Dive into this curated playlist of clips from Got Science?, the BBC’s magazine-style series that unpacks the science behind everyday life. From why we melt at baby animals to why scary movies make us jump, each episode reveals the surprising biology and behavior shaping our world. Students can explore questions like why flies are nearly impossible to catch and why bedbugs are so tough to defeat. Every video includes discussion questions, writing prompts, and more to spark curiosity and critical thinking in middle and high school classrooms.
From the scorching surface of Mercury to the icy winds of Neptune, this BBC Learning Hub playlist takes you on an awe-inspiring voyage across our celestial neighborhood. Explore the mysteries of alien worlds, witness dramatic planetary weather, uncover the origins of Saturn’s rings, and ponder life on Mars. Whether you're a curious stargazer or a space science enthusiast, these video clips from landmark BBC series like The Planets and Wonders of the Solar System will ignite learner's imagination and deepen your cosmic curiosity.
In The Gravity-Defying Design of the Caracal Cat, narrator Suranne Jones looks at the perfect design of the caracal, a wild cat, that allows it to leap upwards, defying gravity and catching birds in flight. Even more amazing is how the cat uses its flexible spine to twist its body two different ways so that it can push off itself and land on its feet no matter what. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Life in the Air, a documentary about animals that take to the sky.
In Mercury, the Solar System's Smallest Planet, narrator Professor Brian Cox highlights the brutal environment of the smallest planet in our Solar System. Its small size meant Mercury didn’t have enough gravity to hang on to its atmosphere. Without the protection of even that thin line of gas, temperatures fluctuate from 842°F (450°C) during the day to -290°F (-180C) degrees at night on the rocky planet. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
The article "Isaac Newton: From Apple Myths to Scientific Genius" from BBC's HistoryExtra tells the story of Newton’s journey from a lonely farm boy to one of the greatest scientists of all time. It explores his most famous discoveries — including gravity, motion, and calculus — as well as his struggles, rivalries (especially with Robert Hooke), and unusual experiments.
The article "Is Our Universe Stranger Than We Thought?" from BBC's Science Focus is a fascinating look at new research on the Universe that challenges what we thought we knew. Differences in how we measure the Universe's expansion and how galaxies are spread out suggest there may be missing pieces in our understanding of space.
In The Death of Stars, narrator Kate Yule explores how stars reach the end of their lives and can no longer fight against their own gravity. Some stars expand, whereas giant stars contract to form black holes, invisible to telescopes. Learn how Jocelyn Bell Burnell built a new telescope which detected pulsars, which emit no visible light, but send out radio waves. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Einstein & Hawking: Masters of Our Universe, a mind-bending documentary that tells the story of how the two most famous scientists of the 20th Century transformed our understanding of the Universe and changed the world.
In Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, narrator Kate Yule explores Einstein’s realization that a key feature of space-time is that it could bend and flex. The Sun changes space-time, which Einstein suggests is the true nature of gravity. Learn how Einstein created an equation to express the curvature of space and time. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Einstein & Hawking: Masters of Our Universe, a mind-bending documentary that tells the story of how the two most famous scientists of the 20th Century transformed our understanding of the Universe and changed the world.
In Exploring Uranus and Neptune, Professor Brian Cox explains why Uranus and Neptune are so difficult to reach, and how the Voyager expedition took advantage of a planetary event that happens every few hundred years to speed through space so we could get a glimpse of these distant planets. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Brian Cox’s Adventures in Space and Time, a series that seeks to explain our place in the Universe. Professor Brian Cox looks back on decades of discovery and toward the next frontier in space, pondering the question: What’s next?
In Fhe Creation of Saturn’s Rings, Professor Brian Cox explains how Saturn’s rings came to be and what scientists have learned from the Cassini mission. Learn how dynamic and dramatic Saturn’s iconic rings are and the role that gravity plays in creating its rings. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In Jupiter’s Effect on the Planets, Professor Brian Cox explains how Jupiter’s movement through the early Solar System, into the inner Solar System and toward the Sun, impacted Earth and Mars, and made the planets what they are today. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In The Godfather of the Planets, Professor Brian Cox explains how Jupiter has influenced other planets, including Earth. Learn what scientists have learned about Jupiter and its moons from the Pioneer and Voyager expeditions. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
Dive into this curated playlist of clips from Got Science?, the BBC’s magazine-style series that unpacks the science behind everyday life. From why we melt at baby animals to why scary movies make us jump, each episode reveals the surprising biology and behavior shaping our world. Students can explore questions like why flies are nearly impossible to catch and why bedbugs are so tough to defeat. Every video includes discussion questions, writing prompts, and more to spark curiosity and critical thinking in middle and high school classrooms.
