

    @Dai5tr0y3r

    4 ай бұрын

    Not an expert in the field, but this is correct. The CMB is from the first point that light *could* travel through the universe, the moment when that opaque universe cleared up enough to allow light to travel long distances before hitting something and scattering. The channel History of the Universe is a fantastic entry level explanation of this.

  • @davidva8694

    @davidva8694

    4 ай бұрын

    Not all the noise was the CMB, only part of it

  • @svachalek

    @svachalek

    4 ай бұрын

    Old TVs were listening to VHF and UHF waves and the CMB is mostly microwaves, but they do spread into other frequencies some. It would have been mixed with a lot of other sources though since it wasn’t carefully tuned like these telescopes. Apparently thunderstorms around the planet are the biggest source of static, which is also pretty cool that you can listen to.

  • @Rob-cm9jr

    @Rob-cm9jr

    4 ай бұрын

    I had to run a tube TV on white noise for over 25 years so that I could sleep. My mother is Sterling of the Sterling Stirling Stivelyns of Stirling Scotland descendent of Adam through Dardanus son of Zarah and my father is Berlin of the Ashkenazi descendent of Solomon son of David. I see far more of existence than I feel a human should. They don't even understand gravity or the system of non locality in correlation with local relativity. Humanity's existence is in jeopardy of extinction.

  • @prettypic444
    @prettypic4443 ай бұрын

    I love all the production people interacting with the scientists. it's so cute!

  • @IanGrams
    @IanGrams4 ай бұрын

    I'm a big space nerd so this is definitely up there among my favorite accidental discoveries. Thanks for covering it!

  • @lizziereid5908
    @lizziereid59084 ай бұрын

    The hosting, the clips, the bts, and the selfie filming, the illustrations, the branding! What a package!

  • @palundra82
    @palundra823 ай бұрын

    PBS Space Time sent me :-) Great video, please carry on doing them!

  • @grayaj23
    @grayaj233 ай бұрын

    Well done. Every science communication involves figuring out what parts to gloss over. I think this video is a good way for laypeople to get their heads inside the tent.

  • @mkfathers
    @mkfathers4 ай бұрын

    I really enjoyed this host telling us about incomprehensible issues of cosmic importance. After watching this simple video I believe I have actually understood things that I thought were beyond my comprehension. Thank you so much I feel a little more intelligent now. Please ensure that this host continues in more PBS shows.

  • @thecunningkrugereffect
    @thecunningkrugereffect4 ай бұрын

    To counter the other stupid comment, this host is great. She's clear, concise, well spoken and presents facts in an interesting manner. If I see her again, I will click on the video.

  • @TheOtherSlideYT

    @TheOtherSlideYT

    4 ай бұрын

    I thought she did great, especially considering her field is Microbiology (Represent! Woo!) I haven't seen of her microbio videos so I'm gonna have to check those out! 😁

  • @mahirmohiuddin1239

    @mahirmohiuddin1239

    4 ай бұрын

    @@TheOtherSlideYT Eh, I'm a biologist and I thought this video was too dumbed down compared to other PBS Terra clips. Still loved the host, but she spent way too much time explaining high school physics. I felt like this episode was made for children.

  • @HotTacticalBoyfriendOfficial

    @HotTacticalBoyfriendOfficial

    4 ай бұрын

    @@mahirmohiuddin1239 I'm not a biologist, nor any other kind of -ist, but I am 55 years old so far from being a child and thoroughly enjoyed the accessible nature of the presentation. No doubt with your higher than average level of education it was below you, but given the medium, I think it was well pitched.

  • @jso6790
    @jso67904 ай бұрын

    Omg. this is so adorable! It is fun to see Dr. MacTier being her astrophysicist self.

  • @StarLightNow
    @StarLightNow3 ай бұрын

    This is my favourite show on PBS. Just the energy you all have is fantastic and makes any subject instantly fun and engaging.

  • @Trask899
    @Trask8994 ай бұрын

    This series continues to deliver such high quality, fun, and informative content! Maren is of course a phenomenal host whose infectious enthusiasm makes any topic fun and her team is amazing.

  • @svachalek
    @svachalek4 ай бұрын

    To clarify the part at the end about how far galaxies are from us meaning how old they are, it’s not that distant galaxies are older’younger than nearby ones. They all formed around the same time. But the light from distant galaxies took longer to get here, so we are seeing them as they were long ago.

  • @nicwestra2088

    @nicwestra2088

    4 ай бұрын

    You can also tell when in space time.

  • @Robert_Herring
    @Robert_Herring4 ай бұрын

    Wonderful video. Maren is always articulate and engaging.

