TED-Ed

The feeling of security and the reality of security don't always match, says computer-security expert Bruce Schneier. In his talk, he explains why we spend billions addressing news story risks, like the "security theater" now playing at your local airport, while neglecting more probable risks -- and how we can break this pattern. (Filmed at TEDxPSU.)Talk by Bruce Schneier. Learn more about your ad...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/jessica-wise-how-fiction-can-change-realityReading and stories can be an escape from real life, a window into another world -- but have you ever considered how new fictional experiences might change your perspective on real, everyday life? From "Pride and Prejudice" to Harry Potter, learn how popular fiction can spark public dialogue and shape culture. L...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-two-decisions-led-me-to-olympic-gloryFrom setback and injury to an Olympic gold medal -- see how confidently making decisions led one bobsledder down an unexpected pathway to victory. Lesson by Steve Mesler, animation by Augenblick Studios. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Follow Alice Sutton, a servant in Edwardian England, as she prepares the estate for a visitor and fights for women's suffrage.--It’s just before dawn in 1906 at Wroxton Abbey, and 16-year-old Alice Sutton’s mind is already spinning. The underhousemaid has a full day ahead of her as the estate prepares for the evening’s guest: Prince Arthur. This is Alice’s chance to prove herself to her new employ...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/majora-carter-greening-the-ghettoIn an emotionally charged talk, MacArthur-winning activist Majora Carter details her fight for environmental justice in the South Bronx -- and shows how minority neighborhoods suffer most from flawed urban policy. Talk by Majora Carter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Watch the miraculous journey of infant sea turtles as these tiny animals run the gauntlet of predators and harsh conditions. Then, in numbers, see how human behavior has made their tough lives even more challenging. Lesson by Scott Gass, animation by Veronica Wallenberg and Johan Sonestedt. View the full lesson at: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-survival-of-the-sea-turtle Learn more about your ad c...

Learn more at https://brilliant.org/TedEd--A fleet of rebel spaceships is greeted by a frenzy of laser blasts – illuminating the sector with brilliant bursts of light. Science fiction has shown us scenes like this for decades, but the lasers in our daily lives seem far less dazzling and destructive. So, could sci-fi laser weaponry ever exist? And how do lasers even work in the first place? Christo...

Dig into the construction of the Suez Canal, and discover how it became one of the world’s busiest maritime passages.--Today, nearly 30% of all global ship traffic passes through the Suez Canal, totaling over 20,000 ships in 2021. The site of the canal had been of interest to rulers as far back as the second millennium BCE, but plans to construct a passageway were obstructed by cost, political str...

We all know the words around electricity, "charge," "positive," "battery", and more. But where do they come from and what do they really mean? Let the history of these words illuminate the physics of electric phenomena. Lesson by James Sheils, animation by TED-Ed. View the full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/electric-vocabulary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into which fuel— gasoline, electric, biofuels, or electrofuels— is both affordable for consumers and sustainable for the planet.--Historically, most cars have run on gasoline, but that doesn’t have to be the case in the future: other liquid fuels and electricity can also power cars. So what are the differences between these options? And which one’s best? Dig into which fuel— gasoline, electric...

Dig into the Bengali tale of a trio of siblings who attempt to scale the fearsome Magic Mountain to gain treasures for their home.--Inspired by a king’s visit, a trio of siblings began building a palace, traveling far and wide to collect rare jewels, seeds, and marble. A holy man stopped by and told them of a Magic Mountain, east of north and north of east, where they’d find their most meaningful...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-case-against-good-and-badDon't take the easy route! Instead, use this little trick to improve your writing -- let go of the words "good" and "bad," and push yourself to illustrate, elucidate and illuminate your world with language. Lesson by Marlee Neel, animation by The STUDIO. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Puzzle through this classic ethical dilemma and decide: does your upbringing affect your moral responsibility for your actions?--Jo the First is a ruthless dictator who rules with an iron fist. To most onlookers, his rule appears cruel and unjust. But for his beloved son JoJo, this life is all he’s ever known and he grows up to inherit his father’s role and style of rule. Given JoJo’s unusual upbr...

