Chemistry
| RESOURCE | GRADE LEVEL | MEDIA TYPE |
|---|---|---|
Amazing Heart FactsThis feature from the NOVA "Cut to the Heart" Web site highlights facts about the heart -- including its size and placement -- and will help you to understand the importance of this wondrous organ in our bodies. |
6-8 |
Document |
Anatomy of a FireworkThere's more to a fireworks display than meets the eye. This interactive activity from the NOVA Web site looks at the technology behind each burst of light. |
6-12 |
Interactive |
Are We Alone?This video segment adapted from NOVA features a variety of scientific perspectives on the age old question, "Are we alone in the universe?" Animations make vivid the improbability that we could intercept a radio wave signaling extra terrestrial intelligence. |
6-12 |
Video |
Atomic Structure of an AlloyLearn about the atomic structure of bronze, a copper alloy, in this video excerpt from NOVA: "Hunting the Elements." |
6-12 |
Video |
Birth of a Supernova, Type IaIn this interactive activity from NOVA Online, learn about a type of exploding star — a Type Ia supernova — that is so bright that astronomers can measure the distance to the galaxy in which it resides, and even learn which elements make up the star. |
6-12 |
Interactive |
Birth of a Supernova, Type IIIn this interactive activity from NOVA Online, learn about a type of exploding star — a Type II supernova — that is so large it has a mass 10 times greater than the mass of our Sun. |
6-12 |
Interactive |
Body NeedsThis interactive feature from the NOVA "Dying to Be Thin" Web site describes the nutritional needs of the body and how to meet them. |
3-8 |
Interactive |
Build a SteroidIn this interactive activity from NOVA, learn about the molecular structure of steroids. See the intermediate molecules that are part of the pathway for synthesizing cortisone from diosgenin. |
9-12 |
Interactive |
Cave Formation: Biogeochemical CyclesThis video segment adapted from NOVA chronicles the discoveries that led to a radical new theory in which living organisms, not just geological processes, play an active role in cave formation. |
6-12 |
Video |
Cave Formation: Kane CaveThis video segment adapted from NOVA describes a simple experiment that confirmed the idea that microbes can accelerate the biogeochemical process of cave formation. |
6-12 |
Video |
Caves: Extreme Conditions for LifeThis video segment adapted from NOVA raises the provocative idea that if life can exist in the most extreme environments on Earth — such as in dark, toxic caves — then perhaps living things can also survive in harsh environments on other planets. |
6-12 |
Video |
Climate ChangeThis video segment adapted from NOVA explains the difference between weather and climate and features groundbreaking analysis revealing that Earth's climate has changed much faster than previously believed. |
6-12 |
Video |
Create a DNA FingerprintLearn DNA profiling, the technique police use to catch the guilty and free the innocent. From NOVA: "The Killer's Trail" Web site. |
6-12 |
Interactive |
The Dating Game: Radioactive CarbonIn this media-rich essay from the NOVA Web site, learn about the atomic structure of radioactive carbon and how it can be used to determine the age of organic remains, such as bones and teeth. |
6-12 |
Document |
Dating Lava Flows on Mauna Loa Volcano, HawaiʻiIn this video segment adapted from NOVA, scientists search
for carbonized remains of plants preserved in lava flows to find out how
long it has taken rain forests on Hawaiʻi to regenerate after
a volcanic eruption. |
3-12 |
Video |
DecomposersWithout the work of decomposers, living organisms would eventually use up all the raw materials in the environment, and dead organisms and wastes would pile up. This video segment from Interactive NOVA: "Earth" describes the role of decomposers as the Earth's great recyclers. |
K-5 |
Video |
Deep-Sea Vents and Life's OriginsDeep-sea vents are home to life forms that do not rely on the Sun's energy. They depend instead on energy from volcanoes on the ocean floor. This video segment adapted from NOVA hypothesizes that life on Earth may have begun in this extreme environment. |
3-12 |
Video |
Demolition WomanFind out how controlled explosions are used to demolish multi-story buildings in this interview from the NOVA Web site. |
6-12 |
Document |
Developing the Periodic TableThis video excerpt from NOVA: "Hunting the Elements" looks at how early chemists developed the periodic table of elements. |
6-12 |
Video |
Discovering AirOur understanding about the air we breathe has changed dramatically through time. This illustrated timeline from the NOVA Web site tracks the changing thought on air and the creation of the Periodic Table of the Elements. |
6-12 |
Document |
Duck DevelopmentThis video segment from NOVA: "The Shape of Things" follows the growth of a duck embryo, from a single fertilized egg cell to a complex, hatching duckling. |
6-8 |
Video |
Einstein: How Smart Was He?This essay from the NOVA Web site explores the impact Einstein made on physics and most everything we know about the cosmos. |
6-12 |
Document |
Einstein's Special Theory of RelativityWhat 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. |
9-12 |
Video |
The Elements: Forged in StarsThe story of how elements from lithium to uranium are created by stars is illustrated through animation and a hands-on periodic table in this video segment adapted from NOVA. |
6-12 |
Video |
The Embryo Takes ShapeThis video segment from NOVA: "Life's Greatest Miracle" explores the developmental process of an embryo beginning just two weeks after fertilization. |
9-12 |
Video |
Energy Flow in the Coral Reef Ecosystem This video segment, adapted from NOVA, describes the energy flow in a coral reef, including its food web.
