Science Wonder – Front Page 3-2015

Recent Additions to Blog: March 10, 2015

Je Suis Charlie  – I Am Charlie (my reflections on the tragedy in France and the role of freedom of expression in the process of science have been moved to a new location lower on this front page)

 

This blog is BEST VIEWED on a computer screen (or even better, your computer connected to your Large screen TV) with Flash Player (Version 11.5 or higher).  Smart phones can also be used to access the blog and can be used to view videos.  I will provide links to more recent PBS videos and a lot more here on this page for the Smart Phone User.  

I believe this blog is a powerful tool for your “Informal Education” about science and the nature it investigates.  These videos and web links are very powerful and can be accessed here on the front page as well as in the other sections of the blog.  It would be well worth your time to look in section entitled “Classified View (By Subject)“.  You will find a great variety of programs there contained within different subject area classifications.

If you would like to contact me with specific issues or questions would you kindly email me at: sweeneyrandy@gmail.com

 

Want to get a audio/visual context as to what’s happening with Ebola? Frontline and NOVA staffs venture into the center of the outbreak in West Africa.

FRONTLINE – Ebola Outbreak/Hunting Boko Haram

Click Here to Find Out

NOVA – Surviving Ebola

Click Here to View Program

 

Would you like to see how the air is moving?  This nullschool site shows how the winds are blowing on the surface of the earth, it’s very interesting to compare what you see here with other weather satellite information!

A NullSchool Map of Surface Winds (Global)

Click Here to View Software

“Atmospheric Rivers”, particularly the one that occasionally develops in the Pacific Ocean known as the “The Pineapple Express”, are illustrated in real time graphic display developed by this University of Wisconsin.

http://tropic.ssec.wisc.edu/real-time/mimic-tpw/epac/main.html

 

El Nino Update

There is a developing El Nino.  If you would like information about this event, use the link below:

Click Here to get to the Website

 

PBS Programs Now Available and Ones to watch for…

NOVA – Petra: Lost City of Stone

Click Here to View Program

How this amazing ancient city was carved from rock and how water was brought to it are explored in this very interesting program.

NATURE – Attenborough’s Life Stories: Life on Camera

Click Here to View Program

The first of the 3-part series celebrating the life and work of Sir David Attenborough. In this episode, Attenborough revisits key places and events in his career and shows how a succession of technical innovations in filmmaking led to remarkable revelations about our planet and the creatures that inhabit it

NATURE – The Last Orangutan Eden

Click Here to View Program

Ecologist Chris Morgan travels to the jungles of Northern Sumatra to document the work being done to save its population of wild orangutans. Asia’s most intelligent ape once roamed across the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java, but today, fewer than 7,000 Sumatran orangutans remain in the wild. The film cites rapid deforestation as the chief reason for the species’ declining population.

NATURE – Owl Power

Click Here to View Program

For centuries, owls have captured our imaginations. With their haunting calls and charismatic faces, these birds remain popular but mysterious because it’s rare to catch more than a glimpse of one in the wild. Unlike their cousins, the hawks, eagles and falcons, owls are the only bird of prey to hunt effectively at night and they have evolved a range of special abilities that allow them to do so.

EARTH A NEW WILD – EARTH A New Wild | Home

Click Here to View Program

This is a very interesting new series on Nature from a perspective of our planet as a whole.  Travel deep into the wild to take a fresh look at humankind’s relationship to the big animals that live alongside us. From cuddling baby pandas to avoiding man-eating tigers, Dr. M. Sanjayan investigates our changing relationships with the wilderness. Sanjayan focuses on the powerful stories that prove animals and humans can thrive side by side. It’s a new kind of wild.

EARTH A NEW WILD – EARTH A New Wild | Water

Click Here to View Program

In the EARTH A New WIld final episode, Sanjayan explores humankind’s relationship with the Earth’s most important resource: water. Unraveling dramatic connections between fresh water and the health of the planet, he uncovers spectacular wildlife stories that center on managing the natural pulse of the planet’s water.

EARTH A NEW WILD – EARTH A New Wild | Oceans

Click Here to View Program

Starting on the most pristine reef on Earth, home to more predators than prey, Sanjayan draws on his own ocean experiences to reveal a vibrant community of scientists, engineers and fishermen who are providing solutions that can help restore the oceans in astonishing ways.

