Biology Videos: Home

Explores the amazing features of amphibians and reptiles and highlights the major characteristics of these two vertebrate groups.

Using scientific facts and targeted humor, program alerts viewers to the variety of toxic, carcinogenic and addictive substances found in every puff of cigarette smoke.

Embark on a journey to see how biological forces build up over millennia to keep the human race running. Follow one couple as they start a family together. Get a glimpse inside the human body to see what happens to both men and women when attraction occurs.

This video program covers the structure and function of the organs and systems in this representative of the annelids. All major organ systems are thoroughly covered.

Studies the anatomy of the freshwater mussel, as a representative of the phylum Mollusca.

Studies the anatomy of the frog.

This program facilitates the study of the anatomy of the spiny dogfish as a representative cartilaginous fish. Each individual system can be viewed and discussed separately. The program studies the spiny dogfish.

The video chronicles the discoveries and theories that have led to our current understanding of evolution, including discarded postulates, an elaborate hoax that baffled science and the key elements that separate man from ape.

Experience the first two years of a child's life just as they do. This groundbreaking program reveals what only the little ones know. What is their most profound need? How do they really see their parents? What does it feel like to struggle to walk or learn to speak?

More advanced than a computer yet more versatile and resilient than any machine is the amazing miracle known as the human body. In these four fascinating programs, we analyze the human body from conception through old age and more.

This ABC News program looks at the brain's complex relationship with food and its role in America's obesity epidemic. With help from sophisticated imaging techniques, viewers go inside an obese person's brain to see how it responds to fattening foods.

Every moment of our lives we are making decisions based on information from our senses. What we hear and see tells us to stop or go, helps us connect with loved ones, and defines our world. As we age, the information that we receive from our eyes and ears becomes degraded and our ability to act on this information slows. But what if we could do something to impact these abilities? What if our brain holds the key to our independence?

Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. demonstrates how experts in various fields (a flutist, a baseball player, and a simultaneous translator) improve their neurological abilities through sustained, continuous, intense practice of their respective skill set and how such consequential neurological findings in experts compare to the average individual.

Explores how ordinary people are utilizing their brain plasticity to create lasting and astonishing changes. From aging to recovery from injury, the frontiers of neuroscience research are proving that our own neuroplasticity holds the key to previously unimaginable and incredible transformations.

Examines methods of utilizing the brain's neuroplasticity to increase mental agility, speed, and comprehension and to enhance brain function in later years.

Though he appears normal, Rick Franklin's brain injury has made his life anything but. Teaming up with veteran documentary maker and friend Lyell Davies, Rick explores the impact that brain injury has had on himself and other survivors and reveals helpful approaches to living with a brain injury. As they visit with brain injury survivors, invisible aspects of this disability become more clear; we see the wide range of deficits that survivors must face, both physically and mentally, and learn how no two brain injuries are alike. We also hear how survivors learn to deal with life after a brain injury by means of personal, medical, and even political strategies.

Shows what happens to food through the entire human alimentary canal. Shows how food is dissolved in acid, how the liver and gall bladder work, and how digestion and absorption are carried out.

Explains how the human body gets the regular supplies of air it needs and rids itself of carbon dioxide. Shows how the exchange of information between the brain and chest muscles enables the body to meet varying demands for oxygen.

Shot in HD using the latest in 3-D graphics, medical imaging and cadaver specimens, see the human body's cardiovascular system revealed in ways never seen before.

In the language of sports, being in the "zone" means achieving a perfect balance between body and mind, entering a "state of grace" that only very few athletes ever reach. Featuring never-before seen interviews with 15 international champions from five continents.

Highlights the major advances concerning the classification of life, more specifically focusing on current trends in systematics and taxonomy. Includes extras: glossary, slides, and an instructor's manual in PDF format.

Follow the ultimate journey each one of us takes from the moment of our conception to the moment of our birth.

Corpse Tech tours the boneyard to discover just how our remains are put to use. Meet a County Coroner and visit the University of Tennessee's famous Body Farm to see how dead bodies contribute to criminology. And tour a morgue, a crematorium, and one of the largest tissue banks in the United States to discover the multitudinous fates awaiting our earthly vessels.

