TED-Ed

Follow a queen fire ant as she builds a colony, protects it from neighboring ant armies and fends off would-be usurpers vying for her throne. --In the spring, just after a heavy rainfall, male and female fire ants swarm the skies for a day of romance, known as the nuptial flight. Thousands of reproduction-capable ants take part in a mating frenzy, and for one successfully mated female, her work is...

Explore the creation of national parks and the importance of finding a balance between public use and ecological preservation.--In 1903, US President Theodore Roosevelt took a camping trip in California’s Yosemite Valley with conservationist John Muir. Roosevelt famously loved the outdoors, but Muir had invited him for more than just camping: Yosemite was in danger. It was part of a struggle to se...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-networked-beauty-of-forests-suzanne-simard Deforestation causes more greenhouse gas emissions than all trains, planes and automobiles combined. What can we do to change this contributor to global warming? Suzanne Simard examines how the complex, symbiotic networks of our forests mimic our own neural and social networks -- and how those connections mi...

Download a free audiobook version of "Crime and Punishment" and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://www.audible.com/ted-edCheck out our full book recommendation: https://shop.ed.ted.com/products/crime-and-punishment--What drives someone to kill in cold blood? What goes through the murderer’s mind? And what kind of a society breeds such people? Over 150 years ago Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoye...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/human-sperm-vs-the-sperm-whale-aatish-bhatiaTraveling is extremely arduous for microscopic sperm -- think of a human trying to swim in a pool made of...other humans. We can compare the journey of a sperm to that of a sperm whale by calculating the Reynolds number, a prediction of how fluid will behave, often fluctuating due to size of the swimmer. Aatish...

Each kind of light has a unique wavelength, but human eyes can only perceive a tiny slice of the full spectrum -- the very narrow range from red to violet. Microwaves, radio waves, x-rays and more are hiding, invisible, just beyond our perception. Here is a closer look at the waves we can't see. Animated by Pew36 Animation Studios. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Within this generation, an extra 30 years have been added to our life expectancy -- and these years aren't just a footnote or a pathology. In this talk, Jane Fonda asks how we can think about this new phase of our lives. (Filmed at TEDxWomen.)Talk by Jane Fonda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-whales-breathe-communicate-and-fart-with-their-faces-joy-reidenbergComparative anatomist Joy Reidenberg studies the body structure of many different animals in the hope of adapting their unique qualities for human applications. Her favorite? Whales. In this TEDYouth Talk, Reidenberg explains how these majestic, awe-inspiring mammals "fart with their...

Are black holes indestructible? Explore the theory of Hawking radiation, a process that could lead a black hole to gradually lose mass and evaporate.--Black holes are among the most destructive objects in the universe. Anything that gets too close to a black hole, be it an asteroid, planet, or star, risks being torn apart by its extreme gravitational field. By some accounts, the universe may event...

Dig into the science of how cotton transforms from seed to fiber, and how these cotton fibers are used to make everything from fabrics, to currency, and fishing nets.--Centuries ago, the Inca developed ingenuous suits of armor that could protect warriors from even the fiercest physical attacks. These hardy structures were made not from iron or steel, but rather something unexpectedly soft: cotton....

Alberto Cairo's clinics in Afghanistan used to close down during active fighting. Now, they stay open. In this powerful talk, Cairo tells the moving story of why -- and how he found humanity and dignity in the midst of war. (Filmed at TEDxRC2.)Talk by Alberto Cairo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/can-we-eat-to-starve-cancer-william-liWilliam Li presents a new way to think about treating cancer and other diseases: anti-angiogenesis, preventing the growth of blood vessels that feed a tumor. The crucial first (and best) step: Eating cancer-fighting foods that cut off the supply lines and beat cancer at its own game. Talk by WIlliam Li. Learn more ab...

