Paul Andersen explains the importance and location of interstitial fluid. He describes both the hydrostatic and osmotic pressures that move fluid between the interstitial fluid and the capillary. He also explains the major function of...

In this video Paul Andersen explains how all material has magnetic properties. Ferromagnetic material can be permanently magnetized, paramagnetic material will align with magnetic fields, and diamagnetic material will align weakly with...

When you burn fat, where does it go? Many people, even some doctors, think it's just "burned up." But that's not possible! Find out where your fat really goes!

Magnets are amazingly strong... but there's a very easy way to destroy them. All you need to know is a little bit about ferromagnetism, paramagnetism, and temperature!

David Hanson's robot faces look and act like yours: They recognize and respond to emotion, and make expressions of their own. Here, an "emotional" live demo of the Einstein robot offers a peek at a future where robots truly mimic humans.

Did you know we can actually make diamonds in a lab? It's true! We can! And this is both really good and really cool. In this episode of Crash Course Kids, Sabrina shows us how materials scientists have done just that and why it's so...

Each year humanity produces roughly 400 million tons of plastic, 80% of which is discarded as trash. Of that plastic waste, only one-tenth is recycled. 60% gets incinerated or goes into the landfills, and 30% leaks out into the...

Plastics are everywhere -- they're in our favorite electronic devices, they package our food and insulate our homes. Today, the total mass of plastic is twice the total mass of all living organisms on the planet, and it's starting to...

The welding process usually involves pretty extreme levels of heat. But it turns out that in the cold vacuum of space, metals can weld together... automatically.

Join Phil for a tour of our capital-M Moon, from surface features, inside to the core, and back in time to theories about its formation.

Paul Andersen gives you a brief introduction to the cell membrane. He starts by describing amphipathic nature of a phospholipid and how it assembles into a membrane. He gives an overview of the fluid mosaic model inside cells. He...

We’ve talked about different materials engineers use to build things in the world, but there’s a special category of materials they turn to when building things to go inside our bodies. In this episode we’ll explore the world...

In this video Paul Andersen explains how electromagnetic induction occurs when the magnetic flux of an object changes. The magnetic flux is product of the surface area perpendicular to the magnetic field and the magnetic field strength....

Scientists and Engineers spend over half of their working day reading, evaluating and producing text. Therefore it is important that we produce students that have a high level of scientific literacy. Students normally struggle with...

Janine Benyus has a message for inventors: When solving a design problem, look to nature first. There you'll find inspired designs for making things waterproof, aerodynamic, solar-powered and more. Here she reveals dozens of new products...

Paul Andersen begins with a brief description of NASA discoveries related to Mars, Mercury and water. He then explains why water is required for life. He finally uses a simulation to show you why water acts as a wonderful solvent and...

Among living things, the color blue is oddly rare. Blue rocks, blue sky, blue water, sure. But blue animals? They are few and far between. In this video, we'll look at some very cool butterflies with Bob Robbins, Ph.D. from...

In today's Crash Course Astronomy, Phil takes a look at the explosive history of our cosmic backyard. We explore how we went from a giant ball of gas to the system of planets and other celestial objects we have today.

It turns out that saving all of your studying until after midnight on the night before your big exam is not actually a great way to prepare. Today, Thomas explains some test prep strategies that actually work.

How to Survive a Lightning Strike

So, we know what materials are, but can we make new materials? Or improve the materials we already have? In this episode of Crash Course Kids, Sabrina shows us how Material Scientists are working on these two things today. Also, your...

Today roads, sidewalks, bridges, and skyscrapers are made of a material called concrete. There's three tons of it for every person on Earth. It's also played a surprisingly large role in rising global temperatures over the last century....

Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system. The gas giant is NOT a failed star, but a really successful planet! It has a dynamic atmosphere with belts and zones, as well as an enormous red spot that’s actually a persistent...

Research suggests that nearly every star has at least one planet, but we haven't found any other solar systems that look quite like ours.