TED Talks
TED: How early life experience is written into DNA | Moshe Szyf
* Viewer discretion advised. This video includes discussion of mature topics and may be inappropriate for some audiences. Moshe Szyf is a pioneer in the field of epigenetics, the study of how living things reprogram their genome in...
SciShow
When Three Species Combine Multi-Species Hybrids
Hybrid organisms are rare, and most end up sterile, like mules. But sometimes, three or more species come together to create multi-species hybrids, and they can and have been really useful.
MinuteEarth
Why Do Animals Eat Their Babies?
Sometimes, it makes sense for critters across the animal kingdom to chow down on their own young. ___________________________________________ FYI: We try to leave jargon out of our videos, but if you want to learn more about this topic,...
MinuteEarth
The Actual Reason Men Die First
Because females often outlive males, behavior is often blamed - but there is a decent chance our sex chromosomes might be to blame instead.
TED Talks
TED: Gene editing can now change an entire species -- forever | Jennifer Kahn
CRISPR gene drives allow scientists to change sequences of DNA and guarantee that the resulting edited genetic trait is inherited by future generations, opening up the possibility of altering entire species forever. More than anything,...
SciShow
How Protein Shapes Help Us Make Medicine
Coming up with brand new drugs is all about pinpointing and exploiting a disease’s weakness. A big part of perfecting drug design will be learning to predict how proteins get their shapes because that has everything to do with how both...
Amoeba Sisters
Mutations (Updated)
Join the Amoeba Sisters as they explain gene and chromosome mutations, and explore the significance of these changes. This updated video has improved audio and images! Codons and the amino acids they code for is represented by standard...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why do women have periods?
A handful of species on Earth share a seemingly mysterious trait: a menstrual cycle. We're one of the select few mammals on Earth that menstruate, and we also do it more than any other animal, even though it's a waste of nutrients, and...
SciShow
Why Do Strawberries Have Eight Copies of Their Genes
Strawberries are delicious, but for a molecular biologist, they're also very difficult.
SciShow
Mr. Frosty, the Cancer-fighting Gecko
Not only is this gecko adorned with beautiful coloration, but the same thing that makes it look so pretty could help us understand where some our cancers come from and how to stop them from progressing!
SciShow
Manipulating plant genes...through grafting!
If you plant a seed from your orange, you might have to wait as long as 15 years to get a tree with fruit, which is kind of a bummer for the impatient types among us. Fortunately, there’s an age-old trick called grafting that can shorten...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: If superpowers were real: Immortality - Joy Lin
What if immortality wasn't just the stuff of epic comic book stories? Is it scientifically possible to be immortal? In this series, Joy Lin tackles six superpowers and reveals just how scientifically realistic they can be to us mere...
SciShow
Abilities Evolution Took From Us
A common misconception is that evolution is a long chain of progress, where organisms gain cool, new features over time. However, if a trait doesn't help with survival or reproduction, eventually it can disappear. Here are a few...
Bozeman Science
Nucleic Acids
Paul Andersen explains the importance and structure of nucleic acids. He begins with an introduction to DNA and RNA. He then describes the important parts of a nucleotide and shows how they are connected through covalent and hydrogen...
SciShow
Why Are Smartphone Batteries Combusting
Why did some of Samsung's Galaxy Note7 phones explode? And what can Tardigrades teach us about protecting our DNA?
Amoeba Sisters
Punnett Squares and Sex-Linked Traits
Explore inheritance when carried on the X chromosome with the Amoeba Sisters! This video focuses on how to do general Punnett square problems that involve traits on the sex chromosomes (X and Y chromosomes). We do want to point out...
TED Talks
Jim Fallon: Exploring the mind of a killer
Psychopathic killers are the basis for some must-watch TV, but what really makes them tick? Neuroscientist Jim Fallon talks about brain scans and genetic analysis that may uncover the rotten wiring in the nature (and nurture) of...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: What is epigenetics? - Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna
Here's a conundrum: Identical twins originate from the same DNA ... so how can they turn out so different - even in traits that have a significant genetic component? Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna explains that while nature versus nurture has a...
SciShow
How Much Junk Is in Your DNA Trunk?
The human genome is 3.2 billion base pairs long and contains around 20,000 genes, but how much of that is garbage?
SciShow
3 Ways Your Sun Protection Can Backfire
People have a lot of ideas about how they can protect themselves from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, but many of those ideas just don’t hold up, and some make things worse!
Be Smart
Sonic the Hedgehog Is Why You Have Thumbs!
The human hand, with its multi-talented thumb, might be man's greatest tool. But did you know we can trace that thumb, and the hand and arm it's connected to, all the way back to a 375 million-year-old fish named Tiktaalik? This week I...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How stress affects your brain - Madhumita Murgia
Stress isn't always a bad thing; it can be handy for a burst of extra energy and focus, like when you're playing a competitive sport or have to speak in public. But when it's continuous, it actually begins to change your brain. Madhumita...
Be Smart
Could You Be Immune To Everything?
Do you remember having a cold in 5th grade? Or the flu a couple years ago? Your immune system does. Our bodies hold many levels of immune defense. Millions of B cells and T cells and antibodies are constantly on patrol for germs and...