TED-Ed

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-call-to-invention-diy-speaker-edition-william-gurstelleThere's a pleasure in making things for yourself -- especially something unexpected. At TEDYouth 2012, William Gurstelle shows how to make your own speakers from objects probably already laying around your house, like copper wire and an empty yogurt cup. Talk by William Gurstelle. Learn more about...

Dig into the biggest problems facing our current plastic recycling process, and explore potential solutions to these systems. --If you’ve ever looked at the bottom of a disposable bottle or cup, you’ve probably noticed a recycling symbol. Seeing this, many people assume the item should be put in a recycling bin. Yet many plastics are incapable of being recycled at most centers. In fact, only 9% is...

Who hasn't sent a text message saying "I'm on my way" when it wasn't true or fudged the truth a touch in their online dating profile? But Jeff Hancock doesn't believe that the anonymity of the internet encourages dishonesty. In fact, he says the searchability and permanence of information online may even keep us honest. Talk by Jeff Hancock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...

Explore what prevents us from learning from our failures, and how to become more resilient through cultivating a growth mindset.--People often describe failure as a teachable moment— a necessary stumble on our way to improvement. But learning from our mistakes isn’t always easy, especially when those failures are demoralizing, overwhelming, or just downright confusing. So what prevents us from tur...

Thailand's "Mr. Condom," Mechai Viravaidya, walks us through the country's bold plan to raise its standard of living, starting in the 1970s. First step: population control. And that means a lot of frank, funny -- and very effective -- talk about condoms. (Filmed at TEDxChange.)Talky by Mechai Viravaidya. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/networking-for-the-networking-averse-lisa-green-chauNetworking can seem so hard -- but not if you have the right advice. Try taking advantage of weak ties; you never know what friend of a friend of a friend can aid you in your dreams. Lisa Green Chau outlines how being proactive and always saying yes can lead to future opportunities. Lesson by Lisa Green...

Download a free audiobook version of “The Song of Achilles" and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://www.audible.com/ted-ed --Achilles, just slain in the Trojan War, arrives in the Underworld and is greeted by Sibyl of Cumae— a prophetess and also the realm’s local guide. Though it gets a bad rap, Sibyl is determined to prove to the newcomer that hell is actually a lovely place to live; bur...

Discover the medieval empire of the Isle of Man and the Hebrides, and how a dynasty of sea kings rose to power.--On a small island in the Irish Sea, fortresses preside over the rugged shores. This unlikely location was the birthplace of a medieval empire that lasted 200 years. Rulers built coastal fortresses on cliffs, roved the seaways, and threw themselves into epic battles to consolidate contro...

Brené Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share. (Filmed at TEDxHouston.)Talk by Brené Brown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mysteries-of-vernacular-pants-jessica-oreckFrom 4th Century Roman Saint Pantaleon to the trousers we wear on our legs, Jessica Oreck details the story of the word 'pants.'Lesson and animation by Jessica Oreck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore how werewolves have evolved in folklore, literature, and pop culture throughout history, and where these stories originated.--Stories of werewolves have existed for thousands of years and continue to live on today. They’re especially prominent in European literature and folklore, and often found in cultures where the wolf is the largest natural predator. Over the years its image has contin...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/who-is-alexander-von-humboldt-george-mehlerHave you heard of Alexander von Humboldt? Not likely. The geologist turned South American explorer was a bit of an 18th century super scientist, traveling over 24,000 miles to understand the relationship between nature and habitat. George Mehler details Humboldt's major accomplishments and why we should care abo...

Follow the chilling Japanese tale of Oiwa, a ghost seeking revenge after her husband poisoned her and killed her father.--Oiwa’s only hope for ending her marriage to the cruel and dishonorable samurai, Iemon, was her father. But after he tried to end the union, Iemon murdered him in cold blood. With plans to marry another, Iemon conspired to poison his wife and left her for dead. But unfortunately...

