You’ll feel smarter just thinking about watching these!
From TED Ed. Learn more at https://brilliant.org/TedEd — Ever since Einstein published his Special Theory of Relativity, one equation has been the bane of humans hoping to explore the stars: E=mc². In addition to informing our understanding of gravity, space, and time, this formula implies that traveling at or beyond light speed is impossible. Why…
From TED Ed. Puzzle through the ethical dilemma of intellectual property rights, and decide: how should we determine ownership of work? — In the city of Ockham, spellcasters invent incantations and publish them in scrolls that others can purchase. Unfortunately, you can’t always afford them. But one day, a friend tells you he uses an…
From TED Ed. Trace the history of bloodletting, a medical practice dating back to ancient Greece and its continued use into the 19th century. — Bloodletting was a pervasive medical practice that dates as far back as ancient Greece and continued well into the 19th century. Physicians like Hippocrates believed bad health could be attributed…
From TED Ed. Trace the strange history of Graham crackers, invented by minister Sylvester Graham in order to curb the vices of Americans. — In the 1800s, minister Sylvester Graham believed Americans had a big problem— not just with their bodies, but their souls. He argued that overindulgence was fueling their baser desires, making them…
From TED Ed. Explore 4 common misconceptions about Ancient Rome, and find out what living in this time period was actually like. — Minerva, the esteemed Roman goddess of reason, wisdom, handicrafts, and war, is judging a contest: duo vera et mendacium. Three brave contestants will put their knowledge about ancient Rome to the test.…
From TED Ed. Dig into the science of how psychedelic drugs affect your brain, and how they could be used for psychiatric treatment. — In 1943, chemist Albert Hofmann accidentally exposed himself to a drug he derived from ergot fungus and recorded its unexpected, mind-altering effects. The drug, lysergic acid diethylamide— or LSD— was soon…
From TED Ed. Discover the origins of dragon legends, and find out how geological events could have inspired these stories in ancient civilizations. — From the Chinese Loong to the Filipino Bakunawa, the Scottish Beithir and the Greek Hydra, dragons have inflamed imaginations for millennia. Their ubiquity across world mythology has led many scholars to…
From TED Ed. Dig into how your age can affect your decision making, and explore the psychology of how we weigh risks against rewards. — Welcome to Risky Business, the game where we find out how far people will go to win a prize! Today’s contestants are a 21 year-old, a 16 year-old, and a…
From TED Ed. Explore the possibility of transitioning to a green economy, and if the trillion-dollar up-front cost is worth the investment. — Global warming is very, very expensive: extreme weather, rising sea levels, crop failures, health issues, and industry disruptions all cost money. So, what’s the best way forward? Is the estimated trillion-dollar price…
From TED Ed. Puzzle through an ethical dilemma and decide: what responsibility do we have to honor the wishes of the dead? — For decades, Yvonne and Zaina have been happily married and co-leading a non-profit. One day the couple is involved in a car accident, and on her deathbed, Yvonne asks Zaina to promise…
From TED Ed. Dig into what we know about Komodo dragons, and find out what you should do if you encounter these giant lizards in the wild. — Clambering through the bush on one of Indonesia’s Lesser Sunda Islands, suddenly you spy a Komodo dragon in the clearing ahead. Forked tongue flickering; sharp, saw-like teeth…
From TED Ed. Alex Rosenthal is the editorial director of TED-Ed, where he created TED-Ed’s acclaimed mythology and riddle series that have been watched more than *600 million* times. Here, he discusses the inspiration behind the creation of Pandora’s Legacy. Get the game on Kickstarter today: https://ed.ted.com/pandora #pandoraslegacy
From TED Ed. Look into the financial and environmental costs of taking a private jet, and find out what can be done to reduce aviation emissions. — Across 2023 and 2024, one internationally renowned musician flew their private jet 396 times in 365 days. Figures like this aren’t uncommon among the world’s richest jetsetters— in…
From TED Ed. Illustrator and animator Senne Trip offers a behind-the-scenes look at her process for creating the stunning illustrations for the Pandora’s Legacy puzzle game. Get the game on Kickstarter today: https://ed.ted.com/pandora #shorts #illustration #puzzlegame #puzzle #pandoraslegacy #art
From TED Ed. Dig into the strategies employed by sports betting apps to keep you gambling, and how these tactics can cause addictive behavior. — Sports gambling has become more popular than ever. Mobile apps make it easier to place bets anywhere or anytime, especially for young people who make up the fastest-growing demographic. And…
