Using Gene Editing To Repaint Butterfly Wings

Butterfly metamorphosis is still a bit of a mystery. What happens inside a chrysalis to turn a caterpillar into a beautifully painted butterfly? Does it really turn to soup? Joe Hanson visited Dr. Arnaud Martin, who uses the CRISPR genetic modification technology to learn about how genes build bodies.

Season 7 Episode 13 Length 11:12 Premiere: 06/18/19

Recent Episodes

How HIV Started a Century Before Anyone Noticed

S14 E8 Length 27:32 Premiere Date 07/16/26

The New Kind of Heat Humans Can’t Handle

S14 E7 Length 21:23 Premiere Date 07/01/26

Scientists Finally Figured Out What Love Is For

S14 E6 Length 16:47 Premiere Date 06/11/26

We've never seen an atom. But we know what they look like.

S14 E5 Length 16:47 Premiere Date 05/28/26

Infinity isn’t a number. It's something much weirder.

S14 E4 Length 10:51 Premiere Date 05/14/26

Something Strange Happens When You Flatten the Earth…

S14 E3 Length 24:25 Premiere Date 04/21/26

Specials

The Mystery of Earth's Disappearing Giants

Length 21:29 Premiere Date 09/16/21

Dung Beetles: The Poop-Rolling Stargazers of the Serenget

Length 17:08 Premiere Date 09/01/21

These Butt-Tickling Ants Are Endangered Butterfly Bodyguards

Length 20:59 Premiere Date 08/18/21

These Death-Eating Scavengers Are Real Life-Savers

Length 29:33 Premiere Date 08/04/21

Elephant Moms Carry the Wisdom of Generations

Length 25:36 Premiere Date 07/21/21

Are Some Species More Important Than Others?

Length 25:47 Premiere Date 07/08/21

The Surprising Species That Everything Else Depends On

Length 25:47 Premiere Date 07/08/21

The Superb Owl!

Length 04:11 Premiere Date 02/02/17

The 12 Days of Evolution - Complete Series!

Length 17:43 Premiere Date 01/26/17

The Surprising Origin of Thanksgiving Foods

Length 05:09 Premiere Date 11/13/16

Do Animals Mourn Their Dead?

Length 04:17 Premiere Date 10/23/16

Season 7 Episodes

Show Episodes

Show Clips & Previews

Could You Be a Chimera? (ASL)

S7 E31 Length 09:43 Premiere Date 06/21/19

This Could Change the Future of Space Travel

S7 E30 Length 11:30 Premiere Date 12/30/19

The Strange (Unexpected) Reason Ice is Slippery

S7 E29 Length 07:20 Premiere Date 12/17/19

Recycling Is Broken. Here’s How We Can Fix It.

S7 E28 Length 11:11 Premiere Date 12/10/19

I Tried Eating Bugs… Here's What I Learned

S7 E27 Length 14:55 Premiere Date 11/23/19

Evolution Fails in the Human Body

S7 E26 Length 11:53 Premiere Date 11/19/19

This Face Changes the Human Story

S7 E25 Length 13:11 Premiere Date 10/21/19

What If We Could See Nature In Infrared?

S7 E24 Length 08:51 Premiere Date 10/25/19

What Color Is A Banana?

S7 E23 Length 08:46 Premiere Date 11/09/19

What’s In a 20,000 Year-Old Cube of Ice?

S7 E22 Length 11:20 Premiere Date 10/07/19

The History of Money (From Barter To Bitcoin)

S7 E21 Length 09:36 Premiere Date 09/29/19

7 Scientific Urban Legends Debunked!

S7 E20 Length 11:24 Premiere Date 09/06/19

Why Don't Birds Lay Square Eggs?

S7 E19 Length 07:21 Premiere Date 08/19/19

How Blind People See With Sound

S7 E18 Length 16:07 Premiere Date 08/11/19

Why do Trees Talk to Each Other?

S7 E17 Length 05:27 Premiere Date 07/27/19

Why We Are Losing the Night Sky

S7 E16 Length 10:26 Premiere Date 07/14/19

Apollo’s Most Important Discovery: NASA’s Moon Rock Vault

S7 E15 Length 10:25 Premiere Date 07/09/19

Could You Be a Chimera?

S7 E14 Length 09:43 Premiere Date 06/21/19