Search results

Listed under:  Science  >  Life  >  Ecosystems
Video

Kids in the Garden, Ep 3: Discover flower power!

Can you imagine a world without flowers? Flowers add colour, scent and beauty to our world. But why do plants make them? Discover the real purpose of flowers and how they do their job.

Video

ABC News: Dr Karl vs the mysterious giant squid

Do you believe in the legendary sea monster called the Kraken? It's said to have gigantic tentacles and to lurk in the deep ocean. In this clip, Dr Karl talks about some of the extraordinary features of a real deep-sea creature - the giant squid. Watch this clip to find out about it and see some footage of this amazing creature.

Video

Catalyst: Thinning ice sheet

Discover that that the massive ice sheet in East Antarctica has been losing mass since 2006 instead of growing, as was previously thought. Watch animations to see how scientists from NASA and Australia are using satellite technology and aerial monitoring to investigate the thickness of East Antarctica's ice sheet. Find ...

Video

All about engines

What does 'horsepower' really mean? And how do engines work? Join Luke and Abhi from MIT to find out! As Abhi explains, engines produce power by forcing a mixture of fuel and air into a tight space and then burning it. Piston engines and turbine engines do this in similar, yet different ways. After watching this video, ...

Video

Catalyst: Sending seeds into space

Why might we need to keep a collection of seeds from all over the world? Where would we keep a collection like that? Should we send some of them into space? Watch this clip to reveal answers to all these questions and more.

Video

ABC News: Frog relocation

Did you know that the site of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney is also home to the appropriately named Green and Golden Bell Frog? Watch this clip to find out how Olympic planners worked with the Australian Museum to relocate frogs to a protected, nearby habitat.

Video

Kids in the Garden, Ep 9: Vegetable gardens

Have you ever grown vegetables? In this clip you will discover many things about vegies and how they grow. Presenter Nick Hardcastle will even show you how to make a vegetable garden in a box. Find out which vegetable is actually a flower, which are the best seasons for planting and picking, and how deep to bury seeds.

Video

Termites: Destroyers or recyclers?

Be amazed by what these young scientists find out about termites. Discover where termites live and what they eat. You may be surprised to find out that they are not actually ants, and that they are blind! This video was a finalist in the 2013 Sleek Geeks Eureka Science School Prize competition.

Video

Migratory birds

Discover a program that builds awareness about Tasmania's shore birds. See how community involvement is helping to monitor their populations. View this clip called 'Migratory birds', created by young reporters from Circular Head Christian School, Tasmania. The clip was developed as part of the ABC Splash Live 'Making the ...

Video

Four Corners: Megafires

Are we approaching the 'age of megafires'? It might sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but some scientists believe there is cause for concern. Watch this clip to find out how bushfires as we know them are changing. Discover why.

Video

Catalyst: Coorong salinity

Imagine the mighty Murray River as it flows through South Australia and reaches the sea. Explore the consequences of drought and human activity while listening to Graham Phillips describe the effects of the Coorong's increasing salinity and the the associated threat to Adelaide's supply of fresh water.

Video

Kids in the Garden, Ep 8: How plants survive in different places

Explore some amazing ways that plants can survive in their habitats. See plants that mimic stones. Discover how some plants use weapons to protect themselves. Meet plants that trap their victims to feed on them.

Video

Catalyst: Geoengineering - a solution to climate change?

What is geoengineering, and how is it being investigated by scientists as a means of combating climate change? Learn about some climate control techniques that could slow down or even reverse the effects of global warming. Hear an atmospheric physicist explain the pros and cons of geoengineering techniques.

Video

Scientists study suburban microbats

Discover the tiny bats that live in Australian backyards in urban areas, including large cities. Watch this clip to learn more about these elusive Australian mammals, and to find out about a large-scale survey undertaken in Melbourne. Scientist, Dr Rodney van der Ree, addresses a group of volunteers in the field and explains ...

Video

Catalyst: Chemical pollutants toxic to whales

Explore how chemical pollutants affect the Antarctic food web. A scientist shows that baleen whales are consuming Antarctic krill contaminated by accumulated residues of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from pesticides and industrial chemicals. Find out why these pollutants are concentrated at the Earth's polar regions.

Video

ABC News: Sound waves measure ocean temperatures

View how scientists use underwater sound waves to measure ocean temperature changes in the Indian Ocean. The animations show how the technology called acoustic thermometry works. Australian scientists are working with a global network of 'listening posts' to monitor the long-term effects of climate change on ocean temperatures.

Video

Kids in the Garden, Ep 6: Why plants make fruit

Fruits come in all shapes and colours. Have you ever wondered why plants make them? Discover an amazing variety of fruits. Learn the secret of these little plant packages and the treasures they protect.

Video

Kids in the Garden, Ep 11: Who are the creatures living in your garden?

See creepy crawly creatures as you've never seen them before. Discover how important wild creatures are to the health of gardens. Find out how you can entice a wide variety of creatures to a garden you know well!

Video

Four Corners: Fire management strategies

What role do fire-behaviour specialists and ecologists have in fire management? Watch this clip to find out about issues relating to fire management in Australia, in particular prescribed burning.

Video

Daisies describe an ecosystem

Ecosystems are affected by many factors including increasing temperatures, which many scientists believe threaten natural systems on Earth today. This creative clip uses a theoretical world of black and white daisies to show how changes to the natural reflectivity of a planet's surface impacts temperatures and populations. ...