Museum of Science, Boston | Videocasts

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Videocasts

Get up to speed on current events with the Museum's series of videocasts. Our staff of experts can tell you what you need to know about the latest breakthroughs in health, technology, or science.

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Understanding Iceland's Volcano (Videocast): The volcanic eruption in Iceland gained a lot of attention in April 2010, but how does it stand among other volcanoes throughout history? Watch this videocast to understand why this volcano sent such a large ash plume into the atmosphere, and whether it will have an impact on climate change, as with some previous eruptions ... (details).

Comparing Recent Quakes (Videocast): The earthquake that rocked Chile on February 27 ranked higher on the Richter scale than the one that hit Haiti in the previous month, but the damage it inflicted was not quite as devastating. In this videocast, we explore the factors that affect an earthquake's impact. (details).

Building a Better Light Bulb (Videocast): Twenty-two percent of the energy used in the United States goes toward lighting. Although compact fluorescent bulbs have helped scale back our energy use, consumers are wary of their mercury content. A Massachusetts-based company has come up with an energy efficient, LED bulb for household use that utilizes ... (details).

Shedding Light on Human Genetic Diversity (Videocast): Hunter-gathers in southern Africa represent the oldest lineage of humans, so it's important to understand their genetic diversity as it relates to their unique lifestyle and the changing world around them. A group of researchers have recently examined the DNA from five African men, revealing over 1.3 million new genetic variations ... (details).

Advances in Huntington's Disease (Videocast): Huntington's Disease is an incurable neurodegenerative disorder caused by an altered gene that makes an extra-long protein. New research suggests that shortening the gene may lead to a possible treatment. Watch this videocast to find out more. (details).

Earthquake Preparedness in New England (Videocast): Although New England is in a less earthquake-prone area than Haiti, it has endured large quakes in the past. In this videocast, special guest Dr. John Ebel from the Weston Observatory of Boston College discusses the likelihood of a New England earthquake and the steps we've taken to prevent catastrophic damage ... (details).

Fossil Feathers Reveal Dinosaur Color (Videocast): New fossil evidence has revealed that the Sinosauropteryx, a feathered dinosaur in northeastern China, had white and red-orange stripes along the length of its tail. Watch this videocast to learn how scientists are now able to decipher both the feathers' color and their function. (details).

Fighting Heart Disease with Nanoburrs (Videocast): For heart disease patients with damaged arteries, doctors typically use stents to open blocked blood vessels, but the treatment requires surgery, and not all damaged areas are well suited to stents. Watch this videocast to find out about new research to develop "nanoburrs" that find damaged tissue and ... (details).

Super-absorbent Nanoglass Cleans Pollutants (Videocast): Some of the best scientific discoveries happen accidentally, and that's exactly what happened at Ohio's College of Wooster, where a project devoted to using nano-engineered glass powder to detect explosives instead led to the realization that the material could absorb pollutants from water. Watch this ... (details).

Do Disinfectants Make Bacteria Stronger? (Videocast): Disinfectants are essential to protecting us from harmful bacteria, but could their overuse make the bacteria more drug-resistant? A group of researchers in Ireland set out to find the answer. Watch this videocast to find out more. (details).

Artificial Pancreas Could Aid Diabetes Patients (Videocast): People who suffer from Type 1 diabetes must test their blood sugar levels because their bodies lack islet cells, a special type of cell in the pancreas. In this videocast, we explain how a team of bio-engineers at the University of California, San Francisco have set out to mimic the role of the pancreas ... (details).

Spitting Cobras Take Aim (Videocast): Some cobra species defend themselves by spitting their venom into the eyes of their predators, which can lead to intense pain and permanent blindness. Watch this videocast to hear from anatomist Bruce Young, whose work at the University of Massachusetts Lowell examines how these spitting cobras aim at the eyes so accurately ... (details).

Storing CO2 Offshore (Videocast): With greenhouse gas emissions projected to continue increasing, geoscientists from Columbia and Rutgers Universities suggest that a potential storage solution lies in the basalt rock found in underground basins off the East coast. Watch this videocast to find out more. (details).