From TED Ed. Critically acclaimed: TED-Ed’s first ever game is now live on Kickstarter! Assemble pieces. Decode riddles. Uncover artifacts. Explore stories. Pandora’s Legacy is a gaming experience like no other. Get your copy and immerse yourself in the world of Olympian gods: https://ed.ted.com/pandora #shorts #escaperoom #boardgames #jigsawpuzzle #greekmythology #pandoraslegacy
From TED Ed. Get to know the parasite known as the tongue-eating louse, which eats the tongue of a fish and then takes its place permanently. — The infamous tongue-eating louse is one of nearly 400 species belonging to a family of fish parasites. Some latch onto their host’s head, others suck blood from fish…
From TED Ed. Trace the fall of the Ottoman Empire, which lasted nearly 600 years until their defeat in World War I as part of the Central Powers. — Under cover of darkness in 1909, Sultan Abdulhamid II left Istanbul – bringing an end to his reign. For almost six centuries, his family had ruled…
From TED Ed. “If you look behind every exceptional person there is an exceptional teacher.” — Stephen Hawking
From TED Ed. TED-Ed has launched its first ever physical game: Pandora’s Legacy! Learn more and get your copy here: https://ed.ted.com/pandora — Medusa, transformed into a monstrous Gorgon by a wrathful Athena, sought refuge in a hidden cave. Time after time, would-be heroes journeyed to the cave to make their names by murdering Medusa— but…
From TED Ed. TED-Ed’s first ever physical game is here! Get your copy of Pandora’s Legacy, an epic gaming experience like no other: https://ed.ted.com/pandora — Pandora’s Legacy, our first ever physical game, is now live on Kickstarter! The game is an unforgettable experience that combines elements of jigsaw puzzles, escape rooms, puzzle hunts, and legacy…
From TED Ed. TED-Ed has launched its first ever physical game: Pandora’s Legacy! Learn more and get your copy here: https://ed.ted.com/pandora — Pandora is having a decisively bad day. She didn’t set out to open the box; if anything she’d resisted with every ounce of her will. But her curiosity got the better of her,…
From TED Ed. Learn more at https://brilliant.org/TedEd — In 1902, detectives arrived at a grisly murder scene and found a shard of broken glass with several bloody fingerprints. They painstakingly searched the police station’s records and eventually found a match— a man who later confessed to the crime. Today, fingerprints remain one of the most…
From TED Ed. Dig into the monetary value of the Sun and how important it is as our energy source as Daedalus contemplates buying it. — Daedalus hasn’t been the same since losing Icarus. Suddenly, he begins expressing interest in buying the Sun from Helios. Rumors say Daedalus is aspiring to destroy it to avenge…
From TED Ed. Dig into the system that helps scientists distinguish trees from other varieties of plants, and what characteristics make a tree. — Plants assume a variety of forms, and trees are just one of them. What makes or breaks a tree can come down to some pretty specific characteristics, based on how the…
From TED Ed. What could our future look like if we harness our technology to create a sustainable world? Take a look at the possibilities. — Faced with the realities of current crises, it’s easy to assume our world is headed in a bleak direction. But there’s good reason to be hopeful— with developments in…
From TED Ed. Follow Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, as he attempts to outwit the Buddha and escape from his clever traps and imprisonment. — After wreaking havoc across the heavens and being captured in a white-hot prison cell, the Monkey King freed himself once more and was itching for a fight. Desperate, the Jade…
From TED Ed. Dig into how the Sun and Moon are responsible for the tides on Earth, and what this force looks like on other celestial bodies. — In the 17th century, Isaac Newton offered the first gravitational explanation of tides. As he correctly identified, tides are choreographed by the motions of celestial objects, and…
From TED Ed. Explore the classic poem, “Beowulf,” which follows a heroic prince as he fights to free a kingdom from the monster Grendel. — An epic written in Old English, “Beowulf” is known for its haunting monsters, dream-like language, and paranoid perspective, where violent threats are always waiting on the fringes of society. The…
From TED Ed. Dig into the challenges of modern pastoralism, a form of agriculture where farmers guide livestock to seasonal grazing areas. — For millennia, livestock farmers strategically guided animals to seasonal grazing areas. This mobile way of life, known as pastoralism, provided them with wealth, social status, and political independence into the 20th century.…
