Honestly I 100% agree with his approach of "I'm studying this because it's cool and we don't know how it works". Really that's the foundation of science.
@Leanda B I actually _have_ seen snow when visiting Europe in the winter. It was like slow-motion rain, only instead of puddles, it left this giant white carpet you could kick. The novelty wore off pretty quickly though. Now, when I compare EuroSnowᵀᴹ with the last time it snowed here in the nearest alps... yeah, it was basically a flaccid layer of sheet ice broken up by rocks and bushes. An absolutely craptacular excuse for snow.
Bubbles are extremely important. I would assume he is studying cavitation. Bubble dynamics are incredibly important for so many areas that the general public aren't aware of. Every leading academic institution has a bubble dynamicist - usually a mathematician (fluid mechanics).
one time i accidentally witnessed a perfectly symmetrical stellar dendrite, i was playing around with some snow a few years back, looked at my hand and boom, a perfect snowflake, and since that day i have fallen in love with the beauty of snowflakes and the way they form.
@Just Some Guy, Mustache. I mean, with however many snowflakes come down during one snowy day, even a one-in-a-million chance probably happens a few times!
For me it was noticing a snowflake on my jacket and realizing I could see the actual shape of it, and that it was actually a hexagon! It made me realize “wow, they’re actually shaped like that!!”
I once saw a perfect snowflake fall on the seat of my moms car when I opened the door back when we lived north of Iceland. It must have had a 2mm - 3mm radius or something, it was so visible. Been fascinated since. Keep up the good work! Curiosity is more than enough inspiration to pursue passions! Not everything has to have practical value, emotional value can be worth just as much, if not more.
Very interesting. As a brazilian, I grew up thinking the shapes of snowflakes were just a cartoon representation, until I traveled to Canada and was amazed by the real snowflakes. I loved watching them melting on my coat
30-40 minutes to make each snowflake BLEW MY MIND! 🤯 Hands down my favorite piece of your content ever! As other's have mentioned, this one really was a “drop what you're doing and pay close and undivided attention--this is *VERY* Important!” So much so, I actually had to restart the video, since I'd only marginally tuned in for the first few minutes. Sure, it may never lead to atom splitting and probably even less likely to lead to atom combining, but this right here, The Snowflake Guy, this is the gas that drives the whole vehicle of humanity's progression. Curiosity for curiosity’s sake. Imagine where the world would be if A. Everyone were so uncompromisingly passionate about their work. And B. Allowed themselves to turn that passion into an unapologetic search for meaning. We'd have conquered the cosmos centuries ago!
I was shocked but the ending. Never have I asked myself during this whole amazing snowflake documentary why is this scientist researching this topic. It feels so naturally compelling to me to be deeply attracted to solving the mysteries of life and the universe. Questions lie in every topic and their answers are interconnected, understanding one topic will better your understanding of the whole. It would be sad if human beings only directly seek to increase their comfort and safety... Which we do a lot already.
There's also selection bias here though- you are the kind of person who clicks on a video about how snowflakes form. Which means that among the hundreds of thousands of potential videos, you were served this video by an algorithm that guessed you might like it. And then, even more unlikely, you actually clicked on it. I think most people who would watch a video like this wouldn't be the same group of people who would feel the need to ask why you'd study such a thing. It's like asking diners in an Italian restaurant which of them likes tomatoes. You're probably going to get a higher-than-average number of people who like tomatoes in that selection group than if you asked more broadly to the general populace, or in an unfriendly selection group- like a kindergarten classroom. The people who ask him that are likely more the latter two kinds of groups, the people who have neutral or negative interest themselves.
Currently a very great deal of us live in misery and insecurity due to the pursuit of unfulfulliable greed by a few. I do not see the pursuit of comfort and security for the many as a vice at current time.
We've reached a point in animal evolution where we have the luxury to ask "who and why we are". Seeking to increase comfort and safety is an animal instinct. When we are finally comfortable enough, the energy we use our brains with can shift else where
Love what he said at the end. To be able to understand things as complex as the formation of snowflakes, even if it isn't remotely "useful", is a testament to our humanity. People like him who are curious and can share his passion with the world, recognize that knowledge is not a means to an end, it's an end in itself.
It is the human folly that in turn becomes a great virtue of our species: Having enough intelligence to detect and become interested in the research of a mechanism of existence, _yet lacking the common sense of when to call it quits,_ and eventually figuring out exactly how it operates, to our disappointment (and hope) in finding something else to obsess with down the line.
I honestly stunned by this man, recreated snowflakes n can control the shape by adjusting moisture, temperature, etc Is there any major studies snowflakes in college ? Much respect for you sir!! 🫡
As a Scandinavian I bow before the master of Snow. Nahh, but really - Truly fascinating research and what an incredibly wonderful man! I could listen hours upon hours of him talking about snowflakes. Thank you Derek for always bringing the most interesting people onto your channel!
From the perspective of a grad student of Complex Systems, this video is incredibly educational, it hits all the right spots, from the purpose and extents of modelling, to the cross-validation with experiments, to the sheer joy of discovering that you might have got it right :) And ultimately, the drive of science - of studying anything, really - is human curiosity and even intellectual pride after all, and it's marvellous and fun as it is. Keep up the amazing work!
@Pensador Ilógico He is happy showing that but if you also want to study snowflakes or water or minerals or whatever etc, they would block you from doing it, they only give the opportunity to specific people from specific countries , that's the bad side of science As examples; he's actually astronomy major, he do other things... so how he got the physics investigation if he's not a physics major? I wouldn't be surprised if other pysics major person would complain about they don't let them publish their own studies (because science in general have a monopoly of data and invention)
Sorry to be a buzzkill but he has not been studying snowflakes his whole career and he clearly states that he worked in other fields (astronomy) I'm not sure why there's so many comments on this video saying that they admire this guy for "spending his whole life" or his whole career "just" studying snowflakes as if that's all he's ever done, I admire him but he certainly didn't spend his whole career studying snowflakes.
