SciShow
From Lifesaver Sparks to Life-saving Tech: The Science of Triboluminescence
You might know that if you chomp on a Wint-O-Green Lifesaver in a dark room, you can see little blue flashes of light in your mouth. What you might not know is that this is an example of triboluminescence: a fascinating, somewhat...
SciShow
Why Are So Many Pro Athletes Lefties
Only 10% of the world is left handed, so why are so many athletes lefties?
SciShow
Denisovans: Our Mysterious Cousins That Made Us Better
During most of the past 2 million years or so, there were several species of hominins on Earth at any given time. Like, you might be familiar with our famous extinct cousins, the Neanderthals. But since 2010 we’ve been uncovering...
TED Talks
Mary Lou Jepsen: Could future devices read images from our brains?
As an expert on cutting-edge digital displays, Mary Lou Jepsen studies how to show our most creative ideas on screens. And as a brain surgery patient herself, she is driven to know more about the neural activity that underlies invention,...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Calculating the odds of intelligent alien life - Jill Tarter
Could there be intelligent life on other planets? This question has piqued imagination and curiosity for decades. Explore the answer with the Drake Equation -- a mathematical formula that calculates the possibility of undiscovered life.
TED Talks
TED: The 4 a.m. mystery | Rives
Poet Rives does 8 minutes of lyrical origami, folding history into a series of coincidences surrounding that most surreal of hours, 4 o'clock in the morning.
TED Talks
Nathan Wolfe: What's left to explore?
We've been to the moon, we've mapped the continents, we've even been to the deepest point in the ocean -- twice. What's left for the next generation to explore? Biologist and explorer Nathan Wolfe suggests this answer: Almost everything....
TED Talks
Timothy Prestero: Design for people, not awards
Timothy Prestero thought he'd designed the perfect incubator for newborns in the developing world -- he even won awards for it. But he and his team learned a hard lesson when their incubator completely failed to catch on. Hear his...
SciShow
The Ridiculous Reasons It's Hard to Measure Sea Level
From problems with the moon, to the lumpiness of earth, sea levels aren't quite as exact as we have them figured out to be.
TED Talks
Jon M. Chu: The pride and power of representation in film
On the heels of the breakout success of his film "Crazy Rich Asians," director Jon M. Chu reflects on what drives him to create -- and makes a resounding case for the power of connection and on-screen representation.
PBS
Is Piracy Helping Game of Thrones?
A huge amount of viewers of the HBO series Game of Thrones (not us of course, no no no) are downloading the show illegally. But despite being the most pirated show of 2012, the Game of Thrones DVDs are top sellers, breaking HBO's own...
TED Talks
Chip Kidd: Designing books is no laughing matter. OK, it is.
Chip Kidd doesn't judge books by their cover, he creates covers that embody the book -- and he does it with a wicked sense of humor. In this deeply felt (and deeply hilarious) talk, he shares the art and the philosophy behind his cover...
SciShow
3 Odd Facts About Pigeons
They're probably the most successful birds in the history of birds. But what do you really know about pigeons? Hank shares three weird facts about the birds, from their amazing chick-raising trick to their history of heroism in wartime.
SciShow
The Kugelblitz: A Black Hole Made From Light
Can you make a black hole out of light? Learn about the strange theoretical object called the 'Kugelblitz'.
SciShow
Why Lizards Don't Run Marathons
Lizards tend to scurry around in short bursts rather than running long distances, and the reason why might be nearly as old as life on land.
TED Talks
Rodrigo Canales: The deadly genius of drug cartels
Up to 100,000 people died in drug-related violence in Mexico in the last 6 years. We might think this has nothing to do with us, but in fact we are all complicit, says Yale professor Rodrigo Canales in this unflinching talk that turns...
TED Talks
Saki Mafundikwa: Ingenuity and elegance in ancient African alphabets
From simple alphabets to secret symbolic languages, graphic designer Saki Mafundikwa celebrates the many forms of written communication across the continent of Africa. He highlights the history and legacy that are embodied in written...
PBS
Have Gravitational Waves Been Discovered?!?
For the past 90 years, the predictions laid out Einstein's general theory of relativity have continued to be confirmed by experimental science. The last hold out is gravitational waves - the idea that certain gravitational events cause...
Be Smart
Are Dinosaurs Extinct?
Most people are taught that dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago when a giant meteor crashed into the Yucatan peninsula. I'm here to tell you that's wrong. Dinosaurs are alive and well today, and you don't have to go to Jurassic...
TED Talks
TED: Everyday moments, caught in time | Billy Collins
Combining dry wit with artistic depth, Billy Collins shares a project in which several of his poems were turned into delightful animated films in a collaboration with Sundance Channel. Five of them are included in this wonderfully...
TED Talks
TED: A smog vacuum cleaner and other magical city designs | Daan Roosegaarde
Daan Roosegaarde uses technology and creative thinking to produce imaginative, earth-friendly designs. He presents his latest projects -- from a bike path in eindhoven, where he reinterpreted "The Starry Night" to get people thinking...
TED Talks
Paul MacCready: Nature vs. humans
In 1998, aircraft designer Paul MacCready looks at a planet on which humans have utterly dominated nature, and talks about what we all can do to preserve nature's balance. His contribution: solar planes, superefficient gliders and the...
SciShow
What Honeybees Can Teach Us About Democracy
Hank fills us in on the democratic ways of the honeybee and makes a request for more interpretive dance in our own political systems.