MinuteEarth
Why We Haven’t Learned More In 101 Years Of Trying
Almost everything we know about the reproductive practices of European eels comes from a genius study conducted more than 100 years ago.
Crash Course
Ancient & Medieval Medicine: Crash Course History of Science
The history of medicine is about two of our big questions: one, what is life? What makes it so special, so fragile, so… goopy!? Two, how do we know what we know? Why should I take my doctor’s advice? Why are deep-fried Oreos bad for me?...
Crash Course
Rules, Rule-Breaking, and French Neoclassicism: Crash Course Theater #20
Everyone knows, you need a bunch of rules to make good theater. That's what the French thought in the 17th century, anyway. The French Neoclassical revival had a BUNCH of French playwrights following a bunch of rules. Unsurprisingly,...
Crash Course
Of Pentameter & Bear Baiting - Romeo & Juliet Part I: Crash Course English Literature
In which John Green examines Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare. John delves into the world of Bill Shakespeare's famous star-crossed lovers and examines what the play is about, its structure, and the context in which it was written....
Crash Course
Fate, Family, and Oedipus Rex: Crash Course Literature 202
In which John Green teaches you about one of the least family-friendly family dramas in the history of family dramas, Oedipus Rex. Sophocles' most famous play sees it's main character, who seems like he's got it all together, find out...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: No one can figure out how eels have sex | Lucy Cooke
From Ancient Greece to the 20th century, Aristotle, Freud, and numerous other scholars were all looking for the same thing: eel testicles. Freshwater eels could be found in rivers across Europe, but no one had ever seen them mate and no...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Is there a center of the universe? - Marjee Chmiel and Trevor Owens
It's been a long road to the discovery that Earth is not the center of the Solar System, the Milky Way, or the universe; great thinkers from Aristotle to Bruno have grappled with it for millennia. But if we aren't at the center of the...
Crash Course
Cathedrals and Universities: Crash Course History of Science
Until roughly 1100, there were relatively few places of knowledge-making. Monasteries and abbeys had special rooms called scriptoria where monks copied manuscripts by hand. But the biggest places where knowledge was made were the Gothic...
SciShow
SciShow Talk Show: The History of Gender & Kiki the Domestic Cat
This week on the show Dr. Lindsey Doe, host of Sexplanations, walks us through a history of cases that have altered our understanding of gender identity. Then Jessi from Animal Wonders joins the show with Kiki, a domestic cat.
Crash Course
Roman Engineering: Crash Course History of Science
The Romans developed a lot of infrastructure like roads and aqueducts to both help their cities flourish and to... you know... be better at war. But the interesting thing about Roman Engineering is how it was almost all focused on Techne...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Can you outsmart the college admissions fallacy? | Elizabeth Cox
It's 1990. A prospective student has filed a complaint about Virginia Military institute's admissions policy that excludes women. The state argues that VMI's single sex education is an "important governmental objective" and that the...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What's the definition of comedy? Banana. - Addison Anderson
What makes us giggle and guffaw? The inability to define comedy is its very appeal; it is defined by its defiance of definition. Addison Anderson riffs on the philosophy of Henri Bergson and Aristotle to elucidate how a definition draws...
Crash Course
The Medieval Islamicate World: Crash Course History of Science
The religion of Islam significantly influenced knowledge-making in the greater Mediterranean and western Asian world. Islamicate scholars—meaning people influenced by Islamic civilization, regardless of their religious views—gave us...
Crash Course
The Scientific Revolution: Crash Course History of Science
So, what exactly is a scientific revolution? And are they more than just moments in time Historians use to mark the beginning and ending of things through time? In this episode we'll look into some ideas and people named Nick and how...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why is this 2,500 year old shipwreck so well-preserved? | Helen Farr and Jon Adams
In 2017, researchers off the Bulgarian coast discovered the oldest intact shipwreck ever found. This ancient Greek vessel was not only nearly 2,500 years old, but was just one of 65 shipwrecks found at the bottom of the Black Sea in...
SciShow
The Times and Troubles of the Scientific Method
UPDATE: We got a couple of things wrong when it comes to gravity (particularly that it has nothing to do with photons). Science is working tirelessly night and day to disprove its own theories about how the universe works (or at least,...
Crash Course
Aesthetics: Crash Course Philosophy
How do art and morality intersect? Today we look at an ethically questionable work of art and discuss R. G. Collingwood’s view that art is best when it helps us live better lives. We’ll go over Aristotle’s concept of catharsis and how it...
Crash Course
The New Astronomy: Crash Course History of Science
This week on Crash Course: History of the Scientific Revolution—astronomical anomalies accrued. Meanwhile, in Denmark—an eccentric rich dude constructed not one but two science castles! And his humble German assistant synthesized a lot...
Crash Course
Aristotle & Virtue Theory: Crash Course Philosophy
This week we explore final ethical theory in this unit: Aristotle’s virtue theory. Hank explains the Golden Mean, and how it exists as the midpoint between vices of excess and deficiency. We’ll also discuss moral exemplars, and introduce...
TED-Ed
3 bizarre (and delightful) ancient theories about bird migration | Lucy Cooke
In 1822, Count von Bothmer shot down a stork in Germany. However, the bird had already been impaled by a yard-long wooden spear. The stork had been speared in Africa and then flew over 2,500 km. This astonishing flight proved to be an...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why tragedies are alluring - David E. Rivas
The story goes something like this: A royal, rich, or righteous individual - who is otherwise a lot like us - makes a mistake that sends his or her life spiraling into ruin. It's the classic story arc for a Greek tragedy, and we love it...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Inside the minds of animals - Bryan B Rasmussen
Do animals think? It's a question that has intrigued scientists for thousands of years, inspiring them to come up with different methods and criteria to measure the intelligence of animals. Bryan B Rasmussen navigates through this...
Crash Course
Tragedy Lessons from Aristotle: Crash Course Theater #3
Aristotle. He knows a lot, right? And if you choose to believe Aristotle, then you must believe all the mechanics of tragedy that Mike is about to lay on you. This week, we're looking at Aristotle's rules for the basic elements of...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What Aristotle and Joshua Bell can teach us about persuasion - Conor Neill
Imagine you are one of the world's greatest violin players, and you decide to conduct an experiment: play inside a subway station and see if anyone stops to appreciate when you are stripped of a concert hall and name recognition. Joshua...