Few years ago I visited Hokkaido University and came to know they are the pioneer who discovered snow flakes patterns. We were so grateful to meet a local lady professor at the entrance and have her offer to guide us walked through the campus. During that time she posed me a question do I know how many shapes of snowflakes, my guessing was about five types. Now I know the better answer from this video. Thank you for this sharing!
"It makes me and other people happy" is a valid reason. It's art! I suppose it also feeds him. And he's even gaining knowledge as to how things work? Give it some time and it'll become even more useful than it already is by the principles being used in a completely different context!
Understanding the formation of snowflakes - their shape and size - has a lot of practical applications. For example, different types of snowflakes have different coefficients of frictions when they are part of a snowpack layer on a mountain side. Such knowledge helps in understanding the conditions under which avalanches occur, therefore help in modelling and forecasting avalanches.
The quality of explanation and animation in this video is far superior to all the other videos I searched around for trying to learn about how snowflakes grow. Thank you for the effort that went into this!
this was deeply satisfying, having only ever seen images of perfect, symmetrical snowflakes. It felt difficult for me to believe that something that's the result of so much variation would always come out looking exactly perfect
"As a scientist, you want to figure something out." Contributing to the collective knowledge accumulated over millenia just because it's not already known. Badass.
@Taco Meme If humans are involved, there will always be the possibility of mistakes and accidents. Fortunately, I'm fairly confident the days of some unknown, non-formerly educated skilled and innovative fabricator with what he's sure is a great idea, $5,000 bucks, a persuasive personality and drive to realize his dream are gone. And so is the custom designed official protocol, which so far consists of the "we'll just figure it out as we go" approach. A hundred years ago, some sacrificed their lives in their efforts. Madame (Marie) Curie comes to mind. Her breakthrough pioneering research with radioactive isotopes was revoluntionary. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the first person to win two Nobel Peace Prizes in different fields. Madame Curie coined the term "radioactivity" and the unit measurement for radioactivity was named a "Curie" in honor of her and her husband Pierre for his contributions. Just browsed her Wikipedia page and it's quite lengthy, with lots what appears to be a much broader scope of key discoveries regarding a variety of isotope. Point of bringing her up is...despite her high integrity research back in the early 1900s, ignorance of the dangers of improper handling of radioactivity lead to overexposure which eventually killed her. I think generally speaking, people have a far greater awareness, foresight and wisdom in their approach. The quality of education must be far higher, with emphasis on anticipation of and protection from hazards, technologies and methodologies designed to recognize and maintain field specific safe workplace environments.
Understanding EXACTLY how crystals grow is a VERY-VERY useful knowledge in real life. The quality of our electronics today is totally dependent on the purity of the semiconductor crystals, and that is just ONE example from the many thousands.
Veritasium has some of the best put together content on KZclip. It's so high quality. The fact that it's about such fascinating scientific topics is just a huge benefit to us all.
I must say the scientist in this was such a interestingly cool person, I love the drive and passion he has for his work. He’s what I strive to be in my own work one day! Truly a cool and very smart guy haha
Very interesting. This was done perfectly, not too technically over my head, and it didn't bore me. In fact the realization that Dr. Libbrecht has pin pointed the difference of what causes the different shapes could in the future be helpful when tracking weather patters. I would think, just guessing. This magic we all pondered about is explained and yet I'm willing to bet that this knowledge could help in tracking weather patterns. Thanks Veritasium this was really neat to watch.
I would love to hear more about how they form around the dust or pollen particle. Are the particles having an impact and what particles are you finding?
Growing up in So Cal I didn't see much snow as a kid, but now I'm up in Oregon and I too take pix of snowflakes. These custom, lab grown designer flakes are certainly beautiful, but wild ones don't necessarily grow like that. Temperature and moisture fluctuations can be so minute that different sides of the same flake can grow differently. And they usually aren't flat, they touch each other and grow from each other and influence each other. Sometimes they get huge! But, lab grown or wild, they are endlessly fascinating.
I love his comment on the saying "no two snowflakes are alike" because yea he's right most things with really any degree of complexity in nature are going to be differing in some way
El entusiasmo y el interés que el Dr. Ken demuestra en su estudio de los cristales me inspiró a improvisar algo en el piano, algo tan intrincado como esos maravillosos cristales. Gracias por tan hermoso contenido y un gran saludo!!
I spent a winter in the Arctic and the snow was so different from what I had experienced all my life. With average temps around -40 and seeing this research I finally get why. Thanks
Indeed. A real "expert". A word being thrown around quite erroneously these days. Specifically, on Facebook and Twitter. By "expert" they mean some putz with a Wikipedia icon on their home screen.
Congratulations! I'm from Ukraine! I really like your channel, it was always interesting to find answers to seemingly long-understood problems and phenomena. To see in a new way what you have to face all the time. Thank you for making such wonderful videos. I really want your channel to pay attention to what is happening in my country. Our talented people will be very grateful for your support. I have always believed that science is outside politics, but it is very closely intertwined in our lives in all its spheres.
Yes! Most excellent work and studies done by Ken Lebbricht! To take it to another perspective. . One of the few who even photographed snow crystals in the world! I sent him my paper representations. Because I studied structure from his books. Marvelous books too! Remarkable Man, for many years now. HI KEN! Laird Wille M.H.Studios
I love this one so watched it again. Snowflakes have always fascinated me, but this really sparks the imagination. Water is such an interesting molecule. With only two variables he changes the atmosphere to make these snowflakes unique and beautiful. I wonder if there could be an algorithm created to emulate those to create encryption codes? Probably has been done, but it would take a bit of memory.
