10 Eastern European Popular Science Channels
Science is the main marker of civilisation and, in essence, arguably the only thing that justifies the existence of such a species as humans on planet Earth. Therefore, it is crucial to keep abreast of the latest scientific developments, and these ten science communicators from Eastern Europe will help you do just that.
Fighting pseudoscientific propaganda, reviewing cutting-edge technologies, “live” observing the cosmos, smart biohacking, captivating palaeontology, non-trivial humanities, and insightful interviews with renowned scientists – whatever your interests and preferences, you will undoubtedly find someone to follow in the diverse community of Eastern European science bloggers.
Cursed Rationalist
Inspired by the Quite Interesting programme, Artem Albul from Mykolaiv thought, why not become the "Ukrainian Stephen Fry" and use YouTube videos to debunk pseudoscientific myths and promote rationalism? In 2018, he began regularly releasing videos, paying particular attention to combating COVID denialism during the pandemic. Today, “Cursed Rationalist” is one of the most popular Ukrainian channels advocating for the scientific method. In addition to fighting all kinds of "scientific" charlatans, you’ll find many fascinating facts, the latest news from the world of technology, and interviews with prominent Ukrainian researchers.
Nauka. To Lubię
Anyone who attended school remembers the physics teacher who, standing in front of a blackboard covered with incomprehensible diagrams, insisted that without knowing the Right-Hand Rule, success in adult life is just a pipe dream. However, practice shows otherwise: you can function successfully in the modern world even without knowing the multiplication table. Nevertheless, many people, once they become adults and successful, decide they want more – they want to know more about the world around them. And the best thing they can do is subscribe to the channel of a science communicator who a) understands what they're talking about and b) loves science and dreams of sharing that love with others. Polish physicist Tomasz Rożek runs his channel “Nauka. To Lubię” (“Science. I Like It”) with great enthusiasm, discussing everything under the sun – including how AI is saving lives after strokes.
Neurazitelný Podcast
The war in Ukraine, the pandemic, global warming, and the revolution in AI application – recent large-scale events make an ordinary person feel that something is wrong with this world. Czech Jarda Jirák believes that the "brokenness" of the world can be fixed, but first, all existing problems and phenomena must be thoroughly investigated and broken down piece by piece. On his YouTube channel, he presents lectures and interviews with interesting people, including many professional researchers and scientists – like Lenka Zychová, a space weather scientist at the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, who explained why 99% of our bodies are created in stars and the deadly dangers lurking in the vast cosmos.
Your Underground Humanities
Science is one of civilisation’s main tools in the fight against barbarism. After all, scientists create weapons capable of repelling barbaric invasions of any size. But it’s not just about physics or chemistry – the humanities are also essential, as their educational capabilities help to gradually transform barbarians into more civilised and educated people. This is particularly important in our time, when barbarians not only physically trample on the lands of civilised countries but also spread their perverse pseudo-scientific and pseudo-historical narratives through social networks and unverified media. The Ukrainian channel “Your Underground Humanities” opposes this barbaric invasion into the minds of Europeans – for example, it explains why, in the novel Robinson Crusoe, which tells of one man’s 30 years of hard work and the building of civilisation on a deserted island, all those dull, lengthy lists are so important.
Kasia Gandor
Polish science communicator and biotechnologist Kasia Gandor creates high-quality documentary mini-films about health, modern advanced technologies, and environmental issues. For example, did you know that hydrogen peroxide has little effect on wounds, or that common pigeons, who love to soil urban monuments, have actually changed our world? If not, subscribe to Gandor's channel, where you can also learn why humanity needs peatlands, why some people need faecal transplants, how smells bring back memories, what happens to discarded electronic devices, and whether governments should legalise marijuana everywhere.
Cloud Science
For a long time, even those relatively reasonable Russians who acknowledged that Ukrainian is not just a dialect of Russian but a real, separate language insisted that it was only suitable for everyday communication, claiming that it was impossible to describe, for example, complex physical processes in it. However, the Ukrainian channel “Cloud Science”, which promotes science in Ukrainian, proves otherwise – the Ukrainian language is not only suitable for explaining complex topics, but it’s actually better at it than Russian. Here, you’ll find numerous translations of lectures by world-famous scientists, including Robert Sapolsky's course on "Human Behavioural Biology", along with original videos, news digests, and even exclusive interviews with stars like American-Canadian physicist and cosmologist Lawrence Krauss.
NaukowoTV
People typically go through three stages: as children, they’re fascinated by dinosaurs and beg their parents for another T. Rex figurine; then, they grow up and start laughing at Ross from Friends, who devoted his life to palaeontology; but eventually, they live a few more decades and somehow find themselves once again captivated by Megalodons, Spinosaurus, and Sauropods. Both young and adult palaeontology enthusiasts will enjoy the channel by Polish creator Krzysiek. In addition to reviews of the coolest dinosaurs, he also makes many videos about anthropology, the processes of forming continents and oceans, the mysteries of the cosmos, and more.
Universe UA
When Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking were alive, fans of popular science literature about space didn’t need to look far for interesting and up-to-date reading material. Their classic bestsellers in the "astrophysics for dummies" format are still fascinating today, but time marches on, science advances, and scientists make new discoveries, so every space-loving reader dreams of finding the perfect source of fresh information about stars, black holes, and NASA rover adventures on Mars. Look no further – here it is. The Ukrainian channel Universe UA presents all the latest astrophysics news, exoplanet discoveries, plans for space colonisation, dark matter and energy research, and the work of the largest space observatory, the James Webb Telescope, which has been providing revolutionary data since 2021.
Factories in Poland
Sceptics about the possibilities of science and technology stop being sceptical when they visit modern factories where advanced scientific developments are implemented before their very eyes. These productions are truly impressive. On the Factories in Poland channel, you can take tours of automotive, food, construction, metallurgy, oil, polystyrene, waste, paper, brewing, and many other factories. After watching these videos, you’ll never look at the objects around you – like windows or heaters, mayonnaise, yachts, plastic dishes, etc. – as if they just appeared out of thin air. You’ll understand that all the benefits of civilisation are the result of scientific discoveries and fantastic technologies that should be valued and fought for.
Astroromantik
Every space enthusiast dreams of having a house with a flat roof in a mostly cloudless area to spend nights sitting with a powerful telescope, watching the Moon and various other objects in the Solar System. However, many live in flats in regions where the sky is always overcast, and most amateur astronomers can only dream of a powerful professional telescope, which costs a fortune. Fortunately, there is the Ukrainian YouTube channel Astroromantik, where the author regularly shares their own footage of space captured with high-quality optical equipment.