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Transcription: How mRNA Helped Save Lives: Crash Course Biology #34
New ReviewYou’ve probably heard of mRNA, thanks to the COVID-19 vaccine. But what is mRNA exactly? In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we learn about the role of messenger RNA in living things and how it decodes our DNA instruction manual...
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DNA Structure & Replication: Our Instruction Manual for Existing: Crash Course Biology #33
New ReviewYour DNA contains all the instructions your body needs to function. In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll figure out what this giant instruction manual looks like and how this three-billion-letter code gets copied into your...
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Genetic Traits: Nature? Nurture? Not That Simple: Crash Course Biology #32
New ReviewIt’s not nature versus nurture—it’s both! In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll explore how complex interactions between genes and the environment shape all sorts of traits, from human skin color to honeybees’ “royal jelly.”
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Intro to Genetics: Why Your Cat Looks Like That: Crash Course Biology #31
New ReviewHow do traits get passed down in our DNA? And what do genes have to do with cat fur? In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll untangle the simplest patterns of inheritance, and reassure our redheaded friends—you’re not going anywhere.
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Meiosis: Why Are All Humans Unique?: Crash Course Biology #30
New ReviewEver wonder why we aren’t exact clones of our parents, or why siblings aren’t exactly alike? The reason traces back to meiosis. In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll discover how egg and sperm cells get made and learn why you’re...
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Mitosis & the Cell Cycle: How Cells Clone Themselves: Crash Course Biology #29
New ReviewWhat’s the life of a cell like? In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll follow a cell’s life cycle, from its beginning as a shiny new cell all the way to division via mitosis. We’ll learn how our cells control this process, and...
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Photosynthesis: The Original Solar Power: Crash Course Biology #28
New ReviewPhotosynthesis is a powerful process that is responsible for some of life’s most vital functions. In fact, consumers like us rely on photosynthetic producers to harness energy from the sun so that we can survive and thrive. In this...
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Cellular Respiration: Do Cells Breathe?: Crash Course Biology #27
New ReviewYou know ‘em, you love ‘em. They’re the powerhouse of the cell: mitochondria. They produce the ATP molecules that we use to do everything from talk to our friends to run a marathon. In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’re taking a...
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Chemical Reactions in Biology: Crash Course Biology #26
New ReviewCells need energy to power the chemical reactions that keep their microscopic cities running, and most of that energy comes from a chemical called ATP. In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll learn how our cells use energy, what...
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Why Do Cells Need to Communicate?: Crash Course Biology #25
New ReviewEven though it might seem like our bodies are on autopilot, there is a whole lot happening inside us to keep things moving. In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll learn that our cells are in constant communication, reminding each...
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Cell Membranes: How Does Stuff Get Into Your Cells?: Crash Course Biology #24
New ReviewThe cell membrane is a protein-studded phospholipid bilayer that not only protects our cells, but also regulates what goes in and out. In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll look at the structure of the bilayer, learn about its...
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A Tour of the Cell: Crash Course Biology #23
New ReviewThe cell is the basic unit of life, and our understanding of it has advanced as science, and the tools available to scientists, has advanced. In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll take a look at the difference between...
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Conservation Biology: Sixth Mass Extinction?: Crash Course Biology #10
New ReviewSome scientists believe we are in the middle of Earth’s sixth mass extinction: a big, precarious game of Jenga that involves every ecosystem on the planet. In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll see how conservation biology aims...
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Microscopes: How We See What We Can't See: Crash Course Biology #22
New ReviewThere’s an immense world of tiny stuff within us and around us—but how do we know about it? In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll discover how we see what we can’t see, thanks to the help of centuries-old tools and more recent...
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The Unexpected Truth About Water: Crash Course Biology #21
New ReviewThis is a love letter to water, life’s solvent, and one of the most wonderful molecules around. In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll learn about how water’s polarity and hydrogen bonding help it sustain life on a larger scale....
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Carbon & Biological Molecules: What is Life Made Of?: Crash Course Biology #20
New ReviewDespite the diverse appearance and characteristics of organisms on Earth, the chemicals that make up living things are remarkably similar, often identical. In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll look at the building blocks of the...
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Population Ecology: How We Saved the Bald Eagle: Crash Course Biology #7
New ReviewWhen the Bald Eagle population started to decline in the mid-20th century, scientists began to ask why. Population ecology, the study of organisms of the same species, played a big role in answering that question. In this episode of...
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Community Ecology: Interspecies Interactions: Crash Course Biology #6
New ReviewCommunity ecology is the study of interactions between different species of living things, and lets ecologists examine the effects of predator-prey relationships, parasites, and mutually beneficial interactions. In this episode of Crash...
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Intro to Ecology: Why Did All These Elephants Die?: Crash Course Biology #5
New ReviewEcology is the study of the interactions of living things with each other and their environment. It’s a field that not only lets us explore the interconnections between living things, but also how our environment affects us, and how we...
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How Life is Organized: Crash Course Biology #4
New ReviewHere on Earth, life is dizzyingly diverse—but it’s also surprisingly organized. A sense of order structures life and its processes, from the tiniest cell to the total sum of every living thing. In this episode of Crash Course Biology,...
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Bioinformatics: How Data Saves Lives: Crash Course Biology #40
New ReviewOn its own, a huge DNA sequence is a meaningless pile of data — so, how do biologists figure out what it means? They turn to the power of bioinformatics! In this episode, we’ll learn what bioinformatics is, how it works, and how...
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Human Evolution: We Didn't Evolve From Chimps: Crash Course Biology #19
New ReviewWhat’s a human? And how did we become humans, anyway? In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll meet some of our closest relatives and trace how we evolved into the brainy, inventive, complex species we are today.
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Biological Diversity, Butts, and the Tree of Life: Crash Course Biology #18
New ReviewEverywhere you look on Earth, you’ll find wonderful and diverse living things, from tiny tardigrades to soaring sequoias. And incredibly, everything alive today, and everything that’s ever lived, is related. In this episode of Crash...
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Population Genetics: Why do we have different skin colors?: Crash Course Biology #14
New ReviewIn this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll learn about the ways population genetics reveals how groups of living things evolve—by comparing genetic similarities and differences. We’ll discover the most genetically diverse species of...