Hhmi: Bio Interactive: How We Get Our Skin Color Interactive

Skin color is controlled by at least six genes. Young scientists learn about skin colors through a documentary. They discuss the topics of pigment, natural selection, and vitamin D absorption. They apply their knowledge to higher order...

You may not know if that zebrafish in your fish tank is a model citizen—but it is definitely a model organism! What can we learn about ourselves from a tiny zebrafish? Discover more about the polygenic trait of skin color through a...

Rainbow science anyone? learners put the color specturm, frequency, light waves, and wavelengths into a light speed context. They use algebraic formulas to determine the speed of each light wave length. A great way to connect math and...

An interesting set of details about the light spectrum, these slides explain how objects reflect and absorb light to affect how they appear to the human eye. The differences in mixing lights or pigments is explained and some everyday...

I can see your epidermis. A short video shows how we get our skin color. It explains how melanocyte cells in the epidermis produce melanin, and that the type and amount of melanin controls skin color.

It's all just skin deep. An anthropologist explains in a video how she used UV radiation data from NASA to come up with a theory on how human skin color has evolved over time. The skin has to be dark enough to block harmful UV radiation,...

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...

Discover how birds descended from dinosaurs. Learn about the evidence scientist are uncovering to find out about the origin of birds. Throughout the video, there are embedded quiz modules that test students' understanding. [18:59]

Did you know parts of our body was inherited from distant animal ancestors? In this interactive students will investigate different anatomical features of the human body to reveal our evolutionary history. Learn how humans share...

Slideshow with embedded video and audio explains our immune system and how it works. Includes a worksheet handout.