The Open University, whose works I’ve featured in the past (here, here), recently released a new series of videos called Seven Wonders of the Microbe World. The Seven Wonders of the Microbe World is a seven part series of short videos exploring things like the Black Death, antibiotics, and food preservation. You can watch the videos individually or watch them as one combined 25 minute long video. I’ve embedded the Black Death video below.



Applications for Education
If you’re going to use these videos in your classroom, you should know that the first video in the series does talk about the role of microbes in brewing beer. If that’s not a topic you wish to have in your classroom, watch the other six segments but don’t watch the 25 minute combined video. The other videos could be good for introducing students to the role of microbes in many facets of life. Watching the Black Death video reminded me a bit of reading Guns, Germs, and Steel.


H/T to Open Culture.