TED-Ed

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-makes-us-feel-good-about-our-work-dan-arielyWhat motivates us to work? Contrary to conventional wisdom, it isn't just money. But it's not exactly joy either. It seems that most of us thrive by making constant progress and feeling a sense of purpose. Behavioral economist Dan Ariely presents two eye-opening experiments that reveal our unexpected and n...

Hans Rosling had a question: Do some religions have a higher birth rate than others -- and how does this affect global population growth? Speaking at the TEDxSummit in Doha, Qatar, he graphs data over time and across religions. With his trademark humor and sharp insight, Hans reaches a surprising conclusion on world fertility rates. Talk by Hans Rosling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...

An animated poem exploring how the Covid-19 pandemic has reminded us of the importance of living in harmony with nature. #WorldEnvironmentDay--As millions around the world shelter at home, the smog melts away, the birds sing, and the waters run clear. What if we used this moment in our lives and in history as an opportunity to jumpstart the rebirth and rewilding of our planet when we go back to wo...

How can factors like inflation, supply and demand, and interest rates trigger recessions? Learn the economic basics of modern markets.--For millennia, the people of Britain had been using bronze to make tools and jewelry, and as a currency for trade. But around 800 BCE, that began to change: the value of bronze declined, causing social upheaval and an economic crisis— what we would call a recessio...

Dig into the science of how ancestry DNA tests work, their accuracy, and why tracing ancestry is so complicated. --Two sisters take the same DNA test. The results show that one sister is 10% French, the other 0%. Both sisters share the same two parents, and therefore the same set of ancestors. So how can one be 10% more French than the other? Tests like these rely on our DNA to answer questions ab...

Bruce Feiler has a radical idea: To deal with the stress of modern family life, go agile. Inspired by agile software programming, Feiler introduces family practices which encourage flexibility, bottom-up idea flow, constant feedback and accountability. One surprising feature: Kids pick their own punishments. Talk by Bruce Feiler. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fifteen-year-old Tavi Gevinson had a hard time finding strong female, teenage role models -- so she built a space where they could find each other. At TEDxTeen, she illustrates how the conversations on sites like Rookie, her wildly popular web magazine for and by teen girls, are putting a new, unapologetically uncertain and richly complex face on modern feminism. (Filmed at TEDxTeen.)Talk by Tavi...

What does your chair say about what you value? Designer Sebastian Deterding shows how our visions of morality and what the good life is are reflected in the design of objects around us. (Filmed at TEDxHogeschoolUtrecht.)Talk by Sebastian Deterding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the science of bioprinting, a type of 3D printing that uses bioink, a printable material that contains living cells. --There are currently hundreds of thousands of people on transplant lists, waiting for critical organs like kidneys, hearts and livers that could save their lives. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough donor organs available to fill that demand. What if, instead of waiting, we...

SETI researcher Seth Shostak bets that we will find extraterrestrial life in the next twenty-four years, or he'll buy you a cup of coffee. At TEDxSanJoseCA, he explains why new technologies and the laws of probability make the breakthrough so likely -- and forecasts how the discovery of civilizations far more advanced than ours might affect us here on Earth. (Filmed at TEDxSanJoseCA.)Talk by Seth...

Dive into four different voting systems: plurality, instant runoff, tactical, and the Condorcet method, and find out which is fairest. --Imagine we want to build a new space port at one of four recently settled Martian bases, and are holding a vote to choose its location. Of the 100 colonists on Mars, 42 live on West Base, 26 on North Base, 15 on South Base, and 17 on East Base. Assuming that ever...

What can economists learn from linguists? Behavioral economist Keith Chen introduces a fascinating pattern from his research: that languages without a concept for the future -- "It rain tomorrow," instead of "It will rain tomorrow" -- correlate strongly with high savings rates. Talk by Keith Chen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into the three key phases of developing a new vaccine: exploratory research, clinical testing, and manufacturing. --When a new pathogen emerges, our bodies and healthcare systems are left vulnerable. And when this pathogen causes the outbreak of a pandemic, there’s an urgent need for a vaccine to create widespread immunity with minimal loss of life. So how quickly can we develop vaccines when...

