How to uncover your best ideas

From TED Ed. Episode 2: Uncover your best ideas by exploring your unique experiences, interests, and perspective. — This is episode 2 of the animated series, “Public Speaking 101.” Ideas change everything — and since language lets us share our ideas, learning how to use it well gives speakers the power to inspire people and…

What happens when you share an idea?

From TED Ed. Episode 1: Learn how to identify the qualities that make an idea worth sharing with an audience. — This is episode 1 of the animated series, “Public Speaking 101.” Ideas change everything — and since language lets us share our ideas, learning how to use it well gives speakers the power to…

How close can we actually get to the Sun?

From TED Ed. Explore the challenges of Parker Solar Probe’s mission to touch the Sun, and what we could learn about the star as we get closer. — In 2021, the Parker Solar Probe achieved its mission to touch the Sun, skimming through its outermost atmosphere. Since then, it’s carved closer and closer paths, but…

The dark history of Graham crackers – Stephanie Honchell Smith

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…

How do drugs make you hallucinate? – Anees Bahji

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…

Why do so many cultures have dragon legends? – Timothy J. Burbery

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…

Would you eat a ghost pepper for a prize? – Dan Kwartler

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…

The trillion dollar paradox – George Zaidan

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…

Can you survive a Komodo dragon bite? – Achmad Ariefiandy

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…