TED-Ed

Discover the tale of the lovestruck boy sent into Hell to steal 3 hairs from the Devil to appease his true love's father, the king.--In a small town, a proud mother showed off her newborn son. Upon noticing his lucky birthmark, townsfolk predicted he would marry a princess. But soon, these rumors reached the wicked king. Enraged, the king stole the child away, and sent him hurtling down the river....

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-chemical-reaction-that-feeds-the-world-daniel-d-dulekHow do we grow crops quickly enough to feed the Earth's billions? It's called the Haber process, which turns the nitrogen in the air into ammonia, easily converted in soil to the nitrate plants need to survive. Though it has increased food supply worldwide, the Haber process has also taken an unfor...

Dig into the Egyptian myth of Osiris, trapped by his brother, the warrior god Set, in a coffin and tossed into the Nile to die. --Long jealous of his older brother Osiris, the god who ruled all of Egypt, the warrior god Set plotted to overthrow him. Hosting an extravagant party as a ruse, Set announced a game— whoever could fit perfectly in a wooden chest could have it as a gift. But the chest was...

Dig into the mysterious Linear B symbols, found on ancient tablets on the island of Crete, which took scholars nearly 50 years to decode.--In the early 1900s, archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans uncovered nearly 3,000 tablets inscribed with strange symbols. He thought the script, dubbed Linear B, represented the Minoan language, while others came up with their own theories. Was it the lost language of...

A shooting star crashes onto Earth and unleashes a hideous, rampaging blob. Can you stop it from destroying the planet?--A shooting star crashes onto Earth and a hideous blob emerges. It creeps and leaps, it glides and slides. It’s also unstoppable: no matter what you throw at it, it just re-grows and continues its rampage. The only way to save the planet is to cut the entire blob into precise acu...

Trace the rise and fall of the ancient Celts, a group of hundreds of independent warrior tribes defeated by the Roman Empire. --One summer evening in 335 BCE, Alexander the Great was resting by the Danube River when a band of strangers approached his camp. Alexander had never seen anything like these tall, fierce-looking warriors with huge golden neck rings and colorful cloaks. They were Keltoi or...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-operating-system-of-life-george-zaidan-and-charles-mortonHumans, octopi and pine trees alike are all made up of cells, tiny but sophisticated systems that keep life going. Cells are almost like tiny factories run by robots, with the nucleus, DNA, proteins, lipids, and vitamins and minerals all playing critical roles. George Zaidan and Charles Morton...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-is-yawning-contagious-claudia-aguirre*Yaaawwwwwn* Did just reading the word make you feel like yawning yourself? Known as contagious yawning, the reasons behind this phenomenon have been attributed to both the physiological and psychological. It's been observed in children as young as four and even in dogs! Claudia Aguirre visits the many intriguing...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-do-honeybees-love-hexagons-zack-patterson-and-andy-petersonHoneybees are some of nature's finest mathematicians. Not only can they calculate angles and comprehend the roundness of the earth, these smart insects build and live in one of the most mathematically efficient architectural designs around: the beehive. Zack Patterson and Andy Peterson delve...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/ian-goldin-navigating-our-global-futureAs globalization and technological advances bring us hurtling towards a new integrated future, Ian Goldin warns that not all people may benefit equally. But, he says, if we can recognize this danger, we might yet realize the possibility of improved life for everyone. Ian Goldin is director of the 21st Century School...

Investigate the science behind how doctors use radioactive drugs and PET scans to detect and diagnose diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer.--Is there a way to detect diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s before they advance too far? Doctors are using injected radioactive drugs that circulate through the body and act as a beacon for PET scanners. These diagnostic tools can detect the spread of disea...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/marcus-du-sautoy-symmetry-reality-s-riddleThe world turns on symmetry -- from the spin of subatomic particles to the dizzying beauty of an arabesque. But there's more to it than meets the eye. Here, Oxford mathematician Marcus du Sautoy offers a glimpse of the invisible numbers that marry all symmetrical objects. Oxford's newest science ambassador Marcus...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/james-balog-time-lapse-proof-of-extreme-ice-lossPhotographer James Balog shares new image sequences from the Extreme Ice Survey, a network of time-lapse cameras recording glaciers receding at an alarming rate, some of the most vivid evidence yet of climate change. Talk by James Balog. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-colossal-consequences-of-supervolcanoes-alex-gendlerIn 1816, Europe and North America were plagued by heavy rains, odd-colored snow, famines, strange fogs and very cold weather well into June. Though many people believed it to be the apocalypse, this "year without a summer" was actually the result of a supervolcano eruption that happened one year ear...

