Learn how scientists used the fossils of one-celled aquatic organisms, called diatoms, to understand ancient climate conditions in eastern Africa, in this video from NOVA: Becoming Human. White layers of a rock formation consist of deep-water diatoms and darker layers consist of shallow-water diatoms; the scientists interpreted the alternating layers in the formation to mean that a massive lake appeared and disappeared many times in their study area. If this part of Africa indeed experienced wet and dry periods over time, this supports a new idea that suggests climatic variability may have shaped human evolution. This video is available in both English and Spanish audio, along with corresponding closed captions. CREDITS: https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/credits/clim10.sci.ess.earthsys.diatom/ LICENSE: https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/help/full-license-for-section-3c-of-terms-of-use-download-and-share/
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The theory of how the Grand Canyon was formed is shown in this animation from NOVA, and features rare footage of a phenomenon known as debris flow. CREDITS: https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/credits/ess05.sci.ess.earthsys.canyon/ LICENSE: https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/help/full-license-for-secti
In this video from NOVA’s Sun Lab, learn about the Sun’s ever-changing surface and magnetic field. Images and animations illustrate how the Sun’s magnetic field lines are affected by the motion of the Sun’s plasma. Over time, the magnetic field becomes twisted and more complex, which increases solar
In this video from NOVA’s Sun Lab, learn about the Sun’s composition and structure. The Sun is a plasma, primarily made of hydrogen with smaller amounts of other elements. Animations and images illustrate the physical and behavioral properties of the Sun’s six regions: the core, radiative zone, conv
