View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/beware-online-filter-bubbles-eli-pariser As web companies strive to tailor their services (including news and search results) to our personal tastes, there's a dangerous unintended consequence: We get trapped in a "filter bubble" and don't get exposed to information that could challenge or broaden our worldview. Eli Pariser argues powerfully that this will ultimately prove to be bad for us and bad for democracy. Talk by Eli Pariser. Learn more about yo...
Mar 19, 2026•13 min
Explore a classic philosophical debate and decide: is it human nature to be selfish? And if so, is it possible to overcome it? -- The question of whether or not humans are inherently selfish is one of philosophy’s oldest debates. The idea that we only act out of self-interest is an extreme stance that few philosophers would endorse. However, the idea that all humans have a deep selfish streak is something many philosophers would agree with. So, are we innately selfish? Mark Hopwood explores this...
Mar 19, 2026•9 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/your-elusive-creative-genius-elizabeth-gilbert Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk. Talk by Elizabeth Gilbert. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 19, 2026•25 min
Explore how the offspring of parasitic butterflies trick their way into ant colonies for food and protection. -- You might not guess it, but Alcon blue butterflies are just one of over 200 parasitic butterfly species, all of which target ants. And their offspring live highly unusual lives, tricking their way into ant colonies using mimicry. So, how do these butterflies do it— and why? Francesa Barbero explores the strategies caterpillars use to survive among ants on their journey to become butte...
Mar 19, 2026•8 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/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 from hunting-gathering to farming. Patricia Russac explores how farming was a major innovation leading to the civilization we know today. Lesson by Patricia Rus...
Mar 18, 2026•6 min
Uncover the most common misperceptions about dodos, and find out the truth of how the flightless birds actually went extinct. -- Dodos are commonly considered brainless, blundering birds that were poorly adapted and doomed to die off, making their human-mediated extinction effortless and inevitable. But that’s not the case. So, what were dodos actually like? And what really caused their downfall? Leon Claessens uncovers the truth about these misunderstood and maligned creatures. Lesson by Leon C...
Mar 18, 2026•8 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-do-we-see-illusions-mark-changizi Why can't our extremely complex eyes render simple optical illusions? Surprise, surprise -- it comes back to the brain, which has only evolved to encounter natural stimuli. At TEDYouth 2012, Mark Changizi explains how the brain reckons with optical illusions. Talk by Mark Changizi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 18, 2026•10 min
Explore how alcohol interacts with your brain, and how it can interrupt the brain’s memory networks, leading to blackouts. -- Alcohol has been shown to have strange and selective effects on the brain. Many intoxicated people can perform complex tasks like holding a detailed conversation or navigating a walk home. Yet for those experiencing a blackout, the memory of these events is quickly forgotten. So, how does alcohol cause these memory lapses? Shannon Odell explores how ethanol interrupts the...
Mar 18, 2026•7 min
The TED-Ed website allows you to engage in or create dynamic lessons around the hundreds of thousands of educational videos on YouTube. In this video, the familiar illustration assembled at the beginning of each TED-Ed video finds his [computer generated] voice and gives viewers a tour of ed.ted.com. The features explored include the ability to add multiple choice questions, open answer questions, "dig deeper" materials, and custom discussion topics to any video on YouTube. YouTube Channels feat...
Mar 18, 2026•4 min
Explore how the Rafflesia plant uses parasitic strategies to grow the world’s largest flower, and find out why it smells so bad. -- Deep inside the Sumatran rainforest, a carrion fly descends, guided by the scent of its favorite place to lay eggs: rotting animal carcasses. But when it lands, it isn’t on liquifying flesh, but instead on the world’s biggest, and perhaps strangest, flower— Rafflesia arnoldii. So, how does this giant flower grow? Daniel Nickrent explores the parasitic tendencies of ...
