Adaptive Radiation: Darwin's Finches

Finches on the Galapagos Islands have evolved to exploit almost every possible niche. This diagram shows the range of food sources available on the island and the different beak shapes adapted to exploit each of them.

Air Is Matter

This collection of still images presents different ways to visualize air, from billowing sails to windblown hair to tornadoes.

Allopatric Speciation

These images from the Smithsonian Institution depict Nancy Knowlton's work with snapping shrimp in Panama. Knowlton found that the closing of the isthmus -- dividing the Pacific Ocean from the Caribbean -- resulted in new species of shrimp.

All Planet Sizes

This illustration from the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory shows the approximate sizes of the planets relative to each other. Note that the planets are not shown at appropriate distances from the Sun.

Animal and Plant Cell

Think you can tell a yam from a yak? Examine these still images of typical plant and animal cells from Biology by Kenneth R. Miller and Joseph Levine. What similarities and differences can you find?

Animal Babies

This interactive slide show illustrates the variety of animal babies that exist on earth -- some completely independent and others deeply reliant on parental care.

Animal Coverings

It takes a thick skin to withstand the hardships that life has to offer. This collection of images shows a variety of animals, each with a slightly different type of protective covering.

Animal Mouths

This collection of images of six different creatures, including insects and carnivorous vertebrates, illustrates the wide range of mouth types that exist within the animal kingdom.

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Bird Beak Gallery

This collection of images of 10 different birds illustrates the diversity of bird beaks.

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Bird Food

There are almost as many types of bird beaks as there are types of food that birds like to eat. This collection of images shows a wide range of beaks and the types of foods handled by each.

Carbon Cycle Diagram

This diagram from NASA Earth Science Enterprise illustrates Earth's carbon cycle.

Carbon Cycle Diagram

This diagram from NASA's Earth Science Enterprise illustrates the Earth's carbon cycle .

Carbon Cycle Diagram

This diagram from NASA's Earth Science Enterprise illustrates Earth's carbon cycle.

Colorful Creatures

For animals, bright, flashy coloration can serve as a warning or as an invitation. Either way, colorful skin, feathers, and scales yell, "Notice me!" This collection of images shows examples of some of the world's most colorful creatures.

Deserts

Not all deserts are the same. This still collage produced for Teachers' Domain features views of different deserts around the world.

Design Inspired by Nature

In this stills collage produced for Teachers' Domain, see several examples of everyday inventions that were either inspired by nature or are similar in form and function to plants or animals.

The Design Process Poster

This printable image from DESIGN SQUAD illustrates the five steps of the engineering design process.

Design: The Right Tool for the Job

Which tool is the right tool for the job? This collection of images features a series of cutting tools performing the tasks for which they were designed.

Duckweed

These images of duckweed (Lemna spp.) illustrate the basic anatomy and environment of these fast-growing plants.

Electron Transport Chain

This illustration from Biology by Kenneth R. Miller and Joseph Levine describes the steps of the electron transport chain, the second stage in the process of cellular respiration.

Erosion and Weathering

Erosion and weathering may be caused by a variety of factors including wind and water. This still collage produced for Teachers' Domain features images of rock, soil, and beach erosion.

A Five-Day View of the Jet Stream

This animation from NOVA Online lets you examine a five-day view of the jet stream.

Fossilized Dinosaur Bones

This still collage produced for Teachers' Domain features a variety of images of fossilized dinosaur bones, which provide evidence for the existence of these fascinating reptiles.

Fossils

Fossils are indicators of past life. This collection of still images produced for Teachers' Domain features examples of fossils from plants, animals, and insects.

Function of Fever

Fevers are a sign of infection, but they may also be part of the cure. This drawing illustrates Matthew Kluger's lizard study, which supports the notion that fever can be beneficial.

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Gallery of Cells

While all cells have a great deal in common, there is no end to the variation among them. These images provide a sense of the wondrous diversity found in the world of cells.

