TED-Ed

Is it possible to lose weight fast— in a healthy way? Dig into how different forms of dieting affect your body. --In the wealthiest circles of Victorian England, dieters would swallow an unhatched tapeworm and let it grow inside them by consuming undigested meals. And while modern fad diets aren’t usually this extreme, they do promise similar results; specifically, losing weight fast. So, are ther...

As Vicki Arroyo says, it's time to prepare our homes and cities for our changing climate, with its increased risk of flooding, drought and uncertainty. She illustrates this inspiring talk with bold projects from cities all over the world -- local examples of thinking ahead. Talk by Vicki Arroyo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You and your team of scientists are trapped on Mars. Can you figure out how to survive on the desert planet?--Today is the anniversary of the best-worst day of your life. The best part was discovering a subterranean city on Mars. The worst part was when you lost contact with Earth. You and the other 99 scientists have spent the year engineering your survival, but you’re almost out of water and sol...

Together, nitrogen, oxygen and argon make up 99.93% of our air. So what’s the other .07%? Find out what makes up the air you breathe.--Take a deep breath. In a single intake of air, your lungs swell with roughly 25 sextillion molecules, ranging from days-old compounds, to those formed billions of years in the past. In fact, many of the molecules you’re breathing were likely exhaled by members of a...

Diseases of the body garner sympathy, says comedian Ruby Wax -- except those of the brain. Why is that? With dazzling energy and humor, Wax, diagnosed a decade ago with clinical depression, urges us to put an end to the stigma of mental illness. Talk by Ruby Wax. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover the myth of Bellerophon, the hero who battled and killed the Chimera monster atop the winged horse Pegasus.--Shielded from the gorgon’s stone gaze, Perseus crept through Medusa’s cave. When he reached her, he drew his sickle and brought it down on her neck. From Medusa's neck sprung two children. One was a giant wielding a golden sword; the other was the magnificent, winged horse, Pegasus...

What do science and play have in common? Neuroscientist Beau Lotto thinks all people (kids included) should participate in science and, through the process of discovery, change perceptions. He's seconded by 12-year-old Amy O'Toole, who, along with 25 of her classmates, published the first peer-reviewed article by schoolchildren, about the Blackawton bees project. It starts: "Once upon a time ... "...

Dig into the Romeo and Juliet Effect, which describes the tendency to find someone more desirable when met by parental opposition.--In 1972, psychologists at the University of Colorado surveyed 140 couples to determine whether a relationship facing parental disapproval was more likely to strengthen or crumble under the pressure. Can long-term success of a romantic relationship be predicted by the...

The US consumes 25% of the world's oil -- but as energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens points out onstage, the country has no energy policy to prepare for the inevitable. Is alternative energy our bridge to an oil-free future? After losing $150 million investing in wind energy, Pickens suggests it isn't, not yet. What might get us there? Natural gas. After the talk, watch for a lively Q&A with TED Curato...

When you're getting medical treatment, or taking part in medical testing, privacy is important; strict laws limit what researchers can see and know about you. But what if your medical data could be used -- anonymously -- by anyone seeking to test a hypothesis? John Wilbanks wonders if the desire to protect our privacy is slowing research, and if opening up medical data could lead to a wave of heal...

Dig into the delicate balancing act of how power grids supply energy to the world and how renewable energy factors into this process.--In 1967, Homer Loutzenheuser flipped a switch and connected the power grids of the United States, forming one interconnected machine. Today, the US power grid is the world’s largest machine, containing more than 7,300 electricity-generating plants. So how exactly d...

Dig into the Attica Prison Rebellion, where prisoners took control of the facility in response to inhumane living conditions, and the violent retaking that followed.--On September 9th 1971, a spontaneous uprising began in a New York State prison. A group of prisoners overpowered guards, broke windows, started fires, and captured supplies, sparking the Attica Rebellion. Soon, over 1,200 prisoners h...

