Crash Course
Ecology: Crash Course History of Science
We’ve explored the origins of modern biology, the earth sciences, and even the sciences of outer space. Now it’s time to put these disciplines together. It's Ecology time!!!
Crash Course
Genetics and The Modern Synthesis: Crash Course History of Science
Remember how Darwin and Mendel lived around the same time, but everyone forgot about Mendel until 1900, and even then biologists saw Darwinism and Mendelism as two competing grand theories about how life works? Well, in this episode of...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The evolution of the human eye - Joshua Harvey
The human eye is an amazing mechanism, able to detect anywhere from a few photons to a few quadrillion, or switch focus from the screen in front of you to the distant horizon in a third of a second. How did these complex structures...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why is it so hard to cure cancer? - Kyuson Yun
We've harnessed electricity, sequenced the human genome, and eradicated smallpox. But after billions of dollars in research, we haven't found a solution for a disease that affects more than 14 million people and their families at any...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How X-rays see through your skin - Ge Wang
Originally discovered by accident, X-rays are now used about 100 million times a year in clinics around the world. How do these magic eyes work? Ge Wang details the history and mechanics of the X-ray machine and CT scanners.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The brilliance of bioluminescence - Leslie Kenna
Some lucky animals are naturally endowed with bioluminescence, or the ability to create light. The firefly, the anglerfish, and a few more surprising creatures use this ability in many ways, including survival, hunting, and mating....
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The hidden worlds within natural history museums - Joshua Drew
When you think of natural history museums, you might picture exhibits filled with ancient lifeless things, like dinosaurs or meteorites. But behind that educational exterior, there are hidden laboratories where scientific breakthroughs...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What happens when you remove the hippocampus? - Sam Kean
When Henry Molaison (now widely known as H.M.) cracked his skull in an accident, he began blacking out and having seizures. In an attempt to cure him, daredevil surgeon Dr. William Skoville removed H.M.'s hippocampus. Luckily, the...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: How the food you eat affects your gut - Shilpa Ravella
The bacteria in our guts can break down food the body can't digest, produce important nutrients, regulate the immune system, and protect against harmful germs. And while we can't control all the factors that go into maintaining a healthy...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The immortal cells of Henrietta Lacks - Robin Bulleri
Imagine something small enough to float on a particle of dust that holds the keys to understanding cancer, virology, and genetics. Luckily for us, such a thing exists in the form of trillions upon trillions of human, lab-grown cells...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The benefits of a bilingual brain - Mia Nacamulli
It's obvious that knowing more than one language can make certain things easier - like traveling or watching movies without subtitles. But are there other advantages to having a bilingual (or multilingual) brain? Mia Nacamulli details...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How blood pressure works - Wilfred Manzano
If you lined up all the blood vessels in your body, they'd be 60 thousand miles long. And every day, they carry the equivalent of over two thousand gallons of blood to the body's tissues. What effect does this pressure have on the walls...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How a few scientists transformed the way we think about disease - Tien Nguyen
This video was created with support from the U.S. Office of Research Integrity: http://ori.hhs.gov. For several centuries, people though diseases were caused by wandering clouds of poisonous vapor. We now know that this theory is pretty...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How mucus keeps us healthy - Katharina Ribbeck
Your body produces more than a liter of mucus every day, and when you're sick, it can be hard to miss. But what exactly is mucus? And what does it do, besides making you miserable? Katharina Ribbeck reveals the mysteries of this...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The operating system of life - George Zaidan and Charles Morton
Humans, octopi and pine trees alike are all made up of cells, tiny but sophisticated systems that keep life going. Cells are almost like tiny factories run by robots, with the nucleus, DNA, proteins, lipids, and vitamins and minerals all...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Why do animals form swarms? - Maria R. D'Orsogna
When many individual organisms come together and move as one entity, that's a swarm. From a handful of birds to billions of insects, swarms can be almost any size. They have no leader, and members interact only with their neighbors or...
TED-Ed
What causes bad breath? - Mel Rosenberg
Halitosis is a curse that has plagued humanity since ancient times. But what causes it, and why is it so universally terrifying? Mel Rosenberg outlines the basics of bad breath and what you can do when it strikes you.
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Why isn't the world covered in poop? - Eleanor Slade and Paul Manning
Each day, the animal kingdom produces roughly enough poop to match the volume of water pouring over Victoria Falls. So why isn't the planet covered in the stuff? You can thank the humble dung beetle for eating up the excess. Eleanor...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The beneficial bacteria that make delicious food - Erez Garty
Where does bread get its fluffiness? Swiss cheese its holes? And what makes vinegar so sour? These foods may taste completely different, but all of these phenomena come from microorganisms chowing down on sugar and belching up some...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Are spotty fruits and vegetables safe to eat? - Elizabeth Brauer
In 2010, 30 billion dollars worth of fruits and vegetables were wasted by American retailers and shoppers, in part because of cosmetic problems and perceived spoilage. But what are these spots, anyway, and are they okay to eat? Elizabeth...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The science behind the myth: Homer's "Odyssey" - Matt Kaplan
Homer's "Odyssey" recounts the adventures of the Greek hero Odysseus during his journey home from the Trojan War. Though some parts may be based on real events, the encounters with monsters, giants and magicians are considered to be...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What is bipolar disorder? - Helen M. Farrell
The word bipolar means 'two extremes.' For the many millions experiencing bipolar disorder around the world, life is split between two different realities: elation and depression. So what causes this disorder? And can it be treated?...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: What happens when you have a concussion? - Clifford Robbins
Each year in the United States, players of sports and recreational activities receive between 2.5 and 4 million concussions. How dangerous are all those concussions? The answer is complicated and lies in how the brain responds when...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: How we think complex cells evolved - Adam Jacobson
Imagine you swallowed a small bird and suddenly gained the ability to fly - or you ate a cobra and were able to spit poisonous venom! Well, throughout the history of life (and specifically during the evolution of complex eukaryotic...