Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Creating Embryonic Stem Cell Lines
Even today's stem cells have a history—and it's more than 30 years old! Learn how stem cell lines grow in a lab. Observe the various experiments completed to determine how cells grow in human embryos.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Zebrafish Heart Regeneration
Zebrafish find popularity among aquarium owners for their beauty and biologists for their unique abilities. Biologists discovered zebrafish have the ability to regenerate damaged hearts. Use the video to observe and understand this...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Repellant Ephrin Signals Guide Limb Innervations
The foot bone connects to the leg bone, but how? Learn about how neurons grow in the proper direction thanks to signalling. Observe what happens when they encounter a repulsive ephrin signal and the correction process that takes place.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
HIV Life Cycle
Almost half of the global population infected with HIV cannot afford treatment. To better understand this devastating disease, young scientists observe the life cycle of HIV. Through animation, they see the cell infection,...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Protease Inhibitors
Protease inhibitors currently treat HIV and hepatitis C, but in the future, might also be used to treat some cancers. Viewers learn how HIV spreads in the body and then observe what happens after the introduction of a protease...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
U.S. AIDS Epidemic
The first AIDS cases in the United States were reported in June of 1981. AIDS quickly became an epidemic soon and the lack of a treatment or cure caused fear in the entire population. Viewers observe a geographical representation of the...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
AZT Blocks Reverse Transcriptase
AZT, developed in the 1960s to treat cancer, actually treats HIV as well. Viewers observe how AZT blocks the reverse transcriptase of HIV. Then they see what happens when the virus mutates to be immune to AZT.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Human Embryonic Development
At what point in the fertilization process do stem cells turn into an embryo? Viewers observe the development of an embryo from egg to fertilization to development into a fetus. The narrator stresses the role of cell division,...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Cytoplasmic Factors
Cell division, cell expansion, and cell growth all take place in the cytoplasm exclusively. Young biologists learn about the role of cytoplasmic factors in cell development through and animated video.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Newt Limb Regeneration
Some amphibians respond to amputated limbs by fully regenerating functioning limbs. A short video permits viewers to observe a newt's cells working as stem cells, differentiating and regenerating into bones, muscle, skin, nerves, blood...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Anole Lizards: An Example of Speciation
What happens to a species when members become separated by changes in their environment? Present young biologists with the ultimate example species—the anole lizard. A brief video describes the origins of the multitude of anole species...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Development of the Cerebral Cortex
How do the many parts of our brains form as we grow and develop? Peer inside a developing brain using a short video. Topics include stem cells, differentiation, and the unusual way these specialized neurons organize themselves throughout...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Autism and the Structure and Function of Synapses
Take autism awareness in your class to a whole new level. Scholars watch a short video to discover how autism affects the brain. The narrator discusses the effects of altered proteins on neural synapses and the role the nucleus plays in...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Cancer and Cell Fate in the Intestinal Epithelium
What happens when intestinal epithelia receive the wrong directions during differentiation? Discover how tumors form in the intestinal lining using a narrated video. The resource shows both normal and cancerous growth using specially...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Seeing Single Molecules Move
Seeing is believing! Viewers observe the latest in technology—the ability to watch as a protein molecule searches for the appropriate binding site on a DNA molecule! A short video follows transcription factors SOX2 and OCT4 in their...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
How We Get Our Skin Color
Is our skin color determined only by genetics? Explore skin science through a video and related interactive. Young biologists discover the cells of the epidermis, how melanin is made, and the factors that influence the outward appearance...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Termite Activity Enhances Ecosystem Productivity and Stability
Termites in your house? Bad. Termites in your garden ... good? Discover the good side of an insect that often gets a bad rap with an interesting animation. The narrator discusses how termites break down plant material, what the soil...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Gorongosa's Water Cycle
Gorongosa National Park holds a fascinating and ever-changing landscape. What makes the water cycle in the park so special? Travel to Mozambique to learn more about the park using a short video. Content includes rainy season in the park,...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Differentiation and the Fate of Cells
Did you realize cells become restricted in the types of cells they produce as embryos develop? Stem cells might become anything, but late state cells can only become the specialized cell based on their locations. A captivating video does...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Animation
One cloning technique is somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Observe the process in action through an animated video. Review the applications of the process for both therapeutic cloning and cloning of an individual.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Geologic Carbon Cycle
What happens to the CO2 emitted into the air by volcanoes? Scientists discovered it is removed through a series of chemical reactions, as discussed here. Through an animated diagram and chemical reaction equations, viewers learn about...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Greenhouse Effect
Without the greenhouse effect, Earth's temperature would be approximately 30 degrees Celsius colder. Scientists know this to be the case based on the study of other planets and the way gases absorb radiation. Viewers connect the ideas...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Stickleback Film with Quiz: Evolving Switches, Evolving Bodies
The pelvic bone's connected to the...nothing in the stickleback fish, because it doesn't have one. Young biologists watch a video about the evolution of the stickleback fish living in Alaskan lakes. It turns out that they lost their...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Natural Selection and Adaptation
It's not every day that you end up rooting for a mouse. A breathtaking video takes scholars to the American Southwest to learn about the rock pocket mouse. It describes how mice with black fur had an evolutionary advantage in the dark...