Product Description:
#34015 Biochemistry - Energy for Life: Respiration and Circulation (Run time 15 min.) DVD $49.95
This edition of Science Screen Report explores the synergy of two different physiological systems: the respiratory system, for acquiring and processing oxygen, and the circulatory system, for the internal transportation of oxygen and nutrients. Emphasizing the vital roles of the heart, the lungs, capillary action, and Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere, Energy for Life illustrates clear connections between concepts in anatomy and chemistry. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Science Education Standards. Produced in association with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and the Junior Engineering Technical Society. (15 minutes)
#37367 Cell Biology - Weighing the Decision: The Ethics and Science of Stem Cell Research (Run time 28 min.) DVD $49.95
On August 9, 2001, President George W. Bush announced his support for federal funding of limited embryonic stem cell research. This NewsHour program offers a revealing snapshot of that historic intersection between science and public policy. It features a panel of ethicists and researchers expressing their views on the President's decisions-including University of Chicago professor Leon Kass, who soon became chair of the President's Council on Bioethics; Dr. Dianne Krause, a stem cell researcher and Yale School of Medicine professor; Alta Charo, a University of Wisconsin professor of law and bioethics; and Richard Doerflinger, Deputy Director of Pro-Life Activities for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. (12 minutes)
#34124 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Spine: The Body's Central Highway (Run time 13 min.) DVD $49.95
This edition of Science Screen Report looks at the design and function of the spinal cord, how damage to the cord affects body movement, and medical advances used in treating spinal cord injuries. After outlining the components of the spine and central nervous system, the program portrays studies and experiments ranging from a high-tech muscle stimulation therapy to the development of nerve-regenerating computer chips that can be implanted directly in the spine. This is an effective presentation of principal concerns in neurology, and of the worldwide effort to understand paralysis and find a cure. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Science Education Standards. Produced in association with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and the Junior Engineering Technical Society. (13 minutes)
#34125 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Physiology: Muscles and Bones (Run time 14 min.) DVD $49.95
This program looks at the human body in motion, studying the interaction of the skeleton and muscles and the ways in which engineers and designers imitate these systems. Demonstrating how bones allow mobility while also providing protection, the program examines skeletal strength, calcium's importance, the internal structure of bones, and their dependence on muscles for cohesion and power. Linking architecture, machine design, computer science, and other disciplines, this Science Screen Report offers a fresh way of understanding human anatomy. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Produced in association with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and the Junior Engineering Technical Society. (14 minutes)
#34129 Human Anatomy & Physiology - How Touch Makes Sense of the World (Run time 16 min.) DVD $49.95
This Science Screen Report examines the sense of touch not only as a means of physical sensation, but also as the most basic way of communicating and interacting with one's environment. The program highlights the human body's methods for detecting and evaluating external stimuli, and outlines scientific approaches to helping people with an impaired tactile sense. Presenting human touch as a mechanism for survival and happiness, this program is an ideal component for any study of the senses in anatomy or psychology. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Science Education Standards. Produced in association with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and the Junior Engineering Technical Society. (16 minutes)
#34130 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Functions of the Face (Run time 26 min.) DVD $49.95
This Science Screen Report describes the anatomy and functions of facial features, and the evolutionary development of the human face. It explains how the mouth and nose work together to identify food, the process of chewing and swallowing, and the varying functions of the taste buds, saliva, teeth, tongue, and jaws. Combining principles in anatomy, anthropology, psychology, and zoology, the program also details how muscles in the face convey expressions and emotions, how humans and computers recognize faces and expressions, and how the aesthetics of attractiveness can be linked to facial symmetry. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Science Education Standards. Produced in association with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and the Junior Engineering Technical Society. (26 minutes)
#34289 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Optics: Bringing the World into Focus (Run time 16 min.) DVD $49.95
This edition of Science Screen Report explains the complex system of human vision and how that system can deteriorate. Outlining the basic concepts of visual perception, the program describes the functions of the lens, cornea, retina, and optic nerve, and identifies conditions that interfere with eyesight, such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. Also included are discussions of medical research and corrective procedures that have restored vision. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Science Education Standards. Produced in association with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and the Junior Engineering Technical Society. (16 minutes)
#34427 Plant & Animal Biology - The Wollemi Pine: A Tree from the Age of Dinosaurs (Run time 13 min.) DVD $49.95
This Science Screen Report studies the Wollemi Pine, its 100-million-year history, and the methods used to protect and sustain it. Describing the tree's physical characteristics, its unusual way of propagating, and the medically valuable fungi that grow on its leaves and stems, the program explains how this living organism closely resembles fossils of long-extinct species, and how seed gathering, forest management, and other procedures can help ensure the Wollemi's survival. Biology students will find valuable information on tree ring studies, DNA research, and seedling distribution in the program. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Produced in association with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and the Junior Engineering Technical Society. (14 minutes)
#35697 Plant & Animal Biology - All the Trappings: Humane Field Studies of the Naked Mole Rat (Run time 13 min.) DVD $49.95
Inviting viewers into a rarely seen underground world, this program illustrates recent developments in the study of Africa's naked mole rat and its system of subterranean colonization. With an overview of the species' eusocial behavior-which includes allegiance to a queen, drawing comparisons to many insect communities-the video describes an innovative approach to capturing the naked mole rat that enables close study, a vast improvement over previous methods which often proved fatal to colony inhabitants. The program also depicts the animal's exceptional digging abilities. (13 minutes)
#1086 General Biology - Electron Microscopy (Run time 15 min.) DVD $59.95
Electron micrographs of biological material are familiar to all biologists. This program illustrates the principles and techniques involved in the preparation and observation of biological specimens by transmission electron microscopy, techniques vastly different from placing a drop of pondwater on a slide and looking at algae. In this experiment, leaf materials containing different types of plastid are prepared for electron microscopy to provide insight into their ultrastructure, ontogeny, and interrelationships in respect to photosynthesis. Micrographs produced in the program and reproduced in the guide enable students to examine closely information on the development of chloroplasts and leucoplasts, the location of chlorophyll, and the effect of a herbicide which is a photosynthetic inhibitor; they should also be able to compare the various functions of light and electron microscopes. (15 minutes)
#1087 General Biology - An Investigation of Photosynthesis and Assimilate Transport (Run time 15 min.) DVD $59.95
The experiments in this program use a radioactive isotope of carbon (14C) to demonstrate some of the techniques for studying photosynthetic metabolism and the translocation of the newly synthesized carbohydrate from the chloroplast to the various parts of the plant where it is utilized in growth and respiration. There are two main experiments in the program, both using the pea plant. The first is an investigation of photosynthetic metabolism in which each of three leaves is supplied with 14CO2 for one minute but left in the presence of light for varying amounts of time. Using 14C-labelled reference sugars, the principal photosynthetic products are identified chromatographically. The second experiment is an investigation of the pattern of distribution of 14C-labelled assimilate within the plant. (15 minutes)
#1088 General Biology - The Isolation and Metabolism of Mitochondria (Run time 15 min.) DVD $59.95
The first part of the program demonstrates the isolation of mitochondria in a sample of minced homogenized liver from a freshly-killed rat. The experiment demonstrates the crucial conditions of homogenization and the subjection of the homogenate to several stages of increasing centrifugation; the result is the separation of successively lighter organelles and debris. The second part of the experiment is devoted to measuring the uptake of oxygen. The reaction vessel contains a reaction medium, mitochondria, a substrate such as succinic acid, and ADP. All air above the medium is excluded by means of a perspex stopper. As the oxygen in the solution is consumed by the reactions in the mitochondria, the fall in the oxygen concentration is recorded on the chart-recorder. As other substances are introduced via a small hole in the perspex stopper, their effects on the reactions are recorded. (15 minutes)
#1089 General Biology - An Investigation of Active Transport (Run time 15 min.) DVD $59.95
A great deal of research is being carried out on the mechanism of the "sodium pump" which maintains the differences across cell membranes of a relatively high concentration of potassium ions and a very low concentration of sodium ions inside the cell and the reverse in the fluid bathing the cells. Frog skin is an example of a tissue which has such pumps on only one side of the cells. The experiments in this program demonstrate the uptake of radioactive sodium (24Na) through the skin of a frog's hindlegs, right side out and everted; a counter determines the amount of sodium taken up. The second experiment measures the electrical potential across the skin. The third experiment shows the effect of inhibiting the sodium transport on the transepithelial potential. The drug ouabain, which is a specific inhibitor of the enzyme Na+ + K+-ATPase (which constitutes the sodium pump) is added to both the outside and the inside of the skin and readings of the potential are taken. The fourth experiment illustrates the effect of a hormone produced in the frog's pituitary gland. (15 minutes)
#1090 General Biology - The Isolation and Growth of Bacteria (Run time 15 min.) DVD $59.95
This experiment shows the isolation of Escherichia coli and subsequent growth of the bacterium in pure culture. Both to protect those in contact with the bacterium from infection and to prevent contamination by unwanted microorganisms, great care must be taken to use sterile equipment and materials, employ strictly aseptic techniques, and sterilize all materials contaminated with microorganisms before disposal. MacConkey's agar and the streak plate method are used to develop a pure colony of E. coli. Experiments demonstrate methods of estimating population size. Inocula from a pure liquid culture of E. coli are introduced into three fermenter growth vessels, each containing a different carbon and energy source. Samples are removed periodically from each vessel to determine population size; the results can be used to explain the control mechanisms operating inside the bacterium. (15 minutes)
#1091 General Biology - The Nature of the Nerve Impulse (Run time 15 min.) DVD $59.95
What makes a locust jump when a shadow-say, of a hand-passes over it? One of the most thoroughly studied of all insect neurones is the descending contralateral movement detector (DCMD) of the locust. The DCMD runs from the "brain" to the metathoracic ganglion, and responds to movement in the visual field. These experiments use a female locust with legs and wings removed which is secured by the dorsal surface of the thorax to the shaft of the electrodes by means of beeswax. The locust's field of vision is restricted, visual stimulus provided by passing a circular spot on a strip of white paper in front of the locust's eye, and the locust's response measured. The experiments show the effect of different speeds of movement of a spot across the locust's visual field. The resulting data provides a useful index of the behavior of locusts as demonstrated in the capacity to respond to different sizes of spots and different speeds. (15 minutes)
#1092 General Biology - The Physiology of Exercise (Run time 15 min.) DVD $59.95
Skeletal muscle exercise expends the stored energy of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) derived initially from the oxidation of glucose. Since most regeneration of ATP for prolonged activity is achieved directly from the oxidation of glucose brought to the muscle in the bloodstream, muscular exercise necessitates a sufficient flow of blood to the active muscles and adequate ventilation of the lungs. The experiments in this program measure the increases in heart rate, systolic pressure, respiratory rate, and tidal volume at different levels of exercise. The changes in heart and lung activity demonstrate how the exerciser copes with increasing levels of exercise. (15 minutes)
#1093 General Biology - Inheritance in a Fungus (Run time 15 min.) DVD $59.95
This program illustrates the experimental techniques involved in the genetic analysis of an ascospore color mutant in Sordaria. Two self-sterile but interbreeding strains are used. Mutations are induced by ultraviolet irradiation which result in the inability to form the black melanin pigment normally present in the ascospore. The colors of the ascospores can be seen through the transparent wall of the ascus before discharge; the linear arrangement of the ascospores makes it possible to identify the products of the first and second divisions of meiosis and the subsequent mitosis. By mating normal with mutant strains, various combinations of yellow and black appear-but always four yellow and four black. In working out the patterns for locating the single mutant gene, students will be utilizing some of the fundamental laws of all genetics. (15 minutes)
#1094 General Biology - The Dogwhelk: A Study in Adaptation (Run time 15 min.) DVD $59.95
We might expect shores that are exposed to considerable wave action to harbor marine life of a type different from that of a more sheltered shore. Using Nucella lapillus, a species of dogwhelk, these experiments compare substantial samples of dogwhelks taken from both locations. The two groups are compared for shell height and shape, body form, wet tissue weight, shell volume, and the amount of force required to remove it when attached. The dogwhelks are eaten by various predators, and a further experiment is carried out with the most important of these, certain littoral crabs. These crabs are present in far greater quantity at the sheltered than at the wave-swept site; the severity of the wave action and the lack of suitable refuge sites are probably responsible. In the experiment, the crabs are offered a choice of dogwhelks in different size ranges and with thin or thick shell lips. Some are eaten and others rejected. From what they have observed, students will be able to make deductions about the relationships between location and shell shape and size. (15 minutes)
#1095 General Biology - The Primary Production of Heather (Run time 15 min.) DVD $59.95
Energy flow and nutrient recycling are two important areas of ecological investigation. The purpose of these experiments is to assess the growth rate and net primary production of heather, Calluna vulgaris L., as a basis for estimating energy flow and nutrient uptake. The experiments take various measurements of specimens from different locations (though within the same area), at different phases of the plant's life cycle and subject to such differences as grazing and rotational burning. The measurements demonstrate the relationship between mean standing-crop biomass and age, the average annual increment in above ground standing-crop biomass, the effect of the formation of a closed canopy on the production of green material, and the efficiency of energy fixation by heather during the growing season. (15 minutes)
#34212 Genetics & Biotechnology - Life and Times: The Biology of Aging (Run time 14 min.) DVD $59.95
This Science Screen Report explores the genetics of aging and the different ways in which biologists study longevity. Citing various experiments with test subjects ranging from fruit flies to elderly humans, the program focuses on genetic structure and how it affects the life span of organisms. Highlighting two important scientific discoveries-the telomere, a genetic sequence determining how many times a cell can divide, and telomerase, an enzyme that extends that number-the program also suggests that the effects of aging may one day be reduced, if not eliminated. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Produced in association with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and the Junior Engineering Technical Society. (14 minutes)
#6896 Plant & Animal Biology - Life Cycles (Run time min.) DVD $59.95
The life cycles of plants, animals, and humans are studied close-up in this outstanding biology program. Narrated film action scenes show plant and animal reproduction, then show the budding of leaves, and the emergence of baby chicks from their shell. The growth stage depicts a caterpillar's metamorphosis into a butterfly, and a tadpole's emergence as a frog. Mature penguins, sheep, ducks, and baboons forage for food, while plants drink in sunlight and humans find their food at the supermarket! Decomposing fruit and bread are used as examples of how the final life cycle, death, produces new life-in these cases, bacteria and mold. (21 minutes)
#34204 Plant & Animal Biology - Watery Creatures: Life in the Sea (Run time 23 min.) DVD $59.95
This Science Screen Report examines different ways marine species confront their environments using elaborate, specialized survival adaptations. Parallels between hunting techniques and defensive methods are described by contrasting aquatic predators with more vulnerable creatures, which rely on camouflage and sophisticated mobility. The program emphasizes that the oceans are not only the cradle of life-they are also one-third of the planet's surface, and in a very real sense an unexplored frontier. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Science Education Standards. Produced in association with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and the Junior Engineering Technical Society. (23 minutes)
#34214 Plant & Animal Biology - The Life of Seeds: Agricultural Science (Run time 13 min.) DVD $59.95
This edition of Science Screen Report focuses on the importance of seeds and scientific efforts to protect the global seed supply. Describing activities at the USDA's National Seed Storage Laboratory, where zero-degree and cryogenic technology has been implemented to maintain one of the world's largest seed archives, the program also details genetic engineering operations that have enabled scientists to copy or enhance wheat and other agricultural plants without the use of seeds. This is an excellent illustration of areas in which agriculture and technology have merged. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Produced in association with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and the Junior Engineering Technical Society. (13 minutes)
#37158 The Brain - The Allen Brain Atlas: A Quantum Leap in Neurological Research (Run time 12 min.) DVD $59.95
With a 90 percent match between the mouse and human genomes, mice are helping researchers to better understand the human brain. In this NewsHour program, Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen-founder of the Allen Institute for Brain Science-and the Institute's chief scientific officer talk about the Allen Brain Atlas, an interactive 3-D map of gene expression in the mouse brain. Together with scientist Dave Anderson of Caltech, they discuss the concepts behind the Atlas and its creation. Susan Swedo, of the National Institute of Mental Health, adds, "It is exactly like having a Google for the mouse brain now." Research into autism with the help of this revolutionary gene map is already yielding valuable insights. (12 minutes)
#8229 Cell Biology - Cells: An Introduction (Run time 25 min.) DVD $69.95
In this virtual journey through the cell, viewers become familiar with cells and their properties. The program describes and shows examples of cells of many shapes and sizes, and explores the structure and functions of different types of cells. Eukaryotes and prokaryotes are defined, and plant and animal cells are compared. Emphasizing cells as the basic building blocks of all organisms, another segment describes the organization of cells and the formation of tissues, organs, and systems. The program concludes with an overview of the organelles and their functions. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. A Cambridge Educational Production. (20 minutes)
#8230 Cell Biology - Cell Functions: A Closer Look (Run time 20 min.) DVD $69.95
This program examines three main activities of the cell: energy storage and release, protein synthesis, and cell reproduction. Students take a closer look at important organelles such as mitochondria and chloroplasts, and the roles they play in cell metabolism. Also examined are proteins, amino acids, ribosomes, DNA, RNA, genes, chromosomes, transcription, and translation. Mitosis is clearly defined and illustrated. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. A Cambridge Educational Production. (20 minutes)
#8181 General Biology - The Nature of Biology: An Introduction (Run time 33 min.) DVD $69.95
Why study biology? What's it all about? Why does it matter? This is the video that helps answer these common questions about biology. Images from the natural world reinforce the sense of wonder and excitement involved in studying life science. Interviews with science professionals help viewers appreciate the impact and value of biology in society. The program is organized around the general themes of biology: Diversity of Life, Heredity, Cells, Interdependence of Life, Flow of Matter and Energy, and Evolution of Life. Through exploring these themes, students gain an understanding of the principles and values of life science. An upbeat introduction to the study of the living environment. A great way to begin a class in the life sciences! A Cambridge Educational Production. One 30-minute video.
#3993 Genetics & Biotechnology - Extraction of DNA from Cells (Run time 15 min.) DVD $69.95
This program shows the process of DNA extraction: grinding liver tissue using liquid nitrogen to prevent degradation of cellular contents, adding a lysis buffer, rupturing the cell membrane to liberate cellular contents, and separating the DNA from other cellular components such as protein. After several further steps, the DNA is lifted out, dissolved in a small volume of distilled water, and the concentration of DNA in this solution is estimated by means of a spectrophotometer. The program also shows how restriction enzymes are used to cut the DNA into shorter pieces. (15 minutes)
#3994 Genetics & Biotechnology - Gel Electrophoresis (Run time 14 min.) DVD $69.95
This program follows the procedures for placing DNA in a well at one end of an electrophoresis gel: heating the gel and containing it when molten, leaving it to set, loading the digested DNA samples together with loading buffer, and switching on the power. At this point, electrophoresis begins. While it is taking place, the movement of DNA can be monitored. The program explains the function of ethidium bromide and the process of intercalation. Finally, when the transilluminator is turned on, the DNA samples can be seen glowing strongly. (14 minutes)
#3995 Genetics & Biotechnology - Southern Blotting (Run time 13 min.) DVD $69.95
To enable us to look at specific genes, the DNA is transferred from the gel onto a membrane made of nitrocellulose or nylon. This process is known as southern blotting. The principle is very simple: the capillary action of liquid passing through the gel and the membrane is used to transfer the fragments of DNA; the DNA cannot pass through this membrane and is immobilized on it. In this program, this is the process we observe being carried out. (13 minutes)
#3996 Genetics & Biotechnology - Hybridization (Run time 15 min.) DVD $69.95
In order for a gene to be visible, it must be probed with a length of nucleic acid with the same sequence. These probes are labeled with radioactivity. This program follows the procedures as well as the necessary safety precautions until at the end an autoradiograph is obtained. The dark bands indicate where the labeled DNA probe has bound to the DNA of the same sequence on the filer. This provides the final result. It is from this apparently simple pattern of bands that the information we need is to be found-the source of the exciting developments in biotechnology. (15 minutes)
#10873 Genetics & Biotechnology - High-Tech Foods: Is Genetically Engineered Food Safe? (Run time 13 min.) DVD $69.95
Fast-tracked by the FDA, GMOs-genetically modified organisms-have already deeply penetrated America's food supply. Are they safe? In this program, NewsHour correspondent Paul Solman looks at both sides of the GMO controversy. Agricultural law professor Neil Hamilton, a nutrition consultant, and an independent corn farmer counsel a conservative approach, while economist Dermot Hayes, of Iowa State University, reacts to the unfairness of anti-GMO rhetoric, in which the plants are, in effect, considered guilty until proved innocent. Do the potential benefits of GMOs outweigh the possible risks? (13 minutes)
#29088 Genetics & Biotechnology - Sequencing Life (Run time 16 min.) DVD $69.95
Both a public consortium of researchers and a private U.S. company successfully decoded the human genetic blueprint. In this program, Doctors Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, and J. Craig Venter, CEO of Celera Genomics, discuss the completion of the mapping of the human genome and what that achievement means for the future of medicine. Initial discoveries indicate that the structure of human DNA is simpler but its functions far more complex than previously imagined. (16 minutes)
#6127 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Blood Is Life (Run time 45 min.) DVD $69.95
Every second 2.5 million red blood corpuscles are formed in our bodies; in their 120-day life expectancy each will cover about 250 miles in our blood vessels. In the course of a human's life, 200,000 tons of blood are pumped through the body, supplying each individual cell with its necessities, removing waste products, and playing a critical defensive role in warding off foreign cells. That we can survive tropical heat and arctic cold with a relatively constant working temperature is only possible because of our blood. This program provides a thorough introduction to our blood. (45 minutes)
#8593 Plant & Animal Biology - Chimp Talk (Run time 14 min.) DVD $69.95
In this program, Paul Hoffman, editor of Discover magazine, explores the controversial issue of language use by apes with primatologist Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh and Dr. Laura Ann Petitto. The results of Savage-Rumbaugh's 20-year study with chimpanzees reveal that they can use language with the astounding accuracy of a two-year-old human, which includes a rudimentary syntactical ability. However, Petitto's research indicates that humans have a cognitive predisposition for language lacking in chimps, which leads to the conclusion that although apes communicate by associating symbols with objects and actions, they do not have language abilities in the way that humans do. If the scientific community should eventually accept language use by apes, will the last scientific distinction between humans and animals be lost? (14 minutes)
#11170 Plant & Animal Biology - Monera, Protista, and Fungi (Run time 27 min.) DVD $69.95
Underpinning the plant and animal kingdoms is a group of organisms so basic-and alien-as to require three separate kingdoms of its own. This program explores the realms of Monera, Protista, and Fungi, spotlighting representative classes and species along the way. Topics covered include structure, habitat, means of obtaining energy and nutrients, reproduction, movement, behavior, life cycle, and relationships with other organisms. A Cambridge Educational Production. (27 minutes)
#11171 Plant & Animal Biology - Animalia and Plantae (Run time 28 min.) DVD $69.95
From the sponge to the giraffe, from mosses to redwoods, this program examines the similarities and differences between the denizens of the animal and plant kingdoms. Distinctive characteristics of plants and animals, including physical structure, methods of reproduction, and life cycle, as well as where they find their food and how they interact with other organisms are discussed. Vivid images underscore the diversity of the phyla, classes, and species within these two kingdoms. A Cambridge Educational Production. (28 minutes)
#10889 Genetics & Biotechnology - Overview of Biotechnology (Run time 19 min.) DVD $79.95
Some of the hottest challenges facing the 21st century are being worked on right now by biotechnologists. This introductory-level program investigates the dynamic field of biotechnology and examines how it relates to a cross-section of different disciplines such as medicine, healthcare, ergonomics, and communications. In addition, employees from the biotechnology sector offer their insights on the work that they do and on the industry as a whole. A Meridian Production. (15 minutes)
#8163 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Circulatory System: The Plasma Pipeline (Run time 25 min.) DVD $79.95
This program covers the circulatory system's important functions. Topics include the structure and movements of the heart, the role of blood, and maintaining a healthy circulatory system. A viewable/printable teacher's guide is available at www.cambridgeeducational.com. A Cambridge Educational Production. The DVD version has on-demand English subtitles and can be viewed using a DVD player or computer DVD-ROM drive. One 27-minute video and teacher's guide. (c) 1998.
