California Academy of Science
What's Up With Your Gut Microbiome?
Some scientists now consider the gut microbiome a distinct organ in the human body. Curious science scholars learn about this ecosystem thriving inside them and its important functions with a video from Our Hungry Planet. The 11th lesson...
California Academy of Science
Reducing Food Waste
The average American creates more than 240 pounds of food waste every year. Are there ways to reduce that number? The eighth lesson in the 13-part series covering Our Hungry Planet introduces multiple ideas for reducing food waste. It...
California Academy of Science
Vertical Farming
Half of crops from traditional farming never get harvested, while 90 percent of crops from vertical farming go into the food supply. As land runs out for farming and the need for crops increases, could vertical farming solve the problem?...
California Academy of Science
Urban Farming
More than 20 million Americans lack access to grocery stores. The sixth lesson in the 13-part unit on Our Hungry Planet introduces the concept of food deserts and ideas to correct this lack of access. Discussion questions provide a...
California Academy of Science
What is the Environmental Impact of Feeding the World?
One in every seven people suffer from a lack of basic food. Our Hungry Planet introduces this complex issue in the second lesson of an interesting 13-part unit. It discusses the space needed to grow and raise food, the transportation of...
California Academy of Science
Recharging Aquifers
The ninth lesson in a 10-part series on Fresh Solutions explains how aquifers develop and how people currently use them. The video also explores how aquifers are being depleted faster than they refill and the long-term concerns about...
California Academy of Science
Waste Water Recycling
What types of water qualify for recycling and how does the recycling process work? The eighth lesson in the 10-part series exploring Fresh Solutions presents both the financial and water savings associated with emerging recycling methods.
California Academy of Science
Water-Wise Farms
The seventh lesson on Fresh Solutions in the 10-part series addresses solutions implemented on farms. It focuses on the options currently in use and hopes for the future of water conservation and farming.
California Academy of Science
Desalination
Desalination requires around two gallons of sea water to make one gallon of fresh water—that's quite a ratio! Viewers consider the pros and cons of desalination as one option to providing fresh water. They learn about two different...
California Academy of Science
How Do We Meet the Growing Need for Water?
Some aquifers took thousands of years to collect water, yet they have been depleted in only a hundred years. Viewers learn about where humans use water and the serious concerns for the future of the water supply in the second of 10...
TED-Ed
Could the Earth Be Swallowed By a Black Hole?
A black hole exists only a couple of thousand light years away from Earth. Should we be scared, or does that mean we are safe? Learn about the perspective of black holes and their relationship with Earth and the larger universe. After...
TED-Ed
What Would Happen If Every Human Suddenly Disappeared?
Humans constantly change the earth by building things, using natural resources, and relocating plants and animals. The lesson considers would happen to the planet if humans were gone. The narrator discusses the changes in buildings and...
California Academy of Science
How to Measure a Changing Climate
Young scientists explore climate change by taking a look at many different disciplines. They hear from scientists who study soil, clouds, ice cores, ocean temperatures, and more. Then, they search public databases to draw their own...
California Academy of Science
The Climate is Changing but How's the Weather?
Do meteorologists and climate scientists use the same tools? The final lesson in a 13-part series on Exploring Energy compares and contrasts climate and weather. It describes the scientists who study each, the tools they use, their...
California Academy of Science
The Chemistry of Clothes
Synthetic materials increase in popularity every year. Exploring Energy takes on the chemistry behind synthetic materials, including polyester. The resource opens with a video explaining the difference between natural and synthetic...
California Academy of Science
Your Digital Footprint: Data and Energy Use
Understanding energy usage requires knowing more than how much energy it takes to charge your cell phone. Scholars learn each text sent uses energy as does each video, game, and phone call. They observe the larger grid of data transfers...
California Academy of Science
Renewable Energy: Powered by Poop
A single cow produces more than 100 pounds of manure every day. Meet a farmer using cow manure to provide energy to his farm, electric car, and the larger electric grid. He explains the process and benefits of the renewable energy source.
California Academy of Science
Renewable Energy: Clean Tech Solutions
Renewable energy originally found application more than 790,000 years ago. A relevant and engaging lesson explains some of the current options for renewable energy. Technology changes quickly and many different options provide hope for...
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.
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...