Dig into the era of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, which perpetuated a genocide that killed a quarter of the country’s population. -- From 1975 to 1979, the Communist Party of Kampuchea ruled Cambodia with an iron fist, perpetrating a genocide that killed one fourth of the country’s population. Roughly one million people were executed as suspected political enemies or due to their ethnicities, and another million died of starvation, disease, or overwork. How did this happen? Timothy Williams detai...
May 14, 2026•9 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/stories-legacies-of-who-we-are Storyteller and educator Awele Makeba combines performing arts and history to tell a powerful story from the American civil rights movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 14, 2026•13 min
Take a tour of the vast, underground network of the Paris Catacombs, and find out how this 18th century cemetery came to be. -- For centuries, Parisians had buried their dead in the Cemetery of the Innocents. By the 18th century, the grounds had become overcrowded — spewing foul odors across the city. Residents worried that it posed a public health threat, and petitioned the government for a solution. But where could they move millions of remains? Stephanie H. Smith explores the vast, undergroun...
May 14, 2026•9 min
Nearly 450 million people are affected by mental illness worldwide. In wealthy nations, just half receive appropriate care, but in developing countries, close to 90 percent go untreated because psychiatrists are in such short supply. Vikram Patel outlines a highly promising approach -- training members of communities to give mental health interventions, empowering ordinary people to care for others. Talk by Vikram Patel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 14, 2026•16 min
In the deepest, darkest parts of the oceans are ecosystems with more diversity than a tropical rainforest. Taking us on a voyage into the ocean -- from the deepest trenches to the remains of the Titanic -- marine biologist David Gallo explores the wonder and beauty of marine life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 14, 2026•11 min
Explore how snakes evolved, and find out how their jaw-dropping anatomy allows them to take down prey several times their size. -- Since slithering onto the scene some 150 million years ago, evolving length and limbless-ness out of their ancestral lizard forms, snakes have diversified rapidly. Their noodly bodies and flexible heads granted them access to novel places and prey. And today, there are nearly 4,000 snake species, spanning habitats high and low. Niko Zlotnik explores how snakes evolve...
May 14, 2026•10 min
Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd -- Bad news: your worst enemies are at the gate. Your fledgling kingdom guards the world’s only herd of tiny dino creatures. To you, they’re sacred. To everyone else, they’re food. The three closest nation-states have teamed up to smash open your walls and devour the herd. Can you build fortifications for your kingdom before the siege weapons arrive? Henri Picciotto shows how. Lesson by Henri Picciotto, directed by Igor Coric, Artrake ...
May 14, 2026•8 min
TED-Ed's mission is to capture and amplify the voices of great educators around the world. We do this by pairing extraordinary educators with talented animators to produce a new library of curiosity-igniting videos. You can nominate a teacher, nominate an animator or suggest a lesson here: http://education.ted.com Subscribe to http://www.youtube.com/user/TEDEducation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 14, 2026•4 min
Explore the psychology behind why children invent imaginary companions and what skills they can develop through pretend play. -- Amia and her friend Zelba have been inseparable for nearly a year. They share secrets, play games, and rule over imaginary kingdoms. Amia sometimes has bad ideas, and Zelba goes along with them anyway. Amia is very real, but Zelba... is not. So, what leads kids to create these fictional figures? Explore why children invent imaginary companions and what skills they can ...
May 14, 2026•8 min
Long, fancy words designed to show off your intelligence and vocabulary are all very well, but they aren't always the best words. In this short, playful video Terin Izil explains why simple, punchy language is often the clearest way to convey a message. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 14, 2026•4 min
Get to know Auguste Rodin’s infamous sculpture “The Thinker,” and find out who was the inspiration for this masterpiece. -- Contrary to popular belief, "The Thinker" sculpture isn’t just a universal symbol of eternal contemplation. French sculptor Auguste Rodin intended it to represent a specific person— and fit into a much larger piece featuring the fiery pits of Hell. So, who was "The Thinker," and what was he actually thinking? Noah Charney digs into the secrets of this infamous work of art. ...
May 14, 2026•9 min
Calling them "our bodies' own repair kits," Susan Solomon advocates research using lab-grown stem cells. By growing individual pluripotent stem cell lines, her team creates testbeds that could accelerate research into curing diseases -- and perhaps lead to individualized treatment, targeted not just to a particular disease but a particular person. Talk by Susan Solomon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 14, 2026•20 min
By dissecting a cockroach ... yes, live on stage ... TED Fellow and neuroscientist Greg Gage shows how brains receive and deliver electric impulses -- and how legs can respond. "The Cockroach Beatbox" was animated by the TED-Ed Animation Team (Jeremiah Dickey, Biljana Labovic, Celeste Lai, Kari Mulholland and Franz Palomares) View the full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-cockroach-beatbox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 14, 2026•9 min
Explore the cognitive benefits of risky play and how we can design better playgrounds that promote fun, agency, and development. -- The best play environments offer freedom and novelty that kids can explore as much or as little as they like. But traditional playgrounds don’t offer much flexibility— swings, slides, and climbing frames are hardly novel structures. So, how do we create better play spaces? Explore the cognitive benefits of risky play and how we can design playgrounds that promote fu...
May 14, 2026•8 min
Using newts, coyotes and mice, Jason Munshi-South shows how animals develop genetic differences in evolution, even within an urban city. "Evolution in a Big City" was animated by the TED-Ed Animation Team (Jeremiah Dickey, Biljana Labovic, Celeste Lai, Kari Mulholland and Franz Palomares) View the full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/evolution-in-a-big-city Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 14, 2026•8 min
Get to know Jin Yong’s “Legend of the Condor Heroes,” an epic tale of adventure and war, romance, brotherhood and betrayal. -- In the 1950s, citizens flocked to newsstands to pick up the latest edition of a story set hundreds of years in the past — a multigenerational tale of adventure and war, romance and intrigue, brotherhood and betrayal. Jin Yong’s epic "Legend of the Condor Heroes" is considered one of Hong Kong’s most important works of fiction. Gladys Mac digs into this beloved sweeping s...
