PBS
Can a Chess Piece Explain Markov Chains?
In this episode probability mathematics and chess collide. What is the average number of steps it would take before a randomly moving knight returned to its starting square?
TED Talks
TED: The gospel of doubt | Casey Gerald
What do you do when your firmly held beliefs turn out not to be true? When Casey Gerald's religion failed him, he searched for something new to believe in -- in business, in government, in philanthropy -- but found only false saviors. In...
SciShow
These Slugs See with Their Brains
If you’re a person with sight, your two eyes are your only window into the visual world. But slugs see not only with their eyes, but with their brains as well!
TED Talks
Pearl Arredondo: My story, from gangland daughter to star teacher
Pearl Arredondo grew up in East Los Angeles, the daughter of a high-ranking gang member who was in and out of jail. Many teachers wrote her off as having a problem with authority. Now a teacher herself, she's creating a different kind of...
TED Talks
TED: What time is it on Mars? | Nagin Cox
Nagin Cox is a first-generation Martian. As a spacecraft engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cox works on the team that manages the united States' rovers on Mars. But working a 9-to-5 on another planet -- whose day is 40...
TED Talks
Jonathan Harris: The Web's secret stories
Jonathan Harris wants to make sense of the emotional world of the Web. With deep compassion for the human condition, his projects troll the Internet to find out what we're all feeling and looking for.
TED Talks
TED: How to spot a liar | Pamela Meyer
On any given day we're lied to from 10 to 200 times, and the clues to detect those lies can be subtle and counter-intuitive. Pamela Meyer, author of Liespotting, shows the manners and "hotspots" used by those trained to recognize...
TED Talks
TED: The year I was homeless | Becky Blanton
Becky Blanton planned to live in her van for a year and see the country, but when depression set in and her freelance job ended, her camping trip turned into homelessness. In this intimate talk, she describes her experience of becoming...
Crash Course
The Montgomery Bus Boycott: Crash Course Black American History
For 381 days in 1955 and 1956, the Black citizens of Montgomery, Alabama boycotted the city bus system. Black riders had been mistreated on public transit all over the country for decades, and the national coverage of the Montgomery Bus...
SciShow
Why Do Roosters Crow?
Michael Aranda goes to the barnyard to answer one of the most frequently asked questions about animals: Why do roosters crow? Short answer: Because they're jerks. Longer answer: They're jerks that tend to get noticed more than the other...
SciShow
Why Does Your Breath Stink in the Morning?
At night, your mouth becomes the perfect home for growing bacteria. Forgive us if we don't talk to you until after you brush your teeth.
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The case of the missing fractals - Alex Rosenthal and George Zaidan
A bump on the head, a mysterious femme fatale and a strange encounter on a windswept peak all add up to a heck of a night for Manny Brot, Private Eye. Watch as he tries his hand at saving the dame and getting the cash! Shudder at the...
TED Talks
TED: The loves and lies of fireflies | Sara Lewis
Biologist Sara Lewis has spent the past 20 years getting to the bottom of the magic and wonder of fireflies. In this charming talk, she tells us how and why the beetles produce their silent sparks, what happens when two fireflies have...
TED Talks
Bruce McCall: What is retro-futurism?
Bruce McCall paints a retro-future that never happened -- full of flying cars, polo-playing tanks and the RMS Tyrannic, "The Biggest Thing in All the World." At Serious Play '08, he narrates a brisk and funny slideshow of his...
TED Talks
TED: My desperate journey with a human smuggler | Barat Ali Batoor
Photojournalist Barat Ali Batoor was living in Afghanistan -- until his risky work forced him to leave the country. But for Batoor, a member of a displaced ethnic group called the Hazara, moving home to Pakistan proved dangerous too. And...
SciShow
Trouble in Bed: When Sleep Turns Against Us
Having trouble sleeping? In this episode of SciShow, Hank explores different kinds of sleep disorders, from insomnia to apnea to sleepwalking. Chapters View all PRIMARY INSOMNIA NO OTHER HEALTH ISSUES 1:49 ACUTE INSOMNIA 2:01...
SciShow Kids
Why Do Kangaroos Have Pouches? Animal Science for Kids
What do kangaroos, koalas, and opossums all have in common? Find out when you learn all about marsupials!
TED Talks
TED: A pro wrestler's guide to confidence | Mike Kinney
You are more than you think you are, says former pro wrestler Mike Kinney -- you just have to find what makes you unique and use it to your advantage. For years Kinney "turned up" the parts of himself that made him special as he invented...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: How plants tell time - Dasha Savage
Morning glories unfurl their petals like clockwork in the early morning. A closing white waterlily signals that it's late afternoon. And moon flowers, as their name suggests, only bloom under the night sky. What gives plants this innate...
TED Talks
Jon Ronson: When online shaming goes too far
Twitter gives a voice to the voiceless, a way to speak up and hit back at perceived injustice. But sometimes, says Jon Ronson, things go too far. In a jaw-dropping story of how one un-funny tweet ruined a woman's life and career, Ronson...
SciShow
What Keeps Astronauts Up At Night?
Sleep is a crucial activity for our brains to function properly. But when you’re on the ISS, you face a myriad of distractions and obligations that make it difficult to get good shuteye. So how do these astronauts ever get restful sleep?
Bozeman Science
Mechanisms of Timing and Control
Paul Andersen explains how organisms regulate timing and control. Phototropism and Photoperiodism allow plants to respond to light throughout the day and year. Circadian rhythms are used in all organisms (including animals) as an...
TED Talks
TED: The renewable heating system right below your feet | Kathy Hannun
Of all the mundane yet astonishing marvels of human ingenuity, knowing what it takes to heat a room to a comfortable temperature is TED Fellow Kathy Hannun's favorite. She takes us on a journey across the planet and under the sea to...