#8164 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Digestive System: Your Personal Power Plant (Run time 34 min.) DVD $79.95
This program examines the processes by which the digestive system acts as a power plant for the body by turning food into energy. Topics discussed include the process of energy conversion; the structure and function of the organs of the digestive system; the role of enzymes; and maintaining a healthy digestive system. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. A Cambridge Educational Production. (34 minutes)
#8165 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Brain and Nervous System: Your Information Superhighway (Run time 31 min.) DVD $79.95
This program explores the brain and nervous system, using the analogy of computers and the Internet. Topics discussed include electrical impulses and how nerve messages travel; parts of the brain and their functions; how the brain and spinal cord are protected; the senses; and diseases, drugs, and their effects on the brain and nervous system. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. A Cambridge Educational Production. (31 minutes)
#8166 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Skeletal System: The Infrastructure (Run time 25 min.) DVD $79.95
This program explores the skeletal system, with an emphasis on its importance in providing structure and support for the body. Topics include how the skeletal and muscular systems work together to enable movement; the relationship between joints and bones; connective tissue; functions of the skeletal system, including support, protection, movement, storage, and blood cell production; and types of bones and joints. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. A Cambridge Educational Production. (27 minutes)
#8167 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Muscular System at Work: The Inner Athlete (Run time 24 min.) DVD $79.95
This program looks at the many roles played by muscle and skin in our everyday lives. Topics include muscles and movement; cardiac, smooth, and skeletal muscle; detailed structure of a skeletal muscle; types of muscle contraction and movement; muscles and posture; homeostasis; and the important roles played by skin, hair, nails, and glands. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. A Cambridge Educational Production. (24 minutes)
#8168 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Respiratory System: Intake and Exhaust (Run time 25 min.) DVD $79.95
Using the analogy of an automobile's system of fuel intake and exhaust, this program explores the makeup and functions of the respiratory system. Topics include the processes of respiration; the organs involved in respiration; why cells need oxygen; structure and functions of the lungs; relationship between the brain and the respiratory system; and a detailed look at what's behind the "simple" act of breathing. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. A Cambridge Educational Production. (19 minutes)
#29561 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Your Immune System (Run time 28 min.) DVD $79.95
Every day is a new battle for the human body as microscopic intruders try to muscle their way in. What specialized cells and organs are there to resist them? This program clearly and concisely maps out the complicated human immune system, explaining both how it keeps the body healthy and what happens to the body if it malfunctions-or, even worse, if it shuts down completely. Beginning with the body's nonspecific defenses, composed of the skin, tears, mucus, saliva, and stomach acid, the program then digs into the details of the specific defenses: the lymphatic system, the thymus gland, the spleen, and bone marrow. Three distinct types of white blood cells are classified, and the complexities of the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses are carefully sorted out. The program also describes a number of problems with the human immune system, running the gamut from allergies to AIDS. Vaccines and antibiotics are also discussed, as is the growing danger of bacterial resistance to current medicines. The effects of major histocompatibility complexes on transplanted organs are considered as well. Previously sold individually. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. A Cambridge Educational Production. (28 minutes)
#10830 Cell Biology - Voyage Inside the Cell (Run time 15 min.) DVD $89.95
Within each human cell lies a world of complexity, populated by an amazing array of messenger molecules, miniature structures, and biochemical micro-machines. Composed entirely of 3-D computer animation, this spectacular program follows a hormone on its journey through inner space, where it penetrates a cell's membrane, reaches the nucleus, and induces mitosis. Cell components such as proteins, enzymes, the endoplasmic reticulum, and cytoplasm are all identified, while a memorable depiction of cell division deftly captures the awesome yet alien nature of cellular reproduction. (15 minutes)
#2501 Gender & Reproduction - Reproduction and Gender (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
The simplest definition of life is the capability to reproduce; but since crystals grow and multiply, this definition is insufficient. This program explains the differences between multiplication and reproduction, and traces the development of reproductive mechanisms from the unicellular being which splits in two to the evolutionary mechanisms which result in genetic change and which led to the development of more complicated life forms. Beginning with reproduction in amoebae, paramecia, various algae, and hydra, the program shows the advantages of the fertilizable egg, and demonstrates how variously in various species the message is sent from egg-bearer to sperm-bearer that the time is ripe for fertilization; also how the eggs are cared for, and the hatchlings. (28 minutes)
#2502 Gender & Reproduction - Reproduction and Diversity (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
Sexual reproduction never produces the same result twice but rather ensures variation in the offspring of a species. This program follows the care and development of the egg-the relationship of the number laid, fertilized, and hatched to the survival rate; the manner in which the egg is fertilized, which is similar in very primitive animals and in man; fertilization and cell division, and development through several weeks of the fetus in man. The program covers the relationship between hybridization and sexuality and between sexuality and the continuity of a species, stressing that sex is the factor responsible for the extraordinary diversity among the members of a species. (25 minutes)
#2503 Gender & Reproduction - The Chemistry of Fertilization (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
Sexual reproduction is not necessarily, or even most frequently, the result of a meeting between two individuals, but rather a chemical attraction between ovule and spermatozoon. Among many animals and all plants, fertilization takes place without awareness-the meeting of cells, not of individuals, is at the heart of sexual reproduction. The program covers fertilization among plants-accomplished by the wind or by insects, birds, or snails; explains the chemistry of reproduction in starfish; and shows how choice of sexual partner among animals ranging from the battle between contending male deer to the decapitation of her mate by the praying mantis is related to chemical messages from egg and sperm. (28 minutes)
#2504 Gender & Reproduction - One Plus One Equals One (Run time 22 min.) DVD $89.95
Sometimes as individuals and sometimes in swarms that may run to millions; sometimes the male moves in relation to the female organ and sometimes she in relation to his; sometimes on the ground, at other times underwater or in mid-air... The goal of sexual reproduction is always to unite two unique sets of genes to create one single, different being. This program shows the next step up in sexual coupling-the myriad ways in which animals from dragonfly to common toad find the appropriate environment, and male and female the appropriate sexual organs of one another, mate, and how each act of sexual reproduction leads to further diversity of the species. (22 minutes)
#2505 Gender & Reproduction - Behavioral and Biological Differences (Run time 26 min.) DVD $89.95
Behavioral and social differences between the sexes in humans may be cultural, but some at least are clearly linked to biology. Using as an example an African village where the roles of sexes are strictly defined, this program shows that, in humans, some divisions are arbitrary, whereas in animals, all are sex-linked biologically. Dress (or coloration), work, eating, size, physical abilities-all, in different ways for different species, are linked to the reproductive needs of the animal in its environment. (26 minutes)
#2506 Gender & Reproduction - Recognizing Gender Differences (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
According to species, the sexes are recognizable to one another by shape, size, behavior, sound, odor. The program covers a range of animal behaviors, from gift-giving to aggression to what in humans would be called caressing-what should we call it in snails? It covers such exceptional situations as the sexual organization of the termitary and the evolutionary change in the oryx which prevents the female's being gored to death during copulation by the male's long horns, as well as the sexual behavior of those fish and crustaceans which undergo a sex change, hermaphroditism, gynandromorphism, and the loss of the sex-determining gene in cell division. (23 minutes)
#2507 Gender & Reproduction - Mating Signals (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
Vibrations and songs, emissions of light, chemical signals and sexual odors-each species has its own method of signalling the other sex that the time is ripe for procreation. Depending on the social behavior of a species, males and females may have an easy or a tough time meeting one another; all are endowed with the communications capability to signal sexual readiness, whether with mating songs or lightning flashes, dances or the ceremony of gift offerings, chemical messages or sexual odors that emanate from glands which may be located almost anywhere in the body. (23 minutes)
#2508 Gender & Reproduction - The Rituals of Courtship (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
To ogle or preen, to dance, to feel, to ask to dinner or flaunt one's power literally or symbolically, to cloak one's intentions or air them freely-man has no monopoly on this catalogue of seductive behavior. From what appears like the tender, considerate mating behavior of the snake to the grooming habits of mammals in captivity, this program looks at the strange (to humans) sexual practices of some species, the greater beauty (to humans) of the male bird and the male's song, of the role of play among anthropoids in teaching sexual behavior-and notes that, however prolonged the act of courtship, the act of copulation is short indeed, and that, novel as humans may consider their techniques to be, they have all been tried before lower down in the animal kingdom. (25 minutes)
#2510 Gender & Reproduction - The Regulation of Social Organization (Run time 27 min.) DVD $89.95
This program looks at social organization in the animal kingdom and at the stark contrast between the fierceness that often precedes copulation and the gentleness accorded the resulting young. The social life of animals is strictly regulated-very different between species but almost invariably identical within a species. The program covers the strict regulation that controls the social groupings of elephants and the performance of such tasks as defense, food gathering, and the education of the young; the social and sexual habits of hippos and yaks; polygamy and monogamy among birds; and the social lives of certain insects where each insect works for the benefit of the colony and benefits from the work of the colony. (27 minutes)
#2511 Gender & Reproduction - Reproduction and the Environment (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
Though the act of sex and the process of fertilization are but moments in a lifetime, all of the other factors that determine and regulate life appear to improve the likelihood of successful reproduction. Species adapt or disappear, and variations in sexual reproduction are but one-albeit a fundamental one-of the many physiological and behavioral phenomena that determine the life of plants and animals. Thus the natural history of sex cannot be examined apart from all of the elements necessary to support the life of a species-food, climate, other species sharing the same environment, relationships with other members of the same society. (19 minutes)
#2512 Gender & Reproduction - From the First Egg Forth (Run time 26 min.) DVD $89.95
Diversity is derived from sexuality, and sexuality from the metaphorical first egg. As ontogeny recapitulates philogeny, as the length of apprenticeship of the young reflects the complexity of survival skills needed by a species, as the same behavioral traits and physiological characteristics lead to both aggression and copulation, so the entirety of life appears designed to culminate in the production of new and unique beings. (26 minutes)
#7471 Gender & Reproduction - Sex and the Healthy Gene Pool (Run time 52 min.) DVD $89.95
This program places sex securely within the confines of science. Sexual attraction is discussed as a mechanism for preserving the strongest gene pools. Extraordinary film clips showing the mating rituals of over 40 species illustrate how various behaviors encourage the choice of healthy, vigorous mates who will produce the most resilient offspring. Original BBC broadcast title: Making Sex Pay. (52 minutes)
#5105 Genetics & Biotechnology - The Colors Between Black and White (Run time 14 min.) DVD $89.95
Dutch biologist Ninian Hubert van Blijenburgh is working on differences in appearance between people. A survey of public opinion on the subject of human diversity shows that our ideas about this subject are hopelessly out of date. Most people only distinguish between black, yellow, and white skins-an idea that dates back to the 19th century when scientists were categorizing people by race, with the white race invariably at the top of the hierarchy. There are six billion people on Earth, no two of them identical. This program proposes to end racial stereotyping once and for all. (14 minutes)
#5509 Genetics & Biotechnology - Genetics (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
The discovery of how genes are organized, how they reproduce, and how they affect the next generation of cells revolutionized the way we understand life. This program unravels the deoxyribonucleic acid molecule DNA, the helical two-stranded chain, and shows some of the results of genetic engineering. The program also raises some of the medical and ethical questions inherent in this new science. (23 minutes)
#5563 Genetics & Biotechnology - Biotechnology (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
This program describes three practical applications of DNA technology: the use of gene transfer to improve plant species, the use of molecular probes to quickly identify disease-causing organisms, and the development of antigen vaccines. The program makes very effective use of live video action, animation, and narration to explain and summarize these practical applications in the fast-moving field of genetic engineering. (23 minutes)
#7929 Genetics & Biotechnology - Genetic Engineering: The Double-Edged Sword (Run time 29 min.) DVD $89.95
Recent developments in genetic engineering include the ability to isolate genes responsible for inherited illnesses, the quest to find and cure such diseases, and the practice of genetic counseling to inform people about health risks. However, the dark side to this new medical technology includes the possibility that genetic engineering gone wild may result in the indiscriminate aborting of embryos which are "not quite perfect," and the eventual cloning of a super-race. Armed with genetic information, insurance companies could refuse to cover certain at-risk individuals. This program examines these issues, and reveals who draws the line between positive research and harmful medical manipulation. (29 minutes)
#10907 Genetics & Biotechnology - Why Not Clone a Human? Ethical Challenges of Biotechnology (Run time 44 min.) DVD $89.95
One day very soon, ordinary people could have the ability to choose their children's genes and perhaps even grow themselves completely new body parts. In this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel and correspondent Robert Krulwich examine the breakthrough science behind cloning and delve into the ethical dilemmas surrounding advances in genetic science. Interviews with Harvard's Stephen Jay Gould, Princeton University's Lee Silver, and others raise questions on topics including the sanctity of personal identity, the widespread implications of prenatal testing, and the impact of genetic engineering on parent/child bonding. (44 minutes)
#11206 Genetics & Biotechnology - Genetically Modified Crops: Hope vs. Hype (Run time 22 min.) DVD $89.95
This ABC News program begins with an overview of the controversial new type of crop hybridization known as genetic modification, exploring why the technology has panicked European consumers and has left many American farmers with mixed feelings. Then, correspondent John Donvan moderates a vigorous discussion between Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman; Val Giddings, Vice President of Food and Agriculture at the Biotechnology Industry Organization; and vociferous anti-biotechnology activist Jeremy Rifkin, who debate the value of government and industry testing and the need for package labeling. (22 minutes)
#30037 Genetics & Biotechnology - All About Us: The Human Genome (Run time 40 min.) DVD $89.95
Genetically speaking, only half a percent's difference separates any two human beings in the world, less of a difference than that between any two chimpanzees or gorillas. In this program, Robert Krulwich, the engaging science correspondent for ABC News, joins Eric Lander, professor at MIT's Whitehead Institute, to provide a concise look at the results of the Human Genome Project, a fascinating roundup of discoveries that truly puts the human race in perspective. Using outstanding graphics, Krulwich and Lander discuss the genetic record of the race carried by every person and how many of these genes are dormant-or not even inherently human. William Haseltine, CEO of Human Genome Sciences, and Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, are also interviewed. (39 minutes)
#33281 Genetics & Biotechnology - Cloning the First Human: Do the Risks Outweigh the Rewards? (Run time 51 min.) DVD $89.95
Successful animal clones such as Dolly are the exception, not the norm. Most die of catastrophic organ failure, bizarre new illnesses that do not occur in nature, or other causes-if they are fortunate enough to reach birth at all. This program examines evidence suggesting that the very process of cloning causes subtle errors in the way genes function, leading Roslin Institute's Ian Wilmut and others to believe human clones would fare no better. But childless couples see human cloning as an answer to a prayer...and Drs. Panayiotis Zavos and Severino Antinori, confident of success, are ready to try it. Original BBCW broadcast title: Cloning the First Human. (50 minutes)
#36223 Genetics & Biotechnology - Peas in a Pod (Run time 29 min.) DVD $89.95
Mapping the human genome is one achievement in a long line of scientific milestones. This intro-level program explores discoveries in the 18th and 19th centuries that gave birth to the science of genetics. Focusing on the work of Carl Linnaeus, Gregor Mendel, and Josef Kolreuter, the program shows how the basic laws of inheritance were established, highlighting the importance of Linnaean taxonomy and Mendel's revolutionary notion that there is a double set of genetic instructions. Detailed discussions of the four-letter genetic code, the concepts of phenotype and genotype, and Mendel's life and working methods are featured, along with an overview of the impact of genetic engineering. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. (30 minutes)
#36225 Genetics & Biotechnology - The DNA Obsession (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
One of the most important stories in genetics is the race to understand DNA. This intro-level program guides viewers through that story, focusing on the biological and chemical processes central to the transfer of genetic material. Beginning in the middle of the 19th century, the program describes how competing scientists in Europe and America zeroed in on the DNA molecule and determined its structure. Friedrich Miescher's identification of "nuclein," Frederick Griffith's pneumococcus studies, Joshua Lederberg's analysis of bacteria reproduction, and James Watson and Francis Crick's double-helix configuration highlight the obsession, rivalry, and collaboration that drive scientific discovery. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. (30 minutes)
#36226 Genetics & Biotechnology - The Gene Machine (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
Expanding on the subject of DNA, this intro-level program explores the central processes that govern the continuation of all life. Beginning with a discussion of Watson and Crick's pivotal 1953 paper describing the structure of DNA and its possible role in heredity, the program describes Crick's collaboration with Sydney Brenner in solving the DNA-to-protein puzzle and the role of RNA in protein synthesis. Mutagenic agents, restriction enzymes and plasmids, and the use of bacteria as model systems for genetic engineering are explored. The film also highlights the emergence of controversy resulting from genetic experimentation with higher organisms. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. (30 minutes)
#36227 Genetics & Biotechnology - The Seeds of a New Era (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
Shedding light on today's biotech revolution, this intro-level program examines the controversies surrounding genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, specifically in agriculture. The program explains the process of modification using crown gall disease and Agrobacterium tumefaciens as models to demonstrate how genetic engineering works in plants. Marker genes, DNA constructs, promoters, ligase, restriction enzymes, and the real-world agricultural applications of transgenic plants are analyzed. The film clearly shows that, regarding the long-term use of GMOs and their products, farms are both working laboratories and ethical battlegrounds. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. (30 minutes)
#821 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Introduction to the Body: Landscapes and Interiors (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
An introduction to human biology-the subject of that most fascinating human study, ourselves. The program shows a wide range of human activities, and how the body enables us to live in diverse climates and perform diverse activities. Extraordinary close-up filming over the body's exterior and in its interior causes surface differences to fade away and enables viewers to see the immensely complex and interactive systems that constitute the living body. (26 minutes)
#822 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Senses: Skin Deep (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This, the first of two programs on the senses, looks at those sense receptors that depend on contact with the immediate world: taste buds, touch sensors, and olfactory cells. These receptors also sense heat, pain, and pressure. The complex world just beneath the skin is re-created with realistic models, showing events like the pulling of a hair seen from the viewpoint of the root. (26 minutes)
#823 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Eyes and Ears (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program is devoted to the senses that bring information of more distant events. The camera shows a reckless driver careening down a road-and then takes the viewer inside his eye, where the image of the potential crash site is pictured. The camera enters the ear, showing how the linked bones vibrate in response to a sound, and by using a computer graphic sequence, shows how the eye focuses on an image. (26 minutes)
#824 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Sleep: Dream Voyage (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
What happens to the body during sleep? This program explores the mystery of REM sleep, shows a computer display of the waves that sweep across the brain during sleep, and presents extraordinary footage of a cat "acting out" its dreams. The analogy of sleep to a ship on automatic pilot graphically illustrates how some functions must and do continue while the conscious brain is asleep. (26 minutes)
#825 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Cell Duplication: Growth and Change (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program uses the fascinating setting of a circus to provide the analogy for growth. A magician creating the illusion of multiplying balls introduces micro-photography showing how cells divide and multiply. The program shows how bones are continually being built and destroyed and, in a spectacular sequence of time-lapse photography, actually captures a tooth growing-from the moment it first peeps out of the gum until it falls out. (26 minutes)
#826 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Urinary Tract: Water! (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program shows the crucial part water plays in the body's functioning and the system for keeping it in balance. Drinking, sweating, and breathing are covered. The urinary tract is analyzed in detail, with particular attention to the functioning of the kidneys. (26 minutes)
#827 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Digestion: Eating to Live (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program, one segment of the widely-acclaimed The Living Body series, looks at appetite and hunger. In some of the most dramatic interior film of the series, it shows the actions of a salivary gland, the swallowing reflex, and the powerful churning of the stomach as food is broken down and processed. (26 minutes)
#828 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Breakdown (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program, from The Living Body series, investigates the digestive consequences when a family sits down to lunch. As the first morsel is put into the mouth, the camera watches from inside as the molars clamp down and the process of breakdown and transformation occurs. It follows the food through the entire alimentary tract, showing how it is dissolved in acid, how the liver and gallbladder work, and how digestion and absorption work. (26 minutes)
#829 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Muscles and Joints: Muscle Power (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program demonstrates, on a microscopic level, what happens when a kung fu master is at work: how muscles work, how two types of molecules telescoping against each other produce enormous strength as they work in large numbers, how muscles of the heart and digestive tract move without conscious direction. (26 minutes)
#830 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Moving Parts (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program shows how the cerebellum coordinates muscle activity and how position sensors in the muscles and joints and the balancing mechanism of the inner ear function. The motions of a waterskier show how muscles, joints, and organs link up. The role of joints is explained, and a look at the interior of a human knee shows clearly how lubricating fluid is produced. (26 minutes)
#831 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Nervous System: Nerves at Work (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program looks at nerve signals and how they are transmitted. It looks at the part played by nerve messages in reflex activities and at both the chemical and electrical activities of networks of nerve cells in contact. (26 minutes)
#832 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Decision (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program shows how the brain coordinates functions to make a simple but lifesaving decision-how the cortex assesses incoming information, sends outgoing messages to the muscles, and stores "maps" of the world and the body; how circuits of nerve cells operate in the brain; and how individual nerve cells function. (26 minutes)
#833 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Our Talented Brain (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
In many ways our brains may be like those of animals, but in our capacity to think, to remember, and to create we are much different. This program looks at some of the reasons for these differences, exploring the neural structure of the human brain, our physiological brain capacity, and the use of memory and symbols. (26 minutes)
#834 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Circulatory System: Two Hearts That Beat as One (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program describes the structure and functioning of the heart. It analyzes the three basic components of the heart-muscle, valves, and pacemaker-and shows how each one contributes to the proper functioning of the organ as a whole. (26 minutes)
#835 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Breath of Life (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program explains why the body needs regular supplies of air and how it gets them. The camera follows the process of breathing through the ultra-thin membrane of the lung into the blood, showing how the varying demand for oxygen is met by the exchange of information between the brain and the chest muscles and how the body rids itself of carbon dioxide. (26 minutes)
#836 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Life Under Pressure (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program follows the journey of a red blood cell around the circulatory system to demonstrate the efficient and elegant design of oxygen and food delivery to all parts of the body and the removal of wastes before they can do harm. It shows how the veins and arteries are structured to perform their tasks: muscular arteries to transmit the force of the heartbeat, veins with valves to insure the blood's return to the heart. (26 minutes)
#837 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Hot and Cold (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
Using the extremes of temperature that occur in a day's skiing, this program shows the range of mechanisms through which the human body maintains a steady internal temperature and protects its vital organs: shivering, hair erection, and rerouting of blood supplies to conserve heat; increased blood flow to the body surface, sweating, and panting to lose heat. (26 minutes)
#838 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Hormones: Messengers (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
The delicate interplay of hormones is responsible for all the events of reproduction. How many other body processes are controlled and cooordinated by these chemical messengers becomes apparent in this program, which follows the role hormones play in response to a sudden emergency: the 'fight or flight' reaction. (26 minutes)
#839 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Mechanisms of Defense: Accident (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
The body is like a self-supporting hospital, able to deal on its own with wounds, bacterial invasions, fractures, and obstructions to its various passages. This program follows the sequence of events over seconds and weeks when skin or bone is damaged and shows the defensive reactions of blood clotting, fever, and mending of bone fracture. (26 minutes)
#840 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Internal Defenses (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program deals with events when the entire body is under attack-when bacteria or viruses invade the whole system. It shows the roles of the spleen, the lymphatic system, and the white blood cells, and explains the body's production of antibodies. With the common cold as the main example, it demonstrates the sequence from viral attack to recovery. (26 minutes)
#841 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Reproduction: Shares in the Future (Run time 27 min.) DVD $89.95
This, the first of four programs on reproduction and birth, looks at how the male and female bodies are prepared for their task of increasing the human race. The program shows the characteristics of sperm and ova and how each contains a partial blueprint for the future offspring. The mechanism of cell division is shown through exceptional microphotography, and the mechanisms of heredity are carefully described. (26 minutes)
#842 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Coming Together (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
Attraction, desire, and sexual coupling lead to conception. This program covers the physiological events underlying the process of reproduction. (26 minutes)
#843 Human Anatomy & Physiology - A New Life (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program looks at the events that lead from the fertilized cell to a human baby. Using film of living fetuses in the womb, it explains how the familiar human shape is "sculpted" out of the basic cell mass, what controls the timing of the various stages of fetal development, and what life is like for a fetus. (26 minutes)
#844 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Into the World (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program covers the tumultuous events of birth, using fetoscopy and specially constructed models to show what happens from the baby's viewpoint. It also shows the physiological events immediately following the birth: the almost instantaneous transformation of the heart from one pump to two, the baby's first sucking movements, and the establishment of the mother-child relationship. (26 minutes)
#845 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Aging (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program covers the physical process of aging, examining the various body systems to see how and why they change as they age. It also shows that not all the changes in older people are inevitable and that some changes in the aging body can be slowed down or reversed. (26 minutes)
#846 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Review of Biology: Design for Living (Run time 27 min.) DVD $89.95
The final program recapitulates and reviews the principal messages of the curriculum as it summarizes the functions and designs of the body's major systems and organs and the methods by which they interact. (26 minutes)
#2206 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Chronobiology: The Time of Our Lives (Run time 58 min.) DVD $89.95
This program examines the biological evolution of our internal timekeepers, examining the conflict between the time in our bodies and brains and the time on our wrists. It looks at the fish with the most accurate pacemaker known to science; shows how cell cycles are being tracked and biological clocks transplanted; reveals the novel ways in which human biological clocks are being reset; and explains why Greenwich is where time starts, how conversations can be set to music, why some people are larks and others owls, and what causes the Monday morning blahs. (58 minutes)
#2566 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Making Sense (Run time 60 min.) DVD $89.95
Intelligence is not a requisite for survival, but being sensate is-plants are sensitive to light, moisture, and temperature. Lacking a brain, plants can react but not think, a function reserved to animals, who do make decisions and most often use their senses in making them. This program looks at the development of sensation, from the primitive sensitivity of a simple organism to the sophistication of perception in the human, and it looks at both the scientists and the philosophers who have contributed to our understanding of what the senses are. (60 minutes)
#2567 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Sound of Silence (Run time 60 min.) DVD $89.95
Like photometers, microphones, compasses, and smoke detectors, sense organs have the task of detecting physical energy or the chemical nature of substances; and, like man-made instruments, the quality of their performance depends on their sensitivity to weak signals and their ability to provide accurate information over a wide range of intensity of stimulation. They also have the problem of internal noise: distinguishing genuine but weak signals from random false activity within the organ. This program looks at the extreme sensitivity of the rods in the human eye; examines the limits of sensitivity of the human ear; looks at some examples of extraordinary sensual sensitivity in animals; and analyzes how the human senses analyze and discriminate between signals over wide operating ranges and then transmit their messages along the rather low-quality cables constituted by the nerve fibers connecting them to the brain. (60 minutes)
#2568 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Sixth Sense...and the Rest (Run time 60 min.) DVD $89.95
The five senses which are our window on the world, which give us all of our sensory experiences, depend on just four types of detector cells-sensitive to chemical substances, to light, to temperature change, and to mechanical distortion. However, the human sensory system provides information about only a small fraction of the forms of energy and chemical events around us. This program looks at some of the sensory experiences of animals that humans can glimpse only through physical instruments of detection and measurement: rattlesnakes use infrared detector organs to sense the position of their warm prey; many insects can sense the plane of polarization of light; bats use ultrasound echo-location to guide their flight; many fishes have electric field organs; and bacteria and birds have magnetic sense. Animals appear to have the senses they need in order to survive. (60 minutes)
#2569 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Where Am I? (Run time 60 min.) DVD $89.95
Without a map or an intimate knowledge of the area, human beings are not very good at finding their way around; our senses alone are not enough to enable us to navigate or explore very efficiently. Other animals, however, perform extraordinary feats of navigation, relying on a battery of sensory skills-salmon searching for their home stream, pigeons flying to their roost, migrating birds, and foraging fish. This program looks at the mechanisms that regulate stability in space, the ability to detect the direction of gravity and angular rotation in any plane, the body clock, and proprioception-the detection of the position of joints, the lengths of muscles, and the relationships of all parts of the body. (60 minutes)
#2570 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Vive la Difference (Run time 60 min.) DVD $89.95
Our senses are fighting a constant battle against too much information. Because of their great sensitivity and the very broad range of intensity over which they work, sense organs and the nerves that transmit their messages to the brain have developed tricks of detection and coding, detecting changes and differences rather than the absolute value of the physical stimulus. The retina, for example, transmits little information about uniform areas of light; most messages from the eye are concerned with changes in the intensity of light at the edges of objects, and in signals that change with time. This explains why eyes are constantly in motion, why moving objects are usually easier to see than stationary ones, and why some animals are virtually blind if nothing around them moves. However, interpreting the meaning of messages about difference and change depends on memory of the preceding signals; and in other instances, senses dealing with stimuli that don't often change must relay absolute and not just relative information. (60 minutes)
#2571 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Enchanted Loom: Processing Sensory Information (Run time 60 min.) DVD $89.95
The brain-the "Enchanted Loom," as Sir Charles Sherrington, one of the founders of modern brain research, called it-is the most intricate, almost unfathomably complex product of evolution. It is a tapestry woven of a hundred billion threads-the fibers of all its nerve cells. Computers have large memories and prodigious abilities to calculate, but are slow at interpreting visual images that the human brain recognizes at a glance. This program looks at the range of sensory information that is transmitted to the human cerebral cortex, and examines how the brain sorts and classifies sensory information, searching for clues and interpreting them on the basis of expectation, past experience, and information from other sources. The senses provide the information, and the brain provides the meaning. (60 minutes)
#4155 Human Anatomy & Physiology - From Conception to Birth (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