Genetic Drift and the Founder Effect

This image of polydactyly illustrates one symptom of Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, which is commonly found in the Amish. Ellis-van Creveld is one example of the founder effect and genetic drift.

Gravity on Earth and in Space

This collection of images compares the effects of gravity on Earth and in space.

Great Ocean Conveyor Belt: Part I

This image from GRID-Arendal depicts the major circulation pattern of the ocean, illustrating interactions between temperature, salinity, and depth.

Growing Up, Growing Old

This collection of six images captures the magnificence of human development -- the transformation from baby to woman.

The Habitable Zone

This illustration is an approximate representation of the planets in our solar system and their relation to what scientists call "The Habitable Zone." The planet distances from the sun are measured in Astronomical Units (AU) and are not to scale.

How Technology Affects Your Life

This collection of still images explores the many ways in which various technologies, from telephones to bicycles to computers, affect the everyday lives of young children.

How the Woodpecker Avoids a Headache

This diagram from Rainbird Publishing describes the specialized physical characteristics that allow woodpeckers to create some of the most secure nests in the bird world.

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Inside a Seed

This image from Biology by Kenneth R. Miller and Joseph Levine illustrates the five most important parts of a seed: the seed coat, the endosperm, and the embryo's primary root, cotyledon, and embryonic leaves.

Jaws and Teeth of Mammals

This image from Biology by Kenneth R. Miller and Joseph Levine illustrates the relationship between structure and function by comparing the jaws and teeth of two animals with very different ways of life: the wolf and the horse.

Krebs Cycle

This illustration from Biology by Kenneth R. Miller and Joseph Levine describes the steps of the Krebs cycle, the critical first stage in the process of cellular respiration.

Laetoli Trackways Diagram

View a diagram of the hominid footprints that archaeologist Mary Leakey's team found at Laetoli in Tanzania.

Living and Nonliving

What is it that distinguishes a living organism from a nonliving object? This collection of images presents examples that aren't as clear-cut as one might think, enticing students to question the meaning of life.

Mimicry: The Orchid and the Bee

In this photograph from Oxford Scientific Films, a horned bee attempts to mate with an Ophrys orchid, which has evolved to resemble a female bee.

Natural Wonders

Many of the interesting landmarks around the world are formed over time by natural processes familiar to us in our everyday lives. This still collage produced for Teachers' Domain features images of a variety of beautiful natural wonders.

Observe, Make, Measure

There are many ways to get information in the world. This collection of still images features tools that help us observe, make, and measure things.

Road Signs Gallery

This collection of still images depicts various types of road signs and represents one form of research an engineer might conduct to design a road sign effectively.

Seeds Away

This collection of images shows several types of plant seeds, each with a different mechanism for dispersing from the parent plant.

Shape of Trees: The Frustration Principle

This series of images shows the work of biologist Karl Niklas on the adaptations and evolution of plants. From The Evolutionary Biology of Plants.

Sickle vs. Normal Cell

Background image of normal disc-shaped red blood cells from the University of Utah. Inset shows sickled red blood cells, curved and rigid, from the Virginia Medical College.

Ten Fun Facts About Engineering

In this stills collage adapted from the National Society of Professional Engineers, see examples of how engineering makes our lives more fun and exciting.

Tetrapod Limbs

This illustration from Evolution by Monroe W. Strickberger shows the remarkable similarities between the bones in the forelimbs of various tetrapods, all of whose limbs serve very different functions.

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The Wall of Time

This illustrated timeline from the Lunar and Planetary Institute provides a journey through four-and-a-half billion years of time from the birth of our solar system to its current existence today.

Water Phases

Water can exist in three different phases. This still collage produced for Teachers' Domain features examples of water in liquid, solid, and gas states.

What If Engineering Disappeared for a Day?

What would you do if engineering disappeared for a day? In this stills collage adapted from the National Society of Professional Engineers, see how engineering achievements impact a typical school day.