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The Invisible Tsunami That Killed 1,500 People in One Night

On August 21, 1986, violent explosions rocked Cameroon’s Lake Nyos. A wave of water over 15 meters high flattened vegetation along the southern shore, but a second deadly, nearly invisible wave of carbon dioxide blanketed the nearby towns, suffocating residents and animals. In this episode, we investigate how a lake could explode and shoot out a gigantic wave of deadly carbon dioxide gas.
Season 6 Episode 10 Length 11:28 Premiere: 07/28/20

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Specials

Season 6 Episodes

The Science of Kombucha
S6 E23 Length 08:12 Premiere Date 12/15/20

Why Does Fall Smell So Good?
S6 E22 Length 07:25 Premiere Date 11/24/20

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S6 E22 Length 07:06 Premiere Date 11/24/20

Do Your Dog’s Paws Smell Like Fritos?
S6 E21 Length 04:45 Premiere Date 11/17/20

How Can Fertilizer Explode?
S6 E20 Length 06:10 Premiere Date 10/21/20

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S6 E19 Length 08:34 Premiere Date 10/08/20

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S6 E18 Length 04:00 Premiere Date 09/24/20

Why Did the Sky Turn Orange in San Francisco?
S6 E17 Length 03:54 Premiere Date 09/18/20

How Can A Margarita Do This?
S6 E16 Length 03:47 Premiere Date 08/25/20

Cellulose: From Trees to Explosives
S6 E15 Length 12:31 Premiere Date 08/11/20

The World's Biggest Batteries Aren't What You Think
S6 E14 Length 14:13 Premiere Date 08/11/20

What Could An Explosion On the Sun Do Here On Earth?
S6 E13 Length 12:24 Premiere Date 08/07/20

Whatever Happened to the Ozone Hole?
S6 E12 Length 12:11 Premiere Date 08/06/20

What Meteors Reveal About Earth’s Hidden Past
S6 E11 Length 13:33 Premiere Date 08/05/20

The Invisible Tsunami That Killed 1,500 People in One Night
S6 E10 Length 11:28 Premiere Date 07/28/20

The Terrifying (but Awesome) Science Behind Red Tides
S6 E9 Length 11:39 Premiere Date 07/22/20

The Great MOLASSES Flood of 1919
S6 E8 Length 12:52 Premiere Date 07/21/20

Challenger: The Real Story of an Avoidable Disaster
S6 E7 Length 14:37 Premiere Date 07/20/20

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S6 E6 Length 15:21 Premiere Date 07/16/20

The Ultimate Coffee Roasting Chemistry Throwdown
S6 E5 Length 10:33 Premiere Date 07/14/20

The Ultimate Coffee Roasting Chemistry Throwdown
S6 E5 Length 10:14 Premiere Date 07/14/20

Here’s How You Actually Have to Use Disinfectants
S6 E4 Length 05:35 Premiere Date 06/23/20

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S6 E4 Length 06:11 Premiere Date 06/23/20

How Does Tear Gas Work?
S6 E3 Length 03:53 Premiere Date 06/18/20

We Surprised a Llama Antibody Researcher with an Actual Llam
S6 E2 Length 02:15 Premiere Date 06/08/20

We Surprised a Llama Antibody Researcher with a Llama
S6 E2 Length 02:33 Premiere Date 06/08/20

Why Aren’t COVID Antibody Tests Better?
S6 E1 Length 08:24 Premiere Date 05/27/20

Why Are Antibody Tests Failing?
S6 E1 Length 08:24 Premiere Date 05/27/20

Why Aren’t COVID Antibody Tests Better?
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