TED-Ed

Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd/--You’re the chief advisor to an eccentric king who needs to declare his successor. He wants his heir to be good at arithmetic, lucky, and above all else, honest. So he’s devised a competition to test his children, and ordered you to choose the winner. The future of the kingdom is in your hands. Can you find the worthiest successor? Dan...

Take a look at the theories behind why earthquakes occur, what makes them so hard to predict and the warning system technologies we rely on today. --In 132 CE, Zhang Heng presented his latest invention: a large vase he claimed could tell them whenever an earthquake occurred for hundreds of miles. Today, we no longer rely on pots as warning systems, but earthquakes still offer challenges to those t...

Dig into how scientists are attempting to revive the functionally extinct northern white rhino through artificial reproduction.--In the savannahs of Kenya, two female northern white rhinos, Nájin and Fatu, munch contentedly on grass. They are the last two known northern white rhinos left on Earth. Their species is functionally extinct— without a male, they can’t reproduce. And yet, there’s still h...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-does-ice-float-in-water-george-zaidan-and-charles-mortonWater is a special substance for several reasons, and you may have noticed an important one right in your cold drink: ice. Solid ice floats in liquid water, which isn't true for most substances. But why? George Zaidan and Charles Morton explain the science behind how how hydrogen bonds keep the...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-cancer-gene-we-all-have-michael-windelspechtWithin every cell in our body, two copies of a tumor suppressor gene called BRCA1 are tasked with regulating the speed at which cells divide. Michael Windelspecht explains how these genes can sometimes mutate, making those cells less specialized and more likely to develop into cancer. Lesson by Michael Wind...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/time-travel-and-einstein-s-special-relativity-colin-stuartTime travel is a staple of science fiction stories, but is it actually possible? It turns out nature does allow a way of bending time, an exciting possibility suggested by Albert Einstein when he discovered special relativity over one hundred years ago. Colin Stuart imagines where (or, when) this...

For some reason, says educator Al Vernacchio, the metaphors for talking about sex in the US all come from baseball -- scoring, getting to first base, etc. The problem is, this frames sex as a competition, with a winner and a loser. Instead, he suggests a new metaphor, one that's more about shared pleasure, discussion and agreement, fulfillment and enjoyment. Let's talk about ... pizza. Talk by Al...

Travel into the auditory system to explore the constant ringing sensation of tinnitus, why it happens and how to treat it. --Tinnitus has been bothering humanity since Ancient Babylon, plaguing everyone from Leonardo da Vinci to Charles Darwin. Today, roughly one in seven people worldwide experiences this auditory sensation. So what exactly is tinnitus, and where does this persistent sound come fr...

Check out the science of biohacking, where biologists go into a patient’s genetic code and reprogram their immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells.--The human body is made up of about 30 trillion cells that carry a code which has been duplicated over and over for billions of years - with varying degrees of accuracy. So what happens when the system breaks down and the machinery turns on i...

Get to know how a healthy marine ecosystem functions, and what creates the lethal conditions that lead to dead zones. --For most of the year, the Gulf of Mexico is teeming with marine life, from tiny crustaceans to massive whales. But every summer, disaster strikes. Around May, animals begin to flee the area. And soon, creatures that can’t swim or can’t swim fast enough begin to suffocate and die...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-science-of-macaroni-salad-what-s-in-a-molecule-josh-kurzWhat do macaroni salad and gasoline have in common? They are made of exactly the same stuff -- specifically, the same atoms, just rearranged. So, while we put the former in our mouths and the latter in our cars, they are really just variations on the same atomic theme. Josh Kurz breaks macaroni...

Dig into the 800 year history and architecture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and find out what gives the tower its infamous tilt. --In 1990, the Italian government enlisted top engineers to stabilize Pisa’s famous Leaning Tower. There’d been many attempts during its 800 year history, but computer models revealed the urgency of their situation. The tower would topple if it reached an angle of 5.44 d...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/from-aaliyah-to-jay-z-captured-moments-in-hip-hop-history-jonathan-mannionJonathan Mannion once convinced rapper DMX to climb into a pool of blood -- all in pursuit of the perfect photo. In this passionate TEDYouth talk, the photographer shares how fighting for the moments he needs to capture has helped him tell the stories of Biggie, Jay-Z, Aaliyah and...

