SciShow
Why Do Some Words Sound So... Lumpy?
Some words just SOUND like the thing they refer to. But are these associations come from the specific culture we were raised in, or is there something more fundamental going on here?
TED Talks
Keith Kirkland: Wearable tech that helps you navigate by touch
Keith Kirkland is developing wearable tech that communicates information using only the sense of touch. He's trying to figure out: What gestures and vibration patterns could intuitively communicate ideas like "stop" or "go"? Check out...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Why do we kiss under mistletoe? - Carlos Reif
The sight of mistletoe may either send you scurrying or, if you have your eye on someone, awaiting an opportunity beneath its snow-white berries. But how did the festive tradition of kissing under mistletoe come about? Carlos Reif...
TED Talks
Jinsop Lee: Design for all 5 senses
Good design looks great, yes -- but why shouldn't it also feel great, smell great and sound great? Designer Jinsop Lee (a TED Talent Search winner) shares his theory of 5-sense design, with a handy graph and a few examples. His hope: to...
TED Talks
Andrew Bastawrous: Get your next eye exam on a smartphone
Thirty-nine million people in the world are blind, and the majority lost their sight due to curable and preventable diseases. But how do you test and treat people who live in remote areas, where expensive, bulky eye equipment is hard to...
TED Talks
Donald Hoffman: Do we see reality as it is?
Cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman is trying to answer a big question: Do we experience the world as it really is ... or as we need it to be? In this ever so slightly mind-blowing talk, he ponders how our minds construct reality for us.
SciShow
Quiz Show: SciShow Host Showdown
Hank Green and Michael Aranda must put their knowledge of hearing, seeing, and tasting to the test in order to win this quiz show written and hosted by the inimitable Blake de Pastino and his sidekick, Smart Blake.
SciShow
The Truth About That Fish That Climbs Into Urethras
If you’ve ever heard stories of a naughty little fish with a penchant for swimming up urethras, don’t believe the hype—these tiny Amazonian catfish are just victims of a very old rumor mill.
TED Talks
TED: What reality are you creating for yourself? | Isaac Lidsky
Reality isn't something you perceive; it's something you create in your mind. Isaac Lidsky learned this profound lesson firsthand, when unexpected life circumstances yielded valuable insights. In this introspective, personal talk, he...
SciShow
Why Does Squinting Help You See Better?
If you've ever tried to make out something that was really far away, odds are you squinted while doing it. It's basically involuntary! But does narrowing your field of vision really help you see things better?
TED Talks
Oliver Sacks: What hallucination reveals about our minds
Neurologist and author Oliver Sacks brings our attention to Charles Bonnet syndrome -- when visually impaired people experience lucid hallucinations. He describes the experiences of his patients in heartwarming detail and walks us...
TED Talks
Thulasiraj Ravilla: How low-cost eye care can be world-class
India's revolutionary Aravind Eye Care System has given sight to millions. Thulasiraj Ravilla looks at the ingenious approach that drives its treatment costs down and quality up, and why its methods should trigger a re-think of all human...
TED Talks
Chris Downey: Design with the blind in mind
What would a city designed for the blind be like? Chris Downey is an architect who went suddenly blind in 2008; he contrasts life in his beloved San Francisco before and after -- and shows how the thoughtful designs that enhance his life...
TED Talks
Scott Fraser: Why eyewitnesses get it wrong
Scott Fraser studies how humans remember crimes -- and bear witness to them. In this powerful talk, which focuses on a deadly shooting at sunset, he suggests that even close-up eyewitnesses to a crime can create "memories" they could not...
TED Talks
TED: How reliable is your memory? | Elizabeth Loftus
* Viewer discretion advised. This video includes discussion of mature topics and may be inappropriate for some audiences. Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus studies memories. More precisely, she studies false memories, when people either...
TED Talks
Pawan Sinha: How brains learn to see
Pawan Sinha details his groundbreaking research into how the brain's visual system develops. Sinha and his team provide free vision-restoring treatment to children born blind, and then study how their brains learn to interpret visual...
TED Talks
TED: The science of preserving sight | Joshua Chu-Tan
As you get older, your eyes worsen and become susceptible to a disease called age-related macular degeneration -- the leading cause of blindness, with no cure in sight. Sharing the science of how your vision works, researcher Joshua...
SciShow
How to Write Directly on the Brain
Scientists have found a way to hack the visual process and generate shapes directly on the brain, so a person can see them without using their eyes.
SciShow
These Slugs See with Their Brains
If you’re a person with sight, your two eyes are your only window into the visual world. But slugs see not only with their eyes, but with their brains as well!
TED Talks
Joshua Silver: Adjustable liquid-filled eyeglasses
Josh Silver delivers his brilliantly simple solution for correcting vision at the lowest cost possible -- adjustable, liquid-filled lenses. At TEDGlobal 2009, he demos his affordable eyeglasses and reveals his global plan to distribute...
TED Talks
TED: A new way to fund health care for the most vulnerable | Andrew Bastawrous
In 2011, eye surgeon and TED Fellow Andrew Bastawrous developed a smartphone app that brings quality eye care to remote communities, helping people avoid losing their sight to curable or preventable conditions. Along the way, he noticed...
TED Talks
TED: Clues to prehistoric times, found in blind cavefish | Prosanta Chakrabarty
TeD Fellow Prosanta Chakrabarty explores hidden parts of the world in search of new species of cave-dwelling fish. These subterranean creatures have developed fascinating adaptations, and they provide biological insights into blindness...
Crash Course
Before I Got My Eye Put Out - The Poetry of Emily Dickinson: Crash Course English Lit
In which John Green concludes the Crash Course Literature mini-series with an examination of the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Sure, John explores the creepy biographical details of Dickinson's life, but he also gets into why her poems have...