Curated Video
Expansion and Contraction
Discover how different materials react to heat, and why this can be both useful and dangerous. Physics - Energy And Radioactivity - Learning Points. Temperature affects the size and shape of an object due to the expansion and contraction...
Curated Video
Melatonin and Sleep
Melatonin regulates our sleep cycle and during puberty this hormone becomes imbalanced. Could this be why teenagers are moody? Biology - Being Human - Learning Points. The hormone melatonin regulates the circadian rhythm - the body's...
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Harmful Drugs: Cocaine
Cocaine is derived from the coca plant and is used in powder and rock forms. What effects does cocaine have on the brain and body, and what makes it such an addictive drug? Biology - Healthy Living - Cocaine is a drug derived from the...
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Planet Hunters
Scientists suppose there could be other life-bearing planets like Earth. To find them, they are looking for 'wobbling' stars. Physics - Universe - Learning Points. When a planet orbits a star, it has just enough gravitational force to...
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Beetles
Different beetles flourish in different climates. British researchers have used this knowledge to dig into climate change history. Earth Science - Human Impacts - Learning Points. Climate proxies, such as tree rings or dead beetles, can...
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Distorted Graphs: Heat wave
What does this graph show? Information is gradually built up throughout the film to show not only why some information is vital to an accurate graph, but why lack or skewing of information can lead to misrepresentation. Maths -...
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Hot Air Balloons
Hot air balloons rely on heat alone to keep them in the sky. How does this work? Physics - Energy And Radioactivity - Learning Points. Hot air rises in cool air because it is less dense. The hot air within a hot air balloon creates the...
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Gas Laws
The air we breathe is made up of a mixture of gases. Discover the invisible forces of gas at work around us. Physics - Forces - Learning Points. The air we breathe is made up of gases including nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide. The...
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Harmful Drugs: Ecstasy
Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, is one of the most commonly used harmful drugs. How does the drug affect the brain and body, and what are the long-term repercussions associated with its use? Biology - Healthy Living - Ecstasy is a drug...
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Earthly Treasures: Precious Gemstones
Discover the specific conditions needed for the formation of emeralds, rubies and sapphires; and how there is now potential to 'grow' them in laboratories. Earth Science - Geology - Learning Points. Emeralds are made from beryllium....
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Red Hot: Emergency Stop
Revealed: the tremendous heat created and energy 'lost' when cars brake. Physics - Energy And Radioactivity - Learning Points. Car brakes convert kinetic energy into heat energy. When you press the car brake pad a system of levers and...
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Death of the Sun
The Sun is dying, getting hotter as it goes. Eventually it will shrink into a black dwarf, but life will have vanished long before. Physics - Our Solar System - Learning Points. The Sun is 5 billion years old and will begin to die in 5...
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Steam Power
Steam power lay at the heart of the Industrial Revolution. Discover steam power's historic legacy, how it works, and how much it is still used today. Physics - Energy And Radioactivity - Learning Points. The steam engine is one of the...
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Saturn
Where does Saturn fit into the Solar System and what makes this planet unique? Physics - Our Solar System - Learning Points. Saturn is the 6th planet from the Sun. Saturn has such a low density that it would float on water. There are...
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Factpack: Enzymes
How enzymes power the everyday chemical reactions our bodies rely on. Biology - Cells And DNA - Learning Points. A Twig FactPack Film. Open a discussion on what has been already learnt in a topic, or use to grab attention at the start of...
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The Sun - Our Star
Our Sun is a medium sized star, which creates the perfect conditions for life on Earth. What happens on the Sun and how do stars, including the Sun, live and die? Physics - Our Solar System - Learning Points. The Sun is 4.6 billion years...
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Neptune
Where does Neptune fit into the Solar System and what makes this planet unique? Physics - Our Solar System - Learning Points. Neptune is the 8th planet from the Sun. It takes Neptune 165 Earth years to orbit the Sun. Neptune has the...
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Predicting Volcanic Eruptions
Learn how scientists can predict volcanic activity using seismology to monitor lava patterns deep underground. Earth Science - Geology - Learning Points. Scientists use seismology to predict an eruption. A "long-period event" involves...
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A History of Mass Extinctions
The cause and impacts of the five mass extinction events in Earth's history, and predictions for a sixth which could end human life. Biology - Adaptation And Evolution - Learning Points. Is Earth experiencing its six mass extinction, as...
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Colonising the Moon
From the Russians' attempt to colonise the Moon to eccentric plans for Mars. Physics - Universe - Learning Points. The longest anyone has ever stayed on the Moon is 75 hours. Helium-3 is rare on Earth but can be processed from Moon soil,...
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Place Like Home: Cassini
The enormous challenge of building a probe capable of travelling over 1 billion kilometres to reach Saturn's moon, Titan. Physics - Universe - Learning Points. Huygens probe was designed by the European Space Agency at a cost of £400...
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The Birth of Our Solar System
The explosive reactions and forces, from gravity to nuclear fsion, which formed our Solar System. Physics - Our Solar System - Learning Points. Our Solar System is the region of space which falls within the gravitational influence of our...
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Deserts
Deserts are regions that receive very little precipitation each year, but how are they formed? The unique characteristics of the world's deserts, from hot to polar. Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. Deserts are the driest...
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Venus 2: Surface
The first probe to successfully land on another planet arrived on Venus, where it found one of the most hostile atmospheres known to man. Physics - Our Solar System - Learning Points. In 1971, the Russians succeeded in landing the Venera...