Real Science and Debunking Pseudoscience and Mytho

Nurseries Of Evolution (RDF TV)

2011-08-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

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Richard Dawkins shows how the relatively young island chain of Hawaii acts as a nursery of evolution as it moves over a volcanic hotspot in the Pacific Ocean, generating new islands. He shows how Drosophila flies have diverged on the different islands, driven by sexual selection.

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During Richard Dawkins' 2009 American tour, we visited Judy Diamond's "Explore Evolution" exhibit at the University of Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln. This exhibit has now been replicated in six museums around the country. While visiting we filmed a collection of short unrehearsed and unscripted videos—just inspired by the "Explore Evolution" exhibit.

See the "Explore Evolution" web page here:
http://explore-evolution.unl.edu/

Special Thanks to:
Dr. Judy Diamond
The University of Nebraska State Museum
http://www.friendsofthemuseum.org/

Research by
KENNETH Y. KANESHIRO

Photos
D. disjuncta by KEVIN T. KANESHIRO
D. silvestris by KENNETH Y. KANESHIRO

Diatoms: The Evolution Of A New Species (RDF TV)

2011-08-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

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Richard Dawkins explains how microscopic algae called Diatoms uniquely evolved in Yellowstone Lake.

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If you enjoy the video, and would like to help us make more videos like this, please consider donating $1 (or any other amount you'd like) to The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science:
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During Richard Dawkins' 2009 American tour, we visited Judy Diamond's "Explore Evolution" exhibit at the University of Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln. This exhibit has now been replicated in six museums around the country. While visiting we filmed a collection of short unrehearsed and unscripted videos—just inspired by the "Explore Evolution" exhibit.

See the "Explore Evolution" web page here:
http://explore-evolution.unl.edu

Special Thanks to:
Dr. Judy Diamond
The University of Nebraska State Museum
http://www.friendsofthemuseum.org

Show Me The Intermediate Fossils! (RDF TV)

2011-08-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

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Richard Dawkins shows how whales evolved from a cloven-hoofed ancestor, and reveals whales' closest modern-day cousin.

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http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c116791/Whale-Intermediates-v4.mov

Get the RDF TV podcast through iTunes!
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=331182596

If you enjoy the video, and would like to help us make more videos like this, please consider donating $1 (or any other amount you'd like) to The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science:
http://richarddawkinsfoundation.org/foundation,donations

During Richard Dawkins' 2009 American tour, we visited Judy Diamond's "Explore Evolution" exhibit at the University of Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln. This exhibit has now been replicated in six museums around the country. While visiting we filmed a collection of short unrehearsed and unscripted videos—just inspired by the "Explore Evolution" exhibit.

See the "Explore Evolution" web page here:
http://explore-evolution.unl.edu

Special Thanks to:
Dr. Judy Diamond
The University of Nebraska State Museum
http://www.friendsofthemuseum.org

Neil deGrasse Tyson Adventures in Science Illiteracy

2011-07-31T13:41:00.000-07:00

Vampire bat food sharing (explained by David Attenborough)

2011-07-31T13:25:00.000-07:00

From The Trials of Life, episode Friends and Rivals (BBC)

Why Are There Still Chimpanzees? (RDF TV)

2011-07-31T12:55:00.000-07:00

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Richard Dawkins clears up the misunderstanding of Evolution that is all too common: If we descended from Chimpanzees, then why are there still Chimpanzees? Dawkins explains that we DID NOT descend from Chimpanzees—we both share a common ancestor.

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http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c116791/Still-Chimpanzees4.mov

Get the RDF TV podcast through iTunes!
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=331182596

If you enjoy the video, and would like to help us make more videos like this, please consider donating $1 (or any other amount you'd like) to The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science:
http://richarddawkinsfoundation.org

During Richard Dawkins' 2009 American tour, we visited Judy Diamond's "Explore Evolution" exhibit at the University of Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln. This exhibit has now been replicated in six museums around the country. While visiting we filmed a collection of short unrehearsed and unscripted videos—just inspired by the "Explore Evolution" exhibit.