EARTH A NEW WILD – EARTH A New Wild | Plains

Click Here to View Program

Explore the giant herds that roam the wild grasslands of the plains. Home to the greatest gathering of animal life on the planet, they are also increasingly our bread basket — and among the most endangered places on Earth. Dr. Sanjayan follows a unique elephant conservation project in South Africa and tracks the prairies to see how Americans are saving their most-endangered mammal.

EARTH A NEW WILD – EARTH A New Wild | Forests

Click Here to View Program

Journey deep into the great forests of Earth for a new way of looking at these wild places and the animals that live there. Sanjayan travels into an uncharted area of the Amazon that scientists believe is the most bio-diverse place on Earth. From there he follows unique animal behavior in Alaska’s Great Bear Rainforest and meets the farmers in Portugal’s cork forests.

NATURE – Penguin Post Office

Click Here to View Program

This Nature program looks at an Antarctic Post Office that is located in an area used by a colony of penguins.  This colony is visited by a host of tourists and send letters home using the post office facilities.

NOVA – Sinkholes—Buried Alive

Click Here to View Program

These collapses of the ground’s surface structures occur across the planet.  As the climate changes, and some regions become drier, new regions will experience these disasters.  This NOVA explores the past, present and future of these threats to our life styles.

NOVA – Colosseum: Roman Death Trap

Click Here to View Program

1500 years ago the Colosseum was used for a number of different deadly struggles. Modern exploration under the Colosseum is revealing more factual information about what happened in this dramatic center of death.  These facts are very shocking!

NOVA – Bigger Than T. rex

Click Here to View Program

The only fossil remains of this biggest predator every found were destroyed by bombing in Europe during WWII.  Amazingly, another almost complete fossil of this dinosaur bigger than T. rex has been discovered in the Sahara Desert.  This extraordinary videos show how fossils are found in the Sahara by the people living there, and how paleontologists work with these people to learn more about these important discoveries.

NATURE – Animal Odd Couples

Click Here to View Program

NATURE – Dogs That Changed the World: Rise of the Dog

Click Here to View Program

This amazing video tells the story of how we have become so attached to dogs, and how dogs evolved to be the creatures they are today.

NATURE – Dogs That Changed the World: Dogs By Design

Click Here to View Program

We now have over 400 different breeds of dogs!  This video tells the story of how we managed to accomplish this amazing task!

INDEPENDENT LENS – A Path Appears – Episode One

Click Here to View Program

Episode 1: “Sex Trafficking in the USA” Episode 1 focuses on survivors trafficked into a life of prostitution in the U.S., as well as effective programs that combat commercial sexual exploitation and restore lives. Nicholas Kristof joins Ashley Judd, Blake Lively, and Malin Akerman in Nashville, Boston, and Chicago to illuminate the widespread existence of crimes happening in our own backyard.

These “A Path Appears” videos explores abuse of women and Sex Trafficking in the USA and other issues. These are stories in our society that we all should be more aware of!  Want some good news stories?  Check out these program.  These kinds of programs could only be put together in a country with freedoms like ours.

NDEPENDENT LENS – A Path Appears – Episode Two

Click Here to View Program

Episode 2: “Breaking the Cycle of Poverty” Episode 2 visits West Virginia, Haiti, and Colombia for stories of children and women breaking out of cycles of poverty and abuse. Jennifer Garner, Alfre Woodard, and Eva Longoria join Nichols Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn to see how accessible education and comprehensive intervention are transforming lives.

INDEPENDENT LENS – A Path Appears – Episode Three

Click Here to View Program

Episode 3: “Violence and Solutions” Episode 3 follows Nicholas Kristof and Regina Hall to Atlanta to explore the work of two organizations that combat domestic violence. Then in Kenya, Mia Farrow and Ronan Farrow join Kristof as they visit Kibera, one of the largest slums in the world, and an organization which provides the area’s most at-risk young girls with a path out of poverty and abuse.

FRONTLINE – Being Mortal

Click Here to View Program

Explores a doctors confronting the pending death of their patients.

NOVA – Big Bang Machine

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Science is looking into the inner structure of atoms.  This NOVA will introduce you to recent developments.

