We may not be sure who’s behind it, but we can tell you that the Charlie Charlie Challenge doesn’t really work. Because physics.Very, very special thanks to Henry Reich of Minute Physics for helping with the content of this video.

Even though it may be cold outside, we can always think like engineers! Learn how to build a snowman -or a snowrat- with Jessi and Squeaks!

After he swam the North Pole, Lewis Pugh vowed never to take another cold-water dip. Then he heard of Lake Imja in the Himalayas, created by recent glacial melting, and Lake Pumori, a body of water at an altitude of 5300 m on Everest --...

It turns out the name Boaty McBoatface didn't go to waste, and the submersible now bearing the name has returned from its first mission! Also, the diversity of frogs we see today may have arisen more recently than we previously thought!

Logarithms are confusing, but perhaps some alternate notation could make them more intuitive.

In this prophetic talk from 2003, roboticist Rodney Brooks talks about how robots are going to work their way into our lives -- starting with toys and moving into household chores ... and beyond.

How do we make sense of a world that doesn't? By looking in unexpected places, says mathematician Eugenia Cheng. She explains how applying concepts from abstract mathematics to daily life can lead us to a deeper understanding of things...

For most living things, scalding water is deadly. But it turns out there are some deep sea shrimp that do like a good boil.

It’s amazing how professional baseball players can throw very fast curveballs, but do you know how do curveballs change direction in midair?

You're overseeing the delivery of supplies to a rebel base in the heart of enemy territory. To get past customs, all packages must follow this rule: if a box is marked with an even number on the bottom, it must be sealed with a red top....

In the deep, dark ocean, many sea creatures make their own light for hunting, mating and self-defense. Bioluminescence expert Edith Widder was one of the first to film this glimmering world. At TED2011, she brings some of her glowing...

Oxygen is pretty great stuff, but this recently discovered organism couldn’t care less about oxygen. It breathes nitrogen and may offer a window into how the types of cells in OUR bodies may have evolved billions of years ago.

"Secrets can take many forms -- they can be shocking, or silly, or soulful." Frank Warren, the founder of PostSecret.com, shares some of the half-million secrets that strangers have mailed him on postcards.

Traditional lab tests for disease diagnosis can be too expensive and cumbersome for the regions most in need. George Whitesides' ingenious answer is a foolproof tool that can be manufactured at virtually zero cost.

Hank talks about James Cameron's visit to the very deepest part of the ocean, the Challenger deep of the Mariana Trench.

Given $50 billion to spend, which would you solve first, AIDS or global warming? Danish political scientist Bjorn Lomborg comes up with surprising answers.

Victor Vescovo is leading the first-ever manned expedition to the deepest point of each of the world's five oceans. In conversation with TED science curator David Biello, Vescovo discusses the technology that's powering the explorations...

Design legend Niels Diffrient talks about his life in industrial design (and the reason he became a designer instead of a jet pilot). He details his quest to completely rethink the office chair starting from one fundamental data set: the...

In this video Paul Andersen explains how the electrochemical gradient is a combination of the chemical and electrical gradient of ions. As ions move across a membrane the potential change creates a hidden force that isn't always apparent.

Children's toys can help teach kids about colors, shapes, and imagination. But it turns out they've also inspired scientists and engineers for centuries, leading to innovations in medical diagnostics and space travel. So,...

Hank tells us four incredible things about Jupiter's sixth moon, Europa.

The ocean has degraded within our lifetimes, as shown in the decreasing average size of fish. And yet, as Daniel Pauly shows us onstage at Mission Blue, each time the baseline drops, we call it the new "normal." At what point do we stop...

In politics, it seems counterintuitive to engage in dialogue with violent groups, with radicals and terrorists, and with the states that support them. But Jonas Gahr Støre, the foreign minister of Norway, makes a compelling case for open...

This jellyfish might look kind of unassuming, but it's got some surprising long-range weaponry to catch its prey!