PBS
Why culture shock is a valuable part of ‘thoughtful travel,’ according to Rick Steves
New ReviewMillions of Americans are expected to go on a European vacation this summer. Many of those going for the first time are likely to be following the advice of travel writer Rick Steves, host of “Rick Steves’ Europe” on PBS stations. John...
TED Talks
Inside India's astonishing solar revolution | Kanika Chawla
New ReviewIn 2014, the world’s second largest coal consumer made a bold promise: to increase its solar capacity from three gigawatts to 100 gigawatts in just eight years. Many people called it overly ambitious, but energy expert Kanika Chawla saw...
SciShow
The World’s Biggest Fusion Reactor Doesn’t Do Anything
When ITER's tokamak finally comes online (as of July 2024, that's 2034 for its first round of research, and 2039 for deuterium-tritium fusion), it will become the world's biggest fusion reactor. But don't hold your breath for a green...
SciShow
Why Can't We Use Lightning for Electricity?
Correction: This is Watt's law, not Ohm's law! Our math was right but our name was wrong. We need green energy yesterday. And it so happens that nature regularly sends huge bolts of electricity at us out of the sky. So what are the...
SciShow
The Heaviest Things Humans Have Ever Built
From the Great Pyramid at Giza, to one-quarter of the Netherlands, to continent-spanning electrical grids, humans are great at making really BIG things. Hosted by: @NotesByNiba (she/her)
Crash Course
Biology and You: The Dr. Sammy Show: Crash Course Biology #50
Biology connects all of life—all of YOUR life. In the final episode of Crash Course Biology, Dr. Sammy is taking your questions. No matter how big, small, or personal, biology is in them all! He’ll show us how biology can help us solve...
TED Talks
This is what the future of media looks like | Hamish McKenzie
What if the polarizing mess of social media, clickbait headlines and addictive algorithms isn't a breakdown of media but a transition to something better? Substack cofounder Hamish McKenzie explores how independent creators are growing a...
TED Talks
How AI can bridge the Deaf and hearing worlds | Adam Munder
Software engineer Adam Munder is on a mission to break down communication barriers between the Deaf and hearing worlds. In a live demo, he introduces OmniBridge — an AI platform that translates American Sign Language into English text in...
TED Talks
Lessons from history for a better future | Roman Krznaric
How can the lessons of the past help us navigate the turbulence of the present and future? Social philosopher Roman Krznaric explores why history isn’t just a record of what’s gone wrong — it’s also full of solutions, resilience and...
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...
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 Talks
Art, Conservation, and Resilience: Transforming Challenges into Change
Amir Nizar Zuabi and Kristine McDivitt Tompkins discuss the power of art and conservation in addressing global challenges. Zuabi reflects on his projects, including the moving puppet Amal and "The Herds," which use beauty and...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The curse of the monkey's paw | Iseult Gillespie
Sergeant-Major Morris regaled his friends with epic tales from faraway lands— until one asked about an artifact the Sergeant had alluded to. Slowly, he produced the object: a mummified monkey’s paw. He explained that a holy man had...
TED Talks
TED: Democracy is being tested. Citizen assemblies can help | Ketakandriana Rafitoson
How can everyday people help foster and protect democracy? Detailing her work fighting for people power as an activist in Madagascar, Ketakandriana Rafitoson discusses how citizen assemblies — meetings where ordinary citizens get...
TED Talks
TED: What’s next for immersive storytelling? | Mark Grimmer
New possibilities for storytelling are emerging faster than at any other time in history, says film producer Mark Grimmer. With an immersive approach to art exhibitions, he shares several multidisciplinary projects — including a...
TED Talks
TED: How to be an "apocalyptic optimist" | Dana R. Fisher
Dana R. Fisher calls herself an "apocalyptic optimist" based on her research as a sociologist of large social movements. Her studies suggest that ever-increasing climate disasters will get people out in the streets demanding the action...
TED Talks
TED: From prison to purpose through wildland firefighting | Royal Ramey
When wildfires rage in California, incarcerated people are often on the front lines fighting the flames. TED Fellow Royal Ramey was one of them. He shares the story of how doing public service in prison inspired him to cofound the...
MinutePhysics
Why Are Airplane Engines So Big?
The answer to this question has everything to do with drag & kinetic energy vs momentum change (thrust) ie, a bigger engine fan allows for a larger air mass to be accelerated a smaller amount to give the same thrust as you'd get from a...
MinutePhysics
The Most Burly Hurls
Which is the most intense Olympic throwing event? Shot put? Hammer? Discus? Javelin?
TED Talks
Bridging the Divide: Emerging Leaders, Political Polarization, and the Future of U.S. Democracy
President and founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media Ian Bremmer discusses the potential for emerging leaders in American politics who can build bridges, citing a few modern figures as examples. While he acknowledges a new generation...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How to prevent political corruption | Stephanie Honchell Smith
Corruption is often defined as misuse of a position of power for personal gain. And while corruption in politics is nothing new, it isn't limited to the political sphere; it can happen in schools, sports, businesses, or religious...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Could we build a miniature sun on Earth? | George Zaidan
Stars have cores hot and dense enough to force atomic nuclei together, forming larger, heavier nuclei in a process known as fusion. In this process, the mass of the end products is slightly less than the mass of the initial atoms. But...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What happened when these 6 dictators took over | Stephanie Honchell Smith
Under certain conditions, the idea of a dictator can sound appealing, like when a democracy isn’t functioning as it should due to corruption or political polarization. People may believe the solution is a "benevolent dictator"— a leader...
SciShow
The 16 Most Asked Questions About Magnets
Magnets - how DO they work? We've got the answer for you, plus a bunch of weird fun magnet facts - where they got their names, why hitting some stuff with a hammer can turn it into magnets, and even why we feed magnets to cows, on purpose.