Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Pocket Mouse Evolution
G.H. Hardy and Wilhelm Weinberg created a mathematical formula to predict genotype frequencies. Observe a simulation of the Hardy-Weinberg equation using pocket mice. Scholars consider the selection coefficient, selective advantage, and...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
How a Heart Attack Occurs
Heart disease causes more deaths in both men and women in the United States than any other factor, buy many people don't fully understand what causes a heart attack. A brief animation demonstrates the slow buildup of plaque, a blockage...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Know your number! Diabetes and heart disease both increase with higher body mass index numbers. Understanding the body mass index (BMI) helps scholars take control of their own health. They view a comparison of what various BMI...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Translation (Basic Detail)
RNA translates three letters at a time to create a perfect protein chain. With the help of an animation, viewers discover the process of translation in real time. From ribosome to protein, the program creating living things finds...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Sanger Method of DNA Sequencing
Fred Sanger created the first method of sequencing DNA in 1977 using chemical alterations. Learn more about the Sanger method with a brief animation demonstrating the replication, ordering, and piecing together steps in the process.
California Academy of Science
Think Before You Eat
Small changes in individual diets add up quickly, which is the theme of the ninth lesson in the 13-part Our Hungry Planet unit. Viewers watch a video to learn basic facts before reading a handout and discussing their own choices.
California Academy of Science
Nuclear Energy: Is Fission the Future?
Nuclear energy powers the Mars rovers as well as provides energy in more than 30 countries around the world. While some believe nuclear energy is the future of energy production, others worry about the risk factors and radioactive waste....
PBS
When We First Walked
Out of all mammals, only humans walk on two feet. Discuss the current scientific understanding of when this specific adaptation began. A video shares facts about many different species and theories about why the shift occurred. New...
PBS
Life, Sex, and Death Among the Dire Wolves
Scientists know a great deal about extinct dire wolves thanks to a large number fossilized in one geographical area. They lived in groups, hunted opportunistic or wounded prey, and were fierce in battle and sex. Learn more with an...
California Academy of Science
Bugs for Breakfast
More people in the world eat bugs as a source of protein than the number of people who don't eat bugs. Viewers consider bugs as a food source to solve multiple issues. Our Hungry Planet introduces bug-based food as a possible solution to...
California Academy of Science
Why Protect Pollinators?
Would you rather having biting flies or chocolate? The question may seem absurd, but cocoa trees rely on pollination from biting flies. Viewers come to understand the importance of pollinators to our food supply, flowers, and entire...
California Academy of Science
What's Up With Your Gut Microbiome?
Some scientists now consider the gut microbiome a distinct organ in the human body. Curious science scholars learn about this ecosystem thriving inside them and its important functions with a video from Our Hungry Planet. The 11th lesson...
California Academy of Science
Reducing Food Waste
The average American creates more than 240 pounds of food waste every year. Are there ways to reduce that number? The eighth lesson in the 13-part series covering Our Hungry Planet introduces multiple ideas for reducing food waste. It...
California Academy of Science
Vertical Farming
Half of crops from traditional farming never get harvested, while 90 percent of crops from vertical farming go into the food supply. As land runs out for farming and the need for crops increases, could vertical farming solve the problem?...
California Academy of Science
Urban Farming
More than 20 million Americans lack access to grocery stores. The sixth lesson in the 13-part unit on Our Hungry Planet introduces the concept of food deserts and ideas to correct this lack of access. Discussion questions provide a...
California Academy of Science
What is the Environmental Impact of Feeding the World?
One in every seven people suffer from a lack of basic food. Our Hungry Planet introduces this complex issue in the second lesson of an interesting 13-part unit. It discusses the space needed to grow and raise food, the transportation of...
California Academy of Science
Recharging Aquifers
The ninth lesson in a 10-part series on Fresh Solutions explains how aquifers develop and how people currently use them. The video also explores how aquifers are being depleted faster than they refill and the long-term concerns about...
California Academy of Science
Waste Water Recycling
What types of water qualify for recycling and how does the recycling process work? The eighth lesson in the 10-part series exploring Fresh Solutions presents both the financial and water savings associated with emerging recycling methods.
California Academy of Science
Water-Wise Farms
The seventh lesson on Fresh Solutions in the 10-part series addresses solutions implemented on farms. It focuses on the options currently in use and hopes for the future of water conservation and farming.
California Academy of Science
Desalination
Desalination requires around two gallons of sea water to make one gallon of fresh water—that's quite a ratio! Viewers consider the pros and cons of desalination as one option to providing fresh water. They learn about two different...
California Academy of Science
How Do We Meet the Growing Need for Water?
Some aquifers took thousands of years to collect water, yet they have been depleted in only a hundred years. Viewers learn about where humans use water and the serious concerns for the future of the water supply in the second of 10...
TED-Ed
Could the Earth Be Swallowed By a Black Hole?
A black hole exists only a couple of thousand light years away from Earth. Should we be scared, or does that mean we are safe? Learn about the perspective of black holes and their relationship with Earth and the larger universe. After...
TED-Ed
What Would Happen If Every Human Suddenly Disappeared?
Humans constantly change the earth by building things, using natural resources, and relocating plants and animals. The lesson considers would happen to the planet if humans were gone. The narrator discusses the changes in buildings and...
California Academy of Science
How to Measure a Changing Climate
Young scientists explore climate change by taking a look at many different disciplines. They hear from scientists who study soil, clouds, ice cores, ocean temperatures, and more. Then, they search public databases to draw their own...