How Monarch Butterflies Migrate to Mexico (Videocast): Every fall, millions of monarch butterflies migrate from the eastern United States and southern Canada to central Mexico. In this videocast, neurobiologist Steven Reppert talks about new findings surrounding the remarkable navigational tools that the butterflies use to find their way. Reference: "Antennal ... (details).

Pit Stops on the Moon (Videocast): Space travel requires a lot of fuel; a single space shuttle launch requires almost 4 million pounds. A group of students and professors from Purdue and Penn State are exploring ways to lighten the load for future rocket missions, and they have developed a new fuel that could make it possible to stop at the Moon for a fill up ... (details).

New Evidence for Warm-blooded Dinosaurs (Videocast): New research on how two-legged dinosaurs walked and ran adds new evidence to the argument that these extinct animals were warm blooded. But how can scientists investigate this theory just from fossil bones? Watch this videocast to find out. (details).

Anti-Icing Coating (Videocast): New Englanders are well aware that freezing rain can be much more dangerous than snow or sleet. A research team at the University of Pittsburgh has figured out how to treat a surface with nanoparticles so that it can repel water before ice can form. Watch this videocast to find out how the technology works ... (details).

Biologically Inspired Robots (Videocast): Guest presenter Casey Kute from Carnegie Mellon University explains how a gecko's wall-climbing abilities inspired the adhesion technology in her robots. Watch the videocast to learn about how these climbing robots might be used, and find out where you can discover them in the Museum. (details).

Virtual Humans Come to the Museum (Videocast): Ada and Grace are virtual museum guides who can recognize speech and offer an appropriate response using artificial intelligence. Guest presenter Bill Swartout from the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies talks about this virtual human technology, part of the new "InterFaces" exhibit at the Museum ... (details).

Canning Bisphenol A (Videocast): Bisphenol A (BPA) has been making headlines as a potentially harmful chemical in plastic bottles, but a new investigation has also examined the presence of the chemical in canned goods. Watch this videocast to find out if the levels of BPA in your canned food is cause for concern. (details).

How Fast Can Neurons Grow? (Videocast): Repetition helps us learn new motor skills, and our brains our adept at remembering the motion long after the training period ends. However, the changes within the brain during the learning process have been unknown — until now. Watch this videocast to learn about new research being done on mice ... (details).

How Do Vaccines Work? (Videocast): With H1N1 flu making headlines nearly every day, questions about getting vaccinated are becoming ever more common. Watch this videocast to learn more about how vaccines work to prevent not only various flu strains but also sexually transmitted diseases. (details).

Pet Obesity an Increasing Problem (Videocast): Over the past 20 years, U.S. obesity rates have increased in adults and children, and now it appears that the dramatic rise affects household pets as well. In this videocast, guest presenter Dr. Lisa Freeman from Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine explains how the family pet can ... (details).

Exercise Training and Heart Function (Videocast): Guest presenter Dr. Aaron Baggish from Massachusetts General Hospital has been studying hundreds of college athletes to determine how exercise affects the size and shape of the human heart. In this videocast, Dr. Baggish talks about his group's latest research, in which the athletes are studied during ... (details).

Surgical Scalpels Identify Tumors (Videocast): When removing a cancerous tumor, surgeons must carefully determine what tissue to remove, and this can be a time-consuming process that requires a pathologist's analysis. Researchers in Germany are developing a method that combines electrosurgery with mass spectrometry to dramatically reduce the time spent identifying tissue ... (details).

A Spooky New Spider Species (Videocast): A giant, orb-weaving spider has recently been discovered in Africa and Madagascar. Nephila komaci is notable because the female is five times larger than the male, offering new insight into the evolution of female gigantism. Watch this videocast to find out more. Reference: Kuntner M, Coddington ... (details).

Sniffing Out Toxic Chemicals (Videocast): A toxic chemical spill can pose a major threat to a heavily populated area, and chemical sniffing devices can detect only a handful of the toxins that can potentially harm us. A group at the University of Illinois has developed a small device that uses a nano gel that can react to a number of different ... (details).

