Do you ever wonder how cats move like that? Or why ice is slippery? Or how the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald sunk beneath the waves of Lake Superior? Well, NOVA’s YouTube show What the Physics?! has the answers (and questions) for you. Revitalized with a new host, the magnetic Athena Brensberger, the wildly popular YouTube show is just one part of NOVA’s — and GBH’s — efforts to expand its digital presence and meet people where they are.
For generations, NOVA’s found a way to spark wonder in viewers, even in unfamiliar subjects with which they’re unfamiliar or ambivalent. After a nearly six-year hiatus, What the Physics?! is back to carry on that proud tradition, encouraging audiences to ask questions about the “astonishing, wild, and weird world of physics that is all around them, part of their daily life,” says Nadia Petschek Rawls, Digital Media Consultant for GBH’s Documentary Unit.
With new episodes premiering regularly, the show has made waves on YouTube, as its long-form videos and Shorts regularly accumulate more than 100,000 views. We sat down with Nadia Petschek Rawls and Brensberger to discuss the return of What the Physics?!, how science can ignite curiosity in kids and lifelong learners alike, and their goals for the series.
It’s been a nearly six-year hiatus for What the Physics?! How did this reinvention of the series come about?
Nadia Petschek Rawls: We were thinking about creating new NOVA shows, native to YouTube, and What the Physics?! had been a really popular show, so we wanted to try to bring it back. It’s really core to NOVA’s identity and what our audience loves, so we decided it would be fun to revitalize.
What does Athena bring to the program as the new host?
NPR: We were looking for somebody really dynamic and engaging. When we came across Athena, who has a social following of her own, we knew her passion and energy would be a great fit for the show, and she’s been a wonderful thought partner.
One of the main goals of the show coming back was to create a connection between the host and our audience. Digital platforms like YouTube allow for viewers to feel a much more personal connection with the host or content-creator, so we wanted to build that out.
Athena, what compelled you to join the NOVA/What the Physics?! team?
Athena Brensberger: I grew up watching PBS NOVA. It’s always been a dream of mine to work with them, so I was not going to pass up this amazing opportunity! It’s a show asking the BIG questions about physics, reality, and our universe. If there’s any show for me to be a part of, it would be this — one that’s aimed at furthering the scientific knowledge of the general public, which is a huge part of my mission.
Was there a moment you realized how passionate you are about science?
AB: My enthusiasm for science began at 12 years old when I picked up a book about the Hubble Space Telescope in science class and learned that there are billions of stars in the universe, some with planets. I just knew there had to be life beyond Earth. So began my obsession with science!
I wanted to find aliens, and I felt the ultimate job to have as a human was to study the cosmos. I studied astrophysics, but it wasn’t until my first year of undergraduate research at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, that I discovered my love for science communication. Presenting my summer research thesis on stage, engaging with the audience, and sharing my excitement lit a fire within me. Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson introduced the idea of being a science communicator to me that summer when he met all the students, and ever since I’ve been communicating science in-person and online to millions! I’m so grateful for that.
What’s your favorite episode of the show so far?
AB: My favorite episode is the one on Rogue Waves, which has over 480K views already! The ocean is very mysterious, and these waves were once thought impossible — yet here they are. They’ve taught us a lot about the ocean, wave physics, and eventually, taking better safety measures for sailors out at sea.
What role can a series like this play for educators and caregivers?
NPR: For decades, NOVA has been widely used in the classroom. We hear all the time from people who watched our shows as kids and went on to become scientists. We want to help people fall in love with science, problem-solving, and asking the big questions.
We also want to provide materials teachers can use, and I think these videos help break down concepts in a playful way. The show is designed for our adult audience that does have a fairly sophisticated understanding of physics, but we’re trying to be clear enough for people who don’t have a background in science.
AB: The audience I have in mind is passionate people who want to know how our world works and explore questions that still don’t have answers. I think of a single person who might look out the window at the coffee shop and wonder why the weather is still so unpredictable, why things fall to the ground, and how people get to space — the kind of person I’d sit down next to and say, “Do you ever wonder about our place in the universe?”
Why is it important for public media to provide this kind of curiosity-sparking science content?
AB: The general public turns to public media for news, entertainment, and information, so it’s vital to provide educational content about scientific discoveries that people can trust, is accurate and will expand their minds to think about things they’ve never considered before.
NPR: In a lot of ways, that is the essence of public media. We tell stories that foster an educated, informed public. It’s about our curiosities, our learning, our education. That mission is absent in a lot of media companies driven primarily by revenue, because creating high-quality educational content takes a lot of work, time, and care, and isn’t always the most lucrative.
We take very seriously the scientific accuracy and accessibility of our content. That work requires investment, and with the loss of federal funding, we’re looking to our donors, the sponsors who care about these subjects, and our viewers to support public media’s educational content.
What are your ultimate goals for the series?
NPR: NOVA’s always excelled at finding the story within the science and making it tangible — something you can relate to and understand — without sacrificing the educational rigor. Our goal is to communicate science in a fun way, inspiring curiosity and helping people consider how our world works. With the show being on YouTube, we’re also trying to engage a younger audience and expand NOVA’s presence there.
AB: I want to get more people asking the big questions about reality and inspire people to become scientists, whether in traditional academics or in their everyday lives. I hope to turn minds towards a bright and positive future for humanity, engage people in scientific dialogue, and help them recognize that science is not just some subject in a textbook, but the description of the world around us. It gives me hope that younger generations, inspired today, will make the grand discoveries and inventions we’ll need by the time they’re my age.
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Explore the YouTube catalog of NOVA’s What the Physics?! long-form videos, as well as NOVA’s collection of YouTube Shorts! If you’re interested in supporting the future of NOVA’s programming, read about the NOVA Science Trust. In addition, learn more about GBH’s Climate and Environment Fund and Science and Health Fund, to see how you can support our efforts in these important areas.
