A Harvard evolutionary biologist presents an engaging discussion of how the human body has evolved over millions of years, examining how an increasing disparity between the needs of Stone Age bodies and the realities of the modern world are fueling a paradox of greater longevity and chronic disease.

An intensive lecture course that explores all aspects of biology, providing the background and guidance to explore in depth the fundamental principles of how living things work.

Provides an overview of the origin and evolution of life on earth and of what has been learned from the study of evolution.

Combining images of living plant stages with computer simulations allows you to easily bridge the gap between the familiar plant and the micro-environment contained within it. Three dimensional animations take you in and around reproductive structures such as the sorus, sporangium, and antheridium and archegonium. You see dynamic events such as spore formation, spore release, prothallus formation, sperm release, fertilization and embryo growth..

Diatoms are an extraordinarily successful group of organisms and their many thousands of species have diversified and specialized so as to occupy every environmental niche. Part of their success derives from their unique protective cell walls, beautifully elaborate structures made of pure silica. However, living inside walls made of this rigid, refractory material creates many problems. Just how diatoms circumvent these problems provides the major...

The Oedogoniales are remarkable filamentous green algae. Their method of cell elongation is unique, utilizing a donut-shaped ring of soft wall material which is stretched to form the new daughter cell. While Oedogonium is a simple filament, the related Bulbochaete and Oedocladium are branched and Bulbochaete differentiates long hair cells. The zoospore is large and multiflagellated. Sexual reproduction is oogamous and either “macrandrous” or “nannandrous.”...

Living Cells features greatly expanded coverage of subject matter and extensive additional footage when compared to the original video tape of 1992. The vivid, high-magnification images introduce students to a variety of cells, cellular activities, and subcellular organelles. The video is organized into 24 chapters on specific topics such as actin, microtubules, and flagella.. The Living Cells video offers a most convenient way of accessing beautiful...

For convenience, biologists divide living organisms into five “Kingdoms”: the Monerans (bacteria and cyanobacteria), Protists, Fungi, Plants, and Animals. The Kingdom Protista includes a vast array of tiny eukaryotic cells that lead complex and extraordinary lives far from the eyes of most humans; a dedication to microscopy is vital to see them in all their splendor. This video is a unique resource introducing the viewer to a considerable range...

The Volvocales and Chlorococcales share a common ancestry from a cell type exemplified by Chlamydomonas. Using live cells, this video shows how simple evolutionary trends working on Chlamydomonad ancestors have generated diversity and complexity.. In Volvocalean evolution, unicellular ancestors became multicellular (e.g., Volvox) by daughter cells adhering after division. Concurrently, they evolved various advanced characters (e.g., differentiation...

Algae have sustained life on this planet since they were first modified by the atmosphere with photosynthetic by-products over two and a half billion years ago. From the microscopic to giant seaweeds, over 30,000 different forms exist today. In this program researchers discover how algae can transform, from life supporting to life threatening. Learn how we've depended on algae in the past and see the new ways we are putting them to use in cancer research,...