PickVidsBest Evolution & genetics Videos
The 57 Evolution & genetics videos here were recommended by different people across different months. Choose by who it is for: 5 introductory, 10 intermediate, 41 for a general viewer, and 1 for someone who wants the harder derivation. Most of them are an explainer. What they share is that one picture or analogy is used to supply a missing concept. Channels you will keep seeing include Veritasium, The Royal Institution, TED.
DEF CON 25 - John Sotos - Genetic Diseases to Guide Digital Hacks of the Human Genome
John Sotos, a physician and former Intel chief medical officer, argues at DEF CON 25 that genetic diseases are exploitable vulnerabilities in the genome.
Once you understand game theory, you understand the world.
Veritasium explores the Prisoner's Dilemma and Axelrod's tournaments, showing why tit-for-tat and forgiving strategies win in repeated games.
DNA animation (2002-2014) by Drew Berry and Etsuko Uno wehi.tv #ScienceArt
A compilation of molecular animations of DNA replication and gene transcription by Drew Berry and Etsuko Uno at WEHI, made with no narration.
I Genetically Engineered *MYSELF* to Fix Lactose Intolerance
The Thought Emporium's host describes making and taking a DIY gene therapy to treat his own lactose intolerance.
mRNA Translation (Advanced)
A short animation from the DNA Learning Center showing how mRNA carries a gene's message to the ribosome, where tRNA and codons are used to assemble amino acids into a protein.
Michael Levin: The electrical blueprints that orchestrate life | TED
Biologist Michael Levin explains the bioelectric layer that coordinates cells to build organs and bodies, showing footage of two-headed worms and introducing xenobots.
The Intense 8 Hour Hunt | Attenborough Life of Mammals | BBC Earth
A clip from Attenborough's Life of Mammals following a San tribesman in the Kalahari on an eight-hour persistence hunt, running down a kudu through harsh heat.
Jack Szostak (Harvard/HHMI) Part 1: The Origin of Cellular Life on Earth
Jack Szostak's lecture covers how cellular life could have arisen from chemistry on the early Earth, starting from the odds of life elsewhere in the galaxy.
Bret Weinstein on "The Portal" (w/ host Eric Weinstein), Ep. #019 - The Prediction and the DISC.
A long Portal podcast episode in which Bret Weinstein tells Eric Weinstein the story of his lab mice telomere work, the prediction behind it, and what it means for science and aging.
The Evolution of Bacteria on a “Mega-Plate” Petri Dish (Kishony Lab)
A two-minute time-lapse from the Kishony Lab showing bacteria spreading across a giant petri dish with increasing antibiotic doses, evolving resistance as they go.
Evo-Devo (Despacito Biology Parody) | A Capella Science
A Capella Science parody of Despacito that sings through evolutionary developmental biology, explaining how a single cell becomes a body, including body-axis genes and dormant snake leg DNA.
4.5 Billion Years in 1 Hour
Kurzgesagt's hour-long animated film that compresses Earth's 4.5 billion year history into one hour, roughly a million years per second.
The Bell Curve
Shaun's roughly 2.7-hour video essay on The Bell Curve.
[AUDIO FIXED] The Truth Cannot be Sexist - Steven Pinker on the biology of sex differences
An excerpt of the 2005 Harvard debate in which Steven Pinker gives his prepared case on biological sex differences and the under-representation of women in science.
If Brains are Computers, Who Designs the Software? - with Daniel Dennett
Daniel Dennett's Royal Institution lecture on whether the brain is a computer and where its software comes from.
2. Behavioral Evolution
Stanford biologist Robert Sapolsky lectures on the evolution of behavior, including the Prisoner's Dilemma and tit-for-tat strategies in animals.
Depression is a disease of civilization: Stephen Ilardi at TEDxEmory
Clinical psychologist Stephen Ilardi argues depression is a disease of modern civilization and presents a lifestyle-based program to treat it without drugs.
Are athletes really getting faster, better, stronger? | David Epstein
David Epstein argues in this TED talk that improving athletic records owe much to technology, training and the selection of specialized body types, not just humans getting inherently better.
Information, Evolution, and intelligent Design - With Daniel Dennett
Daniel Dennett gives a Royal Institution talk toward a unified theory of information, tying together evolution, learning and engineering.
David Reich — How one small tribe conquered the world 70,000 years ago
Dwarkesh Patel interviews ancient-DNA geneticist David Reich about human prehistory, including the small group that left Africa around 70,000 years ago and the Yamnaya expansion.
Michael Levin: Anatomical decision-making by cellular collectives
Michael Levin presents his lab's work on how cellular collectives use bioelectric networks to make anatomical decisions.
Simulating Green Beard Altruism
Primer simulates green beard altruism, where individuals recognize and help others carrying a shared marker, and shows how imposters affect its evolution.
Do we see reality as it is? | Donald Hoffman | TED
Cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman argues in this TED talk that evolution shaped perception to track fitness rather than truth.
How did consciousness evolve? - with Nicholas Humphrey
A Royal Institution lecture in which Nicholas Humphrey presents his theory of phenomenal consciousness and its evolution.