I don't completely understand the nucleation barrier, but it has a powerful influence. I would expect snowflakes to grow very 3 dimensional, but apparently not because of that barrier. I also think that surface charge plays quite a large role but that wasn't really discussed in this video. Thanks for the info!
Mad respect to this man. He has complete joy to dedicate his life to a specific area of science, to such an extent that he can probably confidently say that he is the worlds expert on the subject.
Watching these type of videos make me wanna learn a lot and gain beneficial knowledge. Before I use to be the type who hates learning stuff coming from school but watching these videos changed my mind
My daughter and I enjoyed Bentley's book and studying him and his work for a bit back in the late 90's and early 2000's when she was a grammar schooler. Loved that stuff, loved spending that kind of time with her (or any time. She was the best daughter ever) (still is). Mystery upon Mystery. I miss studying God's glorious creation with a 6,7 or 8 year old. But the "TREASURES OF THE NORTH" God speaks of in Job truly are treasures as is all His work. And that especially means you.
Very complex stuff. I have learned a lot on this channel. Snowflakes always fascinated me. Such delicate and often very complex structures. Thank you for sharing this with us, educating us.
I have never seen a response on KZclip like there has been on your light bulb with the long wires experiment. There are still people making videos about it weather it be for or against. You really lit a fire and right or wrong people are responding, electronics experts from around the world are responding. It's like you woke a bunch of people up and that is one of the most awesome things I have discovered on youtube. Do it again. What you do means something.
That moment when you shone the flashlight in the chamber made me feel like I was in a fantasy, I could stare at that for a long time. Would love to see a large scale of that
This is a beautiful example of how something that seems random and is, for all practical purposes, considered to be random, like the exact shape of a snowflake, is in fact not random at all, but the product of the incredibly specific circumstances at the exact place and time that it happened. So much so, that it happens six times over in the exact same way, and under carefully controlled conditions, can be replicated almost exactly. It really makes me think what other "random" things are just caused by small differences in circumstances that we can't see.
I think this perfectly represents the power of randomness. You could use this to symbolize the diversity of life. The big difference is reproduction and selection pressures. Nature simply throws stuff at the wall until something sticks and even after that it keeps on throwing things at the wall.
Love this video! For those who want to immerse further in the magic of snow crystals (as well as diatoms), come and see the exhibition Invisible World of Water at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The show features the work of Bentley, Nakaya, and Libbrecht - and represents how the insights of individual scientists, artists and amateurs build upon one another over time to advance our understanding of the natural world.
2 channels. This one, and Smarter everyday. Love their contents not just for uniqueness, but for their way to present subjects. These two guys took nerdness to a level of art. NGL, these two channel works as ASMR for me, and helps me to fall asleep. Every night. 💗💗💗
I remember very clearly one time a very large snow flake landed on my coat.. I was like "man that sure is a perfect snow flake" and about that time it melted/broke apart... biggest flake that was clearly symmetrical I ever saw in person.
As a materials science graduate who did his master's thesis on crystal growth (I also used sapphire substrates haha), I loved this video & wouldn't question why someone researches this :)
@Xapheus U see, this in itself changes over time. what is interesting at age 10 is no longer interesting at age 16 and age 26 makes anything but pleasure a pointless task.
The key is to find what we can do in our own lives to bring us the same type and intensity of joy. Easier said than done for most of us, but we can start looking at what we want to do in the world that makes us enthusiastic.
I was born and raised in Montana. I never realized that snow could be so interesting other than slippery stuff to ski on and slippery stuff to prevent your car from stopping before you cohabitate the same newtonian space as the car infront of you. Great article.
One day while I was snowboarding in whistler the chairlift abruptly stopped working for about 45 minutes. during that time it snowed the most perfect snowflakes very much as complex as Dr Libbrecht's snowflakes. they were also massive, I would guess about half a centimeter large. it was spectacular
This guy is absolutely awesome, science needs more people like him. The excitement and joy he shows while talking about snowflakes is freaking contageous 😃
@Memekian then i’m obviously not referring to you??? countries like the US, which spend way too much on the military than they even need to, just because they want to be #1. not to mention, if everyone downsized their military’s at once, everyone would still have equal power while also having more resources.
I remember when I was a little kid I had a handful of snow and took a closer look at it. When I saw that the snowflakes are shaped perfectly symmetric like some kind of star I was just shocked and thought to myself how is that even possible if they're not man made.
One of the best videos on the subject of snowflakes!. . You went to the right man! All of your videos are extremely good representation of the subject, concise. Accurate work!
I loved this video! It is 12/21/21 at 2:10 am and I am inspired to make ❄️ SNOWFLAKE ❄️ sugar cookies For Christmas and share this video with the whole family Christmas Day. ( cousins, grandkids,nieces, nephews, and all the adults) I just bought a book called The Night Sky for one of the kiddos. It is beautifully written and very good graphics. It is about the planets and constellations, finding the big/little dipper. So happy I came across this well done video! I learned something new today 😊
He’s so comfortable talking about his study and you can easily tell because of the way he sits, holds himself and emotes so enthusiastically. His excitement is palpable.
@Blue WHALE Studio BlenderAnimations/dominoes/etc "are there any updrafts ?? . . a strong updraft can hold quite large objects in the air" Hail big as a baseball. Did that used to be a snowflake?
that's smart :D also I'd like to know why are individual snoflakes only a few cenitmeters at max size I don't know of an explanation . . . and could be because this is so complex
this guy reminds me of an old guy that become a friend of me until he passed away, he was so passionate about his work. God bless this type of people that bring us enlightnment
I'd love to see someone do this with molecules/elements other than water. We know there are planets that rain all kinds of things, even metals. Makes you wonder what something like an iron snowflake would look like.
