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It's Okay to Fart (The Science of Flatulence)
Like it or not, passing gas is part of life ... almost all life! Flatulence has many different purposes in different species including communication, defense, and buoyancy. Pupils learn where farts come from and what contributes to their...
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The Surprising Reason We Eat Spicy Food
Is there a connection between climate and how people cook? Interestingly enough, cultures that live closer to the equator cook with many more spices than those farther away. Learn the scientific explanation to this phenomenon in an...
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Why Do We Cry Sad Tears?
Although some may be crocodile tears, crying is a distinct honor humans hold. Scholars learn the biological reason behind the emotional crying in a video lesson. The lesson instructor explores the anatomical and psychological connections...
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3 Incredible Examples of Evolution Hidden in Your Body
Human traits trace back to simpler species—such as chickens, for example. Using the human genomes, scientists connect these traits to their ancestral origins. A video presentation highlights the structure of human DNA and makes a...
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Why Do Disney Princesses All Look like Babies?
Could Disney be tricking people into caring about their characters? It seems the design of characters in recent years triggers our nurturing instincts. A video explains the science behind these instinctual habits—and why viewers are...
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How Some Words Get Forgetted
There's nothing regular about them—irregular verbs turn out to be the most common verbs in the English language. Through an analysis of data, learners discover that Zipf's Law describes the patterns of word usage.
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How Habits Change Your Brain
Have you ever driven home and weren't quite sure how you got there? If it's a path you take regularly, it's easy to recreate the habit without much thought. Learners explore the concept with a focus on the neurological pathways that make...
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Is Height All in Our Genes?
Humans on average are shorter than they were centuries ago. Young scholars analyze the factors that affect the height of individuals including historical trends in a video lesson. The presentation analyzes both genetic and...
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What Do Raindrops Really Look Like?
Raindrops are more like pancakes than teardrops. Scholars learn the physics behind the shape of a falling raindrop in a video lesson presentation. An episode explains the forces acting on the droplet and how those forces change as it...
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Will You Still Eat Raw Fish after Watching This Video?
Yikes, parasite eggs have been found in mummy remains! Scientists now know where they come from, but that doesn't always stop them. Learners explore the battle between parasites and hosts and how they strive to stay one step ahead of...
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Where Do Teeth Come From?
Surprisingly, dinosaur teeth and human teeth have a lot in common. Scholars discover how teeth form during embryonic development. They then compare fossil evidence of the similarities of teeth of ancient species.
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The Largest River on Earth Is in the Sky
Water vapor released by trees in the Amazon creates a floating river. In fact, it's the largest river on Earth! A video presentation examines the science behind the water vapor and explains how rains seeds form to create clouds.
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Can We Get Older Without Aging?
There are reasons elderly people are more susceptible to diseases. A video lesson instructor discusses the changes cells endure over someone's lifespan and how that affects the likelihood of contracting a disease.
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What Is Farthest Away?
It's difficult to believe in what you cannot see. A video presentation outlines evidence to convince scholars of the idea that there is no end to the universe. A video takes viewers on a trip through history to show learners how our...
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The Dinosaur on Your Dinner Table
Believe it or not, birds are dinosaurs! Scholars view evidence that connects birds to dinosaurs in a video lesson. The narrator outlines factors that prove birds are descendants of dinosaurs.
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The Deadliest Flu Season in History?
Is it possible for another flu outbreak like the Spanish Flu in 1918? A video lesson explains the factors that affect the spread of a virus and its effect on a population. The narrator describes the structure of the different virus...
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The Raisin Bran Effect
Everyone knows the smallest chips settle to the bottom of the bag, but why? An episode from a series of science videos describes the percolation effect using both demonstrations and animation. Scholars watch as smaller particles fill...
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Do Fish Pee?
Freshwater fish pee almost constantly, while saltwater fish pee very little. Scholars investigate the concept of homeostasis with a video lesson comparing fresh and saltwater fish. An episode describes how some fish absorb water, while...
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Does Someone Else Have Your Face?
Our brains may misrepresent features that make some faces look more alike than they actually are. Learners watch a video lesson that breaks down how the brain reads facial features and how those features themselves are not as important...
PBS
The Evolution of the Heart (A Love Story)
Not all hearts are the same, but their functions are similar. An instructor discusses the origin of the first organisms with a heart in a video lesson from the PBS Eons series. The lesson includes discussion of the evolution of the...
PBS
The Island of Shrinking Mammoths
We've heard about pygmy pigs—why not pygmy mammoths? Fossil evidence proves their existence, but the dilemma is figuring out where they lived. A video describes different theories on their evolution and migration.
PBS
The Humans That Lived Before Us
You may struggle to find similarities between humans and many of our ancestors. Fossil evidence finds more and more signs of similarities between humans and many other species. A lesson outlines the fossil evidence and the questions...
American Chemical Society
Why Tardigrades Are Some of the Most Hardcore Critters on the Planet
Small but fierce! The tardigrades are less than a millimeter long but can survive extreme cold, extreme heat, and even being in a vacuum. A video presentation explains the unique protein these organisms use to withstand extreme situations.
American Chemical Society
How Do You Catch Fruit Flies?
You can catch more fruit flies with vinegar than honey! Yes, that's right—they prefer vinegar over honey, and a video lesson explains why. It describes the chemical components of the food fruit flies prefer, and the results may surprise...