Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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Watch this video ad free on Nebula: nebula.tv/videos/realengineering-the-hidden-design-of-the-apple-airpod
Thank you to lumafield for providing the CT scan assets for this video:
Real: voyager.lumafield.com/project/f7d641cb-1cd8-4211-9704-324f6cd19e64
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Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images
Thank you to AP Archive for access to their archival footage.
Music by Epidemic Sound: epidemicsound.com/creator
Thank you to my patreon supporters: Abdullah Alotaibi, Adam Flohr, Henning Basma, Hank Green, William Leu, Tristan Edwards, Ian Dundore, John & Becki Johnston. Nevin Spoljaric, Jason Clark, Thomas Barth, Johnny MacDonald, Stephen Foland, Alfred Holzheu, Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Binghaith, Brent Higgins, Dexter Appleberry, Alex Pavek, Marko Hirsch, Mikkel Johansen, Hibiyi Mori. Viktor Józsa, Ron Hochsprung







![How NASA Reinvented the Rocket Engine
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References:
[1] “Increasing engine efficiency,” Aerospace America, Apr. 30, 2018. . https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/departments/increasing-engine-efficiency/
[2] “Falcon 9 - SpaceFlight Insider.” . https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/hangar/falcon-9/
[3] “Current State of NASA Continuously Rotating Detonation Cycle Engine Development,” in AIAA SCITECH 2023 Forum, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/6.2023-1873
[4] “Computational Study of Deflagration to Detonation Transition in Pulse Detonation Engine Using Shchelkin Spiral,” Appl. Mech. Mater. https://www.scientific.net/AMM.772.136
[5] “A Theoretical Review of Rotating Detonation Engines | IntechOpen.” . https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/70511
[6] “Rotating detonation combustors and their similarities to rocket instabilities,” Prog. Energy Combust. Sci. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360128518301783
[7] “Gaillard et al. - 2017 - Numerical simulation of a Rotating Detonation with.pdf.” . https://hal.science/hal-01558902/document
[8] “Teasley et al. - 2021 - A Review Towards the Design Optimization of High P.pdf.” . https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20210018267/downloads/Review%20of%20RDRE%20Injector%20Design_AIAA_Teasley_Final.pdf
[9] “Pressure Distribution and Performance Impacts of Aerospike Nozzles on Rotating Detonation Engines,” in 2018 AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, Kissimmee, Florida, Jan. 2018, doi: 10.2514/6.2018-1626. https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/6.2018-1626
[10] “Effect of Aerospike Plug Nozzle Design on Rotating Detonation Engine Performance for Rocket Applications | AIAA SciTech Forum.” . https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/6.2019-0197
[11] “観測ロケットS-520-31号機による深宇宙探査用デトネーションエンジン宇宙実証実験に成功,” 宇宙科学研究所. . https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/topics/002693.html
[12] “NASA RDRE For Release to AIAA Teasley ER13.pdf.” . https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20220012375/downloads/NASA%20RDRE%20For%20Release%20to%20AIAA%20Teasley%20ER13.pdf
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Music by Epidemic Sound: http://epidemicsound.com/creator
Thank you to my patreon supporters: Abdullah Alotaibi, Adam Flohr, Henning Basma, Hank Green, William Leu, Tristan Edwards, Ian Dundore, John & Becki Johnston. Nevin Spoljaric, Jason Clark, Thomas Barth, Johnny MacDonald, Stephen Foland, Alfred Holzheu, Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Binghaith, Brent Higgins, Dexter Appleberry, Alex Pavek, Marko Hirsch, Mikkel Johansen, Hibiyi Mori. Viktor Józsa, Ron Hochsprung How NASA Reinvented the Rocket Engine](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RVxgyz_avQM/mqdefault.jpg)
![How Japans Maglev Train Works
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Footage Courtesy of Tom Scott
References:
[1]https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1631263/FULLTEXT01.pdf
[2]https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ki-Chan-Kim/publication/3111983_Review_of_Maglev_train_technologies/links/570391ea08aedbac12706f29/Review-of-Maglev-train-technologies.pdf
[3]https://sites.pitt.edu/~budny/papers/8151.pdf
[4]https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/0-387-27533-9_84#:~:text=The%20superconducting%20coils%20of%20the,system%20of%20the%20maglev%20vehicles.
