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Inventions

Within History
A butterfly sits on a metal head. Caption: can see regular color images and near infrared.
4 Awesome Discoveries You Probably Didn't Hear About This Week
Episode 1
2 minutes 23 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Person in a lab holding a pipette behind a plexiglass shield and working. Caption: scientists are able to create seeds that solve problems.
9 Billion Mouths to Feed: The Future of Farming
Episode 4
10 minutes 32 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
A photo of an estate.
4 minutes 21 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
An electronic machine is being operated. Caption: He then sends himself the first electronic mail.
Butterfly Effect
Season 1 / Ep 12
25 minutes 59 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Illustration of interconnected objects coming apart where light hits. Caption: The light causes the short chains to disassemble
Fast Draw
Episode 4
3 minutes 7 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
A large jetliner flies above and very close to a smaller, angular space craft. Caption: There's no sign of a halt to the speed of progress.
Greatest Human Achievements
Episode 8
7 minutes 26 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Bookshelf filled with old books. Caption: was the start of our journey towards mass communication,
Greatest Human Achievements
Episode 6
16 minutes 14 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Microscopic close up of cells. Cell walls and internal organ structure visible. Caption: It was clear that the nucleus was the critical element
Greatest Human Achievements
Episode 3
14 minutes 30 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Industrial docks with stacks of shipping containers, cranes, and boats. Caption: We've tackled the sea as well, changing coastlines
Greatest Human Achievements
Episode 5
29 minutes 57 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
An old car from the 1920's driving next to contemporary cars. Caption: The very first cars were powered by electricity.
Greatest Human Achievements
Episode 7
14 minutes 5 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Person in a loin cloth chiseling a large block of light-colored stone. The block has hashmarks representing "5". Caption: All cut by hand with hammers and chisels.
Greatest Human Achievements
Episode 4
23 minutes 23 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Black and white close up photo of a man's face. Caption: had become fascinated by the potential of radio waves.
Greatest Human Achievements
Episode 9
16 minutes 48 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Round transparent object magnifying a section of a cityscape. Caption: could make distant objects appear closer.
Greatest Human Achievements
Episode 1
24 minutes 42 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Gauge in a vehicle with a range of 0 to 8. The indicator is at 1 and the gauge is labeled RPMx1000. Caption: How do electric vehicles compare with other cars?
Green Revolution
Episode 8
6 minutes 54 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Fine white tubes grow in the same direction. Caption: and carbon nanotubes grow like blades of grass.
Science Out Loud
Episode 4
3 minutes 21 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Blurry city in background. Sight.
Human + The Future of Our Senses
Episode 3
48 minutes 25 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Blurry city in background. Touch.
Human + The Future of Our Senses
Episode 5
48 minutes 15 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Black and white photograph of an early plane with a person standing next to it. Caption: That first motorized flight lasts only 12 seconds,
Inventions That Shook The World
Season 1 / Ep 1
44 minutes 7 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Graphic of a large ocean liner moving towards an iceberg. Caption: will reveal how far away the object is.
Inventions That Shook The World
Season 1 / Ep 2
44 minutes 4 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
A man watching fire come out of a cylinder. Caption: Goddard thinks he finally has his fuel.
Inventions That Shook The World
Season 1 / Ep 3
44 minutes 6 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
A clear glass tube with a flat object inside. On the bottom it is encased in metal with prongs so that it can plug into something. Caption: Through trial and error, he creates one small vacuum tube
Inventions That Shook The World
Season 1 / Ep 4
43 minutes 55 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Forklift with a pallet carrying bags of Tidy Cat in a warehouse full of similar pallets. Caption: Soon he's exporting Kitty Litter all around the world.
Inventions That Shook The World
Season 1 / Ep 5
43 minutes 56 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Black and white photograph of a rocket-like object on its side in an industrial area. Caption: Sputnik heads for the launchpad,
Inventions That Shook The World
Season 1 / Ep 6
41 minutes 41 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Person with a complex arrangement of wires and electronics partially assembled. Caption: Next, Ralph constructs an actual game box,
Inventions That Shook The World
Season 1 / Ep 7
44 minutes 5 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Two people getting into the passenger and driver side of a black vehicle. Caption: (narrator) He's built a hybrid gas/electric vehicle
Inventions That Shook The World
Season 1 / Ep 8
42 minutes 53 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Map of the United States with locations highlighted on the east and west coasts as well as the area directly between. Caption: It's a primitive forerunner to the Internet.
Inventions That Shook The World
Season 1 / Ep 9
44 minutes 7 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Two people in lab coats. Caption: His electrode is doing exactly the job it's supposed to.