STUDIO SOCAL – World War 3.0

Click Here to View Program

The next war we fight may well be without troops or weapons, but involves computer hacking into our most basic information based infrastructure.

FRONTLINE – Stickup Kid

Click Here to View Program

This Frontline examines what happens when a kid (person less than 18 years old) is placed in an adult prison.

NOVA – Rise of the Drones

Click Here to View Program

Drones are not only changing the way the military addresses “air war”, but are also collapsing the boundaries of our freedoms.  Take a look at this amazing new technology and how it is advancing in our modern age.

FRONTLINE – HEAT

Click Here to View Program

This program was aired on PBS in 2008, but remains very relevant.  In fact it is interesting to see what we were aware of and what was proposed 7 years ago.

FRONTLINE – Alaska Gold

Click Here to View Program

This program examines the ways strip mining for gold conflicts with our efforts to encourage the development of our natural resources…in this case salmon.

FRONTLINE – The Spill

Click Here to View Program

The Spill examines the way decisions about extracting crude oil from the earth, particularly those that can be found under the oceans’ surface, can be compromised by the way economics operates within the oil industry.

NOVA – First Man on the Moon

Click Here to View Program

This is an extraordinary story of the role of one individual in our successful program to put a man on the moon before the end of the 1960’s.

FRONTLINE – Gunned Down

Click Here to View Program

This program examines the rise of gun violence in our nation, the politics of gun control and the role of the NRA.

FRONTLINE – College Inc.

Click Here to View Program

For most of the history of Universities in the USA these institutions were “not for profit”.  In the past decade, a large movement in afoot to “privatize” the university experience.  Student be Ware!

NOVA – Exclusive: Edward Snowden on Cyber Attacks

Click Here to View Program

NATURE – Wild France

Click Here to View Program

TO CATCH A COMET – Exclusive Online Premiere

Click Here to View Program

AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS – Surviving Year One

Click Here to View Program

NDEPENDENT LENS – Baby Mama High

Click Here to View Program

RETURN TO THE WILD – Full Episode

Click Here to View Program

FRONTLINE – “Being Mortal” – Trailer

Click Here to View the Trailer

NOVA – Killer Landslides Preview

Click Here to View Preview

NOVA – Killer Landslides

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – Sinkholes—Buried Alive Preview

Click Here to View Preview

NATURE – Invasion of the Killer Whales

Click Here to View Program

This Nature shows the changes in the natural range of these massive predators as Climate Change warms the Arctic Ocean.

NATURE – Killer Whales Attack Pod of Narwhal

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – Sunken Ship Rescue Preview

Click Here to View Program

FRONTLINE – League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis

Click Here to View Program

It is becoming very clear that sports in our nation are subjecting the participants to a serious range of injuries.  This Frontline focuses in our the damage of concussions.

FRONTLINE – “The Trouble with Antibiotics” – Preview

Click Here to View Preview

FRONTLINE – The Trouble with Antibiotics (full program)

Click Here to View Program

The collapse of the effectiveness of current antibiotics in controlling infections of bacteria, not only in our own bodies, but other organisms as well, could easily threaten the future of humans on the planet.  We all must learn how to more effectively use these most valuable medical tools.

NOVA – Vaccines—Calling the Shots

Click Here to View Program

Humans must also control infections of viruses.  Vaccines are our current tool to confront these threats to our personal survival.  Members of societies must develop support for these efforts to control the spread of viral diseases.

NOVA – Bigger Than T. rex

Click Here to View Program

NATURE – A Sloth Named Velcro

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – Why Planes Vanish (Preview)

Click Here to View Preview

NOVA – Why Planes Vanish (Full Program)

Click Here to View Full NOVA

You might find it interesting to learn about how the technology in modern airplanes and the flight systems that support them work to protect us as we fly in modern aircraft.

