TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How farming planted seeds for the Internet - Patricia Russac
What does farming have to do with invention and innovation? Permanent residences, division of labor, central government, and complex technologies--all essential for advancing civilizations--could not have been developed without the move...
TED Talks
TED: You don't need an app for that | Toby Shapshak
Are the simplest phones the smartest? While the rest of the world is updating statuses and playing games on smartphones, Africa is developing useful SMS-based solutions to everyday needs, says journalist Toby Shapshak. In this...
TED Talks
Ludwick Marishane: A bath without water
If you had to walk a mile for a jug of water every day, as millions of people do, it's unlikely you'd use that precious water to bathe. Young entrepreneur Ludwick Marishane tells the amazing, funny story of how he invented a cheap, clean...
TED-Ed
A brief history of toilets | Francis de los Reyes
On sunny days, citizens of ancient Rome could be found exchanging news and gossip while attending to more urgent business at the public latrines. Today, most cultures consider trips to the restroom to be a more private occasion. But even...
TED Talks
Jane Chen: A warm embrace that saves lives
In the developing world, access to incubators is limited by cost and distance, and millions of premature babies die each year. TED Fellow Jane Chen shows an invention that could keep millions of these infants warm -- a design that's...
TED Talks
TED: A young inventor's plan to recycle Styrofoam | Ashton Cofer
From packing peanuts to disposable coffee cups, each year the uS alone produces some two billion pounds of Styrofoam -- none of which can be recycled. Frustrated by this waste of resources and landfill space, Ashton Cofer and his science...
TED Talks
Amory Lovins: A 40-year plan for energy
In this intimate talk filmed at TED's offices, energy innovator Amory Lovins shows how to get the US off oil and coal by 2050, $5 trillion cheaper, with no Act of Congress, led by business for profit. The key is integrating all four...
TED Talks
Wolfgang Kessling: How to air-condition outdoor spaces
During the hot summer months, watching an outdoor sports match or concert can be tantamount to baking uncomfortably in the sun -- but it doesn't have to be. At the TEDxSummit in Doha, physicist Wolfgang Kessling reveals sustainable...
TED Talks
Jacqueline Novogratz: A third way to think about aid
The debate over foreign aid often pits those who mistrust "charity" against those who mistrust reliance on the markets. Jacqueline Novogratz proposes a middle way she calls patient capital, with promising examples of entrepreneurial...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Jean-Baptiste P. Koehl: Why are earthquakes so hard to predict?
In 132 CE, Zhang Heng presented his latest invention: a large vase he claimed could tell them whenever an earthquake occurred for hundreds of miles. Today, we no longer rely on pots as warning systems, but earthquakes still offer...
TED Talks
TED: How AI can bring on a second Industrial Revolution | Kevin Kelly
The actual path of a raindrop as it goes down the valley is unpredictable, but the general direction is inevitable, says digital visionary Kevin Kelly -- and technology is much the same, driven by patterns that are surprising but...
TED Talks
TED: How I built a jet suit | Richard Browning
We've all dreamed of flying -- but for Richard Browning, flight is an obsession. He's built an Iron Man-like suit that leans on an elegant collaboration of mind, body and technology, bringing science fiction dreams a little closer to...
TED Talks
TED: How I teach kids to love science | Cesar Harada
At the Harbour School in Hong Kong, TED Senior Fellow Cesar Harada teaches citizen science and invention to the next generation of environmentalists. He's moved his classroom into an industrial mega-space where imaginative kids work with...
TED Talks
TED: Meet the inventor of the electronic spreadsheet | Dan Bricklin
Dan Bricklin changed the world forever when he codeveloped VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet and grandfather of programs you probably use every day like Microsoft excel and Google Sheets. Join the software engineer and computing...
TED Talks
Taylor Wilson: My radical plan for small nuclear fission reactors
Taylor Wilson was 14 when he built a nuclear fusion reactor in his parents' garage. Now 19, he returns to the TED stage to present a new take on an old topic: fission. Wilson, who has won backing to create a company to realize his...
TED Talks
TED: The affordable, 3D-printed bionics of the future | Enzo Romero
Creating functional prosthetics at a fraction of the cost of imported tech, bionic innovator and TED Fellow Enzo Romero shares a groundbreaking model for designing 3D-printed assistive technology sourced from recycled materials -- built...
TED Talks
Stefan Sagmeister: The power of time off
Every seven years, designer Stefan Sagmeister closes his New York studio for a yearlong sabbatical to rejuvenate and refresh their creative outlook. He explains the often overlooked value of time off and shows the innovative projects...
TED Talks
TED: Success stories from Kenya's first makerspace | Kamau Gachigi
Africa needs engineers, but its engineering students often end up working at auditing firms and banks. Why? Kamau Gachigi suspects it's because they don't have the spaces and materials needed to test their ideas and start businesses. To...
Curated Video
Design innovations
"Designers and engineers create new products by identifying unmet needs, then defining, exploring and assessing solutions. In this activity, children aged 12-14 will use the IDEA Design Thinking Process to reimagine and improve items...
Curated Video
The Medical Kit: How Innovation Transformed Medical Care on the Civil War Frontline
They empowered US Army medics to save countless lives – but how did the humble medical kit evolve with the American Civil War?
Curated Video
The Invention and Evolution of Elevators
Elevators have existed for hundreds of years, but the fast elevators found in skyscrapers and tall buildings today look a lot different - and are a lot safer - than the elevators of centuries past. Learn how elevators work and how their...
SciShow
The Truth About 10 Famous Inventions
Did Thomas Edison invent the lightbulb? I mean... kind of... but also... no. Every great, world-changing invention is the culmination of efforts by dozens or hundreds of people, spanning decades or centuries. Hosted by: Hank Green...
National Geographic
Inventing Graphics on Cave Walls | Origins: The Journey of Humankind
Deep inside the caves of El Castillo and La Pasiega, our early ancestors were experimenting with a language we take for granted today: graphic communication. ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe ➡ Watch all clips of Origins: The...
National Geographic
Inventing Graphics on Cave Walls | Origins: The Journey of Humankind
Deep inside the caves of El Castillo and La Pasiega, our early ancestors were experimenting with a language we take for granted today: graphic communication. ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe ➡ Watch all clips of Origins: The...