2011 was a year of extraordinary people-powered resistance, starting with Arab Spring and spreading across the world. How did this resistance work so well? Srdja Popovic (who led the nonviolent movement that took down Milosevic in Serbia in 2000) lays out the plans, skills and tools each movement needs -- from nonviolent tactics to a sense of humor. (Filmed at TEDxKrakow.)Talk by Srdja Popovic. Le...

Explore why migration is so taxing and dangerous for birds, and what ways we can help birds on their journey.--Nearly 200 species of songbirds migrate south for winter, some traveling up to 7,000 miles. No easy task, the annual journey is dangerous to birds due to landscape change -- so much so, that only half the birds that migrate south will return home for spring. Alyssa Klavans details why bir...

Bioethicist Paul Root Wolpe describes an astonishing series of recent bio-engineering experiments, from glowing dogs to mice that grow human ears. He asks: Isn't it time to set some ground rules? (Filmed at TEDxPeachtree.)Talk by Paul Root Wolpe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the biological and psychological factors that influence how we experience pain and how our nervous system reactions to harmful stimuli.--In 1995, the British Medical Journal published a report about a builder who accidentally jumped onto a nail, which pierced straight through his steel-toed boot. He was in such agonizing pain that any movement was unbearable. But when the doctors took off...

Explore the innovative ways countries are revolutionizing farming to ensure we can feed humanity in a way that works with the environment.--About 10,000 years ago, humans began to farm. This agricultural revolution was a turning point in our history and enabled the existence of civilization. Today, nearly 40% of our planet is farmland. Spread all over the world, these lands are the pieces to a glo...

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd/--The underworld is overcrowded, and Zeus has ordered Hades to let some spirits out. Hades arranges all the souls of the dead in a line before Cerberus. When one of his three heads bites down on the soul in front of it, they’ll get returned to the land of the living. Anyone to the left must stay in Hades forever. Can you pick the right s...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-is-ketchup-so-hard-to-pour-george-zaidanEver go to pour ketchup on your fries...and nothing comes out? Or the opposite happens, and your plate is suddenly swimming in a sea of red? George Zaidan describes the physics behind this frustrating phenomenon, explaining how ketchup and other non-Newtonian fluids can suddenly transition from solid to liquid...

Dig into the science of what triggers panic attacks, how to recognize them, and the available treatments for panic disorder.--Countless poets and writers have tried to put words to the experience of a panic attack— a sensation so overwhelming, many people mistake it for a heart attack, stroke, or other life-threatening crisis. Studies suggest that almost a third of us will experience at least one...

Take a look inside a hive as a wasp queen begins her reign; founding a colony, hunting to feed her brood and defending against intruders. -- As the sun rises, something royal stirs inside a pile of firewood. It's the wasp queen; one of thousands who mated in late autumn and hibernated through the winter. Now she must emerge into the spring air to begin her reign. This queen is the lone survivor of...

Dig into the science of how bone marrow transplants work and find out how you could become a donor by visiting https://join.bethematch.org/teded--Bones might seem rock-solid, but they’re actually quite porous inside. Most of the large bones of your skeleton have a hollow core filled with soft bone marrow. Marrow's most essential elements are blood stem cells and for patients with advanced blood ca...

Puzzle through a set of hypothetical health studies and headlines and see if you can spot what’s misleading about the headline.--In medicine, there’s often a disconnect between news headlines and the scientific research they cover. While headlines are designed to catch attention, many studies produce meaningful results when they focus on a narrow, specific question. So how can you figure out what’...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/history-vs-vladimir-lenin-alex-gendlerVladimir Lenin overthrew Russian Czar Nicholas II and founded the Soviet Union, forever changing the course of Russian politics. But was he a hero who toppled an oppressive tyranny or a villain who replaced it with another? Alex Gendler puts this controversial figure on trial, exploring both sides of a nearly century...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/natural-pest-control-using-bugs-shimon-steinbergShimon Steinberg looks at the difference between pests and bugs -- and makes the case for using good bugs to fight bad bugs, avoiding chemicals in our quest for perfect produce. (Filmed at TEDxTelAviv.)Talk by Shimon Steinberg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices