In the first video segment, we present a cartoon model of a weighted chain, which can be regarded as an approximation for a polymer under tension (e.g. a strand of DNA being stretched out using optical tweezers). The Hamiltonian and partition function for this system are described in the second segment. Finally, in the third segment, we calculate the average energy and elongation of the chain.

In this video segment from The Secret of Life Teaching Modules: "Nothing to Sneeze At: Viruses," watch as a virus attacks a cell, and learn how the immune system reacts to this onslaught.

This video segment adapted from NOVA illustrates why carbon is at the center of life on Earth. It also asks whether carbon-based life might exist on other planets.

This is a set of three, one-page problems about the size and area of solar panels used to generate power. Learners will will use integer arithmetic to tally the number of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon atoms in a molecule and determine the number of methane atoms that can result. Options are presented so that students may learn about how NASA is using signs of methane gas to search for life on other planets, such as Mars, through a NASA press release or about how astrobiologists who are looking for life beyond Earth are using spectroscopy to identify methane plumes on Mars by viewing a NASA eClips video [7 min.]. This activity is part of the Space Math multi-media modules that integrate NASA press releases, NASA archival video, and mathematics problems targeted at specific math standards commonly encountered in middle school.

This video segment from NOVA: "The Sea Behind the Dunes" explores the community of organisms that exists in the New England tidal marsh.

In Part I of this hands-on, minds-on activity, students investigate the effects of hypotonic and hypertonic solutions on eggs. Students interpret their results and develop a basic molecular understanding of the process of osmosis. In Part II, analysis and discussion questions guide students as they further develop their understanding of osmosis and apply this understanding to the interpretation of several “real-world” phenomena. This activity is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards.

In this introduction to invertebrate diversity, students compare the external anatomy and locomotion of earthworms, mealworms, crickets and crayfish, all of which can be purchased at low cost from local pet stores. Discussion questions help students understand the evolutionary basis of observed similarities and differences. This activity can be used as an introduction to the Annelid and Arthropod phyla and the principle that form matches function.

Students evaluate whether the little brown grains of yeast obtained from the grocery store are alive by testing for metabolism and growth.

This fun Web site is part of OLogy, where kids can collect virtual trading cards and create projects with them. Here, marine biologist Melanie Stiassny introduces kids to biodiversity in the ocean. The article contains three engaging, kid-friendly sections: an overview of six major groups of life on Earth that challenges kids to determine the correct group for nine different life forms, a timeline that tracks the development of life on Earth since the planet formed and a look at the biggest animal that has ever lived.

This video, adapted from material provided by the ECHO partners, provides a portrait of IŰ__ŒóíŠupiaq whaling as a community activity, as told through the story of one hunt.

This six-day unit provides an in-depth look at the dynamic forces at work on the sea floor. Throughout the unit, students collect their findings in a portfolio. The comprehensive curriculum materials include teacher tools such as individually downloadable readings and detailed daily breakdowns of tasks, a hands-on experiment, three activities about how scientists find deep sea vents and two activities about the thriving ecosystems found in deep sea vents.

This article, part of Biodiversity Counts, provides insight into keeping field journals. The article discusses why journals are so important both to scientists and to the museums and institutions that employ them and has tips for how to keep a field journal.

This video adapted from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department describes how humans are helping restore safe nesting grounds for the critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle to ensure its successful repopulation.

Giant clams are no myth. In New England, people love clam chowder, but in the Pacific, some of the clams are as big as a suitcase! In this video filmed in Micronesia, Jonathan goes in search of Giant Clams. These clams are so big that people used to think they caught people...and it almost looks like they could. It turns out that the real problem is that too many people are eating the clams. Please see the accompanying lesson plan for educational objectives, discussion points and classroom activities.

In the north Atlantic, the American Lobster is the undisputed king of crustaceans. It‰ŰŞs also a tremendously important commercial catch. While all the other fisheries are collapsing, why are lobsters resisting the trend? In this video, Jonathan goes out with a Maine lobsterman to learn why, and he dives down below to find the biggest lobsters he has ever seen. This segment won a New England Emmy Award! Please see the accompanying study guide for educational objectives and discussion points.

This Evolution video segment describes how the famous track fossils known as the Laetoli footprints might have been formed and what they can reveal about the creatures who left them.

In this video profile produced for Teachers' Domain, meet La'ona DeWilde, an environmental biologist who integrates her Athabascan heritage and her Western scientific training to help remote Alaskan villages address environmental issues.

This NetLogo model of leaf photosynthesis shows the macroscopic outcome of the reaction.

This online article is from the Museum's Science Explorations, a collaboration between AMNH and Scholastic designed to promote science literacy. Written for students in grades 3-6, this article from SuperScience magazine is an interview with AMNH herpetologist Darrel Frost, in which he discusses the upcoming Lizards & Snakes: Alive exhibition. There is a hands-on activity, Create an Exhibit, that challenges students to design a museum exhibit that includes lizards and snakes

Through scientific research, this video from The Human Spark illustrates how a child’s views of what is right and wrong can be shaped by others.