View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-tribes-we-lead-seth-godin Seth Godin argues the Internet has ended mass marketing and revived a human social unit from the distant past: tribes. Founded on shared ideas and values, tribes give ordinary people the power to lead and make big change. He urges us to do so. Talk by Seth Godin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Trace the life cycle of mayflies, and explore why these swarming insects are a sign of healthy aquatic ecosystems. -- For most of the world’s 4,000 mayfly species, adulthood lasts roughly one day. And for some species, it’s only a matter of minutes. This isn’t because they’re all eaten up by predators. Rather, this abridged adulthood is a natural part of their life cycle. So, what role do these bugs play in their ecosystems? Luke M. Jacobus explores the stunningly short life span of the winged i...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/does-racism-affect-how-you-vote-nate-silver Nate Silver has data that answers big questions about race in politics. For instance, in the 2008 presidential race, did Obama's skin color actually keep him from getting votes in some parts of the country? Stats and myths collide in this fascinating talk that ends with a remarkable insight. Talk by Nate Silver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Explore the philosophy of Hannah Arendt, and get to know her strategies to combat the threat of totalitarianism and oppression. -- Philosopher Hannah Arendt was a German Jew who dedicated herself to understanding how the Nazi regime came to power, and more specifically, how it inspired so many atrocities. She believed the true conditions behind the unprecedented rise of totalitarianism weren’t specific to Germany, and developed theories on how to best combat such threats. Joseph Lacey explores t...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/planning-for-the-end-of-oil-richard-sears As the world's attention focuses on the perils of oil exploration, we present Richard Sears' talk from early February 2010. Sears, an expert in developing new energy resources, talks about our inevitable and necessary move away from oil. Toward ... what? Talk by Richard Sears. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Explore the depths of Lake Cadagno, a meromictic lake that is considered a model for Earth before the Great Oxidation Event. -- In the millions of years since oxygen began saturating Earth’s oceans and atmosphere, most organisms have evolved to rely on this gas. However, there are some places where oxygen-averse microorganisms like those from Earth’s earliest days have re-emerged. And one such place is hidden high in the Swiss Alp’s Piora Valley. Nicola Storelli and Daniele Zanzi dive into the d...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-world-s-english-mania-jay-walker Jay Walker explains why two billion people around the world are trying to learn English. He shares photos and spine-tingling audio of Chinese students rehearsing English -- "the world's second language" -- by the thousands. Talk by Jay Walker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Examine the myth of the benevolent dictator, which is a leader who holds absolute power yet only uses it for the common good. -- Under certain conditions, the idea of a dictator can sound appealing, like when a democracy isn’t functioning as it should due to corruption or political polarization. People may believe the solution is a "benevolent dictator"— a leader who only uses their absolute power for the common good. But can such a leader actually exist in today’s world? Stephanie Honchell Smit...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/supercharged-motorcycle-design-yves-behar Yves Behar and Forrest North unveil Mission One, a sleek, powerful electric motorcycle. They share slides from distant (yet similar) childhoods that show how collaboration kick-started their friendship -- and shared dreams. Talk by Yves Behar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Explore one of the main issues of AI-based predictive models and how it affects user decision-making and accountability. -- A couple has been considering getting engaged, but they’re worried about divorce statistics. An AI-based model was just released that can predict your likelihood of divorce with 95% accuracy. The only catch is the model doesn’t offer any reasons for its results. So, should they decide whether or not to get married based on this AI’s prediction? Thomas Hofweber explores AI’s...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/could-a-saturn-moon-harbor-life-carolyn-porco Carolyn Porco shares exciting new findings from the Cassini spacecraft's recent sweep of one of Saturn's moons, Enceladus. Samples gathered from the moon's icy geysers hint that an ocean under its surface could harbor life. Talk by Carolyn Porco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Explore the evolution of English spelling conventions throughout history, and find out why it's such an inconsistent language. -- Spelling reformers have been advocating for changes to make English spelling more intuitive and less irregular. One example of its messiness: take the “g-h” sound from “enough,” the “o” sound from “women” and the “t-i” sound from “action,” and you could argue that “g-h-o-t-i” spells “fish.” So, how did English get like this? Arika Okrent explores the complexity of Eng...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-business-logic-of-sustainability-ray-anderson At his carpet company, Ray Anderson has increased sales and doubled profits while turning the traditional "take / make / waste" industrial system on its head. In a gentle, understated way, he shares a powerful vision for sustainable commerce. Talk by Ray Anderson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dig into the science of how heat pumps both heat and cool a home, and find out the benefits and drawbacks of this technology. -- Typically, with any piece of technology, you pump one unit of energy in and you get about one out. That’s just the first law of thermodynamics: energy has to be conserved. But there’s a piece of technology called a heat pump, where for every bit of energy you put in, you get three to five times as much heat out. What wizardry is this? Anna Rothschild investigates the s...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-new-ecosystem-for-electric-cars-shai-agassi Forget about the hybrid auto -- Shai Agassi says it's electric cars or bust if we want to impact emissions. His company, Better Place, has a radical plan to take entire countries oil-free by 2020. Talk by Shai Agassi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Trace the history of ice cream, from the first accounts of cold desserts in the 1st century to the cream-based treat we know today. -- Ice cream has a unique role in our world’s history, culture, and cravings. The first accounts of cold desserts date back to the first century, in civilizations including ancient Rome, Mughal India, and Tang Dynasty China. Yet the cream-based delicacy we know today made a much later debut. So, how did the delicious sweet treat come to be? Vivian Jiang shares the s...
