TED-Ed

Test your wits with a set of hypothetical health studies and find out just how good you are at spotting clickbait.--Health headlines are published every day, sometimes making opposite claims from each other. There can be a disconnect between broad, attention-grabbing headlines and the often specific, incremental results of the medical research they cover. So how can you avoid being misled by grabb...

Dig into the history of the construction of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and how John Roebling designed a hybrid suspension system to build it. --In the mid-19th century, suspension bridges were collapsing all across Europe. Their industrial cables frayed and snapped under the weight of their decks. So when German American engineer John Roebling proposed building the largest and most expensive suspe...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/rnai-slicing-dicing-and-serving-your-cells-alex-dainisRNA, the genetic messenger, makes sure the DNA recipe gives your cells exactly what they ordered. But sometimes that means inhibiting some other RNA that got the recipe wrong. This process is called RNA interference (RNAi), and it acts as a self-correcting system within the complicated genetic kitchen...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-fundamentals-of-space-time-part-1-andrew-pontzen-and-tom-whyntieSpace is where things happen. Time is when things happen. And sometimes, in order to really look at the universe, you need to take those two concepts and mash them together. In this first lesson of a three-part series on space-time, hilarious hosts Andrew Pontzen and Tom Whyntie go throu...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-game-layer-on-top-of-the-world-seth-priebatschBy now, we're used to letting Facebook and Twitter capture our social lives on the web -- building a "social layer" on top of the real world. In his talk, Seth Priebatsch looks at the next layer in progress: the "game layer," a pervasive net of behavior-steering game dynamics that will reshape education a...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/jane-chen-a-warm-embrace-that-saves-livesIn the developing world, access to incubators is limited by cost and distance, and millions of premature babies die each year. TED Fellow Jane Chen shows an invention that could keep millions of these infants warm -- a design that's safe, portable, low-cost and life-saving. Talk by Jane Chen. Learn more about your...

This riddle was created in partnership with Brilliant. Practice more problem solving here: https://brilliant.org/TedEd/ --Someone has tripped the magical alarms in the Element Temple. When you and the other monks arrive on the scene, you know you have a disaster on your hands. Four young apprentices broke into the temple’s inner chamber to steal the sacred element crystals. But when the alarm went...

Can we end HIV? Find out how medications like PrEP are helping to prevent the transmission and spread of HIV, and possibly leading to its eradication. --The world is getting closer to achieving one of the most important public health goals of our time: eradicating HIV. And to do this, we won’t even have to cure the disease. We simply have to stop HIV from being transmitted until eventually it fizz...

Learn the history of Viking runes, the ancient Norse language of symbols that make up an alphabet called the futhark.--With their navigational skills and advanced longships, the Vikings sustained their seafaring for over 300 years. But for all their might, they left few monuments. Instead, fragments of stone, bark and bone found in the sites of ancient settlements provide the keys to their culture...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-trip-through-space-to-calculate-distance-heather-tunnellImagine two aliens racing across outer space to their moon. Who can we deem the fastest alien? With DIRT -- or the equation Distance = Rate x Time -- we can calculate their rates, using the distance they traveled and the time they took. Heather Tunnell explains how to use this helpful equation to...

Follow the legend of Parvati, the Hindu mother of the natural world, as she disappears from Earth and reemerges as Annapurna, the goddess of food. --Historically, the union between Shiva and Parvati was a glorious one: a sacred combination which brought fertility and connection to all living things. Yet a rift had grown between these two forces. Setting out to prove the importance of her work, Par...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/dead-stuff-the-secret-ingredient-in-our-food-chain-john-c-mooreWhen you picture the lowest levels of the food chain, you might imagine herbivores happily munching on lush, living green plants. But this idyllic image leaves out a huge (and slightly less appetizing) source of nourishment: dead stuff. John C. Moore details the "brown food chain," explaining...

