TED-Ed

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-quest-to-understand-consciousness-antonio-damasioEvery morning we wake up and regain consciousness -- that is a marvelous fact -- but what exactly is it that we regain? Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio uses this simple question to give us a glimpse into how our brains create our sense of self. Talk by Antonio Damasio. Learn more about your ad choices....

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/teded--Right now, invisible signals are flying through the air all around you. Massive radio waves carry information between computers, GPS systems, cell phones, and more. And the sky is flooded with interference from routers, satellites, and, of course, people flying who haven’t put their phones on airplane mode. So, what exactly does airplan...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/less-stuff-more-happiness-graham-hillWriter and designer Graham Hill asks: Can having less stuff, in less room, lead to more happiness? He makes the case for taking up less space, and lays out three rules for editing your life. Talk by Graham Hill Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Download a free audiobook version of “Project Hail Mary" and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://www.audible.com/ted-ed--Since the 1950s, governments, companies, and researchers have been planting flags among the stars. But while it might seem like there’s plenty of room in space, some pieces of celestial real estate are more valuable than others. As far as human space exploration is conce...

Discover the adaptation of the pharyngeal jaw, a secondary set of jaws that allow fish to capture and eat their prey at the same time. --After stalking a cuttlefish, a moray eel finally pounces. As the eel snags the mollusk in its teeth, its prey struggles to escape. But before it can wiggle away, a second set of teeth lunge from the eel’s throat. This adaptation is called a pharyngeal jaw, and is...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-is-power-divided-in-the-united-states-government-belinda-stutzmanArticle II of the United States Constitution allows for three separate branches of government (legislative, executive, and judicial), along with a system of checks and balances should any branch get too powerful. Belinda Stutzman breaks down each branch and its constitutionally-entitled...

Explore the science of wastewater treatment, and find out why water reuse has become increasingly common worldwide.--In 2003, Singapore’s national water agency launched an unprecedented program to provide more than 50% of their nation’s water supply by recycling wastewater. The program had been planned for decades to ensure the island nation never ran out of clean water. But is it really safe to r...

Most politicians choose their words carefully, to shape the reality they hope to create. But does it work? Etymologist Mark Forsyth shares a few entertaining word-origin stories from British and American history (for instance, did you ever wonder how George Washington became "president"?) and draws a surprising conclusion. (From TEDxHousesofParliament in London)Talk by Mark Forsyth. Learn more abo...

Get to know the story of Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,300-year-old glacier mummy who researchers discovered had been murdered.--In September 1991, two hikers discovered a corpse emerging from the ice. Researchers soon realized they were looking at the mummified body of a man who’d lived about 5,300 years ago, and theorized he got caught in bad weather and froze. However, a shocking discovery revealed his...

Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee has two powerful stories to tell -- of her own life's transformation and of the untapped potential of girls around the world. Can we transform the world by unlocking the greatness of girls? Talk by Leymah Gbowee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-cameras-see-that-our-eyes-don-t-bill-shribmanOur eyes are practically magical, but they cannot see everything. For instance, the naked eye cannot see the moment where all four of a horse's legs are in the air or the gradual life cycle of plants -- but cameras can capture these moments. Bill Shribman gives examples where photography can pick up where...

Explore the differences between farmed meat, plant-based meat, and lab-grown meat, and find out which is best for you and the planet.--In 2021, a survey of over 1,000 Americans found that nearly two-thirds had eaten plant-based meat alternatives in the past year. Many cited potential health and environmental benefits as their motivation. But are these alternative meats actually better for us and t...

Dig into the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which suspended Chinese immigration to the U.S. and blocked Chinese immigrants from citizenship.--In 1882, the United States Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first federal law that restricted immigration based explicitly on nationality. In practice, the Act banned entry to all ethnically Chinese immigrants besides diplomats, and prohibited...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mysteries-of-veracular-jade-jessica-oreck-and-rachael-teelNow known for its beauty and green hue, the stone jade was previously thought to espouse magical properties, such as kidney treatment. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel explain the word's travels from 15th century to Spain to today (and why the word jaded is unrelated by root). Lesson by Jessica Orec...

View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-beginning-of-the-universe-for-beginners-tom-whyntieHow did the universe begin -- and how is it expanding? CERN physicist Tom Whyntie shows how cosmologists and particle physicists explore these questions by replicating the heat, energy, and activity of the first few seconds of our universe, from right after the Big Bang. Lesson by Tom Whyntie, anima...

Explore the diverse and vital ecosystem of the Everglades, and discover why the alligator is so essential to the region.--Despite alligators ruling the swamplands of the Everglades for millennia, the last 500 years have brought deadly new predators that challenge their reign. And the origins of these international invaders are just as unexpected as their impact on the Everglades. So, what exactly...

What does a disgusting image have to do with how you vote? Equipped with surveys and experiments, psychologist David Pizarro demonstrates a correlation between sensitivity to disgusting cues -- a photo of feces, an unpleasant odor -- and moral and political conservatism. (Filmed at TEDxEast.) Talk by David Pizarro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into why jellyfish populations have increased, and how leatherback sea turtles can help get their numbers under control.--Over the past two decades, jellyfish have begun to overwhelm our oceans. If things stay on their current trajectory, we could be headed for a future where the entire ocean is thick with jellyfish. So, is there anything that can keep these gelatinous creatures under control?...

Explore the viability of wooden skyscrapers, and see how cross-laminated timber (CLT) helps make these once impossible structures possible.--Towering 85 meters above the Norwegian countryside, Mjøstårnet is the world’s tallest wooden building, made almost entirely from the trees of neighboring forests. But as recently as the end of the 20th century, engineers thought it was impossible to build a w...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/self-assembly-the-power-of-organizing-the-unorganized-skylar-tibbitsFrom something as familiar as our bodies to things vast as the formation of galaxies, we can observe the process of self-assembly, or when unordered parts come together in an organized structure. Skylar Tibbits explains how we see self-assembly at work in biology and chemistry -- and eve...

Explore the psychology behind how good and bad habits are formed, and get tips on how to manage these behaviors.--Many people deal with a nail-biting habit at some point in their lives. Some will go to great lengths to try to stop, employing strategies like dipping their hands in salt or wearing gloves. And while not all of us are nail-biters, most of us do have a habit we’d like to kick. So, what...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/healthier-men-one-moustache-at-a-time-adam-garoneAdam Garone has an impressive moustache, and it's for a good cause. A co-founder of Movember, Garone's initiative to raise awareness for men's health -- by having men grow out their moustaches every November -- began as a dare in a bar in 2003. Now, it's a worldwide movement that raised $126 million for pr...

Explore the differences between how a car’s internal combustion engine and an electric vehicle’s induction motor use fuel.--In 2015, two men drove a Volkswagen across the US on just over 100 gallons of fuel. Their 81-mile-per-gallon performance doubled the car’s estimated fuel rating, and set the record for the lowest fuel consumption ride of a diesel car. The duo were experts in techniques that m...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/da-vinci-s-vitruvian-man-of-math-james-earleWhat's so special about Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man? With arms outstretched, the man fills the irreconcilable spaces of a circle and a square -- symbolizing the Renaissance-era belief in the mutable nature of humankind. James Earle explains the geometric, religious and philosophical significance of this d...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-light-switch-for-neurons-ed-boydenEd Boyden shows how, by inserting genes for light-sensitive proteins into brain cells, he can selectively activate or de-activate specific neurons with fiber-optic implants. With this unprecedented level of control, he's managed to cure mice of analogs of PTSD and certain forms of blindness. On the horizon: neural pros...