How are luffa/loofah sponges made?
The luffa or loofah scrubbing sponge found at spas and eco-friendly stores is made from a giant Egyptian cucumber. The fibrous xylem of the fruit can be harvested after the fruit has matured, browned, and dried. Natha...
Why does T-Rex have tiny arms?
"Tyrannosaurus rex was big, Tyrannosaurus rex was vicious, and Tyrannosaurus rex had tiny arms." In this PBS Eons episode, Hank Green explains how the Tyrannosaurus rex lost its arms over the course of 90 million year...
The expertise of killer whale grandmothers
Pods of killer whales [also known as orcas] inhabit the waters of every major ocean on Earth. Each family is able to survive thanks mainly to one member, its most knowledgeable hunter: the grandmother. These matriarch...
Hummingbird Battleground in the Talamanca Mountains
The presence of a backyard hummingbird feeder can reveal the competitive nature of hummingbirds. Notorious for chasing each other away from nectar sources, hummingbirds are territorial because they need to stay fueled...
Linus and Lucy, a Ska-lliday Cover
Playing keyboard, trumpet, trombone, guitar, and bass guitar, 23-year-old musician Jeremy Hunter of Skatune Network adds a ska twist to the Vince Guaraldi classic Linus and Lucy. Named for the fictional siblings Li...
Life Cycle: Ai Weiwei in Los Angeles
Made from the traditional kite-making materials—bamboo and silk—mythical creatures float above large figures in a boat. Millions of sunflower seeds, handmade and painted porcelain pieces made by 1,600 artisans in Jing...
Travel deep inside a redwood tree leaf
Travel down into a small flat redwood tree leaf through a stoma, a tiny opening in its surface. This animation from the California Academy of Sciences takes us on a scientifically accurate journey into a palisade cell...
The record-setting Queen of Limbo
Shemika Campbell hails from a long line of limbo. Both her mother and her grandmother were limbo dancers, carrying on the traditionally Trinidadian form of dance. Shemika is keeping up the family legacy, taking limbo ...
