Measuring 'intellect' is a difficult task. Check out one way scientists are attempting to make this endeavor more testable.

Scientists come up with lots of possible reasons why rain triggers earthworms mysterious behavior: popping out of the soil and getting stranded on the ground.

Mike Gil spies on fish: using novel multi-camera systems and computer vision technology, the TED Fellow and his colleagues explore how coral reef fish behave, socialize and affect their ecosystems. Learn more about how fish of different...

A male firefly emits a series of enticing flashes. He hopes a female will respond and mate with him. A female from a different species mimics his patterns: by tricking the male, she lures him in -- and turns him into a meal. Where else...

This week we learned that the Neanderthal/Denisovan/Human family tree is pretty complicated, thanks to a close look into some Neanderthals' Y chromosomes.

This week on Crash Course Big History, Emily is talking about process of human evolution, and the knack for innovation that has allowed humans to become so dominant on the Earth. Human innovation, and the ability to build on those...

This video is about the differences between the corpses or final degenerate dense star forms that dead stars take: black holes, neutron stars, and white dwarfs. The main distinguishing features between them are the mass cutoffs...

Salps are more than just strange balls of goo drifting through the sea—in fact, they’re more closely related to us than they are to jellyfish, and play a huge role in marine ecosystems and the global carbon cycle as the “vacuum cleaners...

Whales have a lot of the same ear parts as humans, but they are capable of making sounds that could easily shatter a human's eardrums. So why are they seemingly immune from their own sense-shattering sounds?

We may never know when our ancestors walked out of the water into dry land. But it's possible they may have been walking in water for millions of years!

Scientists are looking to end how we categorize living fossils, and in doing so, give the phrase new life.

What relics will the 'anthropocene' age leave behind?

Chimpanzees in Gabon have been observed using bugs as a possible antiseptic, but what's more surprising is that they're applying this remedy to one another in what may be a form of chimpanzee health care.

A king cobra has enough venom to kill 10 people in a single bite. Recounting his near-death experience after being bitten by one of these majestic yet deadly snakes, conservationist and TED Fellow Gowri Shankar shares the epiphany he had...

Symmetry is everywhere in nature. And we usually associate it with beauty: a perfectly shaped leaf or a butterfly with intricate patterns mirrored on each wing. But it turns out that asymmetry is pretty important, too - and more common...

You're probably aware of lots of the things we take from animals, but for centuries, humans have been sneaking animal secretions into a bunch of things you probably didn't know about, like your Easter candy, your Mom's perfume, and even...

We're not doing frontline exploratory science in a huge portion of the world -- the places governments deem too hostile or disputed. What might we be missing because we're not looking? In this fearless, unexpectedly funny talk,...

Camels are so well adapted to the desert that it's hard to imagine them living anywhere else. But what if we have them pegged all wrong? What if those big humps, feet and eyes were evolved for a different climate and a different time? In...

Welcome back to Scishow TalkShow! In this episode Hank learns more about Biocrust explained by Rebecca Durham. Jessi Knudsen Castañeda also brings a ball python named Puzzle.

Welcome to the romantic, violent, treacherous, and murderous mating lives of bugs.

Should We Let Pandas Go Extinct?

Some birds fly in V shapes because it has many benefits, but other birds fly in clumps instead. Why would they do that?

If we hope to one day leave Earth and explore the universe, our bodies are going to have to get a lot better at surviving the harsh conditions of space. Using synthetic biology, Lisa Nip hopes to harness special powers from microbes on...

Pollen goes unnoticed by most of us, except when hay fever strikes. But microscopes reveal it comes in stunning colors and shapes -- and travels remarkably well. Jonathan Drori gives an up-close glimpse of these fascinating flecks of...