— Hank describes the desperate need many organisms have for nutrients (specifically nitrogen and phosphorus) and how they go about getting them via the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. — — Transcript There’s nothing quite so terrible as needing something that’s sitting right in front of you but not being able to get it. Like say…
Crash Course World History Outtakes #3
— In which we see outtakes from the last third of the Crash Course World History series. — — Transcript Hi, I’m John Green, this is Crash Course World History, today we’re gonna talk about globalization… dammit. Hi, I’m John Green, this is Crash Course World History, and today w… ah. Hi, I’m John Green,…
The Hydrologic and Carbon Cycles: Always Recycle! – Crash Course Ecology #8
— Hank introduces us to biogeochemical cycles by describing his two favorites: carbon and water. The hydrologic cycle describes how water moves on, above, and below the surface of the Earth, driven by energy supplied by the sun and wind. The carbon cycle does the same… for carbon! — — Transcript Adorable story alert! So…
Was Gatsby Great? The Great Gatsby Part 2: Crash Course English Literature #5
— In which John Green continues to explore F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. In this installment, John looks into the titular Gatsby’s purported Greatness. Gatsby’s single-minded pursuit of Daisy, his checkered past, and his checkered present all play a role in determining whether he was, in fact, great. Here’s a hint: you don’t…
Ecosystem Ecology: Links in the Chain – Crash Course Ecology #7
— Hank brings us to the next level of ecological study with ecosystem ecology, which looks at how energy, nutrients, and materials are getting shuffled around within an ecosystem (a collection of living and nonliving things interacting in a specific place), and which basically comes down to who is eating who. — — There’s a…
Like Pale Gold – The Great Gatsby Part I: Crash Course English Literature #4
— In which John Green explores F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel of the Jazz Age, The Great Gatsby. John introduces you to Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, Daisy and Tom Buchanan, and the other characters in the novel, and tries to look beyond the surface story to figure out what this thing is ABOUT. Set in the…
Ecological Succession: Change is Good – Crash Course Ecology #6
— In the world of ecology, the only constant is change – but change can be good. Today Hank explains ecological succession and how ecological communities change over time to become beautiful, biodiverse mosaics. — — You remember back in the days right after the Permian-Triassic Extinction Event, when that giant flaming asteroid and those…
Love or Lust? Romeo and Juliet Part II: Crash Course English Literature #3
— In which John Green returns to William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to explore the themes of true love, lust, and whether Romeo and Juliet were truly, deeply in love, or they were just a pair of impetuous teens. How exactly did Romeo manage to go from pining for Rosaline to marrying Juliet in 36…
Community Ecology II: Predators – Crash Course Ecology #5
— Hank gets to the more violent part of community ecology by describing predation and the many ways prey organisms have developed to avoid it. — — Of all the ways that species interact on this planet, maybe the one that fascinates us the most is predation, and why not? It’s hard not to be…
Of Pentameter and Bear Baiting – Romeo & Juliet Part I: Crash Course English Literature #2
— In which John Green examines Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare. John delves into the world of Bill Shakespeare’s famous star-crossed lovers and examines what the play is about, its structure, and the context in which it was written. Have you ever wanted to know what iambic pentameter is? Then you should watch this…
Community Ecology: Feel the Love – Crash Course Ecology #4
— Interactions between species are what define ecological communities, and community ecology studies these interactions anywhere they take place. Although interspecies interactions are mostly competitive, competition is pretty dangerous, so a lot of interactions are actually about side-stepping direct competition and instead finding ways to divvy up resources to let species get along. Feel the…
Human Population Growth – Crash Course Ecology #3
— If being alive on Earth were a contest, humans would win it hands down. We’re like the Michael Phelps of being alive, but with 250,000 times more gold medals. Today Hank is here to tell us the specifics of why and how human population growth has happened over the past hundred and fifty years…
How and Why We Read: Crash Course English Literature #1
— In which John Green kicks off the Crash Course Literature mini series with a reasonable set of questions. Why do we read? What’s the point of reading critically. John will argue that reading is about effectively communicating with other people. Unlike a direct communication though, the writer has to communicate with a stranger, through…
Population Ecology: The Texas Mosquito Mystery – Crash Course Ecology #2
— Population ecology is the study of groups within a species that interact mostly with each other, and it examines how they live together in one geographic area to understand why these populations are different in one time and place than they are in another. How is that in any way useful to anyone ever?…
Globalization II – Good or Bad?: Crash Course World History #42
— In which John asks whether globalization is a net positive for humanity. While the new global economy has created a lot of wealth, and lifted a lot of people out of poverty, it also has some effects that aren’t so hot. Wealth disparity, rising divorce rates, environmental damage, and new paths for the spread…
The History of Life on Earth – Crash Course Ecology #1
— With a solid understanding of biology on the small scale under our belts, it’s time for the long view – for the next twelve weeks, we’ll be learning how the living things that we’ve studied interact with and influence each other and their environments. Life is powerful, and in order to understand how living…