TED-Ed

Explore the science of sinkholes, how they commonly form, and what human activities can also trigger them.--It was a rainy December morning in San Francisco when the Earth opened up. The ground suddenly fell away into a 12-meter-deep sinkhole that engulfed a garage, part of a street, and a multi-million-dollar mansion. Sinkholes can seem to strike out of nowhere, but they’re more common than peopl...

Explore different poverty intervention and aid programs, and how direct cash giving can address a community's needs.--In 2018, a nonprofit gave every adult in the Ahenyo village $500. Most families had lived in extreme poverty for generations, and this sum was roughly equivalent to their annual salaries. The money came with no strings attached to how it could be spent. Would this lift villagers ou...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mysteries-of-vernacular-zero-jessica-oreck-and-rachael-teelThough the first written number system can be dated back to 2500 years ago in Mesopotamia, a zero-like symbol did not appear until 7th century CE India. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel track the evolution of zero from a dot to the symbol we use today, as well as the Arabic, Italian and French root...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-story-behind-your-glasses-eva-timothyWhat scientific thinkers and achievements have led to vast improvements in optics over the centuries? Discover the fascinating ways that our understanding of light informs the world in which we live. Lesson by Eva Timothy, animation by Matt Snyman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Watch full lesson here: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/joshua-manley-newton-s-3-laws-with-a-bicycleWhy would it be hard to pedal a 10,000 pound bicycle? This simple explanation shows how Newton's 3 laws of motion might help you ride your bike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daphne Koller is enticing top universities to put their most intriguing courses online for free -- not just as a service, but as a way to research how people learn. With Coursera (cofounded by Andrew Ng), each keystroke, quiz, peer-to-peer discussion and self-graded assignment builds an unprecedented pool of data on how knowledge is processed. Talk by Daphne Koller. Learn more about your ad choice...

View full lesson on ed.ted.com http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-twisting-tale-of-dna-judith-hauckWhat do a man, a mushroom, and an elephant have in common? A very long and simple double helix molecule makes us more similar and much more different than any other living thing. But, how does a simple molecule determine the form and function of so many different living things? Lesson by Judith Hauck, ani...

Get to know the Japanese legend of Hōichi the earless, a monk summoned by a mysterious samurai to perform songs of past battles.--Long ago, a temple was built near the site of a naval battle that concluded the long and gruesome conflict known as the Genpei Wars. For centuries after, performers throughout the country honored this tragic past in beautiful, haunting performances. But the most skilled...

Discover how much electricity humanity uses, and how clean energy sources could help revolutionize our energy supply in the future. --All around the world, millions of people are flipping a switch, plugging in, and pressing an ‘on’ button every second. So how much electricity does humanity use? And how much will we need in the future? Discover how much energy it takes to power the world, and how c...

View full lesson here: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/ainissa-ramirez-magical-metals-how-shape-memory-alloys-workFrom robots to braces to the Mars Rover, see how a special kind of metal called shape memory alloys advance technology in everyday ways that we don't always realize. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professional vocalists share how to give a great vocal performance by experimenting with styles, training, and taking care of your voice.--"Think Like A Musician" connects you with working musicians who want to help the music-curious and music-passionate hone and share the gift of music with the world. Part interview, part animated course, our first season "Think Like A Performer" features artists...

Explore the science of solar storms, and find out why they occur and just how prepared we are for a major event. --In September 1859, miners following the Colorado gold rush woke up to another sunny day. Or so they thought. To their surprise, they soon discovered it was actually 1am and the sky wasn’t lit by the sun, but rather by brilliant drapes of light. The blazing glow was a solar storm— the...

Most people instinctively avoid conflict, but as Margaret Heffernan shows us, good disagreement is central to progress. She illustrates (sometimes counterintuitively) how the best partners aren't echo chambers -- and how great research teams, relationships and businesses allow people to deeply disagree. Talk by Margaret Heffernan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-science-of-macaroni-salad-what-s-in-a-mixture-josh-kurzWhat's in macaroni salad? Break down the pasta, mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, vegetables, etc., and you're left with a bunch of molecules. Josh Kurz uses a delicious recipe to exemplify three types of mixtures (solution, colloid and suspension), while reminding us that we're all made of the same...

Tamerlane was one of history’s greatest conquerors— but was he a great state builder or a bloodthirsty tyrant? You decide. --He was born in the 1330s in the Chaghatayid Khanate, formerly the Mongol Empire. On the steppe, he rose from a lowly sheep thief to become one of history’s greatest conquerors, uniting nearly all of Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran under his rule. But was he a great state...

Parkinson's disease affects 6.3 million people worldwide, causing weakness and tremors, but there's no objective way to detect it early on. Yet. Applied mathematician and TED Fellow Max Little is testing a simple, cheap tool that in trials is able to detect Parkinson's with 99 percent accuracy -- in a 30-second phone call. Talk by Max Little. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...

Travel around the world to visit some of nature’s most incredible snakes: vipers, and find out which are the most dangerous.--As of 2021, there are 368 species of viper worldwide. The name comes from the term viviparity, which means giving birth to live young. Vipers are often highly venomous, with two hollow, extra long fangs that unfold into imposing weapons when the viper prepares to strike. So...

Rob Legato creates movie effects so good they (sometimes) trump the real thing. In this warm and funny talk, he shares his vision for enhancing reality on-screen in movies like Apollo 13, Titanic and Hugo. Talk by Rob Legato. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the three major methods of machine learning, which allows computers to write their own rules to problem solve and process data.--Today, artificial intelligence helps doctors diagnose patients, pilots fly commercial aircraft, and city planners predict traffic. These AIs are often self-taught, working off a simple set of instructions to create a unique array of rules and strategies. So how e...

Puzzle through the ethical dilemma of a spouse accused of murder and decide: do you believe your spouse or the evidence?--You’re sitting on the couch, when you hear a knock on the door. The police have arrived to arrest your spouse— for murder. This accusation comes as a total shock, but their fingerprints were found on the murder weapon. Your spouse insists they’re innocent. Should you believe yo...

In her New Orleans neighborhood, artist and TED Fellow Candy Chang turned an abandoned house into a giant chalkboard asking a fill-in-the-blank question: "Before I die I want to ___." Her neighbors' answers -- surprising, poignant, funny -- became an unexpected mirror for the community. (What's your answer?) Talk by Candy Chang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson here: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/jon-bergmann-how-to-think-about-gravityDid you know that when you fall down, the earth falls up to meet you? Explore the counterintuitive equation that describes gravity. Lesson by Jon Bergmann, animation by TED-Ed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into the Greek myth of Persephone, who is abducted by Hades and is only allowed to leave the underworld every spring.--One day, Persephone was frolicking in a meadow with the nymph, Cyane. As they admired a flower, they noticed it tremble in the ground. Suddenly, the earth split, and a terrifying figure arose. It was Hades, god of the underworld. He wrenched Persephone from Cyane, dragged her...

Are we building skills the wrong way? Explore how having a wide range of experience can be better than early specialization.--There’s a common idea that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become great at something. From an early age, we are encouraged to choose our path, focus specifically, and start racking up those hours. But, what if these head starts aren’t helping us the way we think they d...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-s-the-definition-of-comedy-banana-addison-andersonWhat makes us giggle and guffaw? The inability to define comedy is its very appeal; it is defined by its defiance of definition. Addison Anderson riffs on the philosophy of Henri Bergson and Aristotle to elucidate how a definition draws borders while comedy breaks them down. Lesson by Addison Anderso...