The Power of Transportation | Origins: The Journey of Humankind

less than 1m read

·Nov 11, 2024

[music playing] [motor revving]

JASON SILVA: What does it take to power a global civilization to connect billions of people across continents? It takes the power of transportation. From the beginning, speed and strength were paramount in the hunt, on the battlefield, for holding together far-flung empires. We sought new forms of power, harnessing the forces of nature to drive us forward—the horse, the wheel, steam power, jet engine. Every new innovation powered our next great leap.

Transportation has become our exoskeleton allowing us to transcend our biology. [music playing] Faster than sound, farther than the moon, our inventions give us a level of power we never imagined. With our machines we carved through solid rock, tunneled beneath the sea floor, connecting the world, mixing distant cultures. Freedom of movement has given us freedom of mind.

The flow of people and materials exposes us to new ideas and new understanding. This is the story of how transportation turned society inside out, how engines and animals powered the rise of civilization, and how the innovations that drive humanity forward made us modern. This is "Origins."

Adapting when doing business with different cultures!

Genes, proteins, and traits | Inheritance and variation | Middle school biology | Khan Academy

View All

Studying the Dry Valleys of Antarctica | Continent 7: Antarctica

[Music] These systems are very unique, and as things change climate-wise, they’re going to change and could change irreversibly. The Dry Valleys are very similar to Mars’ environment. I mean, it’s incredible. All of the microbial life on the continent has…

My Response To Paying Higher Taxes | Joe Biden Tax Explained

What’s up, grandma’s guys? Here. So normally I don’t make videos like this, and I try to stay away from topics that might get taken out of context or politicized. But lately, it seems like there’s been non-stop talk, fear, and disagreements about the plan…

Mark Wiens Goes Night Fishing and Jungle Foraging in Remote Thailand | Epic Food Journeys | Nat Geo

Nat Geo challenged me to fish and forage for a meal. So I’m in one of the most remote regions of Thailand with the Karen people, where I’ll be taking part in a special ceremony. My friend Mook will prepare a traditional Karen meal, and I can’t wait to t…

Rescuing a Fierce Leopard: See What It Takes | Expedition Raw

Right 80 mg of ketamine and 4A 8 Mig of made tomine; that should do the job. Translocating an animal doesn’t happen very often; it’s a last resort for us. Me and Rudy walk up to the cage, and I’m the bait. I call his attention, so he turns his butt and gi…

How Japanese Masters Turn Sand Into Swords

[Derek] This is a video about how Japanese swords are made, swords that are strong enough and sharp enough to slice a bullet in half. The access we got for this video is incredible. We were able to film everything from gathering the iron sand to smelting …

The Best Ways The Rich Build a Recession-Proof Investment Portfolio

You know, Alexir, the rich come out almost unscathed during recessions. In fact, many come out in better shape than when the recession started. The world can shout about bailouts as loud as they want, but if you look deeper into it, you’ll see their growt…

The Power of Transportation | Origins: The Journey of Humankind

More Articles