NanoBees Join War on Cancer (Videocast): What happens when you load a nanoparticle with bee toxin and target it to cancer cells? Museum of Science nanotechnology correspondent Alex Fiorentino tells the story of two intrepid Washington University researchers who asked... and found out. (details).

New Research on our Ancient Primate Past (Videocast): The recent discovery of the "Ida" fossil in Germany made a big splash, but Afradapis, a new large-bodied primate discovered in Egypt, may provide more clues about our evolutionary past. A new methodology that compares over a hundred primate specimens makes it all possible. Watch this videocast to learn how ... (details).

H1N1 Virus Overwhelms Lungs (Videocast): We're all keenly aware that the H1N1 strain of the flu virus is highly contagious and deadly. New research examining hospital records in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and Canada suggests one possible cause: massive lung inflammation, which can lead the deprivation of oxygen in the blood. Watch this videocast to learn more ... (details).

The Ocean-Ice Sheet Connection (Videocast): Guest presenter Dr. Fiamma Straneo has recently returned from Greenland, where she measured water temperatures near the edge of three of Greenland's largest glaciers. Watch this videocast to find out what her team discovered about the North Atlantic's role in glacial ice melt. (details).

Exploring the Moon (Videocast): Two NASA robotic missions could provide key knowledge for a possible manned return trip to the Moon, including whether there is water beneath the lunar surface. Watch this videocast to hear from Boston University graduate student Tony Case, who worked on equipment that is on board one of these missions ... (details).

Orange Oil-based Tires Are Ready to Roll (Videocast): A conventional tire contains about 10 gallons of oil, but scientists at Yokohama Tire have created a tire that uses orange oil instead. In addition to being more Earth friendly, the tire handles better, too. Watch this videocast to find out more. (details).

Using Geophysics for Archaeology Mapping (Videocast): Dr. Meg Watters, geophysicist for Time Team America on PBS, explains how her team used non-invasive tools to map a Civil War-era archaeological site. Watch this videocast to find out what she discovered. (details).

Fast-charging Algae Batteries (Videocast): Scientists from Uppsala University in Sweden have designed a new battery that recharges extremely quickly and weighs almost nothing. The secret: common pond algae. Watch this videocast to learn more. Reference: "Ultrafast All-polymer Paper-Based Batteries," Nystrom, G., Razaq, A., Stromme, M., Nyholm, L ... (details).

New Information On Glacial Activity (Videocast): Using a laser altimeter on a NASA satellite, researchers from the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Bristol are able to better measure thinning glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica, allowing for more accurate predictions of rising sea levels. Watch this videocast to learn more. Reference: ... (details).

The Destructive Power of Black Holes (Videocast): NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory allows scientists to observe radiation from material as it falls into a black hole. New findings by guest presenter Dan Evans show how powerful the energy of black holes can be. Watch this videocast to learn why one galaxy with a black hole at its center earned the nickname, "Death Star Galaxy ... (details).

Correcting Color Blindness (Videocast): Red-green color blindness is one of the most common genetic traits in humans, and the gene mutation also affects monkeys. A new study examines whether the vision in squirrel monkeys could be improved with gene therapy. Watch this videocast to learn about the results. (details).

Tomato and Potato Blight (Videocast): From backyard gardens to commercial farms, New England tomato growers have been experiencing the fungal devastation called "late blight," caused by the same organism that initiated the deadly Irish potato famine in the 1850s. Although this year's crop has suffered, there is hope for the future: an international ... (details).

Nanomagnets Target Treatment to Injured Arteries (Videocast): Stems cells can help repair damaged arteries, but it is difficult to get them to target problem areas. Scientists at the University College London have figured out a way to use magnets to help direct the cells. Watch this videocast to learn how this method works. (details).

Appendix: Useless or Not? (Videocast): For some time, the appendix has been categorized as a useless organ. However, new research not only suggests a novel function for the appendix but also shows its evolutionary importance. Watch this videocast to find out more. Reference: "Comparative Anatomy and Phylogenetic Distribution of the Mammalian Cecal Appendix," H ... (details).

