It's great finding new shows to watch on our favourite streaming services, especially shows that stimulate the mind. As scientists we love learning new and exciting concepts, but like everyone else — we also love infotainment!
We polled some current Science students to ask what science-based content they’ve been streaming lately — here are their top five show recommendations.
1. Our Planet (Netflix)
Our Planet is a beautiful journey into the diversity and fragility of this place we call Earth. At its core, it’s a documentary that shows the extreme scope of how climate change is impacting all living creatures — not just humans — and helps us to realize that this planet, our planet, is something worth defending.
Each episode has a whole new setting and landscape to explore and learn about. The cinematography is also stunning and reminds me why I’m studying biology and what I’m aiming to protect.
2. Kurzgesagt — In a Nutshell (YouTube)
Kurzgesagt, also known as In a Nutshell, is a YouTube channel that makes incredible animated videos that describe different kinds of science concepts, from "What Happens if the Moon Crashes into Earth?" to "The Warrior Kingdoms of the Weaver Ant".
Their content is extremely well made and super educational! Everything is presented in easy-to-understand terms and is very well researched.
3. Human: The World Within (Netflix)
By using cutting-edge science and captivating personal stories, this docuseries showcases the amazing and unbelievable inner workings of the human body.
[Human: The World Within] discusses the way the different systems in our body works and how that plays out in our lives (jobs, exercise, relationships). So cool!
4. Genius (Disney+)
This dramatized documentary-style series showcases some of the world’s most brilliant innovators. Each season is dedicated to a different pioneer in their field — diving into their lives, struggles, and — well, genius.
The first season is on Albert Einstein's life. I am still on Episode 5 but it gives me a lot of insight into how a lot of the discoveries by him came to be and it also tells me a bit about his personal life. It's slightly more dramatic than it needs to be but it's a fun show to watch!
5. Crash Course History of Science (YouTube)
Who doesn’t love listening to Hank Green explain ‘all things science’ on days leading up to a big test? His "History of Science" series dives deep into the evolution of the Scientific Method and how others have attempted to answer life’s biggest questions in the past.
Crash Course History of Science is a great way to see not only what great scientists discovered, but how their circumstances made their discoveries possible. It also highlights women in science, who are so often ignored in other historical works.
Honourable mentions that our students also recommended:
- My Octopus Teacher (Netflix)
- Picture a Scientist (Netflix)
- One Strange Rock (Disney+)
- The Martian (Amazon Prime)
- Mission Blue (Netflix)
- Futurama (Disney+)
- Cells at Work (Netflix)
- Bones (Disney+)
- Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Disney+)
Science is such an exciting area to study. As these shows demonstrate, there's so much more to discover and unearth. And who knows, maybe you can make one of those new discoveries in one of Waterloo's Science programs. ;)
Being entertained and learning about science? It's a win-win!
