Physicist Steven Cowley is certain that nuclear fusion is the only truly sustainable solution to the fuel crisis. He explains why fusion will work -- and details the projects that he and many others have devoted their lives to, working...

All new products must pass through the "valley of death" before they reach the market. Many never make it out, and sometimes that's OK -- if they don't work, don't fill a need or for any number of reasons. One of the fields where this...

The Hubble Space Telescope has been sending home images of the universe for more than thirty years, but none of its work would have been possible without the many servicing missions that kept it up to date.

An overview of backpropagation, the algorithm behind how neural networks learn.

Special Guest Derek Muller stumps Hank with logic problems and talks about energy, teaching tools and education through video. Jessi from Animal Wonders also joins the conversation to talk about Lollipop, the striped skunk.

Creating functional prosthetics at a fraction of the cost of imported tech, bionic innovator and TED Fellow Enzo Romero shares a groundbreaking model for designing 3D-printed assistive technology sourced from recycled materials -- built...

What if tiny microparticles could help us solve the world's biggest problems in a matter of minutes? That's the promise -- and magic -- of quantum computers, says Matt Langione. Speaking next to an actual IBM quantum computer, he...

"Remember before the internet?" asks Joi Ito. "Remember when people used to try to predict the future?" In this engaging talk, the head of the MIT Media Lab skips the future predictions and instead shares a new approach to creating in...

Just like his beloved grandfather, Avi Reichental is a maker of things. The difference is, now he can use 3D printers to make almost anything, out of almost any material. Reichental tours us through the possibilities of 3D printing, for...

Jimmy Wales recalls how he assembled "a ragtag band of volunteers," gave them tools for collaborating and created Wikipedia, the self-organizing, self-correcting, never-finished online encyclopedia.

There's a creeping sameness in many of our newest urban buildings and streetscapes, says architect Vishaan Chakrabarti. And this physical homogeneity -- the result of regulations, mass production, safety issues and cost considerations,...

The 1960s were an optimistic time for space exploration - so much so that a team designed a rocket called the Sea Dragon that was big enough to launch an entire space station from the sea in one go!

Is Immigration good or bad? Immigration is a touchy subject in the United States. The 2016 election has been filled with debate about the subject, and both proponents and opponents have lots of reasons for their stance. But, this is a...

By 2050, the global population is projected to reach 9.8 billion. How are we going to feed everyone? Investment-banker-turned-farmer Stuart Oda points to indoor vertical farming: growing food on tiered racks in a controlled,...

How do companies make money? What are profits? Revenues? How are prices set? This week, Jacob and Adriene are talking business. Whether you're selling cars, pizza, or glow sticks, this video has pretty much all the information you need...

Today we're going to talk about the birth of personal computing. Up until the early 1970s components were just too expensive, or underpowered, for making a useful computer for an individual, but this would begin to change with the...

Have you ever sat in a doctor's office for hours, despite having an appointment? Has a hotel turned down your reservation because it's full? Have you been bumped off a flight that you paid for? These are all symptoms of overbooking, a...

Our need for data storage grows everyday... but by how much?

Climate change is happening we all need to get serious about limiting our carbon dioxide emissions! At the same time, scientists are looking for plan B because we might need it.

In which Adriene and Jacob teach you about how and why prices rise. Sometimes prices rise as a result of inflation, which is a pretty normal thing for economies to do. We'll talk about how across the board prices rise over time, and how...

When you think of matrices as transforming space, rather than as grids of numbers, so much of linear algebra starts to make sense.

Hank talks about space elevators, and why we shouldn't expect to see one any time soon.

Imagine that you've been unemployed for months. Government benefit programs have helped you cover your expenses, but you're barely getting by. Finally, you receive a paycheck— but there's a catch. Your new job pays enough to disqualify...

All across the world people need to get from one place to another. And sometimes to get to that other place we need bridges. Here are eight bridges that are extraordinary in their own way, from standing the test of time to handling...