TED-Ed

Trace the history and evolution of the Spanish language, from its origins in the 3rd century BCE to modern day. --Beginning in the third century BCE, the Romans conquered the Iberian peninsula. This period gave rise to several regional languages in the area that’s now Spain, including Castilian, Catalan, and Galician. One of these would become Spanish— but not for another 1,500 years. Those years...

Map designer Aris Venetikidis is fascinated by the maps we draw in our minds as we move around a city -- less like street maps, more like schematics or wiring diagrams, abstract images of relationships between places. How can we learn from these mental maps to make better real ones? As a test case, he remakes the notorious Dublin bus map. (Filmed at TEDxDublin)Talk by Aris Venetikidis. Learn more...

Download a free audiobook version of “The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle“ and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://www.audible.com/ted-ed--How do you know you’re a person who has lived your life, rather than a just-formed brain full of artificial memories, momentarily hallucinating a reality that doesn’t actually exist? That may sound absurd, but it’s kept several generations of top cosm...

One day, Ed Gavagan was sitting on the subway, watching two young med students practicing their knots. And a powerful memory washed over him -- of one shocking moment that changed his life forever. An unforgettable story of crime, skill and gratitude. Talk by Ed Gavagan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-on-earth-is-spin-brian-jonesWhy does the Earth spin? Does a basketball falling from a spinning merry-go-round fall in a curve, as it appears to, or in a straight line? How can speed be manipulated while spinning? In short, why is the spinning motion so special? Brian Jones details the dizzyingly wide array of ways that spinning affects our lives. Le...

Discover the scientific process art conservators use to restore centuries-old paintings and fix the damage of past restorations. --Prior to the mid-20th century, art restorers took a heavy-handed approach, often drastically altering paintings in the name of “improving” art. Today, they focus on keeping the original work intact with minimal intervention, and must regularly contend with past modific...

Take a look inside the conehead termite colony as a queen begins her reign as one of the longest living insects in the animal kingdom.--A single determined termite braves countless threats to participate in the only flight of her lifetime. She evades the onslaught of predators as she lands, flips off her wings, secretes pheromones, and attracts a mate. But she's not alone. Unlike most termite spec...

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...