TED-Ed
TED-ED: Real life sunken cities - Peter Campbell
Though people are most familiar with Plato's fictional Atlantis, many real underwater cities actually exist. Peter Campbell explains how sunken cities are studied by scientists to help us understand the lives of our ancestors, the...
MinuteEarth
Unintended Consequences | MinuteEarth Explains
In this collection of classic MinuteEarth videos, we learn that for pretty much every action we humans take, there’s an unintended consequence we didn’t see coming.
Be Smart
The Surprising Places We Waste Energy
We use a LOT of energy, but we waste a lot too. Where that waste happens might surprise, you though. We don't just waste energy when we leave the lights on or the thermostat cranked down too low. It happens at the dinner table and the...
TED Talks
TED: Why glass towers are bad for city life -- and what we need instead | Justin Davidson
There's a creepy transformation taking over our cities, says architecture critic Justin Davidson. From Houston, Texas to Guangzhou, China, shiny towers of concrete and steel covered with glass are cropping up like an invasive species....
TED Talks
TED: What it's like to be Muslim in America | Dalia Mogahed
When you look at Muslim scholar Dalia Mogahed, what do you see: A woman of faith? A scholar, a mom, a sister? Or an oppressed, brainwashed, potential terrorist? In this personal, powerful talk, Mogahed asks us, in this polarizing time,...
TED Talks
James Howard Kunstler: The ghastly tragedy of the suburbs
In James Howard Kunstler's view, public spaces should be inspired centers of civic life and the physical manifestation of the common good. Instead, he argues, what we have in America is a nation of places not worth caring about.
Crash Course
How the Leaning Tower of Pisa Was Saved: Crash Course Engineering #40
This week we’re going underground to explore geotechnical and seismic engineering. We’ll look at how structures connect to the ground and transmit loads through their foundations, and how those foundations need to provide a high bearing...
TED Talks
Andrew Blum: Discover the physical side of the internet
When a squirrel chewed through a cable and knocked him offline, journalist Andrew Blum started wondering what the Internet was really made of. So he set out to go see it -- the underwater cables, secret switches and other physical bits...
TED Talks
TED: How to design a library that makes kids want to read | Michael Bierut
When Michael Bierut was tapped to design a logo for public school libraries, he had no idea that he was embarking on a years-long passion project. In this often hilarious talk, he recalls his obsessive quest to bring energy, learning,...
SciShow
How Ancient Buildings Became Accidental Seismographs
We use seismographs to record the time, location and magnitude of earthquakes as they happen. But in the last three decades, a new field of study has emerged that is learning to track these details about earthquakes of old using the...
TED Talks
Michael Green: Why we should build wooden skyscrapers
Building a skyscraper? Forget about steel and concrete, says architect Michael Green, and build it out of … wood. As he details in this intriguing talk, it's not only possible to build safe wooden structures up to 30 stories tall (and,...
TED Talks
Elora Hardy: Magical houses, made of bamboo
You've never seen buildings like this. The stunning bamboo homes built by Elora Hardy and her team in Bali twist, curve and surprise at every turn. They defy convention because the bamboo itself is so enigmatic. No two poles of bamboo...
Crash Course Kids
The Engineering Process
So, how do we go about being engineers? In this episode of Crash Course Kids, Sabrina talks to us about the Engineering Process and why we should do things in order, as well as many of the questions we should ask along the way. This...
SciShow
What Happens When a Venomous Snake Bites Itself?
Venomous snakes produce some of the world’s deadliest substances, so they have to be pretty careful about how they use it. But what happens if they accidentally inject themselves with their own harmful cocktail?
TED Talks
Dave Troy: Social maps that reveal a city's intersections — and separations
Every city has its neighborhoods, cliques and clubs, the hidden lines that join and divide people in the same town. What can we learn about cities by looking at what people share online? Starting with his own home town of Baltimore, Dave...
TED Talks
Rogier van der Heide: Why light needs darkness
Lighting architect Rogier van der Heide offers a beautiful new way to look at the world -- by paying attention to light (and to darkness). Examples from classic buildings illustrate a deeply thought-out vision of the play of light around...
Curated Video
Civil Engineering: Crash Course Engineering #2
We’re beginning our engineering journey with a tour through the major branches. Today Shini explains the facets of civil engineering, including structural and construction engineering, city planning, transportation, and sanitation.
SciShow
Why Does the Wind Howl So Creepily?
You’re in the woods, there’s a full moon, and the wind begins to howl. We can’t take you out of this horror movie scenario, but we can explain why the wind sounds so spooky.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Can you survive nuclear fallout? - Brooke Buddemeier and Jessica S. Wieder
Nuclear weapons are some of the most powerful tools of destruction on Earth, and the full scope of a nuclear detonation is almost unimaginable. However, there is a scientifically supported plan of action that could save thousands of...
TED Talks
Kamal Meattle: How to grow fresh air
Researcher Kamal Meattle shows how an arrangement of three common houseplants, used in specific spots in a home or office building, can result in measurably cleaner indoor air.
TED-Ed
Run, sail or hide? How to survive the destruction of Pompeii | Gary Devore
It's a bustling day in Pompeii. After a quick visit to the market, Fabia spots her brothers, Lucius and Marcus, crossing the Forum. The siblings begin discussing Lucius' wedding — but a deafening boom interrupts them. They watch Vesuvius...
Be Smart
There's Science Hidden In Our National Monuments
I took a trip to Washington D.C. to check out some of our nation's most famous monuments. Where do they come from? From the depths of the Earth to the distant reaches of the cosmos, you'll never look at history the same way again
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Will there ever be a mile-high skyscraper? - Stefan Al
Would a mile-high skyscraper ever be possible? Explore the physics behind some of the tallest buildings and megastructures in the world. -- In 1956, architect Frank Lloyd Wright proposed a mile-high skyscraper, a building five times as...
TED Talks
Doris Kim Sung: Metal that breathes
Modern buildings with floor-to-ceiling windows give spectacular views, but they require a lot of energy to cool. Doris Kim Sung works with thermo-bimetals, smart materials that act more like human skin, dynamically and responsively, and...