MinuteEarth

It's easy to assume that every trait - including stubby arms on a terrifying predator - must be beneficial, but the forces of evolution don't really work like that.

Thanks to the University of Minnesota for sponsoring this video! http://twin-cities.umn.edu/

Thanks also to our supporters on https://www.patreon.com/MinuteEarth
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FYI: We try to leave jargon out of our videos, but if you want to learn more about this topic, here are some keywords to get your googling started:
Evolutionary Mechanisms: Forces that change the frequency of genes in populations.
Natural Selection: The process whereby traits that make animals more likely to survive and reproduce take hold in a population.
Vestigiality: The process by which a genetically-determined structure loses some or all of its functionality.
Genetic Drift: A change in the frequency of an allele due to random sampling.

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Credits (and Twitter handles):
Script Writer: David Goldenberg (@dgoldenberg)
Script Editor: Kate Yoshida (@KateYoshida)
Video Illustrator: Qingyang Chen (@QCVisual)
Video Director: Emily Elert (@eelert)
Video Narrator: Kate Yoshida (@KateYoshida)
With Contributions From: Henry Reich, Alex Reich, Ever Salazar, Peter Reich
Music by: Nathaniel Schroeder: http://www.soundcloud.com/drschroeder

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Like our videos?
Subscribe to MinuteEarth on YouTube: http://goo.gl/EpIDGd
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If you liked this week’s video, we think you might also like:
The BrainScoop on Sue the T. Rex: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHhI4eqYGdk

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References:

Switek, B. (2013). Paleontology: The Truth about the T. Rex 502 (424-426). Retrieved from: http://www.nature.com/news/palaeontology-the-truth-about-t-rex-1.13988

E. Snively, A. P. Russell, G. L. Powell, J. M. Theodor & M.J.Ryan (2014). The role of the neck in the feeding behaviour of the Tyrannosauridae: inference based on kinematics and muscle function of extant avians. Journal of Zoology 292 (290-303). Retrieved from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jzo.12109/abstract

Middleton, K., and Gatesy, S. (2000) Theropod forelimb design and evolution. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 128 (149-187). Retrieved from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2000.tb00160.x/abstract

Lynch, M., Ackerman, M., Gout, J., Long, H., Sung, W., Thomas, W., and Foster, P. (2016). Genetic drift, selection and the evolution of the mutation rate. Nature Reviews: Genetics 17 (704-715). Retrieved from: http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v17/n11/full/nrg.2016.104.html

Direct download: Why_Did_T_Rex_Have_Such_Tiny_Arms-.mp4
Category:general -- posted at: 12:22pm EDT

This video is in collaboration with Bill and Melinda Gates. You can check out the Gates Annual Letter here: http://b-gat.es/2lhhtmJ.

Doctors beat back a disease that was killing tens of thousands of babies a year with a machine based on a simple principle of physics.

Thanks to Bill and Melinda Gates for their financial support. Thanks also to our supporters on https://www.patreon.com/MinuteEarth
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FYI: We try to leave jargon out of our videos, but if you want to learn more about this topic, here are some keywords to get your googling started:

Preterm Birth: The leading cause of death of children under five years old, prematurity occurs for a variety of different reasons.
Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A syndrome in premature babies caused by insufficient production of pulmonary surfactant.
Alveoli: Tiny air sacs in the lungs that allow for rapid gas exchange
Pulmonary Surfactant: A mixture of lipids and proteins that decreases surface tension in the alveoli.
Law of Laplace: A law of physics stating that the pressure within a sphere is inversely proportional to its radius.
CPAP: A ventilator that provides Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) to keep the airways open.
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Credits (and Twitter handles):
Script Writer: David Goldenberg (@dgoldenberg)
Script Editor: Emily Elert (@eelert)
Video Illustrator: Ever Salazar (@eversalazar)
Video Director: Kate Yoshida (@KateYoshida)
Video Narrator: Emily Elert (@eelert)
With Contributions From: Henry Reich, Alex Reich, Peter Reich
Music by: Nathaniel Schroeder: http://www.soundcloud.com/drschroeder