From TED Ed. Dig into the history that inspired Shakespeare’s tragedy, “Macbeth,” and find out just how much of the play is based on real events. — Of all Shakespeare’s plays, perhaps none is stranger than “Macbeth”— a parable on power rife with supernatural elements. But according to texts from the 11th century, this tragedy…
From TED Ed. Dig into the science of enhanced rock weathering, a technology which takes carbon dioxide out of the air and stores it in rocks. — Mount Teide is one of the world’s largest active volcanoes, and there may be a way to use the basalt rock inside it to save humanity. Obviously, destroying…
From TED Ed. TED-Ed has made its first ever physical game, custom-tailored for all you puzzle and mythology lovers: Pandora’s Legacy! Play as Pandora as you try to set right the chaos that has been unleashed by Zeus’ box in a beautifully illustrated jigsaw-puzzle-escape-room game. Sign up to learn more at the link in our…
From TED Ed. Take a turn behind the wheel to discover 5 helpful and simple tips to improve your driving and build confidence in your skills. — As one of the agency’s best employees, you’ve been selected as a finalist to take on a new top-secret mission. You’ve already shown your aptitude for surveillance and…
From TED Ed. Explore how seawater desalination methods transform saltwater into potable freshwater, and what drawbacks this technology has. — Humans have been transforming seawater into potable freshwater for millennia. Today, billions of people can’t access clean drinking water, and 87 different countries are projected to be “water-scarce” by 2050. So, how can we use…
From TED Ed. Dig into what makes head lice so difficult to get rid of, and the effectiveness of our most common treatments. — For as long as humans have had lice, we’ve fought hard to get rid of them. Nit combs, the fine-tooth brushes used to remove lice and their sticky eggs, have been…
From TED Ed. Dig into the science of thermal batteries, and how this technology can generate heat more efficiently than fossil fuels. — Industrial manufacturers spend a huge amount of energy generating heat to make everyday materials and objects, like cement, steel, and paper. And since most companies use fossil fuels to reach these high…
From TED Ed. Meet the microscopic arachnids that live on your face, and find out why Demodex mites are part of the human microbiome. — Two species of Demodex mites specifically inhabit human follicles. And not just some people’s— nearly everyone is thought to host mites. One person’s face might harbor hundreds or even thousands…
From TED Ed. Dig into the Bengali tale of brothers Neelkamal and Lalkamal, two princes seeking to end the reign of demons in their kingdom. — Achinpur was on the precipice of demonic takeover. A mysterious woman beguiled the king and infiltrated the royal family. But she wasn’t human; under her beautiful façade lurked an…
From TED Ed. Ada imagines how eradicating invasive species would impact our ecosystems. Who decides which species, and how many are too many? — This is episode 5 of the animated series, “Ada.” This 5-episode narrative follows the young library assistant Ada as she juggles two worlds: her daily mundane reality and the future she…
From TED Ed. Travel into a computer chip to explore how these devices are manufactured and what can be done about their environmental impact. — Globally, we produce more than a trillion computer chips every year. Which means about 20 trillion transistors are built every second— and this process is done in fewer than 500…
From TED Ed. Ada imagines what an AI librarian system could be capable of. What are the consequences of creating superintelligent AI systems? — This is episode 4 of the animated series, “Ada.” This 5-episode narrative follows the young library assistant Ada as she juggles two worlds: her daily mundane reality and the future she…
From TED Ed. Learn more at https://brilliant.org/TedEd — When reading "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland," most readers visualize the queen’s croquet game play out in their heads. A few might see the scene in vivid detail. However, a small fraction of readers have a drastically different experience: within their heads, they "see" absolutely nothing. Why do…
From TED Ed. Ada imagines a life where she could have children without giving birth. Would artificial wombs give us more choice or less? — This is episode 3 of the animated series, “Ada.” This 5-episode narrative follows the young library assistant Ada as she juggles two worlds: her daily mundane reality and the future…
From TED Ed. Ada imagines a life where she could have children without giving birth. Would artificial wombs give us more choice or less? — This is episode 3 of the animated series, “Ada.” This 5-episode narrative follows the young library assistant Ada as she juggles two worlds: her daily mundane reality and the future…
