TED-Ed

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...

Uncover the rich history of illuminated manuscripts and the often bizarre images that filled the margins of medieval books.--A rabbit attempts to play a church organ, while a knight fights a giant snail and a naked man blows a trumpet with his rear end. These bizarre images, painted with squirrel-hair brushes on vellum or parchment by monks, nuns and urban craftspeople, populate the margins of the...

In this funny and blunt talk, Larry Smith pulls no punches when he calls out the absurd excuses people invent when they fail to pursue their passions. (Filmed at TEDxUW.)Talk by Larry Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her talk, Ali Carr-Chellman pinpoints three reasons boys are tuning out of school in droves, and lays out her bold plan to re-engage them: bringing their culture into the classroom, with new rules that let boys be boys, and video games that teach as well as entertain. (Filmed at TEDxPSU.)Talk by Ali Carr-Chellman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore how synthetic biologists are programming bacteria to fight cancer by manipulating their DNA. --In 1884, an unlucky patient who had a rapidly growing cancer in his neck came down with an unrelated bacterial skin infection. As he recovered from the infection, the cancer surprisingly began to recede. The infection had stimulated the patient’s immune system. Today, synthetic biologists program...

Learn how to identify, develop, and share your best ideas with TED Masterclass: http://bit.ly/tedmasterclass --What we call language is something more specific than communication. Language is about sharing what’s in our minds: stories, opinions, questions, the past or future, imagined times or places, ideas. It is fundamentally open-ended, and can be used to say an unlimited number of things. So w...

In 2010, technologist Tan Le took the TEDGlobal stage to demo a powerful new interface. But now, at TEDxWomen, she tells a very personal story: the story of her family -- mother, grandmother and sister -- fleeing Vietnam and building a new life. (Filmed at TEDxWomen.)Talk by Tan Le. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-science-of-attraction-dawn-maslarRomantic chemistry is all about warm, gooey feelings that gush from the deepest depths of the heart...right? Not quite. Actually, the real boss behind attraction is your brain, which runs through a very quick, very complex series of calculations when assessing a potential partner. Dawn Maslar explores how our five sen...

Get to know Amy Tan’s novel “The Joy Luck Club,” a series of interconnected vignettes centered around four Chinese American families. --In her Auntie An-mei’s home, Jing-Mei reluctantly takes her seat at the eastern corner of the mahjong table. At the north, south and west corners are her aunties, long-time members of the Joy Luck Club. This gathering is the point of departure for a series of inte...