TED Talks
Michael Dickinson: How a fly flies
An insect's ability to fly is one of the greatest feats of evolution. Michael Dickinson looks at how a fruit fly takes flight with such delicate wings, thanks to a clever flapping motion and flight muscles that are both powerful and...
TED Talks
Emma Teeling: The secret of the bat genome
In Western society, bats are often characterized as creepy, even evil. Zoologist Emma Teeling encourages us to rethink common attitudes toward bats, whose unique and fascinating biology gives us insight into our own genetic makeup.
TED Talks
Sara Seager: The search for planets beyond our solar system
Every star we see in the sky has at least one planet orbiting it, says astronomer Sara Seager. So what do we know about these exoplanets, and how can we find out more? Seager introduces her favorite set of exoplanets and shows new...
TED Talks
TED: Nature is everywhere -- we just need to learn to see it | emma Marris
How do you define "nature?" If we define it as that which is untouched by humans, then we won't have any left, says environmental writer emma Marris. She urges us to consider a new definition of nature -- one that includes not only...
SciShow
Why Do Manatees Die When Power Plants Shut Down?
While the Florida manatee is threatened by human activity in a myriad of ways, perhaps the most surprising among those threats is the closing of aging power plants.
TED Talks
Tyrone Hayes + Penelope Jagessar Chaffer: The toxic baby
Filmmaker Penelope Jagessar Chaffer was curious about the chemicals she was exposed to while pregnant: Could they affect her unborn child? So she asked scientist Tyrone Hayes to brief her on one he studied closely: atrazine, a herbicide...
SciShow
Top 10 New Species of the Year!
Scientists around the world discover about 18,000 new species every year. Each new organism has not only to be found, but also studied, compared, identified and organized -- that's taxonomy, the science of classifying living things and...
TED Talks
TED: The boiling river of the Amazon | Andres Ruzo
When Andres Ruzo was a young boy in Peru, his grandfather told him a story with an odd detail: There is a river, deep in the Amazon, which boils as if a fire burns below it. Twelve years later, after training as a geoscientist, he set...
TED Talks
TED: An underwater art museum, teeming with life | Jason deCaires Taylor
For sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, the ocean is more than a muse -- it's an exhibition space and museum. Taylor creates sculptures of human forms and mundane life on land and sinks them to the ocean floor, where they are subsumed by the...
SciShow
The Majestic Grolar Bear
Although polar bears and grizzly bears aren't all that similar and are definitely separate species, they can interbreed and create fertile offspring in the wild. Hank brings us the story of these misfit bears, which he likes to call...
Amoeba Sisters
Ecological Succession: Nature's Great Grit
Discover a process that truly demonstrates nature's grit: ecological succession! The Amoeba Sisters introduce both primary and secondary succession
SciShow
The World's 5 Rarest Animals
Today's extraordinarily depressing dose comes to you in honor of Lonesome George, the world's last Pinta Island tortoise, who passed away earlier this summer - Hank brings us the stories of five more extremely rare animals who may be...
Amoeba Sisters
Food Webs and Energy Pyramids: Bedrocks of Biodiversity
Explore food chains, food webs, energy pyramids, and the power of biodiversity in this ecology video by the Amoeba Sisters! This video also introduces general vocabulary for the unit of ecology.
Bozeman Science
Communities
Paul Andersen explains the major classification terms in ecology and how a community can be measured by species composition and species diversity. The symbiosis of leaf cutter ants is included. The podcast ends with a discussion of...
TED Talks
Simon Berrow: How do you save a shark you know nothing about?
They're the second-largest fish in the world, they're almost extinct, and we know almost nothing about them. In this talk, Simon Berrow describes the fascinating basking shark ("great fish of the sun" in Irish), and the exceptional --...
Be Smart
This Rainforest Caterpillar Looks Like Donald Trump
They have some of the best caterpillars in Peru. The best.
Amoeba Sisters
Ecological Relationships
Explore several ecological relationships with The Amoeba Sisters! Ecological relationships discussed include predation, competition, and symbiotic relationships (parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism). Table of Contents: Intro 00:00...
Amoeba Sisters
Dichotomous Keys: Identification Achievement Unlocked
Join the Amoeba Sisters in discovering how to use a dichotomous key to identify organisms. This video also touches on the importance of scientific names. Table of Contents: Intro 00:00 What is a Dichotomous Key? 0:29 Scientific Names vs....
SciShow
These Insects are Smaller than a Single Cell...How?!
Fairies do exist! Well, sort of...meet the fairyfly, the smallest insect on Earth that specializes in the magic of miniaturization!
Amoeba Sisters
Natural Selection
Discover natural selection as a mechanism of evolution with the Amoeba Sisters. This video also uncovers the relationship of natural selection and antibiotic resistance in bacteria and emphasizes biological fitness. Note: This video is...
Crash Course
Ecology - Rules for Living on Earth: Crash Course Biology
Hank introduces us to ecology - the study of the rules of engagement for all of us earthlings - which seeks to explain why the world looks and acts the way it does. The world is crammed with things, both animate and not, that have been...
TED Talks
Michael Pollan: A plant's-eye view
What if human consciousness isn't the end-all and be-all of Darwinism? What if we are all just pawns in corn's clever strategy game to rule the Earth? Author Michael Pollan asks us to see the world from a plant's-eye view.
TED Talks
TED: When I die, recompose me | Katrina Spade
What if our bodies could help grow new life after we die, instead of being embalmed and buried or turned to ash? Join Katrina Spade as she discusses "recomposition" -- a system that uses the natural decomposition process to turn our...