Dr. Libbrecht seems like one of the most interesting people to talk to. He's personable, plain speaking (to those who need it, yet obviously capable of advanced discussion as well), enjoys his research, and open to questions and conversation. Good topic!
That last sentence, it's amazing that he wanted to get recognized and did, probably will be even more if this research gets involved in future years creations
A constant smile on my face watching this. His joy working on this deceptively complex puzzle that has been hiding under our noses is infectious. His pursuit of knowledge is admirable.
@DarkShroom Plants grow in fractal patterns but are heavily influenced by environmental factors and genetics. A very good example of fractal patterns in plants would be cacti.
@LEGO Brick a Brac lol plants don't use the same system to grow.... there's a slight difference what with the DNA snowflakes all turn out differently, plants somehow manage to grow to nearly the same shape.... it's not even a good analogy
I was one of the best student of my class of chemistry at elemenary school yet up until now I never realised what polar molecule and hydrogen bond really ment. Thanks Derek 😀
This DUDE is Awesome this is the type Of Professor you HOPE and wish for loved there work and shows the same love when explaining it. I hope his work and data makes him eligible for a Nobel Prize one day.
Honestly I 100% agree with his approach of "I'm studying this because it's cool and we don't know how it works". Really that's the foundation of science.
@Fate of Night It's either, focus on the Snowflakes we all enjoy, or focus on the snowflakes we all avoid
He Him Handsom are my pronouns
There is no inquiry which follows scientific method which does not, regardless of expense, have a positive ROI, given a long enough timeline.
He's a gem!
Woda ma pamięć
Exactly
As an Australian, I can tell you I've never seen one of these things before and find their existence fascinating.
@John Gardner craptacular, 😄👍
@Leanda B I actually _have_ seen snow when visiting Europe in the winter. It was like slow-motion rain, only instead of puddles, it left this giant white carpet you could kick. The novelty wore off pretty quickly though.
Now, when I compare EuroSnowᵀᴹ with the last time it snowed here in the nearest alps... yeah, it was basically a flaccid layer of sheet ice broken up by rocks and bushes. An absolutely craptacular excuse for snow.
@John Gardner lol, but I've seen photos of Melbourne with snow?🤔
@Leanda B Melbourne... sometimes counts as tropical, I guess. 😂
You must live in tropical areas of Oz. I live in Tasmania and in winter have experienced snow all my life. I detest the cold though 🤦🏼♀️😊
A math professor of mine researches bubbles and shares his research with similar enthusiasm. It’s incredibly motivating.
Bubbles are extremely important. I would assume he is studying cavitation. Bubble dynamics are incredibly important for so many areas that the general public aren't aware of. Every leading academic institution has a bubble dynamicist - usually a mathematician (fluid mechanics).
I thought this video was going to be about liberal art students, not math professors
@CZ I hate internet snowflakes!
He may live in a bubble lol
one time i accidentally witnessed a perfectly symmetrical stellar dendrite, i was playing around with some snow a few years back, looked at my hand and boom, a perfect snowflake, and since that day i have fallen in love with the beauty of snowflakes and the way they form.
@Just Some Guy, Mustache. I mean, with however many snowflakes come down during one snowy day, even a one-in-a-million chance probably happens a few times!
@Piper Thomas yess i cant believe how they are "extremely rare" but people find them on accident, LOL.
For me it was noticing a snowflake on my jacket and realizing I could see the actual shape of it, and that it was actually a hexagon! It made me realize “wow, they’re actually shaped like that!!”
I once saw a perfect snowflake fall on the seat of my moms car when I opened the door back when we lived north of Iceland. It must have had a 2mm - 3mm radius or something, it was so visible. Been fascinated since. Keep up the good work! Curiosity is more than enough inspiration to pursue passions! Not everything has to have practical value, emotional value can be worth just as much, if not more.
It’s scientific art!!
@Abela Appelsínudóttir sína eins og Andrésína
@Gilsworth Takk hahha.
@Juva Juhtoinen Of course, the apple that sins is an orange, but which is the forbidden fruit in Eden?
Skemmtilegt nafn :)
Very interesting. As a brazilian, I grew up thinking the shapes of snowflakes were just a cartoon representation, until I traveled to Canada and was amazed by the real snowflakes. I loved watching them melting on my coat
I love seeing someone speak as passionately as this dude talks about his snowflakes, great content
Hey what about that Cobham guy?
I have a gut feeling this guy was bullied by other nerds in high school and college
@Chris what does this have to do with women
@Rubin l agree! Just 'found' this site and am sending it to all I know❤️🇨🇦❤️
30-40 minutes to make each snowflake BLEW MY MIND! 🤯 Hands down my favorite piece of your content ever! As other's have mentioned, this one really was a “drop what you're doing and pay close and undivided attention--this is *VERY* Important!” So much so, I actually had to restart the video, since I'd only marginally tuned in for the first few minutes. Sure, it may never lead to atom splitting and probably even less likely to lead to atom combining, but this right here, The Snowflake Guy, this is the gas that drives the whole vehicle of humanity's progression. Curiosity for curiosity’s sake. Imagine where the world would be if A. Everyone were so uncompromisingly passionate about their work. And B. Allowed themselves to turn that passion into an unapologetic search for meaning. We'd have conquered the cosmos centuries ago!
We are lucky to have scientists like him, that give us the answers to how nature works.
It's the most valuable thing.