May 14, 2026•8 min
Puzzle through the ethical dilemma of lying to a friend, and decide: is lying always wrong or can it be justifiable? -- 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 to work— what if you told Carey dinner was at 6 instead of 6:30, so they arrived on time? Is it okay to lie? Sarah Stroud explores this classic...
May 14, 2026•6 min
View the full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-many-un... The fact that no one knows the answer to this question is what makes it exciting. The story of physics has been one of an ever-expanding understanding of the sheer scale of reality, to the point where physicists are now postulating that there may be far more universes than just our own. Chris Anderson explores the thrilling implications of this idea. Lesson by Chris Anderson, animation by Andrew Park. Learn more about your ad choices...
May 14, 2026•6 min
Singer, songwriter, and producer Breland shares insights into the creative process of songwriting and how to build your skills. -- "Think Like A Musician" connects you with working musicians who want to help the music-curious and music-passionate hone and share the gift of music with the world. Part interview, part animated course, our second season "Think Like A Songwriter" features artists sharing their insight on the ins and outs of fine-tuning your songwriting and crafting timeless, memorabl...
May 14, 2026•9 min
Dig into the history of pandemics to learn how viruses and disease spreads and what we can do to stop future outbreaks. -- In our increasingly globalized world, a single infected person can board a plane and spread a virus across continents. Mark Honigsbaum describes the history of pandemics and how that knowledge can help halt future outbreaks. Lesson by Mark Honigsbaum, directed by Patrick Blower. Animator's website: http://www.patrickblower.com Educator's website: http://www.markhonigsbaum.co...
May 14, 2026•11 min
Take a look at 3 English language grammar rules to find out where they come from and if you actually need to follow them. -- Grammatical rules have caused heated debate in various regions and languages for centuries. But while we know people take grammar seriously, what’s less clear is, why? Where do these seemingly random rules come from, and which, if any, actually matter? Arika Okrent takes a closer look at three famous examples from the English language that have been the source of numerous ...
May 14, 2026•8 min
We all use our body on a daily basis, and yet few of us think about our physicality the way Wayne McGregor does. He demonstrates how a choreographer communicates ideas to an audience, working with two dancers to build phrases of dance, live and unscripted, on the TEDGlobal stage. Talk by Wayne McGregor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 14, 2026•20 min
Stand by for an animated exploration of the famous Fermi Paradox. Given the vast number of planets in the universe, many much older than Earth, why haven't we yet seen obvious signs of alien life? The potential answers to this question are numerous and intriguing, alarming and hopeful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 14, 2026•9 min
Dig into how the simple game of peek-a-boo contributes to babies developing their cognitive, motor, and social skills. -- In Italy, it’s called il gioco del cucù. Palestinians say ba' 'éno. And in Japan, it’s inaīnaibā! Peek-a-boo is a near universal source of laughter and connection for infants and adults— it’s the first game that almost everyone plays. So what is it about this goofy game that babies love so much? Dig into how this simple game promotes the development of our cognitive, motor, a...
May 13, 2026•8 min
In the first of a new TED-Ed series designed to catalyze curiosity, TED Curator Chris Anderson shares his boyhood obsession with quirky questions that seem to have no answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 13, 2026•4 min
Learn more at https://brilliant.org/TedEd -- Scanning the crime scene, Officer Stone sees a disorderly room, visible red-brown stains and a partial shoe track— all hinting at a bloody struggle. After calling in a team to inspect, photograph, sketch, measure, and collect all the evidence, the investigators apply Luminol. So, what is Luminol and why is it used at crime scenes? Theodore E. Yeshion shines a light on the investigative tool. Lesson by Theodore E. Yeshion, directed by Raghav Arumugam, ...
May 13, 2026•8 min
Explore the circular reasoning fallacy, which occurs when the end of an argument comes back to the start without having proven itself. -- It’s 1990. A prospective student has filed a complaint about Virginia Military institute’s admissions policy that excludes women. The state argues that VMI’s single sex education is an “important governmental objective” and that the exclusion of women from VMI is essential to that objective. Can you spot the problem with this argument? Elizabeth Cox explores t...
May 13, 2026•9 min
Get to know the story of how truck driver Malcom McLean invented the shipping container, and how it transformed the global economy. -- Sometimes a single unlikely idea can have massive impact across the world. Sir Harold Evans, the author of "They Made America," describes how frustration drove Malcom McLean, a small-town truck driver, to invent the shipping container. Containerization was born, and it transformed the modern global economy. Lesson by Sir Harold Evans, directed by Sunni Brown. Sup...
May 13, 2026•7 min
Explore 3 strategies to control the flow of lava, and how scientists are using them to protect communities from future eruptions. -- In December 2023, Icelandic citizens experienced their worst nightmare: a volcanic fissure opened and began spewing lava fountains 100 meters tall. While the molten rock narrowly avoided a small town, Iceland wasn’t willing to leave anyone's fate to chance again and began preparing for future eruptions. Arianna Soldati explores 3 potential strategies to control the...
May 13, 2026•8 min
What can governments learn from the open-data revolution? In this stirring talk, Beth Noveck, the former deputy CTO at the White House, shares a vision of practical openness -- connecting bureaucracies to citizens, sharing data, creating a truly participatory democracy. Imagine the "writable society." Talk by Beth Noveck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 13, 2026•23 min
