AsapScience, stylized as AsapSCIENCE, is a YouTube channel created by Canadian YouTubers Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown. The channel produces a range of videos that touch on various concepts related to science and technology.[1]

AsapSCIENCE
Stylized letters saying "Asap Science"
AsapSCIENCE logo
Presentation
Hosted byMitchell "Mitch" Moffit and Gregory Brown
GenreEducation, science
Created byMitchell "Mitch" Moffit and Gregory Brown
LanguageEnglish
Production
ProductionSarah Weichel Management
No. of episodes195
Publication
Original releaseJune 6, 2012; 11 years ago (2012-06-06)
ProviderYouTube
Related
Related showsKurzgesagt-In a Nutshell

AsapScience is one of the largest educational channels on YouTube. The channel was created in May of 2012 and had acquired more than 7 million subscribers by March 2018.[2][3] This following had increased to 9 million by 2020. In addition to videos explaining scientific news and research, the channel produces songs, several of which have achieved viral fame and also created controversy.[4][5]

Moffit and Brown have been praised for prompting meaningful dialog about LGBTQ+ issues.[6]

Team edit

  • Mitchell "Mitch" Moffit, born (1988-03-27) March 27, 1988 (age 35), creator and host
  • Gregory "Greg" Brown, born (1988-09-25) September 25, 1988 (age 35), creator and host

Moffit and Brown are an openly gay couple who met while studying biology at the University of Guelph.[7] They made their sexualities and relationship public online in 2014, two years after starting their channel, in response to derogatory comments and in order to be visible role models for young gay people interested in science.[8][9]

  • Kendra Y. Hill, manager
  • Max Simmons, illustrator
  • Luka Sarlija, editor

Channel edit

AsapScience videos are about science, with many episodes, such as How Much Sleep Do You Actually Need?, discussing functions of the human body. They sometimes make songs explaining science such as Science Love Song and Periodic Table Song.[10] Each video's scientific concepts are conveyed using coloured drawings on a whiteboard and voice-over narration. As revealed in a behind-the-scenes video, Mitchell voices and composes the background music for the videos, while Greg is the primary illustrator.[11]

The most viewed video of the channel currently is Do You Hear "Yanny" or "Laurel"?, which has 65 million views.[12] Their videos have been featured in websites such as The Huffington Post[13] and Gizmodo.[14]

In March 2015, Moffit and Brown released their first book, AsapSCIENCE: Answers to the World's Weirdest Questions, Most Persistent Rumors, and Unexplained Phenomena.[15]

Collaborations edit

AsapScience has collaborated with Vsauce3 on 4 videos, The Scientific Secret of Strength and Muscle Growth and What if Superman Punched You?, Can We Genetically Improve Intelligence? and Can You Genetically Enhance Yourself?.

One of the videos, Could We Stop An Asteroid?, features Bill Nye, who discusses different ways humanity could stop an asteroid if one were on a collision course for Earth.[16]

On February 2, 2014, AsapScience announced that they have collaborated with CBC News to produce one video daily related to sports, for 19 days starting from 6 February.[17][18]

AsapScience also appeared in several videos with IISuperwomanII.[19][20][21]

They had a one-time collaboration with Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell on the What Is The Most Dangerous Drug In The World? video which aired on November 16, 2017.[22][23]

In December 2017, AsapScience appeared on Rhett and Link's YouTube channel Good Mythical Morning.[24]

In 2020, alongside Psych IRL and others, AsapScience featured in a YouTube original series Sleeping With Friends, a competition in which participants aim to get the best night's sleep.[25][26][27]

Religion edit

On March 16, 2017, AsapScience released a video regarding the existence of God and whether it could be proven through the use of math, titled "Can Math Prove God's Existence?"[28] The video sparked a lot of controversy and received a channel-highest dislike percentage of more than 45%.[28][non-primary source needed]

Statistics edit

As of 14 May 2023, AsapScience and Greg and Mitch have over 11 million subscribers combined.

Subscribers Views
AsapSCIENCE[29] 10,400,000 1,833,382,609
Greg and Mitch[30] 794,000 66,202,823
Total 11,194,000 1,899,585,432

Other work edit

In February 2016, Moffit was announced as one of the 16 HouseGuests on Big Brother Canada 4. He placed 11th and was evicted on day 42 in a 5-3 eviction vote. He was the first member of the Final Jury that decided the winner of the game.

