Learning Games Lab
Why Study Soil?
Some scientists spend their entire careers analyzing and learning about soils. An interesting video lesson provides an overview of what soil scientists do and why. Pupils learn how soil analysis connects to other branches of science...
Learning Games Lab
Soil Infiltration: Soil Porosity Testing
Soil pollution has a longer reach than may seem possible. A video presentation demonstrates how a seemingly isolated soil contamination spreads and even reaches waterways. The lesson demonstrates how scientists conduct porosity tests...
Learning Games Lab
Cation Exchange
Understanding soil composition requires an understanding of chemical bonding. An informative video lesson shows learners how the atoms and molecules in the soil form ions that attract and repel other atoms and molecules. The...
Learning Games Lab
Everything is Chemical
Chemistry is the foundation of good farming. Learners explore how chemical bonding applies to agriculture. The lesson highlights the difference between organic and inorganic compounds and how similar compounds bond in very different ways.
Be Smart
Do Trees Talk?
Fungi could be considered the social network of the forest. A video lesson describes how fungi connect the plant species of the forest and create a symbiotic relationship. The episode from the It's Okay to be Smart series emphasizes the...
Be Smart
Why Are so Many People Allergic to Food?
Why do some people have allergies, and why are they on the rise? Scientists are working on the answer. An informative video lesson describes body processes when having an allergic reaction as well as therapies and treatments. The...
Crash Course
Climate Science: Crash Course History of Science #45
Climate change fears are nothing new—scientists have been concerned about the issue since the early 1900s. Viewers learn the history of the study of climate in a quick but thorough video lesson. The instructor describes where climate...
TED-Ed
How to 3D Print Human Tissue
Could a 3-D printer be the answer to the shortage of organ donors? A quick video lesson describes how the printers can print human tissue. A set of online questions challenges learners to review the information in the lesson and reflect...
Veritasium
World's Lightest Solid!
The world's lightest solid is over 99 percent air. An episode of the Veritasium series examines the structure of the aerogels and their physical and chemical properties. The video shows several demonstrations that show these properties...
Veritasium
Why Are 96,000,000 Black Balls on This Reservoir?
A Los Angeles reservoir is the largest ball pit on Earth. Learn the problem and solution of the water treatment plant in LA in a Veritasium video lesson. An unexpected chemical reaction created an issue in the treatment of water, and the...
Veritasium
Magnetic Micro-Robots
Magnetic micro-robots aren't just really cool, they have some potential practical purposes. An episode from the Veritasium introduces learners to the micro-robots and their possible future roles in biomedicine. Actual footage of the...
Be Smart
1 Million Species Could Go Extinct… Here’s Why
The human carbon footprint may be larger than anyone thought. It is estimated that one million species are at risk of going extinct due to human impact on the environment. An installment from the large It's Okay to be Smart series...
Be Smart
Apollo’s Most Important Discovery (Inside NASA’s Moon Rock Vault!)
It's been 50 years since astronauts walked on the moon. A lesson from an extensive It's Okay to be Smart discusses how the moon rock helped scientists understand the early solar system. The presenter explains how scientists made their...
Be Smart
Seeing a Black Hole with a Planet-Sized Telescope
When did scientists first view a black hole? Believe it or not, it was 2019! It took a century for the theoretical to become a reality, and a lesson from the larger It's Okay to be Smart series discusses the structure of the black hole...
NASA
STEMonstrations: Solar Energy
Astronauts would be lost without solar energy. A video lesson straight from the International Space Station describes how solar energy keeps the station running. Learners then complete an activity that explores the availability of solar...
NASA
Year of Education on Station: Fun Facts
School in space would be one heck of a commute. The video series STEM on Station offers the next best thing—a glimpse into that world. A group of astronauts and teachers spent a year on the International Space Station to create content...
NASA
STEMonstrations: Water Filtration
What do astronauts do when they run out of water? They recycle their used water of course! An astronaut on the space station explains how the water they use gets filtered to create fresh drinking water in an installment of the STEM on...
NASA
STEMonstrations: Kinetic and Potential Energy
A roller coaster is the perfect model of the conversion between potential and kinetic energy. An installment from the STEMonstrations playlist introduces the concept of kinetic and potential energy in a quick video before challenging...
NASA
STEMonstrations: Surface Tension
Ever wonder how water bugs walk on water? A lesson in the STEMonstration provides a brief video presentation describing the concept of surface tension from the molecular level. Pupils then complete a hands-on activity measuring the...
PBS
How Volcanoes Froze the Earth (Twice)
Volcanoes contributing to freezing seems counterintuitive, but it's true. The freezing and thawing of the earth has happened multiple times in the planet's history. Scholars learn how the carbon cycle contributed to Earth's temperature...
PBS
When We Met Other Human Species
It seems the human species may have learned from its mistakes—when it comes to evolution, anyway. Examine the characteristics of ancient hominins in an installment of the PBS Eon series. The video instructor discusses fossil records to...
PBS
When Ichthyosaurs Led a Revolution in the Seas
During The Great Dying, 90 percent of life in the ocean died. A video lesson from the PBS Eon series describes how the oceans recovered. Viewers learn how some species adapted and thrived while others became extinct.
PBS
When the Synapsids Struck Back
As environments change so must their inhabitants, or extinction will prevail. An in-depth look at the evolution of the synapsids shows how one group overcame environmental changes and survived. The video lesson from the PBS Eon series...
PBS
The Croc That Ran on Hooves
A crocodile with hooves and razor-sharp teeth was really a thing—and there is proof. A video lesson from the PBS Eons series presents the fossil evidence and explores the reasons for the adaptations of the unique reptile. Scholars see a...