Blueberry Leaves for Liver Health (Videocast): Many health benefits are attributed to the high level of antioxidants found in blueberries, but berries are not the only part of the blueberry plant that may be beneficial to our health. Watch this videocast to learn more. Reference: Takeshita, M., Ishida, Y., Akamatsu, E., Ohmori, Y., Sudoh, M., Uto, H ... (details).

Would a Neanderthal Like Broccoli? (Videocast): Now that we understand the genomes for our closest extinct (neanderthals) and living (chimpanzee) relatives, we are again trying to come to grips with what makes us different from them. It turns out that the differences are quite small - watch this videocast to learn more. (details).

Swimming Creatures Stir Up the Ocean (Videocast): A new study of jellyfish locomotion shows that small swimming animals may have a big effect on ocean mixing and circulation. Watch this videocast to learn more. (details).

Can Eating Less Really Help Us Live Longer? (Videocast): Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have conducted a 20-year study with rhesus monkeys that compared the benefits of eating a low-calorie diet versus an equally nutritious normal diet. Watch this videocast to learn about the results. Reference: "Caloric Restriction Delays Disease Onset and Mortality in Rhesus Monkeys" Ricki J ... (details).

Possible Vaccine to Treat Breast Cancer (Videocast): Therapeutic vaccines can be used to boost the body's immune system and help it fight off existing disease. A study at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research examined types of breast cancers that have a particularly bad prognosis to see if they might be treatable with a such a vaccine. Watch this videocast to learn about the study's results ... (details).

Unlocking the Secrets of Snake Movement (Videocast): A group of mathematicians from New York University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have been exploring how snakes move across flat ground, and their findings might strike a familiar chord with those who frequent the ice skating rink. Learn more by watching this videocast featuring a special guest from the Museum's Live Animal Center ... (details).

Children's Sharing and Fairness (Videocast): In order to make friends in preschool, children have to learn how to share, but they must also balance generosity with their own self-interest. Researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education use games with children to study when children will share and what it means to be fair. In this videocast, ... (details).

Artificial Sweeteners Indicate Wastewater Contamination (Videocast): Artificial sugars, like those found in diet sodas, pass through the body and wind up in wastewater, which is difficult to track after it has been treated. Scientists have recently found that some synthetic sugars can serve as a reliable tracker of wastewater after its release into the environment. Watch this videocast to learn more ... (details).

When the Sun is Hidden, New Science is Revealed (Videocast): Scientists are looking forward to an upcoming total solar eclipse because it offers a rare opportunity to study the Sun's corona. What can we learn from this super-hot upper atmosphere? Watch this videocast to find out. (details).

Tiny fragments of Salmonella Bacteria Used to Treat Cancer (Videocast): Scientists from Australia are using tiny drug delivery packages derived from Salmonella to destroy cancer cells in mice. The packages deliver anti-cancer drugs directly to cancer cells, and have shown promising results in eliminating even drug-resistant cancers. Clinical trials are set to begin next month in Australia ... (details).

Schizophrenia and Chromosome 6 (Videocast): Schizophrenia is a devastating brain disorder that affects about 1% of the population in the United States. The exact causes are unknown, but new research approximating the genetic address of schizophrenia in DNA could lead to new therapies. Watch this videocast to learn more. (details).

New Views on Limb Regeneration (Videocast): Regeneration is a common phenomenon among plants and animals — including salamanders, who have the ability to regenerate a complete limb after an amputation injury. However, detailed explanations have been elusive, in part because differentiating the regenerating cells is difficult. Watch this videocast ... (details).

Robotic Ferrets (Videocast): Screening large shipping containers for illegal substances can be a time-consuming, dangerous process for port security officials. Researchers at the University of Sheffield are developing "cargo screening ferrets" to aid in the search. Watch this videocast to learn how these 30-cm-long robots can navigate a container packed with cargo ... (details).

Cancer in Wildlife (Videocast): Cancer is believed to be as prevalent in animals as it is in humans, and in some cases, it can even be spread through contact between animals. As cancer incidence becomes more of a conservation concern, we can learn more about treating human cancers. Watch this videocast to find out more. (details).

