For love or money? Based on hundreds of interviews and his personal experience, Richard St. John suggests that passion, not money, is one of the key drivers of success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Puzzle through a classic ethical dilemma and decide: can human existence be meaningful without its creativity and culture? -- Life on your planet depends entirely on Nuronium for normal cognition. Unfortunately, its source has been compromised and you are now at risk of extinction. Scientists have found an alternate energy source, Polixate, but it can’t sustain cognition and would mean the loss of people's creativity. So, what shall it be: extinction or life without culture? Douglas MacLean expl...
Nothing comes easy, and behind every success are hours of plain hard work. Sounds intimidating, but Richard St. John proposes a simple shift in attitude to turn mediocre into incredible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Explore the possibilities and challenges of what a vegetarian world could look like if we all immediately stopped eating meat. -- Imagine if a wizard of meatless dining suddenly appeared on Earth and with one wave of a wand wiped away all meat from our shelves— along with any desire to eat it. Farm animals destined for food vanish, whisked away to another planet. What happens in the following days, years, and even millennia? Carolyn Beans explores what a vegetarian world could look like. Lesson ...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mysteries-of-vernacular-noise-jessica-oreck The words noise, nausea, and naval all stem from the same Latin root. Jessica Oreck divulges how their spellings and meanings diverged from the original naus. Lesson and animation by Jessica Oreck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Explore how marine creatures survive the frigid waters of Antarctica, and what traits allow them to live in such conditions. -- The vast, white surface of Antarctica stretches for over 3 million square kilometers. On the coast of this expanse, just a few meters beneath the ice, lies a remarkably diverse realm that is home to over 8,000 species of sea denizens who rely on an arsenal of otherworldly traits to survive. So how do these species not only live, but thrive, in such harsh conditions? Nad...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mysteries-of-vernacular-hearse-jessica-oreck Today, we recognize the word hearse as a vehicle that carries a coffin to a funeral. Jessica Oreck explains how this word has, at various times, described a wolf, a rake, and a frame, eventually landing at its meaning today. Lesson and animation by Jessica Oreck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Explore how the brain learns and stores information, and find out how to apply this for more effective study techniques. -- A 2006 study took a class of surgical residents and split them into two groups. Each received the same study materials, but one group was told to use specific study methods. When tested a month later, this group performed significantly better than the other residents. So, what were these methods? Explore how the brain learns and stores information and how to apply this to y...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-call-to-invention-diy-speaker-edition-william-gurstelle There's a pleasure in making things for yourself -- especially something unexpected. At TEDYouth 2012, William Gurstelle shows how to make your own speakers from objects probably already laying around your house, like copper wire and an empty yogurt cup. Talk by William Gurstelle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dig into the biggest problems facing our current plastic recycling process, and explore potential solutions to these systems. -- If you’ve ever looked at the bottom of a disposable bottle or cup, you’ve probably noticed a recycling symbol. Seeing this, many people assume the item should be put in a recycling bin. Yet many plastics are incapable of being recycled at most centers. In fact, only 9% is recycled each year. So why are so few plastics recycled? And what do these symbols actually mean? ...
Who hasn't sent a text message saying "I'm on my way" when it wasn't true or fudged the truth a touch in their online dating profile? But Jeff Hancock doesn't believe that the anonymity of the internet encourages dishonesty. In fact, he says the searchability and permanence of information online may even keep us honest. Talk by Jeff Hancock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Explore what prevents us from learning from our failures, and how to become more resilient through cultivating a growth mindset. -- People often describe failure as a teachable moment— a necessary stumble on our way to improvement. But learning from our mistakes isn’t always easy, especially when those failures are demoralizing, overwhelming, or just downright confusing. So what prevents us from turning our mistakes into mastery? Explore the biggest obstacles of learning from failure, and how to...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/networking-for-the-networking-averse-lisa-green-chau Networking can seem so hard -- but not if you have the right advice. Try taking advantage of weak ties; you never know what friend of a friend of a friend can aid you in your dreams. Lisa Green Chau outlines how being proactive and always saying yes can lead to future opportunities. Lesson by Lisa Green Chau, animation by Cinematic Sweden. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...
Download a free audiobook version of “The Song of Achilles" and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://www.audible.com/ted-ed -- Achilles, just slain in the Trojan War, arrives in the Underworld and is greeted by Sibyl of Cumae— a prophetess and also the realm’s local guide. Though it gets a bad rap, Sibyl is determined to prove to the newcomer that hell is actually a lovely place to live; bursting with historic charm and eccentric neighbors. Iseult Gillespie takes a tour of the Underworld ...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mysteries-of-vernacular-pants-jessica-oreck From 4th Century Roman Saint Pantaleon to the trousers we wear on our legs, Jessica Oreck details the story of the word 'pants.' Lesson and animation by Jessica Oreck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Explore how werewolves have evolved in folklore, literature, and pop culture throughout history, and where these stories originated. -- Stories of werewolves have existed for thousands of years and continue to live on today. They’re especially prominent in European literature and folklore, and often found in cultures where the wolf is the largest natural predator. Over the years its image has continuously evolved, often reflecting the fears and prejudices of that time. Craig Thomson traces the h...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/who-is-alexander-von-humboldt-george-mehler Have you heard of Alexander von Humboldt? Not likely. The geologist turned South American explorer was a bit of an 18th century super scientist, traveling over 24,000 miles to understand the relationship between nature and habitat. George Mehler details Humboldt's major accomplishments and why we should care about them today. Lesson by George Mehler, animation by Flaming Medusa Studios Inc. Learn more about y...