... an investigation into the identity of the bonobo, formerly known as the pygmy chimpanzee ... Scientists ... discuss the genetics, biology, intelligence, sexual behavior, and matriarchal social organization of the bonobo ..

In July 2000, scientists made an announcement that triggered front-page headlines around the globe: they had read over 3-billion chemical 'letters' that make up human DNA, and done it faster than anyone expected. This documentary examines the complex race to decode the human genome.

Film explores the history of eugenics in 20th century America and how it has been used against women and minorities.

Examines the landmark case of Timothy White, the first capital murder conviction obtained solely on the basis of DNA evidence.

A close look at every facet of forensics. Pt. 1 shows how evidence left on a victim can point to the perpetrator. Pt. 2 follows the work of NecroSearch, a group of forensics experts of varying specialties, including bloodhound handlers, who locate and excavate clandestine graves. Pt. 3 uses case studies to show how evidence from the victim's body can lead to an arrest, and pt. 4 similarly shows how sophisticated fingerprinting, bullet trajectory analysis, and blood spatter analysis helped solve two murder cases.

The trials and triumphs of four people facing a lifelong struggle with learning. Dyslexia is the most common cause of reading and writing difficulties, affecting about 10 per cent of the population. [This documentary] is designed to raise awareness and provide an understanding of dyslexia, to bring a human face to this invisible disability and to reduce the stigma surrounding it.

This three-part series follows scientists and explorers who are on the trail of the jungle's most deeply held secrets. Equipped with an arsenal of high tech tools, they encounter the fantastic web of life that makes up a jungle ecosystem.

Morris discusses his research on human sexuality and sex roles. Includes discussions of cultural differences.

Trainer's set for workshops to show teachers how to teach nature to young children. Trainer's guide provides workshop planning and materials. Trainer's video contains real-life vignettes of the curriculum in action in the classroom.

Using the resources of the Brain Mapping Center of UCLA, this film illustrates the development of neuroscience from its classical reliance on information from brain injuries and autopsies through the new insights discovered with electronic microscopes, EEG equipment, PET scans and MRI machines.

The story of Rosalind Franklin, a scientist whose work was crucial in the discovery of the famous double-helix structure of DNA, but who went without credit for years.

Why does tolerance for alcohol differ so widely from person to person? Do genetic factors make alcoholism unavoidable in some people? Should we drink at all? This program searches for answers, following addiction expert Dr. John Marsden as he observes--and participates in--experiments that assess alcohol's neurological and physiological impact.

As this five-part series shows, the brain can be affected by drugs and alcohol in many different ways, depending on the substance consumed. The effects of stimulants, painkillers, tobacco and alcohol, cannabis, and hallucinogens are analyzed in detail, using the latest research and computer graphics.

Physiological studies in the mid-twentieth century, based largely on animals, and more recent neuroimaging studies of humans have uncovered hard evidence that neural circuits support emotional experience. Affective neuroscience thus blends the insights of psychology with methods from neuroscience

The program explores consequences of drinking. Young people who drink are more likely to experience health problems, risks to their still-developing brains, school problems and social problems. Alcohol is the chief culprit in many car crashes. For women, it greatly increases the risk of getting pregnant. For those who drink during pregnancy, the effects on the developing fetuses can cause problems that last a lifetime.

Provides a summary of everything students need to know about the dangers of using tobacco. Vividly illustrates the health effects of smoking using interviews of smokers ravaged by cancer, heart disease and lung disease. Identifies the toxic chemicals inhaled in every puff of cigarette smoke, including benzene, arsenic, cyanide, pesticides, carbon monoxide, and ammonia.

This animated program examines the concepts of natural selection and the selfish gene. It introduces evolution by discussing Darwin's study of finches from the Galapagos Islands, examines the roles that the selfish gene and altruism play in survival, discusses sexual selection and speciation, explains how genetic mutations lead to diversity in species, and emphasizes that natural selection is a cumulative process of change that occurs slowly over time.

Follows food as it travels through the digestive system. Includes extras: glossary, slides, and an instructor's manual in PDF format.