|
3-12 |
Video |
Explore a Stretch of CodeTry your hand at reading a segment of genetic code in this interactive feature from the NOVA "Cracking the Code of Life" Web site. |
9-12 |
Interactive |
Fighting BackHelp the immune system fight off an infection in this interactive feature from the NOVA: "Surviving AIDS" Web site. |
6-8 |
Interactive |
Fireworks! Lifting ChargeIn this video segment adapted from NOVA, learn how pyrotechnicians use common compounds to blast fireworks into the sky and give them shape. |
6-12 |
Video |
Fireworks! Making ColorWhat gives a fireworks display its brilliant blue, green, and red colors? Learn how pyrotechnicians give fireworks color in this video segment adapted from NOVA. |
6-12 |
Video |
A Fission Chain ReactionThis video excerpt from NOVA: "Hunting the Elements” uses ping-pong balls and mousetraps to demonstrate nuclear fission. |
6-12 |
Video |
Forensic DNA AnalysisThis video segment from NOVA: "The Killer's Trail" investigates the potential for DNA evidence to solve murder cases, even those from the distant past. |
9-12 |
Video |
From Seed to FlowerWatching plants grow is like watching paint dry: It happens so slowly that the changes are imperceptible from one moment to the next -- and yet the end results are dramatic. This video segment shows just how amazing plant development can be by depicting various phases of the process using time-lapse photography. Footage from NOVA: "The Shape of Things." |
K-5 |
Video |
Fuel CellsIn this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, hydrogen fuel cell cars promise pollution-free driving, but will we see them anytime soon? |
6-12 |
Video |
Getting an Education This video segment, adapted from NOVA, chronicles the education of leading chemist Percy Julian. Although Julian began his elementary school years in the Deep
South under Jim Crow laws, he became one of the few African Americans of his time to earn a Ph.D.
|
6-12 |
Video |
Global Warming: Carbon Dioxide and the Greenhouse EffectThis video segment adapted from NOVA/FRONTLINE demonstrates the physical property of carbon dioxide that causes the greenhouse effect. |
6-12 |
Video |
Global Warming: Graphs Tell the StoryExamine these graphs from the NOVA/ FRONTLINE Web site to see dramatic increases in the temperature of Earth's surface and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. |
6-12 |
Document |
Global Warming: Graphs Tell the StoryExamine graphs from the NOVA/FRONTLINE Web site to see dramatic changes in the temperature of Earth's surface and in the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. |
9-12 |
Document |
Global Warming: The Hydrogen CarIs the hydrogen car the answer to global warming? This video segment adapted from NOVA/FRONTLINE looks at the pros and cons of this developing technology. |
3-12 |
Video |
Global Warming: The Physics of the Greenhouse EffectThis video segment adapted from NOVA/FRONTLINE examines the
greenhouse effect, its role in keeping Earth habitable, and the industrial changes that have
led to an increase in the planet's average temperature. |
6-12 |
Video |
The Grand Canyon: Ancient MountainsThis video segment adapted from NOVA features the twisted and melted forms of the Grand Canyon's oldest rocks, the 1.7-billion-year-old Vishnu Schist. |
6-12 |
Video |
The Science Behind Appetite This video segment, adapted from NOVA, tells the story of a ballerina battling anorexia. It explains how serotonin regulates appetite, and presents some of the health risks that accompany the eating disorder.
