Science is all about exploring (and enjoying) the wonders of the world around us . Videos make this exploratory experience even engaging and fun. Through videos science is brought to life thus becoming a vibrant component of our learning experience.
YouTube is the platform of choice for many science teachers and scientists who love to share their amazing insights and experiments with the public and who generously work hard to make scientific knowledge accessible to everyone.
From learning about the functioning of our immune system to exploring the depths of quantum physics and special relativity, YouTube science channels offer a treasure trove of quality science knowledge for free.
As an educator, I can not help but focus on those channels that I believe can offer an added value to science teaching and learning within and beyond the classroom. To this end, I compiled this list of what I think are some of the best science YouTube channels for teachers and students (and for all science aficionados out there). Check them out and share your suggestions.
Science YouTube Channels
Here are some of our favourite Science YouTube channels:
1. Crash Course
CrashCourse is an educational channel created by the Green brothers: John Green and Hank Green. Known for their easy-to-grasp and light-hearted explanations, the Crash Course team has produced over 30 courses covering topics in organic chemistry, world history, biology, ecology, philosophy, literature and more.
Some of their popular video content include: Intro to Psychology, The Agricultural Revolution, Capitalism and Socialism, World War II, DNA Structure and Replication, Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology, and many more.
2. SciShow
In SciShow, Hank Green and team take you on a journey to explore and learn about the world of science. Some of their popular videos include The 7 Things We Don’t Know about The Ocean, 5 Of The World’s Most Dangerous Chemicals, The Sex Lives of Early Humans, The Science of Overpopulation, Why We Haven’t Cured Cancer, Game Theory: The Science of Decision Making, Taboos of Science, and many more.
3. Periodic Videos
Periodic Videos channel shares chemistry videos by Brady Haran featuring a wide variety of professors. Besides being updated with new videos released on a weekly basis, the channel has a video about every element in the periodic table.
Some of its most watched videos include: Can You Drink Heavy Water, Hydrogen-Periodic Table of Videos, How Much Caffeine in Coffee, Morphine and Heroin- Periodic Table of Videos, Alcohol- Periodic Table of Videos, Traffic Lights- Periodic Table of Videos, and many more.
4. AsapScience
AsapScience is a YouTube science channel created by Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown. The chanel provides video explanations of everyday science in a fun and entertaining way. A sample of its most popular video content include:
How to Fall Asleep in 2 Minutes, Which Came First: the Chicken or the Egg, The 9 Best Scientific Study Tips, Human in 1000 Years, The Science of Laziness, Are Boys Smarter Than Girls, and many more.
5. Minute Physics
Minute Physics is all about physics and science. Created by Henry Reich, Minute Physics shares insightful videos covering a wide variety of scientific phenomena. There are videos about quantum mechanics, special relativity, the Higgs Boson, standard model, the universe and many more.
6. Veritasium
Veritasium features videos about science and education. A sample of its most popular videos include: Anti-gravity Wheel, Can You Swim in Shade Balls, World’s Heaviest Weight, The Surprising Secret of Synchronization, The Big Misconception about Electricity, How Imaginary Numbers were Invented, Most People Don’t Know How Bikes Work, The Biggest Myth in Education, Why Women are Stripey, and many more.
7. Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell
Looking for fun and entertaining videos on science? Kurzgesagt is the answer. Some of its popular video content include: The Immune System Explained, Why Black Holes Could Delete The Universe, The Largest Star in the Universe, The Egg: A Short Story, String Theory Explained, What Happened Before History, The Origin of Consciousness, What Are You, The Beginning of Everything, and many more.
8. Smarter Everyday
Smarter Everyday is an educational YouTube channel created by an engineer named Destin. in his channel, Destin explores the world of science and provides enlightening explanations of everyday scientific phenomena.
If you want to learn about the physics involved in flipping cats, what it feels inside a Kangaroo pouch, how rockets are made, or the secret of snapping Spaghetti, Destin offerS science based answers to these and many other scientific concepts.
9. BBC Earth Lab
BBC Earth Lab is a channel that belongs to BBC Studios. In it you will find a wide variety of educational videos answering ‘questions about science in the world around you’. A sample of its most popular video content includes:
What Does LSD Do to Your Brain, How Leeches are Used in Modern Surgery, How Does Glue Work, Can Music Make You Smarter, How Do Hair Transplants Work, What’s The Difference between Petrol and Diesel, Is Invisibility possible, What Does Cannabis Do to The Brain, and many more.
10. Home Science
Home Science is another science YouTube channel where you can access video lessons, science experiments, optical illusions, chemical reactions and many more. Some of its most popular video content include: 10 Amazing Science Experiments, Experiment: Coca Cola and Milk, How to Make Beautiful Blue Crystal, Amazing Audio Illusion, Black Fire Snake, and more.
11. World Science Festival
World Science Festival, as its founders describe it, provides “long and short-form videos on nearly every science-related topic including physics, biology, the brain, robotics, medicine, space, engineering, and the Earth.
We gather great minds in science and the arts to produce live and digital content that allows a broad general audience to engage with scientific discoveries. Through discussions, debates, original films, lectures, and intimate salons, the World Science Festival takes science out of the laboratory and out into world.”
