Looking at a map, you would never know that North America once almost ripped itself in half. But 1.1 billion years ago, it tried to - and had it succeeded, there would now be an ocean where Lake Superior is!

Almost everyone loves the smell of rain, but where does the smell come from? Join Quick Questions as we stop and smell the chemistry!

More than 4 billion years ago, the crust of the Earth was still cooling and the oceans were only beginning to form. But in recent years, we've started to discover that, even in this hellish environment, life found a way.

It's possible life could form based on elements other than carbon, but they would look much different than the life we are used to.

Hoboro Island off the coast of Japan may soon be an island of the past, and it’s primarily due to one unsuspecting isopod.

Have you ever wondered why, some nights, the moon looks like a big, bright circle, and some nights it looks like a little sliver? Join Jessi and Squeaks to learn about how the moon's orbit changes the way we see it here on Earth!

Given that Earth’s magnetic field helps protect its life-sustaining atmosphere, you might think that the stronger a planet’s magnetic field, the better. But as it turns out, some planets’ relationships with their magnetic fields are a...

There are 118 elements on the periodic table, but it seems like only a handful of them get any attention. But just because you haven't heard of an element doesn't mean that it isn't a vital part of everyday life.

Jessi and Squeaks have talked about how wells move water from one place to another before; now they're going to show you how to build your very own so you can see for yourself!

There are many types of dust with some surprising things floating around in them, from poop to bacteria. And these dusts can take an extreme toll on your health

For astronauts, dust is no joke. On the moon and Mars, dust isn't at all like the stuff under your bed. It can be poisonous, corrosive, even made of razor-sharp glass. So future astronauts are going to need more than a dust buster to get...

How did life on Earth get started? Did life on Earth originate on another planet? Either Mars, or in a distant solar system? Could Earth life have spread to have seeded life elsewhere? Let's see what modern science has to say about the...

In the South Pacific, there is a rare tree so rich in metal that its sap runs blue.

By looking at the layers beneath our feet, geologists have been able to identify and describe crucial episodes in life's history. These key events frame the chapters in the story of life on earth and the system we use to bind all these...

In 132 CE, Zhang Heng presented his latest invention: a large vase he claimed could tell them whenever an earthquake occurred for hundreds of miles. Today, we no longer rely on pots as warning systems, but earthquakes still offer...

Why is Earth is a blue planet? Because it's covered in water! Where did Earth's water come from? Of course, water isn't unique to our planet. The origin of water traces beyond the solar system to the earliest days of the universe. Here's...

Rocks are more than just rocks, they're the key to Earth's history!

Scientists have known the outside of the sun spins slower than the inside for a while, but they didn't know why until recently.

Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to point at a fossil and know that it’s the first, say, plant? Well... yeah! But it's not that easy! Scientists are always making new discoveries that throw all our old assumptions into question, but we've...

When it comes to sparkly objects, the planet Earth has a lot to offer. Here are 5 especially awesome glasses made by nature! chapters OBSIDIAN 0:57 2 OPAL 4:09 3 TEKTITES 5:46 FULGURITE 6:27 GLASS SPONGES 8:07

SciShow takes you down the deepest hole in the world -- Russia's Kola Superdeep Borehole -- explaining who dug it and why, and what we learned about Earth in the process. Don't fall!

It turns out life may have gotten its start pretty early in Earth's history, and while the first couple billion years saw several important developments, the period was still dominated by very simple life forms. This is our first...

There's one crater that may be older than any that we know of. Except there's a snag, it might not actually be a crater at all.

Imagine aliens land on Earth a million years from now. What will these curious searchers find of us? They will find what geologists, scientists, and other experts are increasingly calling the Anthropocene, or new age of mankind. David...