Videos from the National Science Foundation

Check out this collection of videos from the National Science Foundation (NSF) covering a broad range of scientific topics!

Ice Cores as Climate Proxies

Ice Cores for Studying Past Climate

Climate scientists use ice cores from glaciers and ice caps to learn about climates of the past.

Length: 2 min. 11 sec.
Date: March 23, 2010
Carbon Dioxide and Temperature match

Past Matching of Global Temperature and CO2 Levels

Climate records from the past show that changes in temperature and changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide go hand-in-hand.

Length: 31 sec.
Date: March 23, 2010
Proxy Records of Past Climate

Proxy Records of Past Climate

Climate scientists use various "proxy" records to learn about climates in prehistoric times.

Length: 4 min. 38 sec.
Date: March 23, 2010
Coral as Climate Proxies

Coral for Studying Past Climate

Climate scientists use cores drilled from coral colonies to learn about climates of the past.

Length: 1 min. 7 sec.
Date: March 23, 2010
Study Past Climate to Predict Future

Study Past Climate to Predict Future

Scientists study past climates to help make better predictions about future climate change.

Length: 1 min. 38 sec.
Date: March 23, 2010
Lake Sediments as Climate Proxies

Lake-bottom Sediments for Studying Past Climate

Climate scientists study layers of sediments from the bottoms of lakes to learn about climates of the past.

Length: 55 sec.
Date: March 23, 2010
Past Climate Changes and Uncertainty

Past Climate Changes and Uncertainty

Climate scientists use "fuzzy" proxy records to learn about climates of the past.

Length: 1 min. 46 sec.
Date: March 23, 2010
Ocean Dead Zones

Exploring Ocean Dead Zones

Oceanographers are using robotic undersea "gliders" to study "dead zones" in the seas.

Length: 2 min. 33 sec.
Date: November 19, 2009
Amphibian Deaths

Amphibians Are Dying

Disease, pollution, and habitat loss are killing off many of the world's amphibians.

Length: 5 min. 4 sec.
Date: November 4, 2009
Earthquake testing

Earthquake Testing

Scientists are using the world's largest "shake table" to test new construction methods for buildings in areas prone to earthquakes.

Length: 4 min. 54 sec.
Date: September 28, 2009
Sunspot modeling

Modeling Sunspots

Supercomputer models are helping solar scientists develop a better understanding of sunspots.

Length: 4 min. 56 sec.
Date:September 16, 2009
Secrets of Plant Genomes Revealed

Secrets of Plant Genomes Revealed!

This lively look at the field of plant genetics explores how plants got to be the way they are and ways science may help us make better use of plants in the future.

Length: 24 minutes
Date: August 31, 2007
History of Early Polar Exploration

The History of Early Polar Exploration

This talk by Donal Manahan of the University of Southern California describes scientific aspects of early polar exploration.

Length: 11 min. 48 sec.
Date: August 30, 2007
Star Wars

Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination - Museum Exhibit

This museum exhibit explores the science behind the "Star Wars" movies. Want to learn more? Check out this Press Release.

Length: 1 min. 46 sec.
Date: April 24, 2007
Creatures Creep Ashore

Evolution Hits the Beach

A lively, informal look at a fossil that may represent the first vertebrate to emerge from the ancient seas, discovered by scientists from the University of Chicago, Harvard University and the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.

Length: 1 min. 7 sec.
Date: November 2, 2006
Lizards in Love

Genetics of Self-Sacrifice

A lively, informal look at animal research by scientists from UC-Santa Cruz. They studied a common lizard species and found that slight genetic variations (as revealed by different throat colors) make a big difference in behavior.

Length: 1 min. 19 sec.
Date: November 2, 2006
Making Earthquakes Indoors

Making Earthquakes... Indoors

A lively, informal look at earthquake research conducted by NSF's NEESWood project, featuring a full-size, three-bedroom house built on an indoor "shake table" at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Length: 1 min. 6 sec.
Date: November 2, 2006
Nature's Superglue

Nature's Strongest Glue?

Scientists study superglue made by microbes to see if we can learn their tricks. But is this superglue strong enough to hold up an elephant?

Length: 51 seconds
Date: November 2, 2006
New Life for Dead Trees

Reusing Forests

Scientists work to convert scrap wood left over from making paper into useful products. Forest biorefineries may someday produce ethanol for fuel or polymers for plastics.

Length: 53 seconds
Date: November 2, 2006
Dark Days Ahead for the Sun

Stormy Weather on the Sun?

A lively, informal look at solar research describes a worrisome new set of predictions for the upcoming sunspot cycle issued by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Length: 58 seconds
Date: November 2, 2006
Teaching Robots to Swim--Madeline

Teaching Robots to Swim

Robotic submarines help scientists learn how marine animals swim and help engineers design better underwater vehicles.

Length: 1 min. 26 sec.
Date: November 2, 2006

Einstein's Messengers - LIGO Documentary

Einstein's Messengers - LIGO Documentary

Astronomers hope to reveal the answers to some cosmic questions about the formation and early history of the universe with LIGO - NSF's Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory.

Length: 20 min. 12 sec.
Date: June 1, 2006
The History of the Universe in 60 seconds or less

The History of the Universe in 60 Seconds or Less - Dr. Eric Schulman

The universe is a big place with a long history. Dr. Eric Schulman brings it down to size in The History of the Universe in 60 Seconds or Less. Granted, he does a little abridging here and there, but basically he's got it right. Join Dr. Schulman for this whirlwind history lesson...and don't blink.

Length: 1 min. 16 sec.
Date: December 15, 2005
GeoClimate: Probing Earth's Deep-Time Climate Archives

GeoClimate: Probing Earth's Deep-Time Climate Archives

Scientists are working to gain a "deep time" perspective on climate change to better understand how Earth's climate has evolved over long periods of time. They hope this perspective will help them gain insights useful for predicting future climate change.

Length: 23 min. 14 sec.
Date: November 16, 2005
Einstein's Theory of Relativity - Simultaneity

Einstein's Theory of Relativity - Simultaneity

Albert Einstein's theory of relativity makes some pretty strange predictions. This movie explains how two observers can disagree as to whether events happen at the same time - and both be right!

Length: 1 min. 53 sec.
Date: October 18, 2005
Einstein's Theory of Relativity - Time Dilation

Einstein's Theory of Relativity - Time Dilation

Albert Einstein's theory of relativity makes some pretty strange predictions. This movie explains how time can slow down when you are moving very, very fast!

Length: 1 min. 12 sec.
Date: October 18, 2005
Robotics Study

Highlighting the WTEC International Study of Robotics

Check out recent developments from the world of robotics reported in the World Technology Evaluation Center (WTEC) International Study of Robotics.

Length: 37 min. 55 sec.
Date: September 16, 2005
Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge

Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge

The Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge recognizes and encourages visualization in the communication of science. Check out these stunning images and astonishing animations.

Length: 29 min. 26 sec.
Date: July 19, 2005
Improbable Research -  the Ignoble Prize

Improbable Research - the Ignoble Prize

Marc Abrahams, editor and co-founder of the science humor magazine Annals of Improbable Research and father of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, shows us how science can make you laugh and make you think.

Length: 55 min. 3 sec.
Date: April 30, 2004
Cosmic Inflation

Cosmic Inflation and the Accelerating Universe

Dr. Alan Guth describes the theory of cosmic inflation which claims that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating.

Length: 1 hr. 1 min. 59 sec.
Date: October 20, 2003
Last modified September 15, 2010 by Randy Russell.

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