See the "Explore Evolution" web page here:
http://explore-evolution.unl.edu

Special Thanks to:
Dr. Judy Diamond
The University of Nebraska State Museum
http://www.friendsofthemuseum.org

See more at:
http://RichardDawkins.net

Epic Creationist Fails of Our Time -- #2

2011-07-30T12:36:00.001-07:00

Comparing The Human And Chimpanzee Genomes (RDF TV)

2011-07-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

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MIRROR From richarddawkinsdotnet
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Richard Dawkins shows just how similar the Human and Chimpanzee genomes really are, with the help of a great visual from the University of Nebraska Museum.

Download Quicktime version (720p HD):
http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c116791/Humans-chimps4.mov

Get the RDF TV podcast through iTunes!
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=331182596

If you enjoy the video, and would like to help us make more videos like this, please consider donating $1 (or any other amount you'd like) to The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science:
http://richarddawkinsfoundation.org

During Richard Dawkins' 2009 American tour, we visited Judy Diamond's "Explore Evolution" exhibit at the University of Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln. This exhibit has now been replicated in six museums around the country. While visiting we filmed a collection of short unrehearsed and unscripted videos—just inspired by the "Explore Evolution" exhibit.

See the "Explore Evolution" web page here:
http://explore-evolution.unl.edu

Special Thanks to:
Dr. Judy Diamond
The University of Nebraska State Museum
http://www.friendsofthemuseum.org

See more at:
http://RichardDawkins.net

Galápagos Islands: Nazca And Blue Footed Boobies (RDF TV)

2011-07-29T13:54:00.001-07:00

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Richard Dawkins explains the related egg-laying habits of Nazca Boobies, Blue Footed Boobies and Gannetts. These evolved adaptations may seem cruel to us, but the genes for these varying insurance policies get passed on through the surviving chicks to future generations.

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"In May 2007 Josh and I were among those who went to Galapagos with a large group from the Center for Inquiry. As we walked with the guided parties over the islands, Josh took every opportunity to film the wildlife. Occasionally he would turn the camera on me, and I would ad lib a few words about whatever animals we were looking at. These 'vignettes' were unscripted and unrehearsed, and there was no time for any "Take 2" repetitions, because the guided walk was moving on."

Richard

If you enjoy the video, and would like to help us make more videos like this, please consider donating $1 (or any other amount you'd like) to The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science:
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Presented by
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FOR REASON AND SCIENCE

Galápagos Islands: Giant Tortoises (RDF TV)

2011-07-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

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Richard Dawkins explains how and why the Giant Tortoises of Galapagos evolved on each of the different islands. He shows how the different shell shapes evolved to help the tortoises adapt to environments on the different islands.

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"In May 2007 Josh and I were among those who went to Galapagos with a large group from the Center for Inquiry. As we walked with the guided parties over the islands, Josh took every opportunity to film the wildlife. Occasionally he would turn the camera on me, and I would ad lib a few words about whatever animals we were looking at. These 'vignettes' were unscripted and unrehearsed, and there was no time for any "Take 2" repetitions, because the guided walk was moving on."

Richard

If you enjoy the video, and would like to help us make more videos like this, please consider donating $1 (or any other amount you'd like) to The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science:
http://richarddawkinsfoundation.org/

Camera & Music by
JOSH TIMONEN

Presented by
THE RICHARD DAWKINS FOUNDATION
FOR REASON AND SCIENCE

Galápagos Islands: The Flightless Cormorant (RDF TV)

2011-07-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

MIRROR From richarddawkinsdotnet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBkiT0zyYm0
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Richard Dawkins explains how vestigial organs like the stubby wings of the Flightless Cormorant were one of Darwin's key arguments for Evolution.

Download Quicktime version (720p HD):
http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c116791/flightless-cormorants.mov

Get the RDF TV podcast through iTunes!
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"In May 2007 Josh and I were among those who went to Galapagos with a large group from the Center for Inquiry. As we walked with the guided parties over the islands, Josh took every opportunity to film the wildlife. Occasionally he would turn the camera on me, and I would ad lib a few words about whatever animals we were looking at. These 'vignettes' were unscripted and unrehearsed, and there was no time for any "Take 2" repetitions, because the guided walk was moving on."

