TED Talks
TED: Hunting for dinosaurs showed me our place in the universe | Kenneth Lacovara
What happens when you discover a dinosaur? Paleontologist Kenneth Lacovara details his unearthing of Dreadnoughtus -- a 77-million-year-old sauropod that was as tall as a two-story house and as heavy as a jumbo jet -- and considers how...
TED Talks
TED: How to transform apocalypse fatigue into action on global warming | Per espen Stoknes
The biggest obstacle to dealing with climate disruptions lies between your ears, says psychologist and economist Per espen Stokes. He's spent years studying the defenses we use to avoid thinking about the demise of our planet -- and...
Be Smart
Venomous Creatures: The Evolution and Impact of Animal Venoms
Venom comes in all different types, so here's everything you'll ever need to know.
TED Talks
TED: Hidden miracles of the natural world | Louie Schwartzberg
We live in a world of unseeable beauty, so subtle and delicate that it is imperceptible to the human eye. To bring this invisible world to light, filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg bends the boundaries of time and space with high-speed...
TED Talks
TED: Can we prevent the end of the world? | Martin Rees
A post-apocalyptic Earth, emptied of humans, seems like the stuff of science fiction TV and movies. But in this short, surprising talk, Lord Martin Rees asks us to think about our real existential risks — natural and human-made threats...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why can parrots talk? | Grace Smith-Viduarre and Tim Wright
Whether they're belting Beyoncé, head-banging to classic rock, or rattling off curse words at zoo-goers, parrots are constantly astounding us. They are among the only animals that produce human speech, and some parrots do it almost...
TED Talks
Rob Harmon: How to keep rivers and streams flowing
With streams and rivers drying up because of over-usage, Rob Harmon talks about a clever market mechanism to bring back the water. Farmers and beer companies find their fates intertwined in the century-old tale of Prickly Pear Creek.
TED Talks
TED: Can we create new senses for humans? | David Eagleman
As humans, we can perceive less than a ten-trillionth of all light waves. "Our experience of reality," says neuroscientist David Eagleman, "is constrained by our biology." He wants to change that. His research into our brain processes...
SciShow
This Beautiful House Is Made of Snot
These giant balls of mucus may seem like a bizarre sight in the open ocean, but all this snot serves a purpose, both for the tiny creatures that produce it and for the entire ocean ecosystem!
SciShow
The Pristine Visitor From Another Star
You may have heard of the first interstellar object observed in our solar system, but did you know there's more than one? And speaking of icy rocks, new research suggests the ocean under the icy crust of Enceladus could be more dynamic...
TED Talks
TED: The radical possibilities of man-made DNA | Floyd E. Romesberg
Every cell that's ever lived has been the result of the four-letter genetic alphabet: A, T, C and G -- the basic units of DNA. But now that's changed. In a visionary talk, synthetic biologist Floyd E. Romesberg introduces us to the first...
SciShow Kids
How Plants Drink Fog! | SciShow Kids
Trees need water to grow, so how do Redwood trees get so big, despite the fact that it gets so dry?
First Grade Next Generation Science Standards
Crosscutting Concept:
Structure and Function: The way an object is shaped or structured...
TED Talks
Roy Gould + Curtis Wong: A preview of the WorldWide Telescope
Educator Roy Gould and researcher Curtis Wong show a sneak preview of Microsoft's WorldWide Telescope, which compiles images from telescopes and satellites to build a comprehensive, interactive view of our universe.
TED Talks
TED: The taboo secret to better health | Molly Winter
Our poop and pee have superpowers, but for the most part we don't harness them. Molly Winter faces down our squeamishness and asks us to see what goes down the toilet as a resource, one that can help fight climate change, spur innovation...
TED Talks
Sarah T. Stewart: Where did the Moon come from? A new theory
The Earth and Moon are like identical twins, made up of the exact same materials -- which is really strange, since no other celestial bodies we know of share this kind of chemical relationship. What's responsible for this special...
TED Talks
TED: The story of 'Oumuamua, the first visitor from another star system | Karen J. Meech
In October 2017, astrobiologist Karen J. Meech got the call every astronomer waits for: NASA had spotted the very first visitor from another star system. The interstellar comet -- a half-mile-long object eventually named `Oumuamua, from...
SciShow
The Science Behind 'Genetically Modified Humans'
The media have been talking about “genetically modified humans” and “designer babies.” But what they’re really talking about is germ-line engineering: a process that could help eliminate heritable diseases. So why do some scientists want...
Be Smart
Is Evolution Random? - 12 Days of Evolution #2
Some of the biggest evolution questions finally answered.
TED Talks
Robert Full: Learning from the gecko's tail
Biologist Robert Full studies the amazing gecko, with its supersticky feet and tenacious climbing skill. But high-speed footage reveals that the gecko's tail harbors perhaps the most surprising talents of all.
TED Talks
Bastian Schaefer: A 3D-printed jumbo jet?
Designer Bastian Schaefer shows off a speculative design for the future of jet planes, with a skeleton inspired by strong, flexible, natural forms and by the needs of the world's, ahem, growing population. Imagine an airplane that's full...
TED Talks
Michael Green: Why we should build wooden skyscrapers
Building a skyscraper? Forget about steel and concrete, says architect Michael Green, and build it out of … wood. As he details in this intriguing talk, it's not only possible to build safe wooden structures up to 30 stories tall (and,...
TED Talks
TED: What I learned from Nelson Mandela | Boyd Varty
In the cathedral of the wild, we get to see the best parts of ourselves reflected back to us. Boyd Varty, a wildlife activist, shares stories of animals, humans and their interrelatedness, or "ubuntu" -- defined as, "I am, because of...
SciShow
Dust Could Turn Extreme Planets Habitable | SciShow News
Some tidally-locked exoplanets might actually be more habitable than astronomers initially thought, and we have some ideas about how Peter Pan disks can last so much longer than other protoplanetary disks.