NOVA – Ben Franklin’s Balloons

Click Here to View Program

 

Je Suis Charlie  – I Am Charlie (my reflections on the tragedy in France and the role of freedom of expression in the process of science

Freedom of Expression is one of the most fundamental rights in our modern society.  It is the foundation for all intellectual progress humans have made in the more than 200 years since the French Revolution and our Declaration of Independence here in the United States.  Modern Scientific Developments are certainly also founded in this most basic principle.  We must stand up and confront the fundamentalist religious movements that are telling us what we can say and what we can not speak about, particularly to what is going on in Syria and Iraq with ISIS.  “I Am Charlie” (Je Suis Charlie) must be the signal for action against those who try to control others through intimidation, threats and fear. I feel that tolerance for ideas that challenge the construct of our thinking is fundamental, but the tolerance is certainly a two way street!  We all try our best to be tolerant of one another, and as the Pope mentioned recently it is reasonable to not go out of our way to insult another person’s religion or cultural norms even though we should have the right to do so.

 

NATURE – Nature’s 33rd Season: Sneak Preview

Click Here to View Preview

 

STUDIO SOCAL – The LA River: From Concrete Ditch to an Oasis in the City

Click Here to View Program

 

Marine Webcams:

Monterey Bay Aquarium – Live Web Cams

Click Here to Get To The Web Cams

Ocean Classrooms – Live Video Cams

Click Here to Get To The Video Cams

Channel Islands National Park – Live Ocean Webcams

Click Here to Get To The Webcams

 

Nature has “reactivated” Earth Flight’s series of fabulous videos illustrating birds around the world.  There are seven videos in the series: Earth Flight (EF) North America, EF South America, EF Europe, EF Africa, EF Asia and EF “How it was made…”  You can get to the Earth Flight videos in this blog by going to “Classified Videos by Subject” then click on the section of “Earth Amazing Diversity of Life”.  I also have some of the links here on this front page for those of you who are viewing with a smart phone.

NATURE – Earthflight, A Nature Special Presentation – Preview

Click Here to View Preview

NATURE – Earthflight: North America (expired?)

Click Here to View Program

NATURE – Earthflight: Africa (expired?)

Click Here to View Program

NATURE – Earthflight: Europe (expired?)

Click Here to View Program

Try www.pbs.org to see if these videos have been re-installed on the PBS server.

 

ScienceWonder Earth Day Report 2014

Scientific American (April, 2014) has an article that analyzes what seems to be happening with the Earth’s Climate and the models that are attempting to assess the risk to our various ways of life. A number of reasonably moderate assumptions lead us toward a very real Danger Zone in the year 2036 (22 years from the present!), where we will have to deal with a 2 degree Celsius increase in global temperature and there will be no way to turn back the Climate Change for hundreds if not thousands of years!

The article also has an interesting list of sectors of our civilization that would be dramatically effected. The sectors seriously effected by a 2 degree increase in global temperature are:

  1. Food
  2. Water
  3. Health
  4. Land
  5. National Security
  6. Energy
  7. Economic Prosperity

I wonder if humanity will address Climate Change Issues now knowing the pain we will experience in the future if we don’t act now or if it is necessary for us to actually suffer the pain in order for us to take action?

 

HOW TO BE PREPARED FOR NATURAL DISASTERS (Fires? Earthquakes? Outrageous  Weather Events?)

A very useful list of 23 steps in developing a good plan!

Click Here to View the Website

It might be useful to view the following programs to get a better idea of what you might need to plan for in terms of Natural Disasters:

NOVA – Megastorm Aftermath

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – Inside the Megastorm

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – The Deadliest Tornadoes

Click Here To View Video

NOVA – Deadliest Earthquakes

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – Killer Typhoon

Click Here to View Program

Up-to-date websites to learn about current Wild Fires:

http://www.wildlandfire.com/

Click here to get to the Website

http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/

Click here to get to the Website

http://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/nfn.htm

Click here to get to the Websire

http://www.esri.com/services/disaster-response/wildlandfire/latest-news-map

Click here to get to the Website

 

New PBS Videos well worth viewing:

NOVA – First Air War

Click Here to View Program

OPERATION MANEATER – Great White Shark

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – Why Sharks Attack

Click Here to View Program

 

It is well worth the time to check out The Astronomy Picture of the Day

Click Here to Link with the Website

The web site has a searchable archive going back to June 16, 1995!

