TED-Ed
What would happen if the Amazon Rainforest disappeared? | Anna Rothschild
As of 2022, humans have deforested 17% of the Amazon, and scientists warn that we may be approaching a tipping point. It’s like removing bricks from a house: take a few and the house remains standing; remove too many and the whole thing...
TED-Ed
The tragic romance of Tristan and Isolde | Iseult Gillespie
After witnessing a bird carrying a single golden hair, King Mark of Cornwall declared his future bride must have equally radiant locks. The only royal matching this description was Princess Isolde of Ireland. So the king sent Tristan,...
TED-Ed
Can you "see" images in your mind? Some people can't | Adam Zeman
When reading "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," most readers visualize the queen’s croquet game play out in their heads. A few might see the scene in vivid detail. However, a small fraction of readers have a drastically different...
TED-Ed
The tale of the brothers who outwitted the demon queen | Malay Bera
Achinpur was on the precipice of demonic takeover. A mysterious woman beguiled the king and infiltrated the royal family. But she wasn’t human; under her beautiful façade lurked an insatiable appetite for flesh. One night, the demon...
TED-Ed
The murderous medieval king who inspired "Macbeth" | Benjamin Hudson
Of all Shakespeare’s plays, perhaps none is stranger than “Macbeth”— a parable on power rife with supernatural elements. But according to texts from the 11th century, this tragedy has its roots in reality. What’s more, other accounts...
TED-Ed
Rocks could save the world (Yes, rocks) | Elise Cutts
Mount Teide is one of the world’s largest active volcanoes, and there may be a way to use the basalt rock inside it to save humanity. Obviously, destroying an ancient volcano would cause catastrophic and unpredictable ecological fallout....
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-Ed
TED-Ed: How do heat waves affect your body? | Carolyn Beans
In many parts of the world heat waves are happening more often with greater intensity and for longer durations. By 2050, Earth’s mid-latitudes could be experiencing extreme heat between 90 and 180 days a year, with tropical regions...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Ugly History: The Armenian Genocide | Ümit Kurt
When an Armenian resistance movement began to form in the 19th century, Sultan Abdul Hamid II took decisive action. He led the Hamidian Massacres— a relentless campaign of violence that killed over 150,000 Armenians. These massacres were...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: 3 reasons why medications are so expensive in the US | Kiah Williams
A century after its discovery, insulin remain essential in treating diabetes, and has a relatively low production cost, with a vial generally costing less than $6 to make. But those in the US pay on average 10 times more than those in...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The dungeon master's riddle | Alex Rosenthal
Yet another party of adventurers has broken into your lair to slay your minions and steal your treasures. Judging by the trail of destruction, you’re up against a fighter, a rogue, and a cleric. The first two won’t be a problem for a...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Greek mythology’s greatest warrior | Iseult Gillespie
Born to a sea nymph and a king, and trained by the legendary centaur Chiron, Achilles was a demigod destined for greatness. When Greece declared war on Troy, Achilles knew the war was written into his destiny. With horses born from the...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why did people wear powdered wigs? | Stephanie Honchell Smith
Wigs date at least as far back as ancient Egypt, where well-regarded hairdressers crafted them into intricate styles. And under certain ancient Roman dynasties, women’s wigs became particularly ornate. Yet it wasn’t until Louis XIII...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Is safety worth the loss of privacy? | Sarah Stroud and Michael Vazquez
Your government has introduced a plan to address record-breaking rates of traffic tickets and deadly hovercar accidents. They propose assigning “driver credit scores” to every citizen, but would need to install cameras and microphones in...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How could so many people support Hitler? | Joseph Lacey
Philosopher Hannah Arendt was a German Jew who dedicated herself to understanding how the Nazi regime came to power, and more specifically, how it inspired so many atrocities. She believed the true conditions behind the unprecedented...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why don't "tough" and "dough" rhyme? | Arika Okrent
Spelling reformers have been advocating for changes to make English spelling more intuitive and less irregular. One example of its messiness: take the “g-h” sound from “enough,” the “o” sound from “women” and the “t-i” sound from...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How to increase your happiness | TED-Ed
Many people would say the connection between happiness and gratefulness is very simple: when you are happy, you are grateful. But think again. Is it really the happy people that are grateful? Quite a number of people have everything that...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: 3 easy steps to build a real utopia | Joseph Lacey
A group of strangers have gathered to design a just society. To ensure none of them rig the system, they’ve been placed under a veil of ignorance. Under this veil, they’re blind to information about age, sex, profession, wealth,...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The Nazis recruited to win the Cold War | Brian Crim
In May of 1945 the Third Reich was in chaos. Adolf Hitler was dead and German surrender was imminent. But while World War II was almost over, a new war was brewing. And the US was eager to recruit the smartest minds in Germany before the...
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: The true story behind the legend of the 47 Rōnin | Adam Clulow
Asano Naganori, lord of Akō domain, fixed his gaze on Kira Yoshinaka, a senior master of ceremony. Asano extended his short sword, charged through the castle, and struck Kira. While the wound wasn’t fatal, its consequences would be. What...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The rise and fall of the Maya Empire’s most powerful city | Geoffrey E. Braswell
During the 8th century CE, warfare and failing agriculture forced Maya people to move north, to hotter, drier Yucatán. Because of its freshwater access, Chichen Itza became the most powerful Maya city, with nearly 50,000 citizens at its...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What really happened to Oedipus? | Stephen Esposito
When Queen Jocasta of Thebes gave birth to Oedipus, a grim air seized the occasion. Her husband, King Laius, had received a prophecy from Apollo's oracle foretelling that he would die at the hands of his own son. Determined to escape...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Rumi: One of the world's most famous writers | Stephanie Honchell Smith
According to legend, the renowned scholar Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi was giving a lecture when a disheveled man approached and asked him the meaning of his academic books. Rumi didn’t know it yet, but this question and this man would...