TED-Ed

Explore the ancient Greek philosophy of cynicism, which calls for the rejection of materialism and conformity in favor of a simple life. --In the 4th century BCE, a young Diogenes of Sinope was found to be counterfeiting coins. He was stripped of his citizenship, his money, all his possessions and sent into exile. He decided he would live self-sufficiently, close to nature, without materialism, va...

Dive into the Japanese folktale of a scholar’s quest to purify his body and mind, and the spiritual secret he discovers along the way.--In ancient Kyoto, a Shinto scholar found himself distracted from his prayers and sought to perform a purification ritual that would cleanse him. He decided to travel to the revered Hie Shrine; walking the path alone, ignoring any distractions in his quest for bala...

Follow Pheidias, the chief builder for the Parthenon, as he supervises the construction of the new temple and faces charges of embezzlement.--The year is 432 BCE. As dawn breaks over Athens, Pheidias is already late for work. He is the chief builder for the Parthenon — Athens’ newest and largest temple— and when he arrives onsite, city officials accuse him of embezzling gold from the temple’s sacr...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/population-pyramids-powerful-predictors-of-the-future-kim-preshoffPopulation statistics are like crystal balls -- when examined closely, they can help predict a country's future (and give important clues about the past). Kim Preshoff explains how using a visual tool called a population pyramid helps policymakers and social scientists make sense of the st...

Dive into the stories of horror savant H.P. Lovecraft, whose fantastical tales, such as “The Call of Cthulhu,” created a new era of Gothic horror.-- Arcane books of forbidden lore, disturbing secrets in the family bloodline, and terrors so unspeakable the very thought of them might drive you mad. These have become standard elements in modern horror stories. But they were largely popularized by a s...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-extremophiles-bode-well-for-life-beyond-earth-louisa-prestonLife on Earth requires three things: liquid water, a source of energy within a habitable range from the sun and organic carbon-based material. But life is surprisingly resilient, and organisms called extremophiles can be found in hostile living conditions (think extreme temperatures and litt...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-science-of-stage-fright-and-how-to-overcome-it-mikael-choHeart racing, palms sweating, labored breathing? No, you're not having a heart attack -- it's stage fright! If speaking in public makes you feel like you're fighting for your life, you're not alone. But the better you understand your body's reaction, the more likely you are to overcome it. Mika...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-fundamentals-of-space-time-part-2-andrew-pontzen-and-tom-whyntieView part 1 here: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-fundamentals-of-space-time-part-1-andrew-pontzen-and-tom-whyntieLight always travels at a speed of 299,792,458 meters per second. But if you're in motion too, you're going to perceive it as traveling even faster -- which isn't possible! In...

You’ve promised to get your son the cutest creature in creation: the cuddly. Can you outsmart the cuddly incubator and go home a hero?--You’ve promised to get your son the cutest creature in creation: the cuddly. It’s part of the Wuddly species, cousin to the terrifying duddly and the hideous fuddly. To make one, 100 eggs are placed in an incubator to undergo egg fusion, and the resulting combinat...

Trace the 7,000 year old history of alcohol, from its first known origins in China to cultures all over the world fermenting their own drinks.--Nobody knows exactly when humans began to create fermented beverages. The earliest known evidence comes from 7,000 BCE in China, where residue in clay pots has revealed that people were making an alcoholic beverage from fermented rice, millet, grapes, and...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-case-of-the-missing-fractals-alex-rosenthal-and-george-zaidanA bump on the head, a mysterious femme fatale and a strange encounter on a windswept peak all add up to a heck of a night for Manny Brot, Private Eye. Watch as he tries his hand at saving the dame and getting the cash! Shudder at the mind-bending geometric riddles! Thrill to the stunning so...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-art-can-help-you-analyze-amy-e-hermanCan art save lives? Not exactly, but our most prized professionals (doctors, nurses, police officers) can learn real world skills through art analysis. Studying art like René Magritte's Time Transfixed can enhance communication and analytical skills, with an emphasis on both the seen and unseen. Amy E. Herman expl...