Explores the fascinating features of fishes. Special attention is paid to the major groups of fishes and their unique features. Includes extras: glossary, slides, and an instructor's manual in PDF format.

Searching for answers, go on a journey of discovery to a remote mountain region of China to explore the fascination with flowers and the puzzle of how they began.

The inspiration for Darwin's theory of evolution, the GalaÌ?pagos Islands are a living laboratory, a geological conveyor belt that has given birth to and seen the death of many species of plants and animals.

The fast-growing field of epigenetics investigates hidden influences that could not only affect our health today but that of our descendants far into the future.

This program features archival footage of the 20th century's most influential social scientists as they strive to define human nature: Carl Jung discusses individuation, Stanley Milgram explains his famous obedience experiment, R. D. Laing lectures on mental illness, Margaret Mead questions Western sexual mores, and Richard Dawkins casts "the selfish gene" in a more positive light. Also featured are Sigmund Freud, Benjamin Spock, B. F. Skinner, Desmond Morris, and Jane Goodall.

Bill Moyers talks with physicians, scientists, therapists, and patients-- people who are taking a new look at the meaning of sickness and health ... He discusses their search for answers to perplexing questions: How do emotions translate into chemicals in our body? How do thoughts and feelings influence health? How can we collaborate with our bodies to encourage healing?

Explores how environment affects the fertilization of the egg by sperm in the passing on of genetic traits. Includes updates related to gene therapy and chromosomal abnormalities.

This program looks at how hormones work, & illustrates various effects, such as the "fight or flight" reaction.

How Smart Can We Get? How do you get a genius brain? Is it all in the genes? Or is it hard work? Episodes include: Einstein's Brain; Mystery of the Savant Brain; What is Intelligence? and Profile: Sian Beilock.

Contents: [pt. 1]. Cells tissues and skin (22 min.) -- [pt. 2]. Immune system (22 min.) -- [pt. 3]. Human development and the reproductive system (42 min.) -- [pt. 4]. Respiratory system (20 min.) -- [pt. 5]. Circulatory system (22 min.) -- [pt. 6]. Skeletal and muscular systems (20 min.) -- [pt. 7]. Digestion and nutrition (20 min.) -- [pt. 8]. Endocrine system (20 min.) -- [pt. 9]. Nervous system and the senses (20 min.).

This series takes us across continents, meeting those who have pushed their bodies to the max. The latest CGI and camerawork depicts their ordeals in vivid detail both externally and through the internal workings of their bodies.

The fascinating interplay of genetic predispositions and experience in the development of the brain after birth is demonstrated in this film produced at the Brain Development Laboratory at the University of Oregon.

A compelling blend of autobiography and history that recounts the life of one of the most important neuroscientists of the 20th century and illuminates scientific developments in our understanding of the brain's role in recording and preserving memory.

From the moment of conception, every human embryo embarks on an incredible nine-month journey of development. Now, cutting-edge technology makes it possible for National Geographic Channel's "In the Womb" to open a window into the hidden world of the fetus and explore each trimester in amazing new detail.

The major characteristics and features of the circulatory systems are explored, with special emphasis placed on circulatory problems and caring for the circulatory system. Includes extras: glossary, slides, and an instructor's manual in PDF format.

The story of John James Audubon is a dramatic and surprising one. He saw more of the North American continent than virtually anyone of his time, and came to stand for America-- the America of wilderness and wild things. Audubon was a self-taught artist and a self-made man whose life was rife with action and contradiction.

In 2004, the Dover school board ordered science teachers to read a statement to their high school biology students about an alternative to Darwin's theory of evolution called intelligent design. The teachers refused to comply, and both parents and teachers filed a lawsuit in federal court accusing the school board of violating the constitutional separation of church and state.

Explores the major characteristics, adaptations, and life cycles of this group of animals. Special emphasis is paid to the features that enable birds to fly. Includes extras: glossary, slides, and an instructor's manual in PDF format.

Depicts the journey of a red blood cell around the human circulatory system to discover the efficiency and elegance of design that delivers oxygen and food to all parts of the body and removes wastes before they can do harm.

The development of a child from conception to birth, using both microimagery and the story of a young couple preparing for their first child.

