"You're a fishmonger!" By taking a closer look at Shakespeare's words--specifically his insults--we see why he is known as a master playwright whose works transcend time and appeal to audiences all over the world. Lesson by April Gudenrath, narration by Juliet Blake, animation by TED-Ed. View the full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/insults-by-shakespeare Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 16, 2026•9 min
Professional musicians share what makes for great, memorable lyrics, their writing process, and where they get inspiration from. -- "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, memorab...
May 15, 2026•11 min
The TED-Ed team provides an in depth look at the powerful features of the newly-launched TED-ED Beta website. You'll learn how TED-Ed videos are created, how they are arranged, about the learning materials that surround each video, and how you can create customized or "flipped" lessons based on any TED-Ed video or any video on YouTube. http://ed.ted.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 15, 2026•5 min
Explore the science of hypnosis, and dig into how the practice can affect your body and brain when hypnotic suggestions work. -- In the 19th century, Scottish surgeon James Braid revolutionized the field of hypnotism, transitioning the practice towards inducing a sleep-like state. Today, hypnosis is used in psychiatry as a helpful medical tool, yet it still holds an entrancing place in popular fantasy. So, is there any truth to what it can accomplish? Or is it just illusion? Devin Terhune explor...
May 15, 2026•9 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-color-is-tuesday-exploring-synesthesia-richard-e-cytowic How does one experience synesthesia -- the neurological trait that combines two or more senses? Synesthetes may taste the number 9 or attach a color to each day of the week. Richard E. Cytowic explains the fascinating world of entangled senses and why we may all have just a touch of synesthesia. Lesson by Richard E. Cytowic, animation by TED-Ed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaph...
May 15, 2026•6 min
From something as small and complex as a chromosome to something as seemingly simple as the weather, sex determination systems vary significantly across the animal kingdom. Biologist and teacher Aaron Reedy shows us the amazing differences between species when it comes to determination of gender. Lesson by Aaron Reedy, animation by BuzzCo ( http://buzzzco.com). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 15, 2026•9 min
Dig into the pros and cons of annuity and lump sum lottery payouts, and find out the most common mistakes lottery winners make. -- After winning the lottery, one of the first decisions you’d have to make is how you want your winnings to be paid out. You can choose the full jackpot amount, paid out in annual installments over 30 years. Or you can take a much smaller lump sum paid out immediately. So, which is the better option? Explore the financial implications of annuity and lump sum payments. ...
May 15, 2026•9 min
Get to know the story of Radio Venceremos, an underground radio collective that fought US-backed fascism during the Salvadoran Civil War. -- Since the 1800s, a handful of oligarchs had controlled nearly all of El Salvador’s land, forcing laborers to work for almost nothing. But in 1980, farmers and urban workers formed guerrilla groups to overthrow the US-backed dictatorship. These revolutionaries were attacked from every direction, but a group of rebels refused to be silenced. Diana Sierra Bece...
May 15, 2026•9 min
Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/teded Can folding a piece of paper 45 times get you to the moon? By seeing what happens when folding just one piece of paper, we see the unbelievable potential of exponential growth. This lesson will leave you wanting to grab a piece of paper to see how many times you can fold it! Lesson by Adrian Paenza, animation by TED-Ed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 15, 2026•6 min
Trace the illustrious history of hats dating back to the Paleolithic Era, and explore how they were used in different periods. -- Humans have been fashioning caps since the dawn of civilization. A bearskin cap from the Bronze Age is one of the earliest surviving hats, discovered alongside Europe’s oldest mummy. Hats aren’t just for keeping heads warm or making a fashion statement— they’ve been used throughout history as a symbol of status, power, and politics. Alison L. Goodrum traces the illust...
May 15, 2026•7 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/let-s-talk-about-dying-peter-saul We can't control if we'll die, but we can "occupy death," in the words of Dr. Peter Saul. He calls on us to make clear our preferences for end of life care -- and suggests two questions for starting the conversation. (Filmed at TEDxNewy.) Talk by Peter Saul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 15, 2026•18 min
Just how small are atoms? And what's inside them? The answers turn out to be astounding, even for those who think they know. This fast-paced animation uses spectacular metaphors (imagine a blueberry the size of a football stadium!) to give a visceral sense of the building blocks that make our world. Lesson by Jonathan Bergmann, animation by Cognitive Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 15, 2026•8 min
Explore how two main types of emergency contraception work to prevent pregnancy by disrupting or delaying ovulation. -- In a 2021 study, researchers asked over 500 participants to explain how the morning-after pill worked. Despite these pills’ widespread use, 60% answered incorrectly. Emergency contraceptives are often misunderstood— even the phrase “the morning-after pill” is a misnomer. So, how do they work? Alison Edelman explores how two main types of emergency contraception disrupt or delay...
May 15, 2026•8 min
Dig into the history of Election Day in the United States, and how voting on Tuesdays affects voter turnout. -- Since 1845, Americans have been voting on Tuesdays — but why? In this humorous talk, Jacob Soboroff shares the history of Election Day and shows how voting on a Tuesday affects voter turnout. Lesson by Jacob Soboroff. Support Our Non-Profit Mission ---------------------------------------------- Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon Check out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDSh...