Actual in utero photography, augmented by microscopy and computer graphics, follows the development of the human being from conception to birth: the blood vessels develop, the heart begins to beat, arms and legs are formed, fingernails can be detected, the face is formed, and in the seventh month the lungs are able to function alone. (28 minutes)
#4156 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Heart (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
This program deals in considerable detail with the structure and function of the heart: the nature and function of the valves, blood pressure, the relationship to the lungs and breathing. It also deals with such disorders as arrhythmia, angina pectoris, and heart failure, explaining their causes and consequences. (28 minutes)
#4157 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Heart as a Circulatory Pump (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
Poets speak of the heart as a metaphor for love, but to cardiac surgeons who bypass, repair, and sometimes transplant it, the heart is just a piece of machinery that can be repaired or replaced. The heart plays a dominant role in the human body, although it is only one part of a complex system. This program shows how the heart functions as the engine of a system whose work is essential to the existence of human life. (28 minutes)
#4158 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Respiration (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
Without oxygen, humans cannot live. This program shows the role of breathing in supplying billions of body cells with oxygen: it explains the breathing mechanism; the function of the diaphragm and ribs; the chemical and neural aspects of breath; the airways to, from, and within the lungs; and how the exchange of gases takes place. The program also explains the cause and treatment of various breathing disorders. (27 minutes)
#4159 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Bones, Cartilage, and Joints (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
This program deals with bone structure in great detail, covering bones, bone growth and loss, the nature of fractures and the process of healing, the joints and their function, and the causes and effects of rheumatism and arthritis. (28 minutes)
#4160 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Cells: Networks of Cooperation (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
Human life is made possible by the intricate and widespread division of labor among billions of cells and the delicately balanced cooperation between them. New cells are continuously being formed, each dedicated to its specific task. The program uses examples of damage to body tissues to show the multiplicity of cellular actions and reactions necessary for healing. (28 minutes)
#4161 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Blood: The Body's Freight Carrier (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
This program deals with the role of blood as the transport mechanism for gases, nutriments, and waste products to and from the cells. It explains the functions of red and white blood corpuscles as well as plasma. Microscopy, models, and computer graphics further describe the complicated chemical and physical processes involved. (28 minutes)
#4162 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Arteries: Highways of the Body (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
The life of the larger and more complex organs depends on the existence of a system for transporting and distributing blood. The function of the arteries-a series of tubes of varying sizes-is to deliver oxygen and other nutrients to the capillaries, where they are exchanged for waste products. If the functioning of the major arteries is disturbed, it may result in the death of cells and perhaps the entire network. This program shows how arteriosclerosis can be slowed, prevented, and surgically treated. (28 minutes)
#4163 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Veins: The Way to the Heart (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
The exchange stations-the capillaries-having received arterial blood with its nutrients, the waste products must now be returned. This program shows how the veins and the lymph vessels return the waste-laden blood to the heart again. There are potentially serious results if this return flow is disturbed; the program shows various ways of dealing with the problem of varicose veins. (28 minutes)
#4164 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Defense Mechanisms (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
The human body is under constant threat from a hostile environment; parasites, bacteria, and viruses are always present and ready to attack. When the body is unable to adapt to or overcome these threats, illness results. This program examines both such natural barriers to attack as the skin, which is the first line of defense, as well as internal defense mechanisms like the immune system. The program illustrates graphically how disease occurs. (28 minutes)
#4165 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Immune System (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
This program describes the nature and function of the healthy immune system, the system that enables the body to defend itself against infections and parasites. The program also shows how the immune system can kill, when the body rejects an organ transplant; drugs that repress the rejection process, in turn, leave the body defenseless. The program also examines the uses and dangers of bone marrow transplants. (28 minutes)
#4166 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Biological Mechanisms of Survival (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
The history of life on Earth is the story of adaptation to changing conditions. Modern times require more and more frequent adaptation if human life is to survive and avoid illness. This program shows the effect of air pollution, the increase of some dangerous and the decrease of other beneficial air components, the damage caused by industrial pollutants, the effect of radiation, alcohol, drugs... The implicit conclusion is that adaptation is too slow a process; preventing environmental or self-induced disaster is faster and more certain to succeed. (28 minutes)
#4167 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Causes of Individuality (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
With world population approaching six billion, shouldn't there be at least two completely identical people? This program looks at the principal identifying elements of men and women-size, hair and eye color, shape of the ears and mouth, blood type-and explains the biological facts responsible for them. The search for their causes leads, of course, to within the cells, to their genetic blueprint. (28 minutes)
#4169 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Muscles (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
Muscles enable us to build buildings, scale mountains, digest food, breathe-and live, for without the heart, which is muscle, nothing else in the body can function. This program shows what muscle tissue is and how different types of muscles operate individually and together. Using the example of athletic training, the program also shows how muscular power can be controlled and guided. (28 minutes)
#4170 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Biological Preconditions of Learning (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
How does the human brain store its ever-increasing accumulation of information? Is there a limit to the faculty of the human brain, or can the learning process be increased indefinitely? The senses, the nervous system, and the brain are the biological apparatus whose components interact to achieve learning. This program shows what happens in the nerve cells during the act of learning and storing information. (28 minutes)
#4171 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Pain (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
Pain is the human body's warning system of danger. This program shows and explains the nature of the sensation of pain: its chemical and electrical components, how a message is conveyed from the tiniest receptor to the cerebrum, the effect of willpower on sensitivity to pain. (28 minutes)
#4172 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Symptoms of Aging (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
Some symptoms of age can be cloaked, others can be postponed, but the process of aging is inevitable. This program covers some of the symptoms of aging-loss of muscular strength, reduced visual capability, arteriosclerosis-as well as how these may be prevented, postponed, or dealt with; and shows both how fitness can be maintained and how seniors may have the edge over younger people. (28 minutes)
#4173 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Nerves and Nerve Cells (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
This program shows the structure and functioning of nerve cells, and explains what happens during local anesthesia and what can be done when a nerve has been destroyed in an accident. (28 minutes)
#4174 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Reflexes and Conscious Movement (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
At birth, the human infant performs certain muscular activities which have obviously not been learned; as a person grows older, countless other learned patterns also become automatic. This program looks at the range of reflexive and controlled, conscious and unconscious movements of the human body, showing how the controlling nerve impulses are originated and executed, following such actions as walking and scratching from neuron to brain and distinguishing volition from habit and reflex. (28 minutes)
#4175 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Autonomic Nervous System (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
This program looks at the mechanisms that control, regulate, and coordinate the functions of glands and organs: the heart and blood vessels, the lungs and respiration, digestion, the regulation of body temperature, and a host of other unconscious but vital body structures and functions. The program shows in detail how the system works and how the individual can affect its working by means of meditation, autosuggestion, and hypnosis. (28 minutes)
#4176 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Sense of Touch (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
This program looks at the different ways in which humans receive information from the environment, and what kinds of information are imperceptible because we have no receptors for them. It examines whether some people are more receptive to information than others, how touch functions, why and how we feel hot and cold, and what happens to human information processing if a major sense, like sight, is lost. The program also demonstrates experimentally how different parts of the body react to stimuli. (28 minutes)
#4177 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Sleep (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
The human being spends close to a third of his or her life asleep. This program explains why: what sleep is, what happens during it, and why it is so indispensable. The program shows what happens in the brain during sleep, explains the different kinds of sleep and dreaming, and covers tiredness, sleep, sleep disturbances, and sleeping pills. (28 minutes)
#4178 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Balance (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
Only when we are about to lose it are we generally aware of our sense of balance. This program looks at the physiological balance controls in the inner ear, the relationship between gravity and body position, the effect of motion on balance, and the role of the central nervous system in processing and coordinating information relating to balance and the reflexes to preserve it. (28 minutes)
#4179 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Hearing (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
This program demonstrates the complicated process by which sounds, tones, and signals are received and made perceptible and comprehensible. It shows the construction of the human ear, the effect of sound waves, and demonstrates how volume is registered. (28 minutes)
#4180 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Turning Food into Fuel (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
This program follows the path of a sandwich: from the plate into the mouth, through the various organs and processes of digestion, as far as the utilization of the food-derived energy in the cells. (28 minutes)
#4181 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Spine (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
What enables humans to stand erect-for as long as ten hours, and bearing weights of over 200 pounds-is the spine, a system consisting of bones, ligaments, sinews, and muscles. The spine is also the protective covering for the principal avenue of the nervous system. This program demonstrates the structure and functions of the spine, explaining the effect of the development of the spine and nervous system from the same cells in the embryonic stage, and how the complexities of the system are responsible for many of the more common aches and pains that people experience. (28 minutes)
#4183 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Male (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
This program covers the range of physiological information about the sexual functions of the human male body: the events at the moment of insemination that determine that the child will be a boy; the hormones responsible for developing male sex characteristics and sexual behavior; and how semen is produced. The program also covers the events of puberty and possible causes for male sterility. (28 minutes)
#4184 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Female (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
This program is devoted to the healthy female body and its normal functions. It covers a girl's sexual development and the problems of puberty. It further demonstrates what is taking place in the brain as well as the sex organs during menstruation, coitus, and pregnancy. (28 minutes)
#4185 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Pregnant Woman (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
Pregnancy causes enormous changes in a woman's body, affecting almost every part of it. This program shows the interrelated causes and effects of hormonal changes; it follows the course of a pregnancy from the moment of conception to the birth; and discusses the lifestyle factors a woman should take into consideration during her pregnancy. (28 minutes)
#4186 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Senses of Smell and Taste (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
This program describes the functions and functioning of the senses of smell and taste: how these senses are stimulated, how they can be used, and the combined purpose of smell, taste, and sight. (28 minutes)
#4187 Human Anatomy & Physiology - External and Internal Defenses (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
We are surrounded by harmful bacteria, viruses, chemicals, and other substances which can penetrate the human body and harm it. Only the fetus in its mother's womb is largely protected against these potential invaders. This program covers the various mechanisms by which the body rids itself of the inescapable invaders which threaten our health. (28 minutes)
#4188 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Biological Rhythms (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
The change from night to day, from season to season, from time zone to time zone-all of these affect people to a greater or lesser extent because they all create alterations in body rhythm. This program seeks to determine whether everyone has the same biological rhythm; what can be learned from people whose work shifts are frequently altered; how the mother's heartbeat affects the fetus; and the effect of the emotions on body rhythms. (28 minutes)
#4189 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Biological Basis of Thinking (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
How do humans respond to stimuli perceived by means of the senses? More concretely, what happens between a plate of food and the thought that the food is hot, or tasty, or reminiscent of some childhood event? This program looks at the neural and chemical processes that take place and the innumerable combinations of links possible between billions of living brain cells; it explains how a variety of responses take place and how and why multiple impressions are processed and ordered, and demonstrates the roles of consciousness and reflex. (28 minutes)
#4190 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Brain (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
This program begins by looking at the smallest unit of the brain, the nerve cell, explaining the relationship between these cells and such functions as seeing, hearing, and speaking. It shows how the cells are units that develop and change as they form connections with neighboring cells to produce the extraordinary system of impulses that permits human beings to function. The program also covers the evolutionary development of the brain and the brain in the developing fetus, showing how body functions, sense perceptions, and behavior are physiologically connected to the brain. (28 minutes)
#4191 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Electric Body (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
Sparks flying when one brushes one's hair... hair standing on end... an electric shock when one touches a door handle or certain synthetic fabrics... twitching of the eyes and eyelid muscles during the dream phase... These are all indications that the human body is charged with electricity. Bioelectrical impulses underlie the entire complex of thinking and feeling. This program examines the basic nature of the bioelectrical processes in the human body, their role in the functioning of cells, and the multiplicity of simultaneous electrical processes. (28 minutes)
#4192 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Hormones (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
One person is big, another small. Men grow beards, women usually don't. Some people need a daily dose of insulin. A woman suddenly notices the growth of hair on her legs. All these processes and many more are determined by hormones, which control many critical functions of the body in an interplay which is vital to human life. This program examines the nature and role of hormones and the further role of their combined results. (28 minutes)
#4193 Human Anatomy & Physiology - How We Communicate (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
Mimicry, gesticulation, and speech are the means by which people normally communicate with one another. Animals use mimicry, gesticulation, and a primitive phonation to communicate with one another, but only humans possess a whole complex of possibilities of diverse communication and learning by means of our cultural languages. How is one able to speak and make oneself understood? What physiological preconditions enable one to convey oneself to the environment? These are the questions answered in this program. (28 minutes)
#4194 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Skin (Run time 27 min.) DVD $89.95
The skin: by means of the sensitive nerve network spread everywhere across the skin and concentrated particularly in the hands, an important organ of sense; by means of the fingerprint, an unmistakable stamp of the individual; the body's first line of defense against invaders from outside; regulator of body temperature. This program examines the varied tasks performed routinely by the body's largest organ. (28 minutes)
#4195 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Human Voice (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
From the newborn's first cry through the nuances of meaning conveyed by vocal tone, the voice-unique to each human-is a fundamental means of expression and communication. This program shows the body parts involved in the production of sound, tone, and speech; describes the role of air and the human airways, breathing control, and alterations in the volume of sound produced; and demonstrates how singing and the production of specific notes and timbres is achieved. (28 minutes)
#5538 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Science of Hearing (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
The ear is perhaps the most sensitive of all human organs, with the ability to perceive some 400,000 different sounds. How does it hear so many tones, colors, and frequencies of sound? This program guides us through the inner ear, explaining how the eardrum and the cochlea, a spiral tube, function to create hearing. Music would not exist could it not be heard. The program shows the effect of science on the music world: modern-day recording techniques can modify sounds, and computers have become invaluable tools for composers. (23 minutes)
#5547 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Blood (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
Blood is a fluid with amazing properties. In this program, we learn that blood acts virtually like an organ and fulfills a host of complex tasks within the organism, from oxygen transport to defending against infection. The crucial importance of blood in maintaining physical equilibrium has led to the development of numerous technologies dealing with its classification, preservation, and transfusion. The program also covers blood disorders such as anemia, hemophilia, and leukemia, as well as current medical research in treating and curing these disorders. (23 minutes)
#5551 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Taste (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
The sense of taste is one of our lines of defense against the potentially dangerous world around us because it enables us to evaluate the freshness and nutritional value of food before we eat it; taste is also a source of pleasure. How do the small organs called taste buds play both these roles at the same time? This program explains, as it takes us into the kitchen, the taste laboratory found in every house. The program explains some of the chemical and physical principles that govern the preparation of food, and visits a chemical lab where the flavors and aromas of the future are being prepared today. (23 minutes)
#5982 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Bones and Joints (Run time 20 min.) DVD $89.95
The topic of bones and joints is explored in this program with Dr. Lyle Micheli at Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Micheli runs the world's leading orthopedic clinic for young athletes, where the most common types of sports injuries, such as acute impact damage, are treated. The structure and function of the knee are clearly illustrated as we follow the diagnosis and treatment of injuries suffered by the Harvard University football team. The program provides a complete introduction to the following topics:o Movement and the human skeletono Structure and function of jointso Bone growth, injury, treatment, and repairo Positive and negative effects of exerciseo Degenerative diseases(20 minutes)
#5983 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Muscles (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
In this program, the diverse nature of muscle tissue is examined, from its gross structure to its detailed microstructure, where chemical energy is harnessed to produce movement. As muscle forms the basis for much of a person's body shape, we explore the ways in which this shape can be changed by the activities we perform. The program provides a complete introduction to the following topics: • Location and uses of smooth, skeletal, and cardiac muscles • Muscle structure and function • Aerobic and anaerobic respiration • Relationship between muscle mass and body shape • Neuromuscular disease • Physical fitness (20 minutes)
#5984 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Skin (Run time 20 min.) DVD $89.95
The topic of skin is introduced by viewing a typical collection of bodies on a sun-drenched beach. We are familiar with the sight of skin exposed to the sun, but do we know what is actually happening to the skin surface? Using scanning electron microscopy, we get a bug's-eye view of the living barrier between our body and the outside world. The detailed internal structure of the skin is explored using high-quality computer graphics. The program provides a complete introduction to the following topics:o The structure and function of the skino What sunburn is and how to avoid ito The effects of ultraviolet light on the skino What is meant by the inflammatory responseo How and why the body produces melanino The causes and treatments of skin cancer(20 minutes)
#5985 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Breathing (Run time 20 min.) DVD $89.95
This program begins by looking at a typical day in the life of a cystic fibrosis sufferer. The structure and function of the lungs are seen through a mixture of computer graphics and real-life video. The problems encountered with cystic fibrosis are compared with the functioning of a normal healthy lung. The program provides a complete introduction to the following topics:o The lungs and associated organso Ventilation of the lungs and gas exchangeo The role of mucus in the bodyo Causes and symptoms of cystic fibrosiso Applications of enzyme technology to modern medicineo Measurement of lung functiono Genetic diseases and gene therapy(20 minutes)
#5986 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Digestion (Run time 20 min.) DVD $89.95
This program provides a thorough introduction to the structure and functions of the digestive tract. Using modern body-imaging techniques, the program explores where fat is located and how its distribution within the body differs from person to person. The program also explains how dietary fat is digested and assimilated by the body, how food becomes body fat, and how our lifestyles dictate both our body shape and our overall health. The program provides a complete introduction to the following topics:o The location and functions of fat in the bodyo Healthy dietso Structure and functions of the digestive tract and associated organso The process of digestiono Fat metabolismo Regulation of adipose tissueo The role of the liver in fat metabolism(20 minutes)
#5987 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Blood (Run time 20 min.) DVD $89.95
Blood and circulation are explained in this program through the story of a sickle cell sufferer. By looking at the ways in which sickle cell affects the body, the program explains how the blood circulatory system operates and also how technology is being used to improve diagnosis and treatment of a major disease. The program provides a complete introduction to the following topics:o Blood structure and functiono The heart and circulationo Hemoglobino DNA and protein synthesiso Gas exchange at the cellular levelo Sickle cell diseaseo Genetic counselingo Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)o Applications of science and technology in medicine(20 minutes)
#5988 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Brain (Run time 20 min.) DVD $89.95
This program opens in the emergency room of a large hospital where head injuries are an all-too-common problem. The importance of the brain is evident from the skill and technology employed in ensuring that any damage to it is minimized. Using combinations of computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and advanced surgical techniques, the program shows why the brain is so important and explores what is known about how it works. The program provides a complete introduction to the following topics:o Brain structure and functiono Localization of brain activityo Motor and sensory neuronso Simple reflex arcs(20 minutes)
#5989 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Senses (Run time 20 min.) DVD $89.95
This program examines the role that our senses play in providing us with information about the world around us. Our brain depends upon the information from all our senses being integrated so that the brain is provided with consistent data that it can use to direct our actions. The program demonstrates how the senses of sight and balance operate as well as how they interact with each other. The program provides a complete introduction to the following topics:o The visual systemo The vestibular systemo The relationship between the brain and the sensory organso Using modern technology to overcome our sensory limitations(20 minutes)
#5990 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Homeostasis (Run time 20 min.) DVD $89.95
In order to understand homeostasis in a natural setting, this program observes what happens to the body during a marathon race. By monitoring the various physiological responses of one of the runners, we show the many changes and adjustments being made in the body as the race progresses. The data obtained from the runner are used to explain in detail how the body regulates temperature, blood oxygen, blood glucose, water balance, heart rate, breathing rate, and hormone levels. The program provides a complete introduction to the following topics:o Homeostatic mechanisms within the bodyo Regulation of temperatureo Regulation of blood sugaro Feedback systemso Role of hormoneso Water balance(20 minutes)
#5991 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Reproduction: Designer Babies (Run time 20 min.) DVD $89.95
This program examines some of the issues raised by the potential uses and misuses of genetic technology. The program demonstrates the techniques of both ultrasound scanning and amniocentesis as well as explains genetic manipulation techniques and the potential applications of the knowledge gained from the human genome project. The program provides a complete introduction to the following topics:o Structure and function of DNAo Social, economic, and ethical implications of genetic manipulationo Prenatal screening techniqueso Genetic abnormalitieso Artificial insemination and embryo transplants(20 minutes)
#6540 Human Anatomy & Physiology - William Harvey and the Circulation of Blood (Run time 29 min.) DVD $89.95
This program provides an introduction to the life and work of William Harvey, the English physician and physiologist who discovered the circulation of blood in the human body in 1628. The program describes the way in which Harvey formulated his revolutionary new theories of cardiac action and of the motion of the blood through the heart, arteries, and veins. Quotations from Harvey's writings are supplemented with animated diagrams and dissections, and some of Harvey's own experiments are re-created. (29 minutes)
#9187 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Anatomy of the Shoulder (Run time 17 min.) DVD $89.95
A ball-and-socket joint capable of a complex range of motion, the shoulder achieves its mobility through the sacrifice of stability, relying on surrounding muscles and tendons for strength. This program presents the technical specifications of the shoulder: what muscles sheathe it, how it functions, and its range of motion. Conditions such as bursitis, tendonitis, dislocation, and fracture of the clavicle are also discussed. (18 minutes)
#9188 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Anatomy of the Hand (Run time 14 min.) DVD $89.95
When used with delicacy, the hand is capable of manipulation that goes far beyond what might be expected of its mechanical design. This program demonstrates how the hand functions, spotlighting the opposable nature of the thumb, and how the nerve network and blood vessels deploy. The pathologies of common damage, including carpal tunnel syndrome, wrist fractures, "mallet finger," and degenerative dysfunctions, are investigated as well. (15 minutes)
#9189 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Anatomy of the Knee (Run time 15 min.) DVD $89.95
Although it is a major weight-bearing joint, the knee is surprisingly flexible in all manner of forward, reverse, and lateral motions. This program addresses the intricate mechanics of the knee joint's musculature, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. In addition, traumas to the menisci and the collateral and cruciate ligaments-the most commonly damaged structures-are described. (15 minutes)
#10420 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Anatomy of the Ankle and Foot (Run time 17 min.) DVD $89.95
The ankle, a major weight-bearing joint, is injured more than any other part of the body. After examining the surface features of the foot and ankle, this program probes the deeper layers, highlighting major bones, muscles, ligaments, blood vessels, and nerves. Special attention is given to the arches and the ankle joint with respect to stability. Common ankle and foot injuries, such as sprains and fractures, are also explained. (17 minutes)
#30528 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Circulation, Respiration, and Breathing (Run time 20 min.) DVD $89.95
This program examines how oxygen and carbon dioxide are transported throughout the body, guided by the brain as it reacts to internal and external stimuli. The process of breathing is modeled by a swimmer, the control of breathing by the brain is analyzed, and oxygen intake by the lungs and transport by red blood cells are discussed. The complementary actions of the circulatory and respiratory systems to meet the body's energy needs are identified, and anaerobic respiration and oxygen debt are addressed. The internal structure of the heart is displayed. And the special properties of cardiac muscle tissue are outlined. The effects of smoke inhalation on the lungs from cigarettes and a house fire are also considered. (20 minutes)
#30529 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Immune System (Run time 20 min.) DVD $89.95
This program takes a look at the mechanics of the body's internal defense system. The protected environment of the womb is contrasted with the pathogen-laden environment of the post-birth world. Passive immunity is distinguished from the body's active lines of defense: the skin and its secretions, the inflammatory response, phagocytes, and lymphocytes. Case studies involving chicken pox, tetanus, and tuberculosis show different ways the human immune system seeks to protect the body from infection. And case studies involving asthma and HIV introduce the subjects of immune system hypersensitivity and failure. Contains nudity associated with childbirth. (20 minutes)
#30530 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Homeostasis (Run time 20 min.) DVD $89.95
This program investigates how the body controls its internal environment. The steady state of the Earth's biosphere is compared to that of the human body. An automated greenhouse and a computerized inventory system demonstrate how negative feedback loops use detection and response to maintain their own balanced states. The regulation of body temperature in response to extreme heat and cold is explored both in a sauna and on a mountain slope. The roles of the pancreas and liver in controlling blood glucose levels are described. And the control of water concentration at the cellular level and waste filtration via the kidneys are explained. The impact of alcohol consumption on temperature regulation and water management is also considered. (20 minutes)
#30531 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Sensory Systems (Run time 20 min.) DVD $89.95
This program concentrates on the nervous and endocrine systems. A soccer match offers an opportunity to investigate how neurons work and how a simple reflex arc functions. Footage of infants illustrates the processes of neural network growth and coordination acquisition. A Penfield map opens the door to a study of the senses, with an emphasis on vision. The links between chemical activity in the brain and behavior are examined. And an analysis of bungee jumping indicates how the endocrine and nervous systems work together to control actions and moods. The effects of drugs and other psychoactive substances on these sensory systems are also considered. Contains nudity associated with childbirth. (20 minutes)
#30532 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Genetic Engineering (Run time 20 min.) DVD $89.95
This program offers an overview of genetics and cloning as they occur both in nature and in the laboratory while addressing the ethical and social implications of genetic engineering. Genes, chromosomes, and DNA are identified, and the process of cell fertilization is demonstrated. Identical human twins are presented as an example of naturally occurring clones. The synthesis of human insulin using recombinant DNA technology, the production of alpha-1 antitrypsin using the milk of transgenic sheep, and the reproductive cloning of animals illustrate applications of genetic engineering. And a case study involving spinal muscular atrophy acts as a platform for discussing therapeutic cloning. (20 minutes)
#33598 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Individual Differences: Gender, Training, and Physical Performance in Sport (Run time 27 min.) DVD $89.95
Why are some able to perform tremendous physical tasks, while others cannot? More specifically, why are males able to perform in ways females cannot? This program answers these questions and more by examining and calculating various indicators of physical fitness: percentage body fat, upper body size and strength, VO2 maximum, stroke volume, heart rate, cardiac output, hemoglobin and red blood cell count, and arteriovenous oxygen difference. An ideal anatomical and physiological learning resource for students and teachers of physical education. (27 minutes)
#33738 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Smell (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
This program investigates how psychological principles determine a smell's level of repellence. After testing natural smells found to be offensive to most people, scientists at Monell Chemical Services Center and the University of California propose that our reactions are heavily shaped by personal experience. Demonstrations of how olfactory lobes work are featured. Host Nigel Marven observes how one of nature's worst smells, skunk, fails to bother everyone at a busy shopping mall. But this soon may change: the Monell scientists are developing the world's first universally abhorrent odor, so disgusting it could be used for crowd control. A BBCW Production. (30 minutes)
#33739 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Vision (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
This program argues that the human visual system is skillful at some things, but that we miss an amazing amount of what is going on right in front of our eyes. Whether spotting attractive people in a crowd, gauging depth and distance, or even predicting where things end up, the eyes are at their most perceptive. But clever experiments conducted at a nightclub by scientists from Sussex University illustrate that when a person's visual focus reaches its peak, other things within eyesight are missed. Discussion also focuses on the brain's processing of images, as well as the coordination of our sense of vision with our bodies. A BBCW Production. (30 minutes)
#33740 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Taste (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
This program explores the biological reasons why humans have the most amazing sense of taste on the planet. Persuading a family raised on Chinese food to try ripe Stilton cheese and a group of gourmet cheese lovers to try a Chinese delicacy of fermented raw duck eggs, host Nigel Marven assesses how we end up with such extraordinary tastes that vary across different cultures. Yale University professor Linda Bartoshuck discusses how the tongue and nose work together to taste food, and University of Pennsylvania professor Paul Rozin accompanies Marven to a chili eating contest, where he analyzes the exhilaration of the contestants. A BBCW Production. (30 minutes)
#33741 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Touch (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
Why are humans so responsive to touch? This program calculates the different sensitivities of the body's most receptive parts. The density of touch sensors in the skin explains why some parts of the body seem to have a much lower pain threshold-a microscopic splinter in a finger can be extremely painful, while a cut on your leg may not hurt as much. University College London professor Tony Dickinson and Stanford University professor David Spiegel conduct experiments with electric shocks, painkillers, and hypnosis to demonstrate the brain's role in the experience of physical pain. A BBCW Production. (30 minutes)
#33742 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Hearing (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
This program deconstructs the emotional effects evoked by music and other sounds. Experiments by Dr. Mark Blagrove at the Sleep Laboratory in Swansea show that our sense of hearing is constantly alert, even while asleep, and Dr. Sarah Collins, from Nottingham University, explains why deep voices are so attractive to the opposite sex. Scientists assert that we have certain automatic responses to rhythmic sounds because many of our basic body processes work to a beat-the heart pumping or the legs and arms moving as we walk. Highlighted is the mating male humpback whale, which sings to convey emotions to its fellow whales. A BBCW Production. (30 minutes)
