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What is Wind?
Wind is everywhere. The air is constantly moving, sometimes gently, sometimes violently. Why? Pressure, temperature and rotation come together to make wind. Here's how.
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The Cheerios Effect
Ever notice how cereal clumps up in your bowl, or how cereal sticks to the edges of the bowl? Bubbles in beverages do the same thing.You've probably seen this surface tension and buoyancy at work, but did you know there's some...
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Can We Get Older Without Aging?
Nothing is guaranteed in life except death, taxes, and entropy. What do other life forms have to teach us about staying alive as we get old, and will we ever conquer death?
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6 Chemical Reactions That Changed History
From fire to food, check out these life-altering reactions that surround us everyday.
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What Has New Horizons Taught Us About Pluto?
Since New Horizons flew by Pluto on July 14, 2015, it's completely redefined what we know about the dwarf planet and its largest moon Charon. New Horizons' mission will continue to be full of surprises, but here's what we've learned so far
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Defusing the Population Bomb
Is overpopulation real? Is Earth filling up with too many humans? How many people can Earth hold, anyway? As our species approaches 8 billion, human overpopulation is a major concern for many people. How can we reduce poverty and our...
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DNA Doesn't Look Like What You Think!
Biology textbooks are full of drawings of DNA, but none of those show what DNA actually looks like. Sure, they're good models for understanding how DNA works, but inside of real cells, it's a whole lot more interesting. Learn why we...
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Which Came First - Flowers or Bees?
Bees and flowers have an amazingly close relationship. Flowers need bees in order to reproduce, and bees need flowers to feed their colonies. Take away one, and the other would disappear too. It begs the question: When it comes to...
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Is Inheritance Really All In Our Genes?
Epigenetic inheritance is really weird, but is it real?
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Incredible Tails Of Amazing Whales!
Whales are amazing animals. Since they evolved from land mammals, their biology breaks ALL the rules! Well, as whales say, rules were meant to be broken.
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How Do Glaciers Move?
Glacier ice is weird. It's solid. Solid things aren't supposed to flow. But glacier ice flows like a liquid, and it does that without melting! How is this possible? I traveled to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska to find out.
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Dogs and Humans: A 30,000-Year Friendship (ft. MinuteEarth)
Of all the species that humans have domesticated, dogs are our oldest animal friends. But how did a group of wolves become the furry pup at the end of the bed? New research is finally unlocking the paw-in-hand evolution of dogs and...
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Solving the Puzzle of Plate Tectonics
Why do Africa and South America fit together? Anyone who's ever looked at a map can see that Earth's continents are kind of like a jigsaw puzzle. The idea that continents are constantly moving and weren't always in their current spots is...
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Science of Marathon Running
So maybe we can't outrun cheetahs or antelope, but humans are uniquely adapted for long distance running. What does science have to say about marathon running? To find out, (and because I was feeling a little crazy) I decided to run one!...
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What Is Evolution, Anyway? - 12 Days of Evolution #1
Some of the biggest evolution questions finally answered.
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Where Did Humans Come From?
In part 1 of our special series on human ancestry, we tour through our family tree to meet our ancestors and distant cousins, and to find out what made us human along the way. The story of human ancestry is not a simple progression from...
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Why Do We Cook?
Why do humans cook? Holidays are celebrated in many ways, but chances are they involve eating, and eating a LOT. Ever wonder why we cook our food? We do it because it tastes good, of course, and because our customs and traditions are...
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The Surprising Reason We Eat Spicy Food
People who live near the equator use more spices per recipe than people who live far from the equator. But that isn't for the reason you think. Spices and other plant ingredients have special powers that make them a truly magical superfood!
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Why Vaccines Work
As more and more parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children or are vaccinating them later, diseases like measles are making a comeback. Are vaccines safe? How do vaccines work? Why do some people claim there is a link between...
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Do You Really Have Two Brains?
Are you a left-brained person or a right-brained person? Spoiler: You're neither.
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Why Is Blue So Rare In Nature?
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 Smithsonian's...