Discover Resources
Browse curated homeschool resources from the community
How Does Asthma Work Christopher E Gaw
More than 300 million people around the world suffer from asthma, and around 250,000 people die from it each year. But why do people get asthma, and how can this disease be deadly? Christopher E. Gaw describes the main symptoms and treatments of asthma.
One of the Most Difficult Words to Translate Krystian Aparta
As simple as it seems, it’s often impossible to accurately translate the word "you" without knowing a lot more about the situation where it’s being said. Krystian Aparta describes the specific reasons why it can be difficult, citing examples from many different languages.
Who s at Risk for Colon Cancer Amit H Sachdev and Frank G Gress
Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer and cancer death in the world. It is also one of the most preventable types of cancer, as it often takes about ten years for a small polyp to grow and develop into a cancerous one. So who’s at risk? And how can people be screened? Amit H. Sachdev and Frank G. Gress share some of the best ways to prevent colon cancer.
Why is it so Hard to Cure Als Fernando Vieira
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also called motor neuron disease and Lou Gehrig’s Disease, affects about two out of every 100,000 people worldwide. When a person has ALS, their motor neurons - the cells responsible for all voluntary muscle control in the body - lose function and die. Fernando G. Vieira shares what we know (and don't know) about ALS.
The Surprising Link Between Stress and Memory Elizabeth Cox
You spend weeks studying for an important test. On the big day, you wait nervously as your teacher hands it out. You’re working your way through, when you’re asked to define "ataraxia." You know you’ve seen the word before, but your mind goes blank. What just happened? Elizabeth Cox details the complex relationship between stress and memory.
The Truth About Electroconvulsive Therapy Ect Helen M Farrell
In 1982, a young nurse was suffering from severe, unrelenting depression. She couldn’t work, socialize or concentrate. One controversial treatment changed everything: after two courses of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) her symptoms lifted. So what exactly is electroconvulsive therapy and why is it so stigmatized? Helen M. Farrell details the history and evolution of ECT.
What s so Great About the Great Lakes Cheri Dobbs and Jennifer Gabrys
The North American Great Lakes — Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior — are so big that they border 8 states and contain 23 quadrillion liters of water. They span forest, grassland, and wetland habitats, supporting a region that’s home to 3,500 species. But how did such a vast and unique geological feature come to be? Cheri Dobbs and Jennifer Gabrys takes us all the way back to the Ice Age to find out.
A Simple Way to Tell Insects Apart Anika Hazra
There are nearly a million known insect species in the world, but most have one of just five common types of mouthparts. Why is this information useful to scientists? Anika Hazra explains how the features of an insect’s mouthparts can help identify which order it belongs to, while also providing clues about how it evolved and what it feeds on.
Who Built Great Zimbabwe and Why Breeanna Elliott
Stretched across a tree-peppered expanse in Southern Africa lies the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, a medieval stone city of astounding wealth. Located in the present-day country of Zimbabwe, it’s the site of the second largest settlement ruins in Africa. But its history is controversial, defined by decades of dispute about who built it and why. Breeanna Elliott explores the mystery of Great Zimbabwe.
Why I Invited a Million People Beneath a Disappearing Glacier Joe Hanson
A couple of years ago, Joe Hanson took his camera beneath a disappearing glacier. What started as a lesson about physics turned into a discovery about how wonder itself can motivate us to save the world's wonders.
Why You Feel Anxious Socializing and What to Do About it Fallon Goodman
In crowds, at parties, meetings, get-togethers with friends, everyday interactions: social anxiety can show up as an unwelcome guest at any time. But why? Psychologist Fallon Goodman digs into the source of social anxiety, setting the record straight about this common condition with practical solutions to help you feel the most authentically "you" while out and about.
The Tale of the Monkey King and the Buddha Ji Hao
After wreaking havoc across the heavens and being captured in a white-hot prison cell, the Monkey King freed himself once more and was itching for a fight. Desperate, the Jade Emperor called on the supreme power in all the heavens: the Buddha himself. But even in the face of this almighty opponent, Sun Wukong was not cowed. Ji Hao follows the Monkey King's quest to outwit the Buddha.
