With nearly 3 million YouTube subscribers, Kevin Kohler, aka The Backyard Scientist, knows a thing or two about holding people’s attention. Whether it’s pouring molten aluminum into a watermelon (and subsequently pulling out the odd-shaped sculpture) or creating a giant human-sized mousetrap (sorry again, watermelons) the mad scientist seamlessly blends science with entertainment—a sort of…

We’ve seen legions of YouTubers manifest chaos to bring us absurd contraptions with little purpose other than to document how capable they are of destruction. And with high-end slow-speed cameras more accessible now than ever, watching these homegrown science experiments has never been more entertaining…even, educational. Among others leading the way is Kevin Kohler, aka…