SciShow
Season 2026
SciShow comments on just about any topic from subatomic physics to the Big Bang, toxic chemicals to butt hair, viruses to human societies. Every topic is covered from a scientific perspective but in plain English with a touch of tongue in cheek humor.
Where to Watch SciShow • Season 2026
66 Episodes
- Why Humans Only Need To Vaccinate A Few BatsE29
Why Humans Only Need To Vaccinate A Few BatsRabies is a big problem all around the world, both for humans and other animals. And while plenty of animals might be able to eat their vaccines, one that can't is vampire bats. Lucky for us, there's a new method that might help us vaccinate whole colonies of vampire bats without needing a bajillion needles. All you need is Vaseline. - 6 Times Scientists Were Wrong About the Periodic TableE33
6 Times Scientists Were Wrong About the Periodic TableMendeleev's original, 1869 version of the Periodic Table featured 63 elements. Now, there are 118. But as scientists worked to extend the Table (and fill in a bunch of holes), not every discovery turned out to be real. - 7 Deadly Epidemics You Didn’t Know ExistedE34
7 Deadly Epidemics You Didn’t Know Existed From the non-bubonic plague that killed a Welsh king, to the deadliest pestilence in 16th century Mexico, to a pandemic we're currently in the middle of (No, it's not coronavirus), here are 7 disease outbreaks spanning roughly 25,000 years of human history that you probably haven't heard of. - Why We Still Don't Have Hypersonic FlightsE35
Why We Still Don't Have Hypersonic Flights If you're old enough to remember the Concorde (whether or not you ever flew in one), you might also be wondering why engineers haven't gotten around to developing an even faster commercial aircraft. Something hypersonic, which could get you from LA to Tokyo in something like 2 hours. Well, there's a reason, or several, so let's break it down. - There Are Two Types of BoredomE36
There Are Two Types of Boredom If you ever complained about having nothing to do as a kid, our mom may have told you that being bored is good for you. And it turns out, she was right.... mostly. There's more than one kind of boredom, and they're both pretty different. Hopefully this video doesn't bore you. - Antarctica Has An Accent and It's Weirder Than You ThinkE51
Antarctica Has An Accent and It's Weirder Than You ThinkAccents: Everybody has one. They usually tell us something about where a person is from, or what languages they speak. But there's one accent that is so new that nobody really knows why it happened. This is how a bunch of researchers in Antarctica accidentally innovated their own shared accent, and what it tells us about our brains. - Here's Why Personality Tests ALWAYS Work*E52
Here's Why Personality Tests ALWAYS Work*If you've ever done a personality test or read a horoscope and thought, it seemed scary accurate, you may have fallen for something called a Barnum Profile. There's a psychological trick that makes us all vulnerable to personality tests, so let's get into the real science behind personality testing. - These Petroglyphs Helped Humans Survive the DesertE53
These Petroglyphs Helped Humans Survive the DesertThousands of years ago, some people carved a huge camel into a rock in the Arabian peninsula. Not only has that carving doubled the amount of time we think humans were living in the region… it might also help crack a prehistoric climate mystery. - 50 Years Later & Scientists Still Don't Know Why These ExistE55
50 Years Later & Scientists Still Don't Know Why These Exist In a special sliver of the Namib Desert, where there's just the right amount of rain, you'll find a spectacular, almost artistic natural phenomenon: fairy circles. Scientists have been arguing with each other for decades about what causes them. But it turns out the Namib isn't the only place where you can find them, which complicated things even more. - Your Extinct Cousin LOVED Eating GrassE56
Your Extinct Cousin LOVED Eating GrassWe've all got that one cousin who doesn't look like the rest of the family, and our ancestors were no exception. Meet Paranthropus, the group of hominins so strange that researchers nicknamed one of them Nutcracker Man. Here's the whole story of our weirdest looking ancestors. - The BONKERS Physics of Animal Swarms (Not Clickbait)E57
The BONKERS Physics of Animal Swarms (Not Clickbait)From starling flocks, to fish schools, to human mosh pits, plenty of animals start moving weird when there's enough to form a swarm. And both physicists and biologists are still trying to work out exactly how it all works. - 6 Things Ancient Coins Taught UsE58
6 Things Ancient Coins Taught UsMoney makes the world go round. But did you ever think about what those coins in your cup holder might tell future researchers about you? Turns out, the change in our pockets bears a lot of clues about us as people, and it has for a while. Here are a few things that modern researchers have learned about ancient people just by looking at their money. - Geology Created Madagascar's Weird AnimalsE66
Geology Created Madagascar's Weird AnimalsThe island of Madagascar is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. But is isn't just because it's isolated. All that diversity also stems from its unique geological past, including getting ripped off of not one, but two separate continents! - Why 90-Year-Olds Get Less CancerE69
Why 90-Year-Olds Get Less CancerYou might think your risk of cancer goes up as you get older, but that's not completely true. Among the very oldest people, the risk of cancer actually goes down. Scientists may finally have discovered why. Hosted by: Hank Green (he/him) - The Bubonic Plague Is Older Than You ThinkE72
The Bubonic Plague Is Older Than You ThinkHumanity's relationship with the bubonic plague is over 5000 years old. That's right, it didn't just suddenly appear (and then disappear) during the infamous Black Death. In fact, you could still catch The Plague, today! Although the bacteria that cause it could give you a different kind of plague, instead... Hosted by: Madelyn Leembruggen (she/her) - The Most Famous Science Paper Isn’t FamousE76
The Most Famous Science Paper Isn’t FamousThese are the most cited papers in materials science, computer science, physics, biology, and chemistry. Learn why graphene, deep residual learning, generalized gradient approximation, SDS-PAGE, and the Lowry assay are so popular. Hosted by: Madelyn Leembruggen (she/her) - Can We Describe The Whole Universe With A Single Number?E77
Can We Describe The Whole Universe With A Single Number?How many numbers do we need to describe reality? If you're a particle physicist, it currently hovers around 30, describing things like the mass of the electron or the strength of gravity. But some physicists think you can go even lower: to just three...or even more radically, ZERO. What are these numbers, and why are the rest so unimportant? Hosted by: Madelyn Leembruggen (she/her) - How Onions ACTUALLY Make You Cry (And How to Stop Them)E78
How Onions ACTUALLY Make You Cry (And How to Stop Them)Scientists had figured out the biology and chemistry of how onions make you cry. But there was one thing they left out: Physics. Using an onion guillotine, they have finally solved the puzzle. Hosted by: Hank Green (he/him) - Something Strange Is Happening Under the Doomsday GlacierE79
Something Strange Is Happening Under the Doomsday GlacierIt's probably not a surprise that an important glacier is shrinking. But Thwaites Glacier is shrinking in complicated ways (did someone say underwater hurricanes??). Those are processes we need to understand if we want to keep Thwaites Glacier around and prevent doomsday-style sea level rise. Hosted by: Madelyn Leembruggen (she/her) - Where Are Humans ACTUALLY From?E82
Where Are Humans ACTUALLY From?We know humans evolved in Africa. But that's a big place, so do we know where on this massive continent our ancestors first became, well, us? Let's unpack the evidence by talking about the oldest known lineage of humans and track their and our migration all across Africa and the world. Hosted by: Reid Reimers (he/him) - Salvaging the Cold War's Sunken Nuclear SubsE83
Salvaging the Cold War's Sunken Nuclear Subs Today, there are multiple nuclear submarines on the bottom of the ocean floor with the potential to leak radioactive material. But how much damage will that cause? Learn about the K-27, K-159, K-278, K-129, Kursk, and Guitarro. Hosted by: Hank Green (he/him)