The First "Glowing" Sea Turtle Has Been Discovered
AdultsAnimalsBiologyNature...While filming coral off the Solomon Islands, David Gruber, a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, encountered a "bright red-and-green spaceship." This underwater UFO turned out to be a hawksbill sea turtle, which is significant because it's the first time that biofluorescence has ever been seen in reptiles, according to Gruber. Gruber is now excited to learn more about this critically endangered species and how it is using biofluorescence.
Do We Have to Get Old and Die?
AdultsBiologyHumanWe'd like to thank Focus Features for sponsoring this video - and for inviting us to pre-screen their summer 2015 film "Self/Less". It's a sci-fi flick that explores memory, consciousness, and immortality, and it made us think about the types of immortality that already exist here on Earth.
Superbugs: The Empire Strikes Bacteria
AdultsBiologyHealthScienceAre we entering the post-antibiotic era? Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are on the rise, with millions of infections reported every year and thousands of deaths. How does antibiotic resistance work? How did we get here? And what can we do in the future to make sure that papercuts don't spell a death sentence?
Why do honeybees love hexagons? - Zack Patterson and Andy Peterson
AdultsAnimalsNatureMath...Honeybees are some of nature's finest mathematicians. Not only can they calculate angles and comprehend the roundness of the earth, these smart insects build and live in one of the most mathematically efficient architectural designs around: the beehive. Zack Patterson and Andy Peterson delve into the very smart geometry behind the honeybee's home.
How the heart actually pumps blood
AdultsBiologyHealthHuman...For most of history, scientists weren't quite sure why our hearts were beating or even what purpose they served. Eventually, we realized that these thumping organs serve the vital task of pumping clean blood throughout the body. But how? Edmond Hui investigates how it all works by taking a closer look at the heart's highly efficient ventricle system.
Why are blue whales so enormous?
AdultsAnimalsNatureBiologyBlue whales are the largest animals on the planet, but what helps them grow to the length of a basketball court? Asha de Vos explains why the size of krill make them the ideal food for the blue whale -- it's as if the blue whale was made to eat krill (and krill was made to be eaten by the blue whale).