SciShow Courses

The Worst Research Papers of All Time

Explore notorious scientific research failures, from fraudulent food surveys to AI-generated rat genitals, and learn how the scientific community addresses bad papers and maintains research integrity.

• YouTube
• 17 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

AI Doesn't Need to Be Self-Aware to Be Dangerous

Explore how AI systems can pose significant risks and influence society even without achieving consciousness, examining current capabilities and potential future implications.

• YouTube
• 15 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

10 Things You Didn't Know About Pompeii

Uncover fascinating mysteries about Pompeii beyond the famous volcanic eruption, from death timing controversies to archaeological origins and ongoing geological research of Mt. Vesuvius.

• YouTube
• 19 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

How Science Solved the Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls and 3 Other Ancient Texts

Discover how modern scientific techniques have unlocked the secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient texts, revealing historical insights once thought lost forever.

• YouTube
• 14 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

How Ancient Glass Could Transport Life Between Planets

Explore how Darwin Glass, a rare material prized by Tasmanian Aboriginals, could be key to understanding panspermia theory and the potential transport of life between planets.

• YouTube
• 11 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

The Heaviest Things Humans Have Ever Built

Explore fascinating engineering marvels from the Great Pyramid of Giza to massive electrical grids, discovering humanity's most colossal construction achievements and their impact on civilization.

• YouTube
• 13 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

The Mysterious Disappearance of 10 Billion Alaskan Crabs

Uncover the scientific investigation into how billions of Alaskan snow crabs vanished from the Bering Sea in 2021, exploring the environmental mystery that puzzled researchers for years.

• YouTube
• 11 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

NASA's Most Controversial Rock - The Story of Meteorite ALH84001

Delve into the fascinating story of ALH84001, a meteorite that sparked scientific controversy in the 1990s when researchers claimed it contained evidence of microscopic Martian life.

• YouTube
• 12 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

No, Space Doesn't Kill You Like That

Explore the surprising realities of death in space, debunking Hollywood myths and uncovering stranger scientific truths about what actually happens to human bodies in the vacuum of outer space.

• YouTube
• 15 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Sound DOES Travel in Space and 10 Other Space Things You Got Wrong

Uncover common misconceptions about space, from sound actually traveling through space to Earth's orbit around the Sun, with scientific explanations that challenge popular astronomical myths.

• YouTube
• 16 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

JWST and the Crisis in Cosmology - The Hubble Tension Problem

Delve into the fascinating "Hubble Tension" cosmological crisis and discover how recent JWST observations have further complicated our understanding of universal expansion rates.

• YouTube
• 13 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Why the Appalachians Contain Some of the Oldest Fossils on Earth

Discover how the Appalachian Mountains preserve Earth's oldest fossils through a billion-year geological story of continental collisions and ancient life forms.

• YouTube
• 10 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

The Artificial Sweetener That's Actually Good For You

Discover how xylitol, unlike other artificial sweeteners, offers surprising health benefits beyond just replacing sugar while being safe for humans but dangerous for dogs.

• YouTube
• 12 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Einstein Didn't Want People to Study His Brain

Explore the controversial post-mortem study of Einstein's brain and what researchers discovered about the source of his genius despite his wishes against it.

• YouTube
• 15 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

The End of Lab Rats - Alternatives to Animal Testing in Medical Research

Explore the future of medical research as science moves beyond century-old lab rat testing toward innovative alternatives like organs-on-chips and computer simulations.

• YouTube
• 13 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video