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Cone-headed Planthoppers (Acanalonia conica) on Passion Flower

February 5, 2022 at 2:11 pm / Evolution, Natural history, Short Observations, Video

This observation has been registered in the iNaturalist database with the following accession 105647409. Observed on August 9, 2014 at the Georgia State Botanical Garden in Athens, GA, USA. Here, you can see a number of cone-headed planthoppers (Acanalonia conica) feeding on a passion flower vine (Passiflora incarnata). The passion flower family (Passifloraceae) is well known for its sugar producing glands called extrafloral nectaries. These nectaries attract ants and here in this observation we see two species of ants (Formica […]

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Ants Defending Plants

February 4, 2022 at 11:00 am / Ecological Documentaries, Evolution, Natural history, NatureDocumentaries.org, Video, Wildlife Documentaries

Plant eaters are called herbivores and they pose a threat for plants. Understandably, nobody would like to get eaten. In order to prevent tissue loss and damage from herbivores plants have evolved defensive adaptations such as hard to digest tissues and poisonous chemicals. Some plants however, have evolved a different solution. Plants can use nectar as drivers of beneficial behaviors such as pollination and protection from herbivores. Nectar is an attractive fluid for many animals. It is a rich calorie […]

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Live from Geldingadalir Volcano, Iceland (2021)

February 2, 2022 at 10:28 am / Global Patterns, Video, webcams

Be it Mount Ararat or Mount Chimborazo, every massive stratovolcano was once upon a time a tiny little pimple on the Earth’s surface. It is most certainly very fascinating to see a baby volcano being born, a geological process that will last a very long time. The first technical description of lava flow comes from the ancient geographer Strabo of Amaseia. In his book, he describes the Katakekaumene, which means the “burnt country” referring to a region of around 1,800 […]

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NASA TV live

December 26, 2021 at 8:47 am / Cosmological, Global Patterns, Human Nature, Video

Ever since the successful landing of Mars rover Curiosity in August 6th of 2012, NASA TV broadcasts have experienced a big surge in viewers. Since then many other successful missions and interesting Earth-based as well as cosmic phenomena have been transmitted to curious masses of viewers all over the world. NASA TV has a rich body of programming including recording and analysis of significant global events such as the Chelyabinsk airburst event. There are regular broadcasts from the International Space […]

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Forest Dynamics of North America Over 25 Years

December 20, 2021 at 8:14 pm / Ecological Documentaries, Global Patterns, NatureDocumentaries.org, Video

Using the images captured by the Landsat satellites, landscape ecologists produced a comprehensive visualization of decades of forest dynamics shaped by human management and natural disturbances. Dark green pixels had no disturbances in the 25 years studied. Yellow shows where a disturbance happened in a particular year. At this scale, what really stands out are the large fires in the West and timber harvesting in the Pacific Northwest, Maine, and all across the Southeast. Climate scientists need to know the […]

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A Satellite-eye View of Three Decades of Deforestation in the Amazon

December 17, 2021 at 1:39 pm / Ecological Documentaries, Global Patterns, NatureDocumentaries.org, Video

This short documentary compiles satellite-tracked evidence for Brazilian Amazon rainforest destruction between 1985 and 2018. How do you map and quantify the Amazonian deforestation? The data recorded by the Landsat has revealed the stark rate of the Amazon deforestation in great detail. The Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world. It covers an area roughly equal to that of the continental United States. In a time series spanning over three decades, starting the year of 1985, we can observe […]

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Landsat 9: part 1, Getting Off The Ground – NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (2020)

December 16, 2021 at 1:18 pm / Global Patterns, Video

Landsat missions span for more than half a century starting from 1972. In this first episode of the four part mini series we explore how the project got started and what sorts of challenges were faced during the initial design of this legendary Earth observing instrument. The episode introduces people including William Pecora, Stewart Udall and Virginia Norwood who were pivotal in realization of Landsat 1. The Landsat Program is a series of Earth-observing satellite missions jointly managed by NASA […]

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Landsat 9: part 2, Designing For The Future – NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (2020)

