Outlier data · updated September 21, 2026
Science YouTube outliers
6,174 Science videos from 20 channels are scored in this snapshot, and 201 of them cleared the leaderboard filter. These are the 10 that beat their own channel's median views by the widest margin.
Channels scored
20
Videos scored
6,174
Reach 2x or more
28.8%
5x or more 10.1% · 10x or more 4.5%
Leaderboard pool
201
Videos clearing every eligibility floor
Scale is the opportunity and the trap in Science. The potential audience is nearly everybody, which produces some of the largest ceilings on this list, but reaching it means explaining something to people with no prior interest while competing against very high production values. Channels split between explainer work, which accumulates search traffic and ages well, and coverage of new results, which spikes and fades. Baselines vary enormously because upload cadence does. Outliers usually come from a counterintuitive result, a demonstration that can be shown rather than described, or a question the viewer has quietly wondered about for years. Read the top rows for what is actually visible on screen, and check whether the video needed a laboratory or only a clear explanation.
| Rank | Video | Channel | Views | Channel median | Multiplier | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Royal Institution | 7.2M | 20K | 342x | ||
| 2 | The Royal Institution | 6.7M | 20K | 321x | ||
| 3 | nature video | 1.7M | 19.5K | 86x | ||
| 4 | nature video | 847K | 19.5K | 44x | ||
| 5 | Steve Mould | 14.8M | 916K | 16x | ||
| 6 | SciShow | 933K | 186K | 15x | ||
| 7 | SciShow | 1.4M | 186K | 12x | ||
| 8 | MinuteEarth | 2.9M | 278K | 10x | ||
| 9 | Gutsick Gibbon | 373K | 41.6K | 9.3x | ||
| 10 | NileRed | 11.5M | 1.3M | 8.9x |
Showing the top 10 of 201 outliers in Science (at least 2x, uploaded in the past 12 months, at most 2 per channel). The full list, every filter, and daily refreshes are in the free Outlier Database.
Open the free Outlier DatabaseHow the Science ranking is built
- Every Science video is scored against its own channel: its views divided by the median views of that channel's other mature long-form uploads. 6,174 videos from 20 channels are scored in this snapshot.
- A row reaches this table only when it clears four floors — a multiplier of at least 2x, uploaded within the past 365 days, at least 10,000 views, and a channel median of at least 1,000 views. 201 Science videos clear all four.
- At most 2 videos per channel appear, so one Science channel having a remarkable year cannot take the whole table.
- 28.8% of scored Science videos reach 2x or more, 10.1% reach 5x and 4.5% reach 10x — which is what a large multiplier is worth in this niche specifically.
Read the full methodology on the outliers hub, including why the baseline is a median, why Shorts are pooled separately, and which channels are excluded.
Common questions
Why do demonstrations outperform explanations?
Because they can be promised in a thumbnail. An explanation asks a stranger to trust that the payoff is worth ten minutes, while a demonstration shows the payoff and withholds the outcome. That is why the strongest rows usually have a visible object or event at the center rather than a concept.
Is science news worth covering?
It brings reach and it expires. A result that reaches general awareness produces demand across every science channel at once, and being early matters. Explainers built on the underlying question keep earning long afterward, which is why durable channels use news for reach and explainers for the baseline.
How do I compete with high-production channels?
On the question rather than the visuals. Expensive animation makes an idea pleasant; a sharper question makes it necessary. Rows here from smaller channels almost always won by asking something more specific, or by being honest about uncertainty where a polished video smoothed it over.
How many Science videos are behind this leaderboard?
6,174 scored Science videos from 20 channels in the snapshot dated September 21, 2026. 201 of them clear the leaderboard filter, and this page publishes the strongest 10.
How often does this Science leaderboard change?
It is rebuilt from each dataset publish and the page revalidates hourly, so the ranking you are reading belongs to the snapshot dated September 21, 2026. Ranks move between refreshes as views accumulate and as videos age past the 12-month eligibility window.
Keep reading
Public YouTube statistics, snapshot September 21, 2026. Not affiliated with or endorsed by YouTube or the channels shown.
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