Dive into the Norse myth of how Loki tricked a stranger into building the great wall of Asgard to keep the realm safe from giants. --Asgard, a realm of wonders, was where the Norse Gods made their home. There Odin’s great hall of Valhalla towered above the mountains and Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, anchored itself. Though their domain was magnificent, it stood undefended from the giants and trolls...

Explore the science of why mixing drugs and drug interactions with other substances can lead to dangerous health complications.--Which of the following is risky behavior: a person taking cholesterol medicine with grapefruit juice? Or a person taking Acetaminophen before going out for drinks? Or a person on blood thinners who takes an aspirin? Turns out, all of them are risky. Each has inadvertentl...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/madeleine-albright-on-being-a-woman-and-a-diplomatIn a frank and funny Q&A with Pat Mitchell from the Paley Center, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright talks bluntly about politics and diplomacy, making the case that women's issues deserve a place at the center of foreign policy. Far from being a "soft" issue, she says, women's issues are o...

What is killing the Tasmanian devil? A virulent cancer is infecting them by the thousands -- and unlike most cancers, it's contagious. Researcher Elizabeth Murchison tells us how she's fighting to save the Taz, and what she's learning about all cancers from this unusual strain. Contains disturbing images of facial cancer. Talk by Elizabeth Murchison. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...

English novelist Jane Austen’s beloved works, like “Pride and Prejudice,” explored the dependence of women on marriage in British high society.--Whether she’s describing bickering families, quiet declarations of love, or juicy gossip, Jane Austen’s writing often feels as though it was written just for you. Her dry wit and cheeky playfulness informs her heroines, whose conversational tone welcomes...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-fight-for-the-right-to-vote-in-the-united-states-nicki-beaman-griffinIn the United States today, if you are over eighteen, a citizen, and the resident of a state, you can vote (with some exceptions). So, how have voting rights changed since the first election in 1789? Nicki Beaman Griffin outlines the history of the long fight for a more inclusive el...

How do we choose which news to consume? Get the scoop on how opinions and facts affect the news and how to tell them apart.--With the advent of the Internet and social media, news is distributed at an incredible rate by an unprecedented number of different media outlets. How do we choose which news to consume? Damon Brown gives the inside scoop on how the opinions and facts (and sometimes non-fact...

Some kids learn by listening; others learn by doing. Geoff Mulgan gives a short introduction to the Studio School, a new kind of school in the UK where small teams of kids learn by working on projects that are, as Mulgan puts it, "for real." Talk by Geoff Mulgan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Follow Jason as he attempts to steal the Golden Fleece from King Aeetes and enlists the help of the king's daughter, Medea. (Part Two of the myth of Jason and the Argonauts)--In Colchis, the hide of a mystical flying ram hangs from the tallest oak, guarded by a dragon who never sleeps. The only way Jason can pry it from King Aeetes’ clutches and win back his promised throne is by facing three peri...

Download a free audiobook version of "The Art of War" and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://www.audible.com/ted-edCheck out our full book recommendation: https://shop.ed.ted.com/products/the-art-of-war--From Shakespeare’s plays to modern TV dramas, the unscrupulous schemer for whom the ends always justify the means has become a familiar character type we love to hate. For centuries, we’v...

Despite multibillion-dollar investments in cybersecurity, one of its root problems has been largely ignored: who are the people who write malicious code? Underworld investigator Misha Glenny profiles several convicted coders from around the world and reaches a startling conclusion. Talk by Misha Glenny. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices