TED-Ed

Where do squid, jellyfish and other sea creatures begin life? The story of a sea urchin reveals a stunningly beautiful saga of fertilization, development and growth in the ocean depths. Lesson by Tierney Thys, visualization by Christian Sardet (CNRS/Tara Oceans), Noé Sardet, and Sharif Mirshak (Plankton Chronicles Project, Parafilms).View the full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-life-begins-...

Dig into the science of what makes period cramps so painful, and find out what we still don’t know about this common experience.--Period pain affects hundreds of millions of people. Anywhere from 50 to 90% of people who menstruate deal with painful abdominal or pelvic cramps during their period. Individual experiences can vary, from mild discomfort, to throbbing aches, to contraction-like cramps t...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/five-fingers-of-evolutionHow can a "thumbs up" sign help us remember five processes that impact evolution? The story of the Five Fingers of Evolution gives us a clever way of understanding change in gene pools over time. Lesson by Paul Andersen, animation by Alan Foreman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into the surprisingly complex lives of Neanderthals, and explore theories on what happened to our evolutionary cousins.--In 1856, quarriers working in Germany’s Neander Valley discovered several mysterious fossils. The remains changed hands until being identified as the skullcap and femur bones of something ancient and human, but not quite us. It soon became clear they belonged to an extinct h...

Dig into the inaccuracies of flat maps and how different map designs can shift our point of view.--Fourteen Greenlands could fit in Africa— but you wouldn’t guess it from most maps of the world. The fact is, every world map humans have ever made is wrong. Actually, it’s impossible to make a flat map of the whole spherical world 100% right. So why do we bother with these inaccurate maps at all? Kay...

Dig into trickle-down economics, which claims that tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy stimulate the economy and improve people's lives.--In 1981, the US economy was struggling: unemployment rates were climbing and inflation had peaked at an all-time high. To combat these issues, President Reagan introduced a number of economic policies, including tax cuts for large corporations and high-inc...

"You're a fishmonger!" By taking a closer look at Shakespeare's words--specifically his insults--we see why he is known as a master playwright whose works transcend time and appeal to audiences all over the world. Lesson by April Gudenrath, narration by Juliet Blake, animation by TED-Ed. View the full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/insults-by-shakespeare Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Professional musicians share what makes for great, memorable lyrics, their writing process, and where they get inspiration from.--"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 second season "Think Like A Songwriter" features artists sharin...

At TEDMED, Sheila Nirenberg shows a bold way to create sight in people with certain kinds of blindness: by hooking into the optic nerve and sending signals from a camera direct to the brain. Talk by Sheila Nirenberg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Download a free audiobook version of "Devil in the White City" and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://www.audible.com/ted-ed--Satan, the beast crunching sinners’ bones. Lucifer, the fallen angel. Mephistopheles, the trickster striking deals. These three divergent devils are all based on Satan of the Old Testament. But unlike any of these literary devils, the Satan of the Bible was a relat...

The TED-Ed team provides an in depth look at the powerful features of the newly-launched TED-ED Beta website. You'll learn how TED-Ed videos are created, how they are arranged, about the learning materials that surround each video, and how you can create customized or "flipped" lessons based on any TED-Ed video or any video on YouTube.http://ed.ted.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

Explore the science of hypnosis, and dig into how the practice can affect your body and brain when hypnotic suggestions work.--In the 19th century, Scottish surgeon James Braid revolutionized the field of hypnotism, transitioning the practice towards inducing a sleep-like state. Today, hypnosis is used in psychiatry as a helpful medical tool, yet it still holds an entrancing place in popular fanta...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-color-is-tuesday-exploring-synesthesia-richard-e-cytowicHow does one experience synesthesia -- the neurological trait that combines two or more senses? Synesthetes may taste the number 9 or attach a color to each day of the week. Richard E. Cytowic explains the fascinating world of entangled senses and why we may all have just a touch of synesthesia...

From something as small and complex as a chromosome to something as seemingly simple as the weather, sex determination systems vary significantly across the animal kingdom. Biologist and teacher Aaron Reedy shows us the amazing differences between species when it comes to determination of gender. Lesson by Aaron Reedy, animation by BuzzCo (http://buzzzco.com). Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

Discover how scientists and doctors used bats' ultrasound capabilities as inspiration for SONAR and non-invasive medical procedures.--In a dark cave, bats can’t see much. But even with their eyes shut, they can navigate rocky topography at incredible speeds. This is because bats aren't just guided by their eyes, but rather, by their ears. It may seem impossible to see with sound, but bats, naval o...

Dig into the pros and cons of annuity and lump sum lottery payouts, and find out the most common mistakes lottery winners make.--After winning the lottery, one of the first decisions you’d have to make is how you want your winnings to be paid out. You can choose the full jackpot amount, paid out in annual installments over 30 years. Or you can take a much smaller lump sum paid out immediately. So,...

Get to know the story of Radio Venceremos, an underground radio collective that fought US-backed fascism during the Salvadoran Civil War.--Since the 1800s, a handful of oligarchs had controlled nearly all of El Salvador’s land, forcing laborers to work for almost nothing. But in 1980, farmers and urban workers formed guerrilla groups to overthrow the US-backed dictatorship. These revolutionaries w...

Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/tededCan folding a piece of paper 45 times get you to the moon? By seeing what happens when folding just one piece of paper, we see the unbelievable potential of exponential growth. This lesson will leave you wanting to grab a piece of paper to see how many times you can fold it! Lesson by Adrian Paenza, animation by TED-Ed. Learn more about your...

Trace the illustrious history of hats dating back to the Paleolithic Era, and explore how they were used in different periods.--Humans have been fashioning caps since the dawn of civilization. A bearskin cap from the Bronze Age is one of the earliest surviving hats, discovered alongside Europe’s oldest mummy. Hats aren’t just for keeping heads warm or making a fashion statement— they’ve been used...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/carl-honore-praises-slownessJournalist Carl Honoré believes the Western world's emphasis on speed erodes health, productivity and quality of life. But there's a backlash brewing, as everyday people start putting the brakes on their all-too-modern lives. Honoré is best known for his advocacy of the Slow Movement. His book "In Praise of Slowness" dissects...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/let-s-talk-about-dying-peter-saulWe can't control if we'll die, but we can "occupy death," in the words of Dr. Peter Saul. He calls on us to make clear our preferences for end of life care -- and suggests two questions for starting the conversation. (Filmed at TEDxNewy.)Talk by Peter Saul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just how small are atoms? And what's inside them? The answers turn out to be astounding, even for those who think they know. This fast-paced animation uses spectacular metaphors (imagine a blueberry the size of a football stadium!) to give a visceral sense of the building blocks that make our world. Lesson by Jonathan Bergmann, animation by Cognitive Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Explore how two main types of emergency contraception work to prevent pregnancy by disrupting or delaying ovulation.--In a 2021 study, researchers asked over 500 participants to explain how the morning-after pill worked. Despite these pills’ widespread use, 60% answered incorrectly. Emergency contraceptives are often misunderstood— even the phrase “the morning-after pill” is a misnomer. So, how do...

Dig into the history of Election Day in the United States, and how voting on Tuesdays affects voter turnout.--Since 1845, Americans have been voting on Tuesdays — but why? In this humorous talk, Jacob Soboroff shares the history of Election Day and shows how voting on a Tuesday affects voter turnout. Lesson by Jacob Soboroff. Support Our Non-Profit Mission------------------------------------------...

Dig into the false analogy fallacy, which assumes that because two things share a characteristic, they must be alike in other respects.--It’s 1997. The United States Senate has called a hearing about global warming. Some expert witnesses point out that past periods in Earth’s history were warmer than the 20th century. Because such variations existed long before humans, they claim the current trend...