December 16, 2021 at 1:13 pm / Global Patterns, Video

We cannot protect our planet if we cannot understand it. Understanding a complex system requires accurate measurements and quantification of dynamic processes. The Landsat Program is a series of Earth-observing satellite missions jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).Landsat missions span for more than half a century starting from 1972. The unbroken sequence of images covering the entire Earth’s surface provide an invaluable record of historical land use. In this second episode of the four part mini […]

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Landsat 9, part 3: More Than Just A Pretty Picture – NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (2020)

December 16, 2021 at 1:11 pm / Global Patterns, Video

In this third episode of the four part mini series, we explore challenges faced by the Landsat ground crew. The ground station crew is responsible for maintaining the constancy of the data stream coming from the satellite. The storage capacity of the memory onboard the satellite is finite and if a problem arises on the ground in receiving the data there is a risk of missing irreplaceable recordings. Landsat Program missions span for more than half a century starting from […]

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Landsat 9, part 4: Plays Well With Others – NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (2020)

December 16, 2021 at 1:04 pm / Global Patterns, Video

In this last episode of the four part mini series, we take a look at a few examples for how scientists are using the Landsat data to find answers to diverse questions. For instance biologists use imagery to quantify evaporative stress in plants and health of the trees. Landsat measurements can be combined with that of GRACE to interpret effects of underground water levels on the plant cover in a given area. Landsat data can integrate with data coming from […]

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Refik Anadol – Machine Halucinations (2016-2017)

September 25, 2021 at 6:30 pm / Human Nature, Video

Science can be beautiful. Art can be informative. In NatureDocumentaries.org the motto “science can be beautiful and art can be informative” is a valued proposition. For instance, In Nomine Terra Calens: In the Name of a Warming Earth is an example for such kind of art-science integration that informs us about the most pressing global issue of our time: Global Warming. Refik Anadol is a successful data/media artist who in his own words “uses data as pigment” to create his […]

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Domestication as a Signature of Human Nature / One Man and His Dog – BBC (1985)

August 10, 2021 at 10:06 pm / Evolution, Human Nature, Video

Johnny Wilson and his dogs earned their fame when they won BBC2’s One Man and His Dog competition. Here in this short clip we see a remarkable section from the program that highlights a signature of one of the hallmark characters in Human nature: Domestication. Domestication expanded Human abilities beyond the natural boundaries. Note that domestication in animals almost always starts with selection of “behavior”. Using this unintentional primary cue as a starting point Humans in different parts of the […]

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Synthetic Cells: Building Life to Understand It – Katarzyna Adamala | iBiology (2021)

July 9, 2021 at 10:31 pm / Evolution, Molecular Nature, Video

Dr. Katarzyna Adamala of the University of Minnesota describes what synthetic cells are and how they can teach us the fundamental principles of life. By looking at the fundamental molecules of (RNA, DNA and Proteins) biologists are certain that life on Earth evolved only once. All biological systems (including viruses that are technically non-living) on our planet are rooted in the same fundamental framework. This framework appears extremely complex and we have yet to fully understand the processes inside living […]

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A Scientific Visualization of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season – NASA/SVS (2020)

April 16, 2021 at 10:28 pm / Global Patterns, Video

NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio (SVS) has released an animated summary of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. The visualization starts on May 1, 2020 showing Sea Surface Temperatures and cloud cover. Precipitation data layer enters in as hurricanes are tracked throughout 2020. Hurricane strengths pepresented with the letter “T” for Tropical Storm and numbers for each storm’s respective strength along the hurricane tracks. At the end by all storm tracks are projected together on the surface. The season stunned meteorologists and […]

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Horseshoe Crabs Mating in Maine

April 9, 2021 at 11:25 am / Ecological Documentaries, Evolution, Natural history, NatureDocumentaries.org, Short Observations, Video, Wildlife Documentaries

This is a quite rare footage of Atlantic horseshoe crabs (Limulus poyphemus) recorded during high tide about 10:00 am in Recompence Shore, Freeport Maine on May 26th 2010. Mating mostly happens in moonlit nights (romantic animals) on sandy beaches. Here they are mating in broad daylight on a rough pebble beach. External fertilization is one of the ancestral ways to produce offspring however it can be rather costly. Egg production requires more resources compared to sperm. Females therefore need more […]

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