YouTube is not just about entertainment. These videos show learning can be fun.
"This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and even it can inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it's nothing but wires and lights in a box." - Edward R. Murrow
When Murrow spoke those words 55 years ago, he was referring to the instrument of television. But today, one can see how the sentiment applies to the Internet, and specifically, to television's successor, YouTube.
Organizations like TED and Khan Academy are pushing education farther into the 21st century with online lecture series and interactive lessons (check out TED-Ed if you haven't already).
But YouTube hosts its own stable of educational channels with hundreds of videos apiece, just waiting to blow your mind. The people behind these videos are asking big questions about the universe - or doing their best to answer your burning queries. In the realms of science, math, history, law and any number of subjects you snoozed through in school, creative geniuses are making the most of the medium.
1. Veritasium
With more than 120 videos to its name, Veritasium - derived from "veritas," the Latin for "truth" - has received popular and critical acclaim.
The mind-bending "Slinky Physics" video above is perhaps the most popular, drawing more than 1 million views and mainstream media coverage from a number of different outlets.
2. Vsauce
Since debuting in 2010, VSauce has gained more than a million followers. Creator and host Michael Stevens fields seemingly rhetorical questions - like "What if everyone jumped at once?" or the above "What if the Sun disappeared?" - and answers them with wonder and thought-provoking detail.
The popular science channel has spawned spin-offs VSauce2 and VSauce3, which cover inventions, science news and trivia.
3. C.G.P. Grey
Covering a broad scope of topics ranging from copyright laws to the pronunciation of "Uranus,"* C.G.P. Grey (Collin Gregory Palmer Grey, to friends) illuminates and debunks subjects with just enough humour.
4. MinutePhysics
MinutePhysics, the brief but insightful time-lapse drawing videos of Henry Reich, explain abstruse scientific theories like Schödinger's Cat or the Higgs Boson. In the special video above, astrophysicist/meme/badass Neil deGrasse Tyson answers the question "Does the universe have a purpose?"
5. Smarter Every Day
With SmarterEveryDay, real-life rocket scientist Destin (who conceals his last name for the safety of his kids) has the goal of growing smarter every day, and he wants to help you do the same. Combining a wide-eyed enthusiasm with a super cool, high-framerate camera, Destin tackles the mysteries of the physical world that surround us. If you've ever said out loud, "Fluid dynamics are awesome," then these are the videos for you.
6. SciShow
SciShow can take a number of different forms (like dihydrogen monoxide). Watch the talk show video above, if for no other reason than the guest star: a prehensile-tailed porcupine.
7. Crash Course
The breakneck pace and whip-smart humour of Crash Course's videos may necessitate a second viewing, if only to pick up on the jokes and movie references you might have missed.
8. Numberphile
Brady Haran, the mind behind Sixty Symbols and The Periodic Table of Videos, brings you Numberphile, a series of eye-opening and tactile math and science videos.
9. ASAP Science
ASAP Science, the successful videos of biologists Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown, have earned them 10 million views (as of December 2012) and write-ups in Scientific American and The Atlantic. Take a look to find out why.
10. Bad Astronomy
Don't let the name fool you. Bad Astronomy, the YouTube limb of Philip Plait's space science site, presents informational videos, as well as answers viewer questions and organizes interactive Google Hangouts.
Top image courtesy of Flickr, zhouxan12345678
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