Most animals with a backbone possess a tail, and they use them for all sorts of purposes. There isn’t just one reason for having a tail, it all depends on what the animal is adapted for.

As a medical clown, TED Resident Matthew A. Wilson takes the old adage that laughter is the best medicine very seriously. In this heartwarming talk, he shares glimpses of how clowning around can help patients (and medical staff) navigate...

The big blue buildings of Ikea have sprouted solar panels and wind turbines; inside, shelves are stocked with LED lighting and recycled cotton. Why? Because as Steve Howard puts it: “Sustainability has gone from a nice-to-do to a...

Have you ever seen an airplane high in the sky leave a long trail behind it? That's called a contrail! It's kind of like a cloud, or your breath on a cold day. Jessi and Squeaks explain the special circumstances that make contrails happen!

Patricia Kuhl shares astonishing findings about how babies learn one language over another -- by listening to the humans around them and "taking statistics" on the sounds they need to know. Clever lab experiments (and brain scans) show...

How do we make sure that development and aid money actually goes to the people who most need it? Sanjay Pradhan of the World Bank Institute lays out three guidelines to help relief efforts make the most impact -- while curbing...

J.D. Vance grew up in a small, poor city in the Rust Belt of southern Ohio, where he had a front-row seat to many of the social ills plaguing America: a heroin epidemic, failing schools, families torn apart by divorce and sometimes...

Jessi and Squeaks are packing up for a long trip, but before saying goodbye, wanted to share some of their favorite videos.

Join Jessi and Squeaks as they answer questions in the first viewer mail episode from SciShow Kids!

Poop: it's gross... it's funny... it's educational?! Join Jessi and learn all about how you can observe poop in your neighborhood to figure out what kinds of animals live near you! Just don't touch it!

Most of us love flowers for how good they smell! But did you know some flowers are actually pretty stinky? Join Jessi and Squeaks to learn all about Trudy: The World's Smelliest Flower!

Could it be wrong to help children in need by starting an orphanage? In this eye-opening talk about the bad consequences of good intentions, Tara Winkler speaks out against the spread of orphanages in developing countries, caused in part...

What has tough skin, a tiny tail, and a big horn on its nose? A rhino! Join Jessi and Squeaks and learn all about these super cool, super strong animals!

If you hate avocado-toast-loving, technology-addicted millennials, you might hate them for the wrong reasons.

We know the negative images of Africa -- famine and disease, conflict and corruption. But, says Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, there's another, less-told story happening in many African nations: one of reform, economic growth and business...

American democracy cannot be great until it is good, says lawyer, Harvard professor and former governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick. A self-identified patriot, Patrick stands behind the fundamental values and civic ideals that he...

We all know that brushing our teeth is important but now with this experiment you can actually SEE how brushing keeps your teeth clean!

Our kids are our future, and it's crucial they believe it themselves. That's why Nadia Lopez opened an academic oasis in Brownsville, Brooklyn, one of the most underserved and violent neighborhoods in New York -- because she believes in...

Jessi and Squeaks learn all about crystallization while they make some yummy rock candy!



Second Grade Next Generation Science

Standards

Disc

iplinary Core Ideas:

PS1.A: Structure and Properties...

While children are only a small minority of those who test positive for COVID-19, we’re starting to see evidence of a rare, but serious, complication in children that resembles a condition known as Kawasaki disease. Here’s what doctors...

The year is 1249 CE. King Louis IX is sailing the Nile, threatening to overthrow the sultan and capture Egypt. Egypt's commanders ask the sultan's wife, Shajar Al-Durr, to report this news to the injured sultan. But they don't know the...

More than 90 percent of children in the US see a doctor at least once a year, which means countless hours spent in waiting rooms for parents. What if those hours could be used for something productive -- like saving money? Through her...

Myriam Sidibe is a warrior in the fight against childhood disease. Her weapon of choice? A bar of soap. For cost-effective prevention against sickness, it’s hard to beat soapy hand-washing, which cuts down risk of pneumonia, diarrhea,...

MIT grad student David Merrill demos Siftables -- cookie-sized, computerized tiles you can stack and shuffle in your hands. These future-toys can do math, play music, and talk to their friends, too. Is this the next thing in hands-on...