Inventions That Shook The World
Season 1 / Ep 10
44 minutes
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Illustration of a train on the tracks. Caption: (Shawn) This electric train needs three doors.
Shawn and Team
Episode 2
23 minutes 11 seconds
Grade Level: Ps - 3
Person holding a small mechanical device with leg-like structures and a circuit board. Caption: is it can jump higher and faster
3 minutes 12 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Person in a lab setting with a mostly clear object in their hands. Scissors, wires with leads, and tweezers are on the counter next to them. Caption: We're trying to make a smart Band-Aid
Science Nation
Episode 111
3 minutes 8 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Person placing a tennis ball between the finger and thumb of a robotic hand. Caption: RAPHaEL is a relatively inexpensive robotic hand.
Science Nation
Episode 155
2 minutes 29 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
People in an operating theater with a patient on the table. Caption: is implanted surgically and stimulates nerves
Science Nation
Episode 183
5 minutes 14 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Close up circuitry. Penny included for scale. Circuitry is smaller than the penny. Caption: at the University of Maryland are building microrobots,
Science Nation
Episode 46
2 minutes 56 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Two rectangular drones flying in the air. Caption: fly safely and avoid collision on their own.
Science Nation
Episode 195
5 minutes 10 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Person holding a small partially transparent cube with wires and other equipment attached. Caption: and are developing microbial fuel cells
Science Nation
Episode 108
2 minutes 34 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Mountain lion in a tree. Caption: They are hard to study.
Science Nation
Episode 30
3 minutes 5 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Person working on a robotic leg that is wearing a shoe. Caption: This is a battery that powers everything.
Science Nation
Episode 92
2 minutes 34 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Microscopic view of cells. Some are blue and some are larger and red. Caption: on how to make early cancer detection cheaper.
Science Nation
Episode 101
2 minutes 33 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Underwater view of billowing plume of pollutant. Caption: cleaning up oil spills and purifying water.
Science Nation
Episode 82
2 minutes 30 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
SUV with sensors, cameras, and other equipment attached to the bumper, hood, and roof. Caption: (male narrator) Imagine a car that drives itself and knows the rules.
Science Nation
Episode 177
2 minutes 27 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Gloved hand holding a round plastic object and putting an electronic chip into it. Caption: to incorporate nanotechnologies into the process.
Science Nation
Episode 43
3 minutes 14 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Person holding a tubular instrument to their eye. Caption: (narrator) You might say the chemiscope of an agent of change,
Science Nation
Episode 38
3 minutes 1 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Computer screen showing the closeup of a human eye with crosshairs over the pupil. Caption: and nearly impossible to fool or spoof.
Science Nation
Episode 25
3 minutes 17 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
A light blue and white stripped caterpillar on a person's finger. Caption: (male) This little guy can grip, hold, and move.
Science Nation
Episode 161
2 minutes 30 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Person touching an object made of stacked and connected cubes. Caption: are playing with Cubelets, small, smart modular robots.
Science Nation
Episode 84
2 minutes 36 seconds
Grade Level: 6 - 12
Person sitting at a table across from a robot. On the table in front of them are objects of different shapes and colors. Caption: Would you put the green object with one peg into the red box?
Science Nation
Episode 98
2 minutes 34 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Closeup view of very thin wires forming concentric squares and other geometric patterns. Caption: these circuits are thinner than a hair
Science Nation
Episode 100
2 minutes 32 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Test tubes of blood. Caption: use biomarkers: biochemical signatures in blood,
Science Nation
Episode 48
2 minutes 47 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Person at a computer looking at a projection of a wire frame human face on a screen. Caption: how robots interact with humans,
Science Nation
Episode 231
3 minutes 42 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Funnel with filter feeding into a receptacle. The fluid in the filter is dark and the filter is dirty. Caption: She's developing fluoride filtering devices
Science Nation
Episode 205
2 minutes 33 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Brightly colored tropical fish. Caption: how they work together to execute underwater maneuvers,
Science Nation
Episode 36
3 minutes 2 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Computer screen showing a bar graph and pie chart of energy consumption in watt-hours. Caption: showing me which devices are consuming the most energy.
Science Nation
Episode 186
2 minutes 28 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Tool emitting bright light cutting circles into wood. Caption: (narrator) Tools, including this laser cutter and wood router,
Science Nation
Episode 170
2 minutes 23 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Computer screen showing the aerial view of a multi-story building and thumbnail views of other buildings. Caption: It's part of a new computing concept
Science Nation
Episode 114
2 minutes 33 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Child sitting in a chair under bright lights looking at a small humanoid robot on a table some distance in front of them. An adult stands by. Caption: It doesn't overstimulate or overwhelm a child with autism.
