What Happens If We Throw an Elephant From a Skyscraper? Life & Size 1

Summary

This video script explores the profound impact of size on the biology and survival of living organisms. It begins with a thought experiment involving a mouse, a dog, and an elephant falling from a skyscraper onto a stack of mattresses, illustrating how the mouse survives due to its small size and the elephant doesn't due to its massive size. The video delves into the principles of scaling, explaining how an increase in size leads to a disproportionate increase in surface area and volume, affecting an organism's weight, kinetic energy, and the impact of a fall. It highlights that smaller creatures like insects have a larger surface area relative to their mass, allowing them to survive falls that would be fatal for larger animals. The script also discusses the challenges small organisms face, such as the deadly effects of water due to surface tension, and how insects have evolved to be water-repellent. It touches on the unique adaptations of the smallest insects, like the Fairy Fly, which live in a world where air behaves like a syrup. The video promises to further investigate the reasons behind the lack of extremely large or small species in future episodes, inviting viewers to subscribe for updates.

Takeaways

• 🐭 The mouse survives a fall from a skyscraper because of its small size and the principle of scaling, which affects how gravity impacts different sizes.
• 🐘 An elephant explodes upon impact due to its large size having a small surface area relative to its volume, leading to a high concentration of kinetic energy.
• 🐶 The dog dies from the fall because its size does not offer the same protective benefits against gravity as the mouse, resulting in fatal injuries.
• 🔢 Size is a crucial factor in determining the biology and experiences of living beings, with different sizes living in unique environments with distinct rules.
• 🌐 Life spans across a vast range of sizes, from bacteria to blue whales, each with their own advantages and challenges.
• 🎾 The physical laws affecting living things change with size, impacting how they are built and how they live and die.
• 🌌 Small creatures like insects have a large surface area relative to their mass, which allows them to survive falls that would be deadly to larger animals.
• 💧 Insects face different challenges, such as the deadly effects of water due to surface tension, which is much stronger relative to their size.
• 🦟 Insects have evolved adaptations like water-repellent exoskeletons and tiny hairs to combat the dangers of water's surface tension.
• 🕷️ Some insects use surface tension to 'breathe' underwater by trapping an air bubble around them, allowing for gas exchange.
• 🦋 The smallest insects, like the Fairy Fly, experience the world very differently, with air acting more like a thick fluid that they must swim through.
• 🤔 The video script raises questions about why certain sizes do not exist, such as ants the size of horses or elephants the size of amoeba, to be explored in future content.

Q & A

Why does the mouse survive the fall from the skyscraper but the dog and the elephant do not?

The mouse survives due to its small size, which allows it to have a larger surface area relative to its mass, distributing the impact and allowing air resistance to slow it down. In contrast, the elephant and dog, being much larger, have less surface area relative to their volume, leading to a more severe impact and no significant air resistance to cushion their fall.

What principle is highlighted in the script that explains the survival of the mouse and the death of the dog and elephant?

The script highlights the principle of scaling size, which changes everything in terms of physics and biology. The relative surface area to volume ratio plays a crucial role in how animals experience forces like gravity and air resistance.

How does the script explain the impact of gravity on very small and very large animals?

The script explains that very small animals are practically immune to the effects of gravity due to their large surface area relative to mass, which allows them to fall from great heights without harm. Conversely, very large animals, like elephants, have a small surface area relative to their volume, leading to a concentrated impact and destruction upon landing.

What are the three features of a theoretical spherical animal mentioned in the script, and how do they change with size?

The three features are length, surface area, and volume. When the animal's size is increased, its skin (surface area) grows by the square of the increase, and its volume (and thus mass) grows by the cube of the increase, which significantly affects its weight and the impact of a fall.

Why is the force of water's surface tension potentially deadly for insects?

Water's surface tension acts like an 'invisible skin' that is weak for larger animals but strong for insects due to their small size. This force can be so strong that getting wet is a matter of life and death for insects, as it can quickly engulf them and make it difficult for them to break free, leading to drowning.

How have insects evolved to deal with the threat of water's surface tension?

Insects have evolved to be water repellent. Their exoskeletons are often covered with a thin layer of wax, and many have tiny hairs that increase their surface area and prevent water droplets from touching their exoskeleton, making it easier to shed water.

What adaptation allows some insects to 'breathe' underwater using surface tension?

Some insects have evolved a surface covered by a short and extremely dense coat of water-repelling hair. When they dive underwater, air stays inside their fur, forming an air bubble. This allows oxygen to diffuse into the bubble from the surrounding water while carbon dioxide diffuses out, effectively acting as an external lung.

How does the script describe the experience of air for the smallest insects, like the Fairy Fly?

For the smallest insects, like the Fairy Fly, air is described as being more like a thin jello or syrup-like mass, making movement through it difficult. They have to 'swim' through the air rather than glide, with their wings resembling big hairy arms.

What are some of the physical rules that change as life grows in size, according to the script?

The script suggests that as life grows in size, the physical rules change significantly. For example, gravity, air resistance, and surface tension have different impacts on organisms of different sizes, leading to unique adaptations and limitations for each size category.

What questions are posed by the script regarding the size of animals, and what will be discussed in the next part of the series?

The script poses questions about why there are no ants the size of horses or elephants the size of amoeba. These questions set up the discussion for the next part of the series, where the reasons behind these size limitations will be explored.