That’s the “coolest” thing I’ve seen all day! Love how the professor is just “chilling” in his chair while explaining complex science! ❄️
Underrated 😭
I was shocked but the ending. Never have I asked myself during this whole amazing snowflake documentary why is this scientist researching this topic. It feels so naturally compelling to me to be deeply attracted to solving the mysteries of life and the universe. Questions lie in every topic and their answers are interconnected, understanding one topic will better your understanding of the whole.
It would be sad if human beings only directly seek to increase their comfort and safety... Which we do a lot already.
There's also selection bias here though- you are the kind of person who clicks on a video about how snowflakes form. Which means that among the hundreds of thousands of potential videos, you were served this video by an algorithm that guessed you might like it. And then, even more unlikely, you actually clicked on it. I think most people who would watch a video like this wouldn't be the same group of people who would feel the need to ask why you'd study such a thing.
It's like asking diners in an Italian restaurant which of them likes tomatoes. You're probably going to get a higher-than-average number of people who like tomatoes in that selection group than if you asked more broadly to the general populace, or in an unfriendly selection group- like a kindergarten classroom. The people who ask him that are likely more the latter two kinds of groups, the people who have neutral or negative interest themselves.
@WIM Just wait until you're actually aware of how little _you do know,_ and how much you take for granted *that you don't.*
I'm 14 and this is deep
Currently a very great deal of us live in misery and insecurity due to the pursuit of unfulfulliable greed by a few. I do not see the pursuit of comfort and security for the many as a vice at current time.
We've reached a point in animal evolution where we have the luxury to ask "who and why we are". Seeking to increase comfort and safety is an animal instinct. When we are finally comfortable enough, the energy we use our brains with can shift else where
Some scientists really feel happy when someone is interested in what they're doing. Thanks a lot for the content
Love what he said at the end. To be able to understand things as complex as the formation of snowflakes, even if it isn't remotely "useful", is a testament to our humanity. People like him who are curious and can share his passion with the world, recognize that knowledge is not a means to an end, it's an end in itself.
Kowledge is an end in itself is a bad statement.
It is the human folly that in turn becomes a great virtue of our species: Having enough intelligence to detect and become interested in the research of a mechanism of existence, _yet lacking the common sense of when to call it quits,_ and eventually figuring out exactly how it operates, to our disappointment (and hope) in finding something else to obsess with down the line.
@mizo mint Well someone’s trying to please the basilisk
@Alec Dacyczyn Yep exactly people think it's useless until you look a little deeper.
THIS
I honestly stunned by this man, recreated snowflakes n can control the shape by adjusting moisture, temperature, etc
Is there any major studies snowflakes in college ? Much respect for you sir!! 🫡
This guy never tends to disappoint me. He can make a simple topic into the most complex problem in the universe lol
And vice versa!
The world needs more people like this guy who absolutely loves something as simple and complex as snowflakes...
As a Scandinavian I bow before the master of Snow.
Nahh, but really - Truly fascinating research and what an incredibly wonderful man! I could listen hours upon hours of him talking about snowflakes. Thank you Derek for always bringing the most interesting people onto your channel!
From the perspective of a grad student of Complex Systems, this video is incredibly educational, it hits all the right spots, from the purpose and extents of modelling, to the cross-validation with experiments, to the sheer joy of discovering that you might have got it right :)
And ultimately, the drive of science - of studying anything, really - is human curiosity and even intellectual pride after all, and it's marvellous and fun as it is.
Keep up the amazing work!
This man spent his career studying snowflakes and he is happy, that's the life I want to live
the live example of 'if you are good at something, you can make it into a living'
@Pensador Ilógico He is happy showing that but if you also want to study snowflakes or water or minerals or whatever etc, they would block you from doing it, they only give the opportunity to specific people from specific countries ,
that's the bad side of science
As examples; he's actually astronomy major, he do other things... so how he got the physics investigation if he's not a physics major? I wouldn't be surprised if other pysics major person would complain about they don't let them publish their own studies (because science in general have a monopoly of data and invention)
Sorry to be a buzzkill but he has not been studying snowflakes his whole career and he clearly states that he worked in other fields (astronomy) I'm not sure why there's so many comments on this video saying that they admire this guy for "spending his whole life" or his whole career "just" studying snowflakes as if that's all he's ever done, I admire him but he certainly didn't spend his whole career studying snowflakes.
Oh my goodness, THANK YOU GUYS so much for the 1.1K, I'm happy to contribute to the community 😃
Ben Shapiro has been studying triggered snowflakes his entire life
Few years ago I visited Hokkaido University and came to know they are the pioneer who discovered snow flakes patterns. We were so grateful to meet a local lady professor at the entrance and have her offer to guide us walked through the campus. During that time she posed me a question do I know how many shapes of snowflakes, my guessing was about five types. Now I know the better answer from this video. Thank you for this sharing!
"It makes me and other people happy" is a valid reason. It's art! I suppose it also feeds him. And he's even gaining knowledge as to how things work? Give it some time and it'll become even more useful than it already is by the principles being used in a completely different context!
Understanding the formation of snowflakes - their shape and size - has a lot of practical applications. For example, different types of snowflakes have different coefficients of frictions when they are part of a snowpack layer on a mountain side. Such knowledge helps in understanding the conditions under which avalanches occur, therefore help in modelling and forecasting avalanches.
The quality of explanation and animation in this video is far superior to all the other videos I searched around for trying to learn about how snowflakes grow. Thank you for the effort that went into this!
this was deeply satisfying, having only ever seen images of perfect, symmetrical snowflakes. It felt difficult for me to believe that something that's the result of so much variation would always come out looking exactly perfect
"As a scientist, you want to figure something out."
Contributing to the collective knowledge accumulated over millenia just because it's not already known. Badass.