Illustrates the common characteristics of mammals while also exploring some of the major mammalian groups. Includes extras: glossary, slides, and an instructor's manual in PDF format.

This film explores the challenge of explaining visual perception. The production includes an overview of the human visual system, illustrated with animated graphics and live action footage and describes, using engaging 'optical illusions,' the profound technical and philosophical challenges scientists face in attempting to explain perception. The film ends with a thought-provoking discussion of the essential role of human experience in determining what we perceive

When Dr. Jack Kessler was invited to head up the Neurology Department at Northwestern, his focus was on using stem cells to help cure diabetes. Soon after his move to Chicago, his 15-year-old daughter, Allison, was paralyzed from the waist down in a skiing accident. After the accident, Dr. Kessler changed the focus of his research to using embryonic stem cells to cure spinal cord injuries.

Looks at findings from researchers in Europe and the United States which show a dramatic drop in human sperm production over the past 50 years, as well as similar problems in the animal kingdom. Research is pointing to a long list of molecules and substances that affect the endocrine system-- including those found in plastics, pesticides, and cosmetics-- as the cause.

Travel to a top-secret location high in the White Mountains of California and explore our stunning past through the life of a 26-foot bristlecone pine that quietly holds the title of 'Oldest living thing on earth, ' and is known as the Methuselah Tree.

Sensitively explores the controversial subject of the blurring of gender as well as the serious social and family problems - even dangers - often faced by those whose gender may fall somewhere in between male and female.

The most common hospital birth scenarios are realistically shown in this new compilation. Each intimate segment offers educators an effective tool for explaining the stages of labor, coping techniques, pain management, medical interventions, and breastfeeding.

The most common hospital birth scenarios are realistically shown in this compilation. Each intimate segment offers educators an effective tool for explaining the stages of labor, coping, pain management, medical interventions, bonding, and breastfeeding.

Discusses the similarities between humans and other primates. Shows primates in the wild living in complex and varied societies in which they use tools, take herbal medicines, wheel and deal, practice power politics and sexual politics, and sometimes suffer from stress. Shows laboratory primates communicating with humans.

Through cinemicrophotography, shows how human muscles produce enormous strength as two types of molecules telescope against each other in large numbers. Includes muscular activity that takes place involuntarily, such as contraction of the heart muscle and the motion of the digestive tract.

Shows how human muscle activity is coordinated by the cerebellum and how position sensors in the muscles and joints along with the balancing mechanism of the inner ear enable the body to be controlled. Presents cinemicrophotography of the interior of the knee.

Shot in HD using the latest in 3-D graphics, medical imaging and cadaver specimens, see the human body's muscular system revealed in ways never seen before.

This documentary examines the role music plays in shaping our brains and improving our well-being.

Explains how various types of music affect the brain emotionally and physically and features a discussion with Dr. Levitin on his book, "This is Your Brain on Music," which discusses how technology can be used to see the affects of music on the human brain.

Each of the three programs that make up this DVD focuses on a different aspect of what we thought we knew, what we know now, and what we're on the verge of learning about the heart. This material is presented through the real-life dramas of people who suddenly learn that a normal, functioning heart is not something that can be taken for granted.

Explores the human nervous system, showing how nerve signals are transmitted. Examines the part played by nerve messages in reflex actions and the chemical and electrical activities of nerve cell networks.

Shot in HD using the latest in 3-D graphics, medical imaging and cadaver specimens, see the human body's nervous system revealed in ways never seen before.

Describes the steps a nurse should take in assessing a patient with hemiparesis or a severe frontal headache. Shows the connection between symptoms and the physiology of the nervous system.

Captures rare action, impossible locations, and intimate moments with our planet's best-loved, wildest, and most elusive creatures. From the highest mountains to the deepest rivers, [the program] takes you to places you've never been to experience sights and sounds never before captured on film.

New York City's first scientifically trained medical examiner, Charles Norris, and his chief toxicologist, Alexander Gettler, turned forensic chemistry into a formidable science and set the standards for the rest of the country.