 

The following is one of the most amazing videos in the NOVA series:

NOVA: Earth from Space (full 2 hour version)

Click Here to View Program

NOVA PreView: Earth from Space Preview

Click Here to View Preview

 

NOVA and NATURE have some “Video Clips” (3-7 minutes in length) that summarize important issues.  The following are several examples of NOVA Video Clips:

Nature Video Clip: How Beavers Build Dams

Click Here to View Clip

NATURE – Bullfrog Dad Protects the Brood

Click Here to View Video clip

NOVA – Nature’s Time Capsules (Bogs)

Click Here to View Video Clip

NOVA – A Never Ending Supply (Energy)

Click Here to View Video Clip

NATURE – Emperor Penguins Huddle to Keep Warm

Click Here to View the Video Clip

 

Newly Released Full Length Programs:

NOVA – Vaccines—Calling the Shots

Click Here to View Program

FRONTLINE – Ebola Outbreak/Hunting Boko Haram

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – Surviving Ebola

Click Here to View Program

LIFE ON THE LINE: COMING OF AGE BETWEEN NATIONS

STUDIO SOCAL – Mental Illness, What’s New?

Click Here to View Program

Frontline – Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria

Click Here to View Program

Nature – Outback Pelicans

Click Here to View Program

Objects and Memory

Click Here to View Program

FRONTLINE – Prison State

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – Autopsying a Roman Catacomb

Click Here to View Video Clip

Recent Additions:

Nature – Leave it to Beavers

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – D-Day’s Sunken Secrets

Click Here to View Program

Bill Moyers – Full Show: Is Net Neutrality Dead?

Click Here to View Program

THE LEXICON OF SUSTAINABILITY – What is Sustainability?

 

Science and Nature Videos

NATURE – Touching the Wild (man befriends “wild” deer…very touching!)

Click Here to View Program

Nature – Love in the Animal Kingdom

Click Here to View Program

Nature – Shark Mountain

Click Here to View Program

 

 The following three NOVA programs “Inside Animal Minds” have been removed from the PBS site.  In the future you should be sure to view programs when they are available.  If you wait too long you will not be able to view them!  If we’re lucky the videos will be re-installed into PBS.org

NOVA – Inside Animal Minds: Dogs & Super Senses

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – Inside Animal Minds: Bird Genius

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – Inside Animal Minds: Who’s the Smartest?

Click Here to View Program

 

MOYERS & COMPANY – Neil deGrasse Tyson on the New Cosmos

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – The Fabric of the Cosmos: Universe or Multiverse?

Click Here to View Program

 

Condition Black: Surfers Take On Huge Hawaii Waves

Click Here to View Program

Epic Waves – Walls of Death!! – Biggest Wednesday Condition Black

Click Here to View Program

Regarding “Formal Education”, and the educational process it includes, the Next Generation Science Standards are very interesting, very detailed, and worth a careful examination by all who wish to help our youth get a good handle on science issues and the role science will play in future societal activities.  I feel that the videos that are linked with this blog will serve these standards very well.  Anyone trying to sort out, and think through, these new standards must have a base of experience with nature in order to fully take advantage of these new goals for their growth as well as for our youth.  The Children & Nature Network, for example, tries to get youth to venture outside and into natural settings, and these goals will serve the new standards very well. But there is  so much of nature that is beyond the capability of kids to personally experience that there must be other means to gather this information.  These “real experiences” in nature (utilizing all your senses) are undoubtedly the best for constructing meaningful relationships with science and an individual’s personal future.  But video does utilize our powerful senses of sight and hearing and may well substitute for totally real experiences, at least I hope so.  I believe that this blog provides an excellent environment for this endeavor.

A Major Question: How can we get adolescents (and other folks) out into nature or if that is not possible to view these video programs when their schedules are so full?  Maybe a school classroom is the only reasonable place?

This front page of my blog contains a few of the links to videos, and their related websites, that I feel are particularly interesting or important.  Many more videos on the subject can be found within the full section. 

It also provides a convenient format for iphone access to the videos.  Many more links to videos in this blog can be accessed within the general section titled: “Classified Videos (by subject)”, but these are more difficult for an iphone to access.  I generally will put a link to a video in several sections as it could be classified from a number of perspectives.

Many people today seem to be questioning the validity of science.  Our understanding of, and confidence in, science is fundamentally grounded in our personal experiences and interactions with nature.  I challenge you to visit sections within “Classified Videos (by subject)” and not wonder more about issues the titles raise. Through the past year and a half I have found many videos, mostly available through PBS, on a number of very interesting issues related to the development of our understanding of the world of science.   Look at the titles of the videos in a section and consider reasons for why I placed the videos where I have. Please let us know what the sections have caused you to wonder.

