Nepal estimates that last weekend's magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed as many as 15,000 people, but that's just the latest seismic tragedy — more than a million people have died in earthquakes in the past 20 years alone, The Economist explains in the video below. And mostly what kills people is being crushed under collapsing buildings. But "it's possible to design buildings so they're more resilient to earthquakes, keeping them light and flexible so that they can absorb and distribute the energy of their movement," the mellifluous narrator explains. And not all the techniques are new — Japanese builders discovered one trick at least 14 centuries ago. Watch below to learn some basics of earthquake-proof architecture, and the nifty way you test it. —Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How might Trump's second term affect the free press?Today's Big Question The president-elect has previously pledged to go after his supposed 'enemies' in the media
-
Amanemu: an ultra-luxury onsen retreat in Japan's Ise-Shima National ParkThe Week Recommends Soak in blissful private solitude among pine-cloaked hills and steamy hot springs
-
Today's political cartoons - December 23, 2024Cartoons Monday's cartoons - immigrant jobs, crypto scams, and more
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talksSpeed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tourSpeed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamationSpeed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box officeSpeed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appealSpeed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproarSpeed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
