Derived from the Latin for truth, ‘Veritasium’ is defined as the ‘element of truth’ and is the name of a science video blog created by Australian-based producer, Derek Muller.

Derek explains that the original ambition of the project was simply to ‘make science beautiful’; however it has rapidly expanded into a much larger endeavour. Now with over 90 videos published on a popular YouTube Channel, Derek has set his sights on breaking down what he describes as the ‘counter-intuitive concepts in science’, which he highlights through discussions with members of the public.

Before starting Veritasium Derek completed a PhD at the University of Sydney where he conducted research out of the Physics Education Research Group on the educational effectiveness of online science videos. His PhD explored specifically the design of ‘effective multimedia for physics education’ and concluded that by challenging misconceptions one could more effectively engage an audience with educational content.

Derek has since channelled this knowledge into producing videos with clear educational goals. A vast majority of his videos begin by interviewing members of the public and using their common misconceptions as a starting point to explore and reveal scientific truths.

“A great video engages you in a story, a mystery, or a challenge, something to be worked out. It helps you understand something usually perceived as mundane in an exciting new way. I strive to make my videos more visual, more personally relevant, and more surprising.”

Read more about his exprience of producing the Veritasium films and what he's learnt about making effective science videos in our short interview.