TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How a Few Scientists Transformed the Way We Think About Disease
For several centuries, people though diseases were caused by wandering clouds of poisonous vapor. We now know that this theory is pretty ridiculous, and that diseases are caused by specific bacteria. But how did we get to this new idea...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: The Incredible Collaboration Behind the International Space Station
The International Space Station is roughly the size of a six-bedroom house and weighs more than 320 cars- it's so large that no single rocket could have lifted it into orbit. Instead, it was assembled piece by piece while hurtling...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: The Treadmill's Dark and Twisted Past
The constant thud underneath your feet. The constrained space. The monotony of going nowhere fast. Running on a treadmill can certainly feel like torture, but did you know it was originally used for that very purpose? Conor Heffernan...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Can You Solve the Bridge Riddle?
Taking that internship in a remote mountain lab might not have been the best idea. Pulling that lever with the skull symbol just to see what it did probably wasn't so smart either. But now is not the time for regrets because you need to...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Solid, Liquid, Gas and Plasma?
Have you ever seen static electricity cause a spark of light? What is that spark? What about lightning, the Northern Lights, or the tail of a comet? All of those things and many others in fact, 99.9% of the universe -- are made of...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How Do Pregnancy Tests Work?
Over-the-counter pregnancy tests give potentially life-changing results with a pretty high rate of accuracy. But how do they work? Tien Nguyen explains how each test performs a scientifically rigorous, multi-stage experiment that goes...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How to Detect a Supernova
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 Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Will Future Spacecraft Fit in Our Pockets?
When you picture a rocket, you might imagine a giant ship carrying lots of fuel, people and supplies. But what if the next wave of spacecraft were small enough to fit into our pockets? Dhonam Pemba details the future of microspacecraft,...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How Batteries Work
Batteries are a triumph of science-they allow smartphones and other technologies to exist without anchoring us to an infernal tangle of power cables. Yet even the best batteries will diminish daily, slowly losing capacity until they...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How to Spot a Counterfeit Bill
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 Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: What's the Difference Between Accuracy and Precision?
When we measure things, most people are only worried about how accurate, or how close to the actual value, they are. Looking at the process of measurement more carefully, you will see that there is another important consideration:...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Can Robots Be Creative?
People have been grappling with the question of artificial creativity- alongside the question of artificial intelligence- for over 170 years. For instance, could we program machines to create high quality original music? And if we do, is...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: The Real Story Behind Archimedes' Eureka!
When you think of Archimedes' Eureka moment, you probably imagine a man in a bathtub, right? As it turns out, there's much more to the story. Armand D'Angour tells the story of Archimedes' biggest assignment- an enormous floating palace...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: The Sonic Boom Problem
Objects that fly faster than the speed of sound create a shock wave accompanied by a thunder-like noise: the sonic boom. These epic sounds can cause distress to people and animals and even damage nearby buildings. Katerina Kaouri details...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How Does Your Smartphone Know Your Location?
GPS location apps on a smartphone can be very handy when mapping a travel route or finding nearby events. But how does your smartphone know where you are? Wilton L. Virgo explains how the answer lies 12,000 miles over your head, in an...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Einstein's Miracle Year
As the year 1905 began, Albert Einstein faced life as a "failed" academic. Yet within the next twelve months, he would publish four extraordinary papers, each on a different topic, that were destined to radically transform our...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How to Create Cleaner Coal
It takes a lot of fuel to heat our homes, preserve our food, and power our gadgets. And for 40 percent of the world, cheap, plentiful coal gets the job done. But coal also releases pollutants into the air, causing environmental damage...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: The History of Tattoos
If you have a tattoo, you're part of a rich cultural history that dates back at least 8,000 years. Where did this practice of body modification come from, and how has its function changed over time? Addison Anderson tracks the history of...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: The History of the Barometer (And How It Works)
A barometer is an instrument that measures air pressure, allowing weather forecasters and scientists to better predict extreme weather events. Despite its incredible usefulness, inventing the barometer was no walk in the park. Asaf...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Under the Hood: The Chemistry of Cars
There are over one billion cars in the world right now, getting people from point A to point B. But cars aren't just a mode of transportation; they also teach an excellent lesson in chemistry. Cynthia Chubbuck navigates the intricate...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: A Giant Bubble for Debate
How do you make a great public space inside a not-so-great building? Liz Diller shares the story of creating a welcoming, lighthearted addition to the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC. [12:06]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: It's a Church. It's a Mosque. It's Hagia Sophia.
If walls could talk, Turkey's Hagia Sophia would have an abundance of stories to tell. Once a church, then a mosque, and now a museum, this world marvel has stood the test of time and war, surviving centuries of conquest by some of...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Why Aren't We Only Using Solar Power?
Solar power is cheaper and more sustainable than our current coal-fueled power plants, so why haven't we made the switch? The real culprits here are the clouds, which make solar power difficult to control. Alexandros George Charalambides...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Less Stuff, More Happiness
Writer and designer Graham Hill asks: Can having less stuff, in less room, lead to more happiness? He makes the case for taking up less space, and lays out three rules for editing your life. [5:50]