Is there extraterrestrial life in our solar system? Or are we alone? Take a journey to the ocean worlds on Jupiter and Saturn to investigate the possibility. -- Deep in our solar system, a new era of exploration is unfolding. Beneath...

We've all had the experience: you're walking across a soft carpet, you reach for the doorknob and - ZAP. But what causes this trademark jolt of static electricity? Anuradha Bhagwat sheds light on the phenomenon by examining the nature of...

Published scientific studies can motivate research, inspire products, and inform policy. However, recent studies that examined dozens of published pharmaceutical papers managed to replicate the results of less than 25% of them - and...

Every year, the world uses 35 billion barrels of oil. This massive scale of fossil fuel dependence pollutes the earth, and it won't last forever. On the other hand, we have abundant sun, water and wind, which are all renewable energy...

About 66 million years ago, a terrible extinction event wiped out the dinosaurs. But it wasn't the only event of this kind -- extinctions of various severity have occurred throughout the Earth's history -- and are still happening all...

In this video, the speaker explains the concept of environment and its various components, including living and non-living organisms. They also discuss the four spheres that make up the planet Earth and how human activities are affecting...

Consider the classic white t-shirt. Annually, we sell and buy 2 billion t-shirts globally, making it one of the most common garments in the world. But how and where is the average t-shirt made, and what's its environmental impact? Angel...

In order to truly understand differences among animal lifespans, we need to stop thinking about a specific number and start thinking about a distribution.

There’s lots of debate as to which original starter Pokémon is the best fighter among squirtle, bulbasaur, charmander, and pikachu, but only one is the most biologically plausible.

Each day, the animal kingdom produces roughly enough poop to match the volume of water pouring over Victoria Falls. So why isn't the planet covered in the stuff? You can thank the humble dung beetle for eating up the excess. Eleanor...

In order to become a butterfly, a caterpillar's body dissolves almost completely and is rebuilt from its own juices. Butterflies are just a few of the 800,000 insect species that transition from larvae to adults through complete...

When most people think of fishing, we imagine relaxing in a boat and patiently reeling in the day's catch. But modern industrial fishing -- the kind that stocks our grocery shelves -- looks more like warfare. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and...

Penguins are odd birds. For one, they cannot fly (but they are amazing swimmers), and, contrary to popular belief, the majority of penguin populations live in warmer regions. But these beloved birds are in danger, with populations...

Offshore oil spills can lead to decades of ecological harm for marine life. How can we clean-up oil spills and limit damage to the environment? Earth Science - Human Impacts - Learning Points. Offshore oil spills float on the surface of...

Fresh water is essential for life -- and there's not nearly enough of it for the world right now. Why is that, and what could we do? Christiana Z. Peppard lays out the big questions of our global water problem. And no, shorter showers...

In this video, a cargo ship called Santa Lachia is being used to collect data on carbon dioxide levels in the air and ocean. The team of environmental scientists aims to build a database to monitor climate change and understand how much...

In this video Paul Andersen explains how ecosystems function. He begins with a description of how life on the planet is ordered from large to small in biomes, ecosystems, communities, population, and individuals. He describes the major...

In this video Paul Andersen explains how nuclear energy is released during fission of radioactive uranium. Light water reactors, nuclear waste, and nuclear accidents are also discussed along with the future of nuclear energy.

In this video Paul Andersen explains how biodiversity can be measured through genetic, species, or ecosystem variety on the planet. Species diversity is increased through speciation and decrease through extinction. The mechanism for...

In this video Paul Andersen explains how biogeochemical cycles move required nutrients through the abiotic and biotic spheres on our planet. Matter on the Earth is conserved so producers must receive required nutrients through the water...

How do coral reef conservationists balance the environmental needs of the reefs with locals who need the reefs to survive? Joshua Drew draws on the islands of Fiji and their exemplary system of protection, called "connectivity", which...

Without water, a human can only survive for about 100 hours. But there's a creature so resilient that it can go without it for decades. This 1-millimeter animal can survive both the hottest and coldest environments on earth, and can even...

Until recently, scientists thought cannibalism was a rare response to starvation or other extreme stress. Well-known cannibals like the praying mantis and black widow were considered bizarre exceptions. But now, we know they more or less...

You're swimming in the ocean when something brushes your leg. When the tingling sets in, you realize you've been stung by a jellyfish. How do these beautiful gelatinous creatures pack such a painful punch? Neosha S Kashef details the...