Our current year of topics

Note that our live classes are pretty filled up. This is fine! You probably want to start with our first topic anyways — The Universe is Weird. (All our topics build on each other.)

The Universe is Weird (physics)
September 11 – October 11

In which we set the stage for the whole six years

You’ll trace the steps of the people who figured out that the Universe is not what it appears to be. You’ll learn the stories of Galileo and Edwin Hubble. You’ll see the roundness of the Earth with your own eyes, learn how the moons of Jupiter changed human history, hear the discovery of the Big Bang, and begin to see what makes science special… and raise the question of where we fit in all of it.

Water is Weird (chemistry)
October 23 – November 22

In which we start seeing the tiny things

You’ll understand the oddity of atoms — what they’re made of, and why they hook together to make molecules. You’ll hear the stories of Antoine Lavoisier and Henry Cavendish. You’ll shrink down small to see heat and motion, to glimpse the real shape of water, and to understand why that changes everything.

Lungs are Weird (anatomy)
December 4 – January 17

(We’ll be taking off the weeks of Christmas & New Year’s)

In which we begin to glimpse what bodies really are

You’ll see how these molecules come together to make you. You’ll hear the stories of Galen, Andreas Vesalius, and William Harvey. You’ll learn why you have blood, why you breathe, what sort of animal you actually are… and the answer to the eternal riddle: “If you lose weight, where does it go?”

Clouds are Weird (meteorology)
January 29 – February 28

In which we touch the sky

You’ll begin to wrestle with clouds as physical objects that somehow float above our heads… even as they obey the laws of science! You’ll hear the stories of Luke Howard and James Epsy. You’ll learn to weigh clouds, see the sky in 3D, understand what rain really is, and recognize what kinds of clouds can kill you.

Bacteria are Weird (biology)
March 11 – April 10

(We’ll probably be taking off Monday April 8 — it’s a total eclipse of the Sun!)

In which we meet the “wee beasties” that surround us

You’ll open your eyes to see Earth’s real rulers. You’ll hear the stories of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, Louis Pasteur, and Lynn Margulis. You’ll learn what bacteria want, how to stop them, how to help them, and what they were doing for the first three billion years of life.

Snails are Weird (biology)
April 22 – May 22

In which we wave hello to animals (finally!)

You’ll look deep into the eyes of a snail, and see yourself staring back at you. You’ll hear the stories of Aristotle and Carolus Linnaeus. You’ll learn about the perils of being alive, the strangeness of biological sex, the deep unity of animal life, and that one time that snails ruled the Earth.