TED-Ed

Discover the adaptations that allow cacti to not only survive, but thrive, in some of the harshest desert climates on Earth. --If you were a jackrabbit in the desert, you’d be glad to stumble across a cactus: the flesh of these plants is a water source for many animals. Known for their spines and succulent stems, cacti of all shapes and sizes have evolved to not just survive, but thrive, in some o...

Trace the globe-spanning journey of coffee as it goes from plant to brew, and the complex infrastructure that makes it possible.--How many people does it take to make a cup of coffee? For many of us, all it takes is a short walk and a quick pour. But this simple staple is the result of a globe-spanning process whose cost and complexity are far greater than you might imagine. AJ Jacobs traces the j...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-audacity-behind-the-louisiana-purchase-judy-waltonWhen the French offered up the Louisiana Territory, Thomas Jefferson knew this real estate deal was too good to pass up. How did the President justify the purchase that doubled the size of the United States? Judy Walton provides President Jefferson's reasoning. Lesson by Judy Walton, animation by Sumi...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/our-buggy-moral-code-dan-arielyBehavioral economist Dan Ariely studies the bugs in our moral code: the hidden reasons we think it's OK to cheat or steal (sometimes). Clever studies help make his point that we're predictably irrational -- and can be influenced in ways we can't grasp. Talk by Dan Ariely Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...

Learn more at https://brilliant.org/TedEd--Your granddaughter created a surprise for your birthday: a holographic map displaying everywhere you’ve traveled— not just on Earth, but through the universe. Considering you’re living on a spinning rock hurtling around a sun whizzing through a galaxy, you’ve made some real progress. But, how much, exactly? Fabio Pacucci and Lindsay DeMarchi explore how f...

Explore the 4 common categories of cold medicines, and how to choose the right one based on your symptoms.--From incantations in ancient Egypt, bloodletting in 18th century Europe, to President Coolidge inhaling poisonous chlorine gas in 1924, the common cold has inspired a variety of creative treatments. Today pharmacies are filled with an endless assortment of cold remedies. But how do these pro...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/our-loss-of-wisdom-barry-schwartzBarry Schwartz makes a passionate call for "practical wisdom" as an antidote to a society gone mad with bureaucracy. He argues powerfully that rules often fail us, incentives often backfire, and practical, everyday wisdom will help rebuild our world. Talk by Barry Schwartz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/make-robots-smarter-ayanna-howardThere are three major rules that we want our robots to follow: do not harm a human, obey us, and protect us. The prerequisite for these rules? We need to make robots smarter. Ayanna Howard explains how robots can become smarter (hint: it is related to how smart we humans are). Talk by Ayanna Howard. Learn more about your...

Explore the ever-evolving structure of the Milky Way galaxy, and find out how it got its spiral shape.--Thirteen billion years ago, the gas and dust particles that eventually became our Milky Way were whizzing around in every direction. Despite the wild motion of its parts, the galaxy as a whole was rotating about an axis. So why did the Milky Way, like most galaxies, become flat, and not spherica...

Travel to some of the most extreme environments on Earth and see how insects are able to employ their skills to survive.--Insects are the world’s most numerous and diverse animals. Even where you’d least expect them in some of Earth’s most extreme environments, there they are. From a scalding volcano, parched desert, to a frigid glacier, insects are living life on the edge. So, how do they do it?...

Every day there are news reports of new health advice, but how can you know if they're right? Doctor and epidemiologist Ben Goldacre shows us, at high speed, the ways evidence can be distorted, from the blindingly obvious nutrition claims to the very subtle tricks of the pharmaceutical industry. Talk by Ben Goldacre. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/if-superpowers-were-real-immortality-joy-linWhat if immortality wasn't just the stuff of epic comic book stories? Is it scientifically possible to be immortal? In this series, Joy Lin tackles six superpowers and reveals just how scientifically realistic they can be to us mere mortals. Lesson by Joy Lin, animation by Cognitive Media. Learn more about your...

