00:01Traditional LEDs have been around for years, emitting colors like red or green.
00:07However, creating blue LEDs was a tough nut to crack due to the complexity of the process.
00:13In 2014, three Japanese researchers snagged the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work in making blue LEDs a reality.
00:21They developed a new semiconductor material called gallium nitride, which paved the way for efficient blue light emission.
00:29This breakthrough not only revolutionized the lighting industry, but also contributed to sustainable energy solutions.
00:37By combining red, green, and blue LEDs, you get white light.
00:42Alternatively, you can excite a chemical layer in a bulb with blue light to emit white light.
00:48LED lighting is more energy-efficient than other types, making it a momentous change for the 1.5 billion people without access to electricity grids.
00:57If all lights were LED, global electricity usage for lighting could drop from 20 to 4%.
01:05Some LED systems are designed to adjust the light color throughout the day to align with the body's natural rhythm, offering a more comfortable lighting experience.
01:16Scientists were aware of the concept of materials made up of single atomic layers.
01:22But no one had managed to isolate one until recently.
01:26For years, researchers had been attempting to create a single layer using advanced and costly methods.
01:33However, the breakthrough came when a group of scientists use a simple and inexpensive tool, regular sticky tape, to isolate a single sheet of graphene.
01:42In 2004, a team of scientists announced the discovery of graphene, a thin layer of carbon just one atom thick.
01:51This discovery surprised the scientific community, as it had been believed that materials like graphene would be too unstable to exist.
01:59Graphene quickly became the talk of the town, with new findings on its properties adding to the excitement.
02:05In recognition of their work, the scientists received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010.
02:11The idea that strictly two-dimensional arrangements of atoms would be unstable was long held, but recent research has shown otherwise.
02:20Graphite, which we commonly find in pencils, is made up of layers of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal pattern.
02:27These layers are what we refer to as graphene.
02:31Interestingly, the discovery of structures like buckyballs and nanotubes hinted that carbon could indeed form stable 2D sheets.
02:39One of the most fascinating qualities of graphene is its exceptional electrical conductivity, allowing it to carry significant currents at room temperature.
02:49Its unique properties have opened a world of possibilities in electronics and material science.
02:55Researchers are also exploring graphene's potential in fields like solar energy and battery technology.
03:03Now, the idea of touchscreens on devices has been around for a while.
03:08Even showing up in science fiction movies and books.
03:12However, it took a lot of time to actually develop the technology to accurately sense and respond to finger touches on screens.
03:19Many people think Steve Jobs dreamed up the touch interface, but that's not quite true.
03:26He just introduced the technology in a way that really caught people's attention.
03:31Apple engineers have put in a lot of effort to improve the technology, adding features like scrolling without the need for physical buttons.
03:39The first touchscreen device is believed to be the work of American professor Samuel Hurst in the early 1970s.
03:46He was looking for a way to automate reading information from recorder tapes, which led to the creation of the world's first touchscreen.
03:55Over the years, touchscreen technology continued to evolve, eventually leading to the development of touchscreen smartphones and tablets.
04:03In 2002, companies like HTC and Zenarch Technologies started producing devices with touchscreens, setting the stage for the popular devices we use today.
04:15These devices have found countless applications in various industries and have improved how we interact with technology.
04:21So, while Steve Jobs may not have invented the touchscreens, his contribution to making them mainstream cannot be denied.
04:30Now, for years, the concept of flying with a personal jet engine attached to your back has been a futuristic dream.
04:37However, the reality is that this dream has yet to become a mainstream reality.
04:41Despite promises of a practical jetpack hitting the market soon, there are several reasons why this technology has not taken off.
04:51First, the human body is not naturally built for flight.
04:54Without genetic modifications to create lift, individuals cannot soar like birds.
05:00This means that all the lift must come from the thrust generated by the jetpack.
05:04Next, thrust requires a significant amount of fuel, which can be expensive.
05:11Carrying more fuel for longer flights adds weight, requiring even more thrust and burning more fuel in a vicious cycle.
05:20Additionally, most jetpacks use rocket propulsion, which requires carrying both fuel and oxidizer.
05:26Jet and rocket packs are also difficult to control and can be unstable in flight.
05:31The short flight time limits the ability to reach a safe altitude for emergency situations, such as engine failure.
05:39Plus, the inefficiency of flying one person with a jetpack makes it impractical for most uses.
05:45While they may look cool, the practicality and cost-effectiveness of jetpacks have yet to be realized.
05:51The idea of using light in a precise and powerful way sounded like something straight out of a sci-fi movie until lasers were invented in the 1960s.
06:03Since then, lasers have totally changed the game in industries like medicine, fiber optics for communication, and manufacturing,
06:12where they're used with incredible precision for things like cutting and welding.
06:15Even though lasers can now come in all sorts of colors, making a white laser was a whole different story.
06:23White light is made up of a bunch of different wavelengths, unlike a single wavelength that traditional lasers produce.
06:29But instead of seeing this as a roadblock, many scientists view it as an exciting challenge.
06:35One idea for making a white laser is to combine several lasers to create a beam that looks white to us.
06:41But getting this to work without losing coherence is no easy task.
06:46Still, some researchers have succeeded in making a white laser using just one crystal,
06:52proving that there are new and creative ways to push the boundaries of optics.
06:57Back in 1903, Henry Ford's lawyer was advised against investing in Ford's automobile company.
07:04A mysterious person told him there would always be a horse and cars were just a passing fad.
07:09Well, as of 2021, almost 300 million vehicles were registered in the U.S. alone.
07:17Take that, Mr. Anonymous Advisor.
07:20Jokes aside, at the beginning of the 20th century, people indeed didn't really welcome the whole concept of cars.
07:27Americans weren't really feeling the whole cars-in-the-city thing.
07:31But as highways, suburbs, and anti-walking laws started popping up,
07:35people started to come around to the car-centric lifestyle.
07:39This shift meant less focus on walkable communities,
07:42which is kind of sad because it affects our ability just to stroll around our neighborhoods.
07:48Now, there's a common misconception that the price of lab-grown diamonds will drastically decrease in the future.
07:55This misconception is often promoted by the mined diamond industry,
08:00which claims that lab diamond prices will eventually plummet to the level of lower-quality diamond simulants like cubic zirconia.
08:08The reality is that high-quality lab diamonds are quite rare and difficult to produce.
08:13Growing brown or industrial-grade lab diamonds is easier and more cost-effective,
08:18while growing colorless, high-quality lab diamonds is a complex and expensive process.
08:24Similar to mined diamonds, there are two distinct categories of lab diamonds,
08:29high-quality and low-quality. Makes sense to me.
08:33Most lab diamonds on the market fall into the low-quality category,
08:37while high-end retailers offer access to superior-quality lab diamonds that are much harder to grow.
08:44The process of growing high-quality lab diamonds is a challenging one,
08:48due to the speed limit on how fast a diamond crystal can be grown.
08:52Trying to speed up the growth process can result in diamonds with fractures,
08:57low clarity, and undesirable undertones.
09:01Shortcuts, such as adding boron during growth,
09:04can lead to low-quality lab diamonds with a blue tinge or brown color that needs to be irradiated to remove.
09:11Cutting and polishing lab-grown diamonds is also a costly and labor-intensive process,
09:15requiring the use of multi-million-dollar laser tools and highly skilled technicians.
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