#33743 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Balance (Run time 29 min.) DVD $89.95
This program focuses on the components of our sense of balance. Stunt coordinator Marc Cass demonstrates how the balance organs inform us of how we are moving. At the Circus School, in San Francisco, a troupe of acrobats illustrates how eyes control balance by calculating what our bodies are doing in relation to the outside world. Dr. Ros Davies, from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, examines why alcohol consumption worsens balance. The cause of seasickness is also discussed, and a trip onboard an infamous roller coaster, the Russian Vomit Comet, reveals the "why" behind the sickening results for first-time riders. A BBCW Production. (30 minutes)
#35548 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Food and Digestion (Run time 27 min.) DVD $89.95
With energetic graphics and simple experiments, this program illustrates the entire process of digestion in human anatomy. An outline of food types and how they nourish the body begins the video, followed by a step-by-step guide through the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and large and small intestines. The processes of the liver, pancreas, colon, and rectum are also described. Distinguishing between chemical and mechanical digestion-and reinforcing specific principles associated with each-the program uses demonstrations with everyday materials to make key concepts entertaining and easy to understand. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. (27 minutes)
#36104 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Love Trap (Run time 26 min.) DVD $89.95
Is the most exhilarating of human emotions simply nature's way of keeping our species alive and reproducing? This program studies the behavior of men and women as they experience the magical feeling of attraction; it also presents a lively look at what happens inside a love-struck brain. Commentary from renowned anthropologist Dr. Helen Fisher reveals the significance of vocal cords, sense of smell, pheromones, and hormones such as serotonin, oxytocin, and vasopressin, in creating the emotions and sensations of love. The specific roles these chemicals play highlight three critical stages that lead to an enduring bond: lust, romantic love, and emotional attachment. (26 minutes)
#36268 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Low Back Pain (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
It bothers-and sometimes debilitates-an estimated 80 percent of Americans at some time during their adult lives. And low back pain shows no sign of going away, despite current research into its causes and potential cures. This program examines the ongoing health issue through case studies, interviews with medical experts, and animated graphics showing spinal anatomy, movement, and conditions. Highlighting the major factors that contribute to low back pain, the program discusses the different levels of the disorder-acute, recurrent, and chronic-and a variety of treatments, including physical therapy, epidural steroid injections, and both compression and fusion surgery. (28 minutes)
#37602 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Fat: Humanity's Best Friend (Run time 29 min.) DVD $89.95
Despite the success of the diet industry and the growing awareness of obesity as a genuine health risk, the human body does need fat. This program reveals the benefits as well as the dangers of body fat while illustrating the characteristics found in various types of fat tissue. Explaining how and why fat evolved and how it behaves differently depending on the individual, the program also studies the ability of fat cells to communicate with other parts of the body and how some fats may produce illnesses-for example, Alzheimer's and cancer. The dubious nature of many anti-fat drugs and their unfortunate consequences are explored; the program also outlines certain medical cures that have resulted from studying fat and points to the naturally slimming qualities of smart eating. (29 minutes)
#1671 Plant & Animal Biology - Plants in the Scheme of Things (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
By way of introduction to the series, this program provides a quick overview of the history of life on earth: bacteria, the simplest plant life that arose in the still-warm volcanic waters; the progressively more complex forms of algae. Photosynthesis: the function of chloroplasts; demonstration of the role of light in photosynthesis; how photosynthesis works to create living matter that is 98% energy-efficient. The nucleus: an ameba seen in profile. How plants protect themselves against apparently superior animals: a variety of astonishing protective devices. (28 minutes)
#1672 Plant & Animal Biology - The Life Cycle of Plants (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
Beginning with the oldest film ever made about plants, shot between 1898 and 1900 to show through accelerated images what the naked eye can't see, the program shows how and why plants move. Using the most up-to-date techniques, it shows the characteristics of a plant: the roots, which are the plant's mouth, and how they are protected and directed in growth; how aerial roots function; light and the plant's mechanisms for regulating the amount of light it gets; a demonstration of what happens when a plant gets too much light. Reproduction: the various kinds of pollinators and the different types of attraction. Death: protection against it, and the biological need for it-the need for space by the next generation of plants. (28 minutes)
#1673 Plant & Animal Biology - Survival Against the Odds (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
Some of the astonishing ways by which plant life survives in seemingly unlivable places: an island newly created by a volcanic explosion becomes a botanical laboratory to show how plants are propagated and spread. Lichens: their importance in the growth and spread of vegetation; the relationship between algae, fungi, and lichens; lichens and air pollution. Adaptation to extremes of heat and aridity. (28 minutes)
#1674 Plant & Animal Biology - Water and Plant Life (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program examines the water cycle in plants, focusing on ways they adapt to insufficient water or problems of water storage. The program looks at extended shallow root networks, seed pods that open only during rain, bulbs, the effect of leaf shape, how plants preserve water in freezing temperatures, adaptations to heat, night and day bloomers, and the special adaptations of cacti and succulents. (28 minutes)
#1675 Plant & Animal Biology - The Ecology of the Forest (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
Forests produce more animal and plant biomass-more life-than all the oceans combined, while occupying only one-eighth the area. This program looks at the life of both the temperate and rain forests: how the area of the forest is increased many times by the leaves (conifers are the most productive trees in this respect); the processes of composition and decomposition, increment and excrement; measuring phytomass; the biomass of a typical acre of temperate forest; the role of insects; earthworms, bacteria, and other constituents of the forest's underground economy; adaptation in the tropical forest; epiphytes, bromeliads, and palms; humus and water storage above the ground; propagation and germination of seeds in the rain forest. (28 minutes)
#1676 Plant & Animal Biology - Vines and Other Parasites (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
The mistletoe, held sacred in Druid cultures, state flower of Oklahoma, beneath whose branches lovers kiss-a parasite, but an ingenious one: its life cycle closely attuned to the life of its host tree and various bird species, its seeds are glued to the host branch by some, ingested but not digested by others, broadcast and then pruned, while the host tree lures the vine with its sap, then produces tannin to kill or stunt the vine's growth. The program also shows the extraordinary adaptation of an underground parasitic orchid, whose corolla is flush with the ground, and the strangler fig, which doesn't feed on the sap of the host but uses it as a support until the host has been choked to death. (28 minutes)
#1677 Plant & Animal Biology - Adaptation to Site (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
Plants, much more than animals, must adapt to the terrain, the climate, this or that local particularity of where they live, must modify their structure and behavior. This program shows the adaptations of plants that grow in walls, brassicas, sedges that grow at water's edge and prevent beach erosion, plants that take in so much salt that they exude it through their leaves, and others that live in soil so poor they become carnivorous to survive; how insectivorous plants trap and digest their prey and attract without destroying the insects that pollinate them; different types of insectivores; plants that live in water and those that live in fire-ravaged terrain. (28 minutes)
#1678 Plant & Animal Biology - Mushrooms and Fungi (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
Mushrooms: an imprecise term that covers a range of shapes and sizes from truffles to toadstools, some perfumed delicately and others putrescent and attractive only to the vilest of insects, some growing wild and others cultivated, some beneficial and others harmful. This program describes the structure, habitat, strange sexual life and reproductive habits, and status in the world of plants, and examines the range of mushrooms and mushroom-like fungi, parasites, and symbionts. (28 minutes)
#1679 Plant & Animal Biology - Plant Defenses (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
Animals can escape, bite, claw; plants, being rooted in one spot, have had to come up with a host of ingenious protective devices: spines and thorns that cause pain to those who would steal their fruits; insecticides; caffeine-whose purpose is not to keep humans awake but to ward off caterpillars; and chemicals that interfere with hormone-production in insects. Of course plants are not the only organisms to adapt; the hungry insects or birds or other animals that feed off the plant adapt to its devices, developing chemical antidotes, or camouflaging their appearance to confuse the plant, in extreme cases growing long necks like the giraffe's to reach the precise leaves they need. Thus the struggle to survive continues. (28 minutes)
#1680 Plant & Animal Biology - Plants and Insects: A Delicate Co-existence (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
Plants and animals co-exist on sometimes precarious terms in the struggle to survive, and one creature's food is another's destruction. This program looks first at ants. Leaf-cutter ants can denude whole trees, whose leaf fragments they cart away to their hills and turn into compost; this provides food for mushrooms, which in turn feed the ants, who carry mushroom filaments with them when they emerge and thus help the mushroom to propagate-which is useful to the ants because the mushroom produces an antidote to the protective ant-poisons produced by the tree. But there are stranger alliances-ants that protect trees from other insects in return, as it were, for exclusive nesting rights; butterflies camouflaged to look like leaves so that they can feed and lay their eggs where heredity dictates; flowers that produce imitations of butterfly eggs to fool real butterflies into finding other places to deposit their eggs; flowers that grow in gardens cultivated by ants. (28 minutes)
#1681 Plant & Animal Biology - Playing with Fire (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
In Physics, every action has a counter-action, and much the same is true in Ecology. Transplanting, cross-breeding, artificial pollination all seem like simple solutions to providing man with what he wants, or thinks he wants, but their side effects cannot be foreseen and inevitably turn out to be bad. The potato is a classic example: introduced as a solution to the problem of food shortages, it soon became the staple and, when attacked by disease, caused widespread famine; reestablished in the U.S., the potato thrived until the advent of the potato beetle-a battle still too close to call. Biological weapons have been used to combat disease in fir trees-and have caused worse damage. And the arrival of man and his cattle destroyed the balance of nature on the Australian plains and the loss of millions and millions of acres of pasture. As they seek an antidote to this bane, what new problems will Australians create? (28 minutes)
#1682 Plant & Animal Biology - The Balance of Nature (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
What happened to the ecology when five sailors, shipwrecked on an undiscovered island off New Zealand, left a bull, a cow, and a pair of rabbits behind when they were rescued. How adaptation can be so intricately specific that if one seemingly minor factor is changed, a species can die-or be killed through the introduction of a plant or animal to a region where it has no natural enemies. Consider the global consequences of the fact that by the middle of the next century, 15% of today's plant species will be extinct! And that international trade and travel constantly transposes species from their natural to new habitats. (28 minutes)
#1683 Plant & Animal Biology - The World of Green (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
From oaks to reeds, the plant world has its own rules, very different from those of animals. Age: trees can grow to extraordinary ages-the program shows a 2000-year-old oak; even when three-fourths of the branches are dead and only part of the trunk is alive, they continue to grow and grow viable seeds. Height: pines can grow to 200 feet. At the other extreme, the life-cycle of an annual: the seed germinates, the plant grows and dies, its seeds germinate... And other examples, from the direction of a vine's twining to the resilience of reeds, to the survival of the lotus, symbol of continuing life. (28 minutes)
#4633 Plant & Animal Biology - Animal Rights and Their Human Consequences (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
Alan and Suzanne Cheeseman are committed to animal rights and are not averse to breaking the law to prevent an animal's suffering. But their convictions are now creating a dilemma. She is seven months pregnant and recognizes that, although she is opposed to drugs that have been tested on animals, she may have to decide whether or not to use such drugs if childbirth does not progress as she hopes; nor can they predict how they will decide when their child reaches the age for inoculation against a variety of deadly diseases. Is their belief in animal rights a good enough reason to deny their child essential vaccinations? Is there a right or wrong in the use of animals for scientific purposes? The debate over this issue is between an Anglican theologian, a research consultant with the Royal SPCA, and a Hindu physician. (28 minutes)
#5104 Plant & Animal Biology - Natural Enemies (Run time 14 min.) DVD $89.95
In their fight against pests, tomato growers increasingly use the natural enemies of aphids, caterpillars, red mites, and white flies instead of insecticides. These natural enemies kill the unwanted pests in various ways. Entomologists are looking for the most useful natural enemy of pests, whether these are parasites that suck the eggs or that simply devour their victims. By accumulating statistical records, scientists can determine which are the most effective natural enemies, so that these can be cultivated and sent into the field against destructive crop pests. (14 minutes)
#5507 Plant & Animal Biology - Forests (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
Forests are not just collections of growing trees. A forest is a complex environment, home to thousands of intricately interconnected living species. This program explores three aspects of the forest: the amazing process of photosynthesis, by which plants collect solar energy and convert it into essential compounds; the role of forests in global weather and in maintaining the balance of the biosphere; and the threats to our forests. (23 minutes)
#5512 Plant & Animal Biology - Growing More Food (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
Statistically, world food production is sufficient to meet the demand, yet a third of the population is underfed. This is a scientific as well as a social problem, and this program looks at the efforts scientists are making to find solutions. Among the solutions they propose: the development of plants able to grow without nitrate fertilizers, and the selection of more productive and less demanding animal species. (23 minutes)
#5543 Plant & Animal Biology - Preserving Forests (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
Every year, millions of acres of forest are destroyed by fire, insects, and overcutting. This program looks at various ways in which forest management and science can help preserve forests: the battle against fire and insect pests; and the attempts to improve tree stock by means of tree genetics, a promising new technique. (23 minutes)
#5559 Plant & Animal Biology - Insects (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
Could these winged, six-legged little creatures inherit the earth? It's not impossible, given their incredible capacity for adaptation, which has enabled them to colonize the entire planet. This program shows us why insects are so successful, introducing us first into the fascinating world of bees, whose social organization is nearly as complex as ours. From these beneficial hymenoptera, we move to some diptera, such as stinging mosquitoes and biting black flies. People would like to eradicate these insects, but they, too, have their place in the ecosystem. (23 minutes)
#5561 Plant & Animal Biology - Reptiles and Amphibians (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
Reptiles and amphibians are important in the evolutionary history of life because they bridged the gap between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. This program deals with reptilian physiology and behavior and with the natural history of amphibians-amazing semi-aquatic creatures that can even withstand total freezing. It also broaches the fascinating yet unresolved question of the extinction of the dinosaurs. (23 minutes)
#5567 Plant & Animal Biology - Agricultural Pest Control (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
Growing foodstuffs is synonymous with battling agricultural pests. In just a few decades, we learned how dangerous pesticides can be. Now there are environmentally friendlier and more efficient methods of pest control. This program covers bioclimatology, which enables growers to monitor biological developments such as the proliferation of certain insects; sophisticated new diagnostic techniques, which help prevent certain plant diseases; and new milk processing technology. (23 minutes)
#5568 Plant & Animal Biology - Life Itself (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
What differentiates the living from the non-living? This is a perplexing question for scientists and philosophers both. We are still unable to create life in the laboratory, but every day we are learning more about the phenomenon of living. This program first delves into the essence of the process of life. It then enters the amazing world of microorganisms, the most rudimentary form of life. Lastly, it deals with the numerous common denominators found in different life forms despite their great diversity. (23 minutes)
#5596 Plant & Animal Biology - Mammals (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
About 200 million years ago, animals that nursed their young appeared on Earth. This program provides some fascinating information about these animals: the importance of endothermy, the physiological system that enables mammals to maintain a constant body temperature; how police dogs are trained; and how cetaceans, in order to survive in a marine environment, adapted in specific ways and developed, among other things, sonar communication. (23 minutes)
#5597 Plant & Animal Biology - Plants (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
Plants provide the oxygen that makes much of life possible; plants are also the only organisms able to transform solar into chemical energy. This program looks at the world of plants: their very complex biology, the use of plants to treat human illnesses, and the desperate need to prevent the extinction of plant species-not only the wild ancestors of our cultivated plants but the tens of thousands of species that are being lost even before they have been discovered. (23 minutes)
#5598 Plant & Animal Biology - Horticulture (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
Most of the fruits and vegetables we eat no longer originate from wild plants; they are the result of human intervention in the reproduction process of plants to produce more "desirable" varieties. This program shows how horticulture has changed our lives: variation and multiplication of plants; gardens, landscaping, and the use of computer design in applying the principles of ecological vegetation; and greenhouses, miniature ecosystems in which the growing conditions of plants can be altered as desired. (23 minutes)
#5599 Plant & Animal Biology - The Resources of the Forest (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
This program looks at some of the resources found in forests and the most recent technologies used to obtain them. Wood is used as a building material, for fuel, and as an artistic medium; woodworking requires a thorough knowledge of the properties of wood. The forest is also a source of food, and we see how maple sap is extracted for making syrup. Finally, we look at the step-by-step production of paper, demand for which is increasing as computers and duplicating machines proliferate. (23 minutes)
#5601 Plant & Animal Biology - Fish (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
Ichthyologists tell us that the success of fish as a life form is due to the biology of the fish, master of its aquatic environment. This program demonstrates the sophisticated systems of propulsion and respiration that enable fish to live successfully in water. It also describes the achievements of aquarium fanciers, who manage to recreate miniature ecosystems in just a few quarts of water. Finally, the program discusses a timely problem: overfishing and the efforts to protect our endangered resources. (23 minutes)
#5603 Plant & Animal Biology - Birds (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
Flight is probably what humans find most fascinating about birds, but the ability of bird brains to store migratory patterns is another great mystery. Birds and their eggs are a principal food source as well. This program investigates the biology of birds, what we know of the long annual migrations of many species and how we think birds are able to find their way, and introduces the world of aviculture and the methods by which breeders have developed more marketable and profitable kinds of chickens. (23 minutes)
#5892 Plant & Animal Biology - Richard Leakey: The Man Who Saved the Animals (Run time 51 min.) DVD $89.95
Set against the majestic backdrop of Kenya's breathtaking scenery, this program explores the life and work of Richard Leakey, world-famous archaeologist and crusader for African wildlife. In 1989, when Leakey became guardian of Kenya's national wildlife parks, close to 3,500 elephants were being slaughtered by poachers every year and the species faced extinction in Kenya. Thanks to his many initiatives, the elephants and other wildlife once again began to flourish. The program also explores the social, economic, and political considerations in East Africa that impact the survival of the wildlife. (51 minutes)
#5903 Plant & Animal Biology - Anatomy of the Earthworm (Run time 17 min.) DVD $89.95
This program is designed to facilitate a study of the anatomy of the earthworm as a representative annelid. Each individual system can be viewed and discussed separately. (17 minutes)
#8959 Plant & Animal Biology - Microbes in Action (Run time 32 min.) DVD $89.95
This program is divided into a sequence of laboratory demonstrations that investigate fermentation using sugars, determine fermentation rates through carbon dioxide output, quantify the action of yeast in bread, measure microbial growth, use an enzyme to peel an orange, employ saccharification to sweeten starch, and use yeast cells to generate electricity. Core laboratory competencies such as how to set up an experiment, titrate, and estimate numbers of cells are introduced, as well as background information on enzymes, aerobic and anaerobic environments, and the interdisciplinary nature of science. (32 minutes)
#8960 Plant & Animal Biology - Plant Biology (Run time 24 min.) DVD $89.95
Using animated diagrams, time-lapse photography, and scanning electron microscopy, this program concisely examines several key areas of plant biology. Topics discussed include cyclical and predatory plant movement, the role of stomata in transpiration and the diffusion of carbon dioxide, the mechanics of "light reaction" photosynthesis, the regulation of plant growth through hormones such as auxin and cytokinin, and hormonal growth responses to environmental stimuli. A laboratory demonstration of plant cloning, including cell extraction, callus growth, and hormone treatment, is presented as well. (23 minutes)
#11927 Plant & Animal Biology - Primates (Run time 53 min.) DVD $89.95
There are 234 primate species and it seems the more that is learned about them, the more humans come to understand themselves. Narrated by Armand Assante, this beautifully filmed program presents a wide variety of primates in their natural habitats. Their social order, family life, diet, mating habits, and even their use of tools are examined and discussed. Startling footage from central Africa, Borneo, Tanzania, and Brazil captures the uncanny similarities between the world of the primates and our own. A Discovery Channel Production. (53 minutes)
#33834 Plant & Animal Biology - Introduction to Life Science (Run time 18 min.) DVD $89.95
Launch a unit on life science with this video! It addresses central topics in biology-evolution, cellular structure, and hierarchical organization, to name only three; explains the process of scientific inquiry; and spotlights the contributions of key researchers in the life sciences, from Aristotle to Watson and Crick. The video also provides students with a bird's-eye view of many exciting biological fields, including biochemistry, ecology, genetics, marine biology, molecular biology, neuroscience, paleontology, and more. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Academy of Sciences National Science Education Standards and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Benchmarks for Science Literacy. A Cambridge Educational Production. (18 minutes)
#33835 Plant & Animal Biology - Cells: The Building Blocks of Life (Run time 16 min.) DVD $89.95
This video takes a close-up look at the lowest common denominator of all life: the cell. It illustrates essential cellular processes-transportation of materials, communication, energy transfer, protein-building, waste disposal, movement, and the all-important mitosis and meiosis-as well as key cellular landmarks like the nucleus, ribosomes, mitochondria, the Golgi complex, the endoplasmic reticulum, and lysosomes. Special attention is given to recent advances in biotechnology. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Academy of Sciences National Science Education Standards and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Benchmarks for Science Literacy. A Cambridge Educational Production. (16 minutes)
#33836 Plant & Animal Biology - Genetics and Evolution (Run time 24 min.) DVD $89.95
What does genetic diversity mean, and what is its relationship to evolution? This video answers that intriguing question as it summarizes the theory of natural selection and describes the process of trait inheritance. Advances stemming from the Human Genome Project-an ever-deepening understanding of life on Earth, improvements in disease detection and treatment, and applications of genomics to agriculture, the environment, and forensic science-are also discussed. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Academy of Sciences National Science Education Standards and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Benchmarks for Science Literacy. A Cambridge Educational Production. (24 minutes)
#33837 Plant & Animal Biology - Organization and Diversity (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
Planet Earth is teeming with life. Help your students make sense of it all by starting them at the bottom of the biosphere-home to bacteria, microbes, fungi, and insects. Organization and Diversity defines key terms, classifies the kingdoms and domains of life, outlines the Linnean hierarchical system, contrasts evolutionary taxonomy with cladistic analysis, and provides powerful DNA evidence supporting the unity of life. Also, the fascinating contributions of molecular taxonomy are showcased. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Academy of Sciences National Science Education Standards and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Benchmarks for Science Literacy. A Cambridge Educational Production. (19 minutes)
#33838 Plant & Animal Biology - Life Processes of Animals (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
Welcome to Kingdom Animalia! Clue your students in on the characteristics of multicellular animals with this video. It illustrates the specialized structure and function of the four basic animal tissue types, describes 12 major bodily systems, and analyzes the process of homeostasis for both endotherms (regulators) and ectotherms (conformers). A concise history of zoology and species classification is also included, and the distinction between vertebrates and invertebrates is explained. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Academy of Sciences National Science Education Standards and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Benchmarks for Science Literacy. A Cambridge Educational Production. (20 minutes)
#33839 Plant & Animal Biology - Life Processes of Plants (Run time 17 min.) DVD $89.95
What are these alien life forms living among us? They're...plants! This video investigates the major differences-and some striking similarities-between plants and animals in the areas of what they consume, how they breathe, and how they reproduce. Plant evolution, cell structure, the photosynthesis/respiration cycle, flowering and non-flowering plants, and sexual and asexual reproduction are covered. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Academy of Sciences National Science Education Standards and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Benchmarks for Science Literacy. A Cambridge Educational Production. (17 minutes)
#33840 Plant & Animal Biology - Microorganisms (Run time 18 min.) DVD $89.95
Open your students' eyes to the hidden worlds of monerans, protists, and fungi with Microorganisms. After watching this video, they'll be able to explain exactly what a microbe is, identify each general type of microorganism by its characteristics and functions, and describe the hazards and benefits of microbes. Microorganisms may live at the root of the evolutionary tree, but they've been around for billions of years, are found everywhere in nature (including the human body!), and are crucial in helping maintain the atmosphere, assisting in digestion and decomposition, and more. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Academy of Sciences National Science Education Standards and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Benchmarks for Science Literacy. A Cambridge Educational Production. (19 minutes)
#33841 Plant & Animal Biology - Interdependence of Life (Run time 22 min.) DVD $89.95
On planet Earth, no living thing is an island. This video identifies the world's ecosystems as it explains the flow of energy and the cycling of matter within them. Terms such as biosphere and biome, biotic and abiotic, autotrophs (producers) and heterotrophs (consumers), and the food web are defined, and ecology and conservation as fields of study are explored. Rainforests serve as a timely and powerful example of the interdependence of life at the global level-and the devastating worldwide effects of deforestation. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Academy of Sciences National Science Education Standards and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Benchmarks for Science Literacy. A Cambridge Educational Production. (22 minutes)
#4982 The Brain - How the Human Mind Works: Patricia Smith Churchland (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
Professor of Philosophy Patricia Smith Churchland is probing a new frontier in the area of brain research, convinced that exploration into the physical function of our "wonder tissue" can help us better understand what our thoughts mean and how we can control them. In her book, Neurophilosophy, she describes how recent discoveries about the brain call into question such basic philosophical concepts as free will and rational thinking. In this program with Bill Moyers, Dr. Churchland discusses startling new theories about how the mind works and about how much control we have over our thoughts, decisions, and choices. (30 minutes)
#5506 The Brain - The Brain (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
Supreme machine, the brain is an organ whose complexity is beyond all understanding. It is the center of sight, memory, speech, learning, emotions, thought, and a host of other functions. This program first draws us into the fantastic world of dreams-a world as interesting to physiologists and physicians as it is to psychoanalysts. Then the nervous system is explained: how nerve impulses are transmitted and how chemical neurotransmitters make our brain work. In addition, two technologies are explained which are designed to delve even deeper into the depths of the brain and to help detect illnesses: nuclear magnetic resonance and electroencephalography. (23 minutes)
#5528 The Brain - The Power of the Mind (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
In the past, people misattributed all sorts of powers to the mind. Now science is finding that our mind has far greater potential than we ever suspected. In this program, we sit in on a hypnosis session, during which a subject breaks all ties with outer reality to enter into deep communication with his subconscious mind. We also observe patients trying to improve their physical condition by using self-help and biofeedback techniques. However, scientists express their doubts as to the effectiveness of subliminal messages that are said to affect our consumer habits. (23 minutes)
#5600 The Brain - Neuropsychology (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
The brain is the most mysterious organ of the human body-an entanglement of cells that yields consciousness and spirit. One of the brain's most important functions is memory, and this program shows how researchers attempt to discover how brain cells "remember." The program also examines the complex psychological mechanisms underlying such emotions as laughing and sadness and the phenomena that enable us to express them. Finally, we describe two complex psychological processes: the recognition of expressions and intelligence. (23 minutes)
#5947 The Brain - The Mind vs. The Brain: Has Freud Slipped? (Run time 27 min.) DVD $89.95
This program asks "Was Freud right?" New insights into the brain reveal that many mental disorders previously believed to be the product of environment and experience are in fact rooted in biology and chemistry. Will Prozac and similar behavior-altering drugs replace talk-therapy and the psychiatrist's couch? Experts featured on this program include: Peter Kramer, author of Listening to Prozac, Fred Goodwin, former director of the National Institute of Mental Health; Daniel Weinberg, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health; and Milton Viederman, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Cornell Univ. Medical College. (27 minutes)
#8352 The Brain - Animated Neuroscience and the Action of Nicotine, Cocaine, and Marijuana in the Brain (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
Using sophisticated 3-D animation, this program, divided into two parts, takes viewers on a journey deep into the brain to study the effects of the three substances. The first part illustrates the major functions of the brain and shows how its principal cells, the neurons, communicate with each other through electrical and chemical signals. In the second part, animated molecules of nicotine, cocaine, and marijuana travel a route from the external environment through the body to the brain, where viewers learn about the cellular targets of these drugs, and how each drug interacts with them and subsequently affects the body. Images of actual neurons used in the animations create a realistic effect that helps viewers understand the concepts presented. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. (28 minutes)
#8643 The Brain - Men, Women, and the Brain (Run time 57 min.) DVD $89.95
Are certain differences between men and women innate, or are they the end-product of experience? In this program, specialists from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the University of Pennsylvania, Kennedy Krieger Institute, and McMaster University define and explore a number of the intriguing and sometimes puzzling differences between the brains of men and women. Far from insignificant, these differences can affect aging, reading ability, spatial skills, aggression, depression, schizophrenia, and sexuality. (57 minutes)
#8644 The Brain - Memory (Run time 57 min.) DVD $89.95
"Memory," says Nobel Laureate Dr. Eric Kandel, "is who we are." This program investigates issues related to the brain's fundamental processes of data storage and retrieval, such as why people remember some things and forget others; how Alzheimer's disease affects the brain and what treatments are being developed to treat it; how aging affects memory; and what steps can be taken to preserve and improve retention. Panelists include experts from Harvard Medical School and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the author of the book Searching for Memory. (57 minutes)
#8645 The Brain - Fear and Anxiety (Run time 57 min.) DVD $89.95
Moments of fear and anxiety are a common thread in the fabric of life. However, for over 20 million Americans, these feelings can be a constant presence. In this program, expert panelists from New York University, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Medical University of South Carolina discuss symptoms of anxiety disorders, how anxiety impacts everyday life, the relationship between fear and emotional memory, and new developments that are helping physicians to better understand and treat phobias such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. (57 minutes)
#8986 The Brain - Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better: Why the Sexes Excel Differently (Run time 52 min.) DVD $89.95
Statistically speaking, why have men and women not proved equally adept at the same things? In this program, researchers debate whether differences in brain architecture lead to a division of talents and aptitudes between the sexes-and draw some startling conclusions. To illustrate these differences, children are observed in classrooms, on the playground, and at home. (51 minutes)
#37381 The Brain - Health News and Interviews: Mental Health and the Human Mind Video Clips (Run time 60 min.) DVD $89.95
This collection of 34 video clips takes a close look at mental health and the human mind. Aspects of chronic stress, sleep disorders, seasonal affective disorder, depression, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia are covered, along with insights into brain architecture and the psychological benefits of exercising, meditating, and having a pet. Video clips include... Mental Health • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy • Schizophrenic Brain • Genetic Schizophrenia • Antidepressants and Cellular Growth • Imaging Antidepressant Accuracy • Depression and Hearing Tests • Exercise and Depression • Older Women and Exercise • Exercise Prescription • Generational Depression • Panic Disorder • Puppy Love • Post-Stress Drugs • Meditation Changes Brains • Sunny Mood • Hypnosis Surgery • Fearless Gene • Trauma Control The Human Mind • What Sex Is Your Brain • Stress Changes Your Brain • Humor and the Sexes • Racist Brain Region • Brain-Based Bias • Troubled Teens • Wiring the Brain • Sleepless Students • Snooze You Can Use • Sleeping Yourself Sick • Get Out of Bed • Catching Up on Sleep • TV and Sleep • Sleep and Brain Chemistry • Making Memories • Brain Viagra (51 minutes)
#10621 Genetics & Biotechnology - Understanding the Basic Concepts of Genetics (Run time 30 min.) DVD $99.95
After recapping the contributions of Schwann, Schleiden, Crick, Watson, and Wilkins, this program investigates the basic concepts of genetics. First, protein composition and the role of proteins in cell structure are described. Next, chromosomal differences between the sexes and the structure and function of DNA are examined, along with the concept of base pairing. Third, protein transcription and translation, gene expression, and meiosis-including crossover and independent assortment-are presented. An animated depiction of the fertilization process and the development of the fetus completes the program. (28 minutes)
