DVD

The Shape of Life tells the gripping and magnificent tale of the beginnings of all animal life.

Chronicles the historical development of the concept of an "element" from the ideas of ancient Greece through modern quantum theory. Viewers learn that scientists like Boyle, Dalton, and Lavoisier began to recognize patterns in the behavior of chemicals, they sought a unifying principle that would explain why different elements had different properties.

Join us as we investigate the links between chemistry and real life using the most successful arrangement of scientific data ever devised - the modern periodic table! This fascinating series reveals layer after layer of meaning contained in this simple table with dynamic graphics and exciting lab footage.

Students will see how the elements are arranged and underlying patterns are revealed. A dynamic tour of the groups that make up the table combined with lab footage allows viewers to see chemistry in action. Includes a look at some of the many patterns found in periods and groups of elements that combine to create the world around us.

Viewers will see that chemical bonds are the key to understanding how elements combine. The differences between ionic and covalent bonds are clearly presented using vivid graphics and dynamic footage. Students see how valence electrons interact among atoms to form compounds, and learn how simple Lewis structures can help describe how easily an element will react.

Explores the connection between the atomic structure of an element and its properties. Students see how the behavior of the elements and the compounds they form is related to their valence shells -- and learn that anything that affects the valence shell will affect the chemical and physical properties of the element!

Includes 2 programs. Program 1: Seeing Is Believing (60 min.): Today we take for granted that the earth is round, that we orbit the sun. But these things are not obvious - our knowledge today is built on the foundation of hundreds of years of study. This program explores mathematics and how it revolutionized our view of the universe. Discusses Ptolemy, Newton, Einstein, and Hubble.

Includes 2 programs. Program 1: Cosmic Alchemy (60 min.) In the beginning, the universe started as a single point. Yet from this tiny beginning came all the matter that we can see around us today. How could pure energy become matter? Over the last century, a series of discoveries have shed light on our understanding of matter.

Program Five: Black Holes and Beyond

"Biomes of the World in Action" is a fun, informative series that takes students on a fast-paced eco-adventure around the world exploring the many characteristics that make these large regions of the world different from one another.

From the arctic tundra found in the Polar zones to the regions of alpine tundra located on the mountaintops of Europe and North America, students will get an up-close look at this fragile biome. Students explore the biodiversity that exists in these frozen expanses, while a fun, hands-on experiment demonstrates why so many tundra plants are dark in color.

Students will discover how the species of the rainforest have adapted to the temperature and humidity, and why the threat of its destruction will have a far-reaching impact on our planet.

"Biomes of the World in Action" is a fun, informative series that takes students on a fast-paced eco-adventure around the world exploring the many characteristics that make these large regions of the world different from one another.

Students will explore saltwater environments -- from shorelines to coral reefs -- and learn about the fish, plants, mammals and insects that depend on each other for survival in this aquatic biome. Examine concepts such as salinity and currents, and find out about the three major life zones found in ocean waters.

"Biomes of the World in Action" is a fun, informative series that takes students on a fast-paced eco-adventure around the world exploring the many characteristics that make these large regions of the world different from one another.