TED-Ed

Trace the life cycle of mayflies, and explore why these swarming insects are a sign of healthy aquatic ecosystems.--For most of the world’s 4,000 mayfly species, adulthood lasts roughly one day. And for some species, it’s only a matter of minutes. This isn’t because they’re all eaten up by predators. Rather, this abridged adulthood is a natural part of their life cycle. So, what role do these bugs...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/high-altitude-wind-energy-from-kites-saul-griffithIn this brief talk, Saul Griffith unveils the invention his new company Makani Power has been working on: giant kite turbines that create surprising amounts of clean, renewable energy. Talk by Saul Griffith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cosmologist Sean Carroll attacks -- in an entertaining and thought-provoking tour through the nature of time and the universe -- a deceptively simple question: Why does time exist at all? The potential answers point to a surprising view of the nature of the universe, and our place in it. (Filmed at TEDxCaltech.)Talk by Sean Carroll. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/does-racism-affect-how-you-vote-nate-silverNate Silver has data that answers big questions about race in politics. For instance, in the 2008 presidential race, did Obama's skin color actually keep him from getting votes in some parts of the country? Stats and myths collide in this fascinating talk that ends with a remarkable insight. Talk by Nate Silver....

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mosquitos-malaria-and-education-bill-gatesBill Gates hopes to solve some of the world's biggest problems using a new kind of philanthropy. In a passionate and, yes, funny 18 minutes, he asks us to consider two big questions and how we might answer them. Talk by Bill Gates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-new-ecosystem-for-electric-cars-shai-agassiForget about the hybrid auto -- Shai Agassi says it's electric cars or bust if we want to impact emissions. His company, Better Place, has a radical plan to take entire countries oil-free by 2020.Talk by Shai Agassi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the incredible variety of tongues in the animal kingdom, and find out how different species utilize the appendage to survive.--An alligator snapping turtle lures its prey using a blood-engorged tongue that resembles a wriggling worm. And it’s far from the only animal doing tongue trickery. Tongues in the animal kingdom vary widely — from texture and length, to shape and dexterity. So, what...

Explore the philosophy of Hannah Arendt, and get to know her strategies to combat the threat of totalitarianism and oppression.--Philosopher Hannah Arendt was a German Jew who dedicated herself to understanding how the Nazi regime came to power, and more specifically, how it inspired so many atrocities. She believed the true conditions behind the unprecedented rise of totalitarianism weren’t speci...

Explore the three variables that inform a cancer’s stage number, and how different types of cancer can impact the staging.--Each year, approximately 20 million people receive a cancer diagnosis. At that time, a patient usually learns their cancer’s stage, which is typically a number ranging from one to four. While staging is designed, in part, to help patients better understand what they’re facing...

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd/ --You’ve come a long way to compete in the great Diskymon league and prove yourself a Diskymon master. Now that you’ve made it to the finals, you’re up against some tough competition. In round one, you’ll face a single opponent and get to choose your disk before she picks from the remaining two. Can you choose the one that gives you the...

Dig into the essential role that mitochondrial DNA played in the evolution of living things on Earth, and find out why it’s still evolving.--Inside our cells, each of us has a second set of genes completely separate from our 23 pairs of chromosomes. And this isn’t just true for humans— it’s true of every animal, plant, and fungus on Earth. This second genome belongs to our mitochondria, an organel...

Trace the history of ice cream, from the first accounts of cold desserts in the 1st century to the cream-based treat we know today.--Ice cream has a unique role in our world’s history, culture, and cravings. The first accounts of cold desserts date back to the first century, in civilizations including ancient Rome, Mughal India, and Tang Dynasty China. Yet the cream-based delicacy we know today ma...

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd--Smuggling yourself aboard the rogue submarine was the easy part. Hacking into the nuclear missile launch override — a little harder. And you’ve got a problem: you don’t have the override code. You know you need the same numbers that were used to authorize the launch, but one wrong answer will lock you out. Can you figure out what number...

Empathy, cooperation, fairness and reciprocity -- caring about the well-being of others seems like a very human trait. But Frans de Waal shares some surprising videos of behavioral tests, on primates and other mammals, that show how many of these moral traits all of us share. (Filmed at TEDxPeachtree.)Talk by Frans de Waal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the science behind what causes the incredible light and color of the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis.-- Why do we see those stunning lights in the northern- and southernmost portions of the night sky? The Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis occur when high-energy particles are flung from the Sun's corona toward the Earth and mingle with the neutral atoms in our atmosphere -- ultimate...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/planning-for-the-end-of-oil-richard-searsAs the world's attention focuses on the perils of oil exploration, we present Richard Sears' talk from early February 2010. Sears, an expert in developing new energy resources, talks about our inevitable and necessary move away from oil. Toward ... what? Talk by Richard Sears. Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

Trace the rise and fall of the Kingdom of Kush, an overlooked ancient African civilization which fought off both the Egyptians and Romans. --Along the Nile River, in what is now northern Sudan, lay the ancient civilization of Kush. Though they were once conquered by a powerful neighbor, the kings and queens of Kush would go on to successfully challenge two of the most dominant empires in history:...

Explore the depths of Lake Cadagno, a meromictic lake that is considered a model for Earth before the Great Oxidation Event.--In the millions of years since oxygen began saturating Earth’s oceans and atmosphere, most organisms have evolved to rely on this gas. However, there are some places where oxygen-averse microorganisms like those from Earth’s earliest days have re-emerged. And one such place...

By piecing together a complex ecological puzzle, biologist Willie Smits believes he has found a way to re-grow clearcut rainforest in Borneo, saving local orangutans -- and creating a thrilling blueprint for restoring fragile ecosystems. UPDATE: December 2012: The core content of this talk has been challenged on a number of grounds. For details, and for Willie Smits' response to these criticisms,...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/beatboxing-101-beat-nycThere's no need for instruments to make music; you can use the greatest instrument of all, your own body. Members of BEAT NYC teach the basics of beatboxing (think trumpets, bass drums, and everything in between), all while driving around New York City picking up a few friends. Lesson by BEAT NYC, produced by TED-Ed. Learn more abo...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/insights-into-cell-membranes-via-dish-detergent-ethan-perlsteinThe cell membrane, like a good jacket, protects the cell from everything outside of it. How is it simultaneously sturdy, flexible, and capable of allowing the right things to pass through? Ethan Perlstein rediscovers the scientists and their research that have changed the way we study the mem...

VIew full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/illuminating-photography-eva-timothyThe origins of the cameras we use today were invented in the 19th century. Or were they? A millenia before, Arab scientist Alhazen was using the camera obscura to duplicate images, with Leonardo da Vinci following suit 500 years later and major innovations beginning in the 19th century. Eva Timothy tracks the trajector...

In Rajasthan, India, an extraordinary school teaches rural women and men -- many of them illiterate -- to become solar engineers, artisans, dentists and doctors in their own villages. It's called the Barefoot College, and its founder, Bunker Roy, explains how it works. Talk by Bunker Roy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore how coastal communities are impacted by climate change and how they’re adapting to rising sea levels and extreme weather.--Humanity has always adapted to changing weather and moved to regions that best support cultural lifestyles and livelihoods. However, the rise in extreme weather is endangering coastal communities, and even for those with the resources to take action, the pace and natur...

Explore the possibility of nuclear fusion technology to create limitless, on-demand energy with almost no emissions. --Stars have cores hot and dense enough to force atomic nuclei together, forming larger, heavier nuclei in a process known as fusion. In this process, the mass of the end products is slightly less than the mass of the initial atoms. But that “lost” mass doesn’t disappear — it’s conv...