From the scorching surface of Mercury to the icy winds of Neptune, this BBC Learning Hub playlist takes you on an awe-inspiring voyage across our celestial neighborhood. Explore the mysteries of alien worlds, witness dramatic planetary weather, uncover the origins of Saturn’s rings, and ponder life on Mars. Whether you're a curious stargazer or a space science enthusiast, these video clips from landmark BBC series like The Planets and Wonders of the Solar System will ignite learner's imagination and deepen your cosmic curiosity.
In The Gravity-Defying Design of the Caracal Cat, narrator Suranne Jones looks at the perfect design of the caracal, a wild cat, that allows it to leap upwards, defying gravity and catching birds in flight. Even more amazing is how the cat uses its flexible spine to twist its body two different ways so that it can push off itself and land on its feet no matter what. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Life in the Air, a documentary about animals that take to the sky.
In Mercury, the Solar System's Smallest Planet, narrator Professor Brian Cox highlights the brutal environment of the smallest planet in our Solar System. Its small size meant Mercury didn’t have enough gravity to hang on to its atmosphere. Without the protection of even that thin line of gas, temperatures fluctuate from 842°F (450°C) during the day to -290°F (-180C) degrees at night on the rocky planet. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
The article "Isaac Newton: From Apple Myths to Scientific Genius" from BBC's HistoryExtra tells the story of Newton’s journey from a lonely farm boy to one of the greatest scientists of all time. It explores his most famous discoveries — including gravity, motion, and calculus — as well as his struggles, rivalries (especially with Robert Hooke), and unusual experiments.
The article "Is Our Universe Stranger Than We Thought?" from BBC's Science Focus is a fascinating look at new research on the Universe that challenges what we thought we knew. Differences in how we measure the Universe's expansion and how galaxies are spread out suggest there may be missing pieces in our understanding of space.
In The Death of Stars, narrator Kate Yule explores how stars reach the end of their lives and can no longer fight against their own gravity. Some stars expand, whereas giant stars contract to form black holes, invisible to telescopes. Learn how Jocelyn Bell Burnell built a new telescope which detected pulsars, which emit no visible light, but send out radio waves. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Einstein & Hawking: Masters of Our Universe, a mind-bending documentary that tells the story of how the two most famous scientists of the 20th Century transformed our understanding of the Universe and changed the world.
In Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, narrator Kate Yule explores Einstein’s realization that a key feature of space-time is that it could bend and flex. The Sun changes space-time, which Einstein suggests is the true nature of gravity. Learn how Einstein created an equation to express the curvature of space and time. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Einstein & Hawking: Masters of Our Universe, a mind-bending documentary that tells the story of how the two most famous scientists of the 20th Century transformed our understanding of the Universe and changed the world.
In Exploring Uranus and Neptune, Professor Brian Cox explains why Uranus and Neptune are so difficult to reach, and how the Voyager expedition took advantage of a planetary event that happens every few hundred years to speed through space so we could get a glimpse of these distant planets. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Brian Cox’s Adventures in Space and Time, a series that seeks to explain our place in the Universe. Professor Brian Cox looks back on decades of discovery and toward the next frontier in space, pondering the question: What’s next?
In Fhe Creation of Saturn’s Rings, Professor Brian Cox explains how Saturn’s rings came to be and what scientists have learned from the Cassini mission. Learn how dynamic and dramatic Saturn’s iconic rings are and the role that gravity plays in creating its rings. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In Jupiter’s Effect on the Planets, Professor Brian Cox explains how Jupiter’s movement through the early Solar System, into the inner Solar System and toward the Sun, impacted Earth and Mars, and made the planets what they are today. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In The Godfather of the Planets, Professor Brian Cox explains how Jupiter has influenced other planets, including Earth. Learn what scientists have learned about Jupiter and its moons from the Pioneer and Voyager expeditions. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.