Be Smart
Why Do We Go to Space?
Why do we go to space? In the beginning of our space program, the answer had a lot to do with war and paranoia. But with the dawn of the space shuttle, that all changed. Where do we go from here?
TED Talks
Beeban Kidron: The shared wonder of film
Movies have the power to create a shared narrative experience and to shape memories and worldviews. British film director Beeban Kidron invokes iconic film scenes -- from Miracle in Milan to Boyz n the Hood -- as she shows how her group...
TED Talks
TED: 10 years to transform the future of humanity -- or destabilize the planet | Johan Rockström
For the first time, we are forced to consider the real risk of destabilizing the entire planet, says climate impact scholar Johan Rockström. In a talk backed by vivid animations of the climate crisis, he shows how nine out of the 15 big...
TED Talks
David Pizarro: The strange politics of disgust
What does a disgusting image have to do with how you vote? Equipped with surveys and experiments, psychologist David Pizarro demonstrates a correlation between your sensitivity to disgusting cues -- a photo of feces, an unpleasant odor...
TED Talks
TED: Black life at the intersection of birth and death | Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa
It is the artist's job to unearth stories that people try to bury with shovels of complacency and time, says poet and freedom fighter Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa. Performing her poem "The Joys of Motherhood," Katwiwa explores the...
TED Talks
TED: American bipartisan politics can be saved -- here's how | Bob Inglis
Former Republican member of the u.S. Congress Bob Inglis shares an optimistic message about how conservatives can lead on climate change and other pressing problems -- and how free enterprise (and working together across ideologies) hold...
SciShow
The Most Massive Dinosaur, and Are Earthquakes Contagious?
SciShow News introduces you to the most massive land animal ever to walk the earth (pretty much) and tells you what’s going on with all of these earthquakes lately.
TED Talks
TED: How students of color confront impostor syndrome | Dena Simmons
* Viewer discretion advised. This video includes discussion of mature topics and may be inappropriate for some audiences. As a black woman from a tough part of the Bronx who grew up to attain all the markers of academic prestige, Dena...
SciShow
Your Dog Questions Answered! | Compilation
People and dogs have been best buddies for, like, 15,000 years, but there are still some things we don't know about them! That's why SciShow has put together this handy compilation answering some of the common questions we all have about...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Silvia Moreno-García: Titan of terror: the dark imagination of H.P. Lovecraft
Arcane books of forbidden lore, disturbing secrets in the family bloodline, and terrors so unspeakable the very thought of them might drive you mad. These have become standard elements in modern horror stories. But they were largely...
TED Talks
TED: What everyday citizens can do to claim power on the internet | Fadi Chehade and Bryn Freedman
Technology architect Fadi Chehade helped set up the infrastructure that makes the internet work -- essential things like the domain name system and IP address standards. Today he's focused on finding ways for society to benefit from...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The myth of Loki's monstrous children | Iseult Gillespie
Odin, the king of Asgard, was plagued by nightmares. Three fearsome figures haunted his dreams: a massive, writhing shadow; a shambling, rotting corpse; and worst of all, a monstrous beast with a deadly bite. Though their true forms were...
TED Talks
Laurel Braitman: Depressed dogs, cats with OCD — what animal madness means for us humans
Behind those funny animal videos, sometimes, are oddly human-like problems. Laurel Braitman studies non-human animals who exhibit signs of mental health issues -- from compulsive bears to self-destructive rats to monkeys with unlikely...
TED Talks
Beau Lotto and Cirque du Soleil: How we experience awe -- and why it matters
Neuroscientist Beau Lotto conducted an ambitious study with Cirque du Soleil on the emotion of awe and its psychological and behavioral benefits. In this talk and live performance, he shares some of their findings -- and stands back as...
Be Smart
The Scale of the Universe
From the very large to the very small, the universe is an amazing place. Here's my favorite ways to explore its scale.
TED Talks
TED: Intimate photos of a senior love triangle | Isadora Kosofsky
Photographer and TED Fellow Isadora Kosofsky is a chronicler of love, loss and loneliness. In this searching talk, she shares photos from her four years documenting the lives of a senior citizen love triangle -- and reveals what they can...
TED Talks
Smash fear, learn anything - Tim Ferriss
* Viewer discretion advised. This video includes discussion of mature topics and may be inappropriate for some audiences. From the EG conference: Productivity guru Tim Ferriss' fun, encouraging anecdotes show how one simple question --...
TED Talks
Ananda Shankar Jayant: Fighting cancer with dance
Renowned classical Indian dancer Ananda Shankar Jayant was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. She tells her personal story of not only facing the disease but dancing through it, and gives a performance revealing the metaphor of strength that...
TED Talks
Eleanor Longden: The voices in my head
To all appearances, Eleanor Longden was just like every other student, heading to college full of promise and without a care in the world. That was until the voices in her head started talking. Initially innocuous, these internal...
TED Talks
TED: What are animals thinking and feeling? | Carl Safina
What's going on inside the brains of animals? Can we know what, or if, they're thinking and feeling? Carl Safina thinks we can. using discoveries and anecdotes that span ecology, biology and behavioral science, he weaves together stories...
TED Talks
TED: Why you should define your fears instead of your goals | Tim Ferriss
The hard choices -- what we most fear doing, asking, saying -- are very often exactly what we need to do. How can we overcome self-paralysis and take action? Tim Ferriss encourages us to fully envision and write down our fears in detail,...
TED Talks
TED: Why we will rely on robots | Rodney Brooks
Scaremongers play on the idea that robots will simply replace people on the job. In fact, they can become our essential collaborators, freeing us up to spend time on less mundane and mechanical challenges. Rodney Brooks points out how...
TED Talks
TED: Why science demands a leap into the unknown | Uri Alon
While studying for his PhD in physics, Uri Alon thought he was a failure because all his research paths led to dead ends. But, with the help of improv theater, he came to realize that there could be joy in getting lost. A call for...
TED Talks
TED: Dear Facebook, this is how you're breaking democracy | Yaël Eisenstat
Lies are more engaging online than truth, says former CIA analyst, diplomat and Facebook employee Yaël Eisenstat. "As long as [social media] algorithms' goals are to keep us engaged, they will feed us the poison that plays to our worst...