TED-Ed

Dig into the three key phases of developing a new vaccine: exploratory research, clinical testing, and manufacturing. --When a new pathogen emerges, our bodies and healthcare systems are left vulnerable. And when this pathogen causes the outbreak of a pandemic, there’s an urgent need for a vaccine to create widespread immunity with minimal loss of life. So how quickly can we develop vaccines when...

Discover the Maya myth of Venus, the morning star plotting revenge on his brother, the sun, and his allies. --Chak Ek’, the morning star, rose from the underworld to the surface of the eastern sea and on into the heavens. His brother K’in Ahaw, the sun, followed. Though Chak Ek’ had risen first, K’in Ahaw outshone him, and the resentful Chak Ek’ descended back to the underworld to plot against his...

Explore the ancient tradition of yoga, and discover how its blend of physical and mental exercise impacts your health.--There are many different approaches to modern yoga— though most forms have three core elements: physical postures, breathing exercises, and spiritual contemplation. This blend of physical and mental exercise is widely believed to have a unique set of health advantages. But is yog...

For foreigners, learning to speak Chinese is a hard task. But learning to read the beautiful, often complex characters of the Chinese written language may be less difficult. ShaoLan walks through a simple lesson in recognizing the ideas behind the characters and their meaning -- building from a few simple forms to more complex concepts. Call it Chineasy. Talk by ShaoLan. Learn more about your ad c...

Throughout human evolution, multiple versions of humans co-existed. Could we be mid-upgrade now? At TEDxSummit, Juan Enriquez sweeps across time and space to bring us to the present moment -- and shows how technology is revealing evidence that suggests rapid evolution may be under way. Talk by Juan Enriquez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The last thing Rodney Mullen, the godfather of street skating, wanted were competitive victories. In this exuberant talk he shares his love of the open skateboarding community and how the unique environments it plays in drive the creation of new tricks -- fostering prolific ingenuity purely for passion's sake. (Filmed at TEDxUSC.)Talk by Rodney Mullen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

Where does quantum information go when it enters a black hole? Investigate the theories of the black hole information paradox. --Today, one of the biggest paradoxes in the universe threatens to unravel modern science: the black hole information paradox. Every object in the universe is composed of particles with unique quantum properties and even if an object is destroyed, its quantum information i...

Explore the science of how corticosteroids sneak into our cells to help fight allergic reactions, rashes, asthma, and harmful immune responses.--Steroids: they’re infamous for their use in sports. But they’re also found in inhalers, creams to treat poison ivy and eczema, and shots to ease inflammation. The steroids in these medicines aren’t the same as those used to build muscle. In fact, they’re...

Follow young samurai in training Mori Banshirô as he studies the twin paths of literary learning and the martial arts. --The year is 1800 in the castle town of Kôchi, Japan. It’s just after sunrise, and 16-year-old Mori Banshirô is already hard at work practicing drills with his long sword. He is an ambitious samurai in training, and today he must impress his teachers more than ever so he can trav...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/music-and-creativity-in-ancient-greece-tim-hansenYou think you love music? You have nothing on the Ancient Greek obsession. Every aspect of Greek life was punctuated by song: history, poetry, theater, sports and even astronomy. In fact, music was so important to Greek philosopher Plato that he claimed the music we listen to directly affects our ethics. T...

In a humorous talk with an urgent message, LZ Granderson points out the absurdity in the idea that there's a "gay lifestyle," much less a "gay agenda." (Filmed at TEDxGrandRapids.)Talk by LZ Granderson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get to know the myth of Talos, a robot powered by ichor and created by Hephaestus to defend the island kingdom of Crete from intruders. --Hephaestus, god of technology, was hard at work on his most ingenious invention yet. He was creating a new defense system for King Minos, who wanted fewer intruders on his island kingdom of Crete. But mortal guards and ordinary weapons wouldn’t suffice, so the v...

How do you tell women's stories? Ask women to tell them. At TEDxABQ, Megan Kamerick shows how the news media underrepresents women as reporters and news sources, and because of that tells an incomplete story. (Filmed at TEDxABQ.)Talk by Megan Kamerick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-loathsome-lethal-mosquito-rose-evelethEveryone hates mosquitoes. Besides the annoying buzzing and biting, mosquito-borne diseases like malaria kill over a million people each year (plus horses, dogs and cats). And over the past 100 million years, they've gotten good at their job -- sucking up to three times their weight in blood, totally undetected....

What happens before a murder? In looking for ways to reduce death penalty cases, David R. Dow realized that a surprising number of death row inmates had similar biographies. In this talk he proposes a bold plan, one that prevents murders in the first place. (Filmed at TEDxAustin.)Talk by David R. Dow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The adventure continues! Episode 9: Ethic, Hedge, and Lemma have made it to the last artifact: The Node of Memory. Can they retrieve it before the bots arrive? --This is episode 9 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 mu...

Can India become a global hub for innovation? Nirmalya Kumar thinks it already has. He details four types of "invisible innovation" currently coming out of India and explains why companies that used to just outsource manufacturing jobs are starting to move top management positions overseas, too. (Filmed at TEDxLondonBusinessSchool.)Talk by Nirmalya Kumar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...

Investigate the possibility of scanning the human brain and uploading our minds and consciousness to a digital world.--Imagine a future where nobody dies— instead, our minds are uploaded to a digital world. There they could live on in a realistic, simulated environment with avatar bodies, calling in and contributing to the biological world. Mind-uploading has powerful appeal— but what would it act...

Discover how point of view can transform a story, and find out how to choose between first, second, and third person in your writing.--Who is telling a story, and from what perspective, are some of the most important choices an author makes. Told from a different point of view, a story can transform completely. Third person, first person, and second person perspectives each have unique possibiliti...

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd/--Ragnarok: The fabled end of the world, when giants, monsters, and Norse gods battle for the future. The gods were winning until the great serpent Jörmungandr emerged. It swallowed Valhalla and contorted itself across the land. Odin has just enough power to strike with one final bolt of lightning, and you have the fabled hammer, Mjölnir...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/making-a-ted-ed-lesson-visualizing-big-ideasView original lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/exploration-on-the-big-data-frontier-tim-smithHow can animation convey complex, intangible concepts? A visual metaphor, or an idea represented through imagery, can take an idea as massive as Big Data and tie it to the familiar depiction of a growing tree. TED-Ed a...

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....