Honours edit

On December 7, 2023, Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada invested both Brown and Moffit with the Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division) for using "explanations, solid facts and humour" to "educate the Internet generation about science topics".[31][32]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Ha, Louisa (June 6, 2018). The Audience and Business of YouTube and Online Videos. Lexington Books. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-4985-7649-9.
  2. ^ Henry, Andrew M. (January 2, 2021). "Religious Literacy in Social Media: A Need for Strategic Amplification". Religion & Education. 48 (1). Routledge: 92. doi:10.1080/15507394.2021.1876507. ISSN 1550-7394. S2CID 233485564.
  3. ^ Alexander, Julia (March 21, 2018). "YouTubers like asapSCIENCE, Smarter Every Day may help teach kids about fake news". Polygon. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  4. ^ Granshaw, Lisa (December 8, 2015). "AsapSCIENCE parodied 'Star Wars' music with an a cappella tribute to the sciences". The Daily Dot. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Noman, Natasha (October 29, 2015). "AsapScience Used Big Breasts for Silicon in a Periodic Table Video — People Are Pissed". Mic. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  6. ^ Lee, Sar (September 13, 2018). "How Mitch And Greg Of AsapSCIENCE Are Inspiring Young Queer People Online". HuffPost UK. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  7. ^ "Coming Out Twice". YouTube (Video posted June 11, 2014 says they have been together for "seven and a half years".). Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  8. ^ Duffy, Nick (June 14, 2014). "YouTube science hosts come out as gay couple, condemn homophobic comments". PinkNews. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  9. ^ Moffit, Mitchell; Brown, Gregory (June 13, 2014). "Coming Out Twice". Huffington Post Blogs. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  10. ^ "periodic table song". YouTube.
  11. ^ "The Science of AsapSCIENCE - Behind The Scenes". YouTube. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  12. ^ "Do You Hear "Yanny" or "Laurel"? -". YouTube. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  13. ^ "Asapscience". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  14. ^ "Asapscience". Gizmodo. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  15. ^ AsapSCIENCE. books.simonandschuster.com. March 17, 2015. ISBN 9781442377165. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  16. ^ Lynch, EDW (July 23, 2013). "Bill Nye Explains How We Could Stop an Asteroid On AsapScience". Laughing Squid. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  17. ^ "Amazing Olympic Facts". Youtube. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  18. ^ "How Have Olympians' Bodies Changed Over The Years? AsapSCIENCE Explains". www.cbc.ca. CBC News. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  19. ^ How To Prove Your Parents Wrong ft. AsapSCIENCE, retrieved March 26, 2021
  20. ^ 6 Ways To Appear Smarter Than You Are ft. Lilly Singh, retrieved March 26, 2021
  21. ^ Do Periods Actually Make Women Moody? Ft. iiSuperwomanii, retrieved March 26, 2021
  22. ^ What Is The Most Dangerous Drug In The World? ft. In A Nutshell (Kurzgesagt), retrieved January 17, 2020
  23. ^ "What Is The Most Dangerous Drug In The World?". IFLScience. November 28, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  24. ^ Good Mythical Morning (December 12, 2017), Are You A Supertaster? Taste Test ft. AsapSCIENCE, retrieved December 16, 2017
  25. ^ Sippell, Margeaux (May 13, 2020). "YouTube Originals Has a New Sleep Competition Series". TheWrap. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  26. ^ Fitzgerald, Clare (May 16, 2020). "AsapSCIENCE, Psych IRL Amongst YouTubers Competing In New YouTube Series". Teneighty Magazine. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  27. ^ Weiss, Geoff (May 13, 2020). "YouTube Taps ASAPScience, Kati Morton, More For Sleeping Competition Series". Tubefilter. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  28. ^ a b AsapSCIENCE (March 16, 2017). "Can Math Prove God's Existence?". YouTube. AsapSCIENCE. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  29. ^ "AsapSCIENCE". YouTube. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  30. ^ "AsapTHOUGHT". Youtube. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  31. ^ Meritorious Service Decorations (Civil Division) – December 07, 2023
  32. ^ Meritorious Service Decorations (Civil Division) - December 7, 2023