VIew full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/illuminating-photography-eva-timothy The origins of the cameras we use today were invented in the 19th century. Or were they? A millenia before, Arab scientist Alhazen was using the camera obscura to duplicate images, with Leonardo da Vinci following suit 500 years later and major innovations beginning in the 19th century. Eva Timothy tracks the trajectory from the most rudimentary cameras to the ubiquity of them today. Lesson by Eva Timothy, animation...
Follow a neurosurgeon's attempts to perform a head transplant, and dig into the ethical and biological questions the procedure raises. -- In 1970, neurosurgeon Robert White and his team carted two monkeys into an operating room to conduct an ambitious experiment. The objective was to connect the head of Monkey A to the body of Monkey B, in what he considered a whole-body transplant, with the ultimate goal of one day performing this surgery on humans. Is such a feat even medically possible? And i...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/beach-bodies-in-spoken-word-david-fasanya-and-gabriel-barralaga What leads to the way we perceive our body image? In a thought-provoking and humorous performance at TEDYouth 2012, spoken word poets David Fasanya and Gabriel Barralaga pose a challenge to rethink how we see ourselves. Performance by David Fasanya and Gabriel Barralaga. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Explore the life and works of Rumi, who became one of the world’s most celebrated poets and mystical philosophers. -- According to legend, the renowned scholar Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi was giving a lecture when a disheveled man approached and asked him the meaning of his academic books. Rumi didn’t know it yet, but this question and this man would change his life. So, who was this mysterious figure, and how did he influence Rumi’s worldview? Stephanie Honchell Smith details the life of the celeb...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/insights-into-cell-membranes-via-dish-detergent-ethan-perlstein The cell membrane, like a good jacket, protects the cell from everything outside of it. How is it simultaneously sturdy, flexible, and capable of allowing the right things to pass through? Ethan Perlstein rediscovers the scientists and their research that have changed the way we study the membrane and the cell as a whole. Lesson by Ethan Perlstein, animation by TED-Ed. Learn more about you...
Explore the extraordinary auditory adaptations in the animal kingdom, and find out which creature has the best hearing. -- The world is always abuzz with sounds, many of which human ears simply can’t hear. However, other species have extraordinary adaptations that grant them access to realms of sonic extremes. And some of them don’t even have ears— at least, not like we typically imagine. So, which is the best listener? Jakob Christensen-Dalsgaard explores the auditory capabilities of the animal...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-are-blue-whales-so-enormous-asha-de-vos Blue whales are the largest animals on the planet, but what helps them grow to the length of a basketball court? Asha de Vos explains why the size of krill make them the ideal food for the blue whale -- it's as if the blue whale was made to eat krill (and krill was made to be eaten by the blue whale). Lesson by Asha De Vos, animation by Cognitive Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...
Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd -- You’ve spent months creating a basketball-playing robot, the Dunk-O-Matic, and you’re excited to demonstrate its capabilities. Until you read an advertisement: “See the Dunk-O-Matic face human players and automatically adjust its skill to create a fair game for every opponent!” That’s not what you were told to create. Can you recalibrate your robot to make it a fair match? Dan Katz shows how. Lesson by Dan Katz, directed by Igor Ćor...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-art-gives-shape-to-cultural-change-thelma-golden Thelma Golden, curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem, talks through three recent shows that explore how art examines and redefines culture. The "post-black" artists she works with are using their art to provoke a new dialogue about race and culture -- and about the meaning of art itself. Talk by Thelma Golden. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dig into the tragic tale of Oedipus, who unknowingly fulfills a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. -- When Queen Jocasta of Thebes gave birth to Oedipus, a grim air seized the occasion. Her husband, King Laius, had received a prophecy from Apollo's oracle foretelling that he would die at the hands of his own son. Determined to escape this fate, Laius abandoned the newborn on Mount Cithaeron. But divine prophecies can be quite stubborn. Stephen Esposito shares the tragic...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-danger-of-science-denial-michael-specter Vaccine-autism claims, "Frankenfood" bans, the herbal cure craze: All point to the public's growing fear (and, often, outright denial) of science and reason, says Michael Specter. He warns the trend spells disaster for human progress. Talk by Michael Specter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Trace the history of Chinese characters, and find out how this writing system has changed and evolved over thousands of years. -- According to legend, in the 27th century BCE, the Yellow Emperor of China charged his historian, Cangjie, to develop a system of writing. Sitting alongside a riverbank, Cangjie noted the imagery that surrounded him. From this, he created the first Chinese characters. So, how has Chinese evolved in the last 3,000 years? Gina Marie Elia explores the history of one of th...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/high-altitude-wind-energy-from-kites-saul-griffith In this brief talk, Saul Griffith unveils the invention his new company Makani Power has been working on: giant kite turbines that create surprising amounts of clean, renewable energy. Talk by Saul Griffith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Explore the three variables that inform a cancer’s stage number, and how different types of cancer can impact the staging. -- Each year, approximately 20 million people receive a cancer diagnosis. At that time, a patient usually learns their cancer’s stage, which is typically a number ranging from one to four. While staging is designed, in part, to help patients better understand what they’re facing, the number can be confusing. So, what do cancer stages actually mean? Hyunsoo Joshua No and Trud...
