Summary: Before detectives set foot on a crime scene, forensic scientists must first painstakingly glean every bit of evidence. In this program, Professor Margot of the Forensic Science Institute of Lausanne describes advances in criminal science. New technology has made it possible to capture footprints with Mylar and static electricity rather than plaster; to cause fingerprints on a shell casing to...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Longevity may or may not come from one's family tree-but with the help of science, could it one day be "inserted" into our genes? This program looks at research in genetic modification that might help extend human life spans. Spotlighting recent DNA experiments on the C. elegans worm, the program also describes longevity studies in mice, mollusks, and fungi-all of which shed light on...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: By refining and expanding on the work of the founders of criminology, today's forensic scientists link crime victims to perpetrators in ways that almost defy belief. In this program, Professor Matile of France's Museum of Natural History; Professor Evenot, expert in odontology; and noted anthropologist Professor Perrot discuss the ways in which microscopy, entomology, dental records, and facial...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: How well do we understand the neurology of learning? Why does the brain's ability to learn diminish as we age? Can science find a way to extend brain "fitness," even for the very old? This program addresses those questions as it describes important medical experiments and studies. Topics include the central role of nerve cell connections in learning and cognitive development; cerebral...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Once a case goes to trial, evidence is put to its greatest test as it undergoes the scrutiny of cross-examination. In this program, Professors Leriche and Cassiman, genetics experts, examine the ability of lucomalakite green to obtain DNA samples from minute quantities of bodily fluids and discuss the RFLP and PCR tests used to analyze them. In addition, the value of serology-forerunner of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: Are exercise and smart eating the best tools for staying youthful and attractive? Or is there a third ingredient in the fountain of youth-namely, clinical adjustments to the body's chemistry, perhaps with drugs derived from other creatures' hormones? This program examines the subject of hormone therapy and its link to longevity studies. Outlining the role hormones play in sexual attraction, the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: How do carpenters turn building materials into buildings? To find out, this program takes a look at the tools and construction materials carpenters depend on every day. After a rundown on manufactured wood products like plywood, OSB, I-beam joists, and glu-lams as well as the fasteners that hold them all together, the video covers a variety of carpentry tools divided into four groups: planning...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: The eye of an artist coupled with the mind of an engineer: that's a mason. Over the course of this program, viewers will learn about commonly used masonry tools; the attributes of brick, block, tile, stone, cast concrete, and mortar mixes; fasteners, wall ties, and mortar joint reinforcements; estimating material amounts; and on-the-job safety. The building of a brick wall from footing to cap...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: After a general introduction of electricity-electrons, current, kilowatts, and the journey of electrical power from utility company to home-this program examines the work materials and tools commonly used by an electrician. Wires, cables, conduits, boxes, receptacles, and switches are illustrated, and the tools required to cut and run cable or conduit, detect and test voltage, and wire or...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: The human body manufactures its own painkillers to ensure survival when injured. This program shows how opium and its derivatives, heroin and morphine, hijack that natural pain-numbing ability. Illustrating the brain's ability to alter its own chemistry when attacked by drugs, the program depicts the process by which brain receptors become desensitized and thus addicted. Tranquilizers-and the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: From plungers, to pipe wrenches, to Teflon tape, this program introduces each common tool of the plumbing trade with a brief demonstration of its proper use. Safety precautions and industry tips are provided as well, and four major types of piping and tubing-steel, copper, plastic, and cast iron-are described.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Welding is part skill, part science, and a whole lot of precautions. This program shows viewers the safe way to work with fire, gas, and molten metal as it profiles the tools used by welders to perform a variety of tasks. Specific tools and equipment for OFW, GMAW, GTAW, and SMAW are spotlighted, along with a variety of general tools and safety items. The video also takes a look at basic...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Focusing on both conventional and hybrid vehicles, this program examines the systems that make them run and the tools that keep them running. After an introduction to the power train and the fuel, electrical, cooling, exhaust, steering, suspension, and brake systems, the video moves on to the auto tech’s personal hand tools and shared shop tools. All manner of wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: Hallucinogenic plants may be the oldest drugs in the world, and were probably used in rituals during prehistoric times. In the 20th century, LSD and ecstasy became the hallucinogens of choice. This program recounts how science has gradually become aware of the properties of hallucinogens, both natural and synthetic. It also provides a detailed look at the effects of such substances on the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: The vast majority of drug addicts are not criminals; tobacco and alcohol, both perfectly legal in most societies, are used and abused in staggering abundance. This program details the ways smoking and drinking chemically take hold of the brain. Explaining the many reasons-besides nicotine-for tobacco's stealthy effects, the program describes the existence of thousands of other addictive...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: As has occurred with most drugs, the neurological effects of cannabis have only recently been fully identified and understood. This program presents some of the latest findings, including new investigations into the clinical applications of the drug. Focusing on studies of the nerve-related mechanisms triggered by the action of cannabis, the program highlights potential changes in the social...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Like an avenue filled with neon signs, the brain's so-called pleasure pathway can light up or go dark, depending on what sort of stimulation it receives. This program explores the workings of the human nerve center under the influence of cocaine, amphetamines, and other stimulants, and shows how our understanding of brain disorders and drug addiction has increased by studying these drugs....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: Few works in American literature address issues as timeless as those explored in Mark Twain's controversial novel, Huckleberry Finn. In this program, three scholars, including noted Twain biographer Justin Kaplan, examine the work and its various themes-race, cruelty, consequences of greed, meaning of civilization, and the nature of freedom. The author's life is traced from his days as a...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Contrary to popular belief, adequate preparation for college-level study is not an option for the majority of America's public-school students. This program exposes the educational "sorting machine," the factors that mold a child's academic future, through the case of a set of twins from Nevada: one, an academically oriented high achiever who is encouraged to take honors classes, and the other,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2004
View online at AVOD
Summary: To have a shot at college, students must first believe they can get into college. This program shows the positive things that can happen when the dream of a college education is nurtured in classrooms and communities where expectations previously had been low. By spotlighting innovative approaches for motivating and teaching children-from the Upward Bound initiative in Cleveland that can only...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2004
View online at AVOD
Summary: This video investigates three buildings whose appearances suggest that they are about to topple over at any moment: the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Torres Puerta de Europa in Madrid, and the Torre de Collserola in Barcelona.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: This video celebrates 2,000 years of engineering achievement in Europe by looking at the two most fundamental building materials of the Modern Age, iron and steel. Two of Gustave Eiffel's greatest achievements, and one of the finest works in steel and glass in Paris, are featured.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Leisure activities are as fundamental to society as work or rest. This video looks at the challenges of building arenas for popular entertainment. Venues for pastimes from different ages are represented: a Roman amphitheater, a Victorian glasshouse, and a modern stadium.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: Issues of race and class have turned the college experience into an obstacle course that is deterring many of America's brightest students from graduating with a four-year degree. This video counters cultures of low expectation and social isolation with three stand-out initiatives that are helping students get into college-and stay in. Featured in this video are: the Meyerhoff Scholars Program,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2004