Why Do We Cook?
AdultsFoodScienceSociety...Why do humans cook? Holidays are celebrated in many ways, but chances are they involve eating, and eating a LOT. Ever wonder why we cook our food? We do it because it tastes good, of course, and because our customs and traditions are built around it. But we also cook our food for some basic biological reasons, because of evolution. Some scientists think that figuring out how to cook actually MADE us human! If conversation gets a little dry around your holiday table, now you'll have some awesome science to share with everyone!
What humans will look like in 1,000 years
AdultsFutureHumanScience...There will eventually be a day where prosthetics are no longer just for the disabled. However, it's not just our outside appearance that will change - our genes will also evolve on microscopic levels to aid our survival. For example, an Oxford-led study discovered a group of HIV-infected children in South Africa living healthy lives. It turns out, they have a built-in defense against HIV that prevents the virus from advancing to AIDS.
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.
What is entropy? - Jeff Phillips
AdultsPhysicsScienceChemistryThere's a concept that's crucial to chemistry and physics. It helps explain why physical processes go one way and not the other: why ice melts, why cream spreads in coffee, why air leaks out of a punctured tire. It's entropy, and it's notoriously difficult to wrap our heads around. Jeff Phillips gives a crash course on entropy.
Meet the Man Who Strapped Himself to a Rocket, For Science
AdultsHealthPhysicsTechnology...One man's quest to test the human limits of gravity on the human body.
Using GPS to Get Around Is Making Us Dumber
AdultsHumanScienceTechnology...GPS services have made getting from point A to point B a lot easier, but what effects does this have on our brains?
Hackers Can Now Break Into Your Phone Using Music
AdultsMusicSoftware EngineeringTechnology...New research shows sound waves can manipulate the accelerometer in your phone; what implications does this have for data security?
Why Some Old People Act Half Their Age: It's in the Brain
AdultsHumanMental HealthScienceScientists are studying people over 80 whose memories are just as good as someone in their 50s. What sets these 'SuperAgers' apart?
Graphene Could Solve the World's Water Crisis
AdultsFutureNatureTechnology...Turning saltwater into clean drinking water is an expensive, energy-intensive process, but could the wonder material graphene make it more accessible?
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.
9 Signs You're Not Drinking Enough Water
AdultsHealthScienceWellness...We've heard it. We get it. We know! Drink more water! But it's not just overplayed advice from fitness magazines and your mother. When we get dehydrated our bodies send out clear warning signs that we need to check our fluid levels. If that happens, it's important to do everything to get your hydration level back on track. Here are some of the symptoms associated with not drinking enough water...
The three different ways mammals give birth - Kate Slabosky
AdultsAnimalsNatureBiology...All mammals share certain characteristics, like warm blood and backbones. But despite their similarities, these creatures also have many biological differences - and one of the most remarkable differences is how they give birth. Kate Slabosky details the placental, marsupial, and monotreme methods of giving birth.
Amazing Images of a Changing Earth
AdultsSpaceTechnologyWorld...Incredible before-and-after satellite images of our dynamic planet.
Illuminating the Universe: The History of Light
AdultsHistoryTechnologyScience...Beyond what we can touch, taste, smell, and hear, we experience the universe through light. But how did we come to discover light, and how did we learn light's true nature, as the fastest thing in the universe, an electromagnetic spectrum, a wave and particle capable of the most amazing things? Here is the history of light, according to physics.