TED-Ed

Explore the creation of China’s Three Gorges Dam, and find out how the hydroelectric plant generates its power.--In 2018, a single power plant produced more energy than the world’s largest coal-powered and gas-powered plants combined. China’s Three Gorges Dam relies on running water, and is capable of producing more energy than any other power plant on Earth. So what allows Three Gorges to generat...

Explore what happens in the body during miscarriage, and learn about three common treatment options for pregnancy loss.--Globally, around 23 million pregnancies end in miscarriage each year. Despite how common it is, miscarriage can still feel isolating, and for some, emotionally traumatizing. And myths about miscarriage add to the stigma, leading many to blame themselves for the loss. So what hap...

Explore what would happen if we covered the Sahara Desert in solar panels, and the possibility of it solving our energy crisis. --Stretching over roughly nine million square kilometers and with sands reaching temperatures of up to 80° Celsius, the Sahara Desert receives about 22 million terawatt hours of energy from the Sun every year. That’s well over 100 times more energy than humanity consumes...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-are-blue-whales-so-enormous-asha-de-vosBlue whales are the largest animals on the planet, but what helps them grow to the length of a basketball court? Asha de Vos explains why the size of krill make them the ideal food for the blue whale -- it's as if the blue whale was made to eat krill (and krill was made to be eaten by the blue whale).Lesson by A...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-human-and-the-honeybee-dino-martinsBoth honeybees and humans originated in East Africa, and the connection between us has survived the ages. Some of your favorite delicacies -- coffee, chocolate, mangoes -- have the honeybee to thank for their hard work of pollination. Dino Martins encourages us to remember how much we owe to these magnificent insect...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/supercharged-motorcycle-design-yves-beharYves Behar and Forrest North unveil Mission One, a sleek, powerful electric motorcycle. They share slides from distant (yet similar) childhoods that show how collaboration kick-started their friendship -- and shared dreams. Talk by Yves Behar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the life and works of Rumi, who became one of the world’s most celebrated poets and mystical philosophers.--According to legend, the renowned scholar Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi was giving a lecture when a disheveled man approached and asked him the meaning of his academic books. Rumi didn’t know it yet, but this question and this man would change his life. So, who was this mysterious figure,...

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd--Your antivirus squad is up against a code that’s hijacked your mainframe. What you’ve learned from other infected systems, right before they went dark, is that it likes to toy with antivirus agents in a very peculiar way— and you’re the agent that’s been selected to go up against the malware. Can you figure out which disk that runs your...

Discover the works of poet and songwriter Sappho, and find out why only fragments of her poetry still survive.--Over 2,500 years ago, one of ancient Greece’s most celebrated popstars and erotic poets enraptured listeners. The singer-songwriter offered a uniquely intimate perspective on love, passion, and longing, and was the first on record to combine the words “bitter” and “sweet,” to describe th...

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd--You’ve spent months creating a basketball-playing robot, the Dunk-O-Matic, and you’re excited to demonstrate its capabilities. Until you read an advertisement: “See the Dunk-O-Matic face human players and automatically adjust its skill to create a fair game for every opponent!” That’s not what you were told to create. Can you recalibrat...

"Is it okay if I totally trash your office?" It's a question Elyn Saks once asked her doctor, and it wasn't a joke. A legal scholar, in 2007 Saks came forward with her own story of schizophrenia, controlled by drugs and therapy but ever-present. In this powerful talk, she asks us to see people with mental illness clearly, honestly and compassionately. Talk by Elyn Saks. Learn more about your ad ch...

Explore one of the main issues of AI-based predictive models and how it affects user decision-making and accountability.--A couple has been considering getting engaged, but they’re worried about divorce statistics. An AI-based model was just released that can predict your likelihood of divorce with 95% accuracy. The only catch is the model doesn’t offer any reasons for its results. So, should they...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-el-sistema-music-revolution-jose-antonio-abreuJose Antonio Abreu is the charismatic founder of a youth orchestra system that has transformed thousands of kids' lives in Venezuela. Here he shares his amazing story and unveils a TED Prize wish that could have a big impact in the US and beyond. Talk by Jose Antonio Abreu. Learn more about your ad choice...

