Virtual Learning

Get a window into the day-to-day behaviors of splashing African penguins, graceful stingrays, and the riot of colorful fishes in our Philippine Coral Reef tank by tuning into one of three in-house live webcams, each of which streams 24 hours a day. From feeding to preening to schooling, the webcams offer a behind-the-scenes look at some of the Academy's most fascinating residents. 

We've partnered with leading global learning platform Khan Academy to create a free biodiversity course—available anytime, anywhere, both here and at Khan Academy. Drawing on the deep knowledge and expertise of our scientists, educators, and video production team, the course explains what biodiversity is, how it comes into existence, and what we can do to protect it. 

Learn about earthquakes—why they happen, how they’ve shaped the Bay Area, and what you can do to prepare for future events. Gain a new perspective on these powerful phenomena with this rich collection of media co-produced by the California Academy of Sciences and Northern California public media provider KQED.

Using archeological, genetic, and climate data, scientists have pieced together an outline of the "human odyssey"—the journey that took our species from Africa to each and every corner of the globe. Experience humanity's 200,000-year migration using the interactive map below.

Academy scientists partnered with Google to image specimens from our research collections using an advanced, automated 3D technique. The results? Jaw-dropping.

Stay connected with our official mobile apps. Don't miss a moment of penguin action, and join other science buffs in recording nature observations.

Up close, life’s colors can be surprisingly intricate and complex. See the surface of beetles, moths, feathers, and shells as you've never seen them before with our interactive GIGAmacro images.

How does the process of science really work? Gain a new perspective on the scientific method and how it relates to you with this iTunes U course co-produced by the California Academy of Sciences and University of California Museum of Paleontology. Content from this course was inspired by the Understanding Science website produced by UCMP. Designed for middle- and high- school science educators to broaden their own knowledge and understanding and to use with students, the course weaves together activities, videos, and classroom-ready materials into a primer on the process of science that includes exploration and discovery, testing ideas, community feedback and peer review, and benefits and outcomes.