Badass²
@Taco Meme If humans are involved, there will always be the possibility of mistakes and accidents. Fortunately, I'm fairly confident the days of some unknown, non-formerly educated skilled and innovative fabricator with what he's sure is a great idea, $5,000 bucks, a persuasive personality and drive to realize his dream are gone. And so is the custom designed official protocol, which so far consists of the "we'll just figure it out as we go" approach.
A hundred years ago, some sacrificed their lives in their efforts. Madame (Marie) Curie comes to mind. Her breakthrough pioneering research with radioactive isotopes was revoluntionary. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the first person to win two Nobel Peace Prizes in different fields.
Madame Curie coined the term "radioactivity" and the unit measurement for radioactivity was named a "Curie" in honor of her and her husband Pierre for his contributions.
Just browsed her Wikipedia page and it's quite lengthy, with lots what appears to be a much broader scope of key discoveries regarding a variety of isotope. Point of bringing her up is...despite her high integrity research back in the early 1900s, ignorance of the dangers of improper handling of radioactivity lead to overexposure which eventually killed her.
I think generally speaking, people have a far greater awareness, foresight and wisdom in their approach. The quality of education must be far higher, with emphasis on anticipation of and protection from hazards, technologies and methodologies designed to recognize and maintain field specific safe workplace environments.
hell yeah
Amazing
Understanding EXACTLY how crystals grow is a VERY-VERY useful knowledge in real life. The quality of our electronics today is totally dependent on the purity of the semiconductor crystals, and that is just ONE example from the many thousands.
Veritasium has some of the best put together content on KZclip. It's so high quality. The fact that it's about such fascinating scientific topics is just a huge benefit to us all.
This guy seems so happy to be talking about his work. That smile the whole time.
I must say the scientist in this was such a interestingly cool person, I love the drive and passion he has for his work. He’s what I strive to be in my own work one day! Truly a cool and very smart guy haha
Very interesting. This was done perfectly, not too technically over my head, and it didn't bore me. In fact the realization that Dr. Libbrecht has pin pointed the difference of what causes the different shapes could in the future be helpful when tracking weather patters. I would think, just guessing. This magic we all pondered about is explained and yet I'm willing to bet that this knowledge could help in tracking weather patterns. Thanks Veritasium this was really neat to watch.
Snowflakes are interesting but you really upped the game. Well done 👏
My favorite thing is that Dr.Ken is smiling the whole time, what an achievement it is to be that excited about your work. For over 40 years at that!
kinda sad of smile ...
@Sanjay Matsuda I have a feeling his new book might sell a few copies.
@Sanjay Matsuda Yeah, I guess I was paraphrasing there.
Someone copied your comment lol
@Sanjay Matsuda i was about to correct that as well.
I would love to hear more about how they form around the dust or pollen particle. Are the particles having an impact and what particles are you finding?
Growing up in So Cal I didn't see much snow as a kid, but now I'm up in Oregon and I too take pix of snowflakes. These custom, lab grown designer flakes are certainly beautiful, but wild ones don't necessarily grow like that. Temperature and moisture fluctuations can be so minute that different sides of the same flake can grow differently. And they usually aren't flat, they touch each other and grow from each other and influence each other. Sometimes they get huge! But, lab grown or wild, they are endlessly fascinating.
I love his comment on the saying "no two snowflakes are alike" because yea he's right most things with really any degree of complexity in nature are going to be differing in some way
El entusiasmo y el interés que el Dr. Ken demuestra en su estudio de los cristales me inspiró a improvisar algo en el piano, algo tan intrincado como esos maravillosos cristales. Gracias por tan hermoso contenido y un gran saludo!!
I spent a winter in the Arctic and the snow was so different from what I had experienced all my life. With average temps around -40 and seeing this research I finally get why. Thanks
@- Flanders - work
How & why did you spend a winter in the arctic?
This is the sort of content I need, just some guy who’s an expert on an extremely specific area of life
Better yet, he finds THE expert
Hi I'm not a fan because I do not rotate to propel cold air towards someone,
I am a person who likes your videos
Yeah what about that Cobham guy ? Someone said he is smarter than you
hi im a freezer
Indeed. A real "expert".
A word being thrown around quite erroneously these days. Specifically, on Facebook and Twitter. By "expert" they mean some putz with a Wikipedia icon on their home screen.
Congratulations! I'm from Ukraine!
I really like your channel, it was always interesting to find answers to seemingly long-understood problems and phenomena.
To see in a new way what you have to face all the time.
Thank you for making such wonderful videos.
I really want your channel to pay attention to what is happening in my country. Our talented people will be very grateful for your support.
I have always believed that science is outside politics, but it is very closely intertwined in our lives in all its spheres.
Astonishingly good; really engaging and informative. You should be on the editorial board of Discovery Channel.
Yes! Most excellent work and studies done by Ken Lebbricht! To take it to another perspective. . One of the few who even photographed snow crystals in the world!
I sent him my paper representations. Because I studied structure from his books. Marvelous books too!
Remarkable Man, for many years now.
HI KEN!
Laird Wille
M.H.Studios
I love this one so watched it again. Snowflakes have always fascinated me, but this really sparks the imagination. Water is such an interesting molecule. With only two variables he changes the atmosphere to make these snowflakes unique and beautiful. I wonder if there could be an algorithm created to emulate those to create encryption codes? Probably has been done, but it would take a bit of memory.
I don't completely understand the nucleation barrier, but it has a powerful influence. I would expect snowflakes to grow very 3 dimensional, but apparently not because of that barrier. I also think that surface charge plays quite a large role but that wasn't really discussed in this video. Thanks for the info!
Mad respect to this man. He has complete joy to dedicate his life to a specific area of science, to such an extent that he can probably confidently say that he is the worlds expert on the subject.
Watching these type of videos make me wanna learn a lot and gain beneficial knowledge. Before I use to be the type who hates learning stuff coming from school but watching these videos changed my mind
And also for the ones who fund his work.
