TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why is this painting so captivating? - James Earle and Christina Bozsik
On first glance, the painting Las Meninasc (The Maids of Honorc) might not seem terribly special, but it's actually one of the most analyzed pieces in the history of art. Why is this painting by Diego Velazquez so captivating? James...
SciShow
Springs, Bows, and Gears: Amazing Animal Jumpers
We're pretty good at moving around in the world, but there are some animals that have efficient mechanisms that allow them to leap and bound wherever they go. Gears, bows, and springs allow these animals to be amazing jumpers.
SciShow
Could We Build Weather-Controlling Satellites?
In some science fiction movies, satellites control the weather in disastrous, but effective ways. Here in reality, we have attempted to influence the weather, with mixed results.
TED Talks
TED: The giant leaps in language technology -- and who's left behind | Kalika Bali
Thousands of languages thrive across the globe, yet modern speech technology -- with all of its benefits -- supports just over a hundred. Computational linguist Kalika Bali dreams of a day when technology acts as a bridge instead of a...
SciShow
The Most Venomous Animals in the World
There are a lot of ways to kill and be killed in the animal kingdom, but only a lucky few use the powers of venom. Not all are closely related, so how did they acquire the same defenses, where did venom come from, and how does it work?...
SciShow
5 Robots You Can Hug
Developers are working to make softer, squishier robots that are flexible enough to maneuver in extreme environments, including inside the human body!
TED Talks
TED: There's more to life than being happy | Emily Esfahani Smith
Our culture is obsessed with happiness, but what if there's a more fulfilling path? Happiness comes and goes, says writer Emily Esfahani Smith, but having meaning in life -- serving something beyond yourself and developing the best...
TED Talks
TED: The Sacred Art of the Ori | Laolu Senbanjo
every artist has a name, and every artist has a story. Laolu Senbanjo's story started in Nigeria, where he was surrounded by the culture and mythology of the Yoruba, and brought him to law school, to New York and eventually to work on...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How Phillis Wheatley captured the attention of the world | Charita Gainey
In 1775, General George Washington received a poem from one of colonial America's most famous writers. Its verses praised the burgeoning revolution, invoking the goddess of their new nation to aid the general's cause. But this ode to...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why is Aristophanes called "The Father of Comedy"? - Mark Robinson
Aristophanes, often referred to as the Father of Comedy, wrote the world's earliest surviving comic dramas. They're stuffed full of parodies, songs, sexual jokes and surreal fantasy -- and they've shaped how comedy's been written and...
TED Talks
Sendhil Mullainathan: Solving social problems with a nudge
MacArthur winner Sendhil Mullainathan uses the lens of behavioral economics to study a tricky set of social problems -- those we know how to solve, but don't. We know how to reduce child deaths due to diarrhea, how to prevent...
TED Talks
Seth Berkley: HIV and flu -- the vaccine strategy
Seth Berkley explains how smart advances in vaccine design, production and distribution are bringing us closer than ever to eliminating a host of global threats -- from AIDS to malaria to flu pandemics.
TED Talks
Ellen Jorgensen: Biohacking -- you can do it, too
We have personal computing -- why not personal biotech? That's the question biologist Ellen Jorgensen and her colleagues asked themselves before opening Genspace, a nonprofit DIY bio lab in Brooklyn devoted to citizen science, where...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The exceptional life of Benjamin Banneker - Rose-Margaret Ekeng-Itua
Born in 1731 to freed slaves on a farm in Baltimore, Benjamin Banneker was obsessed with math and science. And his appetite for knowledge only grew as he taught himself astronomy, mathematics, engineering, and the study of the natural...
TED Talks
David Brooks: Should you live for your r_sum_ ... or your eulogy?
Within each of us are two selves, suggests David Brooks in this meditative short talk: the self who craves success, who builds a r_sum_, and the self who seeks connection, community, love -- the values that make for a great eulogy....
SciShow
Ultra High-Tech Ways Scientists Might Defeat COVID-19
Scientists are trying a little bit of everything to fight the virus that causes COVID-19, but some researchers are harnessing more than just the usual virus-fighting repertoire, from tiny sponges to viral RNA-destroying bubbles.
SciShow
Could a Vaccine Prevent Type 1 Diabetes?
Measles, mumps, and polio are things we can prevent with vaccines, but scientists are looking to add a surprising entry to that list: Type 1 diabetes.
TED Talks
TED: How gratitude rewires your brain | Christina Costa
When a psychologist who studies well-being ends up with a brain tumor, what happens when she puts her own research into practice? Christina Costa goes beyond the "fight" narrative of cancer -- or any formidable personal journey -- to...
SciShow Kids
Make an Eclipse Viewer!
Jessi and Squeaks show you how to make a pinhole viewer so you can safely watch the solar eclipse!
TED Talks
TED: How to lead in the new era of employee activism | Megan Reitz
What does it mean to lead in this new age of employee activism? Megan Reitz offers a four-point crash course on what employees want from their organizations and how leaders can rise to the challenge of building proactive and productive...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How the world's longest underwater tunnel was built
Flanked by two powerful nations, the English Channel has long been one of the world’s most important maritime passages. Yet for most of its history, crossing was a dangerous prospect. Engineers proposed numerous plans for spanning the...
TED Talks
Sydney Jensen: How can we support the emotional well-being of teachers?
Teachers emotionally support our kids -- but who's supporting our teachers? In this eye-opening talk, educator Sydney Jensen explores how teachers are at risk of "secondary trauma" -- the idea that they absorb the emotional weight of...
TED Talks
Bilal Bomani: Plant fuels that could power a jet
Algae plus salt water equals ... fuel? At TEDxNASA@SiliconValley, Bilal Bomani reveals a self-sustaining ecosystem that produces biofuels -- without wasting arable land or fresh water.
TED-Ed
TED-ED: How the world's first subway system was built - Christian Wolmar
It was the dawn of 1863, and London's not-yet-opened subway system - the first of its kind in the world - had the city in an uproar. Most people thought the project, which cost more than 100 million dollars in today's money, would never...