SciShow
Why Athletes Choke Under Pressure
Even the most skilled athletes, musicians, and performers can make mistakes on relatively simple tasks, so what’s happening in our brains when we choke, and is there something we can do to overcome these moments?
SciShow
Can You Give Yourself a Better Sense of Direction?
Some of us can’t navigate anywhere without a GPS - but are we doomed to a life of directional bewilderment? Or is there hope for us yet?
TED Talks
TED: How to tap into your awareness -- and why meditation is easier than you think | Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
Meditation asks you to slip into a state of serene presence. But why does something that sounds effortless often feel so difficult? In this lighthearted invitation, spiritual leader Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche shares three steps to help you...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The history of marriage - Alex Gendler
A white, puffy dress. Eternal love. A joint tax return. Marriage means something different to everyone and has changed over time and across cultures. Alex Gendler traces the history of getting hitched, providing insights on polygamy,...
TED Talks
Eric Liu: How to revive your belief in democracy
Civic evangelist Eric Liu shares a powerful way to rekindle the spirit of citizenship and the belief that democracy still works. Join him for a trip to "Civic Saturday" and learn more about how making civic engagement a weekly habit can...
TED Talks
TED: The search for "aha!" moments | Matt Goldman
In 1988, Matt Goldman co-founded Blue Man Group, an off-Broadway production that became a sensation known for its humor, blue body paint and wild stunts. The show works on the premise that certain conditions can create "aha moments" --...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The philosophy of cynicism - William D. Desmond
In the 4th century BCE, a young Diogenes of Sinope was found to be counterfeiting coins. He was stripped of his citizenship, his money, all his possessions and sent into exile. He decided he would live self-sufficiently, close to nature,...
Be Smart
How to Figure Out the Day of the Week For Any Date Ever
You might think that computers are the only things that run algorithms, but you're wrong. Here's a neat mental trick for calculating the day of the week for any day ever, developed by famous mathematician John H. Conway.
TED-Ed
TED-ED: How to understand power - Eric Liu
Every day, we move and operate within systems of power that other people have constructed. But we're often uncomfortable talking about power. Why? Eric Liu describes the six sources of power and explains how understanding them is key to...
SciShow
Your Brain’s Secret to Freestyling
Ever wonder how that guitarist nailed that solo or how your favorite rapper can roll out so many lyrics while making it look easy? Beside lots of practice, your brain has a few tricks.
Amoeba Sisters
DNA vs RNA (Updated)
Why is RNA just as cool as DNA? Join the Amoeba Sisters as they compare and contrast RNA with DNA and learn why DNA should be sharing the limelight! Table of Contents: 00:00 Intro 0:54 Similarities of DNA and RNA 1:35 Contrasting DNA and...
SciShow
Why Do We Have Blind Spots?
Your brain is lying to you about what you see-- find out why in this Quick Question!
TED-Ed
TED-ED: How does money laundering work? - Delena D. Spann
Money laundering is the term for any process that "cleans" illegally obtained funds of their "dirty" criminal origins, allowing them to be used within the legal economy. And the practice is about as old as money itself. But how does it...
SciShow
What We Really Know About Placenta-Eating
Join SciShow News as we explore why eating placenta doesn't actually do very much. Injecting wastewater into the ground, on the other hand, seems to do quite a bit.
TED Talks
TED: The long reach of reason | Steven Pinker and Rebecca Newberger Goldstein
* Viewer discretion advised. This video includes discussion of mature topics and may be inappropriate for some audiences. Here's a TED first: an animated Socratic dialog! In a time when irrationality seems to rule both politics and...
TED Talks
TED: Why I fight for climate justice | Xiye Bastida
In a deeply moving letter to her grandmother, Xiye Bastida reflects on what led her to become a leading voice for global climate activism -- from mobilizing school climate strikes to speaking at the United Nations Climate Summit...
TED Talks
TED: If you adults won't save the world, we will | Xiye Bastida
In a deeply moving letter to her grandmother, Xiye Bastida reflects on what led her to become a leading voice for global climate activism -- from mobilizing school climate strikes to speaking at the United Nations Climate Summit...
SciShow
Why Death Photography Is So Helpful for Grief
Please Note: This episode contains post-mortem photographs: those of people taken after their death. If you would prefer not to see those images, please feel welcome to look away from the screen at 0:17 to 0:27 and listen along. Grief is...
TED Talks
Sheena Iyengar: The art of choosing
Sheena Iyengar studies how we make choices -- and how we feel about the choices we make. At TEDGlobal, she talks about both trivial choices (Coke v. Pepsi) and profound ones, and shares her groundbreaking research that has uncovered some...
SciShow
Extreme Animal Cannibalism
Evolution doesn't care about ethics - it cares about surviving and getting your alleles out there as much as possible. From that perspective, cannibalism can seem like a pretty good idea to some creatures. Hank introduces us to three...
SciShow
Can You Really Change Your Personality?
Your personality is often treated as an immutable part of who you are, but while changing it is difficult, it’s certainly not impossible.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: 3 tips to boost your confidence
When faced with a big challenge where potential failure seems to lurk at every corner, you’ve probably heard the advice, “Be more confident!” But where does confidence come from, and how can you get more of it? Here are three easy tips...
TED Talks
How to turn a group of strangers into a team | Amy Edmondson
Business school professor Amy Edmondson studies ""teaming,"" where people come together quickly (and often temporarily) to solve new, urgent or unusual problems. Recalling stories of teamwork on the fly, such as the incredible rescue of...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Overcoming obstacles - Steven Claunch
When faced with a bump in the road, sometimes we forget we have a choice: overcome the obstacle or let it overcome you. Steven Claunch, who was born without fingers on his right hand and with one leg shorter than the other and has...