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...
TED Talks
TED: A brain implant that turns your thoughts into text | Tom Oxley
What if you could control digital devices using just the power of thought? That's the incredible promise behind the Stentrode -- an implantable brain-computer interface that collects and wirelessly transmits information directly from the...
SciShow
Why Does Getting Water Up Your Nose Hurt So Much?
Jumping into a refreshingly cold body of water on a hot summer day can feel wonderful, except for your nose. Why does it hurt so much when you get water up your nose?
SciShow
Why the Pandemic Has Us Buying Roller Skates and Baking Bread
A lot of people have been pretty cooped up lately and it’s starting to bring out some strange desires in people. What context can psychology offer to help us understand what might be going on?
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How rollercoasters affect your body - Brian D. Avery
In 1895, crowds flooded Coney Island to see America's first-ever looping coaster: the Flip Flap Railway. But its thrilling flip caused cases of severe whiplash, neck injury and even ejections. Today, coasters can pull off far more...
TED Talks
Colin Camerer: When you're making a deal, what's going on in your brain?
When two people are trying to make a deal -- whether they’re competing or cooperating -- what’s really going on inside their brains? Behavioral economist Colin Camerer shows research that reveals how badly we predict what others are...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The science of stage fright (and how to overcome it) - Mikael Cho
Heart racing, palms sweating, labored breathing? No, you're not having a heart attack -- it's stage fright! If speaking in public makes you feel like you're fighting for your life, you're not alone. But the better you understand your...
SciShow
What is Salvia?
Salvia divinorum, despite sounding like a spell from the world of Harry Potter, can't turn you into an inanimate object, make you leave your body, or set your feet on fire. However, it can make you FEEL like all of those things are...
SciShow
Animals That Do Drugs
Turns out humans aren't the only animals that can medicate themselves - many other animals have found ways to deal with illness by using natural remedies. Hank will tell you about some of the most interesting methods animals have found...
SciShow
Magic Isn't Magic: It's Psychology
Magicians have a handy ace up their sleeve: Your brain, and they're not the only ones who know how to use it.
TED Talks
TED: 3 ways to make better decisions -- by thinking like a computer | Tom Griffiths
If you ever struggle to make decisions, here's a talk for you. Cognitive scientist Tom Griffiths shows how we can apply the logic of computers to untangle tricky human problems, sharing three practical strategies for making better...
SciShow
Starfish Eyes, Octopus Blood, and Human Evolution in Action
You're probably aware that nature has come up with some pretty fascinating animal adaptations over the millennia, and in general, the stranger the adaptation, the more important it is to that organism. Today on SciShow News, Hank has...
SciShow
5 Myths You've Probably Seen on TV
There are some persistent myths about human psychology that appear on TV all the time. But people are complicated, and a lot of times, what we (and these shows) take to be true about human nature… may not be as accurate as we think.
TED Talks
Zeresenay Alemseged: The search for humanity's roots
Paleoanthropologist Zeresenay Alemseged looks for the roots of humanity in Ethiopia's badlands. Here he talks about finding the oldest skeleton of a humanoid child -- and how Africa holds the clues to our humanity.
TED Talks
Carl Schoonover: How to look inside the brain
There have been remarkable advances in understanding the brain, but how do you actually study the neurons inside it? Using gorgeous imagery, neuroscientist and TED Fellow Carl Schoonover shows the tools that let us see inside our brains.
TED Talks
Max Little: A test for Parkinson's with a phone call
Parkinson's disease affects 6.3 million people worldwide, causing weakness and tremors, but there's no objective way to detect it early on. Yet. Applied mathematician and TED Fellow Max Little is testing a simple, cheap tool that in...
TED Talks
Denise Herzing: Could we speak the language of dolphins?
For 28 years, Denise Herzing has spent five months each summer living with a pod of Atlantic spotted dolphins, following three generations of family relationships and behaviors. It's clear they are communicating with one another -- but...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: How to practice effectively...for just about anything - Annie Bosler and Don Greene
Mastering any physical skill takes practice. Practice is the repetition of an action with the goal of improvement, and it helps us perform with more ease, speed, and confidence. But what does practice actually do to make us better at...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What is deja vu? What is deja vu? - Michael Molina
You might have felt it -- the feeling that you've experienced something before, but, in reality, the experience is brand new. There are over 40 theories that attempt to explain the phenomenon of deja vu. Michael Molina explains how...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why do we dream? - Amy Adkins
In the 3rd millennium BCE, Mesopotamian kings recorded and interpreted their dreams on wax tablets. In the years since, we haven't paused in our quest to understand why we dream. And while we still don't have any definitive answers, we...
SciShow
Napping Is Awesome but Is It for Everyone
Study after study has shown that napping is awesome. This might make you wonder: should everyone be napping? The answer is more complicated than you might think.
SciShow
Why People are Always Fighting Over the Thermostat
Negotiating thermostat settings can be really frustrating, but your officemate isn't trying to freeze you out on purpose. Stefan explains the science behind why people experience temperatures differently. Fun fact: Stefan wears a jacket...
TED Talks
Nancy Kanwisher: A neural portrait of the human mind
Brain imaging pioneer Nancy Kanwisher, who uses fMRI scans to see activity in brain regions (often her own), shares what she and her colleagues have learned: The brain is made up of both highly specialized components and general-purpose...