Of the body's major systems only the reproductive organs and structures are different in men and women. There is no greater miracle on the planet than the creation of a new life. Join Dr. Mark Reisman as he takes you through each stage of this miracle, from the genetic basis of life, to the development of sex organs, to the formation of sex cells, to conception, to the emergence of the embryo, to the growth sequence of the fetus, and finally to the birth of a new human life.

Highlights the major structures and functions of the respiratory system. Includes extras: glossary, slides, and an instructor's manual in PDF format.

Shot in HD using the latest in 3-D graphics, medical imaging and cadaver specimens, see the human body's respiratory system revealed in ways never seen before.

Explains nursing assessment of respiratory signs and symptoms, such as adventitious breath sounds and dyspnea; identifies their likely causes; and offers ways to provide prompt and effective nursing care.

This video explores the physical and mental aspects of human sexuality from adulthood to old age.

Explores the extent of the baby's vast world of perceptions, from intrauterine life to the first months following birth. How does the baby perceive its world and ours? What are its capacities for learning and memorizing? Do babies respond to external stimuli? What happens when the baby leaves the intrauterine environment of amniotic fluid and enters the world of gravity and air?...

Ticking away inside the human body are the timepieces that govern our daily and seasonal lives. This program shows how these biological clocks dictate physiological behavior--determining when our brains are most alert, when our stomachs are ready to break down food, and when our bodies want to sleep.

Demonstrates how sensory exploration contributes to overall development, encourages independent thinking, and naturally supports individual learning styles.

Shot in HD using the latest in 3-D graphics, medical imaging and cadaver specimens, see the human body's sensory system revealed in ways never seen before.

New and fabulously effective medicines may be found in the Amazon's plant life, but the forest is disappearing. Even worse, the tribal shamans--healers and encyclopedias of rain forest botany--are the Amazon's most endangered species. The shaman's apprentice is the story of one scientist's quest to help Amazonians document and preserve their treasure house of life and culture.

Shot in HD using the latest in 3-D graphics, medical imaging and cadaver specimens, see the human body's skeletal system revealed in ways never seen before.

Describes the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system as well as the major structures of the brain such as the cerebral cortex, the cerebellum, the brain stem and others.

This module is an overview of theory in action. Theories include: cognitive, psychosexual, psychosocial, behaviorist, social learning, and sociocultural. The video explains the concept of the "whole child" and shows how theories tend to focus on only part. Examples are given of how one theory can contradict another. Theorists include: Piaget, Freud, Erickson, Gesell, Skinner, Vygotsky.

Twenty four 30 minute lectures on human development. Discusses various schools of thought in developmental psychology, including those of Freud, Erickson, Bandura, Ainsworth, Piaget, and Vygotsky.

How can a bone withstand 1,000 pounds of force without breaking? Why do some people bleed more easily than others? And, how can sound be used to make blind people see? These are just a few of the mysteries you'll explore in this fascinating documentary. Through amazing internal photography and advanced computer graphics, get an intimate look at nature's most complex machine.

A comprehensive video covering everything expectant parents need to know from the third trimester to life at home with a newborn.

The source of the earth's great variety of animals was a scientific mystery until Charles Darwin proposed the idea of natural selection. Nova presents breakthroughs in a new science nicknamed "evo devo" that are linking the enigma of origins to another of nature's mysteries, the development of embryos.

Explores the phenomenon of effortless slimness and its biological causes. Investigates genetic factors, evolutionary influences, and learned behavior associated with zero weight gain, as well as the possibility that a virus could be responsible for some obesity cases. Based on a 1967 experiment involving Vermont State Prison inmates, follows ten volunteers who agree to double their normal intake of calories over four weeks--producing intriguing physiological results.

This program spotlights researchers who are unlocking the deepest secrets of speech: Deb Roy and the human Speechome Project; Tecumseh Fitch and his study of vocal tract positioning in animals; Cathy Price, who is piecing together a speech-related map of the brain; William Fifer and his study of the roots of language reception in babies; Ofer Tchernichovski, who is conducting the Forbidden Experiment with zebra finches; Faraneh Vargha-Khadem and the isolation of speech gene FOXP2; and Simon Kirby, whose Alien Language Experiment illustrates the evolution of language from random to structured.