Why is Rice so Popular Carolyn Beans
Rice contributes over 20% of the calories consumed by humans each year. Korean bibimbap, Nigerian jollof, Indian biryani, Spanish paella, and countless other culinary masterpieces all begin with rice. So how did this humble grain end up in so many cuisines? Carolyn Beans investigates the global expansion of this beloved crop and the unintended consequences of its popularity.
What Creates a Total Solar Eclipse Andy Cohen
How can the tiny moon eclipse the sight of the gargantuan sun? By sheer coincidence, the disc of the sun is 400x larger than the disc of the moon, but the sun is 390x farther from Earth -- which means that when they align just right, the moon blocks all but the sun's glowing corona. Andy Cohen details this extraordinary celestial phenomenon (and when it will next occur).
How Does Your Body Know What Time it is Marco a Sotomayor
Being able to sense time helps us do everything from waking and sleeping to knowing precisely when to catch a ball that’s hurtling towards us. And we owe all these abilities to an interconnected system of timekeepers in our brains. But how do they work? Marco A. Sotomayor details how human bodies naturally tell time.
Oxygen s Surprisingly Complex Journey Through Your Body Enda Butler
Oxygen forms about 21% of the air around us. In your body, oxygen forms a vital role in the production of energy in most cells. But if gases can only efficiently diffuse across tiny distances, how does oxygen reach the cells deep inside your body? Enda Butler tracks the surprisingly complex journey of oxygen through your body.
Zen Koans Unsolvable Enigmas Designed to Break Your Brain Puqun Li
How do we explain the unexplainable? This question has inspired numerous myths, religious practices and scientific inquiries. But Zen Buddhists practicing throughout China from the 9th to 13th century asked a different question – why do we need an explanation? Puqun Li details the bewildering and ambiguous philosophical thought experiments these Buddhists called Zen kōans.
The Psychology of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Joelle Maletis
Many of us will experience some kind of trauma during our lifetime. Sometimes, we escape with no long-term effects. But for millions of people, those experiences linger, causing symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, and negative thoughts that interfere with everyday life. Joelle Rabow Maletis details the science behind post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
Why the Wrong Side of the Tracks is Usually the East Side of Cities
What do communities on the social, economic and environmental margins have in common? In this short talk about a surprising insight, anthropologist and venture capitalist Stephen DeBerry explains how both environmental and man-made factors have led to disparity by design in cities from East Palo Alto, California to East Jerusalem and beyond— and suggests some elegant solutions to fix it.
Would You Use a Machine That Predicts Your Future Thomas Hofweber
A couple has been considering getting engaged, but they’re worried about divorce statistics. An AI-based model was just released that can predict your likelihood of divorce with 95% accuracy. The only catch is the model doesn’t offer any reasons for its results. So, should they decide whether or not to get married based on this AI’s prediction? Thomas Hofweber explores AI’s transparency problem.
The Great Conspiracy Against Julius Caesar Kathryn Tempest
On March 15th, 44 BCE, Roman dictator Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of about 60 of his own senators. Why did these self-titled Liberators want him dead? And why did Brutus, whose own life had been saved by Caesar, join in the plot? Kathryn Tempest investigates the personal and political assassination of Julius Caesar.
How Does Your Body Know You Re Full Hilary Coller
Hunger claws at your belly. It tugs at your intestines, which begin to writhe, aching to be fed. Being hungry generates a powerful and often unpleasant physical sensation that’s almost impossible to ignore. After you’ve reacted by gorging on your morning pancakes, you start to experience an opposing force: fullness. But how does your body actually know when you’re full? Hilary Coller explains.
What Causes Hallucinations Elizabeth Cox
A condition called Charles Bonnet Syndrome can cause blind patients to hallucinate scenes in vivid color. fMRI studies show that these hallucinations activate the same brain areas as sight — areas that are not activated by imagination. Other hallucinations also involve the same brain areas as real sensory experiences. What's going on? Elizabeth Cox details the science of hallucinations.
The Dangerous and Daring Race for the South Pole Elizabeth Leane
By the early 1900’s, nearly every region of the globe had been visited and mapped, with only two key locations left: the North and South Poles. After two Americans staked claim to reaching the North Pole, a Norwegian explorer and a British naval officer each set out for the last unmapped region in what newspapers called a “Race to the Pole.” Elizabeth Leane sets the scene for their journeys south.