This movie shows red-necked phalarope feeding behavior. The phalarope, indigenous to western North America, swims in circles to create a vortex to bring small crustaceans to the surface. The bird then uses its beak to draw food-rich water into its mouth, but until now, no one knew how. Using a mechanical model of the phalarope beak, researchers at MIT and their colleagues from Ecole Polytechnique in Paris recently discovered how the birds use surface interactions between their beaks and the water droplets to propel bits of food from beak tip to mouth

When most of us think of reindeer, images of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh come to mind. But dependency on reindeer isn't just the stuff of holiday songs. For some people living above the Arctic Circle, reindeer are crucial part of life, providing food, transportation, clothing and other essentials. Recent developments in human history have intruded on this traditional life, especially oil and gas production in the Arctic and climate change. Bruce Forbes from the University of Lapland and his colleagues have studied how these changes have impacted the Nenet, a group of reindeer herders who live in parts of Siberia. They have found that the Nenet, and the reindeer they depend on, are adapting well to these changes, and their culture and way of life endure.

Plant genome research is already revolutionizing the field of biology. Currently, scientists are unlocking the secrets of some of the most important plants in our lives, including corn, cotton and potatoes. Secrets of Plant Genomes: Revealed! takes viewers on a lively, upbeat journey that explores how these plants got to be the way they are and investigates how we can make better use of them in the future. Plant scientists are hard at work--in the lab, in the field and at the computer--to increase our understanding of nature. Secrets of Plant Genomes: Revealed! makes the study of plants exciting and relevant by showing how learning more about plants can improve our everyday lives.

The very notion of "now" is relative. For more information, see the World Year of Physics 2005 feature.

What makes a red thing red? I bet you have a guess. Now put it to the test when we shine a high-powered laser on a red balloon. Does it pop? Does a red object absorb red light? Does it reflect red light? Does it do something different? See the results in this science video that will challenge your expectations of science videos. This video gets you involved by asking you to make predictions and then, after you see the results, helps you to sort out your thinking.

Dive in with NSF funded researcher John Long and his robotic sharks. A professor at Vassar College, John Long and his team study real live sharks and their vertebral columns. They then takes these findings and design computer models and artificial vertebral columns to understand sharks' movement and biomechanics.

A 14-nation consortium of geneticists and bioinformatics specialists deciphers the sequence and location of the 35,000 genes of the tomato, an international food crop. This video focuses on the work done by American researchers, who explain the process of genome sequencing, and how a sequenced genome aids plant breeders in selecting precisely for desirable traits, including yield, shape, natural resistance to disease and flavor.

The United States marked the start of International Polar Year (IPY), a global research effort, with an event hosted by the National Academies and the National Science Foundation on Feb. 26, 2007, in Washington, D.C. During the ceremony, a panel of polar scientists discussed the latest research and presented an overview of expeditions to take place during IPY. There also were remarks by government leaders whose agencies play an active role in this international effort.