Instructional Video8:08
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Why Geckos Are Sticky Without Being Sticky

12th - Higher Ed
Geckos can grip and climb almost anything. Walking up walls, hanging upside down… even from glass. It’s almost like they can defy gravity. How do they do it? The secret lies in nanotechnology. I’ll tell you how that works and how...
Instructional Video13:11
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Why Being Embarrassed Is Good For You

12th - Higher Ed
Embarrassment. Awkwardness. Cringe. No matter what you call it. it’s one of the most unique human emotions, and one that’s particularly hard to figure out. But if a feeling exists and has lasted through evolution, then it probably has a...
Instructional Video17:08
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Why Dung Beetles Stare At the Stars | IN OUR NATURE

12th - Higher Ed
Seemingly distant ecosystems, even half a world apart, are connected in surprising ways. In this special limited series, Emily Graslie and Trace Dominguez join me as we explore the universal rules of life that tie together Earth’s living...
Instructional Video7:22
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Why Don't Birds Lay Square Eggs?

12th - Higher Ed
What is ”egg-shaped” even? I used to think it was the shape of a chicken egg. Then one day I saw a collection of eggs from lots of different bird species, and I realized just how many different kind of egg shapes there really are! I had...
Instructional Video9:42
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Why Don't Big Animals Get More Cancer?

12th - Higher Ed
Why do whales, elephants, and other large animals not get cancer? Logically, the larger an animal is, and the longer it lives, the more likely it should be to get cancer. But these giants don’t. Why is that? And can the answer help...
Instructional Video9:11
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Why Does Every Animal Look Like This?

12th - Higher Ed
In the race to survive, both predators and prey use visual tricks to get ahead. One nearly universal trick is countershading, a color pattern that helps animals erase their own shadows or blend into different backgrounds. It’s worked...
Instructional Video16:44
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Why Do We Lie?

12th - Higher Ed
Everyone lies. Even you and even me. We lie about small things and we lie about big things. We lie to help ourselves and we lie to protect others. Powerful people lie, all the way down to little kids telling fibs. Why do we do this if...
Instructional Video11:19
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Why Are We Warm-Blooded?

12th - Higher Ed
A human with the metabolism of a hummingbird would need to eat about 80,000 calories a day to survive. That’s because staying warm by making your own heat takes a ton of energy. And that brings up a paradox, because creating your own...
Instructional Video5:10
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When Will We Stop Using Oil?

12th - Higher Ed
We've heard news of "peak oil" and "the end of the oil age" for years now, but we keep coming up with ways to find and pump more of it to the surface. Rising CO2 levels and the changing climate that results from burning fossil fuels mean...
Instructional Video20:26
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When Is Now?

12th - Higher Ed
When is now? Seems like a pretty simple question… just look at your watch. But do you and I share the same “now”? Let’s journey from Einstein’s thought experiments about relativity to cutting edge neuroscience research to try and answer...
Instructional Video9:22
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What's the Largest Living Thing On Earth?

12th - Higher Ed
The biggest thing that has ever lived on Earth… is a tree? Hard to believe, but it’s true. Travel with me to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to go inside the most massive species on our planet, and learn what unique and special...
Instructional Video5:55
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What Would Happen if ONE MILLION Species Went Extinct?

12th - Higher Ed
A massive new study has just been released showing that human activities are threatening Earth’s other life forms in some very bad ways. One million species may be at risk of extinction. Just let that sink in. Isn’t the Anthropocene...
Instructional Video14:03
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What Is Nothing?

12th - Higher Ed
This is a video about nothing. Hope you learn something!
Instructional Video19:29
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What is Impossible in Evolution?

12th - Higher Ed
Could humans ever evolve to have wings? Why don’t fish have propellers? Why don’t tigers have wheels? Why don’t zebras have laser turrets? These might all seem like stupid questions (and maybe they are!) but they can teach us a lot about...
Instructional Video8:50
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What If We Could See Nature In Infrared?

12th - Higher Ed
Why are trees and other plants green? Seems like a simple question. But the answer is full of surprises. Using a special camera that can pick up light just beyond the visible range, into the near-infrared, you’ll get to see trees like...
Instructional Video9:12
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Unraveling the Great Butterfly Migration Mystery

12th - Higher Ed
The monarch butterfly migration is one of nature’s greatest events. This orange-winged wonder travels up to 4,500 km from all over North America to spend the winter hanging from oyamel fir trees in central Mexico’s mountain forests. I...
Instructional Video18:00
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Trying to Land a Plane (to Prove the Dunning-Kruger Effect)

12th - Higher Ed
You may not be an expert, but perhaps you feel pretty confident that you could ride a motorcycle, or give someone a decent haircut - if you absolutely had to - right? Not so much, according to the psychological phenomenon known as the...
Instructional Video11:51
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Inside a Machine That Can Recreate Hurricanes (for Science)

12th - Higher Ed
Hurricanes, typhoons, and tropical cyclones are Earth’s most powerful storms, capable of unleashing destruction and death on coastal areas worldwide. As climate change warms Earth’s oceans, we face more risk of storms rapidly...
Instructional Video10:31
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This Is How Astronauts Drink Coffee In Space!

12th - Higher Ed
I love coffee. Like, a lot. You know who else loves coffee? Astronauts! And also the people who help them do awesome things in space (I think NASA might be powered by coffee). But how do astronauts actually drink coffee in space, aboard...
Instructional Video13:11
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This Face TOTALLY Changes the Human Story

12th - Higher Ed
Greetings, fellow Homo sapiens. Our species is the only remaining member of the genus of upright, walking apes known as Homo. Where did we come from? Our history just got a whole lot more complicated (in a good way) thanks to some...
Instructional Video20:59
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These Butt-Tickling Ants Are Endangered Butterfly Bodyguards | IN OUR NATURE

12th - Higher Ed
Seemingly distant ecosystems, even half a world apart, are connected in surprising ways. In this special limited series, Emily Graslie and Trace Dominguez join me as we explore the universal rules of life that tie together Earth’s living...
Instructional Video16:15
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The Unbelievable Science of How We Read

12th - Higher Ed
Reading. You’re doing it right now. I bet you don’t even have to think about it. But have you ever wondered what’s happening in your brain to turn all these weird symbols into meaning? This video will teach you how to read all over...
Instructional Video8:02
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The TRUE Story of Ben Franklin & His Kite

12th - Higher Ed
You’ve probably heard of Ben Franklin and the kite. But do you know the TRUE story of how his famous experiment changed the world? Here’s the tale of how one person’s quest for scientific knowledge altered the direction of history.
Instructional Video11:58
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The Transcontinental Burrito Hypertunnel (a Very Serious Science Video)

12th - Higher Ed
The finest burritos in the world are made in San Francisco’s Mission District. But how can you get a hot & fresh one in New York City in time for lunch? Physics, that’s how. For this very serious and scientific video, we dug a classic...