Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. We’re mostly composed of these four elements. And so is your favorite animal and the best shady tree to sit under during the summer. All living organisms, including plants and animals, are mostly made of these chemical building blocks of life.
Everything is Chemical, an animation from New Mexico State University‘s Learning Games Lab, explains how these elements “underlie everything around us.”
That’s why chemistry is such a valuable tool for agricultural, environmental and food scientists. When growing plants and animals, you’re working with chemistry and chemical bonds.
This video is one in a series from ScienceOfAgriculture.org, which includes more media that helps teach math and science concepts related to agriculture, the “practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock.”
Related reading from the American Chemical Society: Celebrating Chemistry—Earth Day 2017 (English) [pdf] and Celebrating Chemistry—Earth Day 2017 (Spanish) [pdf].
Plus: International Year of Soils Educational Material.
Related videos on TKSST include more element videos, more chemistry videos, more soil videos, and more videos about the human body including:
• You’re A Firework (Scientifically Speaking)
• The elements that compose 99.9% of your body
• The mysterious origins of life on Earth
• Soil 101 from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization
• Inside the Compost Cycle: Turning waste to nutrient-rich soil
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