Plasma Roots out Bacteria (Videocast): A root canal is no fun -- it can be lengthy, painful, and there is a chance of infection that can mean more visits to the dentist. Researchers at the University of California have developed a plasma beam that they believe can be used to remove the threat of post-procedure infection. Learn more by watching this videocast ... (details).

NASA's Newest Mission to the Moon (Videocast): On June 18, NASA launched a new two-part satellite to gather information we need for future manned missions to the Moon. Watch this videocast to learn how the spacecraft studies the lunar surface. (details).

Understanding Tuberculosis Bacterium (Videocast): Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacterium that weakens our body's defenses. Bacteria can evolve to become more resistant to our immune systems, and this is believed to be true for the TB bacterium. Fortunately, scientists from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have recently made a breakthrough in understanding its genetic makeup ... (details).

Home Video in Five Dimensions (Videocast): First there was VHS, then DVD. Now, Blu-ray is the hottest trend in home video. However, scientists at the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia have invented a new optical technology that could change the face of home video yet again: data storage in five dimensions. Watch this videocast ... (details).

Glowing Monkeys (Videocast): In order to study human disease, researchers often use transgenic mice that contain genetic material from other organisms. However, mice are not always the best test subjects for studying human genetics, so researchers in Japan have figured out how to develop transgenic monkeys using green fluorescent protein (GFP) from jellyfish ... (details).

The Epidermal Jungle: Meet your Skin Flora (Videocast): A recent study by the Human Microbiome Project took a look at the skin bacteria living at various locations throughout the body. The results show a diversity of bacteria not only among locations, but also between study participants. Watch this videocast to learn more. Reference: "Topographical and Temporal ... (details).

Liquid Water on Mars (Videocast): Thanks to the Phoenix lander, we know that water exists on Mars as ice. Recently, scientists at NASA and in Spain have addressed whether liquid water could exist there, even in the harsh Martian climate. Watch this videocast to learn more about their research. Reference: "Stability against freezing ... (details).

A New Plastic Bottle Concern (Videocast): Bisphenol A might be the attention getter as far as chemicals in plastic bottles are concerned, but researchers in Germany have found that another plastic, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), may contain chemicals that mimic human estrogen. Watch this videocast to learn what type of bottles are affected ... (details).

Meet Ida, the Most Complete Primate Fossil (Videocast): Ida, or Darwinius masillae, is the most complete primate fossil ever found. She was so well preserved that we can see the outline of her fur and the contents of her stomach. Watch this videocast to understand the significance of this finding to our understanding of human evolution. (details).

Re-knitting Injured Spinal Cords (Videocast): According to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, there are over 1 million individuals in the United States living with a spinal cord injury. New research is focusing on getting damaged spinal tissue to regenerate, much in the same way our skin heals when it is cut. Watch this videocast to find out more ... (details).

Nanotechnology Makes Portable HIV Monitoring Possible (Videocast): A new device made in Marlborough, MA is using nanotechnology to bring HIV monitoring out of the hospital and into remote regions in need of treatment. The device, called the PointCare NOW machine, labels blood cells with gold nanoparticles instead of traditional fluorescent tags. As a result, it can ... (details).

Young Wildlife Belong in the Wild (Videocast): Spring is here, and so are baby animals, like birds, squirrels, deer, and turtles. Although it might be tempting to come to the aid of these seemingly vulnerable animals, it's important to keep them at a distance. Find out why in this videocast, featuring a guest from the Museum's Live Animal Center ... (details).

What Hippos Can Teach Us about Brain Development (Videocast): In an isolated island habitat that is short on resources, there is evidence that the bodies and brains of some hippo species have shrunk over time. A new study on brain development seeks to find a correlation between hippos and humans, which might explain the finding of a dwarf-size human skeleton found in Indonesia in 2004 ... (details).

Searching for Small Molecules (Videocast): Now that the human genome has been sequenced, we face the challenge of understanding how each of its proteins participates in development and disease. Researchers use small molecules to finely control a protein in order to understand its function, sometimes leading to new therapies. In this videocast, ... (details).

Alligator Immunity (Videocast): Alligators are often injured during fights, but despite living in close quarters with thousands of different bacteria, viruses, and parasites, they avoid infection remarkably well. Researchers are trying to learn more about the alligator's immune system to see if some qualities might benefit humans. ... (details).

