TED-Ed

Discover the unique adaptations that make the Atlantic bluefin tuna one of the most dominant predators in the ocean.--What’s as big as a polar bear, swallows its prey whole, and swims at forty miles an hour? It’s not a shark or a killer whale... it’s the Atlantic bluefin tuna— the largest and longest-lived of the 15 tuna species. Its unique set of adaptations make it one of the most dominant preda...

Cross-country skier Janine Shepherd hoped for an Olympic medal -- until she was hit by a truck during a training bike ride. She shares a powerful story about the human potential for recovery. Her message: you are not your body and giving up old dreams can allow new ones to soar. Talk by Janine Shepherd. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into the experiment known as the lost wallet test, and find out the surprising results of this study of honesty.--Picture this: you’re working a shift in a hotel lobby when someone approaches the front desk. They found a lost wallet around the corner, but they’re in a rush and don’t have time to follow up. Looking at the wallet you see it contains a key, grocery list, about $13, and three busi...

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Explore the benefits and drawbacks of the gig economy, and find out the key factors of becoming a successful freelancer.--A 2016 survey of freelancers in six countries found that those who freelance by choice– 70% of respondents– were happier than people in traditional jobs, specifically when it came to things like independence and flexibility in terms of where and when they work. So what does it...

Imagine having a surgery with no knives involved. At TEDMED, Yoav Medan shares a technique that uses MRI to find trouble spots and focused ultrasound to treat such issues as brain lesions, uterine fibroids and several kinds of cancerous growths. Talk by Yoav Medan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/is-space-trying-to-kill-us-ron-shaneyfeltHow likely is it that a massive asteroid will do major damage to Earth and its inhabitants? What about the sun -- is it dying out anytime soon? And the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way -- should we be worried about that? Ron Shaneyfelt assesses the dangers of space. Lesson by Ron Shaneyfelt,...

Download a free audiobook version of “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring“ and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://www.audible.com/ted-ed--More than 2,000 years ago, the Greek philosopher Plato recounted the legend of the Ring of Gyges in “Republic.” The story of the ring surfaces as the philosopher, Socrates, and his student discuss why people act justly: is it because it’s...

Explore the history of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and find out how old words get redefined and how new words are added. --While the concept of a dictionary dates back to ancient civilizations, the first English dictionary wasn’t published until 1604. In the centuries that followed, many more dictionaries were written by individual authors who chose what to include or exclude, with most quickly...

Oceanographer Paul Snelgrove shares the results of a ten-year project with one goal: to take a census of all the life in the oceans. He shares amazing photos of some of the surprising finds of the Census of Marine Life. Talk by Paul Snelgrove. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/making-a-ted-ed-lesson-animationEver wondered how a TED-Ed animation is made? Go behind-the-scenes of "How do cancer cells behave differently from healthy ones" with educator George Zaidan, animation director Biljana Labovic, and animator Lisa LaBracio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enter the mind of a bored teenager to discover what happens in the brain when we daydream and find out what purpose it serves.--On a daily basis, you spend between a third and half of your waking hours daydreaming. That may sound like a huge waste of time, but scientists think it must have some purpose, or humans wouldn’t have evolved to do so much of it. So, what exactly happens in the brain whil...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/making-a-ted-ed-lesson-creative-process Ever wondered how a TED-Ed animation is made? Go behind-the-scenes of "How do cancer cells behave differently from healthy ones" with educator George Zaidan, animation director Biljana Labovic, and animator Lisa LaBracio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into the myth of Baucis and Philemon, a couple who unknowingly showed the gods hospitality after their neighbors refused.--It was dark when two mysterious, shrouded figures appeared in a hillside village. The strangers knocked on every door in town, asking for food and shelter. But, again and again, they were turned away. Soon, there was just one door left: that of a small, thatched shack. Wou...

Dig into the unique engineering of New York City’s Citicorp Center tower, and the design flaw that threatened to topple it.--In 1978, Diane Hartley was writing her undergraduate architecture thesis when she made a shocking discovery. After weeks of poring over the Citicorp Center’s building plans, she’d stumbled on an oversight that threatened to topple the 59-story tower into one of New York City...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/making-a-ted-ed-lesson-concept-and-designEver wondered how a TED-Ed animation is made? Go behind-the-scenes of "How do cancer cells behave differently from healthy ones" with educator George Zaidan, animation director Biljana Labovic, and animator Lisa LaBracio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into what happens to your brain during adolescence that changes how you value, understand, and connect to friends.--If it seems like friendships formed in adolescence are particularly special, that's because they are. Childhood, adolescent, and adult friendships all manifest differently in part because the brain works in different ways at those stages of life. During adolescence, there are cha...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/looks-aren-t-everything-believe-me-i-m-a-model-cameron-russellCameron Russell admits she won "a genetic lottery": she's tall, pretty and an underwear model. But don't judge her by her looks. In this fearless talk, she takes a wry look at the industry that had her looking highly seductive at barely 16-years-old. Talk by Cameron Russell. Learn more about y...

Get to know the different kinds of co-ops, how they work, and how they differ from traditional companies. --Co-ops are a big part of the global economy: they employ 10% of the world’s workforce and over two trillion dollars flow through their doors every year. At a co-op, there’s no single person with overarching, top-down power over everyone else, like a CEO at a traditional company. So what exac...

Shame is an unspoken epidemic, the secret behind many forms of broken behavior. Brené Brown, whose earlier talk on vulnerability became a viral hit, explores what can happen when people confront their shame head-on. Her own humor, humanity and vulnerability shine through every word. Talk by Brené Brown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/actually-the-world-isn-t-flat-pankaj-ghemawatIt may seem that we're living in a borderless world where ideas, goods and people flow freely from nation to nation. We're not even close, says Pankaj Ghemawat. With great data (and an eye-opening survey), he argues that there's a delta between perception and reality in a world that's maybe not so hyperconnect...

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...