Crash Course
Yu the Engineer and Flood Stories from China: Crash Course World Mythology
New ReviewOn this Crash Course in World Mythology, Mike Rugnetta is teaching you about floods and deluges, specifically in China. In Chinese myth, flood stories pretty much all revolve around a guy named Yu the Great, or Yu the Engineer. In the...
Crash Course
Social Orders and Creation Stories: Crash Course World Mythology
New ReviewIn which Mike Rugnetta sits you down for a little talk about myth as a way to construct or reinforce social orders. Specifically, we're going to look today at stories from around the world that establish or amplify the idea that the...
Crash Course
Galahad, Perceval, and the Holy Grail: Crash Course World Mythology
New ReviewIn which Mike Rugnetta quests for knowledge of the Holy Grail of Mythology. Which is the actual, literal Holy Grail! The cup of Christ! Legends about the Holy Grail are often connected to the British legends of King Arthur, and this...
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What Biologists Do: Crash Course Biology #3
A biologist’s natural habitat is anywhere questions about life are being asked—whether the subject is a nematode or a narwhal, a single cell, or a whole ecosystem. In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’re flipping the microscope...
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The Scientific Method: Crash Course Biology #2
Science offers a way of discovering and understanding the world around us, driven by questions and tested with evidence. And it’s a twisty-turny team effort— you won’t find many lone geniuses out there, or straight lines from hypothesis...
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Introduction to Biology: Crash Course Biology #1
Biology is the study of life—a four-letter word that connects you to 4 billion years worth of family tree. The word “life” can be tricky to define, but a shared set of characteristics helps biologists identify living things. In this...
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Biology and You: The Dr. Sammy Show: Crash Course Biology #50
Biology connects all of life—all of YOUR life. In the final episode of Crash Course Biology, Dr. Sammy is taking your questions. No matter how big, small, or personal, biology is in them all! He’ll show us how biology can help us solve...
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Sexual & Asexual Reproduction: How Animals Do It: Crash Course Biology #47
When it comes to animal reproduction, there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy. Some animals need a mate, others don’t, and for some, it depends! In this episode, we’ll learn about sexual and asexual reproduction, internal and external...
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Nervous & Endocrine Systems: What Really Happens When You Step on a Lego: Crash Course Biology #46
If cells and organs never talked to each other, an animal would fall apart faster than a boy band after the popular one goes solo. Thankfully, that’s where the nervous and endocrine systems come in! In this episode of Crash Course...
Crash Course
Animal Defense Systems: How Skin, Snot, and Cells Keep Us Healthy: Crash Course Biology #45
The world is full of microbes and viruses that can get us sick, but we’ve got an Avengers-style defense system ready to take them on. In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll learn about an animal’s immune system, from their skin...
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Animal Infrastructure: Why You’re More Than Goo: Crash Course Biology #44
When you think about the body’s infrastructure, you probably think of bones. But what about the heart, the blood vessels, and the lymphatic system? In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll tour the cardiovascular, lymphatic, and...
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How Animals Turn Resources Into Waste: The Poop Episode: Crash Course Biology #43
Yep, this is the poop episode. Getting resources and getting rid of waste is so important, we have three whole systems dedicated to it! In this episode, we’ll learn how the respiratory system, digestive system, and urinary system work,...
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Multicellular Function: Why We Aren’t Just One Big Cell: Crash Course Biology #41
There are countless types of plants and animals on Earth, but how do they work? In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll take a bird’s eye view of how multicellular life functions, including how it’s organized, how it regulates...
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Viruses & Vaccines: How Do Vaccines Work?: Crash Course Biology 39
From the flu to COVID-19, viruses are a major threat in our everyday lives. In today’s episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll learn why viruses are like genes in a box, and how they invade and spread between cells. We’ll also discover...
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Bacterial DNA & Genetics: Crash Course Biology #38
Bacteria often get a bad rap, but they’re some of our best partners in science and medicine! In this episode, we’ll explore what bacteria are doing with their DNA — including how they can trade it around. We’ll learn about chromosomes...
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Genetic Mutations: Is Drinking Milk a Super Power?: Crash Course Biology #37
Science fiction is full of superpowered mutants, but in reality, mutations are much more diverse and complex. Sometimes, they can change someone’s entire body, and other times, we don’t notice them at all! In this episode, we’ll unpack...
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How Genes Express Themselves: Crash Course Biology #36
If nearly all your cells have the same DNA, why are muscle cells so different from skin cells? In this episode, we’ll learn how gene expression is regulated in eukaryotes, and how methylating DNA, modifying histones, and messing with...
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Translation: How RNA Gets Translated into Protein Power: Crash Course Biology #35
How does the information from mRNA turn into a protein? It all comes down to translation, where nucleotides are translated into a chain of amino acids. In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll cover codon-reading ribosomes, tRNA...
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Transcription: How mRNA Helped Save Lives: Crash Course Biology #34
You’ve probably heard of mRNA, thanks to the COVID-19 vaccine. But what is mRNA exactly? In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we learn about the role of messenger RNA in living things and how it decodes our DNA instruction manual...
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Genetic Traits: Nature? Nurture? Not That Simple: Crash Course Biology #32
It’s not nature versus nurture—it’s both! In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll explore how complex interactions between genes and the environment shape all sorts of traits, from human skin color to honeybees’ “royal jelly.”
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Intro to Genetics: Why Your Cat Looks Like That: Crash Course Biology #31
How do traits get passed down in our DNA? And what do genes have to do with cat fur? In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll untangle the simplest patterns of inheritance, and reassure our redheaded friends—you’re not going anywhere.
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Meiosis: Why Are All Humans Unique?: Crash Course Biology #30
Ever wonder why we aren’t exact clones of our parents, or why siblings aren’t exactly alike? The reason traces back to meiosis. In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll discover how egg and sperm cells get made and learn why you’re...
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Mitosis & the Cell Cycle: How Cells Clone Themselves: Crash Course Biology #29
What’s the life of a cell like? In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll follow a cell’s life cycle, from its beginning as a shiny new cell all the way to division via mitosis. We’ll learn how our cells control this process, and...
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Photosynthesis: The Original Solar Power: Crash Course Biology #28
Photosynthesis is a powerful process that is responsible for some of life’s most vital functions. In fact, consumers like us rely on photosynthetic producers to harness energy from the sun so that we can survive and thrive. In this...