The Microwave, Hamsters and James Lovelock
Tom Scott · Explainer · YouTube title: I promise this story about microwaves is interesting.
Why it's here
HN recommends it as a well-told chase of a weird fact that lands a rare interview with Lovelock at age 101.
What it covers
Tom Scott investigates the claim that the microwave was invented to heat hamsters, and interviews James Lovelock about freezing and microwave-thawing hamsters in the 1950s. It traces early magnetron uses beyond radar.