#10622 Genetics & Biotechnology - Genetic Discoveries, Disorders, and Mutations (Run time 26 min.) DVD $99.95
This program analyzes the contributions of Mendel and Darwin, the transmission of single- and multiple-gene disorders, and genetic mutation. Following a description of Mendel's landmark pea-breeding experiments, the principles of heredity are applied to the spread of congenital conditions such as cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, myotonic dystrophy, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The second half of the program centers on types of mutation, including point mutation, deletion, frame shifting, insertion, and gross chromosomal abnormality. Darwin's theory of natural selection is considered as well. (23 minutes)
#10623 Genetics & Biotechnology - Practical Applications and Risks of Genetic Science (Run time 24 min.) DVD $99.95
This program discusses the Human Genome Project, gene-related medical research, and beneficial and potentially dangerous applications of genetic technology both to humans and to plants. Efforts to fight disease through gene therapy and recombinant DNA technology are addressed, as well as research into genetically controlling cancer and organ transplant rejection. The risks of agricultural over-hybridization through genetic engineering and cloning are also explored, as well as the ethical and biological issues surrounding human cloning, alteration of the human genome, and gene warfare. (24 minutes)
#7201 Cell Biology - An Introduction to the Living Cell (Run time 29 min.) DVD $129.95
Take a visual tour of the living cell; learn why all organisms rely on cells to grow, reproduce, and generate energy. This program shows subcellular organelles working together to meet the cell's continuously changing needs. Full-motion computer animation, art, and microscopic images help describe the wondrously complex and dynamic world of the living cell. (29 minutes)
#30837 Cell Biology - Keeping It Together: Cell Membranes (Run time 33 min.) DVD $129.95
With all the activities inside and outside the cell, how does the cell membrane hold it all together? This program closely examines the structure and function of cell membranes, including compartmentalization, intercellular interaction, regulation of the movement of materials, and as a location for biochemical activities. Using a combination of narration, film footage, and engaging graphics, the program covers the various ways in which materials can cross the cell membrane, such as diffusion, active and passive transport, osmosis, and endo- and exocytosis. The effects of osmosis-plasmolysis and turgor in plants-are also presented. (33 minutes)
#30838 Cell Biology - Inside Cells: Cells and Their Organelles (Run time 28 min.) DVD $129.95
Take your biology students on a tour of an unusual art museum-the "Cell Gallery." Using electron microscope images and entertaining graphics, this program walks viewers through the basic components of a cell. The tour looks in detail at the structure and function of cellular organelles, including cell membranes, nuclei, mitochondria, chloroplasts, smooth and rough endoplasmic reticula, ribosomes, lysosomes, vacuoles, cytoplasm, cytosol and cytoskeleton, microtubules and microfilaments, and the Golgi complex. The program also covers the importance of internal cellular membranes and compares the relative sizes of the different organelles. (29 minutes)
#6228 Genetics & Biotechnology - The Origin of Life (Run time 60 min.) DVD $129.95
This program explores the essential features of life: heredity and DNA. DNA stores and transmits genetic information, and proteins do all the work from there. DNA and protein are connected by the genetic code, in which DNA specifies what kinds of proteins can be made. This process of translation is well understood, but it is far too complicated to have arisen by chance in the primitive oceans. Yet all life we know depends upon it. This program, featuring John Maynard Smith of Sussex University, examines how this apparent paradox can be resolved. (60 minutes)
#6288 Genetics & Biotechnology - Pandora's Double Helix: The Promise and Perils of DNA Research (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
Almost every day there are reports of breakthroughs in genetic science, as researchers discover new fragments of the genetic code that may lead to a cure for cancer, the prevention of a birth defect, or a way to treat one of the 3,000 diseases linked to human DNA. While some argue passionately that DNA research is saving lives and alleviating suffering, others fear that geneticists have opened a veritable Pandora's box with terrifying implications-scientific knowledge could be used in ways the scientists never intended and could force individuals to make new, sometimes impossible moral choices about their lives. Does anyone have the right to play God with our genes? This program speaks with scientists and explores their successes at three laboratories on the forefront of such genetic research, as well as their supporters and their critics. (50 minutes)
#9298 Genetics & Biotechnology - DNA Profiling (Run time 15 min.) DVD $129.95
What used to take two weeks currently takes only a day-and in the near future, will likely take mere minutes. In this concise program, Chris Hadkiss, senior scientist at the Forensic Science Service, explains the latest DNA extraction and quantification techniques. Detailed laboratory footage illustrates the processes of sample extraction, quantification, amplification, separation, and interpretation. In addition, Mr. Hadkiss provides background on the history of DNA profiling, sources of DNA for sampling, the difficulties associated with radioactive tagging as compared to fluorescent tagging, and the value of mitochondrial DNA analysis. (15 minutes)
#10220 Genetics & Biotechnology - Spare Parts: Growing Human Organs (Run time 28 min.) DVD $129.95
In this fascinating program, experts on the cutting edge of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine present the astounding results of their research. Academic experts from MIT, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Duke University, and the University of Toronto-plus representatives of Osiris Therapeutics and Geron, leading industry pioneers-explain how new organs, arteries, ligaments, tendons, and skin are being grown from scratch using embryonic stem cells and bone marrow cells, bio-reactors, biodegradable scaffolding, and telomerase. Ethics issues and the race for patents are discussed as well. (28 minutes)
#11124 Genetics & Biotechnology - Tissue Engineering: Custom-Made Organs on Demand (Run time 22 min.) DVD $129.95
Still in its infancy, tissue engineering has already made it possible to grow human-based substitutes for basic bodily systems. In this program, experts from MIT, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Advanced Tissue Sciences, a commercial leader in tissue engineering technology, focus on synthesized skin and arteries, as well as cellular growth-inducing patches. Applications of these products for burn victims and people with diabetes are demonstrated. In addition, industry challenges including government regulation, mass production, and the forming of strategic alliances for research and distribution are addressed. (22 minutes)
#11201 Genetics & Biotechnology - Spares or Repairs: Applications and Implications of Cloning (Run time 26 min.) DVD $129.95
Beginning with Dolly, this program explores the successes of cloning animals and specialized cells, the use of cultured neurons to combat degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, and the future of tissue engineering, as well as the ethical dilemmas attending the science of genetics. Researchers from Roslin Institute, including Ian Wilmut; Robert Winston, professor of fertility studies at the University of London; and biologist/author Colin Tudge are featured. Footage of DNA extraction from an egg, stem cells growing into brain cells, and neuronal implantation offer a glimpse of the future of medicine. (26 minutes)
#11731 Genetics & Biotechnology - Genetic Engineering, Part 1: How DNA Works (Run time 16 min.) DVD $129.95
Any discussion of genetic engineering first requires a knowledge of how organisms replicate. In this program, Dr. David Cove describes the structure and function of DNA as he covers how coding sequences and promoters work together to create proteins from amino acids. DNA's remarkable suitability as a medium for duplicating the blueprints of life both rapidly and accurately in a simple yet precise language is emphasized. (16 minutes)
#11732 Genetics & Biotechnology - Genetic Engineering, Part 2: How Genes Are Engineered (Run time 14 min.) DVD $129.95
How does cDNA differ from normal DNA? Can a bullet really implant genes? And why is a gene for bioluminescence so valuable to researchers? This program answers those and other questions as it introduces the process of genetic engineering. Dr. David Cove deftly explains how reverse transcriptase is used to isolate genes, how isolated genes are cloned, how cloned genes are delivered via benign virus or "DNA gun," and how the effects of delivered genes are tracked by reporter genes. (14 minutes)
#11733 Genetics & Biotechnology - Genetic Engineering, Part 3: Applications and Issues (Run time 21 min.) DVD $129.95
Many scientists and consumers believe that genetic engineering will vastly improve life on Earth, while others believe it will spell the ruin of the planet. What are the facts behind the rhetoric and the hysteria? In this program, Dr. David Cove surveys past and probable future applications of genetic engineering while calmly presenting possible benefits and liabilities. The case is stated for genetically modified crops; microorganism-produced human insulin; engineered vaccines, which involve no disease-causing microbes; and the diagnosis and cure of gene-based diseases. The concept of risk assessment is also defined. (21 minutes)
#29779 Genetics & Biotechnology - Eternally Yours: The Ethical Implications of Genetics (Run time 40 min.) DVD $129.95
Is the extension of the natural life span through genetic engineering and cloning practical? Is it moral? And, in the long run, is it even desirable? In this program, leading experts debate the impact of scientific advances on the concepts of identity and humanity, the practical consequences of these advances on how people live their lives, and whether the companies in the forefront of genetics research should be permitted to patent their findings. The Reverend Angela Tilby, journalist/author George Monbiot, gerontologist Tom Kirkwood, cell biologist Nancy Lane, neuroscientist Susan Greenfield, and patent attorney Andrew Sheard are featured. (40 minutes)
#30800 Genetics & Biotechnology - Who Gets to Know? Genetics and Privacy (Run time 57 min.) DVD $129.95
When it comes to genetic testing, how much should a patient be told? If the news is bad, who else should the patient inform? And could-or should-such privileged information be made available to employers, insurance companies, and others? This Fred Friendly Seminar moderated by Harvard Law School's Arthur Miller offers a compelling discourse on the far-reaching ethical, social, legal, and economic implications of genetic testing. Panelists include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer; Nancy Wexler, president of the Hereditary Disease Foundation; Cynthia McFadden, ABC News senior legal correspondent; Nadine Strossen, president of the ACLU; and Representative Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY), sponsor of the Genetic Non-discrimination in Health Insurance and Employment Act. (58 minutes)
#30801 Genetics & Biotechnology - Making Better Babies: Genetics and Reproduction (Run time 57 min.) DVD $129.95
How far should people be allowed to go in trying to have better babies? And whose definition of "better" should prevail? This Fred Friendly Seminar moderated by Dateline NBC correspondent John Hockenberry considers the ethical dilemmas facing individuals and society that grow out of prenatal testing and genetic options that may be available in the future-such as cloning. Panelists include Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute; ABC journalist Meredith Vieira; Princeton University's Lee Silver, author of Remaking Eden: How Genetic Engineering and Cloning Will Transform the American Family; Commissioner Paul Miller of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Adrienne Asch, Henry R. Luce Professor in Biology, Ethics, and the Politics of Human Reproduction at Wellesley College; Faye Wattleton, president of the Center for Gender Equality; and Zev Rosenwaks, director of The Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at the New York Weill Cornell Medical Center. (58 minutes)
#30802 Genetics & Biotechnology - Genes on Trial: Genetics, Behavior, and the Law (Run time 57 min.) DVD $129.95
Anytime a high incidence of a health problem surfaces within a specific demographic, ethnic, or racial group, medical researchers have a golden opportunity to screen for genetic markers that could lead to a cure for patients all over the world. But what if the condition is controversial and the well-meaning research stigmatizes the people who have it? In this Fred Friendly Seminar moderated by Harvard Law School's Charles Ogletree, a fictitious group called the Tracy Islanders serves as a stand-in for any minority as informed panelists scrutinize the social, ethical, and legal issues involving genetic research as it applies to alcohol addiction. Experts include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer; Patricia King, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Law, Medicine, Ethics, and Public Policy at the Georgetown University Law Center; Barry Mehler, founder and executive director of the Institute for the Study of Academic Racism; Nadine Strossen, president of the ACLU; and Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the NIH. (58 minutes)
#31447 Genetics & Biotechnology - Science of the Sexes: Growing Up (Run time 51 min.) DVD $129.95
As a way of looking at the divergent physiological and psychological paths boys and girls take, this program compares two 14-year-olds who are twins in time: Aaron, a boy in London, and Alex, a girl in L.A. The effects of the SRY gene, the initial genetic advantages of being female, and the "baby X" experiment are some of the fascinating aspects of gender illustrated through demonstrations and discussion. Experts include psychiatrist Sebastian Kraemer, anthropologist and world-renowned gender-difference expert Helen Fisher, child psychiatrist Michael Lewis, and evolutionary biologist John Manning. A Discovery Channel Production. (51 minutes)
#31448 Genetics & Biotechnology - Science of the Sexes: Different by Design (Run time 51 min.) DVD $129.95
Why have two different sexes if other species have survived with just one? This program looks at the hormonal cascade that happens in adulthood, culminating in sexual reproduction, and the many advantages conferred by the resulting genetic variety. The effects of estrogen and testosterone and the physiology of sex are seen through a number of fascinating experiments and examples. Experts include psychiatrist Sebastian Kraemer, anthropologist Helen Fisher, and neuroscientists Raquel and Ruben Gur. A Discovery Channel Production. (51 minutes)
#33695 Genetics & Biotechnology - Trial and Error: The Rise and Fall of Gene Therapy (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
This clinical though often emotionally charged program challenges one of the most seductive and controversial ideas in all medicine: gene therapy. Scientists once thought its concept beautifully simple: remove the defective genes and replace them with healthy ones. Research was thought to advance when Dr. James Wilson determined that the best way to transport the healthy genes into the patient's cells would be via the adenovirus. Jesse Gelsinger, who had a non-life-threatening genetic disorder, was asked to take part in a trial using the virus as a vector. The tragic results that followed taught Gelsinger's family that gene therapy is decades away from being the wonder cure scientists hoped it would be. A BBCW Production. (50 minutes)
#37319 Genetics & Biotechnology - Science in Everyday Life: Genetics Video Clips (Run time 24 min.) DVD $129.95
This collection of 7 dazzling video clips focuses on various aspects of genetics ranging from history's DNA eureka moment, paternity testing, structural degradation of DNA, and tumor research using transgenic mice; to a human death gene and the role of stem cells in a freshwater polyp known as the hydra; to a case of gender/chromosome mismatch in which a girl is unable to naturally mature into a woman. Video clips include... • Genes: The Discovery of DNA • Genes: Paternity Test • Genes: The Recipe of DNA • Genes: Genetically Modified Mice • Cellular Death: The Genetics of Mortality • Cellular Death: Immortal Hydra • Gender: That Little Genetic Difference (24 minutes)
#10874 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Bleeding and Coagulation (Run time 31 min.) DVD $129.95
This program scrutinizes the human body's intricate and essential mechanism of coagulation. Physiological and pharmaceutical hindrances to coagulation are discussed, along with interventions designed to regulate coagulation and to break down unwanted blood clots. Demonstrative case studies including a partial liver resection due to chronic hepatitis and liver cancer; a closed-skull trauma, ruptured spleen, and contusion of the lungs, complicated by sepsis; and arrhythmia with atrial fibrillation and an atrial thrombus, complicated by hypertension and bleeding in the brain, are included. (31 minutes)
#36418 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Circulation: What an Autopsy Reveals (Run time 49 min.) DVD $129.95
The life of a cardiac patient might hang by a thread-but it's more accurate to say it hangs by a tube. In this program, anatomist Gunther von Hagens and pathologist John Lee demonstrate just how delicate and vulnerable the human circulatory system is. Exposing the network of veins and arteries from a deceased woman's body, they dissect the heart to reveal a massive affliction of arterial sclerosis and illustrate what dead heart muscle looks like. They also drain the system of blood and pump a UV-sensitive resin through it, showing how blockages can affect circulation, harm the function of vital organs, and lead to heart attacks and death. Viewer discretion is advised. Contains clinically explicit language and demonstrations. (49 minutes)
#36419 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Tumor: What an Autopsy Reveals (Run time 49 min.) DVD $129.95
Cancer is a vicious killer, but it leaves behind substantial clues that doctors can study. In this program, anatomist Gunther von Hagens and pathologist John Lee expose cancer for what it is-an attacker that can quickly and stealthily infiltrate the human body. Lee and von Hagens dissect the cadaver of a woman who, tragically, lost a battle with bowel cancer; they reveal the site of the primary tumor in the sigmoid colon, as well as the areas to which cancer had metastasized: the lungs and abdominal wall. To further illustrate tumor-spreading, the frozen body of a woman who succumbed to breast cancer is encased in polyurethane foam and sawed into slices. Viewer discretion is advised. Contains clinically explicit language and demonstrations. (49 minutes)
#36420 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Poisoning: What an Autopsy Reveals (Run time 49 min.) DVD $129.95
In this program, anatomist Gunther von Hagens conducts a meticulous autopsy in order to address the subject of poisoning-but the toxins he searches for have been manufactured within the deceased. Von Hagens and pathologist John Lee dissect the body of a man who suffered kidney failure, showing how the body can be contaminated if critical organs such as the kidneys and the liver can't filter out the poisonous by-products of metabolism. Following explanations of dialysis, a long segment of intestine is removed and connected to a fluid source, demonstrating the frequently fatal effects of obstruction, ulceration, or perforation of the intestinal tract. Viewer discretion is advised. Contains clinically explicit language and demonstrations. (49 minutes)
#36421 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Aging: What an Autopsy Reveals (Run time 49 min.) DVD $129.95
To most people, old age means gray hair and wrinkled skin-but that's just the surface. In this program, anatomist Gunther von Hagens and pathologist John Lee focus on the rarely seen, internal effects of aging. The body of a woman who died in her 80s is analyzed in sections, then contrasted with corresponding sections from a young woman. Comparing age to a progressive disease, von Hagens and Lee expose the lungs, heart, liver, stomach, and the aged brain-which contains more pronounced folds and thinner gray matter than a young brain-as well as the colon, which becomes more distended with age, leading to the digestive complaints common among the elderly. Viewer discretion is advised. Contains clinically explicit language and demonstrations. (49 minutes)
#37321 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Science in Everyday Life: Health and Wellness Video Clips, Part 2 (Run time 46 min.) DVD $129.95
This collection of 13 spectacular video clips offers insights into weight management, nutritional supplements, and more. Healthy and unhealthy eating, vitamins and vitamin deficiencies, food additives, and the actions of salt and water in the body are considered. Video clips include... Weight Control • Battling the Bulge: Overindulgence • Battling the Bulge: Glycemic Index • Battling the Bulge: Dieting • Battling the Bulge: Healthy Lifestyle Dietary Supplements • Vitamins: Vitamin C • Vitamins: Dementia and Vitamin B12 • Vitamins: Vegetables and Life Span • Vitamins: Food and Vitamins • Vitamins: Vitamin Loss Plus... • Risky Additives? MSG • Risky Additives? A World Without Food Additives • Precious Salt: How the Body Regulates the Salt/Water Levels • Water, Source of Life: The Path of Water in the Body (45 minutes)
#39568 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Minutes from Death: Oxygen Deprivation (Run time min.) DVD $129.95
The human brain suffers irreversible damage if deprived of oxygen for even a few minutes-a fact Dr. Gunther von Hagens demonstrates in this program, utilizing human cadavers. Simulating an artery injury to illustrate oxygen depletion through blood loss, von Hagens then focuses on problems affecting the trachea, the top priority for ER doctors. Von Hagens inserts an endoscope into his own throat and saws a frozen body in half to reveal the major structures of the airway-showing how easily they can be blocked by foreign objects. Red Cross first aid expert Emma Rand explains simple techniques for clearing the airway, while emergency medicine consultant Dr. John Heyworth shows how paramedics treat complex trachea damage. Viewer discretion is advised. Contains clinically explicit language and demonstrations. (48 minutes)
#39569 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Massive Blood Loss: Circulatory System Emergencies (Run time min.) DVD $129.95
As Dr. Gunther von Hagens makes clear in this program, a shortage of blood can mean insufficient oxygen reaches the major organs-usually resulting in shock and organ failure. The program opens with a graphic bleeding demonstration, re-creating injury to blood vessels in the hand of a cadaver. Von Hagens then examines the consequences of blood loss in the body's vital organs by creating knife-wounds in the torso of a frozen body, then sawing it into slices to reveal the path of the blades and the shocking extent of the damage. The program also explores a less well-known cause of blood loss-fractured bones-which von Hagens illustrates in an experiment in which a femur dissected from a fresh cadaver is made to bleed as it would in life. Viewer discretion is advised. Contains clinically explicit language and demonstrations. (48 minutes)
#39570 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Violent Impact: Bone Fractures and Brain Trauma (Run time min.) DVD $129.95
Beyond the immediate risks to a patient's life, doctors must also identify other bodily damage. In this program, Dr. Gunther von Hagens examines the kinds of injuries that can lead to permanent disability if not quickly addressed. Dissecting a female body donor who died after falling from a window, von Hagens locates fractures throughout her skeleton, explains how bones break, and bends a human spine to discover how much force it can withstand before snapping. The program then investigates the causes and consequences of brain damage. Re-creating head injury to the exposed brain of another cadaver, von Hagens illustrates how the rigid, closely fitting skull can actually damage the brain it is meant to protect. Viewer discretion is advised. Contains clinically explicit language and demonstrations. (48 minutes)
#35921 Microbiology - The Age of Viruses (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
In an escalating war between humans and microbes, catastrophic disease may have the edge. This program studies the ubiquitous threat posed by super viruses and describes scientific efforts to prepare for viral disease epidemics. Documenting the World Health Organization's response to the 2005 Angolan Marburg virus outbreak, the program examines strengths and weaknesses in the WHO infrastructure. It also visits the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana, and Cornell University's CHESS Synchrotron X-ray facility, featuring interviews with leading researchers who are developing sophisticated weapons against Ebola, dengue, HIV, and other viruses. (50 minutes)
#5408 Plant & Animal Biology - The Life of the Honey Bee (Run time 44 min.) DVD $129.95
Entomologists and sociologists have long been fascinated by life inside the beehive. Using modern film technology, with slow-motion sequences, microphotography, and intriguing experiments, this program penetrates the pitch-blackness of the hive to examine the organization and specialized life of the honey bee and to correct and broaden our previous knowledge of their life. (44 minutes)
#8842 Plant & Animal Biology - Beyond the Naked Eye: Microscopic Organisms (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
What do microorganisms have to do with the white cliffs of Dover, water purification, and anemia? This program explores the hidden world of single-celled creatures such as plankton, diatoms, amoebas, and bacteria and examines their role in maintaining the balance of life on Earth. Living competitively or symbiotically, these microbes are documented in their natural environments, including oceans and ponds, digestive tracts, and root systems. Time-lapse photography, footage of microorganisms at work, and creative sound effects enhance this outstanding educational resource. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#9171 Plant & Animal Biology - Think Like an Animal: Cognition Studies (Run time 51 min.) DVD $129.95
This intriguing program uses behavioral and communication research to open a window into the animal mind, as psychologists present their findings on innate animal intelligence gathered from the Ohio State University's Primate Cognition Project, the Smithsonian's Orangutan Language Project, and studies involving pigeons, parrots, and even octopuses. This research adds weight to the growing body of evidence that indicates animals do go beyond hardwired reflexes and responses to gather, organize, use, and retain information to solve problems. (51 minutes)
#10948 Plant & Animal Biology - The Ape: So Human! (Run time 41 min.) DVD $129.95
Just how far do the similarities between humans and great apes extend? Sequences from historic experiments by Allen and Beatrix Gardner, Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, and other primatologists, plus footage shot in the wild, provide compelling support for the thesis that chimps, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans are highly evolved indeed. Demonstrations of cognition, self-awareness, memory retention, language use, social behavior, mating practices, and perhaps even a sense of good and evil reveal species remarkably kindred to Homo sapiens. The anatomical basis for apes' inability to articulate speech, despite having Broca's area, is also discussed. (41 minutes)
#11333 Plant & Animal Biology - The Cells from Hell: Toxic Algae (Run time 28 min.) DVD $129.95
From Delaware to North Carolina, a formerly unknown species of toxic algae has been implicated in an alarming series of fish kills and associated human illnesses. This program scrutinizes the dinoflagellate known as Pfiesteria piscicida. Discovered by researchers at North Carolina State University, P. piscicida is now known to have a highly complex life-cycle with dozens of reported forms, a few of which can produce potent toxins. What has triggered this organism-a common indigenous inhabitant of mid-Atlantic coastal waters-to suddenly become a sensational health hazard and the focus of widespread panic? (28 minutes)
#32799 Plant & Animal Biology - Why Humans Have Legs: The Missing Link (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
When paleontologist Per Ahlberg discovered a strange fossil overlooked for decades at a museum in Latvia, he knew he was onto something. In this astounding program, Ahlberg and Jenny Clack, of the Cambridge University Museum of Zoology; Ted Daeschler, of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences; and Keith Thomson, of the Oxford University Museum, reexamine the evolution of the first tetrapods. Their research leads to Livoniana-a creature identified through cladistic analysis as part fish, part land animal-and prompts a revolutionary theory of why humans have legs. Duane Gish, of the Institute for Creation Research, dissents. Original BBCW broadcast title: The Missing Link. (50 minutes)
#33701 Plant & Animal Biology - The Demonic Ape (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
By turns charming, alarming, and poignant, this program questions the accuracy of the human evolution theory. Chimpanzees show signs of sophisticated language, advanced social behavior, and other traits thought reserved only for humans-even empathy. No one knows this better than the legendary Jane Goodall: her pride and joy, Frodo, grew up in front of film cameras in Gombe in Tanzania for over 30 years. But Frodo's killing of a child in May 2002 prompted huge debate amongst scholars about whether the origins of aggressive male human behavior can be traced back to our shared evolutionary ancestry with chimps. A BBCW Production. (50 minutes)
#33721 Plant & Animal Biology - The Sixth Extinction: The Human Role (Run time 51 min.) DVD $129.95
The five extinctions that have impacted the Earth over the past 400 million years-the Ordovician-Silurian, Late Devonian, Permian-Triassic, End Triassic, and Cretaceous-Tertiary-may be set to include another one on a massive scale. This alarming program assesses the extent to which Homo sapiens is provoking the planet's sixth extinction. According to scientists, wholesale destruction of habitats by humans contributes to the disappearance of 27,000 species each year. With decimation proceeding at such a rate, how long can life on Earth survive? Interviews with Oxford University zoologist Richard Dawkins, Harvard biologist Andrew Knoll, and Sussex University paleontologist Richard Fortney are featured. (52 minutes)
#2399 The Brain - The Development of the Human Brain (Run time 48 min.) DVD $129.95
This program follows the physiological development of the human brain from conception through the growth of the neurological system in utero, to the moment of birth, when an amazing variety of brain functions are already apparent. The camera continues to follow a child to the age of eight, as a whole range of motor and cognitive skills appears-some as simple as focusing the eyes, others as complex as playing the piano. (48 minutes)
#2842 The Brain - Inside Information: The Brain and How It Works (Run time 58 min.) DVD $129.95
This program explains research on the brain's processes: how individual parts of the brain work, how the brain uses pattern recognition rather than logic to interpret reality, which experiments with computer analogs have been successful and which have failed, and why. The program also provides interviews with some of the foremost researchers in the field, including neuroscientist John Hopfield, vision scientist V. S. Ramachandran, and physicist Carver Mead, who has a computer chip that can "see." (58 minutes)
#8554 The Brain - Mind Talk: The Brain's New Story (Run time 59 min.) DVD $129.95
What is the difference between the mind and the brain? Are they separable? Are they even quantifiable? And where does the soul fit in? In this thought-provoking program, experts including Oxford mathematician Sir Roger Penrose, cognitive scientist Dr. Daniel Dennett, and cyber-age techno-visionary Jaron Lanier contemplate the social and moral impact of brain research and questions such as how matter developed consciousness, whether computers can model human abilities, how free "free will" really is, and where legal responsibility for actions begins and ends. This intriguing program is a vital resource in the ongoing challenge to understand that which makes human beings truly human. A Bob Drake/Wendy Conquest Production. (59 minutes)
#9173 The Brain - Intelligence, Creativity, and Thinking Styles (Run time 30 min.) DVD $129.95
How do multiple intelligences and different thinking styles relate to traditional IQ scores? What role should teacher creativity and the family play in shaping student intelligence? In this interview by Phillip Harris, of Phi Delta Kappa, Robert Sternberg-IBM Professor of Psychology and Education at Yale University-answers questions about the IQ-based "single trait notion of intelligence"; the application and implementation of his triarchic theory of intelligence; and the implications of school reform on the future of public education. (30 minutes)
#10589 The Brain - The Brain-Body Connection (Run time 57 min.) DVD $129.95
Every year it becomes more apparent that mental and physical health are closely intertwined. This program, hosted by noted journalist Garrick Utley, presents research on the link between depression and disease, the brain's role in athletic performance, and the treatment of chronic pain. Experts from the National Institute of Mental Health, Harvard Medical School, The Salk Institute, and elsewhere share their remarkable findings on topics such as the relationship between depression and platelet clotting, how synapses are hardwired, and the development of a drug to block the encoding of pain memories. The program features segments with singer Judy Collins, who struggles with depression; major league baseball pitcher Orel Hershiser; and Joffrey Ballet dancer Taryn Kaschock, who copes every day with the pain of scoliosis. (57 minutes)
#11456 The Brain - All in the Mind: Understanding the Complexity of the Brain (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
In this program, Dr. Susan Greenfield expresses her belief that all aspects of human experience will eventually be explained in terms of the physical processes of the brain. Cases drawn from the history of brain research-from the earliest and crudest studies of the effects of brain injury to the latest data derived from brain surgery on patients who are awake and alert-offer insights both fascinating and controversial. Is it possible that humankind's deepest spiritual feelings are simply the result of complex electrical activity in the temporal lobe? A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#11457 The Brain - In the Heat of the Moment: The Biochemistry of Feelings (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
A landmark study of the facial expressions of native Papua New Guineans suggests that all human beings share six basic emotions. But what happens in the brain to trigger those emotions, and how do emotional responses differ according to age and experience? In this program, Dr. Susan Greenfield considers past attempts to explain emotions in terms of brain areas-and then asserts that the answers actually lie in the function of neurotransmitters. Research indicating that battlefield terror can actually alter the brain's structure is also discussed. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#11458 The Brain - The Mind's Eye: How the Brain Sees the World (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
One patient cannot recognize a single face, including his own. Another cannot see anything that is moving. And a third can watch and understand a soccer game, but cannot recognize the black-and-white object they are kicking. Drawing on the experiences of people with rare forms of brain damage, this program featuring Dr. Susan Greenfield reveals the tricks and shortcuts used by the brain to construct its version-or illusion-of reality. Is seeing really believing? A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#11459 The Brain - First among Equals: Why Do Humans Rule the Earth? (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
What is it about the human brain that has allowed Homo sapiens to take charge of the planet? Is it a question of brain size, cognitive abilities, speech, or perhaps something else? Bringing together diverse elements ranging from the first-ever brain scan of a chimpanzee performing a comprehension test to a case study of a brain injury caused by a hand grenade, this program featuring Dr. Susan Greenfield compares humans to other forms of highly evolved life on Earth to arrive at a surprising answer. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#11460 The Brain - Growing the Mind: How the Brain Develops (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
As far as Dr. Susan Greenfield is concerned, learning, memory, and even the process of individuation should be understood as a restless brain adapting moment by moment to the environment it encounters. This program charts the changes in the human brain as it develops from infancy to adulthood. The brain's extraordinary adaptability, as demonstrated by its ability to reorganize its neural network after radical surgical intervention, and its terrible vulnerability to damage, as in the case of John Forbes, whose memory faculty was almost entirely destroyed by an accident at birth, are addressed. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#11461 The Brain - The Final Mystery: What Is Consciousness? (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
The human brain is made up of the same biological building blocks as the rest of the body, and yet somehow it manages to generate consciousness. In this program, Dr. Susan Greenfield seeks to understand the human body's most remarkable phenomenon-and explains why the existence of each mind's private world of experiences and feelings is actually more incredible than the fact that life on Earth evolved at all. The case of Graham Young, who lost his right-side vision in both eyes and yet is still able to process that visual information, adds support to her thesis. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#37527 The Brain - If... We Could Stop the Violence (Run time 60 min.) DVD $129.95
In the future, brain scans could be used to assess a child's potential for violence-and to decide if that child should be kept apart from the public, even when he or she has never hurt anyone. Should neurologists and behavioral psychologists have that much power? This program explores the issue with a compelling dramatized story, showing just how a combination of medical expertise and governmental authority could be applied to create a "safe" society-at the expense of those who fit certain parameters. Viewers will gain additional insight from USC Professor of Psychology Adrian Raine, Georgetown University Professor of Neurobiology Jonathan Pincus, Children's Society Policy Manager Sharon Moore, and other experts. A BBCW Production. (60 minutes)
#8228 Cell Biology - A Journey Through the Cell (Run time min.) DVD $139.9
This two-volume set combines live-action video, colorful computer graphics and animations, and interviews with scientists to introduce students to ideas central to understanding cells and their profound role in the living world. Viewable/printable instructor's guides are available online. Correlates to the National Science Education Standards developed by the National Academies of Science and Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. A Cambridge Educational Production. 2-part series, 20 minutes each.
#11169 Plant & Animal Biology - Classification of Living Things (Run time min.) DVD $139.9
Any discussion of biodiversity and the web of life can be strengthened by an understanding of how living things are classified. Beginning with the work of Linnaeus, this two-part series introduces the taxonomic systems used by scientists to identify and categorize the Earth's abundant life forms. Live footage, microscopic imaging, diagrams, definitions of key terms and concepts, and interviews with science professionals provide insights into the ongoing challenge to understand the diverse characteristics of living things. Correlates to the National Science Education Standards developed by the National Academies of Science and Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. A Cambridge Educational Production. 2-part series, 27-28 minutes each.