@Axywrll- He said Nothing of the sort, and you can always ask his manager, who knows little, but its something.
@Borys Nijinski are you saying he sucks at science
@Borys Nijinski - Socrates
A constant end-to-end smile. So awesome to see someone that in love with what they do.
My daughter and I enjoyed Bentley's book and studying him and his work for a bit back in the late 90's and early 2000's when she was a grammar schooler. Loved that stuff, loved spending that kind of time with her (or any time. She was the best daughter ever) (still is). Mystery upon Mystery. I miss studying God's glorious creation with a 6,7 or 8 year old. But the "TREASURES OF THE NORTH" God speaks of in Job truly are treasures as is all His work. And that especially means you.
This is the first time I see someone who is doing stuff related to science and Is happy and excited about it.
Very complex stuff. I have learned a lot on this channel. Snowflakes always fascinated me. Such delicate and often very complex structures. Thank you for sharing this with us, educating us.
I have never seen a response on KZclip like there has been on your light bulb with the long wires experiment. There are still people making videos about it weather it be for or against. You really lit a fire and right or wrong people are responding, electronics experts from around the world are responding. It's like you woke a bunch of people up and that is one of the most awesome things I have discovered on youtube. Do it again. What you do means something.
"We just kept making books until they sold 0 copies and then we stopped" Sound strategy I respect this man.
@Mal-2 KSC Then you have to buy from retailers so the publisher will know of the demand, otherwise it won't really work.
* Australia.. ! *
I bet that had something to do with getting answers and information online. Who reads books anymore?
@Frosty how is he rich?
If you enjoy making the books sure, but if you just want to make money it's a pretty crappy strategy
That moment when you shone the flashlight in the chamber made me feel like I was in a fantasy, I could stare at that for a long time. Would love to see a large scale of that
This is a beautiful example of how something that seems random and is, for all practical purposes, considered to be random, like the exact shape of a snowflake, is in fact not random at all, but the product of the incredibly specific circumstances at the exact place and time that it happened. So much so, that it happens six times over in the exact same way, and under carefully controlled conditions, can be replicated almost exactly. It really makes me think what other "random" things are just caused by small differences in circumstances that we can't see.
I think this perfectly represents the power of randomness. You could use this to symbolize the diversity of life. The big difference is reproduction and selection pressures. Nature simply throws stuff at the wall until something sticks and even after that it keeps on throwing things at the wall.
As someone who really loves to study and to know of anything that sparks interest in me, I'm humbled by the professors enthusiasm! 😄🙏🏻
Love this video! For those who want to immerse further in the magic of snow crystals (as well as diatoms), come and see the exhibition Invisible World of Water at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The show features the work of Bentley, Nakaya, and Libbrecht - and represents how the insights of individual scientists, artists and amateurs build upon one another over time to advance our understanding of the natural world.
impressive that this guy is apparently doing both the theoretical and experimental physics
wow !
what’s up checkmark
It's my favourite
@Son&PopCo-OP Sure, yes, random stranger on the internet.
@Krys Krys64 and the moon isn't real and the earth is a dinosuar
2 channels. This one, and Smarter everyday. Love their contents not just for uniqueness, but for their way to present subjects. These two guys took nerdness to a level of art. NGL, these two channel works as ASMR for me, and helps me to fall asleep. Every night. 💗💗💗
I remember very clearly one time a very large snow flake landed on my coat.. I was like "man that sure is a perfect snow flake" and about that time it melted/broke apart... biggest flake that was clearly symmetrical I ever saw in person.
As a materials science graduate who did his master's thesis on crystal growth (I also used sapphire substrates haha), I loved this video & wouldn't question why someone researches this :)
After seeing him talking so passionately about snow but then remembering that his book didn't even get a single copy sale is really heart breaking
I can’t imagine NOT being super passionate and excited about such a beautiful natural phenomenon
just that genuine smile on this guy's face while talking about snow flakes shows how happy he is with what he's doing :) that's enthusiasm
❄️ I’m getting chasse-neige vibes ❄️
....next time you call someone a snowflake!
@Xapheus U see, this in itself changes over time. what is interesting at age 10 is no longer interesting at age 16 and age 26 makes anything but pleasure a pointless task.
The key is to find what we can do in our own lives to bring us the same type and intensity of joy.
Easier said than done for most of us, but we can start looking at what we want to do in the world that makes us enthusiastic.
It's probably more about making money than snow flakes.
It reminded me of using an Etch-A-Sketch where he started manipulating the humidity to make the snowflakes. So fascinating
I was born and raised in Montana. I never realized that snow could be so interesting other than slippery stuff to ski on and slippery stuff to prevent your car from stopping before you cohabitate the same newtonian space as the car infront of you. Great article.
Awesome ! Thank you very much for explaining this mystery in such a clear and easy to understand way !
Science really is magical in every way....so to every social outcast to every book loving nerd I salute you.
One day while I was snowboarding in whistler the chairlift abruptly stopped working for about 45 minutes. during that time it snowed the most perfect snowflakes very much as complex as Dr Libbrecht's snowflakes. they were also massive, I would guess about half a centimeter large. it was spectacular
This guy is absolutely awesome, science needs more people like him. The excitement and joy he shows while talking about snowflakes is freaking contageous 😃
@Memekian then i’m obviously not referring to you??? countries like the US, which spend way too much on the military than they even need to, just because they want to be #1. not to mention, if everyone downsized their military’s at once, everyone would still have equal power while also having more resources.
@Deltexterity wow why didn't i think of that? it's not like that country is literally dead meat if they do that
Yeah, hard not to be a giddy school boy when you hit a niche that feeds your wallet and your ego. Is it brilliant? On what level?