In this well-argued talk, Timothy Bartik makes the macro-economic case for preschool education -- and explains why you should be happy to invest in it, even if you don't have kids that age (or kids at all). The economic benefits of well-educated kids, it turns out, go well beyond the altruistic. (Filmed at TEDxMiamiUniversity.) Talk by Timothy Bartik. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaph...

Download a free audiobook version of "The Richest Man in Babylon" and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://www.audible.com/ted-edCheck out our full book recommendation: https://shop.ed.ted.com/products/the-richest-man-in-babylon--In the 1600s, the Dutch East India Company employed hundreds of ships to trade goods around the globe. In order to fund their voyages, the company turned to privat...

View full lesson: Not all scientific studies are created equal - David H. Schwartz Every day, we are bombarded by attention grabbing headlines that promise miracle cures to all of our ailments -- often backed up by a "scientific study." But what are these studies, and how do we know if they are reliable? David H. Schwartz dissects two types of studies that scientists use, illuminating why you shou...

Dive into Lewis Carroll’s epic nonsense poem, “Jabberwocky” from his novel "Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There."--As Alice wanders through the dreamscape of Looking-Glass Land in Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There," she happens across a book written in an unintelligible language. Inside, she discovers an epic poem filled with nonsense, fearsom...

Discover how scientists are analyzing compounds in the breath to create a versatile breathalyzer capable of detecting disease.--How is it that a breathalyzer can measure the alcohol content in someone’s blood, hours after they had their last drink, based on their breath alone? And could we use this same technology to detect disease by analyzing a person’s breath, without having to use more invasiv...

Dive into Albert Camus’ philosophy of the absurd, and explore the question: if the world is meaningless, could our lives still hold value? --Albert Camus grew up surrounded by violence. His homeland of Algeria was mired in conflict. He lost his father in World War I. Seeing World War II's devastation, Camus grew despondent. What was the meaning behind all this endless bloodshed and suffering? And...

Get to know the story of Rasputin, known as the “Mad Monk,” who was assassinated for his involvement with the Russian monarchy.--On a night in 1916, Russian aristocrats set a plot of assassination into motion. If all went as planned, a man would be dead by morning, though others had already tried and failed. The monarchy was on the brink of collapse, and they believed this man was the single cause...

You can use your smartphone to find a local ATM, but what if you need a defibrillator? Lucien Engelen shows us online innovations that are changing the way we save lives, including a crowdsourced map of local defibrillators. (Filmed at TEDxMaastricht.)Talk by Lucien Engelen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover the history and symbolism of Pablo Picasso’s powerful anti-war mural, “Guernica,” rendered in his signature Cubist style.--In 1937, in one of the worst civilian casualties of the Spanish Civil War, Fascist forces bombed the village of Guernica in Northern Spain. For Pablo Picasso, the tragedy sparked a frenzied period of work in which he produced a massive anti-war mural, titled “Guernica...

In this funny, casual talk from TEDx, writer Jenna McCarthy shares surprising research on how marriages (especially happy marriages) really work. One tip: Do not try to win an Oscar for best actress. (Filmed at TEDxAmericanRiviera.)Talk by Jenna McCarthy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-tsunamis-work-alex-gendlerThe immense swell of a tsunami can grow up to 100 feet, hitting speeds over 500 mph -- a treacherous combination for anyone or anything in its path. Alex Gendler details the causes of these towering terrors and explains how scientists are seeking to reduce their destruction in the future. Lesson by Alex Gendler, animation by...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-most-groundbreaking-scientist-you-ve-never-heard-of-addison-andersonSeventeenth-century Danish geologist Nicolas Steno earned his chops at a young age, studying cadavers and drawing anatomic connections between species. Steno made outsized contributions to the field of geology, influencing Charles Lyell, James Hutton and Charles Darwin. Addison Ander...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/speech-acts-constative-and-performative-colleen-glenney-boggsWhen are words just words, and when do words force action? Linguist J.L. Austin divided words into two categories: constatives (words that describe a situation) and performatives (words that incite action). For instance, is a "No running" sign describing your gait, or are you not running becaus...