TED-Ed
What's the Big Deal with Gluten?
Is gluten-free just a fad? What is gluten anyway, and why can't some of us process it? This is the perfect video to break down the anatomy of gluten and the various diseases and symptoms caused by the notorious protein, as...
TED-Ed
Periodic Videos
From hydrogen to ununoctium, this collection of videos has everything you need to begin teaching about the periodic table. Offering descriptions of each element and interesting experiments...
TED-Ed
Cell vs. Virus: A Battle for Health
Viruses act as alien invaders, but our cells are usually quite effective at counterattack. With cartoon animation, viewers learn how DNA is the mastermind behind making antibodies. Immunity rules in this land!
TED-Ed
Climate Change: Earth's Giant Game of Tetris
In this colorful animation, our current problem with climate change is likened to a block-stacking game of Tetris. Greenhouse gases are increasing in the atmosphere at an increasing rate. Can we place them properly before it's too late?...
TED-Ed
How Tsunamis Work
A flood of information about tsunamis can be learned by viewing this feature. How do they get started? How fast do they travel? How high can they rise? The answers to these questions, plus a little bit of history, are given for your...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Making of the Fittest: Got Lactase? The Co-evolution of Genes and Culture
Got milk? Only two cultures have had it long enough to develop the tolerance of lactose as an adult. Learn how the responsible genes evolved along with the cultures that have been consuming milk. This rich film is supplied with a few...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Day the Mesozoic Died
A dynamic, three-part feature explores what caused mass extinction of the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period. Computer animations, interviews, and on-site footage from around the world divulge evidence that it was the K-T...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection and Adaptation
The pocket mouse can be light brown like the sands of the desert, or dark brown like the volcanic lava flows that are interspersed throughout New Mexico's Valley of Fire. It seems that predators have weeded out light colored mice in this...
TED-Ed
How Does Work...Work?
What makes a clock tick or a bulb light up? The concept of work is explained to a backdrop of clever animation. Physics fans learn that the amount of work equals the product of the force and distance, and that the rate equals the amount...
TED-Ed
Does Stress Cause Pimples?
After this video, make sure to give a pop quiz on pimples! The question that is answered is whether or not pimples are caused by stress. Stress hormones give our bodies what we need for a fight or flight, but what happens if we don't do...
TED-Ed
Poison vs. Venom: What's the Difference?
Did you know that poison and venom are not the same? Both are toxic, but poison must be inhaled, ingested, or absorbed, while venom must be injected into a wound. The narrator explains that some toxic compounds may be used for good, as...
TED-Ed
You and Your Microbes
Humans are like planets, hosting a plethora of microbial communities. This concept is explored with vivid narration and animation, bringing to light the benefits of the huge variety of microbes that live in and on our bodies. What a fun...
TED-Ed
Where We Get Our Fresh Water
This fresh resource explores the world's fresh water: where it can be found, and how humans use it. You might be surprised at the variety of domestic uses! Short, but sweet, this feature can be followed by a class discussion using the...
TED-Ed
The Science of Macaroni Salad: What's in a Mixture?
Mix things up in your physical science class by introducing mixtures. The three types are defined: suspension, colloid, and solution. It all depends on the size and type of the involved particles. With attractive animation and an...
TED-Ed
The Science of Macaroni Salad: What's in a Molecule?
After showing they quick-paced featurette on the breaking of bonds, hold a discussion using the accompanying Think questions. Complex molecules are broken down into smaller molecules during digestion. There are six main molecules that...
TED-Ed
How to Speed Up Chemical Reactions (and Get a Date)
How are chemical reactions like dating? A collision must first occur! In this hilarious approach to speeding up chemical reactions, viewers find out that five changes can increase the rate of reaction: smaller space, increased number of...
TED-Ed
How Polarity Makes Water Behave Strangely
Water is common? Not really! Learn how the polarity of the water molecule gives it tremendous properties that make is quite unique in the universe. Learners will understand surface tension, adhesion, and cohesion, as well as why these...
TED-Ed
Radioactivity: Expect the Unexpected
Several radioactive concepts are explained with the help of animated atoms, complete with their own facial expressions. As physical science pupils watch, they learn about gaining or losing atomic particles, alpha and beta particles, and...
TED-Ed
Biodiesel: The Afterlife of Oil
Use this slick video to introduce your environmental scientists to the wonders of biodiesel. They will learn about problems caused by our waste oil, how it can be recycled, and other benefits of using biofuels. Use the video, assessment...
TED-Ed
The Motion of the Ocean
What drives the ocean's motion? Get your class moving toward understanding by using this video. Viewers find that thermohaline circulation is caused by the concentration gradients of temperature and salinity. Using adorable animation in...
TED-Ed
Just How Small Is an Atom?
Using a massive cartoon blueberry as an atom model, an animated astronaut describes an atom's anatomy and the density of its nucleus. After showing this featurette, you can have young physical scientists construct atom models. Also, be...
TED-Ed
How Mendel's Pea Plants Helped Us Understand Genetics
A brief animation introduces heredity to your beginning biologists. They will meet Gregor Mendel's green and yellow peas, dominant and recessive traits, homozygous and heterozygous alleles, and Punnett squares. In this cartoon animation,...
TED-Ed
The Brilliance of Bioluminescence
Illuminate the darkest corners of your marine biology or life science class with this feature about bioluminescence. Viewers see that luciferase and luciferin combine in a cool, light-producing reaction. This adaptation helps glowing...
TED-Ed
The Simple Story of Photosynthesis and Food
Meet adorable, animated chloroplasts as they produce glucose with the help of the sun. Viewers learn how carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and electrons are combined to form carbohydrates with an engaging video. The narrator also explains how...