#8445 Biochemistry - Culture of Human Fibroblasts (Run time 20 min.) DVD $149.95
This in-depth program shows how fibroblasts from the skin are isolated by using enzymes and then cultured in a nutrient medium. Detailed explanations of how cells can be re-seeded, counted, and cryopreserved for storage in liquid nitrogen for long periods of time are demonstrated. The importance of careful aseptic techniques and the use of sterile equipment is discussed. (20 minutes)
#8446 Biochemistry - Immunoblotting (Run time 13 min.) DVD $149.95
This program explains the principles of immunoblotting with the aid of computer diagrams and demonstrates how to implement the technique in the laboratory. It explains why attempting to detect the presence of protein samples directly from an electrophoresis gel is impractical, due to diffusion of the protein bands over time and the fragility of the gel itself. The technique of immunoblotting is then illustrated in the laboratory, by showing a method of making a single specific protein visible by using an antibody to that protein. The effect of adding a second antibody with an enzyme attached to produce a colored product when a substrate is added is also shown. (13 minutes)
#8447 Biochemistry - Monoclonal Antibodies (Run time 25 min.) DVD $149.95
Using computer graphics, this program illustrates the difference between monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. It describes how lymphocytes in the bloodstream respond to the appearance of an antigen by producing antibodies to it. Problems with antibodies from the blood are discussed along with Milstein's solution. A step-by-step procedure to obtain stable hybridomas, a hybrid cell produced by the fusion of an antibody-producing lymphocyte with a tumor cell, through the isolation of lymphocytes from the spleen is demonstrated. (25 minutes)
#8448 Biochemistry - Southern Blotting (Run time 17 min.) DVD $149.95
This program explains the principles of southern blotting, a technique used to create a visible picture of DNA that can be used in research. The viewer will follow the step-by-step process from separation of the DNA bands to fixing the image on film and the final arranging of the DNA fragments as separate bands. Five DNA samples are compared using this technique, one that is normal and four from patients with neurological disease. (17 minutes)
#7461 Cell Biology - Programmed Death of a Cell (Run time 30 min.) DVD $149.95
This program uses microscopy and excellent computer animation to study the complex process of apoptosis. In the first T cell maturation stage, lymphocytes leave the bone marrow and enter the thymus from the lymphatic ducts. Upon entry, some of these future T cells interact, using their newly developed T cell receptors (TCRs) to bind to MHC molecules on the thymus. The T cells that do not bind to MHC molecules are then programmed to die-the process we call apoptosis. Remaining T cells continue to mature and proliferate. The process is demonstrated in the development of an embryonic finger. (30 minutes)
#11332 Gender & Reproduction - 1 + 1: A Natural History of Sexuality (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
Biological evolution has resolutely chosen to hand down genetic information through the fragile and uncertain process of sexual reproduction-employed by approximately 95 percent of the Earth's species-rather than through the simpler and surer method of asexual reproduction. Drawing on the work of evolutionary biologists from America and abroad, this program examines four billion years of history to find an answer to the question of why sex has evolved into the primary mode of procreation. (53 minutes)
#30418 General Biology - Threads of Life: The Power of Genes (Run time 59 min.) DVD $149.95
How are Aborigine children able to score so well on memory tests? Why do Europeans have a higher alcohol tolerance than Asians? What makes Kenyans such extraordinary marathon runners? Drawing from a fascinating array of examples, this program uses outstanding graphics and illuminating metaphors to bring home the power of a set of chemical instructions called genes. Laboratory experiments and real-life cases also show the dramatic effects of mutations, such as atavism and albinism. As scientists discover what these genetic switches control, the grim fact of heredity-that two out of three people will die for reasons connected with the genes they carry-may be relegated to the dustbin of history. A BBC Production. (59 minutes)
#7043 Genetics & Biotechnology - The Science of Cloning (Run time 25 min.) DVD $149.95
In July 1996, Dr. Ian Wilmut used an electric charge to bring dormant cells to life, and from these cells a sheep named Dolly-the world's first cloned mammal-was created. In this program, Michael McClure of the National Institutes of Health begins by tracing the history of such genetic reproduction technology as in vitro fertilization, parthenogenesis, and genetic therapy-antecedents of modern cloning practices. Computer graphics then illustrate the biomechanics of cloning. Cloning's implications for biology, medicine, and agriculture are discussed. Dr. Ruth Macklin of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine discusses the possible role of cloning in the prevention of extinction, the creation of "super" breeds of animals, the curing of disease, and the growth of human organs needed for transplant. A panel of experts discusses the future of cloning and possible abuses. (25 minutes)
#7044 Genetics & Biotechnology - The Ethics of Cloning (Run time 29 min.) DVD $149.95
The technology of cloning has raised a host of moral, ethical, and religious questions, and this program examines many of them. The "dangers" of cloning, from shrinking gene pools, to the development of a "super race," to fears that cloned DNA could introduce genetic flaws into the population, are examined. A theologian discusses how cloning changes our notion of soul. Harold Shapiro, chairman of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission, comments on the recent ban on the cloning of humans, and a cloning expert discusses government regulation versus the freedom of scientific inquiry. A panel discussion in which experts debate ethical issues concludes the program. (29 minutes)
#7158 Genetics & Biotechnology - Transgenesis: Agricultural Biotechnology (Run time 51 min.) DVD $149.95
As the Green Revolution begins to sputter amidst a rising world population, more emphasis is being placed on biotechnology, which uses living organisms to produce new or altered products. In transgenesis, scientists are able to remove specific genes from one living organism and transplant them into others, such as vegetables, to create bigger, better, more disease-resistant produce. This program follows the process of transgenesis from the laboratory, to the farmer's field, to the consumer's table. (51 minutes)
#7453 Genetics & Biotechnology - Double Helix (Run time min.) DVD $149.95
This fast-paced dramatization starring well-known actor Jeff Goldblum is about the race to solve one of the greatest mysteries of 20th-century science-the structure of DNA. It is the story of the diligent research, creative analysis, and perseverance of James Watson and Francis Crick that led to the discovery. With the help of their colleague, Maurice Wilkins, they also earned the 1962 Nobel Prize. Students of biology and genetics will benefit from the process of problem-solving used to identify the structure of DNA, as well as the clear, concise summary of research evidence. A BBCW Production. (1 hour 48 minutes)
#8429 Genetics & Biotechnology - Dawn of the Clone Age (Run time 50 min.) DVD $149.95
In February 1997, science fiction took a step closer to science fact when a team of British scientists achieved what many believed to be impossible-the successful cloning of an animal. This is the most complete documentary ever made on the subject of the sheep named Dolly, the science of cloning, and the debate surrounding cloning ethics. Capitalizing on exclusive access to Dolly's creators, this program charts their struggle to discover the Holy Grail of embryology and examines the future ethical implications raised by cloning. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#8450 Genetics & Biotechnology - Hand-Me-Down Genes: How Genes Work (Run time 25 min.) DVD $149.95
Our body is composed of billions of cells, but how does each cell know what to become? This program starts with the nucleus of a single cell and then explains the other components the cell needs to function: chromosomes, genes, DNA, and ribosomes. From hair color to height, our genes determine who we are. This program explores, through animated graphics, all of the basic genetic building blocks and how they work. (25 minutes)
#8451 Genetics & Biotechnology - Hand-Me-Down Genes: Family Patterns (Run time 28 min.) DVD $149.95
When you look at a family photo, the resemblances, even across several generations, can be striking. What role do genes play, and why aren't siblings identical (and why are some)? This program explains how the formation of sex cells, from the first gamete to chromosome pairs, determines our genetic makeup. Deviations such as cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease, achondroplasia, Klinefelter syndrome, and Turner syndrome are also discussed. (28 minutes)
#8889 Genetics & Biotechnology - A Question of Genes: Inherited Risks (Run time 106 min.) DVD $149.95
When a woman tests positive for a high possibility of breast cancer, should she consider a preemptive mastectomy? Should it be permissible for companies to use genetic testing to determine insurability? When a single genetic marker implicates more than one disease, should the doctor tell the patient all the possible consequences? This program explores these and other perplexing questions raised by genetic testing. Its use-and applications of other genetic research now available or just over the horizon-will continue to be hotly debated while the repercussions test society's values and beliefs. (1 hour 46 minutes)
#11530 Genetics & Biotechnology - Biotechnology: Friend or Foe? (Run time 55 min.) DVD $149.95
Genetic science holds the keys to life itself. How should this knowledge be used? Enhanced by outstanding 3-D computer animations and microscopic imaging, this engaging program featuring Dr. Cary Fowler, author of Shattering: Food, Politics, and the Loss of Genetic Diversity, takes a balanced look at the biotechnological revolution. Among the numerous topics surveyed are genetic engineering, cloning, gene therapy, genetically modified food crops, gene patenting, DNA fingerprinting, gene banks, and the use of transgenic animals for organ transplants. An overview of heredity, natural selection, and the mechanics of DNA is provided. (55 minutes)
#29332 Genetics & Biotechnology - Playing God: Human Cloning (Run time 49 min.) DVD $149.95
Will human cloning provide a panacea for ailments and diseases or usher in a nightmarish world of eugenics and designer people? This program presents an in-depth exploration of the ethical concerns regarding human cloning, a technology that has already prompted heated debate over its potential uses and abuses. A variety of perspectives are canvassed from the theological, legal, and scientific fields, including interviews with Dr. Ian Wilmut, the first scientist to successfully clone a mammal-Dolly, a sheep. (50 minutes)
#29475 Genetics & Biotechnology - Genomania: A Survey of Genetic Research (Run time 44 min.) DVD $149.95
While most laud the use of DNA evidence in criminal trials or body identification, DNA testing to predict potentials for behavioral traits and diseases poses a slippery slope: when does genetic screening become a vehicle for eugenics? This program provides a succinct overview of the many advances and controversies surrounding genomic research today. New gene therapies are discussed both by patients who rely on them and by opponents who call for more testing. Among those interviewed are Dean Hammer of the National Health Institute, whose research into homosexuality has sparked much debate, and William Haseltine, whose company Human Genome Sciences holds 114 genetic patents. (44 minutes)
#30397 Genetics & Biotechnology - Creation: The Promise of Stem Cells (Run time 50 min.) DVD $149.95
Pioneering methods of human cloning give a paralyzed Texas doctor hope that he will walk again. Meanwhile in England, a couple prepares for the results of cloning the natural way: triplets. In this program, cutting-edge imagery gives a futuristic, highly visual portrayal of the very latest advances in stem cell development and genetic science. The efforts of Dr. Jose Cibelli, head of research at Advanced Cell Technology, which led to the first artificially cloned embryo are paralleled with the incredible feat of genetic replication as it occurs naturally in the womb. Commenting on how these innovations have already dramatically changed human life are Professor Lee Silver, molecular biologist at Princeton University, and Nobel Prize-winning cell biologist Sir Paul Nurse. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#30398 Genetics & Biotechnology - Predictor: Genetic Screening (Run time 50 min.) DVD $149.95
To what extent do genes determine human behavior? Human destiny? With vivid imagery and fascinating examples, this program looks at how genetic screening yields answers to riddles past and future. A woman discovers that a single letter change in the genome has been responsible for her family's generations-old "curse" of deformed hands. Dr. Hugh Montgomery of University College Hospital, London, screens the DNA of army recruits for the ACE or endurance gene which may affect their longevity as well as their basic training. Dr. Dean Hammer of the National Institutes of Health explains his search for a thrill-seeker gene, D4DR. And attorney Daniel Summer argues for leniency for his death-row client because his DNA predisposed him to a life of crime. Professor Lee Silver of Princeton University and Nobel Laureate Sir Paul Nurse also provide commentary. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#30399 Genetics & Biotechnology - The Secret of Sex: Finding the Essence of Man and Woman (Run time 50 min.) DVD $149.95
One of the most fundamental human acts, sex has always been a mystery. This program examines aspects of reproduction, as well as what being male or female means at the cellular level. Dr. Roy Levin, a reproductive physiologist, uses an FMRI scanner to glean surprising images from a couple having intercourse. Startling physiological effects are seen over a mere six months in a woman who begins testosterone therapy. Experts include Marc Breedlove, Professor of Neuroscience at Michigan State University; Dr. Peter Goodfellow, renowned authority on the Y chromosome; Professor John Burn, clinical geneticist at Newcastle University; Dr. John Manning, one of the world's leading specialists on testosterone; and Dr. Melissa Hines, Professor of Psychology at City University who has studied testosterone's influence on how children play. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#32204 Genetics & Biotechnology - The Secret of Life (Run time 57 min.) DVD $149.95
A half-century ago, three teams with three different approaches raced to unravel the structure of DNA. This program blends extensive interviews and firsthand narration with extraordinary graphics to tell the compelling story of how the perhaps unlikely duo of Jim Watson and Francis Crick won that race. Many of the principal figures in the quest discuss their frustrations and insights, including Nobel Laureates Watson and Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Linus Pauling's son, Peter. (57 minutes)
#32205 Genetics & Biotechnology - Playing God (Run time 57 min.) DVD $149.95
Twenty years after the discovery of DNA's structure, another revolution swept biology when scientists began learning how to manipulate genes outright. The controversy continues. This program tells the story of genetic engineering's pioneers, focusing on the race to synthesize insulin and the development of genetically modified crops. Spectacular computer animations of molecular processes are paired with extensive commentary by key researchers, including Genentech founder Herb Boyer, Stanford University biochemists Stan Cohen and Paul Berg, former Genentech scientist Dave Goeddel, Nobel Laureate Jim Watson, Harvard University molecular biologist Walter Gilbert, and Monsanto biochemist Bob Horsch. (57 minutes)
#32206 Genetics & Biotechnology - The Human Race (Run time 57 min.) DVD $149.95
In 1990, a massive enterprise was launched to decipher the ultimate instruction manual. The Human Genome Project soon turned into a race and a feud. This program tracks the tumultuous progress of the endeavor, detailing the scientific innovations that led to its completion, as well as its political and economic impact. Exceptional graphics bring home the daunting task of sequencing the human genome. Among those who discuss the project are initial rivals Francis Collins and J. Craig Venter; Dr. John Sulston; Sir Alec Jeffreys, the discoverer of DNA fingerprinting; Nobel Laureates Fred Sanger and Jim Watson; and former President Bill Clinton. (57 minutes)
#32207 Genetics & Biotechnology - Curing Cancer (Run time 57 min.) DVD $149.95
This program tells the story of how a small group of researchers have developed radically new ways to treat the most feared of diseases by tracing cancer back to its origins: its DNA. The program focuses on two pioneering efforts: the race between Dr. Mary Claire King and Dr. Mark Skolnick, founder of Myriad Genetics, to isolate the gene linked to breast cancer, and Dr. Brian Druker's work that eventually led to the anti-cancer drug Gleevec, which cures chronic myeloid leukemia. Extraordinary imaging shows the genetic mechanisms of cancer and how new drugs target its aberrant sections of DNA. (57 minutes)
#32208 Genetics & Biotechnology - Pandora's Box (Run time 57 min.) DVD $149.95
When it comes to DNA science, nobody has a better track record than Jim Watson; what makes him controversial, however, is his vision of its future. This program looks inside the Pandora's box of genetic manipulation with the man who opened it. Watson serves as guide, exploring some of the current and proposed ways scientists are improving humankind. He also addresses some of his critics, including a family with a son who has Down syndrome, and Dr. Kay Jamison, a world expert on bipolar disorder and a bipolar patient herself. (57 minutes)
#32429 Genetics & Biotechnology - Superfly: A History of Genetics (Run time 61 min.) DVD $149.95
With two thirds of the same DNA as our own and a two-week breeding cycle, it's an ideal lab specimen: Drosophila melanogaster, or the fruit fly. Using specialized photography, 3-D animation, and graphics, this program entertainingly tells the story of a humble creature's huge role in the history of genetics. Dramatizations recap Thomas Morgan's groundbreaking experiments at Columbia University, while ongoing research is discussed by today's leading experts, including Nobel laureate Professor Eric Wieschaus of Princeton University, Professor Tim Tully of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Professor Mike Levine of the University of California, Berkeley. (60 minutes)
#32907 Genetics & Biotechnology - The Cloning Revolution (Run time 50 min.) DVD $149.95
This program presents a comprehensive examination of cloning, from its beginnings and the creation of Dolly to technological advances including the production of customized cells, organs, and animals. With advances in nuclear transfer, whole animals might be cloned by "awakening" all of the cells in a gene. Scientists at the University of Massachusetts are using that technology to modify the organs of animals destined for human transplants. Their eventual goal is to create "factories" where animals would be used to produce organs fit for transplant. The ethics of cloning are closely examined. (50 minutes)
#33044 Genetics & Biotechnology - Cutting and Splicing DNA (Run time 24 min.) DVD $149.95
This program presents a brief history of genetic science, from Darwin's theory of evolution through the discovery of DNA and the invention of gene splicing. Darwin hypothesized a theory, but understood nothing of the mechanism of evolution. The program follows the history of scientific understanding of the nucleus, chromosomes, and the location of hereditary information; explains the work of Gregor Mendel and Thomas Hunt Morgan; and features exclusive interviews with James Watson, who unravelled the secret of DNA's structure, and Stanley Cohen, who first spliced the gene and created contemporary cloning techniques. Spectacular computer animation displays the beautiful simplicity of the DNA molecule, and reveals how the gene was spliced. (24 minutes)
#33046 Genetics & Biotechnology - The Human Genome (Run time 28 min.) DVD $149.95
This program explores the search for the one specific disease-causing gene among a hundred thousand genes clustered on 23 pairs of chromosomes-a maze called the human genome. In the 1950s, we discovered that genes were sections of the long strand of hereditary material, DNA; in the 1970s, we learned how to cut and splice that strand; in the 1990s, we are labeling the individual genes that carry beneficial or unwanted characteristics. The program shows how individual genes are being identified, and the moral and psychological dilemma confronting doctor and patient when a disease like Huntington's chorea can be genetically identified: Is it better to live with fear or risk knowing that a lingering and horrible death awaits? (28 minutes)
#33047 Genetics & Biotechnology - DNA Techniques (Run time 24 min.) DVD $149.95
This program gives an explanation of the promises and the dangers inherent in deciphering the gene map, and a warning about the dangers of eliminating genetic variation and recessive traits. The program analyzes the potential misuse of genetic information and demonstrates the potential of genetic engineering to provide the first true preventive medicine program in medical history, as well as the possibility of eradicating single-gene defects like thalassemia; it also explains the dangers of narrowing the genetic pool, and-in a segment with extraordinary photography-shows the injection of human genes into mouse ova so that they merge with the mouse DNA. And the program proceeds to ask: Is this the first step to wiping out genetic illness-or to wiping out ourselves? (24 minutes)
#33048 Genetics & Biotechnology - Designer Plants (Run time 24 min.) DVD $149.95
We may not recognize the plants and animals our children eat. But the real issue is whether the power of the gene will be wisely used, or will it be diverted to the personal ends of those seeking financial profit or political power? Biotechnology is all that stands between a burgeoning world population and starvation. Already, ordinary milking cows are a disappearing species, plants are genetically matched to growing conditions, and plants are being engineered to kill the caterpillars that attack them. This program shows how this is done and explains its benefits, while warning of the dangers inherent in this and other efforts to alter natural evolution. (24 minutes)
#33049 Genetics & Biotechnology - Depleting the Gene Bank (Run time 29 min.) DVD $149.95
This program discusses the dangers of selecting and breeding better and better and fewer and fewer varieties. It explains the dangers of depleting the gene bank: when new diseases or predators appear, entire species may be wiped out because no naturally-resistant varieties remain; and the smaller number of varieties offered tend to omit the regionally well-adapted ones in favor of more generally adapted plants-another disaster waiting to happen. The hopeful side of agricultural experimentation is plant tissue culture, which is the model for an entirely new way to produce more and better plants, more quickly. The reality is that in agriculture, no fix is permanent-insect genetics are constantly changing, and agricultural geneticists are in a race against world starvation. (29 minutes)
#33050 Genetics & Biotechnology - Sowing the Seeds of Disaster (Run time 26 min.) DVD $149.95
Technology has poisoned our planet and biotechnology may be the way to save it. This program shows how biotechnology is finding, altering, and growing answers to chemical pollution-how PCB-eating organisms are designed, tested, and produced and how frost-resistant plant strains are produced. It also examines the dangers of introducing nonnatural substances into our ecosystems, when we are unable to forsee their potential side effects. Love Canal serves as an example. (26 minutes)
#33051 Genetics & Biotechnology - Growing Synthetics (Run time 27 min.) DVD $149.95
Biogeneticists are engineering new yeasts and fungi as well as entirely new growing methods, and in the process are giving a new definition to the word "natural." If yeasts and fungi can turn decaying wood into sugar, why should humans not be able to grow ethanol cheaply and efficiently? This program follows the course of the research into the artificial culture of natural trees, as well as new methods of accelerating plant propagation and growth. The program demonstrates how extraordinarily effective gene-spliced bacteria can be-but how, if a mistake is made somewhere or somehow, we know of no way to undo the combination and bring the menacing new creation back into the test tube. (27 minutes)
#33052 Genetics & Biotechnology - Cell Wars (Run time 22 min.) DVD $149.95
Biotechnology combines man and mouse to track and attack man's most feared diseases, using cells to kill killer cells. Exceptional computer animation demonstrates how the body's immune system works. The program explains the role of antibodies in vaccinations and allergies, and shows the uses of monoclonal antibodies in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of different types of tumors, as well as the immune system deficiency syndrome AIDS. (22 minutes)
#33053 Genetics & Biotechnology - Recombinant Technology (Run time 30 min.) DVD $149.95
The search for a magic bullet against cancer and AIDS is leading to recombinant technology-to explain the nature of the disease problem, help the body's immune system destroy the invader, and accelerate recovery from treatment. As more diseases are being nearly wiped out, more disease-resistant bacteria and viruses are turning up. Vaccine developers are using genetically-engineered vaccines to create more effective vaccines that are cheaper to grow and easier to deliver. The diseases for which vaccines are being sought range from AIDS to colon cancer; the longer-range goal is to understand the role of oncogenes in controlling growth, and therefore to solving the underlying problem of cancer itself. (30 minutes)
#33054 Genetics & Biotechnology - Superanimals, Superhumans? (Run time 28 min.) DVD $149.95
Now that we know that genes from different species are interchangeable, biotechnology is beginning to engineer superanimals-and patenting them. Behold the geep, part goat, part sheep, engineered to take advantage of the best traits of each. What are the scientific goals? And the social controls? This program looks at how some women are selecting the genetic profiles of the children they choose to bear, and at the ethical and economic dilemmas intrinsic in the question of who owns a person's DNA. (28 minutes)
#33055 Genetics & Biotechnology - Whither Biogenetics? (Run time 25 min.) DVD $149.95
The prospects of benefits from biotechnology are daunting-an end to disease, and to malnutrition and starvation-but equally daunting are the destructive ends to which biotechnology can be turned. More and better vaccines. An end to cancer, AIDS, and heart attacks. Cleaning up toxic wastes. These are the up side of biotechnology. The downside is the creation of dangerous and irreversible side-effects, the political use of genetic information, the development of bioweaponry, and the perversion of scientific breakthroughs to private gain. Who can foresee the future of biogenetics? (25 minutes)
#35897 Genetics & Biotechnology - The Ghost in Your Genes (Run time 50 min.) DVD $149.95
Could the trauma of a terrorist attack change the genetic characteristics of one's descendants? This program examines the emerging science of epigenetics, which studies biological heredity unrelated to DNA sequencing. With commentary from leading scientists in the field-including geneticist Marcus Pembrey, among the first to observe that dietary stress can produce health problems two generations later-the program explores a wide variety of clinical evidence for epigenetic inheritance. An experiment focusing on children born shortly after 9/11 evokes the new discipline's powerful implications. A BBCW Production. (50 minutes)
#36105 Genetics & Biotechnology - Who's Afraid of Designer Babies? The Ethics of Genetic Screening (Run time 54 min.) DVD $149.95
PGD, or pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, allows doctors and parents to screen brand-new embryos for genetic diseases. This program illustrates the PGD process and what it implies-from lifesaving medical solutions to what many see as the Nazi-esque disposal of life. The experiences of couples considering or undergoing PGD are featured-including the story of Leanne and Stephen, who ignited controversy in Australia by screening for a son who could donate blood to his ailing older brother. Interviews with bioethics experts, including Oxford professor Julian Savulescu and Dr. Francis Fukuyama of Johns Hopkins University, elucidate both sides of the debate. (54 minutes)
#38978 Genetics & Biotechnology - Secrets of the Sequence: Human Health 1 (Run time 73 min.) DVD $149.95
This compilation of video segments provides a wide-ranging look inside genetic science and its relationship with state-of-the-art medicine. Case studies and expert interviews take viewers through recent genetic breakthroughs as well as their moral, ethical, and legal implications. The episodes are: In the Blood: In this report, doctors attempt to use a leukemia patient's own bone marrow as a source of life-saving stem cells. Sickle Cell Anemia: The most common genetic disease in America is also one of the most painful and debilitating. But an experiment on mice has raised hopes with an anti-sickling gene therapy. Using a Killer to Cure: This segment highlights work at MIT and Harvard to combat sickle-cell anemia-with a therapy derived from HIV. Transitioning from mice to human clinical trials is discussed. Decoding Malaria: Increasingly drug-resistant and adaptable, malaria is a formidable foe. This report shows how scientists have cracked malaria's code and can begin to read its battle plans. Tissues with Issues: What if transplant candidates didn't have to wait for organs? This segment spotlights pioneering attempts at tissue engineering. Diabetes Cause and Cure: Scientists at the University of Washington have found the genetic source of Type 1 diabetes-the most severe form of the disease. And they owe their discovery to a very special rat. Broken Hearts: Thousands of people die every year while waiting for a suitable heart transplant. In lieu of a human donor, scientists are working on three other solutions: the mechanical heart, the pig heart xenograft, and tissue engineering. Longer Life for Livers: Damaged hearts and livers can remain functional with the help of machines, but the liver has no such support system-until now. This report looks at a device called MARS or Molecular Absorbent Recirculation System, the success of which will depend on genetic engineering. The Test: Women are now regularly tested for breast cancer genes-sometimes leading to unusual choices. This segment profiles a woman who underwent a radical mastectomy, although she had shown no signs of cancer. (73 minutes)
#38979 Genetics & Biotechnology - Secrets of the Sequence: Human Health 2 (Run time 66 min.) DVD $149.95
This compilation of video segments offers a further look at genetic science and its relationship with state-of-the-art medicine. Case studies and expert interviews take viewers through recent genetic breakthroughs as well as their moral, ethical, and legal implications. The episodes are: Colon Cancer: Could something as simple as aspirin prevent this deadly disease? Possibly, but researchers are also honing in on colon cancer's genetic causes, using one of the best DNA databases in the world-Utah's Mormon population. Cancer: Compiling the Catalog: In this report, researchers at the University of Michigan are assembling an encyclopedia of cancer genes which will help doctors to better diagnose and treat cancers on a molecular level. Prostate Cancer: The segment features collaborative efforts between scientists at the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins and the National Center for Human Genome Research. Their work has uncovered a hereditary genetic component responsible for some forms of prostate cancer. In Cord Blood: Stem cells have moved beyond the laboratory and into the delivery room. This report illustrates the use of umbilical cord blood, which is rich in stem cells and can help combat diseases a child might develop later in life. To Hear: A deaf couple is shocked, and a little dismayed, to learn that they will have hearing children. This segment looks at the science behind genetic testing and the controversy over choosing an embryo's traits-including deafness. Parkinson's Disease: Dr. Ole Isakson has cured Parkinson's disease-in mice. To translate his success into a human cure, he must test human embryonic stem cells. This report examines the present climate for such research and its impact on Parkinson's patients. Super Bugs: Humans are under constant attack from increasingly drug-resistant bacteria, and hospitals are their favorite breeding ground. This segment profiles scientists who are studying the genetics of bacteria and trying to stop the invasion. To Choose an Egg: A child's health has traditionally depended on a roll of the genetic dice, but that has changed with the advent of PGD or Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis. This segment shows how the screening procedure detects abnormal genetic mutations in embryos-and opens the door for parents to decide the fate of those embryos. Blue Genes: What if scientists could find the genetic origins of serotonin and cure depression? This segment spotlights research on mice at UCSF that may do just that. (66 minutes)
#38980 Genetics & Biotechnology - Secrets of the Sequence: Genetics/Heredity 1 (Run time 62 min.) DVD $149.95
This compilation of video segments provides a wide-ranging look inside genetic science and what it reveals about human life and evolution. Case studies and expert interviews take viewers through recent genetic breakthroughs as well as their moral, ethical, and legal implications. The episodes are: Lab of the Future: Sequencing the human genome has transformed biology, turning it into an information science in which computing power is the key tool. This segment shows how the new computer-driven genetics has begun to unlock the secret of life. Array of Life: It took scientists decades to learn how to sequence the human genome. Now it is being done every day in labs across the country-thanks to a groundbreaking research method. This report sheds light on the procedure known as gene microarray analysis. The Code Cracker: In this segment, viewers meet Francis Collins, director of the Human Genome Project at NIH. Unlike many of his colleagues, Collins rejected the promise of earning millions in the private sector and is as concerned with the ethics of genetic research as he is with the science itself. The Double's Double Helix: Find out why a pair of twins underwent DNA testing to determine if they were conceived from one egg, thus making them monozygotic, or from two, which would mean they are dizygotic twins. Night of the Twisted Helix: The human genome is far from being a fixed target. Discover why we are all mutants under the skin, why some mutations are good and others bad, and why it is not so much the spelling of the human genome as its misspelling that makes the difference. Genes of Risk Taking: What makes someone want to be a skydiver, a fighter pilot, or a race car driver? This segment looks at the genetic factors behind a thrill-seeking personality-and why, if the addiction isn't satisfied, depression or more serious illnesses can set in. A Gene Called Ace: New research suggests the existence of one amazing gene that can predict a person's level of physical fitness-and perhaps even offers a cure for cancer. This report presents a remarkable British study on the ACE gene. (61 minutes)
#38981 Genetics & Biotechnology - Secrets of the Sequence: Genetics/Heredity 2 (Run time 61 min.) DVD $149.95
This compilation of video segments offers a further look at genetic science and what it reveals about human life and evolution. Case studies and expert interviews take viewers through recent genetic breakthroughs as well as their moral, ethical, and legal implications. The episodes are: Facts of Life: This report on the "Y" chromosome reveals more than just its link to maleness. It illustrates the role of the "Y" in determining that only men are prone to certain diseases, and why it is only a small number of "Y" genes that seem to be responsible for a lot of "male" behavior. Attack on the Clones: Human culture has been evolving for millennia, but at some point, genetic engineering could alter the species itself. This report studies the social and political debate raging at the crossroads of human evolution and biotechnology-with guests Jerry Falwell, Christopher Reeve, Leon Kass, Arthur Kaplan, and Francis Fukuyama. The Cloning Question: To clone or not to clone? This report highlights the fierce debate over the cloning of human embryos, sifting through the differences between therapeutic and reproductive cloning while presenting the arguments of those who oppose all such procedures. Patent Pending: Should genes be owned and patented? Does the payoff always go to Big Pharma corporations? What happens when two determined parents patent the genetic code of the disease afflicting their children? This report explores the issue, including the creation of PXE International, a model gene-research advocacy group. Xenografts: Will pigs eventually make up the shortfall in transplant organs? Will genetically modifying the pigs and inducing tolerance in patients make the grafts possible, or will the diseases and differences prove insurmountable? This segment searches for answers. DNA in the Family Tree: Researchers in Utah are creating a global family tree-collecting genetic and genealogical information from 100,000 individuals around the world. This segment shows how the database will address issues that traditional written records can't resolve. Daughters of Eve: Mitochondrial DNA does more than help cops catch criminals. It can trace human lineage-150,000 years into the past. This segment outlines the fascinating genetic theory of "Mitochondrial Eve" as well as other surprising notions about evolution and biodiversity. Justice DNA: A growing number of criminal cases succeed or fail based on DNA evidence. This segment shows how the new technology is freeing the innocent, convicting the guilty, and changing the way law enforcement investigates and prosecutes crimes. (60 minutes)
#3044 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Smell and Taste (Run time 30 min.) DVD $149.95
Life without smell and taste is almost unimaginable. Think of the important connections between smell and memory. Does a certain odor evoke fond remembrances? This program from The Doctor Is In travels into the nose and mouth to find out what causes these sometimes wonderful, sometimes dreadful sensations. Host Jamie Guth visits the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia and talks to researchers there. Neurologists Lawrence Jenkyn and David Coffey of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center discuss connections between the sense of smell and Alzheimer's disease, and psychologist William Cain of Yale University talks about loss of smell in the elderly. A patient is followed going through the Taste and Smell Clinic at the University of Connecticut, where Dr. April Mott talks about the diagnosis and treatment of taste and smell problems. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center production. (30 minutes)
#10893 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Hormone Hell (Run time 51 min.) DVD $149.95
Whether it is due to a specific time of life or a particular style of living, hormones are believed to alter moods and erode bodily health. In this program, endocrinologist Lorraine Fitzpatrick, of the Mayo Clinic; a woman who has kept a video diary charting her monthly bouts with PMS; and a cast of teens and seniors investigate how hormones affect different stages of life, such as puberty and menopause. In addition, psychiatrist Ned Kalin, of the University of Wisconsin; a police officer; and a trans-Atlantic flight attendant offer insights into the hormonal havoc caused by stress and jet lag. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#10894 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Hormone Heaven? (Run time 51 min.) DVD $149.95
A world without teenage angst, PMS, and mid-life crisis; a life without hair loss and wrinkles: are these products of wishful thinking, or genuine scientific possibilities? In this program, scientists from the University of Wisconsin and the Life Extension Institute in Palm Springs strive to answer that question through their intriguing research. Clinical studies into hormone supplements for youthful vigor and hormone replacement therapy for healthier bones are described by medical professionals as well as by enthusiastic patients themselves. Research correlating cortisol production with stress is included. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#10895 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Hormonally Yours (Run time 51 min.) DVD $149.95
From the womb to old age, it is believed that hormones have a powerful impact on gender and sexuality. Drawing on the research of Roger Gorski, professor of neurobiology at UCLA, and Donatella Marazzitti, of Pisa University, this program explores both the role of sex hormones and the biochemistry of love. Case studies of transgendering and a condition in which a woman's body produces an excess of testosterone are examined. In addition, a group of teenagers-considered "hormones on legs" by Dr. Gorski-share their approaches and reactions to the impulse of sexual attraction. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#29355 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Touch: The Forgotten Sense (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
This program examines the significance and the beauty of tactile sensation. The sensory impact of touch and feel on quality of life is studied through mother/baby bonding; touch therapy for preemies and victims of physical abuse; Tadoma, a touch-based form of communication for people who are Deaf and blind; and an experimental touch-based interface designed to help people without sight to visualize, while a case study of Guillain-Barre syndrome explores the ramifications of losing the ability to sense via the skin. Featured experts include Tiffany Field, of the Touch Research Institute; Jules Older, author of Touch Is Healing; Carol Crook, of the Perkins School for the Blind; and neuroscientist Paul Bach-y-Rita. (53 minutes)
#30400 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Forever Young: An Elixir of Youth? (Run time 50 min.) DVD $149.95
Ironically, what enables life to exist is what ultimately ends it: oxygen. This fascinating program analyzes the aging process, showing ways to build a longer-lasting human. The benefits and perils of hormones as an elixir of youth are discussed by Dr. Ron Livesey, who runs an anti-aging clinic in New York, and Professor Stephen Shalet, an expert on human growth hormone who explains its link to cancer. The attempt to retard aging by slowing metabolism is seen in a man on a special diet of less than 1500 calories a day. Molecular gerontologist Dr. Simon Melov and Dr. Gordon Lithgow, both of The Buck Institute for Age Research in California, discuss the most promising strategy-controlling rogue elements called free radicals, the by-products of metabolizing oxygen, with antioxidants. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#33453 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Functional Anatomy (Run time 30 min.) DVD $149.95
By their very nature, sports competitions push the human body to its limits. In this program, we examine four bodily systems-skeletal, muscular, respiratory, and circulatory-to demonstrate how our anatomy enables us to be physically active. Extensive computer graphics and sports footage provide a comprehensive overview of the subject. (30 minutes)
#34808 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Truth about Vitamins (Run time 50 min.) DVD $149.95
