TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why aren't we only using solar power? - Alexandros George Charalambides
Solar power is cheaper and more sustainable than our current coal-fueled power plants, so why haven't we made the switch? The real culprits here are the clouds, which make solar power difficult to control. Alexandros George Charalambides...
TED Talks
TED: The tragedy of orphanages | Georgette Mulheir
Orphanages are costly and can cause irreparable damage both mentally and physically for its charges -- so why are they still so ubiquitous? Georgette Mulheir gravely describes the tragedy of orphanages and urges us to end our reliance on...
SciShow
The Sound of Your GPA Slipping Away
Researchers have noticed some trends in the relationship between academic performance and noise. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t sound good.
SciShow
The Surprising Benefits of Watching Cute Cat Videos
If you are feeling stuck, you might get benefits to be better at the task by watching cute animal videos.
TED Talks
TED: How we can build AI to help humans, not hurt us | Margaret Mitchell
As a research scientist at Google, Margaret Mitchell helps develop computers that can communicate about what they see and understand. She tells a cautionary tale about the gaps, blind spots and biases we subconsciously encode into AI --...
SciShow
Dopamine Isn’t Just a Happy Chemical
When we think of the neurotransmitter dopamine, we often imagine it, and other molecules in our brains, as doing one specific thing. But that's just flat out wrong!
SciShow
Could Eye Drops Replace Your Glasses?
Getting older means it’s likely that your eyes will have trouble focusing on things at close distances, so we are often prescribed glasses to combat this problem. But what if there were eye drops that could achieve the same results?
TED Talks
TED: How we can use light to see deep inside our bodies and brains | Mary Lou Jepsen
In a series of mind-bending demos, inventor Mary Lou Jepsen shows how we can use red light to see and potentially stimulate what's inside our bodies and brains. Taking us to the edge of optical physics, Jepsen unveils new technologies...
SciShow
Why Can Blu-rays Hold More Than DVDs?
Blu-rays can hold about ten times more than DVDs because Blu-ray players use special blue lasers to read them. But it took a while for scientists to figure out how to make those lasers work.
TED Talks
TED: An action plan for solving the climate crisis | John Doerr and Ryan Panchadsaram
How much more damage do we have to endure before we realize that it's cheaper to save this planet than to ruin it? asks engineer and investor John Doerr. In conversation with Countdown cofounder Lindsay Levin, Doerr and systems innovator...
SciShow
Why You Can’t Listen to Music While You Work
Some people are capable of concentrating in a storm of noise and motion, and some get distracted by the slightest squeak of a classmate’s chair. This has to do with our brain’s ability to filter, and not only are both entirely natural,...
SciShow
What Neuroscience Can Learn from Meditation
Meditation methods and the scientific method are teaming up to explore some of the deepest questions about our existence and human nature.
TED Talks
TED: The trials, tribulations and timeline of a COVID-19 vaccine | Jerome Kim
Developing a vaccine usually takes five to 10 years, costs about a billion dollars and has a failure rate of 93 percent. Under the pressure of the coronavirus pandemic, scientists are being asked to speed that timeline up to 12 to 18...
TED Talks
TED: This tennis icon paved the way for women in sports | Billie Jean King
Tennis legend Billie Jean King isn't just a pioneer of women's tennis -- she's a pioneer for women getting paid. In this freewheeling conversation, she talks about identity, the role of sports in social justice and the famous Battle of...
SciShow
Colored Noise, and How It Can Help You Focus
Colors like white, pink and brown aren’t just for clouds, flowers and cows! They also describe special sounds that can actually help you focus and sleep!
SciShow
This Planet Survived the Death of its Star
When stars die, they tend to take everything around them with them. But new evidence appears to show a planet orbiting a white dwarf, and we’re not sure how it survived! Plus, experiments designed to detect dark matter might be capable...
SciShow
How to Clear Your Mind
Your brain is hard-wired to do all sorts of things when you are not consciously thinking about something. But just because it’s normal for your mind to wander doesn’t mean that it’s always good! Luckily, once you know how it works, you...
MinuteEarth
Conservation Triage: Prioritizing Species for Survival
This video highlights the urgent issue of wildlife extinction and proposes a medical triage approach to prioritize species for conservation efforts. It questions the current emphasis on charismatic species like pandas, suggesting that we...
SciShow
Why Don't You Notice Obvious Mistakes in Movies?
Whether it's a car in the background of Braveheart or the inconsistent cliff in Jurassic Park, movies tend to have mistakes. Why don't we notice them more often?
Crash Course
Economics of Education: Crash Course Economics
How does education work? Where does the money come from? Who pays for it? Is going to college a good investment? Adriene and Jacob are talking today about the economics of education. Most countries require that their citizens get some...
TED Talks
How bad data keeps us from good AI | Mainak Mazumdar
The future economy won't be built by people and factories, but by algorithms and artificial intelligence, says data scientist Mainak Mazumdar. But what happens when these algorithms get trained on biased data? Drawing on examples from...
TED Talks
TED: The tyranny of merit | Michael Sandel
What accounts for our polarized public life, and how can we begin to heal it? Political philosopher Michael Sandel offers a surprising answer: those who have flourished need to look in the mirror. He explores how "meritocratic hubris"...
TED Talks
TED: Climate justice can't happen without racial justice | David Lammy
Why has there been so little mention of saving Black lives from the climate emergency? For too long, racial justice efforts have been distinguished from climate justice work, says David Lammy, Member of Parliament for Tottenham, England....