TED Talks
Solar energy is even cheaper than you think | Jenny Chase
How prevalent is solar power, really? According to researcher Jenny Chase, it's already displacing fossil fuels in key energy markets around the world. She explains the rise of affordable solar power and dives into how her team tracked...
PBS
How efforts to send Haiti cheap rice made it hard for the nation to produce its own
As the U.S. sees new tariffs, we look at how they can make or break an economy. In Haiti, U.S. policies forced the government to bring down tariffs on foreign goods, allowing American farmers to export crops cheaply. That made it...
PBS
How Trump’s funding freeze is affecting American farmers
Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has moved to cancel or freeze trillions in federal funding. That includes billions in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. William Brangham reports on how the funding...
PBS
Michigan community attempts to heal political divisions deepened by the pandemic
Five years after the pandemic, the impacts on our politics, public health and civic life continue to be felt across communities. Judy Woodruff spoke to community members in Southeastern Michigan to explore how divisions that emerged...
PBS
Are gummy vitamins as effective as traditional vitamin pills?
Making sure you get the right amount of daily vitamins can be difficult. Today, a booming multi-billion-dollar industry of gummy vitamins and supplements claims its products make it both easier and tastier. But how do they compare with...
TED-Ed
Why don’t we get our drinking water from the ocean? | Manish Kumar
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 seawater...
TED-Ed
Do you really need to take 10,000 steps a day? | Shannon Odell
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, research shows that adding even a modest amount of...
TED-Ed
A day in the life of a martial artist in medieval China | Peter Lorge
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 arrive at their village soon. This is Hong’s chance to showcase...
TED-Ed
The dark history of arsenic | Neil Bradbury
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 a threat because our bodies don’t absorb it well; it’s when arsenic combines with...
TED-Ed
One of the most controversial medical procedures in history | Jenell Johnson
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 could cure mental illness— leading to one...
TED-Ed
The history of the world according to rats | Max G. Levy
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 years ago in Asia. There, they craftily survived Earth’s most recent ice...
TED-Ed
What actually causes high cholesterol? | Hei Man Chan
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 was that the cholesterol packed into egg...
TED-Ed
The tragic romance of Tristan and Isolde | Iseult Gillespie
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 Princess Isolde of Ireland. So the king sent Tristan,...
TED-Ed
Can you "see" images in your mind? Some people can't | Adam Zeman
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...
TED-Ed
How are microchips made? | George Zaidan and Sajan Saini
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 fabrication plants. How do we build so many tiny,...
TED-Ed
The tale of the brothers who outwitted the demon queen | Malay Bera
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 insatiable appetite for flesh. One night, the demon...
TED-Ed
This is the most common way to get head lice | Nazzy Pakpour
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 found among the ancient remains of cultures across the globe. Today it’s...
TED-Ed
5 signs you’re a good driver | Iseult Gillespie
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 disguise, but the agency’s looking to test one last critical skill:...
TED-Ed
The murderous medieval king who inspired "Macbeth" | Benjamin Hudson
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 has its roots in reality. What’s more, other accounts...
TED Talks
The potential US TikTok ban — and what's at stake | Clay Shirky
The clock is ticking on social media giant TikTok, which faces a nationwide ban in the United States unless its parent company, ByteDance, sells it by January 19. Social media theorist Clay Shirky unpacks why the US is trying to ban...
TED Talks
How to make anxiety your friend | David H. Rosmarin
When anxiety rears its head, we often just want it to go away. Clinical psychologist David H. Rosmarin asks us to consider instead the positive role anxiety can play in our lives, sharing four practical steps to transform it from your...
TED Talks
Embrace your main character energy with Natasha Rothwell | On the Spot | Natasha Rothwell
Actor and writer Natasha Rothwell takes the stage for “On the Spot,” TED’s rapid-fire Q&A format. Answering a stream of unexpected questions, she dishes on everything from creativity and representation in TV to love, the first “pinch me”...
TED-Ed
Yes, tiny mites live on your face — but is that a bad thing? | M. Alejandra Perotti
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 of individual mites. On any given day,...
TED-Ed
The century-old technology that could change the world | Rachel Yang
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 temperatures, industrial heat...