Take a peek beneath the ocean’s covers to discover the surprisingly inventive ways marine animals have sex.--On a reef in the Pacific Ocean, 17,000 camouflage groupers dart about in the cloudy water. It is, in fact, an underwater orgy— turned feeding frenzy. An orgy might seem like a rather flamboyant way to breed, but sex in the sea is a surprisingly inventive affair. So what other sneaky escapad...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-did-trains-standardize-time-in-the-united-states-william-heuislerIf you live in the United States, you may live in the Eastern Standard Time Zone. Or maybe you live in Mountain Standard Time or one of the other standardized time zones. But these time zones have not always been around. In fact, it's a fairly recent development. William Heuisler explai...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/earth-s-mass-extinction-peter-wardAsteroid strikes get all the coverage, but "Medea Hypothesis" author Peter Ward argues that most of Earth's mass extinctions were caused by lowly bacteria. The culprit, a poison called hydrogen sulfide, may have an interesting application in medicine. Talk by Peter Ward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone....

They're the second largest fish in the world, they're almost extinct, and we know almost nothing about them. In this talk, Simon Berrow describes the fascinating basking shark ("Great Fish of the Sun" in Irish), and the exceptional -- and wonderfully low-tech -- ways he's learning enough to save them. (Filmed at TEDxDublin.)Talk by Simon Berrow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

Dig into the Greek myth of Achilles, and follow the infamous warrior during the Trojan War and see what leads to his downfall.--Born to a sea nymph and a king, and trained by the legendary centaur Chiron, Achilles was a demigod destined for greatness. When Greece declared war on Troy, Achilles knew the war was written into his destiny. With horses born from the west wind and a spear wrought from a...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/do-the-green-thing-andy-hobsbawmAndy Hobsbawm shares a fresh ad campaign about going green -- and some of the fringe benefits. Talk by Andy Hobsbawm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-if-we-could-look-inside-human-brains-moran-cerfThe brain is what makes us function, yet we understand so little about how it works. We are learning more about the brain by using new technology to monitor epilepsy patients during surgery. Moran Cerf explains the process doctors use to explore the brain further. Lesson by Moran Cerf, animation by Buzz...

Dig into Toni Morrison’s novel, "Beloved," which tells the story of a family of formerly enslaved people whose home is haunted by an abusive spirit. --Two tiny handprints stamped into a cake. A mirror that shatters without warning. A trail of cracker crumbs strewn along the floor. Everyone at 124 Bluestone Road knows their home is haunted— but there’s no mystery about the spirit tormenting them. S...

Explore how heat waves affect the body, what levels of extreme heat we can survive, and what you can do to manage high temperatures.--In many parts of the world heat waves are happening more often with greater intensity and for longer durations. By 2050, Earth’s mid-latitudes could be experiencing extreme heat between 90 and 180 days a year, with tropical regions enduring even more. So how hot is...

Explore the toxicity of death cap mushrooms, and find out what makes this one species so dangerous to humans.--Humans have known about the toxicity of death cap mushrooms for millennia. Yet they continue to pose a significant threat to unsuspecting foragers and mushroom hunters throughout the world. Today, death caps are responsible for more than 90% of all mushroom related deaths, killing upwards...

In this series, Joy Lin tackles six superpowers and reveals just how scientifically realistic they can be to us mere mortals. Lesson by Joy Lin, animation by Cognitive Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the model minority stereotype, and discover how it became a label for Asian Americans and is used to enforce racial hierarchies.--In 2007, researchers surveyed 180 teachers to understand if they held stereotypes about their students. The most commonly held opinion was that Asian students were significantly more industrious, intelligent, and gentle. This might seem like a good thing, but tr...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/life-of-an-astronaut-jerry-carrAstronaut Jerry Carr knows space. As commander of Skylab, he spent over 2000 hours in space, orbiting the Earth over 1000 times. Recounting his life story, Carr remembers the enchanting years he spent at NASA.Lesson by Jerry Carr, animation by Sharon Colman Graham. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi...