TED-Ed

Dive into the incredible flying capabilities of squids, and how they use flight as a survival tactic.--In 1947, explorers noticed a strange phenomenon while crossing the Pacific Ocean. Somehow, small squid known to live deep beneath the waves kept appearing on the roof of their boat. The crew was mystified— until they saw the squids soaring above the sea for roughly 50 meters. How and why do these...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/rapid-prototyping-google-glass-tom-chiRapid prototyping is a method used to accelerate the innovation process. At TEDYouth 2012, Tom Chi explains how this method was used to create one of Google's newest inventions, Google Glass. Talk by Tom Chi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into the history of the Armenian Genocide, during which the Ottoman Empire killed over 1 million Armenians during WWI.--When an Armenian resistance movement began to form in the 19th century, Sultan Abdul Hamid II took decisive action. He led the Hamidian Massacres— a relentless campaign of violence that killed over 150,000 Armenians. These massacres were the culmination of centuries of oppres...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/learning-from-past-presidents-doris-kearns-goodwinHistorian Doris Kearns Goodwin talks about what we can learn from American presidents, including Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson. Then she shares a moving memory of her own father and of their shared love of baseball. Talk by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...

Puzzle through this classic ethical dilemma and decide: is community safety more important than individual privacy?--Your government has introduced a plan to address record-breaking rates of traffic tickets and deadly hovercar accidents. They propose assigning “driver credit scores” to every citizen, but would need to install cameras and microphones in every vehicle. While it would make the roads...

After re-purposing CAPTCHA so each human-typed response helps digitize books, Luis von Ahn wondered how else to use small contributions by many on the Internet for greater good. In this talk, he shares how his ambitious new project, Duolingo, will help millions learn a new language while translating the Web quickly and accurately -- all for free. (Filmed at TEDxCMU.)Talk by Luis von Ahn. Learn mor...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-set-the-table-anna-postCan't remember where your soup spoon ought to go? What about your salad fork? Knowing how to set a traditional table can seem like antiquated etiquette -- but it can come in handy! Anna Post, great-great-granddaughter of etiquette expert Emily Post, shows how to set a table with a plate full of tips and tricks to boot (even...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/digging-for-humanity-s-origins-louise-leakeyLouise Leakey asks, "Who are we?" The question takes her to the Rift Valley in Eastern Africa, where she digs for the evolutionary origins of humankind -- and suggests a stunning new vision of our competing ancestors. Talk by Louise Leakey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Loki has challenged you to a winner-take-all game to end Ragnarok. Can you beat him and win the right to rule the new world?--Ragnarok has been raging for far too long; many gods and heroes have fallen, and the rest can barely stand. Loki, his bright eyes dimmed by exhaustion, asks to meet. He proposes that you and he settle the conflict with a game atop a sacred table engraved with your names. Ca...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/losing-everything-david-hoffmanNine days before TED2008, filmmaker David Hoffman lost almost everything he owned in a fire that destroyed his home, office and 30 years of passionate collecting. He looks back at a life that's been wiped clean in an instant -- and looks forward. Talk by David Hoffman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...

Dig into the tale of Princess Savitri and her one true love, Satyavan, and the tragic prophecy that entwined their fates forever.--Princess Savitri was benevolent, brilliant, and bright. Her grace was known throughout the land, and many princes and merchants flocked to her family’s palace to seek her hand in marriage. But upon witnessing her blinding splendor in person, the men lost their nerve. U...

Explore how pulling an all-nighter can impact your cognitive function, and find out what happens to your brain when you don't sleep.--You’re just one history final away from a relaxing spring break. But you still have so much to study! You decide to follow in the footsteps of many students before you, and pull an all-nighter. So, what happens to your brain when you stay up all night? And does cram...

Puzzle through the ethical dilemma where two ships are in distress but you can only save one, and decide: which do you choose?--You are the captain of an interstellar cargo transport headed to port when you receive two distress calls. The first is from a labor ship, whose passengers are running out of oxygen. The other from a luxury space cruiser which has lost a thruster, sending them careening i...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/your-genes-are-not-your-fate-dean-ornishDean Ornish shares new research that shows how adopting healthy lifestyle habits can affect a person at a genetic level. For instance, he says, when you live healthier, eat better, exercise, and love more, your brain cells actually increase. Talk by Dean Ornish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...

Explore how the Right to Repair movement is pushing back against companies which don’t want consumers fixing their products.--Today, some companies are working hard to prevent consumers from repairing products on their own. In many cases, repair can only be done by the original manufacturer, if at all. With limited repair options available, we end up buying new and throwing more items out. So, how...

What's six miles wide and can end civilization in an instant? An asteroid -- and there are lots of them out there. With humor and great visuals, Phil Plait enthralls the TEDxBoulder audience with all the ways asteroids can kill, and what we must do to avoid them. (Filmed at TEDxBoulder.)Talk by Phil Plait. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/is-light-a-particle-or-a-wave-colm-kelleherCan we accurately describe light as exclusively a wave or just a particle? Are the two mutually exclusive? In this third part of his series on light and color, Colm Kelleher discusses wave-particle duality and its relationship to how we see light and, therefore, color. Lesson by Colm Kelleher, animation by Nelso...

Explore the phenomenon known as peat fires, smoldering fires that burn underground and can continue for months or even years.--In 1997, a fire began in Indonesia that would rage for almost a year. Despite being one of the largest fires in recorded history, for months at a time it burned without a flame. This might sound like a uniquely freaky fire, but it’s actually one of many. So, is it possible...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/vermicomposting-how-worms-can-reduce-our-waste-matthew-rossNearly one third of our food ends up in the trash can. There is hope, however, in the form of worms, which naturally convert organic waste into fertilizer. Matthew Ross details the steps we can all take to vermicompost at home -- and why it makes good business sense to do so. Lesson by Matthew Ro...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-bottom-billion-paul-collierAround the world right now, one billion people are trapped in poor or failing countries. How can we help them? Economist Paul Collier lays out a bold, compassionate plan for closing the gap between rich and poor. Talk by Paul Collier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can you make your voice heard in a noisy world? The key is public speaking and presentation literacy, and we can help: http://bit.ly/TMCPSApp--Storytelling is an ancient art; as humans developed language and culture, we learned to share our stories, thoughts, and dreams. And that storytelling evolved into public speaking, and our audience— thanks to the internet— is the whole world, not just a...

Learn more at https://brilliant.org/TedEd--A spy presses a button on their suit and blinks out of sight. A wizard wraps himself in a cloak and disappears. A star pilot flicks a switch, and their ship vanishes into space. Invisibility is one of the most tantalizing powers in fiction, spanning all kinds of stories. But could this fantasy ever become a reality? Max G. Levy digs into the technologies...

Dig into the engineering of the Hoover Dam, a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Colorado River that supplies water to the US southwest.--In the early 20th century, the US had expanded from coast to coast, but many cities in the southwest still lacked reliable water sources. The Colorado River's erratic flow and frequent floods made it unreliable for agriculture, and the region’s growing cities need...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/write-your-story-change-history-brad-meltzerThe idea that youth is wasted on the young? Wrong. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the creators of Superman were all under 30 when they wrote themselves into history. In this inspirational TEDYouth 2011 Talk, Brad Meltzer encourages us to dream big, work hard, and stay humble. Talk by Brad Meltzer. Learn more about...

Dig into what causes your stress response to be triggered, and how you can best train your mind and body to deal with stress.--An upcoming project deadline, a fight with a family member, or even an embarrassing moment can easily trigger our body’s stress response. While we can’t always control what life throws at us, there are ways to better prepare for stressful events we may experience. So, how...