15 YouTube Channels and Shows that Will Help You Get Smarter

I love science! I may be bad at it, but I enjoy listening to smart people explain stuff like physics, chemistry, or astronomy. I get all giddy when the channels on this list post a new video. Yeah, I’m a nerd, but why wouldn’t you want to be one? Science is everywhere, it surrounds us, you just have to learn to interpret it. Doesn’t matter how old you are, many of these channels and shows on YouTube are appropriate for people of any age, as they cover topics like gaming, pop-culture, music (or, rather, acoustics), and others, aside from your usual physics, philosophy, maths etc.

Full disclosure: this is my personal list of favorites, channels that I follow and watch almost on a daily basis, so I’ve probably missed some that you like. So, go on, drop me a line in the comments with your top 10 educational YouTube channels! I’m always up for some science!

Alrighty then, let’s get nerdy!

1. Crash Course
This amazing channel provides insights into all sorts of scientific and non-scientific disciplines like physics, mythology, economics, games, computer science, and many more! My favorite playlist is, of course, the Astronomy one. Enjoy!

2. Animalogic
Animals are awesome, but they’re way more than just fluffy, scaly, slimy sources of fake Internet points. Danielle Dufault is quite knowledgeable about animals, and gladly provides exciting facts about the critter of the week, or whenever she posts. My favorite has to be this skunk video. Have fun blanking that out of your memory. Damn, nature, you cray-cray!

3. ElectroBOOM
I’ll just quote his “about me”: find the craziness in engineering from me, Mehdi Sadaghdar, but don’t try them at home…” Nothing to add here, except for… do NOT try the things he’s doing at home. In fact, if you’re not a trained electrical engineer – just outright don’t do it anywhere. Just enjoy the goofiest “dont’s” from Mehdi!

4. Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell
“Videos explaining things with optimistic nihilism” – well said, Kurzgesagt! The time that goes into researching and animating is more than you may think, making their videos extremely well-made, and beautiful. They’re currently making just around one animation video per month, but it’s worth the wait. Here, check out this video on black holes!

5. It’s Okay to Be Smart
Meet Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Joe will make sure you understand everything he’s going to throw your way, in addition to telling you how it all works. From astronomy, and sociology, to history, and biology, Joe will cover all your bases, so relax and start binging!