_________________________________________

Like our videos?
Subscribe to MinuteEarth on YouTube: http://goo.gl/EpIDGd
Support us on Patreon: https://goo.gl/ZVgLQZ

Also, say hello on:
Facebook: http://goo.gl/FpAvo6
Twitter: http://goo.gl/Y1aWVC

And find us on itunes: https://goo.gl/sfwS6n
___________________________________________

If you liked this week’s video, we think you might also like:
10 Awesome Balloon Tricks by Mr. Hacker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXqmvFy9cXE

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References:

Gregg, R. Bernstein, J. (1961). Pulmonary Hyaline Membranes and the Respiratory Distress Syndrome. American Journal of Diseases of Children 102 (871-889). Retrieved from: http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/500014


Gregory, G., Kitterman, J., Phibbs, R., Tooley, W., and Hamilton, W. (1971). Treatment of the Idiopathic Respiratory-Distress Syndrome with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. New England Journal of Medicine 284 (1333-1340). Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4930602

Kamath, B., MacGuire, E., McClure, E., Goldenberg, R., and Jobe, A. (2011) Neonatal Mortality From Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Lessons for Low-Resource Countries. Pediatrics 127 (1139-1146). Retrieved from: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/6/1139

Mai, C., Yaster, M., Firth, P. (2013). The development of continuous positive airway pressure:an interview with Dr. George Gregory. Pediatric Anaesthesia 23 (3-8). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23170829

Direct download: How_Physics_Saved_Two_Million_Premature_Babies.mp4
Category:general -- posted at: 12:12pm EDT

To start using Tab for a Cause, go to: http://tabforacause.org/r/minuteearth2

The pigments in our food all get destroyed on their way through our digestive system...so where do the colors of our poop and pee come from?

Thanks also to our supporters on https://www.patreon.com/MinuteEarth
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FYI: We try to leave jargon out of our videos, but if you want to learn more about this topic, here are some keywords to get your googling started:
- Red blood cells (RBCs), also called erythrocytes, are the most common type of blood cell and the vertebrate's principal means of delivering oxygen
- Hemoglobin also spelled haemoglobin and abbreviated Hb or Hgb, is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of all vertebrates as well as the tissues of some invertebrates.
- Bilirubin is a yellow compound that occurs in the normal catabolic pathway that breaks down heme in vertebrates.
- Urobilinogen is a colourless by-product of bilirubin reduction. It is formed in the intestines by bacterial action on bilirubin. About half of the urobilinogen formed is reabsorbed and taken up via the portal vein to the liver, enters circulation and is excreted by the kidney.
- Urobilin or urochrome is the chemical primarily responsible for the yellow color of urine.
- Stercobilin is the chemical responsible for the brown color of human feces"
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Credits (and Twitter handles):
Script Writer: Will Tauxe
Script Editor: Emily Elert (@eelert)
Video Illustrator: Ever Salazar (@eversalazar)
Video Director: Emily Elert (@eelert)
Video Narrator: Emily Elert (@eelert)
With Contributions From: Henry Reich, Alex Reich, Kate Yoshida, Peter Reich, David Goldenberg
Music by: Nathaniel Schroeder: http://www.soundcloud.com/drschroeder
_________________________________________

Like our videos?
Subscribe to MinuteEarth on YouTube: http://goo.gl/EpIDGd
Support us on Patreon: https://goo.gl/ZVgLQZ

Also, say hello on:
Facebook: http://goo.gl/FpAvo6
Twitter: http://goo.gl/Y1aWVC

And find us on itunes: https://goo.gl/sfwS6n
___________________________________________

Direct download: Why_Is_Poop_Brown_And_Pee_Yellow-.mp4
Category:general -- posted at: 12:12pm EDT

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