In Crocodilians, Ancient Apex Predators, evolutionary biologist Ben Garrod meets some crocodilians. This category includes crocodiles, alligators, and other similar species that use their sensitive skin to detect pressure and vibrations, especially in murky waters where their vision is limited. This unique adaptation helps them hunt and survive as an apex predator. This video is excerpted from Secrets of Skin, a documentary series exploring the natural history of the body’s largest organ.
A hug can say a lot without any words. Hugging might seem like a distinctly human thing, but researchers studying chimpanzees and bonobos found that apes use touch in a similar way.
Scientists observed that apes touch each other — through hugs, pats, and strokes — before stressful situations. In this study, the stressful situation was feeding time. Food is actually one of the biggest sources of conflict among apes, since everyone wants to eat and there's not always enough to go around. Researchers found that apes who touched more before food arrived were more likely to eat peacefully together afterward — no shoving, no squabbling.
This suggests the behavior is old. Really old. Humans, chimpanzees, and bonobos share common ancestors from millions of years ago, so using touch to calm down or bond with others may go back further than we think — to long before our biggest worries were tests and deadlines. Maybe our ancestors were doing something similar before facing down a woolly mammoth.
The article "What Was It Like to Be a Kid in the Middle Ages?" from BBC's HistoryExtra explores what life was like for children during the Middle Ages. The article highlights how children's lives were shaped by age, gender, class, and religion. It also reveals surprising facts about literacy, mortality rates, and how children played, worked, and were disciplined.
A 7-year-old's biggest worry might not be who's hogging the crayons. A survey in Wales (one of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom) suggests that anxiety, concerns about appearance, trouble sleeping, bullying, and problematic phone use affect children as young as 7.
The School Health Research Network — a Wales-based research initiative that regularly surveys students on health and wellbeing — polled more than 50,000 students at over 500 primary schools (the UK term for elementary schools, covering roughly ages 4 to 11) about their physical and mental health. The results were sobering: one in seven kids ages 7 to 11 struggled with emotional issues severe enough that they might need professional support, and a third of kids reported regularly feeling worried, sad, or upset.
The survey also found that 70% regularly had trouble sleeping, half had experienced bullying, and fewer than half ate fruit or vegetables every day.
This isn't just a UK trend. CDC data shows that among U.S. children ages 3 to 17, about 7% currently have anxiety problems, and U.S. health officials now recommend that children ages 8 and up be screened for anxiety — a sign that early childhood anxiety is being taken seriously on both sides of the Atlantic. These findings aren't just numbers — schools are using them to identify where students need more support, whether that's mental health resources, anti-bullying programs, or something as simple as better sleep habits.
At the Weald & Downland Living Museum, a group of volunteers has stepped straight into the year 1461 — and they’re sticking to it. That means no electricity, no central heating, no phones, and no modern conveniences.
They’re living, working, eating, and sleeping the medieval way: cooking over open fires, coping with cold and damp conditions, and adjusting to just two simple meals a day (including a lot of porridge). There’s no caffeine, no snacks, and definitely no scrolling.
It’s a tough experiment in historical living — but one surprising takeaway so far? They don’t miss their phones as much as they expected.
In Great White Sharks vs. Cape Fur Seals, seals head out to sea. As they swim, they must get past great white sharks, apex predators that are waiting to throw their weight around to capture a seal snack. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In A Journey Through the Coral Triangle, host Simon Reeve dives into the breathtaking underwater paradise of Raja Ampat in the Coral Triangle. Home to three-quarters of the world’s coral species, this ecosystem is often called the "Amazon of the Sea." Simon explains how the ocean produces half the oxygen we breathe and reveals the critical role sharks play as apex predators in keeping the marine food chain balanced. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Wilderness With Simon Reeve, an epic adventure into the heart of Earth’s last great wild areas, where nature is at its most beautiful and fragile.
In Battles of the Komodo Dragons, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes the dramatic clashes between these apex predators on Komodo Island. From battles for territory to fierce competition for food and mates, Komodo dragons use their immense strength and strategy to dominate their environment. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Join Tala and the Go Jetters to discover fascinating facts about mountain gorillas! In this fun worksheet, you'll:
- Explore what gorillas eat, how they live, and what makes them unique.
- Complete a quick quiz.
- Doodle fruit for the gorillas
- Trace the name of another ape — the gibbon!
In Congo Adventures: Tracking Bonobos, host Simon Reeve treks through the rainforests of the Congo in search of bonobos, a gentle species of apes only found in this region. Along the way, he battles swarms of bees and tough terrain but finally discovers a family of bonobos living peacefully in the trees. These animals play a crucial role in the rainforest’s survival by spreading seeds as they eat, helping new plants and trees grow. Without the bonobos and other wildlife, the rainforest wouldn’t be able to thrive! This video is excerpted from BBC’s Wilderness With Simon Reeve, an epic adventure into the heart of Earth’s last great wild areas, where nature is at its most beautiful and fragile.
In Orca Life and Hunting Skills, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the world of orcas, the largest and most powerful members of the dolphin family. Follow this pod of nine, including a mother and her calf, as they navigate a narrow channel to hunt elephant seals. Using careful timing and strategy, the mother secures a meal, highlighting the intelligence and skill of these apex predators. This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
Join Tala and the Go Jetters to discover amazing facts about Sumatran tigers! In this interactive worksheet, you'll:
- Explore what makes these tigers unique, what they eat, and how they survive in protected areas.
- Complete a quick quiz.
- Doodle stripes on a tiger.
- Trace the name of another big cat found in Sumatra.
