TED-Ed

Explore how bacterial meningitis affects our bodies, why the disease spreads so quickly, and what to do prevent and treat it. Uploaded 19-11-18--In 1987, thousands of people gathered in Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. But what started out as a celebration led to a worldwide health crisis: more than 2,000 cases of meningitis broke out, spreading across Saudi Arabia and the rest of the...

Use the scientific method to investigate whether telekinesis — the ability to control objects with our minds — is really possible. Uploaded 30-09-14--Telekinesis, the ability to manipulate matter with the mind alone, is a trait exhibited by some of the most iconic fictional characters, including Neo, Yoda, and, of course, Carrie. But is this mind control actually possible in real life? Emma Bryce...

Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/tededUploaded 20-11-18View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-life-cycle-of-a-neutron-star-david-lunneyAbout once every century, a massive star somewhere in our galaxy runs out of fuel. No longer able to produce sufficient energy to maintain its structure, it collapses under its own gravitational pressure and explodes in a supernova. The...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/if-matter-falls-down-does-antimatter-fall-up-chloe-malbrunotUploaded 29-09-14Like positive and negative, or debit and credit, matter and antimatter are equal and opposite. So if matter falls down, does antimatter fall up? Chloé Malbrunot investigates that question by placing two atoms — one made of matter, and the other antimatter — in the cockpit of a p...

Find out how students can share their ideas as TED Talks here: http://bit.ly/2zpAQUcUploaded 26-11-18View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/who-decides-what-art-means-hayley-levittThere is a question that has been tossed around by philosophers and art critics for decades: how much should an artist's intention affect your interpretation of the work? Do the artist’s plans and motivations affec...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/cloudy-climate-change-how-clouds-affect-earth-s-temperature-jasper-kirkbyUploaded 25-09-14As the Earth’s surface temperature gradually rises, it has become vital for us to predict the rate of this increase with as much precision as possible. In order to do that, scientists need to understand more about aerosols and clouds. Jasper Kirkby details an experi...

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd/Solution to bonus riddle: https://brilliant.org/TedEdGiantIron/Uploaded 27-11-18The family of giants you work for is throwing a fancy dinner party, but there’s a problem — the elder giant’s favorite shirt is wrinkled! To fix it, you’ll need to power up the giant iron. It needs two batteries to work, but the baby giant mixed the working b...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-cosmic-rays-help-us-understand-the-universe-veronica-bindiUploaded 23-09-14We only know 4% of what the universe is made up of. Can we also know what lies beyond our galaxy ... and if there are undiscovered forms of matter? Luckily, we have space messengers — cosmic rays — that bring us physical data from parts of the cosmos beyond our reach. Veronica...

Download a free audiobook version of "Slaughterhouse Five" and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://adbl.co/2DPI5YsUploaded 29-11-18Check out our full book recommendation: https://shop.ed.ted.com/products/slaughterhouse-fiveKurt Vonnegut found the tidy, satisfying arcs of many stories at odds with reality, and he set out to explore the ambiguity between good and bad fortune in his own novel...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/where-do-genes-come-from-carl-zimmerUploaded 22-09-14When life emerged on Earth about 4 billion years ago, the earliest microbes had a set of basic genes that succeeded in keeping them alive. In the age of humans and other large organisms, there are a lot more genes to go around. Where did all of those new genes come from? Carl Zimmer examines the mutati...

Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/tededUploaded 03-12-18View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-should-you-read-a-midsummer-night-s-dream-iseult-gillespieBy the light of the moon, a group sneaks into the woods, where they take mind-altering substances, switch it up romantically and brush up against creatures from another dimension. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” sees Shakes...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-history-of-tattoos-addison-andersonUploaded 18-09-14If you have a tattoo, you’re part of a rich cultural history that dates back at least 8,000 years. Where did this practice of body modification come from, and how has its function changed over time? Addison Anderson tracks the history of getting inked. Lesson by Addison Anderson, animation by The Th...

