Sure, there are other ways of achieving scientific literacy about the building blocks of life. You could read a textbook, you could decipher some complex diagrams, OR you could watch this video (which I saw for the first time in high school biology class and promptly remembered forever). It features some killer flute solos, the perfect amount of cowbell, a Nobel Prize-winning narrator, and shirtless hippies doing somersaults. (?!) And that’s only the beginning.
The good stuff (aka the hippies) starts around 3:12. Revel in their chillness, their enthusiasm, and the balloons tied to their heads. Skip ahead to 5:05-5:33 to meet the jazz dancers dressed kind of like birds, and don’t miss 9:14, featuring the student who will heretofore be known as The Somersault Guy. Be prepared to be humming “tRNA!” to yourself all day.
