The Lightest Solid on Earth (You won’t believe this exists)

Aerogel is the lightest and lowest-density solid in the world. It’s a gel composed of 99.8% air. Looking like frozen smoke, this material is almost as light as air itself. It’s only 1.74 grams. It’s so light that even soap bubbles can lift it. Despite its weight, it can withstand extreme temperatures from -273 degrees Celsius to 650 degrees Celsius and provides a protection against heat unlike anything else on Earth. However, even with a small pressure applied by my finger, the aerogel shatters into thousands of pieces and turns to dust. But what’s surprising is that if I take those aerogel dusts and apply it to any surface, like my body, it becomes 100% hydrophobic. It makes me completely waterproof. On top of that, this dust also forms new non-brittle foam-like aerogel composites, which can be utilized in extreme applications requiring protection. Aerogels can be in different shapes, given that they are 99% air, can you guess the kind of sound would an aerogel make? It’s like an empty can dropping onto a steel surface, very metallic. It’s quite different from what most of you might expect. I’m at the Solarcore facility in Oregon, and I’ll be conducting experiments to test the aerogel’s most incredible properties. Subscribe: https://goo.gl/MKi8tn "Rediscovery" series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL40Eh9f0PRRXcCkyKxrtRvE3tbmcKYvHr Solarcore's website: https://solarcore.tech Here are my other videos: Visiting the Fattest, Most Cigarette-Addicted and Least Visited Country 🇳🇷 ► https://youtu.be/eUJgq9HerDQ Visiting the World's Hottest Place (70°C, 159°F) LUT DESERT ► https://youtu.be/NhyDkHaUC8U Visiting the World’s Most Daпgeгous Road: “Karakoram D℮ath Road” (There are casuaIti℮s!) ► https://youtu.be/FryCzL17YRs Visiting the MOST AIR POLLUTED CITY in the World (Dust Hell) ► https://youtu.be/zC4saZg6sG0 Visiting the COLDEST CITY in the World (-71°C, -96°F) YAKUTSK / YAKUTIA ► https://youtu.be/Fz4ZMLsPzqM 8 Crazy Experiments at -55°C, -67°F (The coldest city in the World: Yakutsk) ► https://youtu.be/ExoOL2lwlWE World's Poorest Country "Burundi" (I can’t forget the things I saw) ► https://youtu.be/n0gFsHf9cIw Who am I? My name is Ruhi Çenet, I'm an independent documentary maker. I go to unique places or meet unique people and investigate or analyze them with a unique approach. My motto is "curiosity is the best guide". Join me, let's learn something different...