Bite Sci-zed
Biomimicry
Nature often offers the best inspiration. Scholars learn about biomimicry and how humans often copy nature to create new products. They explore real-world examples such as including solar panels that mimic leaves, the texture of shark...
PBS
When Giant Scorpions Swarmed the Seas
Bigger and faster is not always better! Explore the characteristics of the ancestors of the current scorpions with an intriguing video. Scholars learn the connections of these changes to the environment of the different time periods.
TED-Ed
The Lovable (and Lethal) Sea Lion
What lives in the ocean, has ears, walks on all fours, and can reach a top speed of 18 miles an hour? Why, the sea lion, of course! A cute, animated video introduces viewers to the majestic aquatic mammal.
Crash Course
Ecology: Crash Course History of Science #38
Relive the birth of ecology and its different branches. The narrator of the 37th video lesson in a History of Sciences series explains the systems nature of ecology. He then explores the major advances of ecology from a historical...
Be Smart
Are You Afraid of Holes?
Are you afraid of holes? Believe it or not, some people are! An interesting video explores the science behind trypophobia, or the fear of small holes. Viewers learn about the scientific difference between fear and disgust and identify...
PBS
The Giant Bird That Got Lost in Time
The California condor is the largest flying bird in North America and has been for a very long time. While perfectly equipped to survive in their time period, today there are fewer and fewer in existence. An episode of a larger series...
PBS
The Island of Huge Hamsters and Giant Owls
From cute little birds to giant aviary specimens—all animals evolve! Learn how natural selection on an isolated island in the Mediterranean encouraged animals species to increase in size. The narrator discusses fossil evidence that...
TED-Ed
How This Disease Changes the Shape of Your Cells
Just what exactly is sickle cell disease? A short, animated video explains how the cell adaption works, how inheriting the sickle cell trait can be an advantage in malaria-prone areas, and how sickle cell disease can be deadly.
TED-Ed
The Sexual Deception of Orchids
A plant engaged in sexual deception? Strange but true. Believe it or not, orchids have developed a range of sexual adaptations that permit them to attract pollinators. The narrator of a short video describes a variety of strategies used...
TED-Ed
A Brief History of Dogs
Canis lupus familiaris. Sound familiar? A short video traces the evolution of canines from wolves to the variety of domesticated dog breeds we find today.
American Chemical Society
Why Don’t Antarctic Fish Freeze to Death?
Some fish not only survive but thrive in Antarctic waters. Learn their secret in a lesson in an informative video about the freezing point of the salty sea water as well as the antifreeze proteins in the species' circulatory system.
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.
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
Why Flamingos Are Pink and Hardcore
They're not just pretty faces! Flamingos may look delicate, but they have adaptations that allow them to survive in areas most other organisms cannot. A video lesson in a larger ACS Reactions series describes how flamingos survive in...
PBS
How Blood Evolved (Many Times)
Red, purple, green, blue, and white are all colors of ... animal blood! Young scholars learn about the evolution of animal blood over time in a video lesson from a comprehensive Eons series. They learn that not only has the color...
PBS
When Humans Were Prey
A quarry worker in southern Africa discovered the first fossil evidence that the human species originated on the continent less than 100 years ago! Evidence from the specimen indicates the first humans were not the hunters—but the prey....
PBS
When Camels Roamed North America
Camels thrive where other animals can't survive! Interestingly enough, the camel didn't originate in the desert, but rather the rain forest. Part of an extensive PBS Eons playlist, a video presentation follows the migration and...
PBS
When Birds Stopped Flying
Flight seems like an important adaptive advantage, so why did some birds lose their ability to take to the skies? A video from the PBS Eons series explains the evolutionary paths of different species of birds while emphasizing the...
TED-Ed
Why Can't Some Birds Fly?
Back in the day, all birds had the ability to fly. Why would evolutionary adaptations take that away from some species? A video presentation discusses the cost of having the ability to fly and why that feature may not be ideal for...
Nature League
Why Are Animals Getting Smaller? - From A to B
Many believe dinosaurs were much larger than animals of today, but even the biggest dinosaur was only half the size of the average adult blue whale. Understanding why animals appear to be getting smaller starts with a discussion of...
Nature League
Adaptations at Animal Wonders - Field Trip
The word camouflage was first found use in English in the 1917 edition of Popular Science magazine. Camouflage, along with many other variations, star in the second video in a four-part series about adaptations. Join the virtual...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Pocket Mouse and Predation
The rock pocket mouse exists either with light colored or dark colored fur. As their habitat changes from sandy desert to lava flows the prominence of each color fur also changes. Viewers compare the visibility of each mouse's fur color...
Nature League
Increasing Night Life of Mammals - De-Natured
How do animals avoid predators, including humans, if they can't move to a new habitat? The third video in a four-part series explains a recently published article on the topic of adaptations. Many mammals shift their schedules to a more...