TED-Ed

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/if-superpowers-were-real-flight-joy-linWhat if human flight wasn't just the stuff of epic comic book stories? Is it scientifically possible to fly? In this series, Joy Lin tackles six superpowers and reveals just how scientifically realistic they can be to us mere mortals. Lesson by Joy Lin, animation by Cognitive Media. Learn more about your ad choices....

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/inside-okcupid-the-math-of-online-dating-christian-rudderWhen two people join a dating website, they are matched according to shared interests and how they answer a number of personal questions. But how do sites calculate the likelihood of a successful relationship? Christian Rudder, one of the founders of popular dating site OKCupid, details the algorit...

Get to know the Dagara tale of Yagangnaa, a boy who defied a tyrannical chief, and witness their ensuing battle of wits.--Shock seized the West African Dagara village as word travelled of a new decree. Completely disregarding time-honored naming rituals, the tyrannical chief declared that he alone would name the village’s children. But soon an unlikely challenger appeared: Yagangnaa, the boy who n...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/where-we-get-our-fresh-water-christiana-z-peppardFresh water accounts for only 2.5% of Earth's water, yet it is vital for human civilization. What are our sources of fresh water? In the first of a two part series on fresh water, Christiana Z. Peppard breaks the numbers down and discusses who is using it and to what ends. Lesson by Christiana Z. Peppard,...

Less than 10% of plastic trash is recycled -- compared to almost 90% of metals -- because of the massively complicated problem of finding and sorting the different kinds. Frustrated by this waste, Mike Biddle has developed a cheap and incredibly energy efficient plant that can, and does, recycle any kind of plastic. Read Mike's responses to questions about this talk. Talk by Mike Biddle. Learn mor...

Download a free audiobook version of “Red Rising” and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://www.audible.com/ted-ed--Imagine a scientist who has teleported to space. His spacesuit’s pressurized air protects his bodily fluids from vaporization, its oxygen tank keeps him breathing, and the insulation prevents him from freezing. But although these features thwart an immediate tragedy, space is s...

Download a free audiobook version of “Born A Crime“ and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://www.audible.com/ted-ed--It may seem counterintuitive, but comedy is often key to a serious story. As a writer, you need your audience to experience a range of emotions, no matter what your genre. Comic relief is a tried-and-true way of creating the varied emotional texture a compelling story needs....

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-curiosity-got-us-to-mars-bobak-ferdowsiIn August 2012, the Curiosity rover landed on Mars. The landing itself was a huge achievement and required a lot of forethought and planning by a very smart team. In this TED Youth 2012 Talk, Bobak Ferdowsi, the mohawked member of that team, outlines various aspects of a Mars landing, including the Seven Minutes...

Dig into the scientific theories of why zebras have stripes, and why this unique patterning sets them apart from their equine relatives.--Zebras belong to the same equine family as horses and donkeys. After their lineage entered Africa, they evolved into three zebra species, lived in social herds, grazed on grasses, and evaded fierce predators. One mystery that has perplexed prominent scientists f...

Examine how popular personality tests, like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Enneagram, are designed and their inconsistencies. --In 1942, a mother-daughter duo named Katherine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers developed a questionnaire that classified people’s personalities into 16 types. Called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or MBTI, it would go on to become one of the world’s most wi...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/admin/lessonsTemple Grandin, diagnosed with autism as a child, talks about how her mind works -- sharing her ability to "think in pictures," which helps her solve problems that neurotypical brains might miss. She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky kid...

