BioInteractive en Español

In this series

• 245

  

  Short Film

  The Biology of Skin Color

  (18 min 58 sec) Penn State University anthropologist Dr. Nina Jablonski walks us through the evidence that the different shades of skin color among human populations arose as adaptations to the intensity of ultraviolet radiation in different parts of the world. Also available in Spanish.
• 67

  

  Short Film

  The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection in Humans

  (14 min 03 sec) In some parts of the world, there is an intimate connection between the infectious parasitic disease malaria and the genetic disease sickle cell anemia. Also available in Spanish
• 82

  

  Short Film

  The Origin of Species: The Making of a Theory

  (30 min 51 sec) The epic voyages of Darwin and Wallace led each to independently discover the natural origin of species and to formulate the theory of evolution by natural selection. Also available in Spanish.
• 99

  

  Short Film

  The Origin of Species: Lizards in an Evolutionary Tree

  (17 min 45 sec) In the Caribbean islands, adaptation to several common habitats has led to a large adaptive radiation with interesting examples of convergent evolution. Also available in Spanish.
• 6

  

  Animated Short

  Animated Life: Pangea

  (07 min 36 sec) The story of Alfred Wegener, who came up with the idea that continents once formed a single landmass and had drifted apart. Also available in Spanish.
• 76

  

  Short Film

  The Double Helix

  (16 min 53 sec) The Double Helix is the story of the scientists and evidence involved in one of the most important scientific quests of the 20th century: the discovery of the structure of DNA. Also available in Spanish.
• 74

  

  Short Film

  The Making of the Fittest: Got Lactase? The Co-evolution of Genes and Culture

  (14 min 52 sec) Follow human geneticist Spencer Wells, Director of the Genographic Project of the National Geographic Society, as he tracks down the genetic changes associated with the ability to digest lactose as adults. Also available in Spanish.
• 44

  

  Short Film

  Great Transitions: The Origin of Birds

  (18 min 59 sec) In the second film of the Great Transitions trilogy, paleontologist Julia Clarke takes us on a journey to uncover the evidence that birds descended from dinosaurs. Also available in Spanish.
• 16

  

  Animated Short

  Animated Life: Seeing the Invisible

  (06 min 31 sec) This animated feature celebrates 17th-century citizen-scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, whose discoveries of microbes changed our view of the biological world. Also available in Spanish.
• 41

  

  Short Film

  Great Transitions: The Origin of Humans

  (19 min 44 sec) Which traits distinguish humans from other primates? When and where did these traits evolve? Analysis of the major fossil finds from Africa, dating back to 4.4 million years ago, provides answers to these questions and reveals the history of our evolutionary origins. Also available in Spanish.
• 142

  

  Short Film

  The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection and Adaptation

  (10 min 25 sec) The rock pocket mouse is a living example of Darwin’s process of natural selection. Also available in Spanish.
• 37

  

  Short Film

  Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn

  (17 min 51 sec) Where did corn come from? Genetic and archeological data point to what may seem like an unlikely ancestor: a wild Mexican grass called teosinte. Also available in Spanish.
• 1195

  

  Click & Learn

  The Eukaryotic Cell Cycle and Cancer

  Explore the phases, checkpoints, and protein regulators of the cell cycle in this highly interactive Click and Learn and find out how mutated versions of these proteins can lead to the development of cancer. Also available in Spanish.
• 143

  

  Interactive Video

  Pocket Mouse Film With Quiz

  (10 min 29 sec) Embedded quiz modules test students’ understanding as they watch the short film on the rock pocket mouse—a living example of Darwin’s process of natural selection. Also available in Spanish.
• 9

  

  Click & Learn

  Neural Control of Walking and Running

  Different gaits employed by animals and how the nervous system is able to switch between them. Also available in Spanish.
• 46

  

  Click & Learn

  Using the Scientific Process to Study Human Evolution

  Paleoanthropology provides an excellent example of the scientific process at work. Also available in Spanish.
• 35

  

  Animation

  DNA replication (schematic)

  (50 sec) The structure of DNA, discovered by James Watson and Francis Crick, suggests a mechanism of replication. The double helix unwinds, and each strand acts as a template for the construction of the new DNA molecule. Also available in Spanish.
• 225

