TED-Ed

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-world-s-english-mania-jay-walkerJay Walker explains why two billion people around the world are trying to learn English. He shares photos and spine-tingling audio of Chinese students rehearsing English -- "the world's second language" -- by the thousands. Talk by Jay Walker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the extraordinary auditory adaptations in the animal kingdom, and find out which creature has the best hearing.--The world is always abuzz with sounds, many of which human ears simply can’t hear. However, other species have extraordinary adaptations that grant them access to realms of sonic extremes. And some of them don’t even have ears— at least, not like we typically imagine. So, which...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/inside-your-computer-bettina-bairHow does a computer work? The critical components of a computer are the peripherals (including the mouse), the input/output subsystem (which controls what and how much information comes in and out), and the central processing unit (the brains), as well as human-written programs and memory. Bettina Bair walks us through th...

Follow a neurosurgeon's attempts to perform a head transplant, and dig into the ethical and biological questions the procedure raises.--In 1970, neurosurgeon Robert White and his team carted two monkeys into an operating room to conduct an ambitious experiment. The objective was to connect the head of Monkey A to the body of Monkey B, in what he considered a whole-body transplant, with the ultimat...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-benjamin-button-got-his-face-ed-ulbrichEd Ulbrich, the digital-effects guru from Digital Domain, explains the Oscar-winning technology that allowed his team to digitally create the older versions of Brad Pitt's face for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."Talk by Ed Ulbrich. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into Zora Neale Hurston’s classic novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” which follows Janie Crawford in her search for love and agency.--Baritone thunder. Snarling winds. Consuming downpours. Okeechobee, the hurricane of 1928, forced many to flee their ruined communities. But for Janie Crawford, it inspired an unexpected homecoming. So begins Zora Neale Hurston’s acclaimed novel “Their Eyes W...

Examine the myth of the benevolent dictator, which is a leader who holds absolute power yet only uses it for the common good.--Under certain conditions, the idea of a dictator can sound appealing, like when a democracy isn’t functioning as it should due to corruption or political polarization. People may believe the solution is a "benevolent dictator"— a leader who only uses their absolute power f...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/image-recognition-that-triggers-augmented-reality-matt-millsMatt Mills and Tamara Roukaerts demonstrate Aurasma, a new augmented reality tool that can seamlessly animate the world as seen through a smartphone. Going beyond previous augmented reality, their "auras" can do everything from making a painting talk to overlaying live news onto a printed newspa...

Musician and researcher Charles Limb wondered how the brain works during musical improvisation -- so he put jazz musicians and rappers in an fMRI to find out. What he and his team found has deep implications for our understanding of creativity of all kinds. (Filmed at TEDxMidAtlantic.)Talk by Charles Limb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/beach-bodies-in-spoken-word-david-fasanya-and-gabriel-barralagaWhat leads to the way we perceive our body image? In a thought-provoking and humorous performance at TEDYouth 2012, spoken word poets David Fasanya and Gabriel Barralaga pose a challenge to rethink how we see ourselves. Performance by David Fasanya and Gabriel Barralaga. Learn more about your...

Explore the creation of China’s Three Gorges Dam, and find out how the hydroelectric plant generates its power.--In 2018, a single power plant produced more energy than the world’s largest coal-powered and gas-powered plants combined. China’s Three Gorges Dam relies on running water, and is capable of producing more energy than any other power plant on Earth. So what allows Three Gorges to generat...

Explore what happens in the body during miscarriage, and learn about three common treatment options for pregnancy loss.--Globally, around 23 million pregnancies end in miscarriage each year. Despite how common it is, miscarriage can still feel isolating, and for some, emotionally traumatizing. And myths about miscarriage add to the stigma, leading many to blame themselves for the loss. So what hap...

