Open featurePlants
Lycopod Odyssey
Meet the club mosses, descendants of some of Earth’s earliest lineages of vascular land plants.
Visual science archive
Science stories made visible
Explore concise visual explainers about ancient plants, coastal ecology, marine life, meteors, genetics, health and the technologies used every day.
Browse the collection
These archive entries pair visual storytelling with accessible scientific context. Review dates show when each description was prepared for this edition.
Open feature
Open featureEnvironment
West Cliff Restoration
See how coastal restoration responds when introduced ice plants spread across native cliff habitat.
Open featureMarine Biology
Shipping Strife in Sri Lanka
Examine how busy shipping routes can overlap with blue-whale habitat near Sri Lanka.
Open featureDeep Sea
Carnivorous Sponges
Discover how some deep-sea sponges obtain animal prey in a dark, food-limited environment.
Open featureEarth & Space
Russian Fireball
Learn how dashboard-camera recordings helped researchers reconstruct the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor event.
Open featureTechnology
How Touchscreens Work
Trace how a capacitive display detects changes in an electrical field and translates touch into input.
Open featureWildlife Health
Elephant Seals
Explore how researchers investigate mercury exposure in California’s marine food web.
Open featureBiomedical Engineering
How to Make a Microneedle
Follow the design thinking behind very small needles and the practical constraints of early biomedical development.
Open featureProbability
The Monty Hall Problem
Use a famous three-door puzzle to understand conditional probability and why intuition can mislead.
Open featureGenetics
What Is Epigenetics?
Learn how cells regulate gene activity without changing the underlying DNA sequence.
Open featureConservation
Beneficial Bacteria and Bat Disease
Examine research into whether naturally occurring microbes can help protect bats from white-nose syndrome.
Open featureMaterials
Peel-and-Stick Electronics
Explore fabrication methods that allow thin electronic components to move onto flexible surfaces.
Open featureEcology
All the Wild Horses
Consider the ecological and management questions surrounding free-roaming horse populations in the American West.
Open featurePollination
Honey Bees, Almond Trees and Habitat
See how managed honey bees and native pollinators contribute to crop pollination under different habitat conditions.
Open featureHuman Biology
How Do Muscles Grow?
Understand how training, recovery, nutrition, metabolism and genetics contribute to muscular adaptation.
Using archive explainers
The collection is useful for foundational concepts and science-communication history. For decisions that depend on recent research, consult current specialist sources alongside these entries.
Continue exploring
Move from visual explainers to the wider subject archive.
How to use this collection
From image to understanding
Visual material works best when observation, mechanism and uncertainty remain connected.
About this siteBegin with the phenomenon
Each entry starts with something observable: a plant, animal, device, event or ecological problem.
Identify the mechanism
Look for the biological, physical or technological process that explains what is shown.
Check scale and context
Connect the example to its habitat, historical moment or experimental conditions.
Follow current evidence
Use archive material as a starting point and verify time-sensitive conclusions with recent research.
Frequently asked questions
What is included in this archive?
It contains visual science stories spanning biology, ecology, Earth and space, health, probability, materials and everyday technology.
Are the original recordings embedded here?
No. This page is a clean index to the individual archive entries, where available material and supporting explanation can be reviewed.
Are older scientific explanations still useful?
They can explain foundational concepts and show how science was communicated at the time. Claims that depend on recent findings should be checked against current specialist sources.
Can educators use these entries?
Yes. They can prompt observation, source evaluation and discussion, with activities adapted to learners’ needs and current curriculum expectations.
Does Whyfiles provide personal health advice?
No. Health-related entries offer general scientific context and do not replace guidance from a qualified professional.
Where can I find more image-led science?
Browse the science image archive for additional visual material.
How can I contact Whyfiles?
Email info@whyfiles.en-html.org or use the contact page.