Mar 18, 2026•8 min
Discover what led American colonists in 1773 to toss tea into the Boston Harbor in what became known as the Boston Tea Party. -- Before the Revolutionary War, American colonists were taxed heavily for importing tea from Britain. The colonists, not fans of "taxation without representation", reacted by dumping tea into the Boston Harbor, a night now known as the Boston Tea Party. Ben Labaree gets into the nitty-gritty of that famous revolutionary act. Lesson by Ben Labaree, animation by Nick Fox-G...
Mar 17, 2026•6 min
Explore the construction of the futurist city Chandigarh, a project of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and planned by Le Corbusier. -- In 1947, India achieved independence from British rule — but this freedom came at a tremendous cost. Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, was eager to usher his country towards a brighter, united future. And one of the projects that would prove most essential to realizing this vision was the construction of Chandigarh. Vikramāditya Prakāsh details the ...
Mar 17, 2026•8 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/social-animal-david-brooks Tapping into the findings of his latest book, NYTimes columnist David Brooks unpacks new insights into human nature from the cognitive sciences -- insights with massive implications for economics and politics as well as our own self-knowledge. In a talk full of humor, he shows how you can't hope to understand humans as separate individuals making choices based on their conscious awareness. Talk by David Brooks. Learn more abo...
Mar 17, 2026•24 min
Dig into the Fijian myth of Dakuwaqa, the shape-shifting shark god who is determined to take over all of Fiji's islands. -- Long ago, the ancestral gods of Fiji settled on the Pacific archipelago. They eventually metamorphosed into various forms, with the god Dakuwaqa transforming into a shark. But he was unsatisfied. He became proud and greedy and wanted to establish himself as the mightiest god, and dominate all of Fiji’s islands. Raiana McKinney and Esther Wozniak share the tale of Dakuwaqa’s...
Mar 17, 2026•8 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/let-s-use-video-to-reinvent-education-salman-khan Salman Khan talks about how and why he created the remarkable Khan Academy, a carefully structured series of educational videos offering complete curricula in math and, now, other subjects. He shows the power of interactive exercises and calls for teachers to consider flipping the traditional classroom script -- give students video lectures to watch at home and do "homework" in the classroom with the te...
Mar 17, 2026•26 min
Dig into the science of how microwave ovens use electromagnetic waves to heat your food, and what you should avoid cooking in them. -- In 1945, engineer Percy Spencer was standing near a RADAR device that produced high-intensity microwaves and noticed that his candy bar had melted. He then exposed popcorn kernels to the magnetron device, and sure enough, they popped. Soon after, the first microwave oven became available, using the very same technology. So, how does it work? Aaron Slepkov explore...
Mar 17, 2026•9 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/3-things-i-learned-while-my-plane-crashed-ric-elias Ric Elias had a front-row seat on Flight 1549, the plane that crash-landed in the Hudson River in New York in January 2009. What went through his mind as the doomed plane went down? At TED, he tells his story publicly for the first time. Talk by Ric Elias. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 16, 2026•8 min
Get to know the story of the Three Sisters, and what we can learn about sustainably growing food from Indigenous practices. -- Suffering illness and despair, Chief Handsome Lake prepared for death. Then, he had a vision. He was walking through a planted field and heard a woman call out. She told him that the recent devastation had left her and her sisters with little hope for the future and asked if they could join him on his journey toward death. Who were these women? Rebecca Webster shares the...
Mar 16, 2026•8 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/on-being-wrong-kathryn-schulz Most of us will do anything to avoid being wrong. But what if we're wrong about that? "Wrongologist" Kathryn Schulz makes a compelling case for not just admitting but embracing our fallibility. Talk by Kathryn Schulz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 16, 2026•24 min
Trace Malik Ambar’s historic rise from enslaved youth to brilliant military tactician and kingmaker in the Indian sultanate. -- In 1624, Mughal Emperor Jahangir received word of yet another defeat at the hands of his greatest enemy: Malik Ambar. Jahangir was so obsessed with defeating his rival, he commissioned a painting of himself shooting an arrow at Ambar’s skull. So, who was this brilliant tactician? And how did he come into power? Stephanie Honchell Smith shares Ambar's rise from enslaved ...