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd/Solution to bonus riddle: https://brilliant.org/TedEdTimeTravel/Uploaded 04-12-18Your professor has accidentally stepped through a time portal in his physics lab. You’ve got just a minute to jump through before it closes and leaves him stranded in history. Your only way back is to grab enough colored nodules to create a new portal to ope...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-is-the-heisenberg-uncertainty-principle-chad-orzelUploaded 16-09-14The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that you can never simultaneously know the exact position and the exact speed of an object. Why not? Because everything in the universe behaves like both a particle and a wave at the same time. Chad Orzel navigates this complex concept of q...

Find out how students can share their ideas as TED Talks here: http://bit.ly/2RCMFgMUploaded 06-12-18View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/are-we-running-out-of-clean-water-balsher-singh-sidhuDespite water covering 71% of the planet’s surface, more than half the world’s population endures extreme water scarcity for at least one month a year. Current estimates predict that by 2040, up to 20...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/particles-and-waves-the-central-mystery-of-quantum-mechanics-chad-orzelUploaded 15-09-14One of the most amazing facts in physics is that everything in the universe, from light to electrons to atoms, behaves like both a particle and a wave at the same time. But how did physicists arrive at this mind-boggling conclusion? Chad Orzel recounts the string of s...

Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/tededUploaded 10-12-18View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-dangerous-and-daring-race-for-the-south-pole-elizabeth-leaneBy the early 1900’s, nearly every region of the globe had been visited and mapped, with only two key locations left: the North and South Poles. After two Americans staked claim to reaching the North Pole, a Norwegian...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-cold-packs-get-cold-so-fast-john-pollardUploaded 11-09-14If you stick water in the freezer, it will take a few hours to freeze into ice. How is it, then, that cold packs go from room temperature to near freezing in mere seconds? John Pollard details the chemistry of the cold pack, shedding light on the concepts of energetics and entropy along the...

Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/tededUploaded 11-12-18View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-amazing-grandmothers-of-the-killer-whale-pod-darren-croftPods of killer whales inhabit the waters of every major ocean on Earth. Each family is able to survive thanks mainly to one member, its most knowledgeable hunter: the grandmother. These matriarchs can live 80 years or mo...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/making-a-ted-ed-lesson-bringing-a-pop-up-book-to-lifeView original lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-pangaea-pop-up-michael-molinaUploaded 10-09-14In ‘The Pangaea Pop-up’ Lesson, animator Biljana Labovic decided the best way to illustrate moving, shifting tectonic plates was to use a physical object that could also move and shift. Here, Labovic expla...

Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/tededUploaded 13-12-18View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-brie-f-history-of-cheese-paul-s-kindstedtBefore empires and royalty, before pottery and writing, before metal tools and weapons – there was cheese. As early as 8000 BCE, Neolithic farmers began a legacy of cheesemaking almost as old as civilization. Today, the world produces rou...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-do-we-pass-gas-purna-kashyapUploaded 08-09-14Flatulence is a daily phenomenon. In fact, most human beings pass gas 10-20 times a day (yes, that includes you). Where does your bodily gas come from? Purna Kashyap takes us on a journey into the intestines, shedding light on how gas is made, which foods contribute most to its production...and why it stin...

Sign up for our newsletter and never miss an animation: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterUploaded 17-12-18View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/from-slave-to-rebel-gladiator-the-life-of-spartacus-fiona-radfordSpartacus was enslaved — one of millions taken from territories conquered by Rome to work the mines, till the fields or fight for a crowd’s entertainment. Imprisoned for deserting the Roma...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/corruption-wealth-and-beauty-the-history-of-the-venetian-gondola-laura-morelliUploaded 04-09-14It’s hard to imagine Venice without the curious, banana-shaped gondolas that glide down the canals. How did these boats come to be the trademark transportation of Venice? Laura Morelli details the history of the gondola, explaining why these boats were needed,...

Sign up for our newsletter and never miss an animation: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterUploaded 18-12-18--A male firefly emits a series of enticing flashes. He hopes a female will respond and mate with him. A female from a different species mimics his patterns: by tricking the male, she lures him in -- and turns him into a meal. Where else do we see this kind of trickery in the animal kingdom? Eldri...