Explore what would happen if we covered the Sahara Desert in solar panels, and the possibility of it solving our energy crisis. --Stretching over roughly nine million square kilometers and with sands reaching temperatures of up to 80° Celsius, the Sahara Desert receives about 22 million terawatt hours of energy from the Sun every year. That’s well over 100 times more energy than humanity consumes...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-are-blue-whales-so-enormous-asha-de-vosBlue whales are the largest animals on the planet, but what helps them grow to the length of a basketball court? Asha de Vos explains why the size of krill make them the ideal food for the blue whale -- it's as if the blue whale was made to eat krill (and krill was made to be eaten by the blue whale).Lesson by A...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-human-and-the-honeybee-dino-martinsBoth honeybees and humans originated in East Africa, and the connection between us has survived the ages. Some of your favorite delicacies -- coffee, chocolate, mangoes -- have the honeybee to thank for their hard work of pollination. Dino Martins encourages us to remember how much we owe to these magnificent insect...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/supercharged-motorcycle-design-yves-beharYves Behar and Forrest North unveil Mission One, a sleek, powerful electric motorcycle. They share slides from distant (yet similar) childhoods that show how collaboration kick-started their friendship -- and shared dreams. Talk by Yves Behar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the life and works of Rumi, who became one of the world’s most celebrated poets and mystical philosophers.--According to legend, the renowned scholar Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi was giving a lecture when a disheveled man approached and asked him the meaning of his academic books. Rumi didn’t know it yet, but this question and this man would change his life. So, who was this mysterious figure,...

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd--Your antivirus squad is up against a code that’s hijacked your mainframe. What you’ve learned from other infected systems, right before they went dark, is that it likes to toy with antivirus agents in a very peculiar way— and you’re the agent that’s been selected to go up against the malware. Can you figure out which disk that runs your...

Discover the works of poet and songwriter Sappho, and find out why only fragments of her poetry still survive.--Over 2,500 years ago, one of ancient Greece’s most celebrated popstars and erotic poets enraptured listeners. The singer-songwriter offered a uniquely intimate perspective on love, passion, and longing, and was the first on record to combine the words “bitter” and “sweet,” to describe th...

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd--You’ve spent months creating a basketball-playing robot, the Dunk-O-Matic, and you’re excited to demonstrate its capabilities. Until you read an advertisement: “See the Dunk-O-Matic face human players and automatically adjust its skill to create a fair game for every opponent!” That’s not what you were told to create. Can you recalibrat...

"Is it okay if I totally trash your office?" It's a question Elyn Saks once asked her doctor, and it wasn't a joke. A legal scholar, in 2007 Saks came forward with her own story of schizophrenia, controlled by drugs and therapy but ever-present. In this powerful talk, she asks us to see people with mental illness clearly, honestly and compassionately. Talk by Elyn Saks. Learn more about your ad ch...

Explore one of the main issues of AI-based predictive models and how it affects user decision-making and accountability.--A couple has been considering getting engaged, but they’re worried about divorce statistics. An AI-based model was just released that can predict your likelihood of divorce with 95% accuracy. The only catch is the model doesn’t offer any reasons for its results. So, should they...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-el-sistema-music-revolution-jose-antonio-abreuJose Antonio Abreu is the charismatic founder of a youth orchestra system that has transformed thousands of kids' lives in Venezuela. Here he shares his amazing story and unveils a TED Prize wish that could have a big impact in the US and beyond. Talk by Jose Antonio Abreu. Learn more about your ad choice...

On any given day we're lied to from 10 to 200 times, and the clues to detect those lie can be subtle and counter-intuitive. Pamela Meyer, author of Liespotting, shows the manners and "hotspots" used by those trained to recognize deception -- and she argues honesty is a value worth preserving. Talk by Pamela Meyer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore how fish use their gills to breathe, and how these processes make them some of the most efficient breathers on Earth.--Recent studies found that elite runners can take in twice as much oxygen as non-runners. And it’s likely that this superhuman ability played a role in breaking the two-hour marathon barrier in 2019. But when it comes to breathing efficiently, not even the best runners can...