Could someone hack your pacemaker? At TEDxMidAtlantic, Avi Rubin explains how hackers are compromising cars, smartphones and medical devices, and warns us about the dangers of an increasingly hack-able world. (Filmed at TEDxMidAtlantic.)Talk by Avi Rubin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What aspects of religion should atheists (respectfully) adopt? Alain de Botton suggests a "religion for atheists" -- call it Atheism 2.0 -- that incorporates religious forms and traditions to satisfy our human need for connection, ritual and transcendence. Talk by Alain de Botton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/calculating-the-odds-of-intelligent-alien-lifeCould there be intelligent life on other planets? This question has piqued imagination and curiosity for decades. Explore the answer with the Drake Equation -- a mathematical formula that calculates the possibility of undiscovered life. Lesson by Jill Tarter; Animation by TED-Ed Learn more about your ad choic...

Professional musicians share what makes a great pop song, and how to grow your songwriting skills to make your music stand out.--"Think Like A Musician" connects you with working musicians who want to help the music-curious and music-passionate hone and share the gift of music with the world. Part interview, part animated course, our second season "Think Like A Songwriter" features artists sharing...

Dig into the Irish myth of lovers Gráinne and Diarmuid, and follow their journey as they flee from her betrothed, Fionn.--Gráinne, princess of Tara and bride-to-be, was furious. She had thought she was betrothed to a young soldier, bold and brilliant enough to be her equal. Yet it soon became clear she was expected to marry Fionn, a warrior far past his prime. Not willing to suffer this insult, Gr...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-pain-relievers-workSome people take aspirin or ibuprofen to treat everyday aches and pains, but how exactly do the different classes of pain relievers work? Learn about the basic physiology of how humans experience pain, and the mechanics of the medicines we've invented to block or circumvent that discomfort. Lesson by George Zaidan, animated by A...

Dig into the era of the Spanish Inquisition, when the Catholic Church was charged with rooting out and punishing heresy.--In 1478, Pope Sixtus IV issued a decree authorizing the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, to root out heresy in the Spanish kingdoms. The inquisition quickly turned its attention to ridding the region of people who were not part of the Catholic Church— leading to more...

Dig into the epic of Mwindo, a boy seeking vengeance upon his power-hungry and murderous father who has fled to the underworld.--If any of his wives ever birthed a son, he’d be killed immediately. That was the threat Shemwindo, ruler of the village of Tubondo, had delivered, for he wanted all the power to himself. But he was about to meet his match— and enter a rivalry that would take him to the u...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-contributions-of-female-explorers-courtney-stephensDuring the Victorian Age, women were unlikely to become great explorers, but a few intelligent, gritty and brave women made major contributions to the study of previously little-understood territory. Courtney Stephens examines three women -- Marianne North, Mary Kingsley and Alexandra David-Néel -- w...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-speed-up-chemical-reactions-and-get-a-dateThe complex systems of high school dating and chemical reactions may have more in common than you think. Explore five rules for speeding up chemical reactions in the lab that might just land you a date to a dance! Lesson by Mark Paricio & Aaron Sams, animation by Cognitive Media. Learn more about your ad c...

Explore the viruses which can cause herpes, how the infection affects your body, and what makes it so hard to prevent and cure.--In the 1st century CE, Emperor Tiberius made an unprecedented decision: banning kissing at all public events. This move was aimed at thwarting a puzzling outbreak, which many historians believe was an epidemic of oral herpes. Today, more than half the population is infec...

After a crisis, how can we tell if water is safe to drink? Current tests are slow and complex, and the delay can be deadly, as in the cholera outbreak after Haiti's earthquake in 2010. TED Fellow Sonaar Luthra previews his design for a simple tool that quickly tests water for safety -- the Water Canary. Talk by Sonaar Luthra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices