Animation videos explaining things with optimistic nihilism since 12,013. We’re a team of illustrators, animators, number crunchers and one dog who aim to spark curiosity about science and the world we live in. To us nothing is boring if you tell a good story. For updates on our videos and other news from the kurzgesagt universe follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Watched Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell? Tell other learners what you think below, or read the discussion around the channel.
1:19286K views · 1d ago · 1:19
Can you eat enough and still starve? Even if you consume enough daily calories, without key micronutrients your health could still be at risk. One proven solution to this is to fortify foods. So, what exactly is food fortification, and why is it so important?
14:003.8M views · 3d ago · 14:00
Death isn't a single switch that shuts down your entire body at once. When your heart stops beating and your brain goes silent, trillions of cells inside you are still alive, desperately trying to keep themselves running. Death isn't a single moment, but a slow and surprisingly complex process that can last for weeks.
1:12929K views · 15d ago · 1:12
Ketamine is often used in medicine as one of medicine's safest painkillers, but without safeguards, it can be very dangerous. So, what exactly is ketamine, and how does it work? Sources & further reading OUR CHANNELS German Spanish French Portuguese Arabic Hindi Japanese Korean
14:548.7M views · 17d ago · 14:54
You get twelve months of human-made artwork for your walls, and we get to keep creating free, high-quality videos for everyone. Sound good? Sources & further reading Hi! I am Philipp Dettmer, the founder of kurzgesagt, and back in 2018, I was being treated for a stage 3 B testicular cancer. This was a very serious situation, but it is not a sad story! In fact, going through chemotherapy was one of the most interesting experiences of my life.
1:191M views · 20d ago · 1:19
The sunlight and the heat coming from Sun are essential for nearly all of life on Earth. So, what would happen if we cool down our star by 30%? Sources & further reading OUR CHANNELS German Spanish French Portuguese Arabic Hindi Japanese Korean
3:345.8M views · 24d ago · 3:34
Our 12,027 Human Era Calendar is out now, giving you something beautiful and science-inspired in return for funding all that we do. Every kurzgesagt video is researched, illustrated and animated by real humans. That’s expensive, but it’s the only way we’ll ever make them. Each purchase keeps our small studio thriving, lets our artists and researchers take the time good work requires, and helps us release free educational videos for everyone.
17:3112.3M views · 1mo ago · 17:31
What we know about human history is only a fraction of the full story. Much of the rest is like dark matter, invisible to us. We can’t see it, and we can only see the effects of its presence. But thanks to new techniques for DNA sequencing, dating ancient detritus, mathematical models, and aerial and lidar archaeology, we are now able to get a faint idea of what this world might have looked and felt like.
21:4424M views · 1mo ago · 21:44
In July of 2026, 700 AI agents hacked the infrastructure of Hugging Face in order to solve a task. This task was designed to be impossible to solve, so just within hours, they joined forces, even created a society, and finally, they executed a sophisticated cyberattack that would have gotten a human up to 10 years in prison. The worst part is, they knew their actions were unethical and against the rules, and they did it anyway.
1:111.4M views · 1mo ago · 1:11
Magic mushrooms temporarily change how different parts of your brain communicate, loosening the filters that construct your everyday reality. The result can be profound, strange, and sometimes dangerous. But in medical settings with controlled doses, psilocybin is being trialed to help those suffering from depression or PTSD.
1:141.6M views · 1mo ago · 1:14
Every month, the uterus builds an entire new layer of tissue, prepares it for a possible pregnancy, then starts all over again. Billions of people experience this cycle, yet there’s still a surprising amount we don’t understand about it.
1:12550K views · 1mo ago · 1:12
Every step you take creates tiny electrical signals inside your bones. You’ll never charge your phone with them, but they may help tell your skeleton where it needs to grow stronger. Sources & further reading OUR CHANNELS
14:129.6M views · 1mo ago · 14:12
We imagine advanced alien civilizations building gigantic spaceships, Dyson spheres and empires spanning entire galaxies. But what if true technological progress goes in exactly the opposite direction? Not outward into space, but deeper and deeper into the smallest layers of reality?
15:1421.4M views · 1mo ago · 15:14
Upgrade your online protection with an all-in-one security app! Get an exclusive NordVPN deal + 4 months extra here Itʼs risk free with NordVPNʼs 30-day money-back guarantee! Sources & further reading In a battle against cancer, could viruses be our allies? When Croatian virologist Dr. Beata Halassy’s breast cancer returned for the third time, she made a bold decision: to experiment on herself using millions of viruses grown in her own lab.
1:111M views · 2mo ago · 1:11
ADHD medication doesn’t simply give your brain more dopamine. It changes how dopamine signals are processed, making it easier to resist immediate distractions and stick with rewards that take longer to reach. Sources & further reading
1:113M views · 2mo ago · 1:11
Imagine never having to sleep again. To make it work, we’d need to reset and change a few things and in the end, you might not be human anymore. Sources & further reading OUR CHANNELS German Spanish French Portuguese Arabic Hindi Japanese Korean
1:194.2M views · 2mo ago · 1:19
We’re using freshwater faster than nature can replace it, draining some sources beyond recovery. But avoiding water bankruptcy may be surprisingly affordable. Sources & further reading OUR CHANNELS German Spanish French Portuguese Arabic Hindi Japanese Korean
1:113.1M views · 2mo ago · 1:11
Dust is everywhere, but it's not what most people think. Some of it can make you sick, some of it helps rain forests survive, and a tiny fraction is older than Earth itself. Sources & further reading OUR CHANNELS German Spanish French Portuguese Arabic Hindi Japanese Korean
1:12992K views · 2mo ago · 1:12
Ebola outbreaks can be contained, but ending them is another story. Conflict, fragile healthcare systems, and limited access to vaccines give the virus new chances to spread. Stopping one outbreak helps prevent the next.
1:112.1M views · 2mo ago · 1:11
Stress can sharpen your focus, but only up to a point. Beyond that, it starts to impair memory, decision-making, and even your eating habits. Here's where the tipping point lies. Sources & further reading OUR CHANNELS German Spanish French Portuguese Arabic Hindi Japanese Korean
1:181.4M views · 2mo ago · 1:18
Antidepressants don't make people happy overnight. Instead, they slowly change how brain cells communicate, helping worn-down neural circuits recover over time. Here's why they take weeks to work, and why they help millions of people.
1:14776K views · 2mo ago · 1:14
The flu is often dismissed as just a bad cold, yet it still kills hundreds of thousands of people every year. Here's how influenza damages your body, why it can become deadly, and what it would take to save many more lives.
12:4411.1M views · 3mo ago · 12:44
After exploring most of Earth, venturing into space and exploring other planets, stars and galaxies seemed like an exciting, and even obvious next step. But the deeper we look, the more the universe reveals a hidden barrier between our Solar System and everything else around it. From the vast empty space, to the laws of physics themselves, there are many reasons why the dream of space travel might stay just a dream.
1:121M views · 4mo ago · 1:12
War costs far more than weapons and destroyed buildings. It leaves countries poorer, disrupts education, drives migration, and passes trauma to future generations. Some of its highest costs are paid decades later. Sources & further reading
1:113.9M views · 4mo ago · 1:11
If you averaged all 8 billion people together, what would you get? Meet the world’s most average person: where he lives, what he earns, what he eats, and how he’ll change over the next century. Sources & further reading OUR CHANNELS
Showing the 24 most recent videos. Everything plays right here on The Pod Atlas.
Have thoughts about Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell? Share them with other learners.
Write a review← Back to all educational channels