TED Talks
Laura Boykin: How we're using DNA tech to help farmers fight crop diseases
Nearly 800 million people worldwide depend on cassava for survival -- but this critical food source is under attack by entirely preventable viruses, says computational biologist and TED Senior Fellow Laura Boykin. She takes us to the...
SciShow
Eating Your Immunizations
For those with a fear of needles, edible vaccines seem like some distant utopian dream, but that dream may soon be a reality... for chickens.
PBS
Should We Colonize Venus Instead of Mars?
Mars One. The Mars Rover. Bruno Mars. Mars Bars. It's pretty clear we're OBSESSED with the idea of Mars, especially in regard to it being a potential colony for earthlings. But is that really the best option? Is there a better place for...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How corn conquered the world | Chris A. Kniesly
Corn currently accounts for more than one tenth of our global crop production. And over 99% of cultivated corn is the exact same type: Yellow Dent #2. This means that humans grow more Yellow Dent #2 than any other plant on the planet. So...
SciShow
The Real Reason Peppers are Spicy
SciShow’s hot take: Peppers don’t produce that spicy goodness for the reason you think!
SciShow
Why Do We Keep Planting Trees That Smell Like Semen?
What's that awful smell? Cat urine? Semen? Rancid butter? Possibly one of these gorgeous city trees?
SciShow
Why Are These Bees STABBING Plants?
Humans know a lot about bees, seeing as they impact both our ecology and our economy. But there's something about bumble bees that we totally missed until recently; a super weird and mysterious behavior that might give them a leg up in...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What if there were 1 trillion more trees? | Jean-François Bastin
Today humanity produces more than 1,400 tons of carbon every minute. To combat climate change, we need to reduce fossil fuel emissions, and draw down excess CO2 to restore the balance of greenhouse gases. Like all plants, trees consume...
SciShow
The Plant That Grows Perches for Birds
The rat's tail plant, or Babiana ringens earns its name for the distinct stem that grows above its flowers. But what's the purpose of this odd looking appendage? Chapters View all 0:05 0:54 1:13 2:11
SciShow
We Had Catnip All Wrong
Why do cats love catnip so much? Researchers have found a possible evolutionary answer to this adorable feline phenomenon!
TED Talks
TED: Climate change is becoming a problem you can taste | Amanda Little
Our food systems have not been designed to adapt to major disruptions like climate change, says environmental journalist Amanda Little. In this eye-opening talk, she shows how the climate crisis could devastate our food supply -- and...
SciShow
Why Are Plants Green Instead of Black?
Nothing says "nature" like a lush green forest. But why are plants green in the first place?
SciShow
How Ants Take Care of Their Farms
Hundreds of ant species have been farming for tens of millions of years.
SciShow
How Plants Attract Bodyguards
Lots of plants make nectar to attract pollinators, but some make special, extra nectar pots outside their flowers to feed their bodyguards.
SciShow
8 Crafty Plants That Have Mastered Deceit
While plants don't really have the thumbs required for high-end cosplay, here are a few that have made a career of looking like something they're not. Chapters View all SOUTH AFRICAN RESTIAD 0:37 COMMON LUNGWORT 1:39 PEBBLE PLANTS 2:36...
SciShow
Bringing Back the Lost American Chestnut Tree
American chestnut trees were all over the US at the end of the 19th century until the fungus wiped most of them out. Scientists have been trying to figure out ways to bring those endangered American chestnuts back to their former glory.
SciShow
Seed-Inspired Microdevices and Zombie Plants
This week in news, we dive into microfliers inspired by seeds and parasites that turn plants into zombie plants!
TED-Ed
TED-ED: How plants tell time - Dasha Savage
Morning glories unfurl their petals like clockwork in the early morning. A closing white waterlily signals that it's late afternoon. And moon flowers, as their name suggests, only bloom under the night sky. What gives plants this innate...
Bozeman Science
Mechanisms of Timing and Control
Paul Andersen explains how organisms regulate timing and control. Phototropism and Photoperiodism allow plants to respond to light throughout the day and year. Circadian rhythms are used in all organisms (including animals) as an...
Crash Course Kids
Vegetation Transformation
Have you ever seen a magic trick where one thing changes to another thing? Well, that's nothing compared to what plants can do through a process called photosynthesis. In this episode, Sabrina talks about how photosynthesis works! This...
SciShow
Reinventing the Wheel: 5 Species That Roll
If wheels and rolling have proven so efficient for humans, why hasn’t evolution pushed at least some other species in that direction? Well actually, there are a few species that can get around by rolling. Chapters View all GOLDEN WHEEL...
TED Talks
TED: The roots of plant intelligence | Stefano Mancuso
Plants behave in some oddly intelligent ways: fighting predators, maximizing food opportunities ... But can we think of them as actually having a form of intelligence of their own? Italian botanist Stefano Mancuso presents intriguing...
SciShow
The Oldest Plant-Like Fossils Ever
Researchers might have discovered the 2 oldest plant-like fossils this week! Meanwhile, scientists learned more about another superpower of our favorite organism: tardigrades.
TED Talks
TED: This computer will grow your food in the future | Caleb Harper
What if we could grow delicious, nutrient-dense food, indoors anywhere in the world? Caleb Harper, director of the Open Agriculture Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, wants to change the food system by connecting growers with technology....