Be Smart
Where Did Life Come From?
Just when you thought you had life figured out ... here comes another great video! Young biologists discover the multi-faceted meaning of life through a video from a comprehensive science playlist. Content includes when life appeared on...
PBS
The Science and Art of Cheese
The United States produces more than a billion pounds of cheese every month. The video, part of the PBS food science series, explains the science of making cheese. It introduces cheese makers and their processes. In addition, it...
TED-Ed
When Is Water Safe to Drink?
How safe is the drinking water you have access to? Colors, smells, and other factors may lead you to finding out if your water is safe. Watch a video that explains the ways water becomes filtered and ways to know when water is contaminated.
TED-Ed
Are Food Preservatives Bad for You?
It is safe to say that everything is best in moderation—including preservatives in food. Microbes and oxidation are the main reasons foods become spoiled. Thanks to preservatives, our foods end up having a longer shelf life. But what...
Be Smart
You Are Mainly Microbe… Meet Your Microbiome!
Can your body be its own ecosystem? Yes, in fact there are many ecosystems in your body. The video explains what microbes are, where they are located, and why. It focuses on the many good things bacteria do for bodies and the issues that...
TED-Ed
The Microbial Jungles All over the Place (And You)
The microbes are gathering, organizing, dividing, reproducing, forming communities, and cooperating. We're surrounded but we can't even see these tricky little organisms. Use this short video to introduce viewers to biofilms and...
TED-Ed
How We Think Complex Cells Evolved
Being able to absorb the abilities of other life forms may seem like something taken from a superhero movie, but sometimes reality is stranger than fiction. Join the narrator as he takes viewers back billions of...
TED-Ed
How Do Germs Spread (and Why Do They Make Us Sick)?
Much the chagrin of mothers around the world, germs are everywhere; it's unavoidable. Learn how these microscopic invaders have evolved different ways of spreading from one host to another with this short instructional video.
California Academy of Science
Thinking with your Gut
Risk-taking behavior and other decision-making factors may be influenced by more than just our brains; current research shows that the more bacteria that exists in one's digestive tract, the less inclined one might be to engage in risky...
Curated OER
Miracle Planet - Snow Ball Earth 3/5
Thermophiles and other microbes give hints as to how life can continue in extreme temperatures. Fossils in the Namibian Desert are relatively undisturbed and offer other keys to life. Your biology and earth science classes will want to...
Curated OER
Microbial Universe - Part 1
Where is bacteria found? See where bacteria and other microbes help and hurt humans. Microscopic images are shown along with images of people and places. Begin looking into this tiny universe with part one of a four-part series....
Curated OER
Microbial Universe - Part 4
Scientists and researchers progress in their research toward growing the microbe SAR-11. Though they have not accomplished this yet, they strive for greater understanding of microbes in general, and how they help us in our world. End...
Curated OER
Virus, Part 1/2
A virus' whole purpose is to reproduce. Each virus exists to invade and take over a living body. Begin looking at viruses with this quick introduction, continued in part two.
Curated OER
Microbial Universe - Part 2
Part two begins right where part one left off: discussing the potential for infections from microbes. Treatment of diseases is covered as well as the steps taken to prevent infection. New bacteria and viruses continue to develop, but not...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Cave Formation: Kane Cave
This video segment adapted from NOVA describes a simple experiment that confirmed the idea that microbes can accelerate the biogeochemical process of cave formation. [4:12]
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Caves: Extreme Conditions for Life
This video segment adapted from NOVA raises the provocative idea that if life can exist in the most extreme environments on Earth, such as in dark, toxic caves, then perhaps living things can also survive in harsh environments on other...
PBS
Pbs: Teachers' Domain: Evolving Ideas: Why Does Evolution Matter Now?
In this video from Evolution, an exploration of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in the Russian prison system highlights one reason it is important to understand evolution.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Hygiene Hypothesis
Determine whether childhood exposure to livestock provides the challenges necessary for the young immune system to grow strong enough to later fight off asthma and allergies. Discover how the modern trend toward "supercleanliness" can...
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Cholera: Domesticating Disease
Discover how scientists are beginning to predict patterns of disease transmission and levels of virulence. Explore how society can steer the evolution of microorganisms to weaken them.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance
Explore how antibiotics help some sick people. Discover what happens when patients cut short their full course of antibiotic drugs.
National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation: Green Revolution: Microbes
In Bruce Logan's lab at Penn State University, researchers are working on developing microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that can generate electricity while treating wastewater. They are also researching methods to increase power generation from...
Minute Earth
Minute Earth: Why Do We Eat Spoiled Food?
This video provides a brief explanation of the microbes that live in the foods we love. [3:19]
Crash Course
Crash Course History of Science #24: Micro Biology
It's all about the SUPER TINY in this episode of Crash Course: History of Science. In it, Hank Green talks about germ theory, John Snow (the other one), pasteurization, and why following our senses isn't always the worst idea. [12:11]
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: Exploring the Wild Life of Our Bodies
Biologist Rob Dunn explains how the organisms that share our world have shaped us. [17 mins. 39]