TED-Ed

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/got-seeds-just-add-bleach-acid-and-sandpaper-mary-kogaFor a seed to start growing, its embryo must emerge from its hard coat. In nature the embryo is aided by frost and animal digestion -- but humans can help too. Nicking, filing, and soaking the seed in hot water or acid are all forms of scarification, or ways to speed up germination by breaking down th...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/exploration-on-the-big-data-frontier-tim-smithThere is a mind-boggling amount of data floating around our society. Physicists at CERN have been pondering how to store and share their ever more massive data for decades - stimulating globalization of the internet along the way, whilst 'solving' their big data problem. Tim Smith plots CERN's involvement wit...

Explore the science behind how your body and brain process different sensations like touch, pain, temperature, and spatial awareness.--We don’t often think of touch as being a vital part of movement, but touch is one part of a network that oversees all the sensations arising from the surface and interior of our bodies. Touch, pain, temperature, and our spatial awareness are regulated by this syste...

Discover how humans lost their fur as they evolved from primates, and why we still have hair on our bodies.--We have lots in common with our closest primate relatives. But comparatively, humans seem a bit… underdressed. Instead of thick fur covering our bodies, many of us mainly have hair on top of our heads— and a few other places. So, how did we get so naked? And why do we have hair where we do?...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-is-dyslexia-kelli-sandman-hurleyDyslexia affects up to 1 in 5 people, but the experience of dyslexia isn't always the same. This difficulty in processing language exists along a spectrum -- one that doesn't necessarily fit with labels like "normal" and "defective." Kelli Sandman-Hurley urges us to think again about dyslexic brain function and to cel...

Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/tededView full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/dark-matter-the-matter-we-can-t-see-james-gilliesThe Greeks had a simple and elegant formula for the universe: just earth, fire, wind, and water. Turns out there's more to it than that -- a lot more. Visible matter (and that goes beyond the four Greek elements) comprises only 4% of the universe. CE...

Join siblings Hisham and Asma in medieval Baghdad as they prepare and gather supplies for the hajj, a holy pilgrimage to Mecca.--It’s 791 CE. As the morning sun shines on the Golden Gate Palace, brother and sister Hisham and Asma prepare for the journey of a lifetime: the hajj, a holy pilgrimage to Mecca. They intend to travel with the big hajj caravan— but a last-minute mishap threatens to undo m...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-did-feathers-evolve-carl-zimmerTo look at the evolution of modern bird feathers, we must start a long time ago, with the dinosaurs from whence they came. We see early incarnations of feathers on dinosaur fossils, and remnants of dinosaurs in a bird's wish bone. Carl Zimmer explores the stages of evolution and how even the reasons for feathers have ev...

Take a look inside the leafcutter ant colony as a queen begins her reign and the ants work to sustain their supply of fungus.--In a Texas clearing, an ancient tale that ties four species together is unfurling. The first involved is a soon-to-be queen leafcutter ant. The second is fungus, a piece of which she scoops into her mouth pocket. The third are cockroaches, which nestle under her wings. And...

Follow Aristonike, an Oracle-in-training in Delphi, as she studies to become the Pythia and communicate Apollo’s will and prophecies.--As the sun rises over Delphi in 500 BCE, Aristonike hurries to the temple of Apollo where a single oracle known as the Pythia communicates Apollo’s will. Reserved only for women, this is the most important job in the city— and one that Aristonike will soon have to...

Over the years, research has shown a counterintuitive fact about human nature: That sometimes, having too much choice makes us less happy. This may even be true when it comes to medical treatment. Baba Shiv shares a fascinating study that measures why choice opens the door to doubt, and suggests that ceding control -- especially on life-or-death decisions -- may be the best thing for us. (Filmed a...