Richard

If you enjoy the video, and would like to help us make more videos like this, please consider donating $1 (or any other amount you'd like) to The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science:
http://richarddawkinsfoundation.org/

Camera & Music by
JOSH TIMONEN

Presented by
THE RICHARD DAWKINS FOUNDATION
FOR REASON AND SCIENCE

Science Nation - Geo-Immersion Makes Maps Come Alive

2011-07-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

Imagine a virtual computer simulation that reflects the world around you in real-time. Before you ever leave your home, a wealth of images and information about the world around you is at your finger-tips. Facial recognition might give information about the location of your friends, or maybe you want the latest scoop about the specials at local restaurants, or the real time locations and estimated arrival and departures of commuter trains. According to the Integrated Media Systems Center (IMSC), there's an app for all that, and more. The IMSC was launched in 1996, with funding from the National Science Foundation. The current virtual reality technology the Center has been creating and implementing at the University of Southern California campus in Los Angeles is called Geo-Immersion. Center director Cyrus Shahabi envisions the technology being used at other college campuses and institutions for applications ranging from social networking to enhancing security.

Homo Sapiens - Who Are We?

2011-07-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

Chapter One:

Chapter Two:

Chapter Three:

Chapter Four:

Chapter Five:

Chapter Six:

Chapter Seven:

Chapter Eight:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDYWuCNTzzk

An amazing series that shows what the fossil records have to say about the origins of our species.

Wild Kingdom- Manta Ray Secrets Revealed

2011-01-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

Where do manta rays go when they leave the warm, shallow reefs of Mozambique? New satellite tracking data suggests they go further, and deeper, than anyone previously thought.

Wild Kingdom- An Elephant Oasis

2011-01-07T11:00:00.001-08:00

The Ape That Took Over The World BBC

2011-01-07T10:49:00.000-08:00

In 2001, scientists announced an amazing discovery: the oldest skull of a human ancestor ever found. The 3,5 million year old fossil was remarkably complete, and unlike any previous fossil find. Its discovery - by a team led by Meave Leakey of the famous Leakey fossil-hunting family - has revolutionised our understanding of how humans evolved.

The great mystery of our evolution is how an ape could have evolved into the extraordinary creature that is a human being. There has never been another animal like us on the planet. And yet ten million years ago there was no sign that humans would take over the world. Instead the Earth was dominated by the apes. More than 50 different species of ape roamed the world - ten million years ago Earth really was the planet of the apes. Three million years later, most had vanished. In their place came something clearly related to the apes, but also completely different: human beings!

For years scientists searched for the first key characteristic which had allowed us to make the huge leap from ape to amazing human. At first they thought the development of our big brains was decisive. They even found the fossil that seemed to prove it, until along came the famous three million year old fossilised skeleton Lucy. This quashed the big brain theory, because here was a human ancestor which clearly walked on two legs, just as we do, but had the tiny brain of an ape. It seemed that the development of walking on two legs (bipedalism) was the first key human characteristic, the thing that set us on the road to becoming human.

Lucy soon became even more important. She seemed to defy the laws of evolution. Normally a major evolutionary adaptation like walking on two legs is followed by what scientists call an adaptive radiation. Many related species quickly evolve from an initial evolutionary innovation. It gives a very bushy evolutionary family tree, with many different but related species. Scientists knew that the human branch of the family tree had begun about six or seven million years ago, when the planet of the apes ended. And yet there was no sign of an adaptive radiation. The family tree showed just a straight line leading from the planet of the apes through to Lucy.

Wild Kingdom- Orca Matriarch

2011-01-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

The Orcas live in a Matriarchal community. The females live much longer than the males, and therefor have more valuable experiences. (From "A Man Among Orcas," Season 4)

Seeing the Formation of Planets

2011-01-07T10:39:00.001-08:00

The Webb Space Telescope will study planetary bodies with our solar system and planets orbiting other stars to help scientists better understand how planets form and how they evolve.