Another Letter in the DNA Alphabet (Videocast): For many years, DNA scholars have believed that the long strand of genetic information was comprised of just four kinds of molecules. However, two groups of scientists have recently reported on a fifth molecule that could tell us how DNA instructs genetic traits. Watch this videocast for more on the impact of this finding ... (details).

Climate Change Affects Flowers at Walden Pond (Videocast): Thanks to Henry David Thoreau, there is data on the flowering time for Walden Pond plant species that dates to more than 100 years ago. Local naturalists and scientists have continued to record this data, and now researchers at Boston University and Harvard University are able to understand how plants respond to climate change ... (details).

Stem Cells Clear Corneas (Videocast): The cornea is the clear, outer layer of the eye, and it can be damaged by inflammation and disease. Repairing the cornea typically requires a corneal transplant, but University of Pittsburgh researchers have found a way to grow corneal stem cells, which showed promising results in repairing the corneas of lab mice ... (details).

Ozone: A World Avoided (Videocast): Ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were first banned over 20 years ago after a group of researchers discovered a seasonal hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. Recently, a team of atmospheric chemists at NASA used climate models to predict what would have happened if we had continued to use CFCs without regulation ... (details).

Powering Electronics with Artificial Muscle (Videocast): Scientists at the University of Texas at Dallas have developed a new kind of artificial muscle made from carbon nanotubes. The material is 30 times stronger than natural muscle, but literally light as air, meaning it could make electronic devices smaller, more efficient, and extremely light. Watch this videocast to find out how it works ... (details).

Meet Adam, the First Robot Scientist (Videocast): With four computers, several incubators, and even a plate washer, Adam is a robot built for the repetitive tasks that come with performing experiments. However, unlike its predecessors, Adam can also interpret the results it finds and then plan and execute the next step. Watch this videocast to learn more about this unusual robot ... (details).

New England Frogs Herald Spring (Videocast): Amphibian calls can be among the more prominent announcements of spring, but some species are facing an increasingly difficult struggle for survival. In this videocast, Museum Live Animal Center Curator Bunny Watson explains why, and she describes how we can help by participating in Citizen Science. ... (details).

Can We Keep CO2 Underground? (Videocast): Carbon dioxide continues to accumulate in the atmosphere primarily from human activity, such as burning coal or other fossil fuels. Since energy demands are not declining in any meaningful way, the idea of storing carbon dioxide underground is gaining favor. However, the programs that have piloted this ... (details).

Using Bacteria to Detoxify Metals (Videocast): Bacteria have long been known to metabolize metals, but scientists at Ohio State University are using an atomic force microscope to view this interaction more closely. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, this research could lead to a bacteria that detoxifies nuclear waste and other harmful metals ... (details).

Looking for Life in Meteorites (Videocast): Proteins, which are made up of amino acids, are the building blocks of life. NASA scientists have learned that the primary form of amino acids in meteorites is the same form which comprises all Earth-bound amino acids. Could this mean that life on Earth came from space? Watch this videocast to find out ... (details).

Spring Swimsuit Issue (Videocast): Nanotech correspondent Alex Fiorentino models a swimsuit that doesn't get wet. An extreme close-up animation of the action on the surface of the fabric shows how it stays dry. (details).

Anemia and Infection (Videocast): Anemia is our blood's diminished capacity to carry oxygen, and it's often linked to iron deficiency. Infection can also cause anemia, and recent research has found an iron-regulating molecule that could tell us why. Watch this videocast to find out more (details).

Alcohol Linked to Breast Cancer Risk (Videocast): Drinking a glass of red wine is often associated with certain health benefits. However, new research shows that for some diseases, such as breast cancer, the health risk does not decrease. Watch this videocast to get the facts. (details).

New Dating Technique for Asian Homo Erectus (Videocast): Dating fossil material from cave sites like Zhoukoudian, just outside of modern-day Beijing, has been difficult due in large part to their lack of volcanic material. A new technique that measures radioactive decay is making this process easier while providing a more accurate estimate of the cave's first use by Asian Homo erectus ... (details).

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