TED-Ed

An animated interpretation of William Shakespeare's poem "All the World's a Stage"Uploaded 02-02-19--For an analysis of this poem, watch this video: http://bit.ly/TEDEdShakespeareAnalysisThis animation is part of our series, "There's a Poem for That," which features animated interpretations of poems both old and new that give language to some of life's biggest feelings. Check out the full series h...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/under-the-hood-the-chemistry-of-cars-cynthia-chubbuckUploaded 24-07-14There are over one billion cars in the world right now, getting people from point A to point B. But cars aren't just a mode of transportation; they also teach an excellent lesson in chemistry. Cynthia Chubbuck navigates the intricate chemistry performed in our car engines that keep the...

An animated interpretation of Andrea Gibson's poem "The Nutritionist"--For an interview with the poet, watch this video: http://bit.ly/TEDEdAndreaInterviewThis animation is part of our series, "There's a Poem for That," which features animated interpretations of poems both old and new that give language to some of life's biggest feelings. Check out the full series here: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTheresAP...

Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/tededView full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-playing-an-instrument-benefits-your-brain-anita-collinsWhen you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout. What's going on? Anita Collins explains the fireworks tha...

Ida B. Wells was an investigative journalist, civil rights leader, and anti-lynching advocate who fought for equality and justice.--In the late 1800’s, lynchings were happening all over the American South, often without any investigation or consequences for the murderers. A young journalist set out to expose the truth about these killings. Her reports shocked the nation, launched her journalism ca...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-happens-when-you-get-heat-stroke-douglas-j-casaHave you ever suffered from exertional heat stroke? This condition is caused by intense activity in the heat and is one of the top three killers of athletes and soldiers in training. Douglas J. Casa explains heat stroke's tremendous effects on the human body and details an action plan in case it ever ha...

Explore William Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest”, a story of shipwreck, magic and a fight for power. --Claps of thunder and flashes of lightning illuminate a swelling sea, as a ship buckles beneath the waves. It is no ordinary storm, but a violent and vengeful tempest, and it sets the stage for Shakespeare’s most enigmatic play. Why does this play still resonate with modern readers? Iseult Gillesp...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-quantum-mechanics-explains-global-warming-lieven-scheireYou've probably heard that carbon dioxide is warming the Earth. But how exactly is it doing it? Lieven Scheire uses a rainbow, a light bulb and a bit of quantum physics to describe the science behind global warming. Lesson by Lieven Scheire, animation by STK Films. Learn more about your ad choic...

Would a mile-high skyscraper ever be possible? Explore the physics behind some of the tallest buildings and megastructures in the world.--In 1956, architect Frank Lloyd Wright proposed a mile-high skyscraper, a building five times as high as the Eiffel Tower. While this massive tower was never built, today bigger and bigger buildings are going up around the world. How did these impossible ideas tu...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-many-meanings-of-michelangelo-s-statue-of-david-james-earleWe typically experience classic works of art in a museum, stripped of their original contexts, but that serene setting can belie a tumultuous history. Take Michelangelo's statue of David: devised as a religious symbol, adopted as a political emblem, and later iconized for its aesthetic beauty...

Explore the theories of human consciousness and the science of how your brain works to create a conscious experience.--Patient P.S. suffered a stroke that damaged the right side of her brain, leaving her unaware of everything on her left side. If someone threw a ball at her left side, she might duck. But she wouldn’t have awareness of the ball or know why she ducked. Where does consciousness come...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/it-s-a-church-it-s-a-mosque-it-s-hagia-sophia-kelly-wallIf walls could talk, Turkey's Hagia Sophia would have an abundance of stories to tell. Once a church, then a mosque, and later a museum, this world marvel has stood the test of time and war, surviving centuries of conquest by some of history's greatest empires. Kelly Wall takes us through the histor...

