Scientists on Reddit

Michael Stevens

Educator behind Vsauce

How we know it's theirs

The 2017 r/IAmA AMA, posted from this account

We retrieved 16 posts and 427 comments from u/Michael_Stevens, dated 2012 to 2026, most often in r/IAmA, r/vsauce and r/quizzaciously.

Best moment

u/Michael_Stevens posted in r/neutralmilkhotel

I Found Another Original Postcard With The Image That Was Adapted For "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea"!

u/Michael_Stevens replied

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When I saw that u/tom-dooley had found an original, I set up my own eBay alert for "bathing beauties postcard 1900." I checked it every time there were new matches (which was a few times a week on average), and after FOUR YEARS, a collection of old postcards was listed and in the background of one of the pics I saw THIS ONE! It arrived just a few days ago. These images are scans I took of it.

The dirt and wear on it do not match the dirt/wear on the actual ITAOTS cover art, so this is almost certainly not the actual card Mangum and Bilheimer used, but it's one of just a few that I think have ever been found.

It's postmarked July 1 8AM 1907. I know there are unanswered questions about who the original artist was and where the postcard was printed; all I can add is that this one has a stamp on the back that says, "PUB. BY PHILA. POST-CARD CO."

More moments

A redditor wrote in r/IAmA

On “I am Michael Stevens from Vsauce, AMA!”

Hey Michael! In episode 1 of Mind Field there was a scene when you woke up and appeared quite disoriented and confused, so confused that you needed to open the door to the test chamber to confirm your reality. I'm dying to know what were you dreaming about?

u/Michael_Stevens replied

Essentially, I had started to lose the ability to differentiate dreams from reality . For some reason, I was in the room in both. I dreamt that someone (not anyone I'd ever met, but someone who seemed familiar in the…

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Essentially, I had started to lose the ability to differentiate dreams from reality

. For some reason, I was in the room in both.

I dreamt that someone (not anyone I'd ever met, but someone who seemed familiar in the dream) had come into the room and told me I was done. That 72 hours was up. But then I woke up. But I didn't realize that I'd woken up. I saw the door closed and wondered why they'd left and closed the door behind themselves. I figured everyone was just busy or something and that I could come out when I felt like it.

So I opened the door but it was so dark and nothing was moving. I was really confused and anxious about being confused. Who had been in the room? Why was I alone? I had been so certain that I was finished. That I could come out. But no. I was still alone. Always had been.

A redditor posted in r/todayilearned

TIL that honey is the only food that will not rot. A jar of honey may remain edible for over 3000 years.

u/Michael_Stevens replied

Honey's resistance to "rot" has to do with its relatively low water activity -- a measure of how intensely a material's water content will associate with things like microorganisms. Honey contains water, but it's not very easy for the agents…

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Honey's resistance to "rot" has to do with its relatively low water activity -- a measure of how intensely a material's water content will associate with things like microorganisms.

Honey contains water, but it's not very easy for the agents of mold and rot to take advantage of. Same goes for a dried-out McDonald's burger. Or a dehydrated anything.