I'd be enthusiastic af about lookin at ice crystals too if it was paying my bills
he is so wholesome
This was genuinely cool asf to watch. Great editing and footage! This is why I love Veritasium!!
This man knows exactly what he's talking about. We know nothing, and that just doesn't work.
I remember when I was a little kid I had a handful of snow and took a closer look at it. When I saw that the snowflakes are shaped perfectly symmetric like some kind of star I was just shocked and thought to myself how is that even possible if they're not man made.
One of the best videos on the subject of snowflakes!. . You went to the right man!
All of your videos are extremely good representation of the subject, concise. Accurate work!
I loved this video! It is 12/21/21 at 2:10 am and I am inspired to make ❄️ SNOWFLAKE ❄️ sugar cookies
For Christmas and share this video with the whole family Christmas Day. ( cousins, grandkids,nieces, nephews, and all the adults) I just bought a book called The Night Sky for one of the kiddos. It is beautifully written and very good graphics. It is about the planets and constellations, finding the big/little dipper.
So happy I came across this well done video! I learned something new today 😊
You can feel how much Ken likes learning about snowflakes from his face. He was enthusiastic from the start to the end of the video.
Maybe its not passion, maybe its coffeine :)
@kaw628 i know the feeling since my daily work as a programmer is like like I'm getting paid doing my hobby. ☺️
you understand if you ever was on camera. Try not to smile is difficult. Smiling is common.
The best part is that you could tell he wasn't forcing it, it was real.
He’s so comfortable talking about his study and you can easily tell because of the way he sits, holds himself and emotes so enthusiastically. His excitement is palpable.
Snowflake Bentley is my Great Great Uncle. Came across this video randomly and was hoping they’d give credit :) very interesting video!
"You want to see how things work." very scientist :)))) Love it! This video is amazing!
Really enjoyed Dr. Libbrecht! Such enthusiasm, passion, and sense of humor. Glad he's doing this work.
The snowboarding world needs to be aware of this man!
Dr. Ken love and energy for the subject was simply inspiring 🙏🏻
A fraction of passion this guy has for snowflakes will make a massive difference in the world around us.
@Blue WHALE Studio BlenderAnimations/dominoes/etc "are there any updrafts ?? . . a strong updraft can hold quite large objects in the air" Hail big as a baseball. Did that used to be a snowflake?
@Dr Gamma D that's one part of it
are there any updrafts ?? . . a strong updraft can hold quite large objects in the air
that's smart :D
also I'd like to know why are individual snoflakes only a few cenitmeters at max size
I don't know of an explanation . . . and could be because this is so complex
This is similar to how quartz crystals grow, a video from you on that would be epic!
this guy reminds me of an old guy that become a friend of me until he passed away, he was so passionate about his work. God bless this type of people that bring us enlightnment
I would 100% get into the hobby of making snowflakes if it didn't require a whole lab.
Wow that physicist was so articulate and smooth talking! I could listen to him all day. Very interesting, yet so relaxing.
I'd love to see someone do this with molecules/elements other than water. We know there are planets that rain all kinds of things, even metals. Makes you wonder what something like an iron snowflake would look like.
A wonderful episode, love it! 😌
😃😃
*_yeah_*
hello gizo
The one time where calling someone a special little snowflake is a good descriptor. 🥺 This prof's enthusiasm reminds me of some of my own ones.
Hi Derek, Please make a video on worm holes. It would be interesting to know about the history of this concept and the future of it.
Dr. Libbrecht seems like one of the most interesting people to talk to. He's personable, plain speaking (to those who need it, yet obviously capable of advanced discussion as well), enjoys his research, and open to questions and conversation. Good topic!
That last sentence, it's amazing that he wanted to get recognized and did, probably will be even more if this research gets involved in future years creations
I WISH MORE PPL WOULD FIND SOMETHING THEY R PASSIONATE ABOUT AS THIS GUY.
Yeah it’s so cool. This is the videos math teachers should show
A constant smile on my face watching this. His joy working on this deceptively complex puzzle that has been hiding under our noses is infectious. His pursuit of knowledge is admirable.
@LEGO Brick a Brac what genres do you write in?
@Rowan Murphy Nice, Me to.
@DarkShroom Plants grow in fractal patterns but are heavily influenced by environmental factors and genetics. A very good example of fractal patterns in plants would be cacti.
@LEGO Brick a Brac I am a musician
@LEGO Brick a Brac lol plants don't use the same system to grow.... there's a slight difference what with the DNA
snowflakes all turn out differently, plants somehow manage to grow to nearly the same shape.... it's not even a good analogy
I was one of the best student of my class of chemistry at elemenary school yet up until now I never realised what polar molecule and hydrogen bond really ment. Thanks Derek 😀
Loved this episode great bit of science explaining natures beauty formed in snow crystals. Fascinating and fun.
Ken's energy is amazing.
This is definitely one of the best Veritasium episodes!
This DUDE is Awesome this is the type Of Professor you HOPE and wish for loved there work and shows the same love when explaining it. I hope his work and data makes him eligible for a Nobel Prize one day.
When people call this guy a snowflake, he just says “oh my goodness, thank you!”
Most people just get triggered yes
Which then means he is not a snowflake
This was actually a running joke in our household not too long ago - “they’re trying to give snowflakes a bad rap!” (I’m this guy’s daughter 😊)
Do you ever wonder if snowflakes talk about how every human is different?
@ValeriaTaylor And one of a kind
This guy creates snow flakes for a living and he loves it. He's such a delight :'D gotta love it
Im so glad that someone finally explained all this to me .. know I also understand the meaning behind the phase, IT IS WHAT IT IS..
This guy has such a great personality. He sounds very wise, too. I loved this video