Follow the chilling Japanese tale of Oiwa, a ghost seeking revenge after her husband poisoned her and killed her father. -- Oiwa’s only hope for ending her marriage to the cruel and dishonorable samurai, Iemon, was her father. But after he tried to end the union, Iemon murdered him in cold blood. With plans to marry another, Iemon conspired to poison his wife and left her for dead. But unfortunately for Iemon, it wouldn’t be the last of Oiwa. Kit Brooks shares the chilling tale of Oiwa’s ghostly...
How can you help kids get a good start? In this heartfelt and personal talk, Colin Powell, the former U.S. Secretary of State, asks parents, friends and relatives to support children from before they even get to primary school, through community and a strong sense of responsibility. (Filmed at TEDxMidAtlantic.) Talk by Colin Powell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dig into what caused the Irish potato famine, and explore how the UK government’s response turned the crisis into a catastrophe. -- For over 200 years, potatoes thrived in Ireland; roughly half the country’s residents lived almost entirely on potatoes. But when harvesting began in 1845, farmers found their potatoes blackened and shriveled. While this failed harvest created a crisis, the government’s response turned it into a national catastrophe. Stephanie Honchell Smith digs into Ireland's Grea...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/early-forensics-and-crime-solving-chemists-deborah-blum In a CSI age, we take forensic science for granted. New York did not have a medical examiner or forensic toxicologist until 1918, whose eventual arrival changed the landscape of crime investigation forever. At TEDYouth 2012, Deborah Blum prompts the audience to solve crimes with chemistry. Talk by Deborah Blum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd -- Your agent has infiltrated a life or death poker game in a hidden back room of a grand casino. Your team is on the trail of an elite society of assassins, each of whom carries a signature playing card corresponding to their role— everyone at the table is either an assassin or a potential victim. Can you identify the assassins and save the victims? Alex Rosenthal shows how. Lesson by Alex Rosenthal, directed by Igor Coric, Artake Stu...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-mystery-of-chronic-pain-elliot-krane We think of pain as a symptom, but there are cases where the nervous system develops feedback loops and pain becomes a terrifying disease in itself. Starting with the story of a girl whose sprained wrist turned into a nightmare, Elliot Krane talks about the complex mystery of chronic pain and reviews the facts we're just learning about how it works and how to treat it. Talk by Elliot Krane. Learn more about your...
Download the Audible Original podcast “Moriarty: The Silent Order” and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://www.audible.com/ted-ed -- One day in the fall, you called upon your friend, Sherlock Holmes, and found him in conversation with Jabez Wilson. Wilson had been working for the mysterious League of Red-Headed Men. Today, he arrived at work to find the group had disappeared, and now turns to Holmes to make sense of the events. Follow the detective and see if you can solve this adaptatio...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/building-the-seed-cathedral-thomas-heatherwick A future more beautiful? Architect Thomas Heatherwick shows five recent projects featuring ingenious bio-inspired designs. Some are remakes of the ordinary: a bus, a bridge, a power station ... And one is an extraordinary pavilion, the Seed Cathedral, a celebration of growth and light. Talk by Thomas Heatherwick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dig into what happened after the Chicxulub asteroid hit the Earth, and how it caused a mass extinction— including dinosaurs. -- Sixty-six million years ago, near what’s now the Yucatán Peninsula, a juvenile sauropod feasted on horsetail plants on a riverbank. Earth was a tropical planet. Behemoth and tiny dinosaurs alike soared its skies and roamed its lands while reptiles and tentacled ammonites swept its seas. But, in an instant, everything would change. Sean P. S. Gulick details one of Earth'...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/building-a-dinosaur-from-a-chicken-jack-horner Renowned paleontologist Jack Horner has spent his career trying to reconstruct a dinosaur. He's found fossils with extraordinarily well-preserved blood vessels and soft tissues, but never intact DNA. So, in a new approach, he's taking living descendants of the dinosaur (chickens) and genetically engineering them to reactivate ancestral traits — including teeth, tails, and even hands — to make a "Chickenosa...
Trace the history of barber-surgeons, and find out what led to barbers performing medical procedures in medieval Europe. -- It’s a cold morning in 15th century France and you’re off to the barber for a shave and haircut. You hear the familiar sound of singing inside and eye a bowl of blood in the window. You grab a cup of ale and examine the array of teeth strung from the walls. Suddenly, a scream sounds from one of the chairs. What's going on? Stephanie Honchell Smith shares the surprising hist...
Physicists are used to the idea that subatomic particles behave according to the bizarre rules of quantum mechanics, completely different to human-scale objects. In a breakthrough experiment, Aaron O'Connell has blurred that distinction by creating an object that is visible to the unaided eye, but provably in two places at the same time. In this talk he suggests an intriguing way of thinking about the result. Talk by Aaron O'Connell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Explore the massive structures known as the Fermi bubbles, and dig into the prevailing theories about how they came to be. -- In 2010, NASA announced the discovery of a never-before-seen galactic object: two gigantic gaseous bubbles, each emanating an impressive 25,000 light years from the center of the Milky Way. Astronomers were perplexed: what created these structures? And could this mean that the black hole at the center of our galaxy was waking up? Ashkbiz Danehkar explores the possible ori...