  

  Animation

  DNA replication (basic detail)

  (01 min 07 sec) Using information from molecular research, this 3-D animation shows how DNA is replicated at the molecular level. It involves an enzyme that unwinds the DNA, and other enzymes that copy the two resulting strands. Also available in Spanish.
• 379

  

  Animation

  DNA replication (advanced detail)

  (02 min 20 sec) Both strands of the DNA double helix act as templates for the new DNA strands. Incoming DNA is unraveled by the enzyme helicase, resulting in the 3' strand and the 5' strand. The 3' strands and the 5' strands are replicated by a DNA polymerase enzyme but in different ways. Also available in Spanish.
• 13

  

  Animation

  Cancer and Cell Fate in the Intestinal Epithelium

  (02 min 17 sec) Disrupting the normal processes of differentiation and maturation of the intestinal epithelial cells can lead to cancer. Also available in Spanish.
• 67

  

  Animation

  Molecular Mechanism of Synaptic Function

  (01 min 09 sec) Electrical and chemical signals are used by neurons to communicate with one another at contact points called synapses. Also available in Spanish.
• 44

  

  Animation

  Viral Lifecycle

  (01 min 08 sec) Delivering a single virus to a cell allows the virus to infect the cell, replicate, and give rise to many progeny viruses. These viruses can then infect many neighboring cells. Also available in Spanish.
• 45

  

  Animation

  Angiogenesis

  (01 min 12 sec) A cancer tumor forms in a bed of healthy cells. The animation goes on to show how the tumor recruits blood vessels and how metastasis occurs. Also available in Spanish.
• 18

  

  Animation

  The Cochlea

  (01 min 33 sec) A dramatic illustration of how hearing happens in the ear. Also available in Spanish.
• 63

  

  Animation

  Meiosis

  (05 min 53 sec) Meiosis, the form of cell division unique to egg and sperm production, sets the stage for sex determination by creating sperm that carry either an X or a Y sex chromosome. But what is it about the X or Y that determines sex? Also available in Spanish.
• 127

  

  Film Guide

  Film Guide for The Biology of Skin Color

  The following classroom-ready resources complement The Biology of Skin Color. Featuring anthropologist Dr. Nina Jablonski, the film walks us through the evidence that differences in human skin color are adaptations to varying intensity of UV light. Also available in Spanish.
• 51

  

  Film Guide

  Film Guides: The Origin of Humans

  The following classroom-ready resources complement Great Transitions: The Origin of Humans, which reveals the history of our evolutionary origins. Also available in Spanish.
• 83

  

  Film Guide

  Film Guides: Natural Selection and Adaptation

  The following classroom-ready resources complement The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection and Adaptation, which describes the physical and genetic evolutionary changes in rock pocket mouse populations. Also available in Spanish.
• 50

  

  Film Guide

  Film Guides: The Origin of Species: Lizards in an Evolutionary Tree

  The following classroom-ready resources complement The Origin of Species: Lizards in an Evolutionary Tree. Research on the anole lizards is enriching our understanding of evolutionary processes, such as adaptation by natural selection, convergent evolution, and the formation of new species. Also available in Spanish.
• 58

  

  Film Guide

  Film Guide for Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn

  The following classroom-ready resources complement the film Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn, which tells the story of how geneticists and archaeologists have come together to determine how and where corn was domesticated nearly 9,000 years ago. Also available in Spanish.
• 53

  

  Activity

  Human Feet Are Strange

  In this hands-on activity students examine the evidence for the evolution of human bipedality as revealed by a trail of fossil footprints. Also available in Spanish.
• 169

  

  Activity

  Human Skin Color: Evidence for Selection

  This case study is based on the short film The Biology of Skin Color. Students use real data to propose hypotheses, make predictions, and justify claims with evidence. Also available in Spanish.
• 430

  

  Activity

  Color Variation Over Time in Rock Pocket Mouse Populations

  A data collection and analysis lesson that examines selection for coat color in pocket mouse populations on different color substrates over time. Also available in Spanish.
• 67

  

  Activity

  Lactase Persistence: Evidence for Selection

  This activity provides a case study in human evolution that connects genotype, phenotype, culture, and graphical analysis skills. Also available in Spanish.