From TED Ed. Dig into the tragic myth of Tristan and Princess Isolde, and how they fall in love despite her being promised to another. — After witnessing a bird carrying a single golden hair, King Mark of Cornwall declared his future bride must have equally radiant locks. The only royal matching this description was…
From TED Ed. Dig into the tragic myth of Tristan and Princess Isolde, and how they fall in love despite her being promised to another. — After witnessing a bird carrying a single golden hair, King Mark of Cornwall declared his future bride must have equally radiant locks. The only royal matching this description was…
From TED Ed. Ada imagines how society would change if governments paid living organ donors. Should we receive compensation for our organs? — This is episode 2 of the animated series, “Ada.” This 5-episode narrative follows the young library assistant Ada as she juggles two worlds: her daily mundane reality and the future she vividly…
From TED Ed. Dig into the psychology of how to overcome your motivational obstacles and regain focus when you feel stuck in achieving your goals. — Many of us have experienced feeling stuck. People often report feeling highly motivated at the start and end of a project, but the middle can feel untethered. It can…
From TED Ed. On Ada’s first day of her new job at the library, she imagines a post-apocalyptic future. Are we equipped to survive in such a world? — This is episode 1 of the animated series, “Ada.” This 5-episode narrative follows the young library assistant Ada as she juggles two worlds: her daily mundane…
From TED Ed. Explore the relationship between the Amazon rainforest and the rest of the planet, and what would happen if it disappeared. — As of 2022, humans have deforested 17% of the Amazon, and scientists warn that we may be approaching a tipping point. It’s like removing bricks from a house: take a few…
From TED Ed. Explore the relationship between the Amazon rainforest and the rest of the planet, and what would happen if it disappeared. — As of 2022, humans have deforested 17% of the Amazon, and scientists warn that we may be approaching a tipping point. It’s like removing bricks from a house: take a few…
From TED Ed. Dig into Moore’s Law and explore its 4 main limitations and how they could change how we are able to make progress in computing. — Moore’s Law states that every 1 to 2 years the number of transistors that can fit on a given size computer chip will double. Thanks to this…
From TED Ed. Travel into the digestive system to learn about cholesterol, and find out what the difference is between LDL and HDL cholesterol. — In 1968, the American Heart Association made an announcement that would influence people’s diets for decades: they recommended that people avoid eating more than three eggs a week. Their reasoning…
From TED Ed. Trace the history of rats, from their emergence in Asia to how they became the most successful invasive species in the world. — Today, rats are often regarded as the most successful invasive species in the world. The most common species of rat scurried onto the scene roughly 1 to 3 million…
From TED Ed. Uncover the history of the lobotomy, and find out why it’s considered one of the most controversial procedures of the 20th century. — In 1935, researchers found that after removing the frontal lobes of two chimps, they no longer experienced frustration or anxiety. Neurologist Egas Moniz believed that replicating this in humans…
From TED Ed. Dig into the history of arsenic dating back to ancient civilizations, and find out why this element is known as the king of poisons. — No substance has been as constant an ally to insidious scheming as arsenic, the so-called “king of poisons.” In its chemically pure form, it isn’t much of…
From TED Ed. Follow Chu Hong, a Chinese martial artist in training, as he practices his skills and competes in an archery tournament. — The year is 1030 CE. Chu Hong’s best friend, Liang Gao, tells him that the local magistrate has been spotted holding a surprise archery competition in a nearby town and will…
From TED Ed. Discover the benefits of walking, and how this simple exercise can positively impact the health of your body and brain. — For years, Jean Béliveau walked from country to country, with the goal of circumnavigating the globe on foot. While few people have the time or desire to walk such extreme lengths,…
From TED Ed. Explore how to build healthy habits when it comes to making, growing, and maintaining friendships. — Friendships can change how we see and move through the world. They can boost our academic performance, help us deal with setbacks, and even improve our health. And the relationships we form in adolescence can shape…