TED-Ed

Get to know how a healthy marine ecosystem functions, and what creates the lethal conditions that lead to dead zones. --For most of the year, the Gulf of Mexico is teeming with marine life, from tiny crustaceans to massive whales. But every summer, disaster strikes. Around May, animals begin to flee the area. And soon, creatures that can’t swim or can’t swim fast enough begin to suffocate and die...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-science-of-macaroni-salad-what-s-in-a-molecule-josh-kurzWhat do macaroni salad and gasoline have in common? They are made of exactly the same stuff -- specifically, the same atoms, just rearranged. So, while we put the former in our mouths and the latter in our cars, they are really just variations on the same atomic theme. Josh Kurz breaks macaroni...

Dig into the 800 year history and architecture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and find out what gives the tower its infamous tilt. --In 1990, the Italian government enlisted top engineers to stabilize Pisa’s famous Leaning Tower. There’d been many attempts during its 800 year history, but computer models revealed the urgency of their situation. The tower would topple if it reached an angle of 5.44 d...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/from-aaliyah-to-jay-z-captured-moments-in-hip-hop-history-jonathan-mannionJonathan Mannion once convinced rapper DMX to climb into a pool of blood -- all in pursuit of the perfect photo. In this passionate TEDYouth talk, the photographer shares how fighting for the moments he needs to capture has helped him tell the stories of Biggie, Jay-Z, Aaliyah and...

Discover how chemotherapy drugs use cytotoxic agents to attack cancer cells and the impact they have on your body. --During World War I, scientists were trying to develop an antidote to the poisonous yellow cloud known as mustard gas. They discovered the gas was irrevocably damaging the bone marrow of affected soldiers. This gave the scientists an idea: cancer cells and bone marrow both replicate...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-s-wrong-with-our-food-system-birke-baehr 11-year-old Birke Baehr presents his take on a major source of our food -- far-away and less-than-picturesque industrial farms. Keeping farms out of sight promotes a rosy, unreal picture of big-box agriculture, he argues, as he outlines the case to green and localize food production. (Filmed atTEDxNextGenerat...

Venus fly traps, bladderworts and sundews, oh my! Learn about carnivorous plants and their predatory antics to lure, trap and digest prey. --Around the world there are more than 600 plant species that supplement a regular diet of sunlight, water and soil with insects, frogs and even rats. Flies, tadpoles and beetles fall prey to the remarkable, predatory antics of carnivorous plants. What exactly...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/protecting-the-brain-against-concussion-kim-gorgens In a lively talk, neuropsychologist Kim Gorgens makes the case for better protecting our brains against the risk of concussion -- with a compelling pitch for putting helmets on kids. (Filmed at TEDxDU.) Talk by Kim Gorgens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-science-of-symmetry-colm-kelleherWhen you hear the word symmetry, you might think generally of triangles, butterflies, or even ballerinas. But defined scientifically, symmetry is "a transformation that leaves an object unchanged." Huh? Colm Kelleher unpacks this abstract term and explains how animal's distinct symmetries can tell us more about them -...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mysteries-of-vernacular-ukulele-jessica-oreck-and-rachael-teelWhen 19th century Portuguese travelers landed in Hawaii with a small four-stringed guitar, a member of the king's court, nicknamed Jumping Flea, or ukulele in Hawaiian, took to the instrument. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel explain how an affinity for the ukulele gave the instrument its name....

Dig into the political phenomenon of modern populism, how it rises, and the impact it can have on a democratic country. --In many democratic countries, charismatic leaders vilify political opponents, disparage institutions, and claim to be for the people. Some critics label this approach as authoritarian or fascist, while others argue that these leaders are manipulating voters. This style of polit...

What's it like to be pals with a genius? Onstage, physicist Leonard Susskind spins a few stories about his friendship with the legendary Richard Feynman, discussing his unconventional approach to problems both serious and ... less so. (Filmed at TEDxCaltech.)Talk by Leonard Susskind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is turbulence and why does it happen? Explore the phenomenon that has perplexed physicists for over a century.--You’re on an airplane when you feel a sudden jolt. Outside your window nothing seems to be happening, yet the plane continues to rattle you and your fellow passengers as it passes through turbulent air in the atmosphere. What exactly is turbulence, and why does it happen? Tomás Chor...

