What is the variola virus?
What is a black hole star?
And is milk really the nutritious drink that we think it is?
A YouTube channel, Kurzgesagt, covers many matters on science and aspects of our universe, in multiple episodes in their channel. Led by CEO Philipp Dettmer, this animation-based series features astronomy, biology, What Ifs based on common questions, and most importantly ducks.
Yes, Kurzgesagt’s mascot is indeed a duck.
Unfortunately, in many videos, he is used in extreme scenarios to demonstrate the effects of events, and mostly perishes.
But he comes back to life in the next episode.
Science is a complex matter, to understand and to study. But Kurzgesagt does not delve into a fully detailed and exact explanation. To make things easier to digest by their viewers, they sometimes illustrate them in similar ways to emphasise the meaning, or add in humorous examples to synthesise the purpose of the topic.
One of the most popular and viewed videos of their channel – The Coronavirus Explained & What You Should Do – was also the quickest to upload as well. Since at that time, the coronavirus had just begun, after it originated in China in late December 2019. The severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2, was indeed not the first respiratory illness that humanity has ever faced. In 2002, SARS-CoV-1 was discovered, yet 774 deaths have been recorded for this cause. Fortunately, the outbreak was brought under control due to health protocols and procedures.
Even though SARS-CoV-2 shared 70% genetic similarities, it still had higher viral loads in the upper respiratory tract, for instance the nasal cavity and the voice box.
By deceiving cells in the immune system into thinking that the other cells were harmful or ‘bad,’ SARS-CoV-2 tricks the immune system into thinking that the issue is much more difficult and severe than it really is. This causes it to go into overdrive mode, unleashing their cells to get involved in the fight. Unfortunately, this means that the neutrophils (a type of white-blood cell that destroys infectious microorganisms) in your immune system release acids that damage other tissues in your immune system. Since they are your immune system’s first line of defence, they are the first to react if they detect signs of microbial infections. Hence, SARS-CoV-2 used its ability to deceive other cells to find weakness in the immune system.
Here is the video of it:
There are other videos on viruses and diseases, such as cancer and smallpox, but also others that may appeal to astronomers interested about the world around them.
For example, have you ever wondered what the biggest star is in our universe. Many of you would know that there are stars bigger than our own sun, but is there a real winner here?
If you are interested in knowing how Philipp Dettmer and his crew create Kurzgesagt videos, here is a video posted by him on how to make one in 1200 hours:
For me, this channel has been simply intriguing, and is a fun way to understand complex matters about life around us and the world of which we live in. I 100% recommend this to young and curious minds that are excited to delve into these matters of cool, sciency things.
Follow up on Kurzgesagt’s merch store:
Peace ✌️