Watch a Cheeky (and Very Brief) Explanation of the Entire Universe

In some ways, the universe is a vast and complex concept that we can never really hope to grasp, even with a lifetime of dedicated study. In other ways, as YouTube user exub1a reveals, its existence can all be summed up in about four minutes.

Gizmodo recently shared “The Universe in 4 minutes,” which starts with the Planck length (the smallest measurement of length in all the cosmos), and makes its way through subatomic particles, the fundamental forces, quantum physics, relativistic physics, DNA, cells, planets, stars, galaxies, black holes, universe, parallel universes, hidden dimensions of space, and even time itself.

It’s a whirlwind tour of the world as we know it, and ends with a cheery summation of, “Nothing means anything and we are all going to die.” While one could feel insignificant after watching this all-encapsulating breakdown, we’ll choose to see it as a celebration of all things great and small in this place we call home.

(A quick advisory: as the aforementioned quote might have signaled, the video can be a bit saucy at times, so viewer discretion is advised if you’re sensitive to foul language or having the atom described as a kinky three-way between protons, neutrons, and electrons.)

Banner image courtesy of iStock.