On any given day we're lied to from 10 to 200 times, and the clues to detect those lie can be subtle and counter-intuitive. Pamela Meyer, author of Liespotting, shows the manners and "hotspots" used by those trained to recognize deception -- and she argues honesty is a value worth preserving. Talk by Pamela Meyer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore how fish use their gills to breathe, and how these processes make them some of the most efficient breathers on Earth.--Recent studies found that elite runners can take in twice as much oxygen as non-runners. And it’s likely that this superhuman ability played a role in breaking the two-hour marathon barrier in 2019. But when it comes to breathing efficiently, not even the best runners can...

Discover the unique conditions that make the Black Sea host to dozens of shipwrecks that date back thousands of years. --In 2017, researchers off the Bulgarian coast discovered the oldest intact shipwreck ever found. This ancient Greek vessel was not only nearly 2,500 years old, but was just one of 65 shipwrecks found at the bottom of the Black Sea in remarkable condition. So, why does the Black S...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-art-gives-shape-to-cultural-change-thelma-goldenThelma Golden, curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem, talks through three recent shows that explore how art examines and redefines culture. The "post-black" artists she works with are using their art to provoke a new dialogue about race and culture -- and about the meaning of art itself. Talk by Thelma...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-i-m-a-weekday-vegetarian-graham-hillWe all know the arguments that being vegetarian is better for the environment and for the animals -- but in a carnivorous culture, it can be hard to make the change. Graham Hill has a powerful, pragmatic suggestion: Be a weekday veg. Talk by Graham Hill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/toy-tiles-that-talk-to-each-other-david-merrillMIT grad student David Merrill demos Siftables -- cookie-sized, computerized tiles you can stack and shuffle in your hands. These future-toys can do math, play music, and talk to their friends, too. Is this the next thing in hands-on learning? Talk by David Merrill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/could-a-saturn-moon-harbor-life-carolyn-porcoCarolyn Porco shares exciting new findings from the Cassini spacecraft's recent sweep of one of Saturn's moons, Enceladus. Samples gathered from the moon's icy geysers hint that an ocean under its surface could harbor life. Talk by Carolyn Porco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the unique characteristics that make fungi so resilient, and find out why they may be the key to future space travel.--Astronauts aboard the space station Mir made a frightening discovery: several species of Earth-derived fungi were found growing throughout the shuttle, blanketing air conditioners and corroding control panels, putting both the station’s integrity and their lives at risk. H...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mapping-the-world-with-twitter-jer-thorpGood morning, Twitter! Millions of tweets are sent everyday, and from these tweets, we can gather a lot of information about people's lives: where they travel, when they wake up, and their opinions on pretty much everything. In this TEDYouth 2012 Talk, former New York Times data artist-in-residence Jer Thorp imagin...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/toward-a-science-of-simplicity-george-whitesidesSimplicity: We know it when we see it -- but what is it, exactly? In this funny, philosophical talk, George Whitesides chisels out an answer. Talk by George Whitesides. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into how Alzheimer’s disease affects your brain and cognitive abilities, and what makes the disorder so hard to treat.--Around the world, millions of people have Alzheimer’s disease, a debilitating brain disorder that gradually destroys a person’s memory and other cognitive abilities. While doctors have studied Alzheimer’s for decades, conducting hundreds of clinical trials, there is still no...

Can you win a game of quantum foosball— using a giant electron instead of a ball? Explore how to use quantum mechanics to your advantage. --After a long day working on the particle accelerator, you and your friends head to the arcade to unwind. The lights go out for a second, and when they come back, there before you gleams a foosball table. Always game, you insert your coins. And quantum foosball...