Presents a history of the planet, discussing ice ages, the first forms of life on land and in the sea, dinosaurs, and mammals.

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..

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. Computer animations take you inside a clump of moss plants to illustrate external structure. You are then transported inside the tips of male and female stems where gametangia (sex organs), sperm release, fertilization and embryo development are illustrated..

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...

Three dimensional animations, supported by aurthoritative narrations, explore the leaf surface and explain the functioning of the guard cells. The viewer is then taken inside the leaf to see the photosynthesis and conducting cells. Witness the dynamic events of guard cell movements, gas exchange and the transport of water and sugars. Animations also illustrate the forms of leaves and how they are modified for dry and aquatic habitats..

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.”...

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...

Explains how the wide variety of plant and animal life on Earth emerged and evolved, and introduces the features and characteristics of members of the six kingdoms of life.

Examine the cell cycle of eukaryotic cells and the cycle's effect on DNA replication. Discover that a quirk in the copying of linear DNA leads to the shrinking of chromosomes as cells age, a problem reversed in egg and sperm cells by the telomerase enzyme. For this reason, telomerase might appear to be the secret to immortality except its unregulated presence in cells can lead to cancer.