When the Last Light Goes Out
A five-minute illustrated science thought experiment that eliminates familiar power sources before revealing a strange final survivor.
By @xkcd_whatif for xkcd's What If?Runs 05:04
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Why it works
The opening poses a precise mystery by 0:09 while the drawn people vanish and a lamp remains lit. Each candidate extends the survival horizon, from grid failure at 0:10 to solar at 2:52, before the unexpected radioactive turn at 3:36; the isolated cyan payoff at 4:45–4:53 coincides with the strongest replay peak. Sparse diagrams and 26 internal visual changes make the causal argument clear despite only 5.1 firm cuts per minute.
Films like this
Tagged animated explainersciencethought experimenthand drawnstick figureinfographicnarratedlong form
