Why do we harvest horseshoe crab blood? - Elizabeth Cox
AdultsAnimalsNatureScience...During the warmer months, especially at night during the full moon, horseshoe crabs emerge from the sea to spawn. Waiting for them are teams of lab workers, who capture the horseshoe crabs by the hundreds of thousands, take them to labs, harvest their cerulean blood, then return them to the sea. Why? Elizabeth Cox illuminates the incredible properties of horseshoe crab blood.
DNA Doesn't Look Like What You Think!
AdultsBiologyGeneticsScienceBiology textbooks are full of drawings of DNA, but none of those show what DNA actually looks like. Sure, they're good models for understanding how DNA works, but inside of real cells, it's a whole lot more interesting. Learn why we can't look directly at DNA, and find out how DNA is actually packed inside cells.
What makes muscles grow? - Jeffrey Siegel
AdultsBiologySportsHealth...We have over 600 muscles in our bodies that help bind us together, hold us up, and help us move. Your muscles also need your constant attention, because the way you treat them on a daily basis determines whether they will wither or grow. Jeffrey Siegel illustrates how a good mix of sleep, nutrition and exercise keep your muscles as big and strong as possible.
The amazing ways plants defend themselves - Valentin Hammoudi
AdultsEcologyNatureScience...Plants are constantly under attack. They face threats ranging from microscopic fungi to small herbivores like caterpillars, up to large herbivores like elephants. But plants are ready, with a whole series of internal and external defenses that make them a less appealing meal - or even a deadly one. Valentin Hammoudi explains some of the fascinating ways that plants defend themselves.
The bizarre physics of fire ants
AdultsAnimalsNatureTechnology...They're not just an animal, they're a material. And that's got engineers interested.
Revolutionizing Heart Surgery With Virtual Reality
AdultsBiologyHealthTechnologyHave you ever wondered what it would be like to take a ride through the human body on the Magic School Bus? Well, a new bit of virtual reality technology is taking that concept and applying it to medical training. Doctors can now teleport inside the human heart and practice surgery over and over again, and this training could revolutionize the future of health care.
What can you learn from ancient skeletons? - Farnaz Khatibi
AdultsHistoryHumanScience...Ancient skeletons can tell us a great deal about the past, including the age, gender and even the social status of its former owner. But how can we know all of these details simply by examining some old, soil-caked bones? Farnaz Khatibi examines a fascinating branch of science known as biological anthropology.
The ferocious predatory dinosaurs of Cretaceous Sahara - Nizar Ibrahim
AdultsAnimalsHistoryWorld...In Cretaceous times (around 100 million years ago), North Africa was home to a huge river system and a bizarre menagerie of giant prehistoric predators -- including the Spinosaurus, a dinosaur even more fearsome than the Tyrannosaurus rex. Nizar Ibrahim uses paleontological and geological data to reconstruct this "River of Giants" in surprising detail.
Oxygen's surprisingly complex journey through your body - Enda Butler
AdultsBiologyHumanScience...Oxygen forms about 21% of the air around us. In your body, oxygen forms a vital role in the production of energy in most cells. But if gases can only efficiently diffuse across tiny distances, how does oxygen reach the cells deep inside your body? Enda Butler tracks the surprisingly complex journey of oxygen through your body.
Why are sloths so slow? - Kenny Coogan
AdultsAnimalsNatureBiologySloths spend most of their time eating, resting, or sleeping; in fact, they descend from their treetops canopies just once a week, for a bathroom break. How are these creatures so low energy? Kenny Coogan describes the physical and behavioural adaptations that allow sloths to be so slow.
Why do animals have such different lifespans? - Joao Pedro de Magalhaes
AdultsAnimalsLifeNature...For the microscopic lab worm C. elegans, life equates to just a few short weeks on Earth. The bowhead whale, on the other hand, can live over two hundred years. Why are these lifespans so different? And what does it really mean to 'age' anyway? Joao Pedro de Magalhaes explains why the pace of aging varies greatly across animals.
Why You're Attracted To Certain People
AdultsBiologyRelationshipsPsychology...Love is a beautiful thing, but what causes it? Well, it might all just be in your head.