 

Look below for a link to assist you in exploring 23 issues you will need to address in developing an effective and comprehensive plan for Natural Disasters in your area!

http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Prepared-for-Natural-Disasters

 

The following is one of the most amazing videos in the NOVA series:

NOVA: Earth from Space

Click Here to View Program

NOVA PreView: Earth from Space Preview

Click Here to View Preview

 

An interesting software discovery: 

A NullSchool Map of Surface Winds (Global)

Click Here to View Software

A map of the Ocean’s Surface Currents (Pacific Ocean)

Click Here to View Software
 

Upwelling off the North West Coast of New Guinea

Click Here to View Upwelling

 

 

PBS Programs to watch for…

FRONTLINE – “The Trouble with Antibiotics” – Preview

Click Here to View Preview

NOVA – Why Planes Vanish Preview

Click Here to View Preview

The Men Who Made Us Fat

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – Solar Power’s Promise

Click Here to View Preview

NOVA – Wild Predator Invasion

Click Here to View Program

NATURE – My Bionic Pet

Click Here to View Program

 

Many more videos are under  

“Videos Classified (by subject)”

I have also sorted videos by general subject area into different sections.  You can find these under “Videos Classified (by subject)”.  There are many more videos that you can find within these sections than can be found on this “front page”.

 

COURTSHIP, SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS, FRIENDSHIPS AND COMMUNICATION IN NATURE

Do you have raccoons in your community?  Do they eat your cat food and dog food left outdoors overnight and get in your trash can?  Check out the following Nature program about these very interesting creatures.  Their adaptability will amaze you.

NATURE – Raccoon Nation

Click Here to View Program

NATURE – Earthflight: North America

Click Here to View Program

NATURE – Earthflight: Flying High

Click Here to View Program

(Unfortunately the Earthflight series has been removed from the PBS server. Nature is beginning to re-authorizes the use of these spectacular videos as they are extremely interesting.  There is a lesson in this—be sure to watch the PBS programs, particularly Nature programs, as they are allowed for us to access only for a limited time!)

Nature – In The Valley Of The Wolves

Please Click Here To View Video

NATURE – Dogs That Changed the World: Rise of the Dog

Click Here to View Program

NATURE – Dogs That Changed the World: Dogs By Design

Click Here to View Program

INDEPENDENT LENS – Twin Sisters

Click Here to View Program

INDEPENDENT LENS – Powerless

Click Here  to View Program

INDEPENDENT LENS – The Graduates – The Girls

Click Here to View Program

INDEPENDENT LENS – Los Graduados – Las Jóvenes

Click Here to View Program

INDEPENDENT LENS – The Graduates – The Boys

Click Here to View Program

INDEPENDENT LENS – Los Graduados – Los Jóvenes

Click Here to View Program

INDEPENDENT LENS – Happiness

Click Here to View Program

INDEPENDENT LENS – Coming to Independent Lens: Rich Hill

Click Here to View Preview

 

Many more interesting videos on this subject can be found within the section entitled “COURTSHIP, SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS, FRIENDSHIPS AND COMMUNICATION IN NATURE”!

 

EARTH’S AMAZING DIVERSITY OF LIFE

NATURE – Ireland’s Wild River

Click Here to View Program

NATURE – Honey Badgers: Masters of Mayhem

Click Here to View Program

NATURE – Meet the Coywolf

Click Here to View Program

Moment of Impact: Jungle

Click Here To View Video

Moment of Impact: Hunters and Herds

Click Here To View Video

NATURE – Black Mamba

Click Here to View Program

The following Special Nature Program on New Guinea has been saved on YouTube.  The 2 hour program shows some of the most spectacular natural organisms on our planet.  I would hope that this program is broadcast again on PBS.

PBS Nature: New Guinea – Land of the Unexpected

Click Here to view Program

Many more interesting videos on this subject can be found within the section entitled “EARTH’S AMAZING DIVERSITY OF LIFE”!

