How Plants Turned Air Into Civilization ｜The Calvin Cycle

The Calvin Cycle is how we transform carbon dioxide into--well--everything. By making carbon biologically useful, our biosphere has managed to transform CO2, Sunlight and water into basically the entire world around you. Does that sound hyperbolic? Watch to find out just how much of an understatement that really is.

The Calvin Cycle is the molecular process that built our world. This final step of photosynthesis evolved 3.8 billion years ago and has been changing everything for our biosphere ever since. Photosynthesis is how energy enters our biosphere--but the Calvin Cycle is how our world stores that energy. Energy is pretty useless unless you can store it. You'll see in this video how that principle also unlocks the key to building civilization. Sure, humans did pretty great as hunter-gatherers--but as soon as we figured out how to store excess food and build surpluses--that was the edge we needed to build civilization. And then--the hydrocarbons that helped power that civilization to it's current heights (and that are putting it on the brink of disaster) were made across eons through this exact same process. Our whole world comes down to this molecular cycle. No fixed carbon. No Us. No civilization.

[shanegriffith]

It's shocking how little views the series of videos describing photosynthesis has. I'm just an undergrad engineering student watching this on a whim, but the connections this vid was able to make for me was astounding.

[ErinGlasmond]

“It’s all sunlight, air, and water.” Whoa, that’s deep.

[republikadugave]

Most underrated channel on youtube by a

[Corporis]

Intro has big "thoughts from places" vibes. The whole video was so good, truly a masterclass!

[hedgehog]

I don't think people truly appreciate just how special this planet is for having life and why it's so vital to protect that life.

[tannerriley]

I love these videos so much. They're uplifting and filled with wonder, detailed and not oversimplified, and both simple and intricate in beauty.

[CyCloNeReactorCore]

i can feel this channel getting ready to blow up! which is so sad because it seems that uploads have since ceased. Over the past few days, i've been binging all of the videos on your channel simply because they scratch an itch I didn't even know i had!

You have real talent for making these videos, i hope you come back eventually!

[ernest]

"Definitely not now... *pleeease* not now!"

Haha, I love the humor you inject into each of these. Complex topics like this especially benefit from a quick laugh in between the dense subject matter.

[sim_aware]

This was excellent! We did a study years back that looked at elevated CO2, O2 and barometric pressure sped up plant growth to allow large volumes to be consumed by the huge animals living on the smaller land mass. One of the coolest projects we had in the chamber. Great video! #SimTribe

[aliengeo]

Your animation of the molecules and proteins in these videos is very satisfying. Glucose is shaped like a friend.

[Blufall]

It always makes me happy when you upload a new video!

[Anaesify]

*chefs kiss* just watched the whole photosynthesis series, can’t wait to keep going!

[nastyablinkova]

Thank you so much for all these 4 videos! It helped me so much with understanding photosynthesis! I was looking for some explanation of this process for a long time, but I couldn't understand a lot nor from teachers, nor from any other videos I've watched. But this... This is incredible. I really love the visualization of every process, it's really easier to memorize with this animations! And, moreover, the way you explain the material and joke sometimes is so cool, and it helps with understanding even more, so the words and the pictures work together!!
And I almost cried at the end of the third video, because your speech was so inspiring and beautiful! I want to come back to this thoughts over and over again, when I feel low.
Thank you, really, really much! I hope that wherever you are now, after two years that passed from this video, you are happy and things are great in your life!

[CanOSpamX]

Makes my day to see a new This Glorious Clockwork video in my sub feed! I've always been interesting in biology and chemistry and biochemistry, but was rebuffed by the complexity in school. Thank you for making this magic accessible!

[JaneXemylixa]

The way the "machinery" works in your videos (like this one) makes me want to play Opus Magnum again... It's an alchemy-themed game where you assemble made-up molecules by hand, and even the crudest machine that eventually gets the job done is counted as a win by the game. For me part of the fun is inventing new molecules and figuring out how to assemble them, and your breakdowns of biochem give me and idea or two... ;)
P.S. Got to the third phase explanation and facepalmed - I can almost hear folks on the Opus Magnum subreddit going "you could've saved on _so many_ unnecessary steps here" xD

[rossedwards]

This is the best biochem information I've ever seen. I hope he is able to make more videos. They are wonderful.

[Christopherwilley]

I keep thinking, your stuff is like going to church. Settle down. Here’s what I mean- I dropped the whole religion thing decades ago — hey, I said settle down. You do you, if god stuff gives you meaning/comfort/solace. Neat. Moving on.

Ok why does your video make me feel like church? After searching for a minute I realized the same levels of profundity and sense of connection arise while watching your videos. The unseen is distilled and reveal, and then amplified through your words. I appreciate them, and respect the amount of time you put into this craft. Thank you!

Also- R Feynman, dude never meet your heros. Turns out that guy- while an undisputed mind of the times- was also a horrible sex pest. His own biography accounts the tails 😭

[fuzzylilpeach]

Thank you for this series! I studied engineering in college and brushed off biology because it was all memorization. Coming back at biology years later with an engineering background has really given me a different perspective on the inner workings of life and I can't get enough of it. These videos have really helped visualize how it works as I read about photosynthesis with no chemistry background. Seriously, thank you.

[SukacitaYeremia]

I really appreciate how all the info you laid out in your videos work as a Chekov's Gun. It's all paramount to explaining the discussion ahead. It's satisfying to me, and hopefully satisfying for others as well.

[romanes_eunt_domus]

The more I personally research things like molecular biochemistry the more I doubt that all of this happened through sheer coincidence. All of these biological structures and machines are so perfectly refined and logical in their operations... even if the biology itself isn't "designed", it's certainly operating on a logical framework with purpose.