Trace a year in the life of a platypus, and explore how the animal’s unique adaptations ensure its survival.--Waddling along the parched Australian earth, a female platypus is searching for fresh water. Over the past year, a severe drought turned rivers and streams to mere trickles. She barely survived and was unable to reproduce. Could the next year bring a change in luck? Gilad Bino traces a yea...

How can you help kids get a good start? In this heartfelt and personal talk, Colin Powell, the former U.S. Secretary of State, asks parents, friends and relatives to support children from before they even get to primary school, through community and a strong sense of responsibility. (Filmed at TEDxMidAtlantic.)Talk by Colin Powell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into what caused the Irish potato famine, and explore how the UK government’s response turned the crisis into a catastrophe.--For over 200 years, potatoes thrived in Ireland; roughly half the country’s residents lived almost entirely on potatoes. But when harvesting began in 1845, farmers found their potatoes blackened and shriveled. While this failed harvest created a crisis, the government’s...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/early-forensics-and-crime-solving-chemists-deborah-blumIn a CSI age, we take forensic science for granted. New York did not have a medical examiner or forensic toxicologist until 1918, whose eventual arrival changed the landscape of crime investigation forever. At TEDYouth 2012, Deborah Blum prompts the audience to solve crimes with chemistry. Talk by De...

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd--Your agent has infiltrated a life or death poker game in a hidden back room of a grand casino. Your team is on the trail of an elite society of assassins, each of whom carries a signature playing card corresponding to their role— everyone at the table is either an assassin or a potential victim. Can you identify the assassins and save t...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-infinite-life-of-pi-reynaldo-lopesThe ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter is always the same: 3.14159... and on and on (literally!) forever. This irrational number, pi, has an infinite number of digits, so we'll never figure out its exact value no matter how close we seem to get. Reynaldo Lopes explains pi's vast applications to the stu...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-mystery-of-chronic-pain-elliot-kraneWe think of pain as a symptom, but there are cases where the nervous system develops feedback loops and pain becomes a terrifying disease in itself. Starting with the story of a girl whose sprained wrist turned into a nightmare, Elliot Krane talks about the complex mystery of chronic pain and reviews the facts we'r...

Download the Audible Original podcast “Moriarty: The Silent Order” and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://www.audible.com/ted-ed --One day in the fall, you called upon your friend, Sherlock Holmes, and found him in conversation with Jabez Wilson. Wilson had been working for the mysterious League of Red-Headed Men. Today, he arrived at work to find the group had disappeared, and now turns...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/building-the-seed-cathedral-thomas-heatherwickA future more beautiful? Architect Thomas Heatherwick shows five recent projects featuring ingenious bio-inspired designs. Some are remakes of the ordinary: a bus, a bridge, a power station ... And one is an extraordinary pavilion, the Seed Cathedral, a celebration of growth and light. Talk by Thomas Heatherw...

Dig into what happened after the Chicxulub asteroid hit the Earth, and how it caused a mass extinction— including dinosaurs.--Sixty-six million years ago, near what’s now the Yucatán Peninsula, a juvenile sauropod feasted on horsetail plants on a riverbank. Earth was a tropical planet. Behemoth and tiny dinosaurs alike soared its skies and roamed its lands while reptiles and tentacled ammonites sw...

Explore how geothermal energy— the heat in the Earth’s crust— is being used to create renewable electricity and power.--While the weather in Iceland is often cold, wet, and windy, a nearly endless supply of heat bubbles away below the surface. In fact, almost every building in the country is heated by geothermal energy in a process with virtually no carbon emissions. So how exactly does this renew...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/building-a-dinosaur-from-a-chicken-jack-hornerRenowned paleontologist Jack Horner has spent his career trying to reconstruct a dinosaur. He's found fossils with extraordinarily well-preserved blood vessels and soft tissues, but never intact DNA. So, in a new approach, he's taking living descendants of the dinosaur (chickens) and genetically engineering t...