 

ENERGY SYSTEMS THAT EFFECT US (INCLUDING FOODS)

Secrets of the Sun

 Click Here To View Video

NOVA – Solar Power’s Promise

Click Here to View Program

Food, Nutrition and Health 

There are many “fads” related to nutrition and our diet, most driven by corporations and their lust for profits.  But the challenge of obtaining good quality information related to healthy diets remains huge, and the health sciences are hard at work learning more about what makes up a healthy diet.  I will link to Public Broadcast System video programs (or YouTube video saved from PBS) that I feel try hard to look behind the money and find the best information based on science.  Of course we should all be cynical about what we see and hear and carefully analyse information to determine it’s true quality!  When videos become a bit “aged” (and links are no longer on this front page), you will be able to find these videos within the section titled “Human Health Issues” found under “Classified Videos (by subject)”.

Michael Pollan – Food Rules for Healthy People and Planet

Click Here to View Program

BOTANY OF DESIRE – (Michael Pollan) Full-Length Program

Click Here to View Program

Many more interesting videos on this subject can be found within the section entitled “ENERGY SYSTEMS THAT EFFECT US (INCLUDING FOODS)”!

 

EVIDENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

New “Climate Change” Additions to the Blog: EARTH: The Operators Manual  Energy Quest USA

Click Here to View Program

This video presents Possible Immediate and Serious Impact on our Modern Way of Life!

Why the strongest storms are getting stronger

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – Megastorm Aftermath

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – Inside the Megastorm

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – Secrets Beneath the Ice

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – Extreme Ice

Click Here to View Program

Moyers & Company – Saving the Earth from Ourselves -Can now be found in the “Classified Videos by Subject – Restoring Nature’s Health” and “Evidence of Climate Change”

Many more interesting videos on this subject can be found within the section entitled “EVIDENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE ‘!

 

EVOLUTION – PARTICULARLY HUMAN EVOLUTION

NOVA – Cracking Your Genetic Code

Click Here to View Program

NOVA – What Darwin Never Knew

Click Here to View Program

PBS has a new NOVA “Evolution Web Site”, check it out:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/

Short Videos on Issues within Evolution:

NATURE – Dogs That Changed the World: Rise of the Dog

Click Here to View Program

NATURE – Dogs That Changed the World: Dogs By Design

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NOVA -Intelligent Design on Trial

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NOVA – Becoming Human Full Series Preview

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(The full series of videos can be found within the section titled: “Evolution – Particularly Human Evolution”)

Many more interesting videos on this subject can be found within the section entitled “EVOLUTION – PARTICULARLY HUMAN EVOLUTION”!

 

FOOD, WATER, SHELTER AND SPACE (4 REQUIREMENTS FOR LIFE)

With the West Coast of the United States in a severe drought, particularly in this current year, and both reservoir storage and the snow pack both at very low levels, you might want to learn more about Southern California’s water supply and how it has come to be what is is.  Watch Cadillac Desert to learn more:

Cadillac Desert (a 9 part series on Southern California’s Water Supply)

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Most communities have a water supply that is dependent on either Rain, Snow, or Fossil Water Supplies (in the form of Aquafers).  We must take better care to protect these resources as evidenced in the past week in West Virginia!  Learn more within the Frontline Program linked below on Poisoned Waters.  The Frontline focuses on the destruction of coastal marine environments particularly by chicken farming and industrial activities, but similar activities are polluting our fresh water resources as well.

Frontline has a number of very informative programs that shed light into issues within the science domain!  Below is one of Frontline’s 2 hour Specials!

FRONTLINE – Poisoned Waters

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Many more interesting videos on this subject can be found within the section entitled “FOOD, WATER, SHELTER AND SPACE (4 REQUIREMENTS FOR LIFE)”!

How to Be Prepared for Natural Disasters

A very useful list of 23 steps in developing a good plan!

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GEOLOGICAL AND ATMOSPHERIC ISSUES THAT EFFECT US

Check out the following recently broadcast PBS videos…links can also be found in “Videos Classified (by Subject) – Geological and Atmospheric Issues that Effect Us”

NOVA – Killer Typhoon

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LIFE ON FIRE – Icelandic Volcanoes

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NATURE – Survivors of the Firestorm

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Many more interesting videos on this subject can be found within the section entitled “GEOLOGICAL AND ATMOSPHERIC ISSUES THAT EFFECT US”!

