Accidental Discoveries

This segment from Swift: Eyes through Time traces the history military officers and engineers discovering a strange phenomenon in the sky that astronomers now know are gamma-ray bursts.

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Airborne Wind Energy

The strongest and most consistent winds are found in the jet stream as high as 30,000 feet above the earth. In this video from QUEST produced by KQED, learn about the benefits and challenges of wind energy.

Astronomy Theories

This video segment from Swift: Eyes through Time deals with the advancement of science through changing existing ideas, refuting outdated theories, and incorporating new findings.

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Beyond Einstein

NASA scientists describe some of the ways current science is addressing several of Einstein's fundamental questions and theories in this video adapted from NASA.

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Blacker Than Black

In this video adapted from NASA, two members of a NASA research team working to produce carbon nanotubes share some background behind this new technology, show examples of how it will be useful, and explain the various tests being performed to ensure readiness for spaceflight.

Booming Sands

This video segment, adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, presents basic concepts of physics behind "booming" sand dunes. See how surface tension affects potential and kinetic energy and how it all works together to create sound.

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Building Curiosity: Rover Rocks Rocker-Bogie

NASA engineers test Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory rover, and demonstrate its material properties, its handling and mobility, and its design features in this NASA video.

Building Simple Machines: A Glass of Milk, Please

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, the cast shows how the 34 steps in their Rube Goldberg invention use everything from gravity to carbon dioxide gas in order to accomplish one simple task: pouring a glass of milk.

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Building Simple Machines: Plant Quencher

In this video segment from ZOOM, Jillian explains how her simple machine uses marbles, levers, flowing sand, and a spinning wheel to water a plant.

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Calorimetry

Do you know how many calories are in a macadamia nut? This video segment highlighting a Calorimetry experiment will give you the answer.

Clean Coal?

Explore the challenges facing the deployment of clean coal technology in this video segment adapted from FRONTLINE: "Heat."

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Climate Watch: Unlocking the Grid

Today we rely on electricity more than ever. In this video from QUEST produced by KQED, explore the challenges of harnessing renewable energy.

Colliding Neutron Stars Create Black Hole and Gamma-ray Burst

This video from NASA describes the detailed computer modeling used to predict that colliding neutron stars can produce gamma-ray bursts similar to those associated with black holes.

Converting to Biodiesel

Meet a college student whose class project to turn cooking grease into diesel fuel resulted in converting bus fleets to biodiesel, in this video from Earth Island Institute's New Leaders Initiative.

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Cooking Cookies with Solar Power

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, two solar cookers are tested against a control to see which can cook a "s'more" faster.

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Cosmic Origin Spectrograph

This video from NASA features the Cosmic Origin Spectrograph (COS), which allows scientists to use spectrographic analysis to assess the composition of intergalactic material.

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Counting Neutrons on the Moon

Find out how scientists are using a neutron detector onboard a satellite to try to find water on the Moon in this video adapted from NASA.

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Density and Buoyancy: Mixing Hot and Cold Water

Watch warm water float on top of cold water in this video segment adapted from ZOOM.

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Designing Future Cities: Alternative Energy

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, visit a class as they design a city of the future that will use solar, wind, and water power to fuel its economy.

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Design Squad: Sound

In this video segment adapted from Design Squad—a PBS TV series featuring high school contestants tackling engineering challenges—learn about the fundamentals of sound as student teams create percussive and stringed instruments for a local band.

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Detecting Life on Other Planets

In this video from NOVA scienceNOW, learn how scientists detect potential signs of life on distant planets.

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Down to the Core Challenge

In this video from Design Squad Nation, kids design and build devices that can extract a core sample from a potato “asteroid.” They also learn how samples give NASA scientists insight into solar system objects.

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Dust-Proofing a Mars Rover

Enter the lab of NASA scientist Dr. Carlos Calle to see how systems are being developed to keep planetary rover solar panels dust-free, in this video from NASA EDGE.

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Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity

What happens when you approach the speed of light? This video segment adapted from NOVA follows one of Albert Einstein's thought experiments and his quest to find the answer.

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Einstein's Thoughts on the Ether

Do light waves travel through the ether like waves on a lake travel through water? In this video segment adapted from NOVA, a young Albert Einstein grapples with this question while examining the speed of light.