We live in a vitamin-obsessed culture, thanks in part to Nobel laureate Linus Pauling, who viewed diet supplements as the best defense against disease. This program explores research that counters Pauling's theories, suggesting that high doses of some vitamins may actually harm the human body. Outlining Pauling's achievements in chemistry and his innovative ideas about nutrition, the video contrasts his conclusions with new studies of vitamins A and E and the manufactured forms in which they are typically consumed. An alarming association with increased osteoporosis and cancer rates is one of several medical findings discussed. A BBCW Production. (50 minutes)
#36189 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Holding Back the Years? The Race to Slow the Aging Process (Run time 54 min.) DVD $149.95
This program airs conflicting viewpoints of biologists, nutritionists, and geriatric experts as it presents efforts being made to dramatically slow the process of aging. Factors impacting the rate of aging and bodily changes associated with aging are analyzed, and insights into the telomere hypothesis, the oxidative stress hypothesis, and hormone depletion associated with aging are provided. Research into telomere elongation is discussed, and two controversial therapies-calorie restriction and hormone replacement-are debated. A visit to a documented longevity village in Japan, home to 112-year-old Yoko Minagawa, is included as well. (54 minutes)
#36298 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Anatomy of Circulation (Run time 50 min.) DVD $149.95
In this program, world-renowned anatomist Gunther von Hagens takes viewers into the inner workings of the respiratory and circulatory systems-exposing the path that oxygen takes through the human body. Von Hagens dissects lung tissue to reveal alveoli, delves into the atria and ventricles of the heart, and examines the intricate network of blood vessels that spreads through the abdomen, limbs, digestive system, head, and brain. Clearly explaining terms such as vena cava, pericardium, iliac artery, and other circulatory concepts, von Hagens also illustrates the effects of smoking on the lungs and what happens inside the body in cases of emphysema, asthma, pleurisy, arteriosclerosis, and heart attack. Viewer discretion is advised. Contains clinically explicit language and demonstrations. (50 minutes)
#36299 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Anatomy of Digestion (Run time 51 min.) DVD $149.95
Most animals, including humans, are essentially food-processing tubes. In this program, anatomy guru Gunther von Hagens lays out the human body's seven-meter digestive tract end-to-end, showing viewers each stop on the gastrointestinal highway. Beginning with the tongue, salivary glands, pharynx, and epiglottis, von Hagens uncovers and removes the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, small and large intestines, and anus, as well as the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. He also explores the bile ducts of the liver, illustrates the ways that urine and feces are stored and released, and-in an anatomical context-explains burps, heartburn, nausea, ulcers, and other rarely discussed facts of life. Viewer discretion is advised. Contains clinically explicit language and demonstrations. (50 minutes)
#36300 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Anatomy of Reproduction (Run time 50 min.) DVD $149.95
Dissection specialist Gunther von Hagens utilizes two cadavers in this program-an arrangement necessary for teaching human sexual anatomy. Von Hagens outlines the basics of male-female intercourse before detailing the physiology of human genitalia and the functions of important glands. Analyzing the penis, scrotum, testes, and vas deferens, he explains the process of sperm production and how, anatomically speaking, an erection occurs. Likewise, von Hagens examines the structure and makeup of the vagina, clitoris, labia, hymen, and uterus, then elaborates on the ovaries, egg formation, and fallopian tubes. An additional segment presents MRI images of a couple engaged in sex. Viewer discretion is advised. Contains clinically and sexually explicit language and demonstrations. (50 minutes)
#37587 Human Anatomy & Physiology - How We Move: The Brain and Biomechanics (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
At the twilight of an active life, Anna is now bedridden due to a serious fall. What makes the elderly-even those who are in full possession of their mental and physical faculties-more prone to falling than younger people? As this program demonstrates, the answer lies not in the body or the brain alone, but in their interconnection. Exploring Anna's past dreams of becoming a ballerina, the film shows how complex physical motion such as dancing or even typing requires sophisticated coordination between the body's neural, muscular, and skeletal systems. How aging affects such coordination, and how new artificial limb technology enables movement, are important themes in the program. (52 minutes)
#37588 Human Anatomy & Physiology - How We Eat: From Birth to Death (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
Anna was born with a sweet tooth-and as a young woman, created a successful business using it. Her delicious jams and jellies gave pleasure to many, but did they also cause harm? This program explores the way the human body processes food and how its long-term growth and development are shaped by eating habits. Illustrating cellular aging and its relationship to AGEs, or advanced glycation end products, the film also draws a connection between the bacteria an infant must consume to build a healthy immune system and the bacteria that consume the body at death. As Anna's life draws to a close, viewers will understand that "dust to dust" is a cycle in which we take an active part-every time we sit down to a meal. (52 minutes)
#39161 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Birth (Run time 52 min.) DVD $149.95
What happens to a mother's body as it undertakes the mission of delivering a baby? How does the body of a newborn react when there are complications in the delivery room? As this program shows, the riskiest day of anyone's life is the day of his or her birth. At only two hours old, baby Gabriel faces grave danger with a condition called Meconium Aspiration Syndrome. Baby Arnav's umbilical cord has become wrapped around his neck, and his mother must undergo a breech Caesarean section. And even without complications, birth is rife with potential trauma. Viewers will witness baby Lily moving inside the womb and see what happens when her body begins to take charge of its own survival. A BBCW Production. (51 minutes)
#39163 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Teens (Run time 51 min.) DVD $149.95
As the human body transitions into the teen years, it grows stronger and more resilient than ever, with an immune system nearing full strength. This program reveals the teen body's newfound power and independence, which, unfortunately for many teens, means more dangerous behavior. Rushed to the emergency room with stab wounds to his chest, 17-year-old Mohammed needs a lung drain to help him breathe. Will his body pull through? Binge drinkers Molly and Sophia also arrive at the hospital-viewers will see the damage that alcohol poisoning is doing inside their bodies. And 13-year-old Zach appears healthy, but his body is undergoing severe trauma due to the tumor on his spine. A BBCW Production. (51 minutes)
#39164 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Prime (Run time 51 min.) DVD $149.95
At about 20 years of age, the body's defenses reach their peak strength-but danger can still strike even the most robust system. This program reinforces that unfortunate irony, exploring medical challenges and complications occurring in otherwise healthy young adults. Hit by a speeding car, Rubinda receives almost immediate help-from medics and from her own body's defenses. Charlotte has a congenital heart condition but refuses to let this interfere with having a child. Viewers will discover what her body goes through as a result. And Scott, diagnosed with liver disease, is lucky enough to have a first cousin for a transplant donor. The program shows what happens inside both of them during the grueling 17-hour operation. A BBCW Production. (51 minutes)
#39165 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Middle Years (Run time 51 min.) DVD $149.95
As we reach and move beyond our 40s, imperfections in our physiology-many that we have unknowingly carried for years-begin to reveal themselves. This episode explores the human body's ability to draw on its own reserves when things go wrong. During a routine checkup, 53-year-old Alan is found to have a life-threatening thoracic aneurysm in the blood vessel supplying his vital organs. Viewers will witness the operation he undergoes to receive an artificial replacement. Christine has been a smoker for years-now carbon dioxide is building up in her blood and poisoning her brain. John, 58, suddenly encounters heart trouble. The program shows what happens inside his body during a cutting-edge robotic procedure. A BBCW Production. (51 minutes)
#39483 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Color of Sound (Run time min.) DVD $149.95
From the noise of our urban landscape to the musical cocoons created by high-tech devices, sound may be our most lively and versatile interface with the world. This program takes viewers on a sonic odyssey that assesses the frequently overlooked impact of what we hear. Defining the concept of sound, the documentary takes a mind-blowing CGI tour through the human ear and its vibration-decoding systems. The film also demonstrates the importance of sound in our spiritual and religious lives, while musical research at Edinburgh University highlights the link between sound patterns and human movement. Several experts, from physicists to sound engineers to audio artists, contribute to this exploration of our sonic world. (55 minutes)
#6899 Microbiology - Humans and Bacteria (Run time 41 min.) DVD $149.95
This program presents the human body as a complex ecosystem of bacteria, then examines each portion of the body, which bacteria live there, and why. The three major bacterial groups-sphere-shaped cocci, rods, and helical spirochetes and spirilla-are examined. Their behavior when interacting within the body is explored. The life and death of obligate aerobes, facultative anaerobes, and obligate anaerobes is described. A discussion of factors that encourage bacterial growth leads to specific information on which bacteria cause certain conditions, and how infection can be avoided. (41 minutes)
#6900 Microbiology - Molecular Biology (Run time 42 min.) DVD $149.95
This program shows the various types of gene reproduction and examines the gene responsible for blood clotting. The production of coded proteins is clearly demonstrated. The processes of gel filtration, protein sequence analysis, isolation of mRNA, DNA synthesis and reproduction, production and screening of a DNA bank, and hybridization, along with other demonstrations, are re-created through highly sophisticated computer animation. (42 minutes)
#6901 Microbiology - AIDS (Run time 38 min.) DVD $149.95
This program discusses the nature of the HIV virus and shows how it propagates by utilizing living cells. Its organization is examined, along with its most prominent genes-gag, pol, and env. Reverse transcription-the process by which the virus enters the DNA-is examined. Prevention of the reverse transcription process, along with the development of protease inhibitors and genetically engineered protein vaccines, are discussed as promising ways of slowing reproduction of the AIDS virus. (38 minutes)
#6902 Microbiology - Proteins (Run time 37 min.) DVD $149.95
Proteins, the essential biochemical foundation of the cell, fulfill a variety of tasks within the human body. This program provides insights into their structure and several of their functions, including their role in catalytic biochemical reaction and reproduction. How proteins recognize the "packaging" of smaller molecules is explored. Using a photosynthetic protein-a proton pump-as an example, excellent computer simulation shows the proteins at work, moving an atom through the system. (37 minutes)
#6903 Microbiology - Free Radicals (Run time 31 min.) DVD $149.95
Free radicals are an important weapon in the immune system, but they can also cause chemical reactions that lead to damage of fatty acids, DNA mutation, and protein destruction. This program examines how the most important radicals are created, and how they work. The relationship between chain reactions of radicals within the body and conditions such as arteriosclerosis is examined. How the antioxidants alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene, and vitamin C protect the body from damage is demonstrated through computer animation. Connections between free-radical production and cancer, heart attack, stroke, and cataracts are suggested. (31 minutes)
#6904 Microbiology - Cancer and Metastasis (Run time 39 min.) DVD $149.95
This program studies the biological processes by which the body reproduces cancerous tumors, and summarizes the results of current research. The various steps of metastasis are clearly demonstrated in film and computer animation. A film segment of real human tissue shows tumor cells moving in a regulated manner under the direction of "leader cells." Computer animation illustrates how a normal cell becomes cancerous. Treatments under development for the prevention of metastasis in certain cancers are summarized. (39 minutes)
#6905 Microbiology - Oncogenes (Run time 33 min.) DVD $149.95
This program discusses how the chemical alteration of oncogenes in human cells causes the growth of cancerous tumors. Toxic substances, radiation, viruses, and inherited genetic defects are examined as factors causing such alteration. The mechanisms by which the altered forms overrule normal cell regulation are illustrated through microscope views and computer animation. Specific information is provided on cell cycle, cell division, growth factors, receptors, protein kinase, phosphatase, G-proteins, transduction processes, src-, ras-, and raf-oncogenes, and signal transduction. (33 minutes)
#7103 Microbiology - Viruses (Run time 33 min.) DVD $149.95
Viruses are the simplest forms of life-so primitive in biological terms that for some years the scientific community debated whether they should even be regarded as living organisms. This program examines how viruses, though incapable of reproducing outside of living cells, have developed refined strategies for reconfiguring the host organism into one that serves exclusively as a virus breeder. Sophisticated computer graphics and microscopy allow viewers to watch as these resourceful parasites seek out, damage, or kill the invaded host. (33 minutes)
#31223 Microbiology - Alien Underworld: The Search for the Smallest Living Organism (Run time min.) DVD $149.95
Since Darwin, solving the mystery of life's origins has been the quest of scientists in fields as diverse as astrobiology and zoology. This riveting program presents a fascinating glimpse into what might-or might not-be the smallest, most primitive living organisms. The program also serves as a case study in applying scientific method to advance radically new propositions, from initial discovery through hypothesis to funding and commercial applications. Dr. Philippa Uwins, a geologist who discovered these "nanobes" in rock samples, defends her findings against the criticism of such fellow scientists as Professor Kenneth Nealson of NASA. (54 minutes)
#39018 Microbiology - Danger: Virus! (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
Drawing on documentary and archival footage, 3-D and 2-D animations, and high-tech imaging, this program investigates a variety of virological topics: the nature of pandemics as illustrated by the SARS outbreak in China; genetic sequencing of Spanish influenza from exhumed tissue of a century-old corpse; how animal viruses jump the species barrier; the dissection of live viruses in a biosafety level 4 lab; the work of an Ebola research team in Gabon; the discovery of mimivirus; applications of Onyx-015, a genetically engineered adenovirus; and more. Vincent A. Fischetti, of The Rockefeller University; Jeffery Taubenberger, of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology; Y. Guan, of The University of Hong Kong; Didier Raoult, of the French National Center for Scientific Research; and other leading virus specialists are featured. (53 minutes)
#39019 Microbiology - Bacterialand (Run time 52 min.) DVD $149.95
One day, microbes will eliminate our dirt and garbage, filter our exhaust systems, and help make self-cleaning clothing possible. This program takes viewers on a global journey-from the U.S. to Iceland, Sweden, India, China, Senegal, and Australia-to meet the world's leading specialists in bacteriology and discover the incredible abilities of the microscopic life-forms they study. Employing state-of-the-art imaging technology and animation, the program illustrates how bacteria have learned to adapt to harsh environments and how they can be found in a vast array of human-made products and materials, including medicines, pesticides, plastics, solvents, and even electro-acoustic speakers. (52 minutes)
#2595 Plant & Animal Biology - The Death of a Tree (Run time 49 min.) DVD $149.95
In the life of the forest, birds, beasts, and flowers, weather and seasons, life and death all are part of a continuing cycle. This program looks at the tree-the defining element of the forest-in life; as it dies a natural death, parts still alive and performing the role of living plants, parts already dead; and in death, providing shelter to a surprising number of animal species and, in the very process of decay, providing life support to a host of other growing things. (49 minutes)
#5904 Plant & Animal Biology - Anatomy of the Fetal Pig (Run time 62 min.) DVD $149.95
This program is designed to facilitate a study of the anatomy of the fetal pig as a typical mammal. It is designed so that each individual system can be viewed and discussed separately, giving the instructor the flexibility to select which portions to use. (62 minutes)
#5906 Plant & Animal Biology - Anatomy of the Frog (Run time 46 min.) DVD $149.95
This program is designed to facilitate a study of the anatomy of the frog as a typical vertebrate. It is designed so that each individual system can be viewed and discussed separately, giving the instructor the flexibility to select which portions to use. (46 minutes)
#5909 Plant & Animal Biology - Anatomy of the Shark (Run time 58 min.) DVD $149.95
This program is designed to facilitate a study of the anatomy of the shark as a representative cartilagenous fish. Each individual system can be viewed and discussed separately. (58 minutes)
#11866 Plant & Animal Biology - Oceans of Life: Marine Biology (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
Exceptionally filmed and presented, this program clearly shows just how interconnected every link is on the marine food chain, from microscopic algae, known as phytoplankton, to the blue whale, the largest organism to ever live on earth. The polar, temperate, and tropical zones are explored in a systematic way by looking at the major classifications of oceanic creatures: plankton, nekton, and benthos. Thermoclines and the photic zone are also discussed in this context. Awe-inspiring underwater photography and animated graphics make this program a great classroom asset. (53 minutes)
#12068 Plant & Animal Biology - The Dogfish: A Dissection Guide (Run time 54 min.) DVD $149.95
The lesser spotted dogfish, a member of the class Chondrichthyes, is characterized by its cartilaginous skeleton. Cartilaginous fish first appeared on Earth almost 450 million years ago, and include sharks, skates, rays, and other unusual marine vertebrates. Beginning with a concise introduction, this program guides students through an examination of Scyliorhinus canicula's external features and a detailed dissection of the digestive system, female and male urogenital systems, anterior circulatory system, sensory organs, brain, and skeleton. (53 minutes)
#12070 Plant & Animal Biology - The Frog: A Dissection Guide (Run time 42 min.) DVD $149.95
Able to obtain oxygen through its skin, hibernate under water or buried in mud, and thrive in a wide variety of environments ranging from woods and meadows to marshes and ponds, the common frog is far from common. Following a succinct introduction, this program scrutinizes the external features and internal anatomy of Rana temporaria. Areas examined include the digestive system, male and female urogenital systems, circulatory system, nervous system, and skeleton. (42 minutes)
#12072 Plant & Animal Biology - The Pigeon: A Dissection Guide (Run time 51 min.) DVD $149.95
Columba livia, the blue rock dove, is the common ancestor of all the many breeds of domestic pigeons. Over the course of thousands of years, selective breeding has introduced birds of highly diverse characteristics, ranging from a homing ability to remarkably ornate plumage. Beginning with a concise introduction, this program guides students through an examination of the pigeon's external features and a detailed dissection of the digestive system, male and female urogenital systems, circulatory system, head, brain, and skeleton. (50 minutes)
#12074 Plant & Animal Biology - The Rat: A Dissection Guide (Run time 58 min.) DVD $149.95
The brown rat, which originated in northern China, can be found today in nearly every part of the world. A versatile forager and extremely adaptable to environmental conditions, this cosmopolitan mammal is at home almost anywhere. Following a succinct introduction, this program scrutinizes the external features and internal anatomy of Rattus norvegicus. Areas examined include the digestive system, female and male urogenital systems, sense organs, brain, and skeleton. A thoracic dissection is also performed. (58 minutes)
#32497 Plant & Animal Biology - Studying Flowering Plants (Run time 51 min.) DVD $149.95
Divided into five targeted ten-minute segments, this engaging program uses microscopic imaging, time-lapse photography, cut-aways and dissections, laboratory experimentation and fieldwork, computer modeling, and graphing to shed light on the intricate lifecycles of anthophytes. Segments include "Photosynthesis and Respiration," "The Role of Flowers," "From Pollination to Fertilization," "Spreading Seeds," and "Plants That Move." The issue of global warming is also considered. (51 minutes)
#32498 Plant & Animal Biology - Studying Bryophytes and Lichens (Run time 51 min.) DVD $149.95
This captivating program takes a close look at mosses, liverworts, and hornworts as they are found in natural and urban settings and how these hardy but sensitive plants are affected by environmental changes. Lichens, easily mistaken for bryophytes, are examined as well. Microscopic imaging combined with laboratory experimentation and fieldwork are used to illustrate the concepts and principles explored in the video's five highly focused ten-minute segments: "Different Kinds of Bryophytes," "Reproduction in Bryophytes," "Bryophyte Look-Alikes," "The Roles Bryophytes Play," and "Mosses and Air Pollution." (51 minutes)
#35707 Plant & Animal Biology - A Treasury of Plant Medicines (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
While acknowledging the achievements of the pharmaceutical industry, this program offers an alternative perspective on the production of medicines, emphasizing the use of plants and herbs instead of synthetic compounds. Beginning with a historical overview of plant remedies-including evidence of sophisticated herbalism in ancient Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Arab cultures-the video describes how pharmacology evolved out of traditional herbal medicine. It also explores new pharmaceutical research that has come full circle, returning to the use of natural plant extracts. The development of anti-cancer medicine derived from periwinkle is one of many examples. (53 minutes)
#35708 Plant & Animal Biology - Medicinal Plants and a New Alliance (Run time 52 min.) DVD $149.95
Many critics of "Big Pharma" see a pattern of exploitation in the industry's dealings with the developing world. This program identifies new ways for drug manufacturers to operate globally, promoting increased cooperation with local producers of traditional, plant-based medicines. Recognizing that worldwide demand for alternative medicine may create new producer countries, the program visits centers of herbology and other non-Western healing methods in China, Vietnam, Bhutan, Senegal, and Kenya. The documented ability of these facilities to fight AIDS and other diseases forms a powerful argument for the coexistence of both corporate and traditional industries. (52 minutes)
#35709 Plant & Animal Biology - Whose Plants Are They, Anyway? (Run time 51 min.) DVD $149.95
Surveying the vast biodiversity of the medicinal plant world, this program examines the challenges facing countries rich in such natural resources. The video presents interviews with numerous alternative health experts-including Dr. Jean-Pierre Willem, renowned surgeon, ethnologist, and the last field assistant of Dr. Albert Schweitzer-and documents their knowledge in a wide range of herbal and plant-based treatments. It also studies controversies surrounding the patenting of organisms with medicinal potential, such as Peru's maca root-a clear demonstration that the interests of powerful pharmaceutical companies don't always suit those of indigenous peoples. (51 minutes)
#36191 Plant & Animal Biology - The Once Good Earth: Understanding Soil (Run time 47 min.) DVD $149.95
Beneath our feet lies a world of violence, death, and renewal-the soil. This program takes viewers deep inside that unseen realm, focusing on the chemical and ecological complexity that enriches soil and sustains plant and animal life. A wide array of fungi, microorganisms, insects, and small animals are examined, illustrating the roles they play in the development of root systems and eventually the farms and forests humans need to survive. Highlighting the use of organic fertilizers and pesticides, the program shows that the medium in which life grows and dies is more than the sum of its parts, and that, although the true importance of soil is rarely visible, it must not be taken for granted. (46 minutes)
#5693 The Brain - The Electric Ape (Run time 58 min.) DVD $149.95
The brain is an odd-looking object whose basic shape is elaborated and modified according to species but whose appearance gives few clues as to how it works. This program demonstrates what the brain looks like, how it generates electricity, and how it uses chemicals to process information. It is such processing that enables us not only to see, hear, and feel pain, but also to express ourselves using a vast repertoire of movement. (58 minutes)
#5694 The Brain - Through a Glass Darkly (Run time 58 min.) DVD $149.95
It is impossible to guess what the brain is doing just by looking at it. How, then, do we study it? This program demonstrates how, while tracing the development of increasingly sophisticated and accurate windows into the functioning of the brain. The program takes a number of different approaches to the subject to demonstrate how we can now almost literally see into the living brain at work. The program includes an examination of different animal brains, a discussion of the evolution of species, and an explanation of brain damage. (58 minutes)
#5695 The Brain - Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble (Run time 58 min.) DVD $149.95
The most basic component of the brain is the neuron, and one of the best ways of studying brain cells at work is to see how they respond to identified events in the outside world, such as a sight or a sound. In this program, we start to construct a description of the brain from the neuron. Starting with very simple neuronal circuits, we progress to the highly complex circuitry and functioning of collections of millions of neurons, which make up regions that work together to enable us to sense the outside world. In all cases, the neurons communicate with one another by converting electrical signals into chemical ones. The program explores how this communication can be modified by drugs, and the implications of such drug action on outward behavior. (58 minutes)
#5696 The Brain - The Seven Ages of the Brain (Run time 58 min.) DVD $149.95
This program focuses on how a brain grows from a fertilized egg and how our brains change, even after birth, right up to old age. The establishment of connections between brain cells occurs not only in the womb, but also after birth. These connections can be modified, or even abolished, in accordance with certain changes in the environment. Hence, the development of the brain is a little like sculpting, where a pattern is formed by removing unwanted parts. It is the patterns of connections between brain cells that are all-important. These connections are, to a certain extent, constantly changing throughout our lives. (58 minutes)
#5697 The Brain - The Mind's I (Run time 58 min.) DVD $149.95
Take two brains and place them side by side, and there is no obvious immediate difference; yet the two brains come from two individuals with entirely different character traits, memories, and skills. So, where is the physical basis of this difference? This program examines what makes a brain give rise to a unique individual. Through the examples of memory and language, we see that although the brain can be divided into regions, these regions are not independent mini-brains but vast banks of neuronal circuits that work together as a cohesive whole. Although we know a great deal about how different brain regions function, understanding how these regions work together to generate a cohesive individual consciousness remains a tantalizing puzzle. (58 minutes)
#7920 The Brain - Anatomy of the Human Brain (Run time 35 min.) DVD $149.95
Neuropathologist Dr. Marco Rossi dissects and examines a normal human brain. Using three methods of dissection-coronal plane, CT-MRI plane, and sagittal plane-Dr. Rossi separates the hindbrain from the midbrain, and removes a portion of the brain containing the substantia nigra. The anterior and posterior of the forebrain are dissected, and each section is examined, along with the left occipital lobe. After separating the brain stem from the cerebellum, both are sectioned and examined. (35 minutes)
#7921 The Brain - The Human Brain in Situ (Run time 21 min.) DVD $149.95
Professor of applied neurobiology Susan Standring conducts a basic anatomical examination of the human brain and its connections in the skull using museum specimens. During the process, Standring identifies the cerebral lobes, optic nerves, arachnoid granulations, and blood vessels. Examining the cranial cavity with the brain removed, she points out the frontal bones, orbital plates, crista galli, and the cribriform plate. Cerebrospinal fluid and the tentorium cerebelli are shown. Using a brain specimen and resin model, the ventricular system is explained. (21 minutes)
#7922 The Brain - Pathology Examples in the Human Brain (Run time 24 min.) DVD $149.95
Neuropathologist Dr. Marco Rossi examines different human brain specimens and presents evidence of trauma or disease. Brains examined include that of a 59-year-old woman with dementia; an 82-year-old man who suffered a road accident; a young man with a shunting tube for hydrocephalus; an elderly man with Parkinson's disease; an elderly female stroke victim; and a middle-aged woman with hemiplegia. (24 minutes)
#8970 The Brain - Stress, Trauma, and the Brain (Run time 57 min.) DVD $149.95
How does the brain work, why does it break down, and how can it be healed? In section one of this intriguing program, doctors from Harvard Medical School and other eminent institutions study the chronic psychological stress of modern living in light of the innate fight-or-flight mechanism. In section two, a pioneer in brain imaging technology and experts from Massachusetts General Hospital and MIT describe revolutionary imaging techniques and their applications to brain tumor surgery and facial recognition research. In section three, a neurosurgeon, a neuropsychologist, and other medical professionals investigate brain trauma-"the silent epidemic"-by focusing on two cases: Pat LaFontaine, a hockey star permanently sidelined after his 6th concussion, and a survivor of a major car accident. (57 minutes)
#9061 The Brain - Mind Over Matter: Advances in Brain Research (Run time 47 min.) DVD $149.95
How does the brain create that internal space called consciousness? In this stimulating program, top names in cognitive science such as Daniel Dennett, Rodney Brooks, Endel Tulving, and John Searle delve into the mechanics of perception and cognition and speculate on the meaning of consciousness. Using advanced technology, they and other experts seek to understand the brain, leading to discussion of concepts that include mind-body dualism, self-emergent organization, unconscious vision, and even socially interactive machines like MIT's Cog. (47 minutes)
#30474 The Brain - IQ and the Pressure to Perform (Run time 50 min.) DVD $149.95
From prenatal Mozart to hothousing, the debate surrounding intelligence and how it is best cultivated is a controversial one. But is there really an optimal window of opportunity for neural development? This program invites John T. Bruer, author of The Myth of the First Three Years; Colin Blakemore, of Oxford University; UCLA's Paul Thompson; Bill Greenough, of the University of Illinois; and David Elkind, professor of child development at Tufts University, among others, to critically examine the myth of critical periods and to look at what the latest scientific research indicates about how the brain develops in the early years and beyond. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (50 minutes)
#30475 The Brain - EQ and the Emotional Curriculum (Run time 50 min.) DVD $149.95
IQ used to be the standard by which all were judged. Today, EQ allows for a broader understanding that encompasses attributes such as logical, linguistic, musical, kinetic, and emotional intelligences. This program provides an in-depth analysis of intelligence, including how it is defined and its neural components. Leading experts such as Harvard's Howard Gardner; Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence; Colin Blakemore, of Oxford University; and Alison Gopnik, of the University of California, Berkeley, examine the correlation between self-control and SAT scores, the dominant role of the limbic system, and how emotional and intellectual intelligences can be defined and meaningfully measured. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (50 minutes)
#32856 The Brain - Inside the Head: New Dimensions in Brain Research (Run time 26 min.) DVD $149.95
Perhaps the most intriguing field of medicine is the one that seeks to understand consciousness itself. This program provides a tour of the most advanced work in brain research and cognitive science, as well as the latest applications of these discoveries in treating patients with brain disorders. Using MRI and EEG to determine areas of brain activity, researchers explore the connection between memory and epilepsy. New treatments are presented for Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis, as well as experimental drugs based on the recently identified Alzheimer’s gene. A Deutsche Welle Production. (26 minutes)
#33455 The Brain - Get Smart: Learning to Learn (Run time 59 min.) DVD $149.95
This program uncovers what happens in our minds when we learn, remember, and imagine. It reveals how neurons and synapses lay down knowledge in the brain; ways to improve our ability to acquire knowledge, including increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids; how to manipulate memory to recall information more easily; the powerful influence of subliminal messages; and what actually happens during a "eureka moment"-and how to have more of them. Stories of a midwife cramming for exams and a firefighter who used intuition to save lives are featured. Original BBCW broadcast title: Get Smart. (60 minutes)
#33456 The Brain - Personality: All About Me (Run time 60 min.) DVD $149.95
The 100 billion cells that make up the brain communicate electrically over 1,000 trillion neural connections at up to 250 miles per hour-and from this sparking of electrical power grows the personality and its behavior. This program explores how personalities are shaped during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, exposing how traits such as extroversion and introversion develop. Additional topics range from how parents affect children's personalities, to why teens are so emotionally sensitive, to what lies at the heart of mood swings. The story of an overall amiable man trying to curb a severe anger problem is featured. Original BBCW broadcast title: Personality. (60 minutes)
#33457 The Brain - Making Friends: The Science of Social Interaction (Run time 60 min.) DVD $149.95
This program investigates the mind's remarkable ability to recognize people, to make sense of their expressions and body language, to perceive what they may be thinking, and then-if the moment seems right-to charm them. Viewers will discover why first impressions are so important, what happens when they "click" with someone, how to tell if a smile is genuine, and why a party is one of the most demanding and complex situations humans will ever face. The story of a couple attempting to win over their respective in-laws-to-be is featured. Original BBCW broadcast title: Making Friends. (60 minutes)
#34425 The Brain - The Day I Died: The Mind, the Brain, and Near-Death Experiences (Run time 60 min.) DVD $149.95
Recent studies of cardiac arrest survivors suggest that near-death experiences may occur at times when the brain has actually stopped functioning. Drawing conclusions from that research, The Day I Died dares to suggest that the mind is not dependent on the brain-and that NDEs may confirm it. "That the mind is located in the brain is just a hypothesis. It's never been proven," says cardiologist Pim van Lommel. Accounts of NDEs, shared by the people who experienced them, are analyzed by researchers and skeptics alike, providing a balanced look at a theory of mind that, at least in scientific circles, has previously been all but unthinkable. A viewable/printable viewer's guide is available online. Original BBCW broadcast title: The Day I Died. (60 minutes, color)
#35828 The Brain - War of the Sexes: Emotion (Run time 46 min.) DVD $149.95
When asked to describe birth from a baby's perspective, a group of women talk about fear, elation, and other feelings-while their male counterparts summon only physical sensations. What causes such a contrast? This program explores the divergent emotional tendencies of men and women, throwing gender differences into bold relief through spontaneous theatrical exercises and expert commentary. While confirming that expression of and reaction to emotion varies according to sex, the program also demonstrates that the male psyche values emotion no less than the female-as suggested by a collaborative storytelling session in which men craft the more evocative tale. (45 minutes)
#36297 The Brain - The Anatomy of Movement (Run time 51 min.) DVD $149.95
Gunther von Hagens, the world's leading expert in human dissection, reveals the kinetic framework of the body in this program-as well as the neural expressway that enables the structure to move. Von Hagens' dissection shows how the skeleton operates like a system of levers, giving viewers a detailed look at the shape, composition, and mobility of bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage. Special attention is also given to the brain and spinal cord, both of which von Hagens carefully exposes and removes. The cortex, corpus callosum, basal ganglion, and other brain parts are identified, along with the flexibility and protection provided by the spinal column. Viewer discretion is advised. Contains clinically explicit language and demonstrations. (50 minutes)
#36368 The Brain - Cannabis: Satanic Herb or Healing Potion? (Run time 52 min.) DVD $149.95
As has occurred with most drugs, the neurological effects of cannabis have only recently been fully identified and understood. This program presents many of the latest findings, including new investigations into the clinical applications of the drug. Focusing on studies of the nerve-related mechanisms triggered by the action of cannabis, the program highlights potential changes in the social perceptions and medical uses of the substance. New approaches in the treatment of pain, obesity, anxiety, and even multiple sclerosis are suggested. The scientific contributions of Jean-Pol Tassin, Dieter Kleiber, Rafael Maldonado, and others are explored. (51 minutes)
#36425 The Brain - A Little Matter of Gender: Developmental Differences among Savants (Run time 54 min.) DVD $149.95
One of the great success stories from the world of autism, Temple Grandin revolutionized the field of livestock management, empowered by her sensitivity with animals. Tommy McHugh displayed no such sensitivity-until a brain hemorrhage transformed him from a brawler into a gentle soul. As scientists continue to investigate differences between the male and female brain, the special characteristics of autistics and savants take on increased importance. This program describes the latest research in that area, shedding light on the role of testosterone, fetal development, evolutionary factors, and the notable lack of romantic and sexual bonding among the autistic. (53 minutes)
#36980 The Brain - The Anatomy of Pain (Run time 49 min.) DVD $149.95
Pain has a clear purpose: warning the body of invasion and other dangers. But the connection between pain and the human mind is more mysterious. This program examines various types of pain and their frequently elusive neurological aspects; it also presents methods, both clinical and alternative, that help long-term sufferers cope with debilitating pain. Distinguishing between acute and chronic pain, the program outlines the process by which pain signals travel through the human nerve network, while spotlighting the quest to understand pain-generated depression and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Treatments involving both acupuncture and medication are addressed. (49 minutes)
#37137 The Brain - Human v2.0: How Brain Research Could Change Our Species (Run time 50 min.) DVD $149.95
As neural research and digital technology converge, many scientists envision a so-called singularity event in which humans and computers become inseparable. This program explores that possibility, focusing on the work of key players in brain research and artificial intelligence. Drs. Jose Delgado, Miguel Nicolelis, and Philip Kennedy-all pioneers in brain/computer interfacing-explain their contributions to a techno-biological, transhumanist future, while MIT professor Seth Lloyd showcases his quantum computer prototype, a major milestone on the road to reproducing and exceeding human brain capacity. Inventor Ray Kurzweil predicts a machine-dominated paradise, but Dr. Hugo De Garis warns of an impending dystopia. A BBCW Production. (49 minutes)
#37592 The Brain - Touched by Genius: A Neurological Look at Creativity (Run time 50 min.) DVD $149.95
Nick van Bloss possesses astonishing musical talent. He is also afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome. As this program illustrates, the two are often linked, leading those born with the disorder to view it as both a curse and a gift. Nick's journey-taking him from the humiliating loss of his career as a concert pianist toward a more self-assured acceptance of his condition-is not only inspiring; it is also a highly informative look into the diagnosis, treatment, and day-to-day realities of Tourette's, Parkinson's, autism, schizophrenia, and other disorders. Among Nick's many notable interactions are those with autistic jazz composer Matt Savage and with neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks, author of Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain and other books. Original BBCW broadcast title: Glad to Be Mad. (50 minutes)
#37634 The Brain - Hypnosurgery (Run time 49 min.) DVD $149.95
The use of hypnosis in medicine has a long history. In the early days of anesthesia, surgeons often used the trance-inducing technique as a fail-safe measure-and today the concept is being revisited. This program presents a scientific investigation into the idea that hypnosis can reduce or even replace the use of anesthesia. Exploring the merits of making the procedure available to more patients-especially those too weak for, or unsuited to, conventional pain mitigation-the program includes both contemporary and archival examples of the effectiveness of surgical hypnosis. Footage shot during a hernia operation performed under hypnosis only-with no anesthetic at all-highlights the medical realities involved. (49 minutes)
#30836 Cell Biology - Cells-The Inside and Out (Run time min.) DVD $259.9
These information-rich programs take an entertaining route in examining both the inner workings of the cell and the ways intercellular reactions occur. With extremely clear graphics and a witty narrative, the whole array of cellular organelles is presented, as well as the structure and function of the cell membrane. 2-part series, 29-33 minutes each.
