DARKNESS vs LIGHT

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. ------------------- Video Producer: Oli Oakley Animator: Sam Benson Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell Assistant Producer: Lucy Lipscombe Producer: Simona Rata Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter Head Of Digital: Samuel Oakley Exec Producer: Neil Fearn ------------------- 00:00 Intro 00:20 Who would win in a fight between black and white? 01:26 Cancer Research UK 02:40 What’s the most popular favourite colour across the world? 04:30 What’s the most popular colour in fashion? 06:17 Do darker coloured uniforms make athletes more aggressive? 12:00 Does white have an advantage over black in chess? 16:40 Do more people have the surname black or white? 19:40 The winner so far 19:52 What are the most popular car colours? 21:30 Which colour piano keys win? 22:25 If you shine a torch into a dark space, what wins? 24:00 What is a kugelblitz? 29:00 Chernobyl’s black frogs 31:15 Black and white animals 33:00 Ought and nought 36:00 Where the word candidate comes from 37:30 Is The Lord of the Rings too black and white? 41:45 How Tolstoy disagrees with Hannah 45:00 The Earth without variation 49:25 What’s the brightest thing in the universe? 50:13 Outro