Imaging Extrasolar Planets

2010-12-31T10:12:00.000-08:00

While astronomers have identified over 500 planets around other stars, they're all too small and distant to fill even a single pixel in our most powerful telescopes. That's why science must rely on art to help us imagine these strange new worlds. From Spitzer Space Telescope.

While astronomers have identified over 500 planets around other stars, they're all too small and distant to fill even a single pixel in our most powerful telescopes. That's why science must rely on art to help us imagine these strange new worlds.

Even without pictures of these exoplanets, astronomers have learned many things that can be illustrated in artwork. For instance, measurements of the temperatures of many "Hot Jupiters," massive worlds orbiting very close to their stars, hint that their atmospheres may be as dark as soot, glowing only from their own heat.

While "Hot Jupiters" would be relatively dark in visible light, compared to their stars, their brightness is proportionally much greater in the infrared. Illustrating this dramatic contrast change helps explain why the infrared eye of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope plays a key role in studying exoplanets.

As our understanding evolves, so must the artwork. Astronomers found a blazing hot spot on the exoplanet Upsilon Andromedae b that at first, appeared to face towards its star. More data has revealed that the hottest area is actually strangely rotated almost 90 degrees away, near the day/night terminator.

WASP 12b is as hot as the filament in a light bulb, and would be blazing bright to our eyes. Most interestingly, if it proves to have a strongly elliptical orbit, as first thought, calculations show it would be shedding some of its outer atmosphere into a gassy disk around its star.

Computer simulations of HD 80606 b, constrained by global infrared measurements, are helping astronomers to better understand the details of how its atmosphere circulates. These computations can feed back into the artwork helping us produce more plausible illustrations.

The closest known exoplanet is 10 light years away in the Epsilon Eridani system. Excess infrared light found here by Spitzer has led astronomers to conclude it also has two asteroid belts, hinting at the possibility of other small, rocky worlds.

Perhaps the strangest known planetary system orbits the pulsar PSR B1257+12, the neutron star remnant of a supernova. Astronomers have detected three planets that either survived the explosion, or formed afterwards in this region filled with spinning magnetic fields and hostile radiation.

Until the day we can explore other star systems as thoroughly as our own, exoplanet art inspired by the real science will help fill in the gaps in our imagination.

Ice Volcano on Titan

2010-12-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has found possible ice volcanoes on Saturn's moon Titan that are similar in shape to those on Earth that spew molten rock.

Topography and surface composition data have enabled scientists to make the best case yet in the outer solar system for an Earth-like volcano landform that erupts in ice. The results were presented today at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.

"When we look at our new 3-D map of Sotra Facula on Titan, we are struck by its resemblance to volcanoes like Mt. Etna in Italy, Laki in Iceland and even some small volcanic cones and flows near my hometown of Flagstaff," said Randolph Kirk, who led the 3-D mapping work, and is a Cassini radar team member and geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Scientists have been debating for years whether ice volcanoes, also called cryovolcanoes, exist on ice-rich moons, and if they do, what their characteristics are. The working definition assumes some kind of subterranean geological activity warms the cold environment enough to melt part of the satellite's interior and sends slushy ice or other materials through an opening in the surface. Volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io and Earth spew silicate lava.

Some cryovolcanoes bear little resemblance to terrestrial volcanoes, such as the tiger stripes at Saturn's moon Enceladus, where long fissures spray jets of water and icy particles that leave little trace on the surface. At other sites, eruption of denser materials might build up volcanic peaks or finger-like flows. But when such flows were spotted on Titan in the past, theories explained them as non-volcanic processes, such as rivers depositing sediment. At Sotra, however, cryovolcanism is the best explanation for two peaks more than 1,000 meters (3,000 feet) high with deep volcanic craters and finger-like flows.

"This is the very best evidence, by far, for volcanic topography anywhere documented on an icy satellite," said Jeffrey Kargel, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona, Tucson. "It's possible the mountains are tectonic in origin, but the interpretation of cryovolcano is a much simpler, more consistent explanation."

Kirk and colleagues analyzed new Cassini radar images. His USGS group created the topographic map and 3-D flyover images of Sotra Facula. Data from Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer revealed the lobed flows had a composition different from the surrounding surface. Scientists have no evidence of current activity at Sotra, but they plan to monitor the area.

