About this episode
The episode explores the competition between black and white through various scientific and cultural lenses.
Why are black cars more dangerous, white chess pieces more successful, and pandas apparently incapable of coping with minor inconvenience? Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens (VSauce) unpack one deceptively simple question - which would win in a fight between black and white? - and end up exploring everything from colour psychology and radioactive frogs to quasars, fantasy literature, and whether the universe itself ultimately sides with darkness. Along the way, Hannah invents a new category of “cool cult members,” Michael explains how light could theoretically form a black hole, and both attempt to avoid turning the entire episode into a Tolkien podcast. ------------------- For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ. ------------------- Find The Rest Is Science all…
People in this episode
Host: Professor Hannah Fry
Guest: Michael Stevens
Topics covered
- color psychology
- black vs white
- science
- fantasy literature
- universe
- darkness
- light
Keywords
- black cars
- white chess pieces
- color psychology
- quasars
- Tolkien
- black hole
- pandas
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Cancer Research UK, Goalhanger
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