#31446 Genetics & Biotechnology - Perfect Partners: Science of the Sexes (Run time min.) DVD $259.9
This extraordinary trip around the male and female anatomy confirms what our bodies already know: men and women were made for each other. Intimate portraits, real-life situations, and controlled experiments are combined with scientific analysis from leading experts to show that from conception to old age, our bodies grow, adapt, complement, and support each other. A Discovery Channel Production. 2-part series, 51 minutes each.
#8642 The Brain - Exploring Your Brain (Run time min.) DVD $269.85
In each program of this three-part series, veteran journalist Garrick Utley presents an introductory segment and hosts a panel of various eminent experts to discuss breakthroughs in brain research. 3-part series, 57 minutes each.
#8984 The Brain - Brain Sex: Brain Architecture and the Sexes (Run time min.) DVD $269.85
Do men and women really see the world differently? As the debate over nature vs. nurture continues, this three-part series presents a strong case for biological influences on human thought and perception. 3-part series, 51 minutes each.
#3992 Genetics & Biotechnology - DNA in Practice (Run time min.) DVD $279.8
The programs of this series show the basic techniques of DNA manipulation: extraction, electrophoresis, southern blotting, and hybridization. Viewers are taken through the complete sequence followed in extracting DNA from cells and producing an autoradiograph for further examination and analysis. 4-part series, 13-15 minutes each.
#10620 Genetics & Biotechnology - Genetics: A Popular Guide to the Principles of Human Heredity (Run time 90 min.) DVD $299.85
The genomic revolution has pushed gene research to the forefront of science, stimulating both enthusiasm and concern. Enhanced by sophisticated computer animation, this engaging series is an indispensable tool for teachers and medical professionals alike. This series is also available as a 3-video and CD-ROM multimedia series-see item #10619.
#8449 Genetics & Biotechnology - Hand-Me-Down Genes: An Introduction to Genetics (Run time min.) DVD $299.9
This two-part series introduces the fundamental concepts that students need in order to understand how genes work and how human characteristics are inherited. Incorporating the latest research in genetics, concepts are presented in a clear and interesting manner through computer-generated graphics. Interviews with young people who discuss their genetic conditions bring the material to life. From conception to meiosis, this series allows students to gain a basic understanding of genetics and DNA. 2-part series, 25-28 minutes each.
#32496 Plant & Animal Biology - Plant World: The Biology of Flowering and Non-flowering Plants (Run time min.) DVD $299.9
This outstanding two-part series enters the exotic world of plants to introduce three of its most fascinating groups: anthophytes, bryophytes, and lichens. Each ten-minute segment-five per program-beautifully blends core scientific information with remarkable photography to create a memorable educational experience. 2-part series, 51 minutes each.
#30473 The Brain - Brain Box: Defining Intelligence (Run time min.) DVD $299.9
From hothousing to alternative paradigms for quantifying intelligence, this provocative two-part series presents the latest scientific research on how the brain works while addressing some of today's most pernicious myths about intellectual development. Not available in French-speaking Canada. 2-part series, 50 minutes each.
#31358 Cell Biology - Cells: The Basic Unit of Life S.M.A.R.T. Box (Run time min.) DVD $299.95
Standards-based MediA Resource for Teachers Developed by CURRICULUM MEDIA GROUP The Cells S.M.A.R.T. Box provides teachers and students with an outstanding blend of multimedia materials designed to support Life Science and Biology programs. Correlated to the National Science Education Standards, the S.M.A.R.T. Box combines core content, creative activities to test comprehension, a Teacher's Guide with suggested lesson plans, and a Teacher's Resource Pack to deliver an enriching and engaging learning experience. Basic cell structures and functions, the formation of tissue, and the function of organs and organ systems are authoritatively covered. The Cells S.M.A.R.T. Box will energize your classroom with a comprehensive, research-based multimedia approach to cell structure and function that provides a balanced mix of videos, CD-ROMs, and posters to support your Biology curriculum. One multimedia set. (c) 2003. The Cells S.M.A.R.T. Box contains: 3 VIDEOS • Cells: An Introduction • Cell Functions: A Closer Look • Voyage Inside the Cell 1 CD-ROM • Cell City 10 POSTERS (LAMINATED) • Plant Cells • Cell Shapes and Sizes • Organelles • Mitosis • Meiosis • DNA • Human Cells • Cell Organization • Cell Membranes • Bacteria TEACHER'S GUIDE • A Teacher's Guide packed with information: a curriculum map, lesson plans, educational standards, fast facts, program overviews, learning objectives, vocabulary terms, discussion questions, Web site resources, student activities, and a reading list TEACHER'S RESOURCE PACK • A Teacher's Resource Pack of reproducible hand-outs that include student activities and a timeline of biotechnology history
#10425 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Anatomy of the Shoulder, Hand, Knee, Ankle, and Foot (Run time min.) DVD $359.8
Although the shoulder, hand, knee, ankle, and foot are well designed and incredibly versatile, they are prone to damage through overuse, trauma, and aging. In this four-part clinical analysis of human anatomy, a male model, a dissected cadaver, and color diagrams are employed to reveal the intricate structures of these marvels of anatomical engineering-and the conditions that can injure them. 4-part series.
#11730 Genetics & Biotechnology - Genetic Engineering: Dreams and Nightmares (Run time min.) DVD $389.85
In this three-part series, the University of Leeds' David Cove-coauthor of A Primer of Genetics and former Cambridge lecturer-addresses the mechanics of DNA replication and the subject of genetic engineering with clarity, precision, and objectivity. Computer animation, time-lapse photography, fluoroscopic and microscopic imaging, diagrams, and Dr. Cove's good-natured presentation style help make the complexities of genetics easy to understand while promoting a balanced discussion of controversial issues. 3-part series, 14-21 minutes each.
#30799 Genetics & Biotechnology - Our Genes/Our Choices (Run time min.) DVD $389.85
Scientific research involving the human genome is advancing at a dizzying speed. This compelling three-part series from Fred Friendly Seminars explores many of the resulting quandaries. In each program, eminent panelists role-play scenarios that challenge them to apply their knowledge and experience to complex, often excruciating situations that people face-or will be facing in the near future. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. 3-part series, 58 minutes each.
#10619 Genetics & Biotechnology - Genetics: A Popular Guide to the Principles of Human Heredity (Run time min.) DVD $399.8
The genomic revolution has pushed gene research to the forefront of science, stimulating both enthusiasm and concern. Enhanced by sophisticated computer animation, this engaging four-part multimedia series is an indispensable tool for teachers and medical professionals alike. Used together, the three videos and CD-ROM provide a comprehensive overview of the history of genetics, the mechanics of heredity, advances in biotechnology, and the urgent ethical issues confronting the 21st century. For those who prefer only the videos, the series can also be purchased without the CD-ROM. (See item #10620)
#36222 Genetics & Biotechnology - Cracking the Code: The Continuing Saga of Genetics (Run time min.) DVD $449.75
Can life can be summed up in a code? The science of genetics is founded on that idea-and the code has been broken. This five-part intro-level series reveals the history and development of genetics, reconstructing its journey from the 1700s to the cutting edge of 21st-century microbiology. Featuring detailed accounts of genetic advances-from Mendel's peas to Bt-treated corn-each program presents complex technical analysis and reinforces key concepts using lively, scientifically precise animation. With an emphasis on real-world genetic applications, challenges, and dilemmas, this series conveys a panoramic view of today's preeminent life science. Viewable/printable instructor's guides are available online. 5-part series, 30 minutes each.
#30527 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Virtual Body (Run time min.) DVD $449.75
Offering a high-tech approach to understanding human biology, this outstanding five-part series hosted by British media personality Liz Fraser uses an array of eye-popping visuals to illustrate how the body works. Spectacular 3-D animated computer renderings present functioning organs and structures as cutaways and virtual tours, providing a captivating inside-out view of the human body. Endoscopic and microscopic imaging and 2-D animated diagrams are used as well. Viewed as a whole, this series stresses the interdependence of the body's many systems. 5-part series, 20 minutes each.
#10892 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Body Chemistry: Understanding Hormones (Run time min.) DVD $449.85
Hormones, a strong influence on health and a major factor of self-identity, are often viewed as a mixed blessing. Just how responsible are they for human physical and behavioral characteristics? Enhanced by high-end computer graphics, this three-part series explores the impact of hormones through the stories of ordinary people "held hostage" by them and scientists who seek to more fully understand them. A BBC Production. 3-part series, 50 minutes each.
#37585 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Cycle of Life (Run time min.) DVD $449.85
What can the science of life tell us about one particular life? This three-part series explores a triangle of basic human functions-learning, movement, and eating-and the dynamic roles they play from birth to death. Weaving together high-tech animation, detailed anatomical photography, and powerful dramatizations into a narrative framework, each program illustrates particular phases in the life of fictional heroine Anna Martin. Coupled with descriptions of real-world experiments in medicine and neurology, Anna's story becomes a journey through the latest scientific findings about human growth, survival, and mortality. 3-part series, 52 minutes each.
#35706 Plant & Animal Biology - Plant Wars: A Global View of Natural Medicine (Run time min.) DVD $449.85
The future of the pharmaceutical industry seems firmly entrenched in molecular research-but herbalism and other natural healing methods may influence drug production and medical procedures in the years to come. This three-part series investigates the increasing importance of traditional, non-Western approaches to treating and curing diseases-and shows how, in some cases, indigenous cultures and drug manufacturers are at odds regarding the procurement of medicinal plant resources. 3-part series, 52 minutes each.
#7919 The Brain - The Human Brain (Run time min.) DVD $449.85
This three-part series provides in-depth anatomical and medical examinations of the various parts of the brain and thorough explanations of its function and behavior under the influence of various traumas and disease conditions. 3-part series.
#33454 The Brain - The Human Mind: From Neurons to Knowledge (Run time min.) DVD $449.85
Combining scientific theory and extraordinary experiments with illuminating human dramas and computer animation, this three-part series presented by Professor Robert Winston takes a pioneering journey through the mind. Original BBCW broadcast title: The Human Mind...and How to Make the Most of It. 3-part series, 60 minutes each.
#36417 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Autopsy: Life and Death (Run time min.) DVD $519.8
It's said that the dead tell no tales-but an autopsy reveals a lot about how a person lived and died. In this four-part series, world-renowned anatomist Gunther von Hagens and pathologist John Lee study and dissect human cadavers-preserved through plastination, von Hagens' patented process-and clearly illustrate the causes of death. Each program features eye-opening lessons in anatomy and pathology, offering an in-depth look at the intense hands-on training that precedes a career in medicine. A follow-up to the series Anatomy for Beginners, item #36296. Viewer discretion is advised. Contains clinically explicit language and demonstrations. 4-part series, 49 minutes each.
#2565 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Common Sense (Run time min.) DVD $539.7
The world we know through our perceptions is created by processes in our brains, and the validity of this imagined world depends crucially on the way that our sense organs and our brains work together to process these perceptions. The purpose of these programs is to describe how the sense organs act as biological instruments of detection, measurement, and analysis, and build for each of us our own perceptual world-incomplete, imperfect, but uniquely our own. The presenter of the Michael Faraday Lectures is Colin Blakemore, Waynflete Professor of Physiology at Magdalen College, Oxford.6-part series, 60 minutes each.
#33737 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Human Senses (Run time min.) DVD $539.7
Life will never be experienced the same way again. This six-part series goes around the globe in search of the biological roots of our senses of smell, vision, taste, touch, hearing, and balance. Live action combined with special effects creates incredible imagery to convey the "feeling" of how our senses work. A BBCW Production. 6-part series, 30 minutes each.
#37064 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Human Body: Systems at Work (Run time min.) DVD $559.65
This series combines illustrations, animations, interviews, and real-world analogies to define and explain the major systems of the human body, with an emphasis on how they enable us to perform everyday activities and maintain good health. Comparisons to systems occurring outside of the body help viewers understand the complex mechanics of the systems operating within it. Viewable/printable instructor's guides are available online. A Cambridge Educational Production. 7-part series, 19-34 minutes each.
#2970 The Brain - The Brain (Run time min.) DVD $579.7
Roger Bingham's fascinating and informative series on the human brain-examining research on how it works. 6-part series.
#1097 General Biology - Experiment: Biology (Run time min.) DVD $599.5
The programs in this series present important experiments that are frequently not practicable in the school laboratory. They have been filmed in such a way that students can make their own quantitative observations from the screen, as if they were carrying out the experiments themselves. 10-part series, 15 minutes each.
#8444 Biochemistry - Biochemistry (Run time min.) DVD $599.8
This four-part series presents in-depth laboratory techniques that illustrate proper procedure for the culturing of human fibroblasts, immunoblotting, southern blotting, and obtaining monoclonal antibodies. Using computer graphics, students see how to properly take samples and incorporate the specific techniques needed to complete laboratory tests and carry out research. 4-part series, 13-25 minutes each.
#30396 Genetics & Biotechnology - How to Build a Human: Genetic Science in the 21st Century (Run time min.) DVD $599.8
Now that scientists have decoded the human genome, how can people expect to benefit from this extraordinary accomplishment? Blending remarkable animated graphics and interviews with leading experts from around the world, this four-part series is an event unto itself, providing an up-to-the-minute assessment of landmark research and breakthroughs. Scientists are not only answering age-old questions about human life but predicting and even improving on its imperfections. A BBC Production. 4-part series, 50 minutes each.
#38977 Genetics & Biotechnology - Secrets of the Sequence Video Clip Collection (Run time min.) DVD $599.8
Ideal for launching lectures and discussions, this four-part series of video segment compilations provides an inside look at progress in genetic science. Through case studies and interviews with many of the field's most respected authorities, the series explores medical, biological, and agricultural research-while reporting on the profound moral, ethical, and legal questions this research raises. Produced in collaboration with Harvard University, The Medical Research Council/Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of California San Francisco, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Virginia Commonwealth University. 4-part series, 60-73 minutes each.
#36296 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Anatomy for Beginners (Run time min.) DVD $599.8
Anatomist Gunther von Hagens is world-renowned for his invention of plastination, a method of preserving dead tissue. He is also famous for his Body Worlds exhibits which incorporate sophisticated-and highly controversial-dissections of human bodies. In this astonishing four-part series, von Hagens lays bare the intricacy and beauty of the human design, making it viewable and easily understood across a wide range of settings-from Biology 101 to the most advanced medical courses. Viewer discretion is advised. Contains clinically explicit language and demonstrations. 4-part series, 50 minutes each.
#36978 The Brain - Human Nature (Run time min.) DVD $599.8
Brain and body are often considered separate entities-but they work together to create our emotional interface with the world. This four-part series explores the fascinating subject of human sensation and response, focusing on laughter, crying, pain, and pleasure-and why these phenomena help define us as a species. Featuring compelling personal stories and rigorous analysis from doctors and researchers, each episode thoroughly investigates a particular aspect of humanity's sensory vocabulary. 4-part series, 49 minutes each.
#33833 Plant & Animal Biology - Cambridge Core Science Series: BioBasics (Run time min.) DVD $719.6
Use the comprehensive 8-part BioBasics series to excite your students about life science as you present the fundamental concepts they'll need for a firm foundation in biology! An engaging blend of computer graphics, interviews with scientists, and animations will hold their attention as they open their minds to a wide range of essential life science topics. Viewable/printable instructor's guides are available online. Correlates to National Academy of Sciences National Science Education Standards and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Benchmarks for Science Literacy. A Cambridge Educational Production. 8-part series, 16-24 minutes each.
#33114 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Systems of the Body S.M.A.R.T. Box (Run time min.) DVD $729.95
Standards-based MediA Resource for Teachers Developed by CURRICULUM MEDIA GROUP The Systems of the Body S.M.A.R.T. Box provides teachers and students with an outstanding blend of multimedia materials designed to illustrate and explain the human body's major systems. Correlated to Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and National Health Education Standards, the S.M.A.R.T. Box combines core content, creative activities, a Teacher's Guide with suggested lesson plans, and a Teacher's Resource Pack to deliver an enriching and engaging learning experience. In addition, three types of assessment tools (with answer keys/scoring rubrics) are included to help evaluate learning after each lesson: • Selected response assessments-questions to test a student's knowledge (e.g., multiple choice, matching, or true/false) • Constructed response assessments-exercises to test a student's ability to convey information and/or demonstrate skills (e.g., fill-in-the-blank, short answer, essay, visual depiction, reading comprehension, outlining, or graphing) • Authentic assessments-projects to test a student's aptitude for communicating information and applying it in a new way (e.g., ideas for research papers, presentations, debates, demonstrations, artwork, journals, stories, experiments, or interviews) Each macroscopic structural and functional aspect of the human body is authoritatively presented. The Systems of the Body S.M.A.R.T. Box will energize your classroom with a comprehensive, research-based multimedia approach to understanding how the body works that provides a balanced mix of videos, CD-ROMs, and posters to support your Science, Biology, and Anatomy curriculums. A Curriculum Media Group Product. Correlates to Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and National Health Education Standards. One multimedia set. The Systems of the Body S.M.A.R.T. Box contains: 7 VIDEOS • Circulatory System: The Plasma Pipeline • Digestive System: Your Personal Power Plant • Brain and Nervous System: Your Information Superhighway • Skeletal System: The Infrastructure • Muscular System: The Inner Athlete • Respiratory System: Intake and Exhaust • The Virtual Body: Homeostasis 3 CD-ROMs • Circulatory, Respiratory, Digestive, and Urinary Systems • Endocrine, Reproductive, and Lymphatic Systems • Integumentary, Nervous, and Musculoskeletal Systems 10 POSTERS (LAMINATED) • Circulatory System • Respiratory System • Digestive System • Urinary System • Endocrine System • Reproductive System • Lymphatic System • Integumentary System • Nervous System • Musculoskeletal System TEACHER'S GUIDE • A Teacher's Guide packed with information: educational standards, a curriculum map, lesson plans, assessment answer keys, fast facts, program overviews, learning objectives, vocabulary terms, discussion questions, Web site resources, student activities, and a reading/viewing list TEACHER'S RESOURCE PACK • A Teacher's Resource Pack of reproducible hand-outs that include student activities reference materials, and assessment tools
#32203 Genetics & Biotechnology - DNA (Run time min.) DVD $749.75
Fifty years ago, two unknown scientists ran into an English pub shouting that they had found the secret of life. Jim Watson and Francis Crick were not exaggerating. Narrated by Jeff Goldblum, this series looks back on the achievements that launched a new era in biology and human life itself. Along with an incredible array of renowned scientists, including five Nobel Laureates, these programs use beautifully realized animations and reconstructions of key experiments to reveal the molecular basis of life in a way never seen before. 5-part series, 57 minutes each.
#5636 The Brain - Journey to the Centers of the Brain (Run time min.) DVD $749.75
This series explores what we know, and what still mystifies us, about the workings of the brain. The programs trace the development of our increasingly sophisticated knowledge about the functioning of the brain, provide a description of the brain from its most basic components, and explore how the brain and behavior can be modified by drugs. We see how the brain grows from a fertilized egg and how our brains change as we grow and grow old. Finally, the series explores what makes the brain give rise to a unique individual. These programs are part of the renowned British Royal Institution Lecture series and are hosted by Dr. Susan Greenfield, professor of synaptic pharmacology at Oxford University and a specialist in the cellular mechanisms and neurochemical phenomena underlying brain function. 5-part series, 58 minutes each.
#35825 The Brain - War of the Sexes (Run time min.) DVD $749.75
Hidden weapons, erratic battle lines, and no sign of a clear victor... such is life in the gender war. This five-part series confronts age-old myths and dilemmas that perpetuate tensions between the sexes, deploying the latest scientific research into gender-based differences. Featuring leading scientists and researchers-including anthropologist Helen Fisher, sociolinguist Deborah Tannen, psychiatrist Harrison Pope, neurologist Ruben Gur, and psychologists David Geary, Vikki Stark, and Daniel Perusse-the program juxtaposes scholarly commentary from these experts with compelling group-dynamic experiments that measure male and female strengths, weaknesses, prejudices, and potential. 5-part series, 45 minutes each.
#11455 The Brain - Brain Story: New Frontiers in Brain Research (Run time min.) DVD $779.7
For some scientists, the brain has become the last frontier to conquer. Enhanced by outstanding 3-D graphics and intimate case studies, this eye-opening six-part series explores the grand themes emerging from the latest brain research-research that with the aid of modern technology is producing a whole new model of brain function. In each program, renowned neuroscientist Susan Greenfield, biologists, psychologists, linguists, and other experts investigate the physiological basis of why people think, feel, and act as they do. A BBC Production. 6-part series, 50 minutes each.
#5981 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The New Living Body (Run time min.) DVD $899.5
How does the human body work? What advances have been made in medicine which enable us to understand the human body better? These programs provide a comprehensive answer to both questions in this ten-part series. Filmed in the United States and Great Britain, these programs were all produced in 1995 and contain valuable information for the study of human anatomy and physiology.Each program contains three major elements:o Live-action video showing the human body in action, often under experimental conditions, putting the theme of each program into context.o Advanced imaging technology is used, including x-rays, radioisotope and ultrasound scans, fiber optics, MRIs, and video of surgery. These techniques provide unparalleled glimpses into the inner workings of the body.o Three-dimensional computer graphics provide easy-to-understand illustrations of processes and functions which are difficult to see otherwise.10-part series, 20 minutes each.
#39160 Human Anatomy & Physiology - Fight for Life: The Anatomy of Survival (Run time min.) DVD $899.7
When faced with life-threatening illness and injury, all humans share one powerful instinct: to fight for life. This six-part series celebrates the human body's ability to join forces with modern medicine and heal itself. Real-world case studies in hospital settings-with startling views made possible by nanotechnology and electron microscope photography-are fused with computer-generated imagery, illustrating anatomical systems involved in the healing process. Each episode focuses on a different stage of life, from the trauma of birth to the frequent carelessness of young adulthood to the fragility of old age. Original BBCW broadcast title: Fight for Life. 6-part series, 51 minutes each.
#2500 Gender & Reproduction - Gender and Reproduction: A Natural History (Run time min.) DVD $1079.4
Throughout the realms of living beings-in bananas and humans, in jungles and zoos, in test tubes and ocean depths-survival depends on adaptation, and adaptation on variation. And variation is the product of sexual reproduction. Through twelve half-hours of fascinating photography, the viewer observes in how many ways beings of all kinds reproduce: how male and female find one another, attract one another, couple, and produce one or more of a new generation that is alike but not identical; and how anatomical, behavioral, and social characteristics of a species are linked to the genetic goal of reproduction. 12-part series, 19-28 minutes each.
#1670 Plant & Animal Biology - The Life of Plants (Run time min.) DVD $1169.35
An introduction to plants and a survey of plants in the general scheme of things. Characterized by astonishing photography, the programs show the diversity of life forms and the range of adaptations that comprise ecological balance. Combining beautiful and often exotic visuals, explanatory animation, and an accessibly informative narration, the programs demonstrate again and again how intricate and complex are even the simplest forms of life. 13-part series, 28 minutes each.
#7104 Microbiology - Investigations in Microbiology (Run time min.) DVD $1199.6
This outstanding eight-part series uses electron microscopy and computer technology to study the science that is at the heart of today's cancer, genetic, and bacterial research. Designed for college classes, the programs combine sophisticated computer graphics and animation with excellent microscopic views of body tissues to thoroughly examine each concept discussed. 8-part series.
#12067 Plant & Animal Biology - Multimedia Dissection Library (Run time min.) DVD $1199.6
Composed of four videos and four CD-ROMs, this comprehensive eight-part series provides a detailed study-from gross morphology to microscopic detail-of the functional relationship between organ systems in the dogfish, frog, pigeon, and rat. It also can help students identify the biological features of evolutionary significance that determine the position of mammals and other classes in subphylum Vertebrata. Equally valuable in classroom and self-paced learning environments, this remarkable library offers a viable alternative to hands-on dissection. 8-part series.
#33043 Genetics & Biotechnology - The Life Revolution: On the Frontier of Biogenetic Engineering (Run time min.) DVD $1799.4
In 1972, two scientists talking shop over a corned beef sandwich hit upon a technique that was to become the third great scientific discovery of the 20th century, alongside splitting the atom and exploring space. It was called genetic engineering, or gene splicing, and the phenomenal results of their discovery launched The Life Revolution. This 12-part series examines the nature of genetic science, which promises to transform the air we breathe, the food we eat, the fuel we burn, the diseases we get, even human beings themselves, by cutting up and redesigning the very stuff of life. The promises and the dangers of genetic engineering, and its scientific bases, are the subject of The Life Revolution. Each of the programs focuses on a particular aspect of this revolutionary field, and each has been hailed-as has the entire series-as a model of scientific documentary videography. 12-part series, 26 minutes each.
#820 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Living Body (Run time min.) DVD $2338.7
This magnificent 26-part series lets viewers explore and understand the many structures and functions of the human body. The series covers every major function, system, and organ. Diagnostic tools-cinemicrography, fiber optics, X-ray scanners, nuclear magnetic resonance, micrography-are fitted with cameras that provide spectacular interior views of the human body. The entire human body has been converted to a computer database to provide high-resolution, three-dimensional color images of anatomical and physiological processes. Written and produced by a team of internationally recognized medical, educational, and film specialists from around the world. 26-part series, 26-28 minutes each.
#4154 Human Anatomy & Physiology - The Human Body (Run time min.) DVD $3508.05
This comprehensive series covers the workings of the human body from head to toe and inside out, with emphasis on the elaborate interrelationships between the various parts and systems. Using the most advanced medical photography, electron micrography, and computer animation, the programs are exceptional for the clarity with which they present their subjects, and the degree to which they enable viewers to understand the individual functions and grasp the enormous complexity of the human body. 39-part series, 28 minutes each.