Science Nation
Episode 78
2 minutes 56 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Semi-trailer with large cylindrical tanks labelled as Hydrogen, Compressed. Caption:(narrator) Hydrogen is hailed as the fuel of the future --
Science Nation
Episode 180
4 minutes 30 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Large industrial machine moving across a cultivated field. Caption: could precisely communicate an entire crop's water needs.
Science Nation
Episode 167
2 minutes 34 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Gloved hand holding two small dark discs. Caption: to bring ultra-high-temperature ceramics to marketplace.
Science Nation
Episode 44
3 minutes 3 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
3D graphic of a mostly cylindrical object with a rotor on top against a backdrop of grass and buildings. Caption: the brain's signal to control the quadcopter.
Science Nation
Episode 40
3 minutes 3 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Diagram of an orange sphere. Part of the shell of the sphere is removed to show the white interior. On the surface of the sphere are small, brightly colored spots. Caption: help protect against the toxins they make.
Science Nation
Episode 35
3 minutes 1 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Microscopic view of a hexagonal structure with arms hovering above a spherical object. Caption: Cell-sized micro grippers retrieve tiny objects,
Science Nation
Episode 95
2 minutes 33 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Rectangular robot with a screen at eye level. Caption: (male narrator) Meet CoBot, short for "Collaborative Robot."
Science Nation
Episode 76
2 minutes 53 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Person with a device attached to their head behind and above their ear and a wire leading to a device that is affixed to the back of their ear. Caption: It's called a cochlear implant, and it helps me hear.
Science Nation
Episode 79
3 minutes 5 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Mosquito on a person's skin. Caption: it would scare them away.
Science Nation
Episode 91
2 minutes 34 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Computer diagram with icons representing two people. The previous paths of the people are also shown. Caption: A firefighter outfitted with a sensor
Science Nation
Episode 94
2 minutes 33 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Person with a control box in their hands standing next to a short, wide robot with legs. Caption: (narrator) Palmer sees broad applications for these smart legs:
Science Nation
Episode 21
3 minutes 6 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Dirty water with bubbles and PVC pipes. Caption: and reused again and again in a sustainable loop.
Science Nation
Episode 7
3 minutes 4 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Complex machinery with a platform. Caption: a treatment or vaccine for a particular patient.
Science Nation
Episode 41
2 minutes 40 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Robot with an arm moving bottles next to a sink. Caption: (male narrator) Here's how to take the drudgery from housework.
Science Nation
Episode 176
2 minutes 28 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Robotic arm placing a baseball hat on a water bottle. Caption: at Barrett Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
Science Nation
Episode 136
2 minutes 27 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Lizard walking in a clear Plexiglas box. Caption: This is a sandfish, and his slithering moves
Science Nation
Episode 97
2 minutes 32 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Ceiling security camera footage showing store aisles. Caption: to track shoppers as they move in the store and create data
Science Nation
Episode 109
2 minutes 33 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Setting sun as seen through tall wild grasses. Caption: to harness the sun's energy to make renewable fuels.
Science Nation
Episode 45
2 minutes 39 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
The sun seen closely enough to show the light and dark pattern of the surface. Caption: Their mission: put the heat of the sun to work,
Science Nation
Episode 31
3 minutes 10 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Several young people working on an object. Caption: the first all-female African-American RoboCup team.
Science Nation
Episode 171
2 minutes 33 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Person in scrubs looking into an enclosed space while manipulating controls with both hands. Caption: (narrator) Surgeons like Yuh come here to test the robots.
Science Nation
Episode 147
2 minutes 31 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Computer screen showing a line graph of multiple measurements taken at different times. Caption: to add the ultra-fine layers of semiconducting materials
Science Nation
Episode 26
3 minutes 4 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Person with a headset being placed on their head. Caption: (narrator) The headset he is wearing allows him to steer
Science Nation
Episode 194
4 minutes 57 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
McCormick Northwest Engineering. The 2009 hurricane season heats up: Ana, Claudette, and Bill. McCormick studios. Caption: (narrator) This is a virtual newscast.
Science Nation
Episode 191
4 minutes 39 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Person standing with a touch screen in their hands in front of a screen d9male) displaying 3D representations of the connections between spherical objects. Caption: (male) You can immerse yourself in your data in 3-D.
Science Nation
Episode 166
2 minutes 34 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Waves striking a man-made jetty of rock. Caption: could help solve the world's energy problems.
Science Nation
Episode 188
2 minutes 26 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
Model of a human head being brushed by whiskers attached to wires protruding from a metal post. Caption: by a set of artificial wire whiskers,
Science Nation
Episode 193
4 minutes 33 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Map with areas shaded in different colors and patterns. Some locations are identified with text and others have lines of various patters indicating potential behavior of the fire. Caption: Their software will generate behavior models of the fire,
Science Nation
Episode 22
3 minutes 13 seconds
Grade Level: 9 - 12
A map with many locations highlighted. Caption: (narrator) The goal is to monitor for particulate matter pollution.