[5]https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0196890414004300
[6]https://www.czechtrafo.cz/en/cores/trends-in-development-of-magnetic-circuit/
[7]https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/908938
[8]https://scmaglev.jr-central-global.com/about/emergency/
[9]https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/119914
[10]https://www.energy.gov/articles/how-maglev-works#:~:text=The%20magnets%20employed%20are%20superconducting,suspend%20and%20propel%20a%20train.
[11]https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/rpa-org/pdfs/Where-HSR-Works-Best.pdf
[12]https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1293705
[13]https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/maglev-bullet-train
[14]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328733747_Energy_Consumption_of_Track-Based_High-Speed_Transportation_Systems_Maglev_Technologies_in_Comparison_with_Steel-Wheel-Rail
[19]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%AB%C5%8D_Shinkansen#Development_overview
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Thank you to my patreon supporters: Abdullah Alotaibi, Adam Flohr, Henning Basma, Hank Green, William Leu, Tristan Edwards, Ian Dundore, John & Becki Johnston. Nevin Spoljaric, Jason Clark, Thomas Barth, Johnny MacDonald, Stephen Foland, Alfred Holzheu, Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Binghaith, Brent Higgins, Dexter Appleberry, Alex Pavek, Marko Hirsch, Mikkel Johansen, Hibiyi Mori. Viktor Józsa, Ron Hochsprung How Japans Maglev Train Works](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/S4L_0CDsd1I/mqdefault.jpg)
![How Carbon Nanotubes Will Change the World
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Credits:
Writer/Narrator: Brian McManus
Writer: Sophia Roberts
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References
[1] https://www.balzan.org/en/prizewinners/sumio-iijima/the-discovery-of-carbon-nanotubes-iijima
[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000862230500607X
[3] https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/files/lifesciences1abookv1/files/chapter_01 atomic_structure_and_chemical_bonding_01.pdf
[4] https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemis try_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Electronic_Structure_of_Atoms_and_Molecules/Atomic_Orbitals
[5] https://www.chemistrysteps.com/sp3-sp2-and-sp-hybridization-organic-chemistry/
[6] https://www.nature.com/articles/srep28341
[7] https://labs.chem.ucsb.edu/zakarian/armen/01_03_lecture_01_22_2018ppt.pdf
[8] https://www.graphenea.com/pages/graphene-properties#.YHn8b-9Kj8Y
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep20324
[9] https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:722664/FULLTEXT01.pdf
[10] http://przyrbwn.icm.edu.pl/APP/PDF/112/a112z308.pdf
[11] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-10959-7
[12] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1226086X13004024
[13] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201104102219.htm#:~:text=Carbon%20nanotube%20(CNT)%20forests%20are,a%20staple%20in%20many%20industries.&text=While%20scientists%20have%20been%20able,ceiling%20at%20around%202%20cm.
[14] https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/nn401995z
[15] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0008622320310368?via%3Dihub
[16] https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news2/newsid=56546.php
[17] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1359835X14000839#:~:text=Carbon%20nanotubes%20(CNTs)%20possess%20excellent,use%20with%20reinforcing%20polymer%20resin.
[18] https://www.technologyreview.com/2011/09/19/117663/nanotube-cables-hit-a-milestone-as-good-as-copper/
[19] https://mainblades.com/article/this-is-what-you-should-know-about-boeing-787-lightning-protection/
[20] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21867808/
Thank you to AP Archive for access to their archival footage.
Music by Epidemic Sound: http://epidemicsound.com/creator
Thank you to my patreon supporters: Adam Flohr, Henning Basma, Hank Green, William Leu, Tristan Edwards, Ian Dundore, John & Becki Johnston. Nevin Spoljaric, Jason Clark, Thomas Barth, Johnny MacDonald, Stephen Foland, Alfred Holzheu, Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Binghaith, Brent Higgins, Dexter Appleberry, Alex Pavek, Marko Hirsch, Mikkel Johansen, Hibiyi Mori. Viktor Józsa, Ron Hochsprung How Carbon Nanotubes Will Change the World](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SIif11QOsRI/mqdefault.jpg)