May 15, 2026•5 min
Dig into the body's biological process that heals a broken bone, and find out how different kinds of fractures are mended. -- The human body’s 206 bones come in many shapes and sizes: short bones, long bones, flat bones, irregular bones. Roughly 50% of people will break a bone at some point in their lives. But whether the cause is as mundane as a slip on the ice or as dramatic as a tightrope-walking accident, how do our broken bones heal? Gurpreet Baht and Natalie Pang dig into the incredible bi...
May 15, 2026•6 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/your-body-language-shapes-who-you-are-amy-cuddy Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how "power posing" -- standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don't feel confident -- can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success. Talk by Amy Cuddy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...
May 15, 2026•28 min
New videography techniques have opened up the oceans' microscopic ecosystem, revealing it to be both mesmerizingly beautiful and astoundingly complex. Marine biologist Tierney Thys has used footage from a pioneering project to create a film designed to ignite wonder and curiosity about this hidden world that underpins our own food chain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 15, 2026•9 min
Dig into what biological factors influence hair growth, how it can change as you age, and how to take control of your scalp. -- At age 44, Xie Qiuping cut her hair for the first time in over three decades. Her impressive locks extended over 5 meters — earning the Guinness World Record for the world’s longest hair. But even with this record-setting feat, her hair might not have reached its maximum possible length. So, just how long can human hair actually grow? Maksim Plikus digs into what factor...
May 15, 2026•8 min
View full lesson on TED-Ed BETA: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-real-origin-of-the-franchise One of the most successful business models is the franchise, but it didn't originate with McDonald's. Sir Harold Evans, the author of They Made America, describes the remarkable story of a beauty salon that allowed hundreds of women to own their own businesses. Lesson by Sir Harold Evans. Animation by Sunni Brown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 15, 2026•9 min
Explore how the microplastics in your body can affect your health, and how we can regulate the amount of plastic in our world. -- Plastic is everywhere. It’s in our clothes, our food, the air we breathe. And plastic is now also in our bodies. Micro and nanoplastics generally enter our bodies in one of three ways: the air, our skin, and what we eat and drink. But how exactly do these microscopic particles affect our health? Dig into how they can interrupt your body’s processes, and how we can beg...
May 15, 2026•9 min
Dig into the science of how heart transplants happen, how donors are matched and find out how this complex surgery saves lives. -- Your heart beats more than 100,000 times a day. In just a minute, it pumps over five liters of blood throughout your body. But unlike skin and bones, the heart has a limited ability to repair itself. So if this organ is severely damaged, there’s often only one medical solution: replacing it. Roni Shanoada explores how this complex and intricate procedure works. Lesso...
May 15, 2026•8 min
At TEDYouth 2011, Performance artist Carvens Lissaint shows how to use language, metaphor and imagery to express a powerful idea -- as in this spoken word performance, a stirring plea to make college education more accessible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 15, 2026•8 min
Dig into sortition, a system where officials are selected via lottery, and how it could address the problems of modern democracies. -- Elections are tools that ensure a nation’s citizens all have an equal political voice. But these so-called “great equalizers” are often plagued by corruption, partisan divides, and uninformed voters. Which is why some of democracy’s first and most famous practitioners used a different approach: sortition. Michael Vazquez explores how this system could address mod...
May 15, 2026•9 min
Sign up for our newsletter and never miss an animation: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter 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. (Introducing the series "Questions no one knows the answers to") "Questions No One Knows the Answers to" was animated by Andrew Park ( http://www.cognitivemedia.co.uk) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 15, 2026•16 min
Trace the history and evolution of beer, from its first known existence 13,000 years ago to the modern beverage we know today. -- Today, there are over 100 distinct beer varieties, from pilsners and bocks, to porters, stouts, and IPAs. The oldest evidence of beer brewing dates back 13,000 years, but experts believe the drink developed independently across the world. So, how did ancient civilizations brew beer, and how did their methods develop into the beverage we know today? Malcolm Purinton tr...
May 15, 2026•9 min
Call it "fuel without fossils": Jonathan Trent is working on a plan to grow new biofuel by farming micro-algae in floating offshore pods that eat wastewater from cities. Hear his team's bold vision for Project OMEGA (Offshore Membrane Enclosures for Growing Algae) and how it might power the future. Talk by Jonathan Trent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 15, 2026•20 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/symbiosis-a-surprising-tale-of-species-cooperation Different species often depend on one another. David Gonzales describes the remarkable relationship of the Clark's nutcracker and the whitebark pine, to illustrate the interdependency known as symbiosis. Lesson by David Gonzales, animation by Sunni Brown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 15, 2026•4 min
Professional songwriters share their writing process, how they collaborate with other artists, and what it takes to be a songwriter. -- "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, mem...
May 14, 2026•10 min
Adam Savage walks through two spectacular examples of profound scientific discoveries that came from simple, creative methods anyone could have followed -- Eratosthenes' calculation of the Earth's circumference around 200 BC and Hippolyte Fizeau's measurement of the speed of light in 1849. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 14, 2026•10 min
Explore the science of silica gel, and find out why these packets are everywhere and if they're actually dangerous to ingest. -- Of the many, many things we’re not supposed to snack on, perhaps the most common forbidden food is silica gel. This tiny packet pops up in packaging for everything — from TVs and guitar cases to sunscreen and snack foods. So why is silica gel everywhere, and what would actually happen if you ate it? Vivian Jiang digs into the science of this pervasive product. Lesson b...
May 14, 2026•8 min