TED Talks
Jonathan Foley: The other inconvenient truth
A skyrocketing demand for food means that agriculture has become the largest driver of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental destruction. Jonathan Foley shows why we desperately need to begin "terraculture" -- farming for...
TED Talks
TED: How urban agriculture is transforming Detroit | Devita Davison
There's something amazing growing in the city of Detroit: healthy, accessible, delicious, fresh food. In a spirited talk, fearless farmer Devita Davison explains how features of Detroit's decay actually make it an ideal spot for urban...
TED Talks
TED: Nature is everywhere -- we just need to learn to see it | emma Marris
How do you define "nature?" If we define it as that which is untouched by humans, then we won't have any left, says environmental writer emma Marris. She urges us to consider a new definition of nature -- one that includes not only...
SciShow
Why Do We Have Such Crooked Teeth?
A lot of humans need or want braces to fix their crooked teeth, but why do you never see a dog walking down the street with headgear? Our ancient ancestors and mac and cheese may be to blame!
TED Talks
Tyrone Hayes + Penelope Jagessar Chaffer: The toxic baby
Filmmaker Penelope Jagessar Chaffer was curious about the chemicals she was exposed to while pregnant: Could they affect her unborn child? So she asked scientist Tyrone Hayes to brief her on one he studied closely: atrazine, a herbicide...
TED Talks
TED: A forgotten Space Age technology could change how we grow food | Lisa Dyson
We're heading for a world population of 10 billion people -- but what will we all eat? Lisa Dyson rediscovered an idea developed by NASA in the 1960s for deep-space travel, and it could be a key to reinventing how we grow food.
SciShow
Bananas Are Losing the War on Fungus
The Gros Michel banana lost the battle with fungus in the 1950s, but was replaced by the Cavendish. This time we might not have a new banana to come to the rescue. Could this be the end of bananas?
SciShow
Keeping the Fungus Among Us in Space
Developing new methods for survival in space is a constant and ever-evolving process, and a well known Earthly organism has the potential for multiple applications within space’s unforgiving environment!
TED Talks
Louise Fresco: We need to feed the whole world
Louise Fresco shows us why we should celebrate mass-produced, supermarket-style white bread. She says environmentally sound mass production will feed the world, yet leave a role for small bakeries and traditional methods.
SciShow
Cutting Beef Could Reduce Emissions. No, Like, a Lot
Switching from beef to a specific kind of vegetarian protein just once a week could have huge environmental benefits, according to a study out this week in Nature. And, in a study in Nature Communications, researchers in the US have...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Where we get our fresh water - Christiana Z. Peppard
Fresh water accounts for only 2.5% of Earth's water, yet it is vital for human civilization. What are our sources of fresh water? In the first of a two part series on fresh water, Christiana Z. Peppard breaks the numbers down and...
TED Talks
TED: How we can help hungry kids, one text at a time | Su Kahumbu
Su Kahumbu raises badass cows -- healthy, well-fed animals whose protein is key to solving a growing crisis in Africa: childhood nutritional stunting. With iCow, a simple SMS service she developed to support small-scale livestock...
TED Talks
Ron Finley: A guerrilla gardener in South Central LA
Ron Finley plants vegetable gardens in South Central LA -- in abandoned lots, traffic medians, along the curbs. Why? For fun, for defiance, for beauty and to offer some alternative to fast food in a community where "the drive-thrus are...
SciShow
Can Seaweed Save the World?
Although plants are great carbon-removing tools, plant agriculture produces a significant carbon footprint. So, some researchers think we could turn to the oceans (specifically, seaweed) to help reverse some of the effects of climate...
TED Talks
Andras Forgacs: Leather and meat without killing animals
By 2050, it will take 100 billion land animals to provide the world's population with meat, dairy, eggs and leather goods. Maintaining this herd will take a huge, potentially unsustainable toll on the planet. What if there were a...
TED Talks
TED: The case for engineering our food | Pamela Ronald
* Viewer discretion advised. This video includes discussion of mature topics and may be inappropriate for some audiences. Pamela Ronald studies the genes that make plants more resistant to disease and stress. In an eye-opening talk, she...
SciShow
These Insects are Smaller than a Single Cell...How?!
Fairies do exist! Well, sort of...meet the fairyfly, the smallest insect on Earth that specializes in the magic of miniaturization!
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Are locust plagues unstoppable? | Jeffrey A. Lockwood
A ravenous swarm stretches as far as the eye can see. It has no leader or strategic plan; its only goals are to eat, breed, and move on. These are desert locusts— infamous for their capacity for destruction. But most of the time desert...
TED Talks
Homaro Cantu + Ben Roche: Cooking as alchemy
Homaro Cantu and Ben Roche come from Moto, a Chicago restaurant that plays with new ways to cook and eat food. But beyond the fun and flavor-tripping, there's a serious intent: Can we use new food technology for good?
TED Talks
Dan Barber: How I fell in love with a fish
Chef Dan Barber squares off with a dilemma facing many chefs today: how to keep fish on the menu. With impeccable research and deadpan humor, he chronicles his pursuit of a sustainable fish he could love, and the foodie's honeymoon he's...
SciShow
Are Ancient Grains Really Better For You?
Ancient grains like Spelt, Emmer, and Einkorn are making a comeback, but are they better for you than modern wheats? The answer is, as usual, not a simple 'yes' or 'no'.
TED Talks
Johan Rockström: Let the environment guide our development
Human growth has strained the earth's resources, but as Johan Rockström reminds us, our advances also give us the science to recognize this and change behavior. His research has found nine "planetary boundaries" that can guide us in...
TED Talks
TED: The fastest way to slow climate change now | Ilissa Ocko
Cutting methane is the single fastest, most effective opportunity to reduce climate change risks in the near term, says atmospheric scientist Ilissa Ocko. That's because, unlike carbon dioxide, methane's warming power doesn't come from a...