Video Collections

World-renowned artist Maya Lin discusses the evolution of her final memorial project, What is Missing?, which debuted at the California Academy of Sciences on September 17.

The memorial is dedicated to raising awareness about the crisis surrounding biodiversity and habitat loss. This permanent sculpture at the Academy is the international debut of a multi-sited multimedia work that will exist both physically and virtually.

The work, along with Lin's other sculpture at the California Academy of Sciences, Where the Land Meets the Sea, was commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission and reflects the Academy's drive to explore, explain and protect the natural world.

San Francisco physician Dr. Jane Hightower is acknowledged by many to be the first doctor in the United States to recognize low-level mercury poisoning in patients who regularly ate certain kinds of fish. Hear firsthand about competing interests, varying government standards, and what it took to get high levels of mercury in the blood seen as a problem.

More than half of Darwin's book, The Voyage of the Beagle, treats southern South America. From 1832-1835, Charles Darwin traveled extensively in the Pampas and Patagonia.

For his Pritzker Lecture, Dr. Williams presents a natural history of the region based on his own four travel excursions over two decades following Darwin's travels more than a century and a half later.

Scientists at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory are hoping that nuclear fusion will become an energy source in the near future.

NASA confirms that the LCROSS satellite detected water on the moon.

If you had a few seconds warning before a big earthquake hit, what would you do?

Science writer Jonah Lehrer talks about what happens in our brains when we make decisions, small and large.

Academy Researcher, Marta Pola, talks about her love of colorful creatures called Nudibranchs.

A video about the development of the Academy's "Evolution Statement," by Careers In Sciences interns.

Anaconda feeding in the Academy Rainforest exhibit.

A short clip of alligator snapping turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) feeding on fish. This large, fresh-water turtle species is native to North America.

Pam Schaller, Senior Aquatic Biologist at the California Academy of Sciences, discusses African Penguins and their techniques for survival.

The Maya Lin sculpture at the California Academy of Sciences is art informed by science. "What is Missing?"  is a memorial to extinct and endangered species.

Hairdresser Phil McCrory had an idea twenty years ago while watching news footage of the clean-up of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Human hair absorbs oil naturally, why not in large oil spills? Hair mats and hair booms were created and continue to find their way to oil spill clean-ups around the world, in large part thanks to Matter of Trust and its founder, Lisa Gautier.

Our biologist, Nancy Levine, provides a close-up encounter with our giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini).

Here's a behind-the-scenes look at our special Valentine's Day Penguin Show & Tell program happening this Sunday, Feb 14, 2010. Our biologist Pam is distributing hand-made valentines to the birds, who will use the material in their nests. This type of enrichment activity is something we do often to keep the birds engaged and it mimics the foraging that wild African penguins do year-round to keep their nests comfortable. Note: There is no sound with this video.