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd--A few years ago, the king decided your life would be forfeit unless you tripled the gold coins in his treasury. Fortunately, a strange little man appeared and magically performed the feat. Unfortunately, you promised him your first-born child in exchange for his help — and today he’s come to collect. Can you figure out how to outsmart t...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mysteries-of-vernacular-tuxedo-jessica-oreckHow did tuxedo's roots extend from Native American history to black tie evening wear? Jessica Oreck reveals what the Delaware Indians and formal fashion have in common. Lesson by Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel, animation by Jessica Oreck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into the science of stretching, and find out what it actually does to your muscles and how you can improve your flexibility.--An athlete is preparing for a game. They’ve put on their gear and done their warmup, and now it’s time for one more routine — stretching. Typically, athletes stretch before physical activity to avoid injuries like strains and tears. But does stretching actually prevent...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-moral-dangers-of-non-lethal-weapons-stephen-colemanPepper spray and tasers are in increasing use by both police and military, and more exotic non-lethal weapons such as heat rays are in the works. In this talk, ethicist Stephen Coleman explores the unexpected consequences of their introduction and asks some challenging questions. (Filmed at TEDxCanbe...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-you-know-whom-to-trust-ram-netaWe believe a lot of things because we've been told - from our personal acquaintances and also experts. With so many belief systems being passed to us, how do we know whom to trust? Using contemporary examples, Ram Neta explains when listening to experts is a good idea...and when it's not. Lesson by Ram Neta, animatio...

Is the 21st century the most pivotal time in human history? Explore how the decisions we make now may impact humanity’s future.--Is it possible that this century is the most important one in human history? The 21st century has already proven to be a period of rapid growth. We’re on the cusp of developing new technologies that could entirely change the way people live— and could contribute to unpre...

A dung beetle has a brain the size of a grain of rice, and yet shows a tremendous amount of intelligence when it comes to rolling its food source -- animal excrement -- home. How? It all comes down to a dance. (Filmed at TEDxWitsUniversity.)Talk by Marcus Byrne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the science of parthenogenesis, a form of reproduction which allows animals to develop an embryo without fertilization.--In 2021, workers at a Sardinian aquarium were stunned by the birth of a smooth-hound shark. What was shocking was that, for the last decade, the shark’s mother had been living only with other females. So, how was this birth possible? And can other species reproduce this...

Dig into the unethical Tuskegee Syphilis Study, which spanned 40 years and lied to its participants about receiving treatment for syphilis.--Afflicting nearly 1 in 10 Americans, syphilis was ravaging the U.S. in the 1930s. Many doctors believed syphilis affected Black and white patients differently, and the Public Health Service launched an experiment to investigate, recruiting 600 Black men to ta...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-host-of-heroes-april-gudenrathWhat can some of literature's most famous heroes teach us? From the epic hero (like Beowulf) to the tragic hero (like Oedipus), each has something distinctive to share. April Gudenrath describes the many faces of the fictional hero -- and shows how they can inspire everyday people. Lesson by April Gudenrath, animation by B...

Get to know the Hawaiian legend of the sacred wind gourd and follow Paka’a's fight to restore his rightful place beside the king.--Long ago, the Hawaiian wind goddess wielded a gourd that housed the winds of the Islands. It came to hold her bones, along with the life force they carried, and was eventually passed to her grandson, Paka'a. Like his father before him, he became the trusted attendant t...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/pool-medical-patents-save-lives-ellen-t-hoenPatenting a new drug helps finance its immense cost to develop -- but that same patent can put advanced treatments out of reach for sick people in developing nations, at deadly cost. Ellen 't Hoen talks about an elegant, working solution to the problem: the Medicines Patent Pool. (Filmed at TEDxZurich.)Talk by...

Dig into the science of fecal microbial transplantation, where doctors transfer feces into a patient to help reset their gut microbiome.--1,700 years ago, Chinese alchemist Ge Hong was renowned for his soup that could cure diarrhea-stricken patients. It had a surprising secret ingredient: feces. While it might seem unwise to consume feces, exciting new research suggests that taking poop into the b...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-we-learned-from-5-million-books-erez-lieberman-aiden-and-jean-baptiste-michelHave you played with Google Labs' Ngram Viewer? It's an addicting tool that lets you search for words and ideas in a database of 5 million books from across centuries. Erez Lieberman Aiden and Jean-Baptiste Michel show us how it works, and a few of the surprising things we...