12. Minute Earth
MinuteEarth, produced by Neptune Studios LLC, features videos covering different aspects of everyday science. Some of its popular video content include: Why Can’t Mules Have Babies, Where Did Earth’s Water Come From, Why Is It Hot Underground, Birds That Hibernate in Lakes, Why Is All Sand The Same, How Different Are Different Types of Dogs, Plate Tectonics Explained, and many more.
13. TED-Ed
TED-Ed, part of the global TED whose mission is to spread great ideas, is an educational YouTube channel that embeds a huge library of animations and educational videos created through a collaboration between educators and animators.
Some of its popular video content include: Questions No One Knows the Answer to, The Infinite Hotel Paradox, What is Depression, Why Do Women Have Periods, Why Do Cats act so weird, How Playing an Instrument Benefits Your Brain, How Do Pregnancy Tests Work, and many more.
14. Be Smart
Join Joe Hanson, PhD, as he explores the world of science answering questions and explaining complex science concepts. Some of his most popular video content includes: How an Igloo Keeps You Warm, What Is Fire, Are We All Related, Why Does February Only Have 28 Days, Why Do We Itch, Is Height Genetic, The Science of Marathon Running, Does My Dog Really Know What I am Thinking, Why Nature Loves Hexagons, and more.
15. Vsauce
Vsauce, created by Michael Stevens and launched in the summer of 2010, is an educational YouTube channel where Stevens shares videos covering different scientific concepts and experiments. A sample of his most viewed video content includes: Is Earth Actually Flat, How High Can We Build, How Earth Moves, What Is The Speed of Dark, Guns in Space, What’s the Brightest Thing in the Universe, and more.
16. Life Noggin
Life Noggin helps you understand the science around you in simple yet powerful explanations and illustrations. Some of the topics covered in its most watched video content include What If The Earth Was Twice As Big, What Happens Inside Your body, What Would Happen If You Never Left Your Bed, What Causes Nosebleeds, How Does A Planet Die, The Five Body Parts You Can Live Without, What Are The Odds That You Exist, and many more.
17. Lab 360
Lab360 offers a wide range of science experiments for people of all ages. Some of these experiments include: egg experiments, candle experiments, wacky water experiments, lemon volcano experiment, static energy experiments, and more.
18. Sick Science
Sick Science is a science YouTube channel created by Steve Spangler, author and STEM teacher. Steve shares various science experiments and explanatory videos. “Steve created the SICK Science series in response to his students saying, “That’s sick!” whenever something cool happened in class. Google recognized the SICK Science channel as one of the originators of the “hands and pans” video styles now popular on cooking and craft channels.”
19. Science Max
Science Max is all about science experiments . These include chemical reactions experiments, water experiments, bubbles experiments, tension and gravity, chain experiment, build it yourself experiments, and many more.
20. Brusspup
Brusspup features a wide variety of science experiments covering different science questions.These include: How the Schlieren Effect Work, Sound and Water Experiments, How to Make Duct Tape Glow, How to Make a Moving Square Illusion, How to Make a Cloud Disappear, How to Make a Blooming Paper Flower, and many more.
21. Mark Rober
Mark Rober is a former NASA and Apple engineer. Since 2019, Mark has been sharing his science experiments and courses with the YouTube community teaching them how to create cool things using science.
His playlists include: Refine Your Mental Model of the Physical World, Learn Some Science, Cool Builds and DIY Stuff, Inventions and New Ideas, Cool Tricks and Life Hack Stuff, and many more.
22. Amoeba Sisters
Amoeba Sisters is a science YouTube channel hosted by two sisters and provide engaging video content using humour and a mixture of comics and GIFs. Amoeba’s content is focused on high school biology. Some of the most watched videos on this channel include:
Biomolecules, Introduction to Cells, DNA Replication, Human Body Systems Functions Overview, Enzymes, Properties of Water, Asexual and Sexual Reproduction, Pedigrees, Natural Selection, Immune System, Characteristics of Life, Ecological Relationships, Fermentation, and more.
23. Steve Mould
Join Steve as he makes science experiments and explains the workings of science in our daily life. Some of the topics covered by his videos include: How a Quartz Watch Works, The Chain Fountain, a Better Description of Entropy, How to Move One Eye on Its Own, Why Your Pee Looks Like a Chain, How to Make Electricity Go Round and Round, and many more.
24. Socratica
Socratica features videos covering science, math, computer programming among others. Socratica’s science playlist includes chemistry lessons, biology, astronomy, chemistry glossary, the chemical elements and many more.
Final thoughts
These science YouTube channels are conduits for sparking passion for the scientific world, bringing complex concepts within the grasp of learners everywhere. They demystify the intricate dances of atoms, unravel the stories written in our very DNA, and launch us into the depths of space, all from the screen of our choosing.
In the classroom or as part of lifelong learning, these channels are invaluable treasures in the digital age, enriching both teaching and personal knowledge. Dive in, explore, and let the wonders of science transform the mundane into the extraordinary. As you journey through each channel, may you find that spark which turns the key of curiosity, unlocking new worlds of understanding and awe for you and your students.
More sources:
