Is Santa Real? (A Scientific Analysis)

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Published 2014-12-22
...and other Christmas mysteries answered with science!
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Happy Holidays! Ever wonder how Santa could possibly manage to deliver all those presents in a single night? Or what gives red-nosed reindeer the ability to fly? And why do your Christmas lights get tangled in knots no matter how carefully you put the away?!

Here's some Christmas-themed science, as our gift to you. See you in 2015!

SOURCES:
Why Christmas lights tangle: "Spontaneous knotting of an agitated string" www.pnas.org/content/104/42/16432

Apollo 8 "Santa sighting" archive.org/details/Apollo8Highlights

Santa's reindeer are probably female: www.livescience.com/32149-are-santas-reindeer-male…

Reindeer hair is hollow and "buoyant" www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6150798

Reindeer really do have red noses: www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e8311.full.pdf+html

Reindeer eyes change color: phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/10/29/why-ar…

Santa's challenge (check my math!): bit.ly/1sOW15q

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All Comments (21)
  • @simplysarax7600
    ever wondered why your presents from Santa say made in China?
  • @saturnian1
    2.3 children per household Hmmmm Mother, father, johnny, rebecca, and 3/10ths of robert.
  • @lemonboiyoutube
    I love how Joe is explaining math and physics, and parallel universes, while answering a simple childish question: is Santa real
  • @jaqx2
    My brain translated that into Santa is a time lord.
  • @r2ube
    "Reads Title" -EVERYBODY STAND BACK! I'm going in the comments.
  • @BigMork
    Scientists: Santa isnt real The sound in my chimney in 2017: am I joke to you?
  • @evangould5677
    He probably was a real person in norway that loved kids and made them toys when it got cold outside and had a Caribou farm
  • @garethdean6382
    Everyone dumps on Santa, but the Easter Bunny gets a free ride.You're just a puppet of the power chocolate and carrot lobbies aren't you?
  • @Channel-rh7lh
    I have a question. In movies where Santa Claus is real, and adults don’t belive in Santa, how do they know where the presents under the tree come from? Do they think that someone broke into they’re house and they just don’t call the cops? Did they put presents under the tree, but Santa used magic to make they’re presents be put in the parents’ room and make room for his gifts? That is really confusing.
  • @TheDrexxus
    All that talk of knots at the start reminded me of something that my grandfather used to say when I was a kid. He said that if you ever jump out of an airplane, you are safer to bring an extension cord than a parachute. Because it is guaranteed to catch on SOMETHING on the way down.
  • @seattlegrrlie
    The reason you've never seen Santa is the quantum teleporter he developed out of frustration that he could only visit his towns children
  • This comment section has the single greatest comments I've seen in a long time
  • @josiexlc
    I just wanted you to say YES or NO
  • As a teacher of gifted kids, I love this. The science is on point, and it multiverse theory keeps the magic element plausibly alive. Well done! Happy holidays!
  • @ziskav
    I'm laughing my ass off of people saying Santa is real. Common sense says the government would've captured him by now and use his "Magic" as a weapon.
  • @KingJake-om7yq
    My theory: He uses time travel so that there are multiple of him at once