Physics & Math
Where my interest in science started and where I still spend the most timeVeritasium
Veritasium is the channel that made me realize that the most interesting part of a physics problem is often the wrong answer, not the right one. Derek Muller built his PhD research around the idea that misconceptions are the real entry point to learning, and that philosophy drives everything he makes. The channel covers topics from quantum mechanics to game theory to evolutionary biology, always with the same approach: find the question hiding inside something you thought you understood, then pull it apart carefully.
My PhD is in microbiome modeling, and the video on the longest-running evolution experiment in biology connected more dots for me than most academic papers I have read on bacterial behavior. It covers Richard Lenski's E. coli experiment, which has been running since 1988, and it shows you what evolution looks like when you can actually watch it happen in real time. This is the kind of content that makes your field feel bigger than it did before you watched it.
The Longest-Running Evolution Experiment · Veritasium
Lectures by Walter Lewin
Walter Lewin was a professor at MIT for over three decades, and his lectures are some of the most watched physics content on the internet for a reason. He does not just explain concepts, he performs them. During 11th and 12th grade, when physics felt like a collection of formulas to memorize, his lectures were the thing that made it real. The enthusiasm is not an act. He genuinely loves this, and it shows in every single class.
The clip linked here captures what makes him different in under two minutes. Watch how he handles measurement uncertainty with a meter stick. It is not the concept that stays with you. It is the commitment. This is what a physics lecture should feel like.
When a physics teacher knows his stuff!! · Lectures by Walter Lewin
MinutePhysics
MinutePhysics takes concepts that could easily fill a textbook chapter and compresses them into a few precise minutes without losing the actual physics. The format forces clarity. There is no space for filler, which means every second is doing work.
The Schrödinger's Cat video is a good example. It reframes a thought experiment most people think they already know, and it does it from the perspective of the cat itself. Suddenly the whole point of the paradox lands differently. If you have been nodding along when people mention Schrödinger's Cat without being sure you actually understand it, start here.
Schrödinger's Cat · MinutePhysics
3Blue1Brown
This is the channel that made me take a nonlinear dynamics course in college. Grant Sanderson has an ability to visualize mathematical ideas that bypasses the usual approach of memorizing formulas and goes straight to the structure underneath. The animations are not decoration. They are the explanation.
The video on holomorphic dynamics and the Mandelbrot set is a good starting point even if the title sounds intimidating. It is the kind of video that makes you feel like you have been looking at something from the wrong angle your whole life. If you have ever felt like you understand mathematics procedurally but not actually, this channel fixes that.
Beyond the Mandelbrot Set, an Intro to Holomorphic Dynamics · 3Blue1Brown
Science for Everyone
Difficult ideas made genuinely accessible, without dumbing them downKurzgesagt
Kurzgesagt might be the most beautifully produced science channel on the internet. Every video is a small animated film, and somehow they make topics like the heat death of the universe or antibiotic resistance feel both urgent and worth caring about. They also have channels in other languages, including a Hindi channel, which makes this content accessible to a much wider audience.
The microbiome video is one I have shared more than any other science video. It explains how the bacteria inside us are not passengers but partners, coevolving with us over millions of years. As someone whose PhD is in microbiome modeling, it is one of the clearest popular explanations of what makes this field genuinely important. The production is stunning, and the science is accurate.
How Bacteria Rule Over Your Body: The Microbiome · Kurzgesagt
Cleo Abram
Cleo Abram covers science and technology with a specific energy: genuine excitement about what is being discovered and what it means for people. She is good at interviewing researchers and translating dense scientific findings into something a non-specialist can actually hold on to. The format feels personal, like a friend who happens to be very well-informed explaining something she just learned.
The dinosaur video is a perfect example. Most of us grew up with a certain picture of what dinosaurs looked like, and it turns out that picture is significantly wrong. Watching it genuinely changes how you visualize an entire era of life on Earth.
Dinosaurs Were Weirder Than We Thought · Cleo Abram
Aevy TV
Aevy TV sits at the intersection of psychology, biology, and social science, and that is exactly where some of the most interesting modern questions live. The channel applies scientific frameworks to things people usually discuss in purely cultural terms, and the results are often surprising.
The video on the science of beauty is a good starting point. It breaks down how psychological tendencies, evolutionary history, and social media algorithms all combine to shape what we call attractive. It takes something that feels purely subjective and shows you the structure underneath. The link between personal confidence and how we interact with others is covered in a way that is grounded in actual research rather than self-help platitudes.
The Science of Beauty, Explained · Aevy TV
Mind, Philosophy & Debate
The curiosity that makes you stop and reconsider something you thought was obvious, and the forums that take hard questions seriouslyVsauce
Vsauce is the channel that made millions of people realize that the most interesting questions are the ones nobody thought to ask. Michael Stevens starts with something that seems like a simple curiosity and ends somewhere completely unexpected, usually after passing through philosophy, neuroscience, mathematics, and physics along the way.
The Mind Field series, his deeper documentary work, is worth watching in full. It is a step up from the main channel in terms of depth and ambition. The episode on the power of suggestion is the one I would recommend starting with. It is part experiment, part philosophy, and it stays with you longer than most things you will watch this year.
The Power of Suggestion (Mind Field) · Vsauce
D!NG
D!NG is Michael Stevens' second channel, and it carries the same energy as Vsauce but in a more playful, interactive format. The questions are smaller but the thinking is just as careful.
The Monty Hall Problem video is a classic example of something that looks simple on the surface and turns out to reveal something genuinely strange about probability and human intuition. It is the kind of video you watch and then immediately want to explain to someone else, knowing it will frustrate them, because it frustrated you too. That is exactly the Vsauce flavour, delivered in a tighter package.
The Monty Hall Problem · D!NG
Doha Debates
Doha Debates is a global forum that brings together experts, thinkers, and policymakers to argue real questions from different perspectives. The production quality is high and the format is professional, but more importantly, the debates are substantive. You leave having heard actual disagreement, not just talking points.
The debate on whether AI will bring us together or drive us apart is worth watching precisely because it does not give you a clean answer. It shows you the real disagreement, which is more useful than most explainer content on the same topic. At a time when most AI coverage is either utopian or catastrophist, this is a rare piece of content that treats the question with the seriousness it deserves.
Will AI Bring Us Together or Drive Us Apart? · Doha Debates
Health, Identity & Academia
Content that fills gaps formal education leaves open, from understanding your body to navigating a research careerAmaze
Amaze makes content about the human body, mental health, and identity in a way that is honest and non-judgmental. The topics it covers are ones people have real questions about but often do not know where to find clear, science-based answers. The tone is never preachy and never vague, which is harder to achieve than it sounds.
"Expressing Myself. My Way." is a video that approaches identity with care and clarity. It is representative of what the channel does well: giving people real information while making them feel seen. This is the kind of content that should be part of how young people learn about themselves, and it is not always easy to find done this thoughtfully.
Expressing Myself. My Way. · Amaze
Professor Casey Fiesler
Professor Casey Fiesler is a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, and her channel is one of the most genuinely useful resources for anyone thinking about graduate school. She covers how PhD programs actually work, what to expect from research life, and how to think honestly about whether an academic career is right for you. She is frank about the difficult parts without being discouraging.
Her video on whether you should get a PhD is the one I watched when I was applying, and it helped me think more clearly about my own reasons. If you are considering a PhD, watch this before you make any decisions. It will not tell you what to do, but it will help you ask the right questions.
Should You Get a PhD??? · Professor Casey Fiesler