Science Nation
Episode 252
4 minutes 30 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Black and white photo of a complex machine. Caption: In the end, the assembly line changed the world.
Social Studies Video Vocab
Episode 23
3 minutes 37 seconds
Grade Level: 5 - 9
Back of someone's upper body. Caption: You see, Bill Gibson was a -- well, a dreamer.
8 minutes 59 seconds
Grade Level: 4 - 7
3D computer image of a partially destroyed skeletal structure. Caption: digital representations of skeletal anatomy
The Brain Scoop
Episode 43
7 minutes 16 seconds
Grade Level: 11 - 12
ASL
Cartoon of a person looking at a skeleton with the joints highlighted. Caption: It's not the bones themselves that let someone move.
The Magic School Bus
Season 2 / Ep 202
25 minutes 54 seconds
Grade Level: 2 - 6
ASL
Students from the magic school bus shrunk to small size, climbing into an open cabinet. Caption: Look -- building materials!
The Magic School Bus
Season 3 / Ep 304
25 minutes 54 seconds
Grade Level: 2 - 6
Digital image of an open manhole cover being projected across a grid of screens in a dark room with blue laser lights. Caption. You see, the round shape makes it a safety cover.
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 1
10 minutes 53 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Tilted view of an oven full of red-hot coals surround by tan bricks. Caption. I'm talking about America's first pizzeria.
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 10
9 minutes 46 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Low-angle view of a steam engine pulling several open passenger cars across a tall wooden bridge with fall colored trees behind it and green hills beneath it. Caption. Planes, trains, automobiles, and boats?
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 15
10 minutes 15 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Black and white photo of several white Band-Aids with black animal prints lined up vertically on a black background. Distributed amongst them are several Band-Aids shaped like stars, hearts, and flowers. Caption. Invented something we all use to patch ourselves up.
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 17
10 minutes 14 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Image of a sign with pink lettering that reads, "Cotton Candy," being projected across a grid of screens in a dark room with blue laser lights. Caption. So, how did this feathery goodness spin to life?
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 18
10 minutes 18 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Black and white closeup of a right hand holding a pencil while the left hand holds down a piece of paper with lots of lines and text printed on it. Caption. You need to find a loophole.
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 19
9 minutes 53 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Image of the chest of a person wearing a black tuxedo jacket over a white textured matching necktie and vest being projected across a grid of screens in a dark room with blue laser lights. Caption. No special occasion would be complete without a tuxedo.
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 20
9 minutes 45 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Old-style radio microphone digitally blending with a bright yellow and red background full of icons of musical notes. Caption. It is not as popular as this one.
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 21
9 minutes 43 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Many images in a grid. The center image is of a traffic light pole surrounded by various traffic signs with a red brick building behind and encircled with a neon blue light. Caption. How does this term relate to traffic violations?
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 22
10 minutes 33 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Grainy image of dust and smoke from an explosion on a hill with 2 towers connected by wires visible. Caption. Here's something you get a blast out of.
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 23
10 minutes 12 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Wooden crossbeam resting on 2 wooden posts with strips of beef draped across it in partially grassy field while people stand in the background. Caption. But why is dried beef called jerky?
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 24
10 minutes 36 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Computer-generated image of a silver tin can sitting on a gas burner with high blue flames on a black-tiled surface. Caption. To a specific temperature and then cools them quickly.
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 25
9 minutes 41 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Image of a loaf of sliced bread on a white background made to look like its on a blue digital screen inside a computer with blue laser lights. Caption. Had an idea to build a machine that could slice bread.
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 26
10 minutes 35 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
2 feet wearing red and white basketball shoes on a wooden floor with a basketball to the left. 2 hands reach down and tie the shoelaces on the right foot. Caption. Grabbing the ends of both shoe laces and pulling real hard.
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 4
10 minutes 52 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Closeup of a yellow bowl full of white popcorn kernels against a black background. Caption. And in just minutes you are enjoying.
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 6
10 minutes 54 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Image of the chest of a person in a military uniform with a tan bullet-proof vest holding a black handgun held close projected across a grid of screens in a dark room with blue laser lights. Caption. There's a 10 72 on the scene.
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 7
10 minutes 21 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Woman with dark hair and wearing a pink polo shirt leans against a wooden railing on a bridge over a stream. She looks at a smiling man in a green sweater sitting on the railing. Caption. Just cut to the chase?
Wow! I Never Knew That!
Episode 8
10 minutes 6 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
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