In a single year, there are 200-300 million cases of malaria and 50-100 million cases of dengue fever worldwide. So: Why haven't we found a way to effectively kill mosquitos yet? Hadyn Parry presents a fascinating solution: genetically...

Our new evolution simulator reveals that extinction often happens when conditions change quickly.

Sometimes, butterflies need bridges #shorts #science

Why is Al Gore optimistic about climate change? In this spirited talk, Gore asks three powerful questions about the man-made forces threatening to destroy our planet -- and the solutions we're designing to combat them. (Featuring Q&A...

Millennials are now the largest, most diverse adult population in the US -- but far too often, they're reduced to the worn-out stereotype of lazy, entitled avocado toast lovers, says author Reniqua Allen. In this revealing talk, she...

The past decade has seen slow and steady economic growth across the continent of Africa. But economist Charles Robertson has a bold thesis: Africa's about to boom. He talks through a few of the indicators -- from rising education levels...

Since the dawn of humanity, an estimated 100.8 billion people have lived and died, a number that increases by about 0.8% of the world's population each year. What happens to all of those peoples' bodies after they die? And will the...

Massive vines that blanket the southern United States, climbing high as they uproot trees and swallow buildings. A ravenous snake that is capable of devouring an alligator. Rabbit populations that eat themselves into starvation. These...

Viruses are wildly successful organisms. There are about 100 million times as many virus particles on Earth as there are stars in the observable universe. Even so, viruses can and do go extinct. So, what is the possibility of the virus...

In which John Green, Hank Green, and Emily Graslie teach you about the Anthropocene, an unofficial geological era that covers the last century or so, in which humanity has made massive progress. We've discovered the Higgs-Boson particle,...

Denizens of the Deep

If, for some wild reason, we decided that breeding humongous spiders was a good idea, could we actually pull it off?

Paul Andersen reviews the major concepts within the fourth unit of the new AP Biology framework. He begins by differentiating between negative and positive feedback loops. He explains how a stable internal environment is maintained...

At TEDGlobal 2010, author Matt Ridley shows how, throughout history, the engine of human progress has been the meeting and mating of ideas to make new ideas. It's not important how clever individuals are, he says; what really matters is...

In this video Paul Andersen defines biodiversity and explains the impacts humans are having on the planet's biodiversity. Humans are impacting the variety of life on our planet through habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution,...

Pods of killer whales inhabit the waters of every major ocean on Earth. Each family is able to survive thanks mainly to one member, its most knowledgeable hunter: the grandmother. These matriarchs can live 80 years or more and their...

Some people think that being a fighter pilot and a parent means that you will have a household full of daughters - but does the data back that up?

In this video Paul Andersen defines natural selection as differential reproductive success. He then explains how natural selection shapes organisms on our planet through variation and selection. A K-12 teaching progression is also...

Women aren't micro--so why do they only get micro-loans? Reporter Gayle Tzemach Lemmon argues that women running all types of firms-- from home businesses to major factories-- are the overlooked key to economic development.

Josh Silver delivers his brilliantly simple solution for correcting vision at the lowest cost possible -- adjustable, liquid-filled lenses. At TEDGlobal 2009, he demos his affordable eyeglasses and reveals his global plan to distribute...

Paul Andersen introduces science for the science classroom. He starts with a brief description of Big Data and why it is important that we prepare future scientists to deal intelligently with large amounts of data. He explains the...

How much genetic diversity would we need to found a colony on another planet?

Zombies aren't coming for you brains, but for an unfortunate species of bats, the terror of seemingly sweet songbirds developing a taste for brains is a horrific reality.

We’ve talked about deviance more broadly, but today we’re focusing on crime, specifically in the US. We’ll start with legal definitions of crime and use FBI data to get an idea of the amount and kinds of crime committed in the US. We’ll...