The Oedogoniales are remarkable filamentous green algae. Their method of cell elongation is unique, utilizing a donut-shaped ring of soft wall material which is stretched to form the new daughter cell. While Oedogonium is a simple filament, the related Bulbochaete and Oedocladium are branched and Bulbochaete differentiates long hair cells. The zoospore is large and multiflagellated. Sexual reproduction is oogamous and either “macrandrous” or “nannandrous.”...

Combining images of living plant stages with computer simulations allows you to easily bridge the gap between the familiar plant and the micro-environment contained within it. Three dimensional animations take you inside the flower to witness dynamic events such as pollination, gametophyte formation, fertilization, embryo formation and fruit formation are seen as spectacular computer simulations..

For convenience, biologists divide living organisms into five “Kingdoms”: the Monerans (bacteria and cyanobacteria), Protists, Fungi, Plants, and Animals. The Kingdom Protista includes a vast array of tiny eukaryotic cells that lead complex and extraordinary lives far from the eyes of most humans; a dedication to microscopy is vital to see them in all their splendor. This video is a unique resource introducing the viewer to a considerable range...

Mitosis requires cells to organize numerous jumbled chromosomes and then separate them with absolute fidelity into two equal groups. How this extraordinary process is accomplished is still poorly understood.. This video reveals the events of mitosis at a level of detail usually seen only in research laboratories. In addition, two Appendices show mitosis in a classical system, the diatom cell, and some experiments on living cells that illustrate why...

Combining images of living plant stages with computer simulations allows you to easily bridge the gap between the familiar plant and the micro-environment contained within it. Computer animations take you inside a clump of moss plants to illustrate external structure. You are then transported inside the tips of male and female stems where gametangia (sex organs), sperm release, fertilization and embryo development are illustrated..

Three dimensional animations, supported by aurthoritative narrations, explore the leaf surface and explain the functioning of the guard cells. The viewer is then taken inside the leaf to see the photosynthesis and conducting cells. Witness the dynamic events of guard cell movements, gas exchange and the transport of water and sugars. Animations also illustrate the forms of leaves and how they are modified for dry and aquatic habitats..

Cellular communication depends on specific molecular interactions, where the message and the receiver are biomolecules. Follow this process for signaling molecules such as the hormones epinephrine, adrenalin, and epidermal growth factor, which stimulates cells to divide. Cellular signaling is like the children's game called telephone, except the message is usually conveyed accurately!

We’re all getting older every day, and scientific research has shown that starting in our twenties, some brain functions begin a linear decline. But is old age all doom and gloom?..Not at all! While it’s true that some functions in the aging brain decline, neuroscientists have discovered that many other brain functions remain stable - or even improve - as we age. Furthermore, nurture plays as significant a role as nature, and there are a number...

The film explains the biological logic behind the altruism behavior, through the extraordinary research of Prof. Amotz Zahavi on cooperative breeding birds in the Israeli desert: the Arabian Babbler birds..

Learn how cells solve the problem of reading information in messenger RNA and using it to direct protein synthesis. Focus on how different parts of the translation apparatus work together through sequence-specific interactions. Also discover how antibiotics kill bacteria and what makes the bioterrorism agent ricin so deadly. Close by investigating techniques to create biological drugs on demand.