![](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/18/MV5A4KPRY4674UFR3PULIKKCPE.jpg?w=636)
![](https://www.popsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/18/MV5A4KPRY4674UFR3PULIKKCPE.jpg?w=636)
Here at PopSci we use a lot of liquid nitrogen; we use it to crack locks, to mix drinks, and even just to cool off. But we’re careful.
Roy Lowry, a professor at Plymouth University (a fantastic professor, as far as we can tell), has created a video that demonstrates one of the dangers of good old LN. Put it in a confined space, and it tends to find its way out, rather energetically. Here, ping pong balls are the only victims of the explosion:
The last time I saw this many ping-pong balls they were in zero gravity.