  • @suzannebenson7238
    @suzannebenson72384 ай бұрын

    Wow! Super cool. Thanks for making scientific subjects fun and easier to wrap my brain around.

  • @mikejettusa
    @mikejettusa4 ай бұрын

    Extremely interesting " matter" lol. Thank you for the explanation.

  • @Psysium
    @Psysium4 ай бұрын

    This delighted me from start to finish.

  • @zachware
    @zachware4 ай бұрын

    12:06-13:42 Pretty sure this is the best succinct description of dark energy and dark matter that I have ever heard. Very nice!

  • @BigTimeRushFan2112

    @BigTimeRushFan2112

    4 ай бұрын

    its still not proven so its still considered at best to be a philosophical explanation...at least the Ph.D did mention its not conclusive, most don't, most just try to pretend its real instead of what I think we'll eventually find, which is the measurements being used are off wildly.

  • @doguuygarunay2276
    @doguuygarunay22763 ай бұрын

    Watching this was pure joy.

  • @dandouglas5706
    @dandouglas57063 ай бұрын

    Good explanation of this, thanks!

  • @DrewTrox
    @DrewTrox3 ай бұрын

    Here from Space Time. The idea of episodes about discovery by accident is a great one.

  • @trebell885
    @trebell8853 ай бұрын

    The same sound we'd hear in a sea shell. Crazy cool. Lovit.

  • @gastonmarian7261
    @gastonmarian72613 ай бұрын

    Politely: PBS Space Time sent me :) Fascinating Fails sounds like such a great idea for a show. So many people think of science as incredibly regimented and structured with no room for improvisation, but countless breakthroughs came though people who were loose enough to flow with the happy accidents of life, and had enough presence with the experience of reality to draw useful conclusions Rachel is 108 years old. A sacred number for an aspect of the Divine Feminine that gives us views into heavenly realms

  • @henrywilderthings
    @henrywilderthings4 ай бұрын

    Claudia! Such wonderful Bay Area talent having a cameo 🤗

  • @drain_001
    @drain_0014 ай бұрын

    I see Maren I click the video, she's great!

  • @SmilerAndSadEyes
    @SmilerAndSadEyes3 ай бұрын

    Hello from PBS Space Time! Great video, really enjoyed it.

  • @windlessoriginals1150
    @windlessoriginals11504 ай бұрын

    Thank you

  • @jessicamorgan3073
    @jessicamorgan30733 ай бұрын

    Thanks team. PBS Spacetime sent me here! 😊🌌

  • @ErisNotEros
    @ErisNotEros3 ай бұрын

    Here from PBS space time. Subscribed!

  • @ShawnForno
    @ShawnForno3 ай бұрын

    I like smart people talking with experts. They ask better questions and I actually learn stuff. I had no idea why we called it “dark matter” either. And I really had no idea we can only see 5% of the matter in the universe. Good stuff. Thanks.

  • @Hundowasmyname
    @Hundowasmyname3 ай бұрын

    PBS Space Time very politely asked that I point out that they sent me.

  • @KeithCooper-Albuquerque
    @KeithCooper-Albuquerque3 ай бұрын

    Matt O'Dowd sent me! I loved this episode and I have subscribed!

  • @Hei1Bao4
    @Hei1Bao42 ай бұрын

    They always show the same instrument that first discovered the CMB, but i never see anything about later instruments that also did so, nor a rigorous study of how other possibilities of what it was were ruled out. Id be interested in watching something like that.

  • @valeriebeauchamp2263
    @valeriebeauchamp22634 ай бұрын

    this is funny ài like the editing and the vibe of this very entertaining and informative

  • @nicwestra2088
    @nicwestra20884 ай бұрын

    Great video! You dont need to use click bait titles, its interesting already.

  • @jimbenge9649
    @jimbenge96493 ай бұрын

    Hi, I followed the recomendation from PBS Space Time (Hope the cheques in the post 😂🤣😂).

  • @knotsochice
    @knotsochice4 ай бұрын

    The pidgeons were no help at all. If the horn was clean the background radiation discovery would've been made sooner. The pidgeons were saboteurs.

  • @kevincronk7981
    @kevincronk79813 ай бұрын

    That's weird, I'm subscribed to this channel but am only hearing about this series now from it being mentioned at the end of the latest PBS spacetime video.

  • @pbsterra

    @pbsterra

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you found it one way or another. KZread can be tough at times, but if you haven't rang the bell yet that can help. If you enjoyed this episode we've got a playlist with the others from this series, with more to come: kzread.info/head/PLnNZYWyBGJ1FJ57PV_tV3-gMpA4z9XFOX

  • @brokk2
    @brokk23 ай бұрын

    Hello! From PBS Space. Very interesting and well-made video. Thx!