In Crocodilians, Ancient Apex Predators, evolutionary biologist Ben Garrod meets some crocodilians. This category includes crocodiles, alligators, and other similar species that use their sensitive skin to detect pressure and vibrations, especially in murky waters where their vision is limited. This unique adaptation helps them hunt and survive as an apex predator. This video is excerpted from Secrets of Skin, a documentary series exploring the natural history of the body’s largest organ.
A hug can say a lot without any words. Hugging might seem like a distinctly human thing, but researchers studying chimpanzees and bonobos found that apes use touch in a similar way.
Scientists observed that apes touch each other — through hugs, pats, and strokes — before stressful situations. In this study, the stressful situation was feeding time. Food is actually one of the biggest sources of conflict among apes, since everyone wants to eat and there's not always enough to go around. Researchers found that apes who touched more before food arrived were more likely to eat peacefully together afterward — no shoving, no squabbling.
This suggests the behavior is old. Really old. Humans, chimpanzees, and bonobos share common ancestors from millions of years ago, so using touch to calm down or bond with others may go back further than we think — to long before our biggest worries were tests and deadlines. Maybe our ancestors were doing something similar before facing down a woolly mammoth.
The article "What Was It Like to Be a Kid in the Middle Ages?" from BBC's HistoryExtra explores what life was like for children during the Middle Ages. The article highlights how children's lives were shaped by age, gender, class, and religion. It also reveals surprising facts about literacy, mortality rates, and how children played, worked, and were disciplined.
A 7-year-old's biggest worry might not be who's hogging the crayons. A survey in Wales (one of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom) suggests that anxiety, concerns about appearance, trouble sleeping, bullying, and problematic phone use affect children as young as 7.
The School Health Research Network — a Wales-based research initiative that regularly surveys students on health and wellbeing — polled more than 50,000 students at over 500 primary schools (the UK term for elementary schools, covering roughly ages 4 to 11) about their physical and mental health. The results were sobering: one in seven kids ages 7 to 11 struggled with emotional issues severe enough that they might need professional support, and a third of kids reported regularly feeling worried, sad, or upset.
The survey also found that 70% regularly had trouble sleeping, half had experienced bullying, and fewer than half ate fruit or vegetables every day.
This isn't just a UK trend. CDC data shows that among U.S. children ages 3 to 17, about 7% currently have anxiety problems, and U.S. health officials now recommend that children ages 8 and up be screened for anxiety — a sign that early childhood anxiety is being taken seriously on both sides of the Atlantic. These findings aren't just numbers — schools are using them to identify where students need more support, whether that's mental health resources, anti-bullying programs, or something as simple as better sleep habits.
At the Weald & Downland Living Museum, a group of volunteers has stepped straight into the year 1461 — and they’re sticking to it. That means no electricity, no central heating, no phones, and no modern conveniences.
They’re living, working, eating, and sleeping the medieval way: cooking over open fires, coping with cold and damp conditions, and adjusting to just two simple meals a day (including a lot of porridge). There’s no caffeine, no snacks, and definitely no scrolling.
It’s a tough experiment in historical living — but one surprising takeaway so far? They don’t miss their phones as much as they expected.
In Great White Sharks vs. Cape Fur Seals, seals head out to sea. As they swim, they must get past great white sharks, apex predators that are waiting to throw their weight around to capture a seal snack. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In A Journey Through the Coral Triangle, host Simon Reeve dives into the breathtaking underwater paradise of Raja Ampat in the Coral Triangle. Home to three-quarters of the world’s coral species, this ecosystem is often called the "Amazon of the Sea." Simon explains how the ocean produces half the oxygen we breathe and reveals the critical role sharks play as apex predators in keeping the marine food chain balanced. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Wilderness With Simon Reeve, an epic adventure into the heart of Earth’s last great wild areas, where nature is at its most beautiful and fragile.
In Battles of the Komodo Dragons, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes the dramatic clashes between these apex predators on Komodo Island. From battles for territory to fierce competition for food and mates, Komodo dragons use their immense strength and strategy to dominate their environment. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Join Tala and the Go Jetters to discover fascinating facts about mountain gorillas! In this fun worksheet, you'll:
- Explore what gorillas eat, how they live, and what makes them unique.
- Complete a quick quiz.
- Doodle fruit for the gorillas
- Trace the name of another ape — the gibbon!
In Congo Adventures: Tracking Bonobos, host Simon Reeve treks through the rainforests of the Congo in search of bonobos, a gentle species of apes only found in this region. Along the way, he battles swarms of bees and tough terrain but finally discovers a family of bonobos living peacefully in the trees. These animals play a crucial role in the rainforest’s survival by spreading seeds as they eat, helping new plants and trees grow. Without the bonobos and other wildlife, the rainforest wouldn’t be able to thrive! This video is excerpted from BBC’s Wilderness With Simon Reeve, an epic adventure into the heart of Earth’s last great wild areas, where nature is at its most beautiful and fragile.
In Orca Life and Hunting Skills, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the world of orcas, the largest and most powerful members of the dolphin family. Follow this pod of nine, including a mother and her calf, as they navigate a narrow channel to hunt elephant seals. Using careful timing and strategy, the mother secures a meal, highlighting the intelligence and skill of these apex predators. This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
Join Tala and the Go Jetters to discover amazing facts about Sumatran tigers! In this interactive worksheet, you'll:
- Explore what makes these tigers unique, what they eat, and how they survive in protected areas.
- Complete a quick quiz.
- Doodle stripes on a tiger.
- Trace the name of another big cat found in Sumatra.