PBS
When a Giant Pterosaur Ruled the European Islands
The ecological niche of apex predators was empty on Hateg Island, waiting to be occupied by something large, mobile, and powerful enough to fill it.
PBS
The Island of Huge Hamsters and Giant Owls
Back in the late Miocene epoch, there was an island--or maybe a group of islands-- in the Mediterranean Sea that was populated with fantastic giant beasts. It’s a lesson in the very strange, but very real, powers of natural selection.
PBS
How To Survive the Little Ice Age
Nunalleq, a village in what’s today southwest Alaska, seemed to have thrived during the Little Ice Age. How did this village manage to survive and prosper during this time period? And what caused this period of climate change in the...
PBS
Why The Paleo Diet Couldn't Save The Neanderthals
These relatives of ours lived in Eurasia for more than 300,000 years. They were expert toolmakers, using materials like stone, wood, and animal bone. They were also skilled hunters and foragers, and may even have created cave art. So...
PBS
The Fuzzy Origins of the Giant Panda
How does a bear -- which is a member of the order Carnivora -- evolve into an herbivore? Despite how it looks, nothing about the history of the giant panda is black and white.
PBS
The Extreme Hyenas That Didn't Last
Hyenas weren’t always able to eat bones. In fact, only a few million years ago, they lived very different lives.
PBS
Were These Monsters Inspired by Fossils? (w/ Monstrum!)
People have been discovering the traces and remains of prehistoric creatures for thousands of years. And they’ve also probably been telling stories about fantastic beasts since language became a thing. So, is it possible that the...
PBS
When the Earth Suddenly Stopped Warming
For decades, scientists have been studying the cause of the Younger Dryas, and trying to figure out if something like it could happen again. And it turns out that what caused this event is the subject of a heated debate.
PBS
Why sunscreen in the United States is behind the rest of the world
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, everyone older than six months should use sunscreen every day to decrease the risk of skin cancer. But today’s sunblock is full of ingredients that are decades old and increasingly obsolete. Dr....
TED Talks
TED: The renewable energy revolution happening in Ukraine | Maxim Timchenko
What's it like keeping the lights on during war? Ukrainian energy executive Maxim Timchenko shares how his company has diversified Ukraine's power structures to survive Russian attacks, highlighting the resilience of renewable energy....
PBS
Blood Test Can Identify Risk For Pre-eclampsia, The Leading Cause Of Maternal Death
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a blood test that can identify pregnant women at severe risk for preeclampsia, a high blood pressure disorder that can develop during pregnancy and is a leading cause of maternal death...
SciShow
The Oversized Invasive Carrot That Can Give You Third Degree Burns
All plants get energy from the sun, but the giant hogweed gets another, dangerous superpower from the sun's light: the ability to burn skin with its sap.
SciShow
The "Disease" That Struck Medieval Church Organs
During long, cold winters in medieval Europe, church organs grew gray, sickly-looking circles that spread over their pipes. People back then believed that this was the work of the devil, but as it turns out, it’s just some pretty simple...
SciShow
A Brief History of Birth Control
Gym teacher Hank gives us the full story of the past, present, and future of birth control.
SciShow
Doggerland: A Real-Life Atlantis
Though we probably won’t find a literal Atlantis beneath the sea, that doesn’t mean that a human settlement hasn’t ever been lost to the water. Meet Doggerland.
SciShow
Are Blue Eyes Endangered?
SciShow explains the genetics -- and physics -- behind why blue eyes are blue, and what the future may be for the trait. Spoiler alert: Blue eyes aren’t really blue! SciShow explains!
SciShow
The Truth About Leonardo Da Vinci
A true "Renaissance Man", inventor, artist & scholar Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most diversely talented individuals of all time. His "unquenchable curiosity" led him to make discoveries and inventions that were beyond his time, not...
SciShow
News | Where Did Domesticated Horses Come From?
New information has helped us understand where domestic horses came from. And by counting some tree rings, researchers were able to find evidence of Norse presence in the Americas in 1021 CE.
SciShow
Milk, and the Mutants That Love It
Got milk? Fact is, most people don't -- and shouldn't -- because for them, ice cream and milkshakes are basically toxic. So why can some people drink milk and survive? Turns out they're mutants! SciShow explains.
TED Talks
TED: Why are we so bad at reporting good news? | Angus Hervey
Why is good news so rare? In a special broadcast from the TED stage, journalist Angus Hervey sheds light on some of the incredible progress humanity has made across environmental protection, public health and more in the last year,...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Can zoos actually save species from extinction? | Nigel Rothfels
For thousands of years, native Takhi horses roamed the steppes of Central Asia. But by the late 1960s, their extinction seemed inevitable. To prevent this, scientists and zoos started a breeding program and soon began releasing new...
Crash Course
Symbolism, Realism, and a Nordic Playwright Grudge Match: Crash Course Theater #33
It's a Scandinavian grudge match on Crash Course Theater. We're looking at a couple of the key movements in European theater that deeply influenced the modern theater of today. We'll take a close look at two of the most radical and...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: 6 myths about the Middle Ages that everyone believes | Stephanie Honchell Smith
Medieval Europe. Where unbathed, sword-wielding knights ate rotten meat, thought the Earth was flat, defended chastity-belt wearing maidens, and tortured their foes with grisly gadgets. Except... this is more fiction than fact. So, where...
TED Talks
TED: What if buildings created energy instead of consuming it? | Ksenia Petrichenko
Buildings are bad news for the climate -- but they don't have to be. While our structures are currently responsible for a third of global energy consumption and emissions, a future where they create more energy than they consume is...