Deep Look: From Drifter to Dynamo – The Story of PlanktonMind-blowing fact: A massive group of single-celled algae called diatoms are considered champions of photosynthesis. Why? Diatoms are responsible for an estimated 20% to 40% -- maybe even 60% -- of the Earth's oxygen....
The silent flight superpower of a stealthy predator: The Owl It would be hard to escape a predator that has night vision, excellent hearing, and can swoop down upon prey in complete silence. In this clip from Owl Power, via Nature on PBS, an 11 year old barn owl named Kensa pro...
Crash Course Kids: Gotta Eat! and Feed Me: Classifying OrganismsWhy do we eat and how does what we eat help classify what we are? In these first two episodes from Crash Course Kids, Sabrina explains why all living things eat. Also, try the simple energy source experiment in episod...
Zen Snow Monkeys (Japanese macaques) in Japan’s hot springsIn 1963, Japanese macaques began making their way out of Jigokudani's mountain forests to warm themselves in the natural hot springs, all thanks to one young monkey that retrieved soybeans from the water and decided t...
Slime can trigger an immediate ewwwww! reaction, but ooey gooey slime is actually a rather brilliant, problem solving substance. One of the animals that depends on its slime can be found among the gigantic redwood forests of California, and stands out like a bright flower… or really more like a banana. This is Deep Look‘s Banana Slugs and Secret of the Slime:
Banana slugs are important members of the redwood forest community, even if they aren’t the most exalted. They eat animal droppings, leaves and other detritus on the forest floor, and then generate waste that fertilizes new plants. Being slugs, they don’t move very quickly, and without a shell, they need other protection to keep themselves from becoming food and then fertilizer. Their main defense: slime.
Banana slugs are important members of the redwood forest community, even if they aren’t the most exalted. They eat animal droppings, leaves and other detritus on the forest floor, and then generate waste that fertilizes new plants. Being slugs, they don’t move very quickly, and without a shell, they need other protection to keep themselves from becoming food and then fertilizer. Their main defense: slime.
Phases of the Moon, a beautiful video animation created using Virtual Moon Atlas and accompanied by Beethoven’s Sonata No. 14, (Opus 27, No. 2). Related watching to better understand the moon’s phases: (a super not-to-scale) moon orbits Earth as Earth orbits the sun:
In this Brusspup mind-bender, you may think you see a circle of eight white dots rotating around the inside of a larger red circle, but you’re actuallywitnessing something else, and you may not believe it unless you see it explained… but then you still might not believe it. To quote Phil Plait: “For most illusions there’s a moment when your brain can see what’s going on and the illusion shatters, but not with this one.”
