This pathway provides an overview of the four classes of biological molecules (lipids, carbohydrages, proteins and nucleotides) and how they are assembled.
By studying key processes in the carbon cycle, such as photosynthesis, composting and anaerobic digestion, students learn how nature and engineers "biorecycle" carbon. Students are exposed to examples of how microbes play many roles in various systems to recycle organic materials and also learn how the carbon cycle can be used to make or release energy.
How can you tell if harmful bacteria are in your food or water that might make you sick? What you eat or drink can be contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites and toxins—pathogens that can be harmful or even fatal. Students learn which contaminants have the greatest health risks and how they enter the food supply. While food supply contaminants can be identified from cultures grown in labs, bioengineers are creating technologies to make the detection of contaminated food quicker, easier and more effective.
This article continues an examination of each of the seven essential principles of the climate sciences on which the online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle is structured. Principle 3 states that life on Earth depends on, is shaped by, and affects climate. The climate dictates where and how species can survive. The author discusses the scientific concepts underlying the life forms' dependence on the climate and expands the discussion with diagrams, photos, and online resources.
This lesson begins with a demonstration prompting students to consider how current generates a magnetic field and the direction of the field that is generated. Through formal lecture, students learn Biot-Savart's law in order to calculate, most simply, the magnetic field produced in the center of a circular current carrying loop. For applications, students find it is necessary to integrate the field produced over all small segments in an actual current carrying wire.
This pathway introduces how DNA can be manipulated using different molecular tools and techniques. For a deeper look at this topic, we recommend the pathway Biotechnology and Genomics from the OpenStax textbook Biology for AP® Courses.
This learning video introduces high school students to a topic they would not ordinarily study in school, biotechnology, and to different applications of biotechnology that relate to the main theme of the module - making the desert greener. [21:18]
What are the factors that make up an ecosystem? Students will be able to identify the biotic and abiotic factors of an ecosystem and explain how they impact each other.
Calling all parents! Kids are full of tough-to-answer questions. Maybe you've gotten this line of inquiry: "Why do we walk the way we do? How do four-legged animals walk the way they do? How did people of the past—like Lucy—walk?" Get one step ahead (pun intended!) by watching this Museum Monday video. See demonstrations of the different ways bodies are structured to accommodate locomotion, then share this fun activity with curious minds.
Learn about bird banding in Canada. Since 1923, Canada has had a bird banding program which enables it to gather data to help manage and conserve the country's birds. Find out how birds are banded and who is responsible for this. Also, learn what you should do if you find a banded bird yourself. A list of resources completes the discussion.
Have you ever noticed the types of beaks different birds have? The most important fucntion of b ird bill is feeding, and it is shaped according to what a bird eats. The bill is one of the characteristics used to identify birds. You can learn about bird behavious by looking at the bill and thinking about what it easts. Then you may think about where it lives, and so on.
This activity is an introduction to the study of birds. Students will gain observation and classification skills.
Dr. Helen James, an ornithologist at the National Museum of Natural History, explains what prehistoric evidence can tell you about bird extinctions. [29:15]
Get the facts about feeding birds. Learn about different types of bird feeders and what to put into them. Next, find out what types of birds come to feeders and some of their characteristics. Finally, familiarize yourself with some of the problems that can arise with bird feeders, as well as learn some tips to combat them. A list of resources completes the discussion.
There are almost as many types of bird beaks as there are types of food that birds like to eat. This collection of images shows a wide range of beaks and the types of foods handled by each.
There are almost as many types of bird beaks as there are types of food that birds like to eat. This collection of images shows a wide range of beaks and the types of foods handled by each.
Students are asked to explain the characteristics of the bird in flight and how adaptations would allow the bird to fly a particular way. [0:32]
The Smithsonian National Zoological Park provides a detailed look at birds. Content includes a focus on the Zoo's bird house exhibit, as well as bird houses, flight cages, bird facts, bird information for kids, an FAQ section, a photo gallery, and more.
In episode two of Wildlife Wednesday, we meet up with Michelle Leighty, Manager of Wildlife Resources, who takes us behind the scenes of our raptor barn. Between administering medication to a Turkey Vulture and conducting a routine weight check with our Screech Owl, there’s no shortage of work when it comes to caring for the Museum’s birds.
Explore bird vision as you observe and compare the positioning of bird\'s eyes with a mask.