http://ed.ted.com/on/hwhfwgfw

1. Why can fancy traits, like long tail feathers that make flying more difficult, evolve even if they make survival less likely?

2. In a particular bird population, males with the longest and brightest tail feathers get more mating opportunities. Do you expect males in this population to grow longer and longer tails indefinitely? What might prevent long tails from evolving ever longer?

3. Why do you think it is more common for male birds to evolve fancier traits than female birds?

http://ed.ted.com/on/3TEKqjFt

1. Why do you think there were so many heated debates around the development of the cell theory?

2. Can you describe a time when collaboration worked well for you? Where there ever any disagreements that led to a false assumption (like cells spontaneously crystalizing into existence)?

http://ed.ted.com/on/XGjqopzy

1. How did our planet end up with so much water, and where did it come from?

http://ed.ted.com/on/ZuWNbK5H

1. In your own words, explain how our societies value water.

2. What do you do to conserve water? Do you think that’s enough?

3. Devise a solution for providing unlimited amounts of fresh water. In a few bullet points, explain your idea.

http://ed.ted.com/on/8zeJL765

1. We learned that we can ski due to a layer of water between the snow and the skis that form due to friction; can you think of any other sports where we utilize a similar process?

2. We say that no two snowflakes are the same because they all form under different conditions. But why do they look so symmetric?

http://ed.ted.com/on/WagDoG1j

1. How many electrons do carbon atoms have available to bond with other elements?

2. There are several allotropes (different physical forms) of carbon in the professor’s suitcase: graphite, diamond, fullerenes, and nanotubes.

The 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded for the discovery of another allotrope of carbon, which is a single sheet of graphite. What is its name?

3. Why is a diamond colorless but graphite is black?

http://ed.ted.com/on/HPSUJcxG

1. Can you design a 3-course meal with no aIDed sugar? What would you put on the plate?

2. Which has more calories and which is better for you? An 8 ounce glass of whole milk? Or an 8 ounce glass of 1% chocolate milk?

http://ed.ted.com/on/tueqeQDU

1. Using the information from the video, briefly describe how eating sugar can lead to greater cravings, loss of control, and increased tolerance.

2. Sugar consumption causes distinct changes to the brain’s reward system. What other stimuli activate this system and what are similar behaviors seen between them and sugar overconsumption?

3. How does brain signaling differ between chronic sugar overconsumption and a regular balanced meal?

http://ed.ted.com/on/9PaaUorg

1. Fat is made of molecules we call ______________.

2. Partial hydrogenation of (healthy) cis unsaturated fats produces trans fatty acids. Most of the trans fats produced by the hydrogentation process are classified as saturated fats even though they are still technically _______________?

3. Explain why saturated fats tend to be solids at room temperature, and cis-unsaturated fats tend to be liquids at room temperature. Think about the general 3D shape of these molecules.

http://ed.ted.com/on/XNXUWvRs

1. This film was made in the 1970’s. What is the smallest thing we can understand now? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5UY9K-0Zokhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVf5a3ps3Fw
http://ed.ted.com/on/17uTPhhp

1. What was the most awe-inspiring photo that Dee Breger shared? Why?