Why Doesn't Lightning Kill All The Fish?

PUT WRINKLES ON YOUR BRAIN

Please don’t use a toaster in the bathtub. The combination of electricity and water will be too much for your heart. But why don’t fish have the same problem when lightning strikes the ocean? It’s basically the same thing.

It turns out that a combination of the properties of both electricity and bodies of water protect *most* fish from being cooked alive when lightning hits the ocean. Between electricity’s skin effect and the vast majority of fish not being near the surface, fish have to be in exactly the wrong place at the wrong time to suffer the effects of an electrical force or a major injection of heat.

It only takes about 100 milliamps of electricity to stop your heart, but even if you’re struck by lightning, chances are you’ll be fine -- just like 99.9999% of fish. And if fish are caught with their metaphorical pants down? Well, there’s just no one around to give them CPR or apply defibrillation to get their systems back to normal, unlike nearly all the victims of lightning strikes in the US.

But yeah, a toaster in the bathtub? Different story.

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Hosted and Produced by Kevin Lieber

Research and Writing by Matthew Tabor

Editing by John Swan

Huge Thanks To Paula Lieber

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[Souvik_Dutta]

Lightning struck a fish

Electric eel: Let me give you a CPR.

[Edujs]

As a Tuna swiming 50 meters below the surface i feel safer now, thank you

[brighton]

This went from "Why doesn't lightning kill fish" to "You're a tuna!!!!" to "Let's make swords!" to "Don't run around naked in a thunderstorm!" to "My brain is smooth!"

[PridelessChickz]

"I'm about as confident as fish in a thunderstorm" should be a saying.

[ThugLifeForEverr]

Most interesting click right-away question.

[Spycyzygy]

Please god somebody clip “my brain is smooth”

This needs to be a reaction video

[Niflheimrr_EL]

I know a guy who put a flag pole in the center of his fish pond. He took it down when dead fish kept popping up after thunderstorms.

[lugiagaurdien]

The toaster is the greatest villain comeback in cinematic history.

[otakuribo]

Kevin: *bites into carbon-black burnt toast
Kevin: *heavy sobbing*
Kevin 2: What's wrong, Kevin?
Kevin: *my brain is smooth*

[AGrayPhantom]

"YOU'RE A TUNA."

This is meme-worthy, I can feel it.

[shadeslayers]

The way he changes subjects is just amazing

[MANGOESAREAWESOME]

“What’s wrong Kevin?”
“My brain is SMOOTH!!”

Was not expecting that. 😂

[MidnaMischievousImp]

"You are a Tuna"

*takes off heaphones* Mom, you wanna explain something to me?

[amit]

"It's really about the current"
*ElectroBOOM* has joined the chat

[AverytheCubanAmerican]

The real reason why
Zuko and Iroh are masters at redirecting it

[nl_morrison]

Small correction/addition : A defibrillator stops the heart entirely, the idea is that once ventricular fibrillation has stopped rescuers on the scene can start CPR to reboot from a fresh start. We never use a defibrillator on someone with a palpable pulse!

EDIT: The defibrillator, does bring back the heart! I'm corrected. As Skrin19 pointed out, compressions keep the body alive until a defibrillator can re-establish a regular heart beat.

[skylarsorell]

Michael: *curiously* But what is ____?"

Kevin: *manically* "WHAT IS ____?"

[arrozzblanco]

"But occasionally the fish are gonna get blasted"
-My motto during college-

[JamesWestMusicMan]

How...how did you not smell the burning toast? It was right next to you...

[GeovaniNogueira]

0:40 (toaster 5-10 Amps) - sorry pal, but that's the current the toaster is using to run current thru its resistance... NOT TO KILL you anyhow! (I`m an electrical engineer). The current that could (eventually) go thru a persons' body would be equivalent to the voltage of the toaster divided by the resistance of the water (that depends if it's tap water, soap water, or even pure water!) CONSIDERING the distance of the person from the toaster, plus the resistance os the skin (depended on the amount of water that the human skin has absorbed) and plus the level of insulation of the bathtub... MOST of the current still would keep going thru the resistance and the water in between the resistor of the toaster though. In the other word`s: It is NOT a straight forward simplistic answer if a person on the water would even feel slightly shocked!!