Discover how chemotherapy drugs use cytotoxic agents to attack cancer cells and the impact they have on your body. --During World War I, scientists were trying to develop an antidote to the poisonous yellow cloud known as mustard gas. They discovered the gas was irrevocably damaging the bone marrow of affected soldiers. This gave the scientists an idea: cancer cells and bone marrow both replicate...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-s-wrong-with-our-food-system-birke-baehr 11-year-old Birke Baehr presents his take on a major source of our food -- far-away and less-than-picturesque industrial farms. Keeping farms out of sight promotes a rosy, unreal picture of big-box agriculture, he argues, as he outlines the case to green and localize food production. (Filmed atTEDxNextGenerat...

Venus fly traps, bladderworts and sundews, oh my! Learn about carnivorous plants and their predatory antics to lure, trap and digest prey. --Around the world there are more than 600 plant species that supplement a regular diet of sunlight, water and soil with insects, frogs and even rats. Flies, tadpoles and beetles fall prey to the remarkable, predatory antics of carnivorous plants. What exactly...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/protecting-the-brain-against-concussion-kim-gorgens In a lively talk, neuropsychologist Kim Gorgens makes the case for better protecting our brains against the risk of concussion -- with a compelling pitch for putting helmets on kids. (Filmed at TEDxDU.) Talk by Kim Gorgens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-science-of-symmetry-colm-kelleherWhen you hear the word symmetry, you might think generally of triangles, butterflies, or even ballerinas. But defined scientifically, symmetry is "a transformation that leaves an object unchanged." Huh? Colm Kelleher unpacks this abstract term and explains how animal's distinct symmetries can tell us more about them -...

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mysteries-of-vernacular-ukulele-jessica-oreck-and-rachael-teelWhen 19th century Portuguese travelers landed in Hawaii with a small four-stringed guitar, a member of the king's court, nicknamed Jumping Flea, or ukulele in Hawaiian, took to the instrument. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel explain how an affinity for the ukulele gave the instrument its name....

Dig into the political phenomenon of modern populism, how it rises, and the impact it can have on a democratic country. --In many democratic countries, charismatic leaders vilify political opponents, disparage institutions, and claim to be for the people. Some critics label this approach as authoritarian or fascist, while others argue that these leaders are manipulating voters. This style of polit...

What's it like to be pals with a genius? Onstage, physicist Leonard Susskind spins a few stories about his friendship with the legendary Richard Feynman, discussing his unconventional approach to problems both serious and ... less so. (Filmed at TEDxCaltech.)Talk by Leonard Susskind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is turbulence and why does it happen? Explore the phenomenon that has perplexed physicists for over a century.--You’re on an airplane when you feel a sudden jolt. Outside your window nothing seems to be happening, yet the plane continues to rattle you and your fellow passengers as it passes through turbulent air in the atmosphere. What exactly is turbulence, and why does it happen? Tomás Chor...

Explore the challenges facing amphibious fish when they leave water and the ingenious ways they survive on land. --We think of fish as completely aquatic animals. But there are actually hundreds of fish species that are amphibious, meaning that they possess adaptations that enable them to survive on land. Once on land, however, they face suffocation, drying up, and being hunted by land predators....

The adventure continues! Episode 4: The trio plot how they can steal the first artifact— the Node of Power. Can they take it without being discovered? --This is episode 4 of our animated series “Think Like A Coder.” This 10-episode narrative follows a girl, Ethic, and her robot companion, Hedge, as they attempt to save the world. The two embark on a quest to collect three artifacts and must solve...

Inspired by an abalone shell, Angela Belcher programs viruses to make elegant nanoscale structures that humans can use. Selecting for high-performing genes through directed evolution, she's produced viruses that can construct powerful new batteries, clean hydrogen fuels and record-breaking solar cells. In her talk, she shows us how it's done. (Filmed at TEDxCaltech.)Talk by Angela Belcher. Learn m...