  • @refathbari5690
    @refathbari56903 ай бұрын

    PBS Space time sent me here ;) Penzias was an alumni of CCNY :-)

  • @d2quareddaily949
    @d2quareddaily9494 ай бұрын

    @pbsterra out here slaying sci content for young viewers ❤👏 👏 👏

  • @xander6464
    @xander64643 ай бұрын

    Politely: PBS space time sent me.

  • @caitlinclark-mcclure1347
    @caitlinclark-mcclure13472 ай бұрын

    Is this the best video I have ever seen?

  • @SoEz2Hack
    @SoEz2Hack3 ай бұрын

    Politely, Space Time sent me.

  • @andresbrais906
    @andresbrais9063 ай бұрын

    PBS Spacetime send their regards

  • @DanielSolis
    @DanielSolis3 ай бұрын

    Politely sent by Space Time. Subbed!

  • @adamgajda7096
    @adamgajda70963 ай бұрын

    Matt sent me here. You better be good!

  • @qwertyuiopgarth
    @qwertyuiopgarth4 ай бұрын

    It is not good to get things wrong, by definition. But it is very very very good to recognize when you do get something wrong because then you have a better chance to get things right. Also: Maren Hunsberger should do a deep dive video that examines how they go about creating videos like this - a "our videos tell you about reality, and here is the reality of how we do it".

  • @markweisman6393
    @markweisman63934 ай бұрын

    Those strawberry earings are boss af!

  • @DominikJaniec
    @DominikJaniec4 ай бұрын

    lovely production! I like that your team was also involved :) besides, great topic to explore and to show explanations.

  • @corlisscrabtree3647
    @corlisscrabtree36473 ай бұрын

    Thank you 🙏 and PBS SpaceTime sent me.

  • @meandme3423
    @meandme34234 ай бұрын

    Was there reference to mean girls?😊

  • @claireseaton3659
    @claireseaton36594 ай бұрын

    THIS IS SO COOL I LOVE SPACEEEEEEE

  • @madamhenry
    @madamhenry3 ай бұрын

    PBS space time sent me!

  • @peterdallas
    @peterdallas3 ай бұрын

    6:06 this example makes it seem like the closer you are to her microphone, the higher the voice.

  • @lonelycubicle
    @lonelycubicle3 ай бұрын

    Politely, PBS Space Time sent you.

  • @rabell1984
    @rabell19843 ай бұрын

    Very kindly, I wish to inform you that PBS Space Time sent me here, big shout to Matt and all the awesome people at PBS

  • @CaoticoFanegasO_o
    @CaoticoFanegasO_o3 ай бұрын

    Politely that SpaceTime sent me.I was told to say that. Also, poop, fart, belch jokes are the best. Please don't cancel me, I was just trying to be funny.

  • @dylanqt13
    @dylanqt133 ай бұрын

    PBS spacetime sent me :)

  • @mxbranesic3933
    @mxbranesic39334 ай бұрын

    I really love hearing about science like this. I'm going to school for database analyst and I'm just drooling over all the data that DESI is collecting. One day I hope to join a project like that!

  • @nethoncho
    @nethoncho3 ай бұрын

    PBS Space Time sent me here

  • @-_-j
    @-_-j4 ай бұрын

    Dr Moiya McTier is awesome!

  • @LeAdri1du40
    @LeAdri1du403 ай бұрын

    Coming from PBS space time. It's great that you're making simple educative videos and simplifying for anyone to understand, but don't oversimplify so much that it becomes wrong. The explanations and demonstration need to be more though out. The dopler effect demonstration is wrong and poorly explained, you were running in a circle around her, you need to go straight past her for an effective demonstration, it would also influence the pitch and not just the volume Same for blue shift and red shift they won't have a "blue wavelength" they will have an accelerated or slowed down wave length (or blue shifted but not blue) Same for saying that wavelength = temperature (that's a wrong oversimplification) On the other hand I really enjoyed the scientific explain dark matter and dark energy

  • @lalah9481
    @lalah94813 ай бұрын

    I have a dumb question: I know we think we understand ‘time’, I’m not so sure space would operate as we perceive time… what if the start of the universe had already passed us by and we are watching it move away from us after that passing? So it could have come towards earth before we recorded these things. Also, aren’t there distortions in what we can see out there?

  • @Xelbiuj_1988
    @Xelbiuj_19883 ай бұрын

    SpaceTime sent me. :P Sub'd.

