The National Academies: Our Energy System

How does the sun give us light and heat? Discover what's really going on inside the centerpiece of our solar system in a brief video. The content includes common misconceptions about the sun's source of energy, how the simple elements...

The many sources of energy production in the United States are described in this overview. Included are traditional sources, renewable sources, and new energy production technologies.

Nuclear fission energy accounts for a large portion of energy production worldwide. New plants will use improved technologies. There is also research underway to explore how to harness the energy produced from nuclear fusion, but this...

A fascinating lecture on history by David Christian, who is known for an interdisciplinary approach called Big History. His talk is enhanced by computer graphics and diagrams, but holds its own simply by its span of disciplines. Hear...

This interactive activity from the The National Academies of Sciences examines the ways that improved energy efficiency can be achieved at home and on the road. Compare technology in both settings, and understand their energy...

The Space Studies Board is a division of the National Academies which were created to advise the government in scientific and technical matters.

What is energy, anyway? Use this featurette as an introduction to your middle school energy unit. It successfully touches each of Earth's physical systems, the sun as our main source of energy, and the flow of energy through the food...

The main categories of our energy use - home, work, transportation and industry - are examined to see how much energy we are using and what can be predicted about our use in the furture.

Statistically speaking, it is more than possible that extraterrestrial life exists in our solar system. An engaging short video examines moons and planets that might support life, although not just life as we know it.

11-year-old Birke Baehr describes what he calls "the dark side of the industrialized food system". Explaining everything from genetically engineered seeds and organisms to Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), Baehr...