menu Home chevron_right
PETS & ANIMALS

Cats Accidentally Solved a Physics Mystery | What the Physics?!

NOVA PBS Official | August 22, 2026



A falling cat seems to break the rules of motion — but the real explanation is even stranger than it looks.

Hosted by Athena Brensberger @astroathens 💫

For centuries, scientists have been baffled by how cats land on their feet. Figuring it out took several theories, calculations, and dropped cats. But it’s helped us understand everything from how to move in zero gravity to building better robots.

#physics #cats

📰 Stay up to date on the latest science discoveries, full episodes, articles, videos, and more by signing up for NOVA’s newsletter here: https://to.pbs.org/4brCC7Y

▶️ Stream NOVA documentaries & more with PBS Documentaries on Prime Video: https://amzn.to/4hXBlsu

💙 Help us bring the universe closer to home. Your donation ensures that NOVA’s deep-space discoveries and quantum physics explorations remain free and inspiring for the next generation of scientists. Support fact-based storytelling today. https://bit.ly/48UnsrD

🌟 Follow on social for more NOVA content
Twitter: https://twitter.com/novapbs
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/novapbs
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@novapbs

Written by NOVA PBS Official

Comments

This post currently has 29 comments.

  1. @DissoluteGambler

    August 22, 2026 at 11:47 am

    Nonsense. Did you ever try to pick up a 10 pound cat that didn't want to wake up? He weighs at least 100 pounds. Or see one fly by at eye level without falling? They manipulate gravity. They can turn it up or turn it off. Nobody ever told them they couldn't so they do it. They can also attract any bedding to them without moving and end up with all the blankets. We're dealing with a superior life form here unfettered by physics.

  2. @Жан-бай

    August 22, 2026 at 11:47 am

    Уничтожая пространство видимая вселенная создаёт квантовую гравитацию.
    Здравствуйте, всех благ Вам.
    Для этого предлагаю использовать мобильный опыт Майкельсона.
    Где параллельно одной плоскости но с смещением на 90°., используется «с вакуумным сердечником волоконно оптическое» вытянутые катушки с (средним периметр P=L1+d/2+L2+d/2= 0,15 +0,05+0,15+0,05=0,4 метр) из монолита каркас и вакуумной камерой с общими габаритами 20/20/h16 см. Где пробег света идёт через использования высокодобротного резонатора: по каждому рукаву из орбиты по 56 км. Это позволяет сравнивать фазы света в самолёте при его линейной скорости 0,3 км/сек, где по расчету, основной формулы опыта, при λ=1,5 мкм., где 2l/λ(vv/cc)=0,035
    Вопрос, где легче бороться с шумами, на детекторе LIGO или в мобильном опыте Майкельсона в самолёте с разницей
    в 40 000 000 200 раз?
    Используется платформа в
    три уровня по защиты от вибрации и шума в самолёте. .
    Опыт Майкельсона + мобильный опыт Майкельсона =100% опыт. где можем проследить работу как «Доминантные гравитационные поля» через частоту света, корректируют её СКОРОСТЬ, энергию, направления в вакууме. «СВЕТ – это энергия упорядоченной вибрации квантов гравитации с квантовым перераспределение границ Лагранжа»

  3. @LuisEBenavente

    August 22, 2026 at 11:47 am

    Stats of falling cat injuries suggest that some cats can't easily flip and won't land on their paws when falling from floor1's roof. Virtually all cats landed safely when falling from a 2nd or 3rd floor level, suggesting they needed time to flip

  4. @letolethe3344

    August 22, 2026 at 11:47 am

    I hope thi i a series or become a series! I love these shorter, bite-size videos. Words cannot say how wonderful it is that cats are teaching us about physics, thus proving their point that they are superior to us in every way. But anyone who experiments on a cat is gross.

  5. @SamBrownBaudot

    August 22, 2026 at 11:47 am

    Japan has a popular science magazine that goes by the name "Newton".
    There was a special, single topic issue earlier this year, "Nyan-ton".
    All cat-science, cover to cover.

  6. @tiberiusgracchus4222

    August 22, 2026 at 11:47 am

    My cats back legs are paralyzed and stuck in sort of sitting position and I can tell, and so can she, that she would drop like a rock. She's never been dropped and never will be so this will remain a theory.

  7. @billhorton2564

    August 22, 2026 at 11:47 am

    What a nice video! I was wondering when did cats actually domesticate humans, turning us into servants of the beast? Sidebar…Athena is a beautiful name, and she was a wonderful host/presenter.

Comments are closed.




This area can contain widgets, menus, shortcodes and custom content. You can manage it from the Customizer, in the Second layer section.

 

 

 

  • play_circle_filled

    92.9 : The Torch

  • play_circle_filled

    AGGRO
    'Til Deaf Do Us Part...

  • play_circle_filled

    SLACK!
    The Music That Made Gen-X

  • play_circle_filled

    KUDZU
    The Northwoods' Alt-Country & Americana

  • play_circle_filled

    BOOZHOO
    Indigenous Radio

  • play_circle_filled

    THE FLOW
    The Northwoods' Hip Hop and R&B

play_arrow skip_previous skip_next volume_down
playlist_play