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Electricity

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K explains some electrical vocabulary and follows the route of electricity from its generation to the home.

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The Electromagnetic Spectrum: FRONTLINE

This video segment adapted from FRONTLINE introduces the electromagnetic spectrum and explains how the various types of electromagnetic waves are distinguished by the amount of energy each wave carries.

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The Electromagnetic Spectrum: NASA

From radio waves to gamma rays, this video segment from NASA introduces the seven categories of the electromagnetic spectrum and how each type of radiation is part of our everyday lives.

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Energy Sources

Although California uses more renewable resources than many other states, much of the state's electricity still comes from nonrenewable sources. Find out how using renewable energy sources to create electricity helps reduce fossil fuel consumption and how it has the potential to have the largest impact on climate change.

Energy Sources

This video segment illustrates a variety of energy sources used to generate electricity, some of which are in use and some of which are under exploration.

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Engineering Biofuels

In this video segment adapted from KQED's QUEST, find out how synthetic biologists use the techniques of metabolic engineering and directed evolution to make more effective biofuels.

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Ethanol Biofuel

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, learn about one scientist's idea for using biotechnology to make ethanol a more efficient alternative to gasoline.

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Eve: Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment

In this NASA video, scientists describe how the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment will sample and track the Sun's ultraviolet irradiance, providing a detailed time sequence of extreme ultraviolet output -- data that can provide advance warning for potentially disruptive energy bursts.

Everyday Radiation

How much radiation are we exposed to every day? Find out in this video segment adapted from FRONTLINE.

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Experimenting with a Glass Xylophone

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, the cast investigates how the pitch of sound changes when they strike a variety of glasses filled with different amounts and types of liquids.

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Extreme Sounds

Join Tarissa and Sabrina as they measure and compare the volume of different sounds across New York City in this video from DragonflyTV.

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Feel the Beat

In this video from Curious George, young children learn about pitch by playing a variety of drums. One hearing-impaired child experiences the different sounds through her hands instead of her ears.

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Fireworks! Making Color

What gives a fireworks display its brilliant blue, green, and red colors? Learn how pyrotechnicians give fireworks color in this video segment adapted from NOVA.

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A Fission Chain Reaction

This video excerpt from NOVA: "Hunting the Elements” uses ping-pong balls and mousetraps to demonstrate nuclear fission.

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Fracking

In this video segment adapted from Need to Know, learn about the controversial method of extracting natural gas known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and how some residents who live near drill sites are concerned that it's polluting their water.

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Franklin Chang-Díaz: Rocket Scientist

This video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW profiles Franklin Chang-Díaz, a scientist who is working on plasma-powered rockets and was NASA's first Latin American astronaut.

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Fuel Cells

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, hydrogen fuel cell cars promise pollution-free driving, but will we see them anytime soon?

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Fusion Energy Advances

In this report from the NewsHour, correspondent Spencer Michels reports on ongoing efforts to produce fusion energy to help fuel American energy independence.

Fusion: Testing the First Hydrogen Device

This video segment adapted from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE features original footage of the U.S. test of the first hydrogen device, code-named "Mike", that would trigger thermonuclear fusion.

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Fusion: The Hydrogen Bomb

Just after World War II, nuclear scientists turned their attention from fission to fusion. This video segment adapted from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE looks at the beginnings of thermonuclear power generation.

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Galileo's Telescope

The invention of the telescope helped change our understanding of the universe. This video segment adapted from NOVA looks at Galileo's contribution to this technology.

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Gamma-ray Burst Theories

This video segment from Swift: Eyes through Time introduces and explains theories of the origin of gamma-ray bursts.

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Gamma Ray Telescope Senses High-Energy Radiation

This video from NASA describes the GLAST satellite, which is equipped with a gamma-ray telescope, and shares some background about the kinds of extreme universal phenomena indicated by the presence of gamma rays.

Geothermal Energy: Harnessing the Power of the Earth

Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source produced from the heat inside Earth.In this video from KQED, discover how it is produced and its limitations.

Geothermal Power

This video segment from Vegas PBS shows the important role geothermal energy systems can play in making a more energy-efficient and greener building.

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