|
5-12 |
Video |
HIV ImmunityAlthough repeatedly exposed to HIV, Steve Crohn's blood cells were never infected. Dr. David Ho investigates in this video segment from NOVA: "Surviving AIDS." |
9-12 |
Video |
A Hole in the SkyThis video segment adapted from Interactive NOVA profiles two scientists who were surprised in 1984 to discover a hole in our atmosphere's ozone layer as big as the United States. |
6-12 |
Video |
How Did Life Emerge Here?This video segment adapted from NOVA describes the emergence of life on the islands of Hawaiʻi from a barren volcanic platform under the ocean waves to the rich explosion of life that covers the many climate zones of the islands today. |
3-12 |
Video |
How Elements Form CompoundsThis video excerpt from NOVA: "Hunting the Elements" examines how elements come together in chemical reactions to form compounds. |
6-12 |
Video |
How the Body Responds to ExerciseIn this video segment adapted from NOVA, follow novice runners as they train for a marathon, and discover how quickly the body responds to regular aerobic exercise. |
6-12 |
Video |
Human Genome ProjectThis video segment from NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" looks at the meaning and significance of the effort to decode the human genome. |
6-12 |
Video |
Illuminating PhotosynthesisThis interactive feature from the NOVA: "Methuselah Tree" Web site details the process of photosynthesis and its role in the oxygen/carbon dioxide cycle. |
3-12 |
Interactive |
Ingredients for Life: CarbonThis video segment adapted from NOVA illustrates why carbon is at the center of life on Earth. It also asks whether carbon-based life might exist on other planets. |
6-12 |
Video |
Ingredients for Life: WaterThis video segment adapted from NOVA goes on a whimsical journey in search of life forms thriving in extreme conditions on Earth and in outer space. Animations show ice on Jupiter's moon, Europa, and signs that water once existed on Mars. |
3-12 |
Video |
Island of Stability In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, follow scientists in their quest to understand how stable elements are made and how to create the elusive element 114.
|
9-12 |
Video |
Journey into DNATravel deep into the human body to see exactly where your DNA resides. From the NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" Web site. |
6-12 |
Interactive |
Lava Sampling on Kilauea Volcano, HawaiʻiIn this video segment adapted from NOVA, scientist Mike Garcia draws lava samples at the foot of the active Kilauea volcano to see if it is related to its neighboring volcano, Mauna Loa. |
6-12 |
Video |
Making Cortisone From Plants This video segment adapted from NOVA is a dramatized story of chemist Percy Julian’s work to synthesize cortisone. Find out how a biological process, not a chemical one, proved the key to producing cortisone in bulk.
|
6-12 |
Video |
Mirror Neurons This video segment, adapted from NOVA scienceNow, introduces the latest research on a system of neurons that plays a part in how people relate to each other.
|
6-12 |
Video |
Mount Pinatubo: Predicting a Volcanic EruptionThis video segment adapted from NOVA relates the dramatic story of vulcanologists trying to predict the timing of the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. |
6-12 |
Video |
Name That ShellThe way a firework shell is designed and assembled determines the shape and color of a firework display. Choose a video clip and try to identify each firework variety in this interactive activity from the NOVA Web site. |
6-12 |
Interactive |
A Nanotube Space ElevatorIn this video adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, find out about the discovery of a new building material, the carbon nanotube, whose physical properties could theoretically enable the creation of a 22,000-mile elevator to space. |
6-12 |
Video |
Nature's PharmacyIn this interactive activity from NOVA, learn about chemicals in nature that are used in medicine. |
3-12 |
Interactive |
Nature vs. Nurture RevisitedWhich dictates our existence -- our genetic makeup or the environment we grow up in? Kevin Davies offers an update on this long-standing debate, from the NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" Web site. |
9-12 |
Document |
NOVA ElementsExplore the periodic table, and build atoms and molecules in this web edition of the NOVA Elements iPad App. |
6-12 |
Interactive |
Oil Spill: Exxon Valdez, 1989This video segment adapted from NOVA follows the clean-up effort after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska. Also featured is a marsh where an oil spill occurred 20 years earlier; analysis suggests that environmental damage may last for decades. |
6-12 |
Video |
On FireLearn about the chemical reactions that take place when things burn in this interactive activity from the NOVA Web site. |
6-12 |
Interactive |
Organic Farming: Conserving TopsoilAgainst the backdrop of the devastating 1930's Dust Bowl, this video segment adapted from Interactive NOVA profiles an organic farmer and the techniques he uses to conserve topsoil. |
3-12 |
Video |
The Origin of the ElementsThis video segment adapted from NOVA explains the origin of the elements and how scientists use unique element profiles to identify supernova types. |
6-12 |
Video |
PhotosynthesisThis video segment from Interactive NOVA: "Earth" looks at photosynthesis, the chemical process plants use to make their own food. |
3-12 |
Video |
The Power of TouchThis video segment explores the role of touch in the development of young animals, including humans. Footage from NOVA: "Mystery of the Senses: Touch." |
3-8 |
Video |
Pyrotechnically SpeakingMeet chemistry professor Dr. John Conkling in this interview from the NOVA Web site and learn why fireworks are his passion. |
6-12 |
Document |
Pyrotechnics: It's ElementalIn this interactive periodic table from the NOVA Web site, find out the role of various elements in making fireworks. |
6-12 |
Interactive |
Quarks: Inside the AtomThis video segment adapted from NOVA shows how the particle accelerator helped physicists find parts of the atom even smaller than protons and neutrons. |
6-12 |
Video |
Radioactive Decay of Carbon-14This video excerpt from NOVA: "Hunting the Elements" examines carbon isotopes and radiocarbon dating. |
6-12 |
Video |
Rare Earth ElementsThis video excerpt from NOVA: "Hunting the Elements" explores the ubiquity of rare earth elements. |
6-12 |
Video |
Ringed-Carbon Compounds In this interactive activity adapted from NOVA, learn about alkaloids and steroids, both examples of compounds with carbon rings. Short videos with interviews,
animations, and photographs are featured.