Discover the Maya myth of Venus, the morning star plotting revenge on his brother, the sun, and his allies. --Chak Ek’, the morning star, rose from the underworld to the surface of the eastern sea and on into the heavens. His brother K’in Ahaw, the sun, followed. Though Chak Ek’ had risen first, K’in Ahaw outshone him, and the resentful Chak Ek’ descended back to the underworld to plot against his...

Explore the ancient tradition of yoga, and discover how its blend of physical and mental exercise impacts your health.--There are many different approaches to modern yoga— though most forms have three core elements: physical postures, breathing exercises, and spiritual contemplation. This blend of physical and mental exercise is widely believed to have a unique set of health advantages. But is yog...

For foreigners, learning to speak Chinese is a hard task. But learning to read the beautiful, often complex characters of the Chinese written language may be less difficult. ShaoLan walks through a simple lesson in recognizing the ideas behind the characters and their meaning -- building from a few simple forms to more complex concepts. Call it Chineasy. Talk by ShaoLan. Learn more about your ad c...

Throughout human evolution, multiple versions of humans co-existed. Could we be mid-upgrade now? At TEDxSummit, Juan Enriquez sweeps across time and space to bring us to the present moment -- and shows how technology is revealing evidence that suggests rapid evolution may be under way. Talk by Juan Enriquez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The last thing Rodney Mullen, the godfather of street skating, wanted were competitive victories. In this exuberant talk he shares his love of the open skateboarding community and how the unique environments it plays in drive the creation of new tricks -- fostering prolific ingenuity purely for passion's sake. (Filmed at TEDxUSC.)Talk by Rodney Mullen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

Where does quantum information go when it enters a black hole? Investigate the theories of the black hole information paradox. --Today, one of the biggest paradoxes in the universe threatens to unravel modern science: the black hole information paradox. Every object in the universe is composed of particles with unique quantum properties and even if an object is destroyed, its quantum information i...

Explore the science of how corticosteroids sneak into our cells to help fight allergic reactions, rashes, asthma, and harmful immune responses.--Steroids: they’re infamous for their use in sports. But they’re also found in inhalers, creams to treat poison ivy and eczema, and shots to ease inflammation. The steroids in these medicines aren’t the same as those used to build muscle. In fact, they’re...

Follow young samurai in training Mori Banshirô as he studies the twin paths of literary learning and the martial arts. --The year is 1800 in the castle town of Kôchi, Japan. It’s just after sunrise, and 16-year-old Mori Banshirô is already hard at work practicing drills with his long sword. He is an ambitious samurai in training, and today he must impress his teachers more than ever so he can trav...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/music-and-creativity-in-ancient-greece-tim-hansenYou think you love music? You have nothing on the Ancient Greek obsession. Every aspect of Greek life was punctuated by song: history, poetry, theater, sports and even astronomy. In fact, music was so important to Greek philosopher Plato that he claimed the music we listen to directly affects our ethics. T...

In a humorous talk with an urgent message, LZ Granderson points out the absurdity in the idea that there's a "gay lifestyle," much less a "gay agenda." (Filmed at TEDxGrandRapids.)Talk by LZ Granderson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get to know the myth of Talos, a robot powered by ichor and created by Hephaestus to defend the island kingdom of Crete from intruders. --Hephaestus, god of technology, was hard at work on his most ingenious invention yet. He was creating a new defense system for King Minos, who wanted fewer intruders on his island kingdom of Crete. But mortal guards and ordinary weapons wouldn’t suffice, so the v...

How do you tell women's stories? Ask women to tell them. At TEDxABQ, Megan Kamerick shows how the news media underrepresents women as reporters and news sources, and because of that tells an incomplete story. (Filmed at TEDxABQ.)Talk by Megan Kamerick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices