TED-Ed

Adam Savage walks through two spectacular examples of profound scientific discoveries that came from simple, creative methods anyone could have followed -- Eratosthenes' calculation of the Earth's circumference around 200 BC and Hippolyte Fizeau's measurement of the speed of light in 1849. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the science of silica gel, and find out why these packets are everywhere and if they're actually dangerous to ingest.--Of the many, many things we’re not supposed to snack on, perhaps the most common forbidden food is silica gel. This tiny packet pops up in packaging for everything — from TVs and guitar cases to sunscreen and snack foods. So why is silica gel everywhere, and what would act...

Get to know Jin Yong’s “Legend of the Condor Heroes,” an epic tale of adventure and war, romance, brotherhood and betrayal.--In the 1950s, citizens flocked to newsstands to pick up the latest edition of a story set hundreds of years in the past — a multigenerational tale of adventure and war, romance and intrigue, brotherhood and betrayal. Jin Yong’s epic "Legend of the Condor Heroes" is considere...

Some of the world's most baffling social problems, says Peter Eigen, can be traced to systematic, pervasive government corruption, hand-in-glove with global companies. In his talk, Eigen describes the thrilling counter-attack led by his organization Transparency International. (Filmed at TEDxBerlin.)Talk by Peter Eigen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into the era of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, which perpetuated a genocide that killed a quarter of the country’s population. --From 1975 to 1979, the Communist Party of Kampuchea ruled Cambodia with an iron fist, perpetrating a genocide that killed one fourth of the country’s population. Roughly one million people were executed as suspected political enemies or due to their ethnicities, and an...

Puzzle through the ethical dilemma of lying to a friend, and decide: is lying always wrong or can it be justifiable?--Your plan to set up your friend Carey with your acquaintance Emerson is finally coming together. You’ve made them a dinner reservation, but suddenly realize that there's a problem: Carey is always late. You really want this relationship to work— what if you told Carey dinner was at...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/stories-legacies-of-who-we-areStoryteller and educator Awele Makeba combines performing arts and history to tell a powerful story from the American civil rights movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View the full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-many-un...The fact that no one knows the answer to this question is what makes it exciting. The story of physics has been one of an ever-expanding understanding of the sheer scale of reality, to the point where physicists are now postulating that there may be far more universes than just our own. Chris Anderson explores the thrilling implications...

Singer, songwriter, and producer Breland shares insights into the creative process of songwriting and how to build your skills.--"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 sharing...

Take a tour of the vast, underground network of the Paris Catacombs, and find out how this 18th century cemetery came to be.--For centuries, Parisians had buried their dead in the Cemetery of the Innocents. By the 18th century, the grounds had become overcrowded — spewing foul odors across the city. Residents worried that it posed a public health threat, and petitioned the government for a solutio...

Nearly 450 million people are affected by mental illness worldwide. In wealthy nations, just half receive appropriate care, but in developing countries, close to 90 percent go untreated because psychiatrists are in such short supply. Vikram Patel outlines a highly promising approach -- training members of communities to give mental health interventions, empowering ordinary people to care for other...

Dig into the history of pandemics to learn how viruses and disease spreads and what we can do to stop future outbreaks.--In our increasingly globalized world, a single infected person can board a plane and spread a virus across continents. Mark Honigsbaum describes the history of pandemics and how that knowledge can help halt future outbreaks. Lesson by Mark Honigsbaum, directed by Patrick Blower....

Explore the technique known as the Socratic Method, which uses questions to examine a person’s values, principles, and beliefs. --Socrates, one of the founding fathers of Western philosophical thought, was on trial. Many believed he was an enemy of the state, accusing the philosopher of corrupting the youth and refusing to recognize their gods. But Socrates wasn’t feared for claiming to have all t...

Take a look at 3 English language grammar rules to find out where they come from and if you actually need to follow them.--Grammatical rules have caused heated debate in various regions and languages for centuries. But while we know people take grammar seriously, what’s less clear is, why? Where do these seemingly random rules come from, and which, if any, actually matter? Arika Okrent takes a clo...

In the deepest, darkest parts of the oceans are ecosystems with more diversity than a tropical rainforest. Taking us on a voyage into the ocean -- from the deepest trenches to the remains of the Titanic -- marine biologist David Gallo explores the wonder and beauty of marine life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all use our body on a daily basis, and yet few of us think about our physicality the way Wayne McGregor does. He demonstrates how a choreographer communicates ideas to an audience, working with two dancers to build phrases of dance, live and unscripted, on the TEDGlobal stage. Talk by Wayne McGregor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore how snakes evolved, and find out how their jaw-dropping anatomy allows them to take down prey several times their size.--Since slithering onto the scene some 150 million years ago, evolving length and limbless-ness out of their ancestral lizard forms, snakes have diversified rapidly. Their noodly bodies and flexible heads granted them access to novel places and prey. And today, there are n...

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd--Bad news: your worst enemies are at the gate. Your fledgling kingdom guards the world’s only herd of tiny dino creatures. To you, they’re sacred. To everyone else, they’re food. The three closest nation-states have teamed up to smash open your walls and devour the herd. Can you build fortifications for your kingdom before the siege weap...

Stand by for an animated exploration of the famous Fermi Paradox. Given the vast number of planets in the universe, many much older than Earth, why haven't we yet seen obvious signs of alien life? The potential answers to this question are numerous and intriguing, alarming and hopeful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TED-Ed's mission is to capture and amplify the voices of great educators around the world. We do this by pairing extraordinary educators with talented animators to produce a new library of curiosity-igniting videos. You can nominate a teacher, nominate an animator or suggest a lesson here: http://education.ted.comSubscribe to http://www.youtube.com/user/TEDEducation Learn more about your ad choice...

Dig into how the simple game of peek-a-boo contributes to babies developing their cognitive, motor, and social skills.--In Italy, it’s called il gioco del cucù. Palestinians say ba' 'éno. And in Japan, it’s inaīnaibā! Peek-a-boo is a near universal source of laughter and connection for infants and adults— it’s the first game that almost everyone plays. So what is it about this goofy game that babi...

In this wide-ranging, thought-provoking talk, Kevin Kelly muses on what technology means in our lives -- from its impact at the personal level to its place in the cosmos. (Filmed at TEDxAmsterdam.)Talk by Kevin Kelly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first of a new TED-Ed series designed to catalyze curiosity, TED Curator Chris Anderson shares his boyhood obsession with quirky questions that seem to have no answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more at https://brilliant.org/TedEd--Scanning the crime scene, Officer Stone sees a disorderly room, visible red-brown stains and a partial shoe track— all hinting at a bloody struggle. After calling in a team to inspect, photograph, sketch, measure, and collect all the evidence, the investigators apply Luminol. So, what is Luminol and why is it used at crime scenes? Theodore E. Yeshion shin...

Discover what causes acid rain, and how scientists were able to largely eliminate this major environmental threat. --In 1963, scientists studying Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest made a shocking discovery. Their most recent rainfall samples were nearly 100 times more acidic than usual; which could destroy the area’s ecosystems in a matter of decades. What was causing this deadly rainfall? And wha...