TED-Ed

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...

Dig into the body's biological process that heals a broken bone, and find out how different kinds of fractures are mended.--The human body’s 206 bones come in many shapes and sizes: short bones, long bones, flat bones, irregular bones. Roughly 50% of people will break a bone at some point in their lives. But whether the cause is as mundane as a slip on the ice or as dramatic as a tightrope-walking...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/your-body-language-shapes-who-you-are-amy-cuddyBody language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how "power posing" -- standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don't feel confident -- can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on...

New videography techniques have opened up the oceans' microscopic ecosystem, revealing it to be both mesmerizingly beautiful and astoundingly complex. Marine biologist Tierney Thys has used footage from a pioneering project to create a film designed to ignite wonder and curiosity about this hidden world that underpins our own food chain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

Dig into what biological factors influence hair growth, how it can change as you age, and how to take control of your scalp.--At age 44, Xie Qiuping cut her hair for the first time in over three decades. Her impressive locks extended over 5 meters — earning the Guinness World Record for the world’s longest hair. But even with this record-setting feat, her hair might not have reached its maximum po...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/james-watson-on-how-he-discovered-dnaNobel laureate James Watson opens TED2005 with the frank and funny story of how he and his research partner, Francis Crick, discovered the structure of DNA. Talk by James Watson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson on TED-Ed BETA: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-real-origin-of-the-franchiseOne of the most successful business models is the franchise, but it didn't originate with McDonald's. Sir Harold Evans, the author of They Made America, describes the remarkable story of a beauty salon that allowed hundreds of women to own their own businesses. Lesson by Sir Harold Evans. Animation by Sunni...

Explore how the microplastics in your body can affect your health, and how we can regulate the amount of plastic in our world.--Plastic is everywhere. It’s in our clothes, our food, the air we breathe. And plastic is now also in our bodies. Micro and nanoplastics generally enter our bodies in one of three ways: the air, our skin, and what we eat and drink. But how exactly do these microscopic part...

Explore why zero-carbon technologies are vulnerable to the valley of death in product development and how we can change it.--All new products must pass through the "valley of death" before they reach the market. Many never make it out, and sometimes that’s ok— if they don’t work, don’t fill a need, or for any number of reasons. One of the fields where this problem is most pressing is zero-carbon t...

Dig into the science of how heart transplants happen, how donors are matched and find out how this complex surgery saves lives.--Your heart beats more than 100,000 times a day. In just a minute, it pumps over five liters of blood throughout your body. But unlike skin and bones, the heart has a limited ability to repair itself. So if this organ is severely damaged, there’s often only one medical so...

At TEDYouth 2011, Performance artist Carvens Lissaint shows how to use language, metaphor and imagery to express a powerful idea -- as in this spoken word performance, a stirring plea to make college education more accessible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The future of green is local -- and entrepreneurial. In her talk, Majora Carter brings us the stories of three people who are saving their own communities while saving the planet. Call it "hometown security." (Filmed at TEDxMidWest.)Talk by Majora Carter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig into sortition, a system where officials are selected via lottery, and how it could address the problems of modern democracies.--Elections are tools that ensure a nation’s citizens all have an equal political voice. But these so-called “great equalizers” are often plagued by corruption, partisan divides, and uninformed voters. Which is why some of democracy’s first and most famous practitioner...