TED-Ed

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/beware-of-nominalizations-aka-zombie-nouns-helen-swordFew mistakes sour good writing like nominalizations, or, as Helen Sword likes to call them, zombie nouns. Zombie nouns transform simple and straightforward prose into verbose and often confusing writing. Keep your nouns away from the elongating nominalizations! Lesson by Helen Sword, animation by Bran...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/does-stress-cause-pimples-claudia-aguirreWhich came first: the stress or the pimples? The physical reactions to stress can cause major breakouts, which, in turn, can be even more stressful! Claudia Aguirre gives just one more reason to get that stress under control. Lesson by Claudia Aguirre, animation by Alan Foreman. Learn more about your ad choices. V...

Episode 6: Find a way to build trust, interest, and a connection with your audience so that they will be open to what you have to say.--This is episode 6 of the animated series, “Public Speaking 101.” Ideas change everything — and since language lets us share our ideas, learning how to use it well gives speakers the power to inspire people and even change how they think. This 11-episode course wil...

Episode 2: Uncover your best ideas by exploring your unique experiences, interests, and perspective.--This is episode 2 of the animated series, “Public Speaking 101.” Ideas change everything — and since language lets us share our ideas, learning how to use it well gives speakers the power to inspire people and even change how they think. This 11-episode course will teach you how to identify, devel...

Computer science began in the '30s ... the 1830s. John Graham-Cumming tells the story of Charles Babbage's mechanical, steam-powered "analytical engine" and how Ada Lovelace, mathematician and daughter of Lord Byron, saw beyond its simple computational abilities to imagine the future of computers. (Filmed at TEDxImperialCollege.)Talk by John Graham-Cumming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Discover the dark history of the American suburbs, and how practices like racial covenants restricted access to home ownership for people of color.--Beginning in the 1800s, people began writing clauses into property deeds that were meant to prevent all future owners from selling or leasing to certain racial groups, especially Black people. These racial covenants spread like wildfire throughout the...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-3-minute-guide-to-the-bill-of-rights-belinda-stutzmanDaily, Americans exercise their rights secured by the Constitution. The most widely discussed and debated part of the Constitution is known as the Bill of Rights. Belinda Stutzman provides a refresher course on exactly what the first ten amendments grant each and every American citizen. Lesson by Bel...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/jill-bolte-taylor-s-stroke-of-insightBrain researcher Jill Bolte Taylor studied her own stroke as it happened -- and has become a powerful voice for brain recovery. Talk by Jill Bolte Taylor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Copyright law's grip on film, music and software barely touches the fashion industry ... and fashion benefits in both innovation and sales, says Johanna Blakley. In her talk, she talks about what all creative industries can learn from fashion's free culture. (Filmed at TEDxUSC.)Talk by Johanna Blakely. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into what circumstances allow for an accidentally amputated limb to be reattached, and what options you have when it can't be.--In order to reattach a severed limb after an accident, a number of things need to go right— and quickly. A clean cut, properly preserving the limb, and getting it to a skilled surgeon in time are just a few of these challenges. And unfortunately, there are countless c...

Dig into how bed bugs establish a colony in your home, and find out what makes it so hard to prevent these itchy invasions.--Bed bugs have tormented humans for millennia, so detested that their mere mention can make hearts race and arms itch. There are approximately 100 species of bed bugs, but thankfully only three of them feed on humans. So, why are these unwelcome houseguests so difficult to de...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/an-anti-hero-of-one-s-own-tim-adamsHow can an anti-hero teach us about the heroic--and sometimes,the unheroic--characteristics that shape a story's protagonist? From jealousy to self-doubt, Tim Adams challenges us to consider how anti-heroes reflect the very mortal weaknesses that can be found within all of us. Lesson by Tim Adams, animation by Wood Gobl...

Sign up for our newsletter and never miss an animation: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterWelcome to the world of Lucius Popidius Secundus, a 17-year old living in Rome in 73 AD. His life is a typical one of arranged marriages, coming-of-age festivals, and communal baths. Take a look at this exquisitely detailed lesson on life of a typical Roman teenager two thousand years ago. Lesson by Ray Laurence,...