"Cryovolcanoes help explain the geological forces sculpting some of these exotic places in our solar system," said Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "At Titan, for instance, they explain how methane can be continually replenished in the atmosphere when the sun is constantly breaking that molecule down."

How Solar Systems & Planets Evolve

2010-12-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

Foundations of Feliforme Families

2010-12-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

Changing Views of Pluto

2010-12-07T14:03:00.000-08:00

Raw Food

2010-08-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

Raw food is just another form of extremism. It takes a very good idea: increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, and can take it too far. The reasons to follow an all-raw diet are just bad logic, and can cause great harm.

The Raw Foods Website I used in the video:
http://www.living-foods.com/

Echoes Of A Supernova

2010-08-12T15:25:00.000-07:00

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The Hidden Universe (Episode 20): Cassiopeia A - Echoes of a Supernova A supernova flash echoing through surrounding dust clouds has given astronomers a virtual time machine for studying the light from the explosion that nobody saw.

This is the Hidden Universe of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, exploring the mysteries of infrared astronomy with your host Dr. Robert Hurt.

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It's the 17th century supernova that nobody saw, but telescopes in space and on Earth have teamed up to look back in time and study it today!

When a massive star reaches its end of days it explodes dramatically and, for a few months, can outshine anything else in the galaxy. Earlier supernovas had been seen by many, often shining brighter than the planets. Of course with no witnesses, and no records, it's difficult to tell exactly what kind of supernova it was.

A team led by astronomer Oliver Krause has, over the last few years, made a remarkable series of infrared observations of the region. These Spitzer Space Telescope images show shifting patterns of glowing dust beyond the remnant itself. These changes are so fast that they indicate motion at the speed of light!

To get what's happening we have to remember that light moves fast, but in such a vast galaxy it still takes a while for it to get anywhere. Cassiopeia A (Cas A) itself is about 11,000 light-years away, which means today we're seeing what it looked like 11,000 years ago. But that's only part of the story.

The light from a supernova can even take hundreds of years to reach surrounding dust clouds. Following the arrows of light it's clear we'll see the supernova flash first. The light echoing off of the dust clouds will later arrive at various times, delayed by hundreds of years from the original flash.

So we're not seeing the dust move, we're seeing the light from the supernova move through the dust. Out there, the flash is about as bright as the full moon, which is enough to warm the dust slightly. Spitzer detects this brief boost in its thermal infrared glow.

Now, knowing the location of the infrared light echo, Dr. Krause and his team went searching for a far more elusive visible-light echo. Using the powerful Subaru telescope in Hawaii they succeeded in measuring the very faint light of the supernova itself reflecting off the dust. The light echo has acted like an astronomical time machine, letting us study the original supernova using instruments that were beyond imagination in the 17th century.

By matching its visible spectral signature to a wellstudied supernova in a nearby galaxy, Krause and his team have now identified it as a so-called Type IIb supernova. A Type IIb is fainter than the earlier Type Ib supernovas noted by Tycho Brahe in 1572 and Johannes Kepler in 1604. Interestingly, the Royal Astronomer Flamsteed noted a star near Cas A in August of 1680 with a brightness consistent with a Type IIb supernova at that distance. So maybe it was seen after all!

But this light echo reveals more than just the supernova. The expanding flash also lets astronomers study the three-dimensional structure of the dust, illuminating it one slice at a time. If we combine the images, assigning colors to the observation dates, the result is a prismatic display of the 3D dust structure. The nearest dust is blue, and the most distant is red, while everything that stays constant is grey. We can see that interstellar dust lies in sheets and filaments, not, for instance, big, puffy clouds.

This remarkable light echo around Cas A has led to a better understanding of both supernovas and interstellar dust, which itself is made of elements forged in previous generations of supernovas. This also marks the start of the third year of our Hidden Universe podcasts. On behalf of the staff of the Spitzer Science Center, I'd like to thank all of our viewers for making this and our other podcasts so successful. And keep watching, because there's a lot more to this hidden universe just waiting to be discovered!

• http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/