Mar 16, 2026•8 min
Backed by stunning illustrations, David Christian narrates a complete history of the universe, from the Big Bang to the Internet, in a riveting 18 minutes. This is "Big History": an enlightening, wide-angle look at complexity, life and humanity, set against our slim share of the cosmic timeline. Talk by David Christian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 16, 2026•23 min
Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd -- Today is the annual wizard tournament featuring competitors from three schools, and you’re in charge. The wizards have entered the maze and compete in your chosen events in utmost secrecy; only you and they see what happens. But a dark wizard appears and casts a forgetting curse— throwing the results into question. Can you figure out who won the tournament? Alex Rosenthal shows how. Lesson by Alex Rosenthal, directed by Igor Coric, ...
Mar 16, 2026•7 min
Sign up for our newsletter and never miss an episode: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter With humor and persistence, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock dives into the hidden but influential world of brand marketing on his quest to make a completely sponsored film about sponsorship. (And yes, onstage naming rights for this talk were sponsored too. By whom and for how much? He'll tell you.) Talk by Morgan Spurlock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 15, 2026•25 min
Get to know the life of enigmatic poet and writer Fernando Pessoa, who wrote not as himself but as other people he invented. -- On November 30th, 1935, dozens of writers passed away. They came from different backgrounds, espoused divergent beliefs, and wrote in a variety of styles. Yet almost 30,000 pages of their work was stashed in a trunk in an apartment in Lisbon, Portugal. So, what mysterious string tied all these writers together? Ilan Stavans explores the enigmatic life of Fernando Pessoa...
Mar 15, 2026•7 min
We think of space as a silent place. But physicist Janna Levin says the universe has a soundtrack -- a sonic composition that records some of the most dramatic events in outer space. (Black holes, for instance, bang on spacetime like a drum.) An accessible and mind-expanding soundwalk through the universe. Talk by Janna Levin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 15, 2026•23 min
Trace the history of coffee, from its first known origins to its rise in popularity due to trade routes and cultivation. -- One day around 850 CE, a goatherd observed that his goats started acting abnormally after nibbling on some berries. The herder tried them himself, and soon enough, he was just as hyper. As the story goes, this was humanity’s first run-in with coffee. So, how did coffee go from humble plant to one of the world's most consumed beverages? Jonathan Morris traces the history of ...
Mar 15, 2026•8 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/printing-a-human-kidney-anthony-atala Surgeon Anthony Atala demonstrates an early-stage experiment that could someday solve the organ-donor problem: a 3D printer that uses living cells to output a transplantable kidney. Using similar technology, Dr. Atala's young patient Luke Massella received an engineered bladder 10 years ago; we meet him onstage. Talk by Anthony Atala. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 15, 2026•22 min
Explore different philosophers’ ideas about anger and dig into their theories on how we should handle this complicated emotion. -- Anger is a complicated emotion. It can feel reasonable and righteous or impulsive and uncontrollable. Anger can be an important part of letting us know when something immoral is happening, but finding the right response to those psychological alarm bells can be tricky. So, is it ever right to be angry? And if so, when? Delaney Thull takes a philosophical look at this...
Mar 15, 2026•6 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-infamous-and-ingenious-ho-chi-minh-trail-cameron-paterson The Ho Chi Minh Trail not only connected North and South Vietnam during a brutal war but also aided Vietnamese soldiers. The trail shaved nearly five months of time off of the trip and was used as a secret weapon of sorts. Cameron Paterson describes the history and usage of the infamous trail. Lesson by Cameron Paterson, animation by Maxwell Sørensen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ...
Mar 14, 2026•6 min
Trace the history of ketchup, from the condiment’s origins in 3rd century China to becoming a staple of American cuisine. -- In the mid-18th century, England was crazy for ketchup. The sauce was a staple, but this ketchup wasn’t the ubiquitous red goop you’re familiar with today. In fact, it was a sweet and savory brown sauce that didn’t even have tomatoes in it. So where did this early ketchup come from, and how did it become the dip we know and love? Dan Kwartler traces the condiment's history...
Mar 14, 2026•8 min
