TED-Ed
TED-ED: How to spot a counterfeit bill - Tien Nguyen
Authentic dollar bills are equipped with many security features to make them difficult to forge. But that doesn't stop counterfeiters from trying to fool people with fakes. Luckily, anyone can help catch a counterfeit; all you need are a...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Is space trying to kill us? - Ron Shaneyfelt
How likely is it that a massive asteroid will do major damage to Earth and its inhabitants? What about the sun -- is it dying out anytime soon? And the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way -- should we be worried about...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Earworms: Those songs that get stuck in your head - Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis
Have you ever been waiting in line at the grocery store, innocently perusing the magazine rack, when a song pops into your head? Not the whole song, but a fragment of it that plays and replays until you find yourself unloading the...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What's the fastest way to alphabetize your bookshelf? - Chand John
You work at the college library. You're in the middle of a quiet afternoon when suddenly, a shipment of 1,280 books arrives. The books are in a straight line, but they're all out of order, and the automatic sorting system is broken. How...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How high can you count on your fingers? (Spoiler: much higher than 10) - James Tanton
How high can you count on your fingers? It seems like a question with an obvious answer. After all, most of us have ten fingers -- or to be more precise, eight fingers and two thumbs. This gives us a total of ten digits on our two hands,...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What causes panic attacks, and how can you prevent them? | Cindy J. Aaronson
Countless poets and writers have tried to put words to the experience of a panic attack— a sensation so overwhelming, many people mistake it for a heart attack, stroke, or other life-threatening crisis. Studies suggest that almost a...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: How sugar affects the brain - Nicole Avena
When you eat something loaded with sugar, your taste buds, your gut and your brain all take notice. This activation of your reward system is not unlike how bodies process addictive substances such as alcohol or nicotine -- an overload of...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: A day in the life of an ancient Egyptian doctor - Elizabeth Cox
It's another sweltering morning in Memphis, Egypt. As the sunlight brightens the Nile, Peseshet checks her supplies. Honey, garlic, cumin, acacia leaves, cedar oil -- she's well stocked with the essentials she needs to treat her...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The history of the world according to cats - Eva-Maria Geigl
In ancient times, wildcats were fierce carnivorous hunters. And unlike dogs, who have undergone centuries of selective breeding, modern cats are genetically very similar to ancient cats. How did these solitary, fierce predators become...
TED-Ed
The rise of the Ottoman Empire | Mostafa Minawi
In the late 13th century, Osman I established a small principality sandwiched between a crumbling Byzantine Empire and a weakened Sultanate of the Seljuk of Rum, in what is now Turkey. In just a few generations, this territory had...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: For Estefani, Third Grade, Who Made Me A Card | Aracelis Girmay
This animation is part of the TED-Ed series, "There's a Poem for That," which features animated interpretations of poems both old and new that give language to some of life's biggest feelings. [Poem by Aracelis Girmay, directed by Jordan...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Your body vs. implants - Kaitlyn Sadtler
Why do medical implants like insulin pumps and prosthetic knees need replacement? Explore how the immune system fights implants and how new devices are trying to help. -- Insulin pumps improve the lives of millions of people with...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Will the ocean ever run out of fish? - Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Jennifer Jacquet
When most people think of fishing, we imagine relaxing in a boat and patiently reeling in the day's catch. But modern industrial fishing -- the kind that stocks our grocery shelves -- looks more like warfare. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How to detect a supernova - Samantha Kuula
Just now, somewhere in the universe, a star exploded. In fact, a supernova occurs every second or so in the observable universe. Yet, we’ve never actually been able to watch a supernova in its first violent moments. Is early detection...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Zen k_ans: unsolvable enigmas designed to break your brain - Puqun Li
How do we explain the unexplainable? This question has inspired numerous myths, religious practices and scientific inquiries. But Zen Buddhists practicing throughout China from the 9th to 13th century asked a different question - why do...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: What causes constipation? - Heba Shaheed
Visiting the bathroom is part of the daily human experience. But occasionally, constipation, a condition that causes a backup in your digestive system, strikes. In some especially uncomfortable cases, the food you eat can take several...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: If matter falls down, does antimatter fall up? - Chlo_ Malbrunot
Like positive and negative, or debit and credit, matter and antimatter are equal and opposite. So if matter falls down, does antimatter fall up? Chloe Malbrunot investigates that question by placing two atoms - one made of matter, and...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why do your knuckles pop? - Eleanor Nelsen
Some people love the feeling of cracking their knuckles, while others cringe at the sound. But what causes that trademark pop? And is it dangerous? Eleanor Nelsen gives the facts behind joint popping.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The myth of Jason and the Argonauts - Iseult Gillespie
Hercules, the strongest man alive with a mighty heart to match. Orpheus, charmer of nature and master of music. Castor and Pollux, the twin tricksters. The Boreads, sons of the North Wind who could hurtle through the air. Brought...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Shunan Teng: The Chinese myth of the immortal white snake
The talented herbalist Xu Xian had just started his own medicine shop where he created remedies with the help of his wife, Bai Su Zhen. One day a monk named Fa Hai approached him, warning him that there was a demon in his house. The...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: A brief history of goths - Dan Adams
What do fans of atmospheric post-punk music have in common with ancient barbarians? Not much ... so why are both known as _goths"? Is it a weird coincidence _ or is there a deeper connection stretching across the centuries? Dan Adams...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The myth of the Sampo— an infinite source of fortune and greed | Hanna-Ilona Härmävaara
After a skirmish at sea and long days of being battered by waves, Väinämöinen— a powerful bard as old as the world itself— washed up on the shores of distant Pohjola. A cunning witch nursed him back to health but demanded a reward for...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Can you solve the dragon jousting riddle? - Alex Gendler
After years of war, the world’s kingdoms have come to an agreement. Every five years, teams representing the elves, goblins, and treefolk will compete in a grand tournament of dragon jousting. You have the important job of recording the...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Ethical dilemma: Would you lie? | Sarah Stroud
Your plan to set up your friend Carey with your acquaintance Emerson is finally coming together. You've made them a dinner reservation, but suddenly realize that there's a problem: Carey is always late. You really want this relationship...