  • @NicholasMarshall
    @NicholasMarshall3 ай бұрын

    PBS space time asked for volunteers to explore a black hole, and somehow I ended up here.

  • @goldentrout4811
    @goldentrout48113 ай бұрын

    If moving away is redshifting, is the andromeda galaxy blueshifting towards us?

  • @HotelPapa100
    @HotelPapa1003 ай бұрын

    PBS Terra show on antarctic sea ice sent me.

  • @jenkcomedy
    @jenkcomedy3 ай бұрын

    As a space obsessionist, I enjoyed the crap out of this video. I also have to know where she got that rainbow sweatshirt. So cute!!

  • @LambieSamba
    @LambieSamba3 ай бұрын

    Sent here by Weathered!

  • @savemykind5877
    @savemykind58773 ай бұрын

    PBS Space Time sent me too.

  • @ZedaZ80
    @ZedaZ803 ай бұрын

    1:27 : so the big bang hasn't happened yet? 😁

  • @kimsoares3271
    @kimsoares32713 ай бұрын

    PBS Space Time sent me!❤

  • @booschman
    @booschman3 ай бұрын

    Space Time sent me

  • @Mama_lilith
    @Mama_lilith4 ай бұрын

    Excellent video and a great host!

  • @SKIND-SMOKEWAGON
    @SKIND-SMOKEWAGON3 ай бұрын

    PBS Space Time sent me! 🚀

  • @brumbymg
    @brumbymg3 ай бұрын

    Hi there. SpaceTime sent me.

  • @n1ckyh1ck9y
    @n1ckyh1ck9y3 ай бұрын

    Very cool! Guessing a woman wrote the script. Not quite big words in there

  • @HansStrijker
    @HansStrijker4 ай бұрын

    Loved it! I'm not exactly new to astrophysics, but love seeing new ways to explain these admittedly hard to grasp concepts (as underlined by Mark Rober's video a bit ago). And I can't help getting enthusiastic about anything that makes new people enthusiastic about this field! 😀

  • @gruvhagen
    @gruvhagen3 ай бұрын

    Space time sent me

  • @richardleduc2193
    @richardleduc21933 ай бұрын

    PBS Weather sent me!

  • @carrieanderson3438
    @carrieanderson34383 ай бұрын

    Thanks pbs space time

  • @epiclivestreams6733
    @epiclivestreams67333 ай бұрын

    PBS spacetime sent me.

  • @GregorioGrasselli1972
    @GregorioGrasselli19723 ай бұрын

    PBS Space sent me, but this is a little too simplistic.

  • @hoosierdaddy1469
    @hoosierdaddy14693 ай бұрын

    Sent by PBS space time

  • @GenderFluidDragonKing
    @GenderFluidDragonKing4 ай бұрын

    I need Rachel's secret so I can look that good when I'm 108

  • @tomfromoz8527
    @tomfromoz85273 ай бұрын

    The lovely young lady at weathered sent me! *Pam*

  • @microfino
    @microfino3 ай бұрын

    I drifted by here thanks to.... SpaceTime.... 🙂

  • @tzadik.
    @tzadik.4 ай бұрын

    Very well produced program

  • @mikebauer6917
    @mikebauer69173 ай бұрын

    PBS Space Time sent me.

  • @eddyz6502
    @eddyz65023 ай бұрын

    PBS Space Time sent me (:

  • @Takykardee
    @Takykardee3 ай бұрын

    Came here from Weathered!

  • @alskidan
    @alskidan4 ай бұрын

    We know that the stuff in the universe is expanding away from us. But how do we know that it is also expanding away from other stuff?

  • @robotsongs

    @robotsongs

    4 ай бұрын

    This is one thing I don't understand - say, in a two-dimensional plot, there are three points on a line, each equidistant from each other. If point 1 and point 2 are moving away from each other, that necessarily means that point 2 is moving towards point 3. How is it that point 2 can simultaneously move away from points 1 and 3?

  • @coachtaewherbalife8817
    @coachtaewherbalife88174 ай бұрын

    Will the CMB ever stop arriving at Earth?

  • @mgarar
    @mgarar3 ай бұрын

    Space Time sent me !!!

  • @slimal1
    @slimal13 ай бұрын

    Matt from SpaceTime sent me... he asked me to politely say so. P.S.: " Matt from SpaceTime" 😅 ... as opposed to 'Matt from somewhere outside of SpaceTime' .

  • @icepick47
    @icepick474 ай бұрын

    This was very unique but i can appreciate the video still

  • @bigguix
    @bigguix3 ай бұрын

    space timmmeeeee

  • @katherinecooper8694
    @katherinecooper86943 ай бұрын

    Weathered sent me 🥰