TED-Ed

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-nurdles-quest-for-ocean-domination-kim-preshoffUploaded 04-08-14Nurdles are the tiny, factory-made pellets that form the raw material for every plastic product that we use, from toys to toothbrushes. And while they look pretty harmless on land, they can really wreak havoc on our oceans. Kim Preshoff details the nurdles' quest for ocean domination, sh...

Dive into the science of ocean currents (including the Global Conveyor Belt current), and find out how climate change affects them. Uploaded 31-01-19--In 1992, a cargo ship carrying bath toys got caught in a storm. Shipping containers washed overboard, and the waves swept 28,000 rubber ducks and other toys into the North Pacific. But they didn’t stick together -- the ducks have since washed up all...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-light-can-teach-us-about-the-universe-pete-edwardsUploaded 31-07-14Humanity has long been looking at the universe and asking the big questions: How did it begin? How will it end? Cosmologists are searching hard for the answers, but where do they even start? The answer is light. Pete Edwards outlines the six unique messages that light carries which,...

An animated interpretation of Safia Elhillo's poem "To Make Use of Water"Uploaded 02-02-19--Watch an interview with the poet here: http://bit.ly/TEDEdSafiaInterviewThis 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/TEDE...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-coelacanth-a-living-fossil-of-a-fish-erin-eastwoodUploaded 29-07-14The coelacanth, a prehistoric fish that was mistakenly thought to have gone extinct at the same time as the dinosaurs, has managed to stick around our seas for 360 million years. Erin Eastwood details the surprising "back from the dead" discovery of the coelacanth and explains how thi...

An animated interpretation of Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken"Uploaded 02-02-19--For an analysis of this poem, watch this video: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFrostAnalysisThis 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...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-history-of-the-barometer-and-how-it-works-asaf-bar-yosefUploaded 28-07-14A barometer is an instrument that measures air pressure, allowing weather forecasters and scientists to better predict extreme weather events. Despite its incredible usefulness, inventing the barometer was no walk in the park. Asaf Bar-Yosef describes the series of scientists an...

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...