Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Cochlea
With all its folds and inner workings, the ear is an extraordinary thing. Take a tour through the anatomy of the ear to get a glimpse of how all the parts works Learners watch as an animation demonstrates how humans hear. The...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Heart Function
The left and right side of the heart must work together flawlessly—that's a lot to coordinate! An animation video shows the operation of each ventricle of the heart and then shows the two parts coming together to complete the loop of...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Viral Lifecycle
This lesson has gone viral ... literally! An animation video describes how a single virus cell gives rise to a multitude of progeny viruses. Learners explore how a virus infects many cells in a short amount of time.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Y Chromosome
Forward and backward, it's all the same! Scientists recently discovered the y chromosome's palindrome nature suggests it's possible to for the y chromosome to recombine with itself! An animation resource gives viewers insight into the...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Meiosis
Sex chromosomes determine gender, but how? An informative video presentation discusses meiosis with an emphasis on the structure of the sex cells. Viewers learn why the X and Y chromosomes are so important.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Fate of Fat
Humans need fat for energy and nutrition, but how much is too much? A short animation shows the pathway of fat as it enters the body, breaks down through digestion, and travels for use or storage. Teaching tips offer multiple ways to...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Translation (Advanced Detail)
Who said staying predictable is a bad thing? Translation follows a predictable four-step process. Scholars view a summary of each step with a breakdown of every detail, then examine different functions, highlighted with different colors,...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Sickle Cell Anemia
The most common blood disorder in the United States, sickle cell impacts more than 70,000 Americans. Understanding the genetic coding that leads to this disease might one day help scientists prevent it altogether. Using a promising...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Shotgun Sequencing
Finally, something that is better when it's broken! Computers make sequencing short pieces of genome an easy task, yet they struggle with long sequences. Learn about one method for sequencing genomes by breaking it into smaller pieces...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Pocket Mouse Evolution
G.H. Hardy and Wilhelm Weinberg created a mathematical formula to predict genotype frequencies. Observe a simulation of the Hardy-Weinberg equation using pocket mice. Scholars consider the selection coefficient, selective advantage, and...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
How a Heart Attack Occurs
Heart disease causes more deaths in both men and women in the United States than any other factor, buy many people don't fully understand what causes a heart attack. A brief animation demonstrates the slow buildup of plaque, a blockage...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Know your number! Diabetes and heart disease both increase with higher body mass index numbers. Understanding the body mass index (BMI) helps scholars take control of their own health. They view a comparison of what various BMI...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Translation (Basic Detail)
RNA translates three letters at a time to create a perfect protein chain. With the help of an animation, viewers discover the process of translation in real time. From ribosome to protein, the program creating living things finds...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Sanger Method of DNA Sequencing
Fred Sanger created the first method of sequencing DNA in 1977 using chemical alterations. Learn more about the Sanger method with a brief animation demonstrating the replication, ordering, and piecing together steps in the process.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Lactose Digestion in Infants
Milk meets every single nutritional need for a baby in the first six months of life. Observe how an infant's small intestine breaks milk lactose down into a usable form of nutrition. With the help of an animation, viewers see the process...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Gleevec Inhibits Cancer-Causing Kinase BCR-ABL
Less than 30 percent of those diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia live for five years. One researcher shares a breakthrough in treatment for this specific type of cancer. He explains how it spreads and how the medication prevents the...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Natural Selection of Lactose Tolerance
Different regions of the world have greatly varying rates of lactose tolerance. Learn why this mutation spreads in some populations and not others with an educational video. Viewers consider the relationship with natural selection in...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Cloning an Army of T Cells for Immune Defense
How do bodies fight infections and illnesses? An animation of the way T cells clone to fight an infection provides many details. The resource also provides an excellent written introduction and ideas for how to ensure pupils understand...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Gleevec-Resistant Form of Kinase BCR-ABL
Gene mutation occurs at a rate much higher than many realize. Doctors treating cancer and other illnesses must learn to adapt quickly after each mutation. Viewers observe an animation and watch lecture with props to see what happens when...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Dengue Virus Enters a Cell
Doctors offer limited treatment options and no vaccine for Dengue Virus, which often requires intensive care. Scientists understand how the virus gets into cells and replicates, knowledge which they hope will lead to a cure or treatment....
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Regulation of Eukaryotic DNA Transcription
DNA transcription finds regulation in a few different forms. Pupils learn about the activators, repressors, and the relationships with RNA through a short animation. After viewing the process with colors highlighting each step for...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Dengue Fever Re-Emergence in the Americas
The number of diagnosed cases of Dengue Fever increased exponentially over the course of three decades. A brief video explains how the potentially deadly virus spreads. For added impact, scholars view the number of cases in each country...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Dengue Virus Life Cycle
Dengue Virus leads to the deaths of around 25,000 people, mostly children, every year. Scientists understand how the virus gets into cells and replicates, but they still struggle to prevent it. Curious scholars view an animation of the...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Viral Geometry and Structural Diversity
Viruses might be deadly, but they appear beautiful when analyzed geometrically. View the shapes, colors, and structures of a few viruses. The repeating structures and genes help to identify them along with genomic information.