 

HUMAN BIRTH, DEVELOPMENT, PHYSIOLOGY AND GENETICS

I have found one of the most closely watched PBS videos when shown to my high school science classes. Warning! It contains a human birth sequence and thus may not be suitable for very young viewers!

NOVA – Life’s Greatest Miracle

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Also…

NOVA – 18 Ways to Make a Baby (1st broadcast 2001)

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Many more interesting videos on this subject can be found within the section entitled “HUMAN BIRTH, DEVELOPMENT, PHYSIOLOGY AND GENETICS”!

 

HUMAN HEALTH ISSUES

An excellent source of information about Health Issues, particularly about sex, can be obtained from the Columbia University web site titled “GoAskAlice”.

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FRONTLINE – Ebola Outbreak/Hunting Boko Haram

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UNIVERSITY PLACE – Medication and Behavior Issues in Disabilities

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NOVA – Dying to Be Thin

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NOVA – Ghosts of Murdered Kings

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Many more interesting videos on this subject can be found within the section entitled “HUMAN HEALTH ISSUES”!

 

INTERESTING TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS

Most Spectacular Video (in my opinion): NOVA: Earth from Space

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A NullSchool Map of Surface Winds (Global)

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EVERYTHING BUT THE NEWS – Ep 09 | Lost in YouTube Space: Touring YouTube LA Studios

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Many more interesting videos on this subject can be found within the section entitled “INTERESTING TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS”!

 

NATURAL SYSTEMS IN THE OCEANS (AND OTHER BODIES OF WATER)

NOVA – Kings of Camouflage

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Saving the Oceans: Part 1

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Saving the Oceans: Part 2

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Saving the Oceans: Destination Baja CA

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Many more interesting videos on this subject can be found within the section entitled “NATURAL SYSTEMS IN THE OCEANS (AND OTHER BODIES OF WATER)”!

 

RESTORING NATURE’S HEALTH

I’ve recently discovered a series of videos entitled “NatureWorks”.  These videos are directly focused on specific concepts and would be very easily linked to “Standards” within a course of study.  You might find them of interest?

NOVA – Ocean Animal Emergency

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NATUREWORKS – Invasive Species

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QUEST, a part of KQED in the San Francisco Bay Area, has a number of interesting programs about science.  Check out the one below:

QUEST – Tagging Pacific Predators

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Many more interesting videos on this subject can be found within the section entitled “RESTORING NATURE’S HEALTH”!

 

THE MODERN WORLD OF PHYSICS AND COSMOLOGY

Curiosity is about to do some interesting experiments on Mars.  Check out the following NOVA that discusses the robot on Mars and a little about how it got there!

NOVA – Ultimate Mars Challenge

Click Here to View Progam

The question “Are we alone?” in our galaxy (or the Universe) has  been absorbing the minds of people for many years.  The following NOVA shows how far we’ve come in resolving this issue!

NOVA – Alien Planets Revealed

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NOVA – At the Edge of Space

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NOVA – Cold Case JFK

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Many more interesting videos on this subject can be found within the section entitled “THE MODERN WORLD OF PHYSICS AND COSMOLOGY”!

 

THE WORLD OF MODERN CHEMISTRY

NOVA – Making More Stuff Preview

Click Here to View Preview

NOVA – Making Stuff Safer

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Many more interesting videos on this subject can be found within the section entitled “THE WORLD OF MODERN CHEMISTRY”!

 

This blog is designed to provide a medium for people to share their thinking about science in response to viewing PBS science programs featured in this blog.   It is hoped that when you share your ideas about how the video has caused you to grow in your understanding of important scientific issues, our knowledge of the issues as a group will be increased. The Public Broadcast System (PBS) is a rich source of information that will allow us to make more informed future decisions that relate to how we live our own lives in relationship to these scientific developments.

There are some tabs located above these notes that will connect you with various parts of this blog.  Look around, and if you have time to check out the featured PBS videos please do so now.  These science videos vary from 10 to 15 minutes to one hour or more. We encourage you to write your questions and comments about the videos so everyone may benefit from your ideas.

Let’s bring together our various insights, perspectives and imaginations and discover how the scientific process leads to new technological developments that may change our lives and benefit society.

 

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