California Academy of Science
What's the Deal With Fossil Fuels?
Plastic bags, laptops, and even toothpaste all contain petroleum. A lesson explains how to define fossil fuels, including petroleum, and the many uses for fossil fuels in our everyday lives. It also details why new sources need to...
PBS
When Fish Wore Armor
Today very few animals exist with both an endoskeleton and exoskeleton. Yet, in the Devonian period, a large number of fish species lived with both. Scientists debate if they were for protection or mineral storage, because none of them...
Nature League
Is That Ostrich Flirting With Me? - From A to B
What prompts an ostrich to perform its courtship dance ... for humans? The fourth and final installment in a Reproduction video series examines the importance of animal courtship behaviors, as well as the research that revolves around...
Nature League
Sex Safari - Field Trip
A field trip to study reproductive behavior of big game is a great set up for big-time learning! Part two of a four-part Reproduction video series takes viewers up close and personal with the animal residents of a wildlife preserve in...
Nature League
What is Reproduction? - Lesson Plan
What force drives a species' will to survive and thrive? Explore reproduction through the first of a four-part video series. The narrator discusses both sexual and asexual reproduction and cites examples of each.
PBS
What Is the Solar System?
How do scientists classify whether an object lies within our solar system or not? Examine the boundaries of the space neighborhood using a lesson from PBS's Space series for middle schoolers. After viewing a model of the solar system,...
PBS
Eclipse Over America — Predicting Eclipses
It's easy to find out in today's world when the next eclipse will be, but what about thousands of years ago? Junior astronomers discover how the Babylonians used lunar observations to accurately predict future eclipses through an...
Nature League
Why Are Millipedes Cuter Than Centipedes? - From A to B
In an invertebrate beauty pageant, why do millipedes always scuttle away with the crown? Part four of a five-part series of Invertebrate videos compares and contrasts the millipede with the centipede in terms of diet, behavior, and body...
Nature League
Invertebrates and Ocean Mixing - De-Natured
It's time to mix things up! Introduce biology scholars to the latest topic in marine research—invertebrates! The third installment in a five-part series of Invertebrates lessons explains the hypothesis that tiny, migrating shrimp are...
Nature League
Searching for Mysis Shrimp - Field Trip
Surely, the biggest fish in the lake will benefit from a meal of big, tasty shrimp! Take biology scholars on a trip to Flathead Lake in the second of a five-part Invertebrates series. Scientists currently studying the lake take the...
PBS
Making North America | The Cascadia Subduction Zone
Scientists discovered a rain forest covered in sand and saltwater residue. This led to a collection of core samples and a rather intense prediction for the future of the American Pacific Northwest. Part of a larger series on the story of...
PBS
Lava Lake Tectonics
Do you enjoy spending the day at the lake? Maybe not an active lava lake! Viewers watch the fascinating movement of crust on top of molten magma as part of a larger series exploring the story of Earth. Comparisons to tectonic plates...
PBS
The Rise and Fall of the Bone-Crushing Dogs
Fun fact: giant, bear-sized dogs with teeth that crush bones existed in North America. Learn about the three species of dogs and their ultimate fates as cats moved into the area. An informative video describes the rise of all three...
PBS
How a Supervolcano Made the Cenozoic’s Coolest Fossils
Volcanoes cause mass extinctions, climate change, and physical alterations of our planet. They also create great fossil records, time markers in layers of Earth, and an interesting way to study geology. A video describes how one...
PBS
When Birds Had Teeth
Scientists believe confuciusornis developed a beak and lost teeth as a key step in the evolutionary process. Learn more about confuciusornis and other birds, dinosaurs, and animals that evolved into the birds of today. PBS Eons walks...
PBS
When Insects First Flew
Insects developed wings and the ability to fly earlier than any other animal—when exactly did that happen? Scientists know this fact but struggle to explain when insect wings developed and how this entirely new structure appeared. PBS...
PBS
FAQs From Our First Year
After a year of PBS Eons videos, viewers raised some excellent points and questions. The hosts highlight the most common including classification of animals, when a new eon starts, how to pronounce scientific terms, and many other...
PBS
How the T-Rex Lost Its Arms
The Tyrannosaurs Rex grew up to 20 feet tall, yet their front arms were roughly the size of human arms—hardly proportional! Viewers see how the front limbs became smaller over the course of millions of years. PBS Eons goes on to explain...
Nature League
Sex Cells and Inherited Trauma - De-Natured
Do our experiences in childhood become part of our genetic makeup? The third of a four-part video series focusing on reproduction examines trending research in epigenetics. The narrator explains the experiment, data, and analysis of the...
California Academy of Science
Buses and Biofuels: Sustainable Transportation
One-third of all carbon emissions comes from transportation in the United States. The third lesson in a 13-part series on Exploring Energy offers ideas on how to reduce emissions from cars, airplanes, large trucks, and more.
PBS
Treasures of the Earth | When Did Plate Tectonics Begin?
Scientists know Earth's plates are constantly moving. One big question scientists have is, "When did they start moving?" PBS 6-8 Story of Earth series presents the research of one scientist trying to answer this question. Viewers learn...
Nature League
What Are Invertebrates? - Lesson Plan
Insects, and other invertebrates outnumber vertebrates—segmented-legs down! The first in a five-part series of videos from an Invertebrates series introduces these organisms in all their spineless glory. Each invertebrate phyla takes the...
PBS
How Horses Took Over North America (Twice)
Should horses be considered native to North America? PBS Eons presents the fossil record to answer this question. the video starts with the evolution of animals that eventually led to the family scientists now know includes horses. Then,...
PBS
The Mystery of the Eocene’s Lethal Lake
One lake in Germany killed everything that swam in it, drank from it, or flew over it providing scientists with an incredible fossil record and a huge mystery. PBS Eons explains the rarity of the fossil finds including turtles in the...