9 minutes, May 2013 Biology, Evolution, Genetics Featured Video What Is Natural Selection? Natural Selection is one of the main concepts found within the theory of evolution. See how it works! Play
Bee Stinger Anatomy: An evolved machine This detailed breakdown of bee stinger anatomy showcases the incredible adaptations behind one of nature’s most iconic weapons.
Evolution’s Wildcard: The Single-Cell Bottleneck Explore the ‘single-cell bottleneck’, its role in multicellular life, and its implications for genetics and evolution.
DNA vs RNA: Differences in form and function DNA and RNA are similar molecules but have small, very important differences. These differences allow them to serve distinct functions in the cell.
Genetic Conflict and the Parliament of Genes Are your genes working in harmony or is there genetic conflict? Here you’ll learn the surprising hoops your genome must jump through to stay functional.
DNA Evidence For Evolution: Endogenous Retroviruses An Endogenous Retrovirus is a genetic scar left by certain types of virus infections. We can use Endogenous Retroviruses to build evolutionary trees.
What Is The “Gene’s Eye View” Of Evolution? Genes are the smallest things capable of evolution. Understanding how they evolve helps us solve tough mysteries in evolutionary biology.
What Is The Metabolism-First Hypothesis For The Origin Of Life? Find out what the study of cellular metabolism is teaching us about the origin of life, and what a deeper study of metabolism might reveal.
A Brief History Of The Microscope The invention of the microscope transformed science forever. Here we explore what microscopes have revealed and what the best microscopes today can do.
Where Do New Viruses Come From? Learn how viruses differ from other microbes, why most viruses only infect one type of host organism, and how viruses evolve to infect new hosts!
Quick Definition: What Is Horizontal Gene Transfer? In plants and animals, most genes are passed from parent to child. Sometimes, however, genes can spread between unrelated individuals.
What Is Symbiosis? Symbiosis is the “long-term living together of unlike organisms”. Here we explore how symbiotic relationships evolve over time.
Quick Definition: What Is A Fossil? Here you will see how scientists define “fossil” and you will get an overview of how fossils form.
Quick Definition: What Is An Allele? An allele is an alternate version of a gene within a population. Here we look at examples of exactly what that means.
What Is A Molecule? A molecule can be roughly thought of as any group of atoms stuck together. Here you will learn some important details.
What Are Atoms Made Of? While we used to think atoms were fundamental particles, we now know they are made of smaller parts still.
What Is An Atom And How Do We Know? Ever wonder how we actually know that atoms exist? Here, we’ll learn what atoms are and exactly how scientists went about figuring all of this out.
What Is Life… According To NASA? What exactly is life and how could we know if we ever spotted an alien? NASA has some ideas!
Soft Tissue Found Inside A Dinosaur Bone! Did scientists really discover soft tissue inside a dinosaur bone? Find out here, and learn what this might mean!
What Is A Chromosome? Ever confuse DNA, Genes, and Chromosomes? If so, don’t worry, we straighten all of this out right here!
Did Dinosaurs Ever Live Alongside Humans? You may have read online that dinosaurs once lived alongside humans. Here we look at what the real scientific observations suggest.
What Caused Life’s Major Evolutionary Transitions Explore the fascinating transition from early cells to multi-celled animals and see the experiments that helped us understand how it happened.
What Is The RNA World Hypothesis? The RNA World Hypothesis proposes that chains of RNA were the first living things on Earth. Here you’ll find out why.
How Does Cooperation Evolve? If evolution is all about “survival of the fittest”, how does cooperation evolve?
How Does New Genetic Information Evolve? Part 2: Gene Duplications Here we see how new genetic information evolves via gene duplications followed by point mutations.
What Was The Miller-Urey Experiment? If the origin of life happened before scientists were around to observe it, how can our origin be studied with the scientific method? This question is answered in our overview of the Miller-Urey experiment.
How Does New Genetic Information Evolve? Part 1: Point Mutations Point mutations are the simplest natural mechanisms known to increase the genetic information of a population.
What Is Chemical Evolution? The origin of life is still a mystery, but the careful study of chemical evolution is beginning to provide us with possible answers.
What Is The Evidence For Evolution? Biologists teach that all living things on Earth are related. Is there any solid evidence to back this claim? Join us as we explore the facts!
Does The Theory Of Evolution Really Matter? Here you will follow three scientists as they use evolutionary theory to solve mysteries in food production, medicine, and environmental protection.
Can Science Explain The Origin Of Life? The theory of evolution tells us how life diversified after it got started, but how did the first evolving creatures come about?
What Exactly Is A Gene? You hear about genes all the time in the news and in the movies, but what exactly is a gene? Here we learn what genes are and how they evolve.
What Is DNA And How Does It Work? Ever wish you understood genetics? It’s way easier than you think. Mastering the basics only takes 5 minutes.