In Identifying Whale Tails, surfer Ted Cheeseman talks about his photo identification service, Happy Whale. Whales' tails show their life story, from bitemarks, barnacles, and scars. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Natural World: Humpback Whales - A Detective Story,, a documentary about our relationship with whales and their future alongside us.
Dive into the captivating world of whales with this BBC Learning Hub playlist, featuring 12 stunning clips from landmark BBC series. Explore the lives of blue whales, orcas, and grey whales as they glide through oceans, communicate, hunt, and nurture their young. Perfect for sparking curiosity, these breathtaking videos bring the majestic giants of the sea into your classroom or home.
In Henrietta Lacks and the Legacy of Her Extraordinary Cells, learn about Henrietta Lacks, whose cells, taken without her consent during her treatment for cervical cancer, became one of the most important tools in medical research. Henrietta's cells, known as HeLa cells, have continued to divide and grow in laboratories for decades, making them a valuable resource for scientists. Understand the significance of her contribution to science and explore the ethical questions surrounding consent and cell ownership. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The World’s Most Extraordinary People, a documentary series revealing how rare medical conditions inspire groundbreaking scientific discoveries.
Forests store huge amounts of carbon, likely hundreds of billions of tons. One metric ton is about 2,200 pounds, so hundreds of billions of tons is... let's just say it's a lot. Because trees pull carbon dioxide out of the air and lock it away, forests play a major role in controlling Earth's climate.
To figure out how much carbon a forest holds, scientists can measure individual trees, like how wide the trunk is and how tall the tree grows. But nobody can take a tape measure to millions of square miles of forest, and "a whole bunch" isn't a scientific measurement.
That's where new technology comes in. In 2025, the European Space Agency, which runs space missions for a group of European countries, launched a satellite called Biomass. It uses radar with extra-long wavelengths. The longer the wavelength, the more easily radar can pass through leaves and small branches and pick up bigger things, like trunks and large branches, which hold most of a tree's carbon.
Most earlier satellites, like many launched by NASA, the U.S. space agency, are optical. They work like cameras, capturing sunlight reflected off the treetops. That's useful for seeing where forests are, but it mostly shows the top layer. Radar can reveal what's underneath. It can help scientists estimate how much wood a forest holds, spot deforestation, and study flooded forests that are hard to reach. Scientists then check the satellite data against measurements taken from planes and on the ground.
Another tool is LiDAR, short for Light Detection and Ranging. It sends out pulses of laser light and measures how long they take to bounce back, building detailed 3D maps of forests. Some are precise enough to show individual twigs and leaves. LiDAR isn't new, but it produces enormous amounts of data. Artificial intelligence is now making that data much faster to process, turning LiDAR into a more practical tool for studying forests.
Explore the search for life beyond Earth in this Kahoot about Mars, scientific discovery, and one of humanity's biggest questions. From evidence of ancient water to clues hidden in the planet's surface, discover why scientists believe Mars may once have had the conditions needed to support life.
This Kahoot explores Martian geology, the role of water in sustaining life, and the tools scientists use to investigate distant worlds while uncovering what researchers look for when searching for signs of life beyond Earth.
Watch the videos about Mars linked below, then take the Kahoot and see how much you know about the Red Planet and the ongoing search for life in our Solar System.
In Identifying Whale Tails, surfer Ted Cheeseman talks about his photo identification service, Happy Whale. Whales' tails show their life story, from bitemarks, barnacles, and scars. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Natural World: Humpback Whales - A Detective Story,, a documentary about our relationship with whales and their future alongside us.
Dive into the captivating world of whales with this BBC Learning Hub playlist, featuring 12 stunning clips from landmark BBC series. Explore the lives of blue whales, orcas, and grey whales as they glide through oceans, communicate, hunt, and nurture their young. Perfect for sparking curiosity, these breathtaking videos bring the majestic giants of the sea into your classroom or home.
In Henrietta Lacks and the Legacy of Her Extraordinary Cells, learn about Henrietta Lacks, whose cells, taken without her consent during her treatment for cervical cancer, became one of the most important tools in medical research. Henrietta's cells, known as HeLa cells, have continued to divide and grow in laboratories for decades, making them a valuable resource for scientists. Understand the significance of her contribution to science and explore the ethical questions surrounding consent and cell ownership. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The World’s Most Extraordinary People, a documentary series revealing how rare medical conditions inspire groundbreaking scientific discoveries.
Forests store huge amounts of carbon, likely hundreds of billions of tons. One metric ton is about 2,200 pounds, so hundreds of billions of tons is... let's just say it's a lot. Because trees pull carbon dioxide out of the air and lock it away, forests play a major role in controlling Earth's climate.
To figure out how much carbon a forest holds, scientists can measure individual trees, like how wide the trunk is and how tall the tree grows. But nobody can take a tape measure to millions of square miles of forest, and "a whole bunch" isn't a scientific measurement.
That's where new technology comes in. In 2025, the European Space Agency, which runs space missions for a group of European countries, launched a satellite called Biomass. It uses radar with extra-long wavelengths. The longer the wavelength, the more easily radar can pass through leaves and small branches and pick up bigger things, like trunks and large branches, which hold most of a tree's carbon.
Most earlier satellites, like many launched by NASA, the U.S. space agency, are optical. They work like cameras, capturing sunlight reflected off the treetops. That's useful for seeing where forests are, but it mostly shows the top layer. Radar can reveal what's underneath. It can help scientists estimate how much wood a forest holds, spot deforestation, and study flooded forests that are hard to reach. Scientists then check the satellite data against measurements taken from planes and on the ground.
Another tool is LiDAR, short for Light Detection and Ranging. It sends out pulses of laser light and measures how long they take to bounce back, building detailed 3D maps of forests. Some are precise enough to show individual twigs and leaves. LiDAR isn't new, but it produces enormous amounts of data. Artificial intelligence is now making that data much faster to process, turning LiDAR into a more practical tool for studying forests.
Explore the search for life beyond Earth in this Kahoot about Mars, scientific discovery, and one of humanity's biggest questions. From evidence of ancient water to clues hidden in the planet's surface, discover why scientists believe Mars may once have had the conditions needed to support life.
This Kahoot explores Martian geology, the role of water in sustaining life, and the tools scientists use to investigate distant worlds while uncovering what researchers look for when searching for signs of life beyond Earth.
Watch the videos about Mars linked below, then take the Kahoot and see how much you know about the Red Planet and the ongoing search for life in our Solar System.