In nature, living things die, decompose, and eventually become nutrients for other life. Yet humans use embalming, coffin-based burial, or cremation in typical after-death practices, which may interfere with this “circle of life.” This video explores the ecology of death and decomposition and provides some greener disposal alternatives.
Are Human Burial Practices Disturbing Earth's Ecosystems?
Vanilla is a flavor so common that some people use it as an adjective to describe something plain or ordinary. But watch out! This beloved, flavorful bean may soon become a rarity.
Are We Running Out of Vanilla?
Some ice burns because it's actually methane trapped in water. This video discusses the chemistry of methane hydrates as a source of energy and a climate change threat.
Burning Ice from the Ocean Floor
Thanks to the demands of eco-conscious consumers, biodegradable and compostable plastics are cropping up everywhere. Are these green plastics the solution to our throwaway lifestyle? Well, it's complicated, as this video explains.
Can Plastic Be Composted?
On December 16, 1773, American colonists, frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” dumped more than 340 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor in Massachusettes. Dubbed “the Boston Tea Party,” this event was the first major act of protest to British rule over the colonists. Was enough tea dumped into the harbor to turn the entire body of water to tea? This video does the math.
Could Boston Harbor be Turned into a Giant Cup of Tea?
Online entrepreneurs may try to sell bottled human pheromones, but do these even exist? It's doubtful, according to this video.
Do Humans Have Pheromones?
Did you know that the ocean launches bacteria into the atmosphere? And that those bacteria can seed clouds and help make rain? Atmospheric chemist Kimberly Prather of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography drops some serious atmospheric chemistry knowledge in this video.
How Bacteria Make It Rain
When food and water are scarce, many animals—especially mammals—go into hibernation. Climate change is affecting how some animals hibernate, causing certain squirrels, chipmunks, and bears to emerge from hibernation either much sooner or much later than normal. This video shows how such changes could affect the survival of hibernating animals. Climate change could even cause animals that do not currently hibernate to start hibernating.
How is Climate Change Affecting Hibernation?