Explore the strategies employed by trolls and learn how disinformation campaigns are launched— and how to stop them.--Your town is holding a mayoral election and the stakes have never been higher. You suspect one of the candidates will begin pushing false information to swing the election. As the cybersecurity expert, your job is to inoculate the townspeople against false information. First, you m...

Physicist Brian Greene explains superstring theory, the idea that minuscule strands of energy vibrating in 11 dimensions create every particle and force in the universe. View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/brian-greene-on-string-theoryTalk by Brian Greene. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dive into the history of the life-saving procedure of blood transfusions and how it has evolved since the 17th century. --In 1881, doctor William Halsted rushed to help his sister Minnie, who was hemorrhaging after childbirth. He quickly inserted a needle into his arm, withdrew his own blood, and transferred it to her. After a few uncertain minutes, she began to recover. What made this blood trans...

Uncover the history of the witch hunts that swept through Europe and the American colonies from the 15th century until the 18th century.--In the German town of Nördlingen in 1593, innkeeper Maria Höll found herself accused of witchcraft. She was arrested for questioning, and denied the charges. She insisted she wasn’t a witch through 62 rounds of torture before her accusers finally released her. O...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-moon-illusion-andrew-vanden-heuvelHave you noticed how the full moon looks bigger on the horizon than high overhead? Actually, the two images are exactly the same size -- so why do we perceive them differently? Scientists aren't sure, but there are plenty of intriguing theories. Andrew Vanden Heuvel unravels the details of focus, distance and proport...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/vs-ramachandran-the-neurons-that-shaped-civilizationNeuroscientist Vilayanur Ramachandran outlines the fascinating functions of mirror neurons. Only recently discovered, these neurons allow us to learn complex social behaviors, some of which formed the foundations of human civilization as we know it. Talk by VS Ramachandran. Learn more about your ad choi...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-case-of-the-vanishing-honeybees-emma-bryceIn the past decade, the US honeybee population has been decreasing at an alarming and unprecedented rate. While this is obviously bad news for honeypots everywhere, bees also help feed us in a bigger way -- by pollinating our nation's crops. Emma Bryce investigates potential causes for this widespread colony...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/rachel-pike-the-science-behind-a-climate-headlineIn 4 minutes, atmospheric chemist Rachel Pike provides a glimpse of the massive scientific effort behind the bold headlines on climate change, with her team -- one of thousands who contributed -- taking a risky flight over the rainforest in pursuit of data on a key molecule. Talk by Rachel Pike. Learn more...

Explore the history of the notorious United Fruit Company and how its influence over the banana industry impacted Central America. --In December 1910, the exiled former leader Manuel Bonilla boarded a borrowed yacht and set sail for Honduras in hopes of reclaiming power by whatever means necessary. Bonilla had a powerful backer: the notorious organization known throughout Latin America as “El Pulp...

Pop quiz: When does learning begin? Answer: Before we are born. Science writer Annie Murphy Paul talks through new research that shows how much we learn in the womb -- from the lilt of our native language to our soon-to-be-favorite foods. Talk by Annie Murphy Paul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dive into the world of aquaculture and see how restorative ocean farming could play a vital role in helping our coastal communities, our oceans and our climate. --For billions of people, seafood provides a significant source of protein and nutrition, but over half the seafood we eat isn’t caught in the wild, it’s grown through aquaculture. Farmed seafood is one of the fastest-growing food industri...

Discover the dormant army of billions of cicadas that emerge from underground every 13 or 17 years to molt, mate, and die. --Every 13 or 17 years, billions of cicadas emerge from the ground to molt, mate and die. Adult cicadas only live a few weeks above ground, but you'd be hard pressed to ignore them -- they are extremely loud! Rose Eveleth explains everything you need to know about these noisy...

Political prisoners aren't the only ones being tortured -- the vast majority of judicial torture happens in ordinary cases, even in 'functioning' legal systems. Social activist Karen Tse shows how we can, and should, stand up and end the use of routine torture. Talk by Karen Tse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices