What is an individual? In Siphonophores and Individuality, Dr Casey Dunn of Brown University tackles this question by examining a curious organism: the siphonophore. A colony of cooperating jellyfish which functions as a single animal, the siphonophore is a perplexing and paradoxical creature. By considering the siphonophore’s unusual biological characteristics, this two-minute documentary unites science and philosophy, approaching the concept of individuality from an unexpected – and enlightening – perspective.
Directors: Casey Dunn, Sophia Tintori
videoMathematics
After centuries of trying, we’ve yet to arrive at a perfect way to map colour
20 minutes
videoPhilosophy of mind
‘Am I not at least something?’ A surreal dive into Descartes’s Meditations
3 minutes
videoAnimals and humans
One man’s quest to save an orphaned squirrel, as narrated by David Attenborough
14 minutes
videoBiology
Butterflies become unrecognisable landscapes when viewed under electron microscopes
4 minutes
videoCognition and intelligence
A father forgets his child’s name for the first time in this poetic reflection on memory
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videoBiology
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11 minutes
videoEvolution
The many ways a lizard tongue sticks, grasps, pinches and plops – in slo-mo
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videoBiology
Starlings swoosh like brushstrokes across the sky in this dazzling short
3 minutes
videoEcology and environmental sciences
The tree frog die-off that sparked a global mystery – and revealed a dark truth
15 minutes