Physics videos roundup: Friday 14 September 2012

It’s Friday, so as usual we’ve hand picked some of the best physics and science videos on the web to bring in the weekend. We’ve tried to get a good mix; some to entertain you and others to make you think.

Mars Curiosity Descent: Ultra HD 30fps smooth-motion

NASA’s idea to fit ultra high definition cameras to the Curiosity rover pays off in what could be the best science video of the year.

The footage looks like something from Alien:

Our Curiosity

A family owned company from Illinois, USA has technology on Mars. The company’s gears are being used on NASA’s Curiosity Rover and their dedication to their work is inspirational:

London’s fossils: An ancient world hidden in the city

Fossil hunting in London sounds like a ridiculous concept but it’s much easier than one would think. All of London’s stone landmarks seem to contain clues to animals from earth’s ancient past.

Acoustic levitation

Levitation is irrefutably cool and this demonstration by scientists at Argonne National Laboratory is full of incredible images.

While its application exists on the molecular level for drug development we can’t help but wish we could make use of it for a great party trick.

The Story of You: ENCODE and the human genome

This videos provides an insightful introduction into what we are made out of and the history of the Encode Project.

McLaren vs Aerodynamics – The next chapter

One for the F1  fans out there.  This is a great visualisation of the physics of aerodynamics; without giving away too many trade secrets to their rivals, of course!

It partly explains why Lewis Hamilton is consistently quick, although Fernando Alonso won’t be overly impressed looking down on him from on top of the driver’s championship.

Thanks for watching our video roundup. Have you stumbled across any eye catching physics videos recently? Share your favourites with us in the comments below, or take the conversation to Twitter using the #physicsvids hashtag.

And don’t forget, we have loads of great content on the IOP YouTube channel. Have a  great weekend!