Episode 3: Discover how to put together the throughline, or main idea that acts as a connective thread or roadmap for your presentation.--This is episode 3 of the animated series, “Public Speaking 101.” Ideas change everything — and since language lets us share our ideas, learning how to use it well gives speakers the power to inspire people and even change how they think. This 11-episode course w...

Explore the Big Whack theory, and how the event could have created the Moon and given Earth its all-important axial tilt.--4.5 billion years ago, Earth was struck by a rock the size of Mars flying 9 kilometers a second. The force of this collision temporarily turned Earth’s surface into an ocean of molten magma. Today, some scientists call this cosmic crash the Big Whack, and we’re still dealing w...

Throughout the history of Islam, says journalist Bobby Ghosh, there have been two sides to jihad: one, internal, a personal struggle to be better, the other external. A small minority (most recently Osama bin Laden) has appropriated the second, using it as an excuse for deadly global violence against "the West." Ghosh suggests that, now that bin Laden's worldwide organization has fragmented, it's...

Trace the history of the eugenics movement in the US, and discover how the belief in ideal genetics led to forced sterilizations.--Since ancient Greece, humans have controlled populations via reproduction, retaining some traits and removing others. But in the 19th century, a new scientific movement dedicated to this endeavor emerged: eugenics. Scientists believed they could improve society by ensu...

Examine the myth of the Lost Cause: a campaign created by pro-Confederates after the Civil War to promote the lie that they seceded for state's rights.--In the 1860’s, 11 southern states withdrew from the United States and formed the Confederacy. They seceded in response to the growing movement for the nationwide abolition of slavery. Yet barely a year after the Civil War ended, southern sources b...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/dark-matter-how-does-it-explain-a-star-s-speed-don-lincolnAll the stars in a spiral galaxy rotate around a center -- but to astronomers, the speed that each star travels wasn't making sense. Why didn't stars slow down toward the edges as expected? Don Lincoln explains how a mysterious force called dark matter is (possibly) the answer -- and why the searc...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/gerrymandering-how-drawing-jagged-lines-can-impact-an-election-christina-greer District lines, and the groups of voters within them, may seem arbitrary, but a lot of thought (and political bickering) is put into these carefully drawn lines. From "packing" a district to "cracking" a district--learn how the shape of districts impacts political parties duri...

Explore the effects that isolation has on your body and brain, and how a lack of interaction and activity can impact our well-being.--Everyone needs time to themselves, and peaceful solitude has stress-relieving benefits. But when being alone is forced upon you, the effects can be surprisingly extensive. And though different people experience distinct effects, symptoms tend to become more severe a...

Learn more at https://brilliant.org/TedEd --In one of Aesop’s fables, a crow is searching for water. It spies a pitcher— but the water inside is beyond its reach. So, the crow begins dropping in pebbles. One-by-one, they displace the water, and the crow quenches its thirst. This is just one of many fascinating displays of intelligence from corvids. Katharina Brecht digs into what makes this bold,...

Dig into the science of soy, and discover what makes soybeans such versatile plants and whether it’s healthy for you and the planet.--Soybeans have been cultivated in Asia for thousands of years, and have since spread across the globe. Today, soy is in so many foods that most people consume it every day without even knowing it. So, what makes soybeans so versatile? And is our global obsession heal...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/diagnosing-zombies-brain-and-behavior-tim-verstynen...How are different brain stimulations involved with human behaviors--and how can observing a zombie help us understand the brain? In the second part of the Diagnosing Zombies series, two scientists continue to ponder the erratic behaviors of a zombie to explore the relationship between the brain and be...

Dig into the science of how and why fireflies glow, and how their bioluminescent signals differ between males and females.--The first firefly is thought to have lived over 100 million years ago, illuminating the night with a glowing green light. And today, there are around 2,000 firefly species, found all over the world, from forests and grasslands to marshes and deserts. So, why do these insects...