TED-Ed

Don't make people pay for music, says Amanda Palmer: Let them. In a passionate talk that begins in her days as a street performer (drop a dollar in the hat for the Eight-Foot Bride!), she examines the new relationship between artist and fan. Talk by Amanda Palmer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn how trees are able to communicate with each other through a vast root system and symbiotic fungi, called mycorrhizae.--Most of the forest lives in the shadow of the giants that make up the highest canopy. These are the oldest trees, with hundreds of children and grandchildren. They check in with their neighbors, share food, supplies and wisdom gained over their lives, all while rooted in pla...

A flying car -- it's an iconic image of the future. But after 100 years of flight and automotive engineering, no one has really cracked the problem. Pilot Anna Mracek Dietrich and her team flipped the question, asking: Why not build a plane that you can drive? Talk by Anna Mracek Dietrich. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the life and works of Simone de Beauvoir, the author of “The Second Sex” and existentialist philosopher who influenced early feminist theory. --At the age of 21, Simone de Beauvoir became the youngest person to take the philosophy exams at France’s most esteemed university. But as soon as she mastered the rules of philosophy, she wanted to break them. Her desire to explore the physical wor...

What drives our desire to behave morally? Neuroeconomist Paul Zak shows why he believes oxytocin (he calls it "the moral molecule") is responsible for trust, empathy and other feelings that help build a stable society. Talk by Paul Zak. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/tededView full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-do-we-cry-the-three-types-of-tears-alex-gendlerWhether we cry during a sad movie, while chopping onions, or completely involuntarily, our eyes are constantly producing tears. Alex Gendler tracks a particularly watery day in the life of Iris (the iris) as she cycles through basal, reflex and emo...

Discover the Norse myth of Baldur, the most beloved being in Asgard, and how the trickster god Loki plotted his death. --Baldur was the gentlest and most beloved being in all of Asgard. But lately, he had been plagued by gruesome visions foretelling his own imminent death. Determined to protect her son from these grim prophecies, Queen Frigg travelled across the nine realms, begging all living thi...

We feel instinctively that societies with huge income gaps are somehow going wrong. Richard Wilkinson charts the hard data on economic inequality, and shows what gets worse when rich and poor are too far apart: real effects on health, lifespan, even such basic values as trust. Talk by Richard Wilkinson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get informed on the causes and risks of human papillomavirus, HPV, and how to protect yourself from the infection.--At some point, most sexually active people will be infected with human papillomavirus, or HPV. There are over 100 types of HPV, and most of the time the body eliminates infections without symptoms— but some strains can pose serious health risks down the line. How can you protect your...

Physiatrist and engineer Todd Kuiken is building a prosthetic arm that connects with the human nervous system -- improving motion, control and even feeling. Onstage, patient Amanda Kitts helps demonstrate this next-gen robotic arm. Talk by Todd Kuiken. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Humankind has been looking for the giant squid (Architeuthis) since we first started taking pictures underwater. But the elusive deep-sea predator could never be caught on film. Oceanographer and inventor Edith Widder shares the key insight -- and the teamwork -- that helped to capture the squid on film for the first time. Talk by Edith Widder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...

Today we know the molecular cause of 4,000 diseases, but treatments are available for only 250 of them. So what's taking so long? Geneticist and physician Francis Collins explains why systematic drug discovery is imperative, even for rare and complex diseases, and offers a few solutions -- like teaching old drugs new tricks. Talk by Francis Collins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-is-the-universe-made-of-dennis-wildfogelThe atoms around you have existed for billions of years -- and most originated in the flaming, gaseous core of a star. Dennis Wildfogel tells the captivating tale of these atoms' long journeys from the Big Bang to the molecules they form today. Lesson by Dennis Wildfogel, animation by Pew36 Animation Studios....

Dive into the mind-bending works of Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges, whose work pioneered the literary style magical realism.--What would it be like to have a limitless memory? Can the meaning of life be found in an infinite library? Is time a labyrinth or a single moment? Jorge Luis Borges explored these questions of infinity in his many works. His body of essays, poems and stories pioneered...

Dig into the tragic tale of Oedipus, who unknowingly fulfills a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother.--When Queen Jocasta of Thebes gave birth to Oedipus, a grim air seized the occasion. Her husband, King Laius, had received a prophecy from Apollo's oracle foretelling that he would die at the hands of his own son. Determined to escape this fate, Laius abandoned the newborn o...

Discover what makes Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony Number Five a musical masterpiece, and uncover the story behind its inception. --Eight ferocious notes open one of the most explosive pieces of music ever composed. Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony Number Five premiered in 1808, and quickly won acclaim. Its central motif and raw emotionality have continued to resound through the ages. So what exac...

Dive into the German tale of Godfather Death and his godson, the doctor who tries to master mortality.--A husband and wife were in despair. The woman had just given birth to their 13th child, and the growing family was quickly running out of food and money. Wandering into the woods, the father encountered a skeletal figure with sunken eyes and a gaunt face: this was Death himself, come to offer hi...

Take a closer look at the challenges of antibiotic resistance and what we can do to prevent losing this vital medicine. --Antibiotics: behind the scenes, they enable much of modern medicine. We use them to cure infectious diseases, and to safely facilitate everything from surgery to chemotherapy to organ transplants. But we’ve stopped discovering new ones and we’re at risk of losing them forever....

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/venom-vs-poison-what-s-the-difference-rose-evelethWould you rather be bitten by a venomous rattlesnake or touch a poisonous dart frog? While both of these animals are capable of doing some serious damage to the human body, they deliver their dangerous toxins in different ways. Rose Eveleth sheds light on the distinction between poison and venom (and why...

Explore the evolution of English spelling conventions throughout history, and find out why it's such an inconsistent language.--Spelling reformers have been advocating for changes to make English spelling more intuitive and less irregular. One example of its messiness: take the “g-h” sound from “enough,” the “o” sound from “women” and the “t-i” sound from “action,” and you could argue that “g-h-o-...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-simple-but-fascinating-story-of-photosynthesis-and-food-amanda-ootenPhotosynthesis is an essential part of the exchange between humans and plants. Amanda Ooten walks us through the process of photosynthesis, also discussing the relationship between photosynthesis and carbohydrates, starch, and fiber -- and how the air we breathe is related to the foo...

An ancient, abandoned alien space station has been discovered. Can you beat everyone in the galaxy and reach it first?--It’s an incredible discovery: an abandoned alien space station filled with precursor technology. Now every species in the galaxy is in a mad dash to get there first, but you’ve got a problem. Your ship can’t hold enough fuel to get you there unless you vent caches of it into spac...

Discover the world’s largest organism: Pando, an enormous and ancient quaking aspen, and find out how it became so huge.--The largest animal in the world is the blue whale, which weighs a massive 150 metric tons. Even so, it’s not remotely close to being the largest organism by weight. That title goes to an organism so huge that it’s estimated to weigh the equivalent of 40 blue whales. So what is...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-danger-of-science-denial-michael-specterVaccine-autism claims, "Frankenfood" bans, the herbal cure craze: All point to the public's growing fear (and, often, outright denial) of science and reason, says Michael Specter. He warns the trend spells disaster for human progress. Talk by Michael Specter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

Explore the science behind how gas masks work, and how the technology protects us from airborne threats and pollutants.--You might think of gas masks as clunky military-looking devices. But in the near future, we may need to rely on these filters as part of our everyday lives. In addition to emerging diseases, wildfire frequency has more than tripled, and climate change has increased toxic ground...