James Baldwin was an American novelist and social critic whose essays in “Notes of a Native Son” explored race, sex and class distinctions.--In the 1960s, the FBI amassed almost 2,000 documents in an investigation into one of America’s most celebrated minds. The subject of this inquiry was a writer named James Baldwin, one of the best-selling Black authors in the world at the time. What made him l...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-makes-tattoos-permanent-claudia-aguirreThe earliest recorded tattoo was found on a Peruvian mummy in 6,000 BC. That's some old ink! And considering humans lose roughly 40,000 skin cells per hour, how do these markings last? Claudia Aguirre details the different methods, machines and macrophages (you'll see) that go into making tattoos stand the test...

Check out the fascinating ways orchids trick insects into pollinating, using sexual deception, pheromones and mimicking the shapes of other plants. --Nearly 28,000 species of orchid grow all around the world, bearing every imaginable color, shape and pattern. There’s a cunning purpose behind these elaborate displays: many orchids trick insects into pollinating, sometimes even into having sex with...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/inside-the-ant-colony-deborah-m-gordonAnts have one of the most complex social organizations in the animal kingdom; they live in structured colonies that contain different types of members who perform specific roles. Sound familiar? Deborah M. Gordon explains the way these incredible creatures mate, communicate and source food, shedding light on how thei...

Our universe started with the Big Bang, but how will it end? Explore cosmologists’ three possible scenarios: the Big Crunch, the Big Freeze and the Big Rip.--We know about our universe’s past: the Big Bang theory predicts that all matter, time and space began about 14 billion years ago. And we know about the present: scientists’ observations of galaxies tell us that the universe is expanding at an...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-heavy-is-air-dan-quinnToo often we think of air as empty space — but compared to a vacuum, air is actually pretty heavy. So, just how heavy is it? And if it's so heavy, why doesn't it crush us? Dan Quinn describes the fundamentals of air pressure and explains how it affects our bodies, the weather and the universe at large. Lesson by Dan Quinn, anima...

Learn about the life of Bayard Rustin, a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, a gay rights activist, and one of Martin Luther King’s closest advisors.--In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington to nearly a quarter million people. None of it would have been possible without the march’s chief organizer – a man named Bayard Rustin. Christina Gree...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-calculate-the-future-value-of-your-cash-german-nandeWe've all heard the phrase "Time is money." But what do these two things actually have to do with one another? German Nande explains the math behind interest rates, revealing the equation that will allow you to calculate the future value of your money (if you wisely put it in the bank, that is).L...

Explore the works of science fiction visionary Octavia E. Butler, whose novels, such as “Parable of the Sower,” influenced the growing popularity of Afrofuturism.--Much science fiction features white male heroes who blast aliens or become saviors of brown people. Octavia E. Butler knew she could tell a better story. She built stunning worlds rife with diverse characters, and brought nuance and dep...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-you-might-not-know-about-the-declaration-of-independence-kenneth-c-davisIn June 1776, a little over a year after the start of the American Revolutionary War, the US Continental Congress huddled together in a hot room in Philadelphia to talk independence. Kenneth C. Davis dives into some of the lesser known facts about the process of writing the Decl...

You’re a bank robber trying to escape from jail. Can you solve the riddle to get past the fence to freedom?--Your timing made you and your partner infamous bank robbers. Now, you need to use that timing to break out of jail. Your partner is about to flash you a signal, and exactly 45 seconds later the electric fence circuit will short out. Then you notice that your watch is broken, and all you hav...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-guide-to-the-energy-of-the-earth-joshua-m-sneidemanEnergy is neither created nor destroyed — and yet the global demand for it continues to increase. But where does energy come from, and where does it go? Joshua M. Sneideman examines the many ways in which energy cycles through our planet, from the sun to our food chain to electricity and beyond. Lesson...

Learn about the life of American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, from his start as part of graffiti duo SAMO to his rise as an internationally renowned painter. --Like Beat writers who composed their work by shredding and reassembling scraps of writing, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat used similar techniques to remix his materials. Pulling in splintered anatomy, reimagined historical scenes and skulls, h...