Explore the challenges facing amphibious fish when they leave water and the ingenious ways they survive on land. --We think of fish as completely aquatic animals. But there are actually hundreds of fish species that are amphibious, meaning that they possess adaptations that enable them to survive on land. Once on land, however, they face suffocation, drying up, and being hunted by land predators....

The adventure continues! Episode 4: The trio plot how they can steal the first artifact— the Node of Power. Can they take it without being discovered? --This is episode 4 of our animated series “Think Like A Coder.” This 10-episode narrative follows a girl, Ethic, and her robot companion, Hedge, as they attempt to save the world. The two embark on a quest to collect three artifacts and must solve...

Inspired by an abalone shell, Angela Belcher programs viruses to make elegant nanoscale structures that humans can use. Selecting for high-performing genes through directed evolution, she's produced viruses that can construct powerful new batteries, clean hydrogen fuels and record-breaking solar cells. In her talk, she shows us how it's done. (Filmed at TEDxCaltech.)Talk by Angela Belcher. Learn m...

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd/--It’s your first day at Magnificent Marigold’s Magical Macademy. But before you can learn your first spell you must get through the sorting ceremony. And the sorting hat has chosen you for a special challenge. The Macademy had 8 founders who established four houses, and there was once a mysterious fifth house. Can you figure out who fou...

Explore William Golding’s timeless satire, “Lord of the Flies,” which follows a group of shipwrecked boys as they descend into anarchy. --After witnessing the atrocities of his fellow man in World War II, William Golding was losing his faith in humanity. Later, during the Cold War, as superpowers began threatening one another with nuclear annihilation, he was forced to interrogate the very roots o...

By leading the Americans in his audience step by step through the thought process, sociologist Sam Richards sets an extraordinary challenge: can they understand -- not approve of, but understand -- the motivations of an Iraqi insurgent? And by extension, can anyone truly understand and empathize with another? (Filmed at TEDxPSU.)Talk by Sam Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-is-the-world-wide-web-twila-campThe world wide web is used every day by millions of people for everything from checking the weather to sharing cat videos. But what is it exactly? Twila Camp describes this interconnected information system as a virtual city that everyone owns and explains how it's organized in a way that mimics our brain's natural wa...

How does a fact become a misconception? Dig into the world of misinformation to see how facts can become distorted and misleading.--In 1901, David Hänig published research that led to what we know today as the taste map: an illustration that divides the tongue into four separate areas. It has since been published in textbooks and newspapers. There is just one problem: the map is wrong. So how do m...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-is-the-shape-of-a-molecule-george-zaidan-and-charles-mortonA molecule is nearly all empty space, apart from the extremely dense nuclei of its atoms and the clouds of electrons that bond them together. When that molecule forms, it arranges itself to maximize attraction of opposite charges and minimize repulsion of unlike. George Zaidan and Charles Mo...

In this engaging talk, world champion whistler Geert Chatrou performs the whimsical "Eleonora" by A. Honhoff, and his own "Fête de la Belle." In a fascinating interlude, he talks about what brought him to the craft. (Filmed at TEDxRotterdam .)Talk by Geert Chatrou. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into the psychology of how memories are susceptible to false information and why we shouldn’t treat them as truth.--In a 1990’s study, participants recalled getting lost in a shopping mall as children. Some shared these memories in vivid detail, but there was one problem: none of these people had actually gotten lost in a mall. They produced these false memories after psychologists told them t...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-uncertain-location-of-electrons-george-zaidan-and-charles-mortonThe tiny atoms that make up our world are made up of even tinier protons, neutrons and electrons. Though the number of protons determine an atom's identity, it's the electrons -- specifically, their exact location outside the nucleus -- that particularly perplex scientists. George Zaidan...