Explore what we know about the function of the appendix, what leads to appendicitis, and why the organ is so prone to bursting.--In 1961, an Antarctic expedition took a harrowing turn: Dr. Leonid Rogozov began feeling feverish, with an excruciating pain in his right side. It soon became clear that he had appendicitis. While Rogozov’s predicament was extreme, appendicitis is not uncommon; affecting...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/if-superpowers-were-real-body-mass-joy-linWhat if manipulating body mass wasn't just the stuff of epic comic book stories? Is it scientifically possible to manipulate your body mass? In this series, Joy Lin tackles six superpowers and reveals just how scientifically realistic they can be to us mere mortals. Lesson by Joy Lin, animation by Cognitive Media...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-bacteria-talk-bonnie-basslerBonnie Bassler discovered that bacteria "talk" to each other, using a chemical language that lets them coordinate defense and mount attacks. The find has stunning implications for medicine, industry -- and our understanding of ourselves. Talk by Bonnie Bassler. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Download a free audiobook version of “City of Girls” and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://www.audible.com/ted-ed--Do you ever feel tired? Overwhelmed? Depressed? Do you have headaches, dizziness, cramps, difficulty breathing? From 300 BCE to the 1900s, if you answered yes to any of these questions and you had a uterus, a doctor would likely diagnose you with hysteria. So, where did this...

Yang Lan, a journalist and entrepreneur who's been called "the Oprah of China," offers insight into the next generation of young Chinese citizens -- urban, connected (via microblogs) and alert to injustice. Talk by Yang Lan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the incredible regenerative capacity of salamanders, and see how they’re able to regrow limbs, hearts, and even brain tissue.--For some animals, losing a limb is a decidedly permanent affair. But for salamanders, particularly axolotls, amputation is just a temporary affliction. Not only can they grow back entire limbs in as little as six weeks, they can also regenerate heart and even brain...

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd--They call you the human cannonball. Your act involves flying through rings of fire, bouncing through a trampoline course, and catching the trapezist in the grand finale. Today’s pre-flight test fails dramatically, and upon inspection, your cannon has clearly been sabotaged. Unfortunately, it’s too late to abort the launch. Can you fix i...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-polarity-makes-water-behave-strangely-christina-kleinbergWater is both essential and unique. Many of its particular qualities stem from the fact that it consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen, therefore creating an unequal sharing of electrons. From fish in frozen lakes to ice floating on water, Christina Kleinberg describes the effects of pol...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/four-principles-for-the-open-world-don-tapscottThe recent generations have been bathed in connecting technology from birth, says futurist Don Tapscott, and as a result the world is transforming into one that is far more open and transparent. In this inspiring talk, he lists the four core principles that show how this open world can be a far better place....

Dig into the dangers of common kitchen appliances, and find out which could be the most hazardous to your health.--Between 2011 and 2022, the deadliest kitchen appliances in the US were ovens and ranges; taking lives by causing fires and leaking carbon monoxide. These kinds of sudden, catastrophic fatalities are thankfully rare. But the kitchen dangers that cause the most casualties may actually b...

Dive into the deep sea to find giant squids, and explore what scientists have learned about these mysterious creatures.--In 1873, fishermen glimpsed what they thought was a shipwreck. But when they probed the mass, it moved— and huge, serpentine appendages soon besieged their boat. One fisherman took an axe to the animal, and it disappeared in a cloud of ink, leaving behind definitive evidence tha...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/if-superpowers-were-real-invisibility-joy-linWhat if invisibility wasn't just the stuff of epic comic book stories? Is it scientifically possible to be invisible? In this series, Joy Lin tackles six superpowers and reveals just how scientifically realistic they can be to us mere mortals. Lesson by Joy Lin, animation by Cognitive Media. Learn more about y...

Discover the adaptations that allow cacti to not only survive, but thrive, in some of the harshest desert climates on Earth. --If you were a jackrabbit in the desert, you’d be glad to stumble across a cactus: the flesh of these plants is a water source for many animals. Known for their spines and succulent stems, cacti of all shapes and sizes have evolved to not just survive, but thrive, in some o...

Trace the globe-spanning journey of coffee as it goes from plant to brew, and the complex infrastructure that makes it possible.--How many people does it take to make a cup of coffee? For many of us, all it takes is a short walk and a quick pour. But this simple staple is the result of a globe-spanning process whose cost and complexity are far greater than you might imagine. AJ Jacobs traces the j...