|
9-12 |
Interactive |
The Role of Genetics in ObesityIn this video segment from NOVA scienceNOW, meet researchers who are studying obesity and trying to understand the role that hormones and genetics can play in regulating appetite. |
6-12 |
Video |
The Sense of TasteThis video segment explores the sense of taste in humans -- why we have it, and what happens when we lose it. Footage from NOVA: "Mystery of the Senses: Taste." |
3-8 |
Video |
Sequence for YourselfHow do researchers read the tiny As, Gs, Ts, and Cs that comprise DNA? This step-by-step explanation shows you. From NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life." |
9-12 |
Interactive |
Should We Grow GM Crops?Learn the pros and cons of genetically modified (GM) crops, and cast your vote on whether they should be grown. From the FRONTLINE/NOVA: "Harvest of Fear" Web site. |
9-12 |
Interactive |
Snapshot of U.S. Energy UseThis video segment adapted from NOVA/FRONTLINE looks at American
energy consumption and the resulting production of greenhouse gases. |
3-12 |
Video |
Solar Paint Your RoofIn this video segment adapted from NOVA, see how nanotechnology might be used to create a new, cheaper way to produce solar electricity for the home. |
6-12 |
Video |
Sources of RadiationThis interactive activity from the NOVA Web site explores sources of radiation, both harmful and beneficial, natural and manmade. |
6-12 |
Interactive |
Stellar Velocity: The Doppler EffectThis interactive activity from the NOVA Web site illustrates the Doppler effect and shows how it applies to measuring the direction and speed of stellar objects. |
6-12 |
Interactive |
Stories in the IceTake a journey back through time, on the NOVA/FRONTLINE Web site, using ice cores to learn about Earth's climatic history, including evidence of global warming and nuclear activity. |
6-12 |
Document |
The Structure of MetalIn this interactive activity from the NOVA Web site, animations explain different aspects of the properties of metal. |
6-12 |
Interactive |
Synthesizing an Alkaloid In this video segment, adapted from NOVA, learn how chemist Percy Julian revolutionized chemistry by synthesizing the alkaloid physostigmine
from scratch—the first total synthesis of a chemical compound.
|
9-12 |
Video |
Synthesizing a Steroid This video segment, adapted from NOVA, tells the story of chemist Percy Julian's quest to make progesterone from a plant steroid, an important medical advancement of the 1940s. |
9-12 |
Video |
Talking BacteriaIn this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, microbiologist Bonnie Bassler shares her discovery that bacteria coordinate group activity by communicating through chemical signals. |
6-12 |
Video |
Trying to Breathe on Mount EverestIn this video segment adapted from NOVA, climbers attempting to reach Mount Everest's summit must contend with the low levels of oxygen at high altitudes. |
6-12 |
Video |
The Value of CopperThis video excerpt from NOVA: "Hunting the Elements" examines copper's many uses and how its price is an economic indicator. |
6-12 |
Video |
What Makes an Element Reactive?This video excerpt from NOVA: "Hunting the Elements" explains why some groups of elements are more reactive than others. |
6-12 |
Video |
Your Carbon DietFind out how much energy you use and some ways to conserve in this interactive activity from the NOVA/FRONTLINE Web site. |
3-12 |
Interactive |
Your Carbon DietIn this interactive activity from the NOVA/FRONTLINE Web site, you can click on various items in a typical New England house to find out how much energy each uses and some ways to reduce energy consumption in your home. |
6-12 |
Interactive |
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