Art history is far from set in stone. Engineer Maurizio Seracini spent 30 years searching for Leonardo da Vinci's lost fresco "The Battle of Anghiari," and in the process discovered that many paintings have layers of history hidden underneath. Should they be part of the viewing experience too? Talk by Maurizio Seracini. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore how economic inequality can be measured and how it is impacted by different governmental policy choices.--Income and wealth inequality are not new. In fact, economists and historians who have charted economic inequality throughout history haven’t found a single society without it. Which raises a bleak question: is inequality … inevitable? Explore how economic inequality can be measured and...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mysteries-of-vernacular-inaugurate-jessica-oreckFrom avian omens to the beginning of a new policy or the reign of a new politician, Jessica Oreck follows the flight path of the word inaugurate. Lesson and animation by Jessica Oreck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taylor Wilson believes nuclear fusion is a solution to our future energy needs, and that kids can change the world. And he knows something about both of those: When he was 14, he built a working fusion reactor in his parents' garage. Now 17, he takes the TED stage at short notice to tell (the short version of) his story. Talk by Taylor Wilson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

Explore how the ancient Egyptians built the Great Pyramid, a tomb created for Pharaoh Khufu which took over 20 years to complete.--As soon as Pharaoh Khufu ascended the throne circa 2575 BCE, work on his eternal resting place began. The structure’s architect, Hemiunu, determined he would need 20 years to finish the royal tomb. But what he could not predict was that this monument would remain the w...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-cinematic-journey-through-visual-effects-don-levyIt's been 110 years since Georges Méliès sent a spaceship slamming into the eye of the man on the moon. So how far have visual effects come since then? Working closely with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Don Levy takes us on a visual journey through special effects, from the fakery of e...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/reasons-for-the-seasons-rebecca-kaplanWhy do some regions experience full-time heat while others are reckoning with frigid temperatures and snow? And why are the seasons reversed in the two hemispheres? Rebecca Kaplan explains how the shape of the Earth's orbit around the Sun and the Earth's tilt on its axis affect the amount of sunlight each region rece...

Explore the probability of a future pandemic and the steps we can take to reduce its destructiveness.--We tend to think of pandemics as unlikely events, but disease outbreaks are surprisingly common. Over the past 400 years, the longest stretch of time without a documented outbreak was just four years. So, what’s the probability of experiencing another world-changing pandemic in your lifetime? Exp...

At what age are you smartest? Dig into how your brain development affects your skills at different stages of your life.--Tomorrow is the annual Brain Clash — a decathlon of mental challenges, trivia competitions, and puzzles. Amir needs a smart and capable teammate and must choose between three people; all of different ages and talents. So, who should Amir choose for the contest? Shannon Odell bre...

How do we make sure that development and aid money actually goes to the people who most need it? Sanjay Pradhan of the World Bank Institute lays out three guidelines to help relief efforts make the most impact -- while curbing corruption. One key: connecting the players who are working to change broken systems with the data they need. Talk by Sanjay Pradhan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Explore how oysters use calcium carbonate to create pearls, and how this chemical compound creates a vast array of other materials.--Despite their iridescent colors and smooth shapes, pearls are actually made of the exact same material as the craggy shell that surrounds them. Pearls, urchin spines, the shells of mussels, snails and clams, even coral— all these structures are made out of the same c...

When Colin Stokes' 3-year-old son caught a glimpse of Star Wars, he was instantly obsessed. But what messages did he absorb from the sci-fi classic? Stokes asks for more movies that send positive messages to boys: that cooperation is heroic, and respecting women is as manly as defeating the villain. (Filmed at TEDxBeaconStreet.) Talk by Colin Stokes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...

Discover how scientists are using crowdsourced DNA to find the causes of untreatable diseases, and developing new drug treatments for them.--When scientists don't know the cause of a medical condition, developing a drug treatment takes significant trial and error, and lots of money— which is why we only have drugs for a small proportion of diseases. Researchers are hoping to change this using crow...