Dig into why there is so much trash orbiting Earth, and find out what could happen if the debris continues to accumulate. -- There are over 131 million pieces of debris currently whipping around the planet. They range in size from a grain of sand to the size of an entire bus. These orbital debris pose a serious threat to the thousands of satellites that underpin Earth’s vital technologies. So, how can we save our satellites and ourselves from all this trash? Jim Bentley and Imogen Ellen Napper i...
May 20, 2026•7 min
View full lesson on ed.ted.com http://ed.ted.com/lessons/jane-hirshfield-the-art-of-the-metaphor How do metaphors help us better understand the world? And, what makes a good metaphor? Explore these questions with writers like Langston Hughes and Carl Sandburg, who have mastered the art of bringing a scene or emotion to life. Lesson by Jane Hirshfield, animation by Ben Pearce Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 20, 2026•7 min
Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd -- It’s your first day as Center Realm’s official cartographer, and you’ve already got a big problem. Center Realm is home to three elder dragons: two ice, one fire, and they’ve lived in harmony for centuries. But scouts have sighted three fire dragons and five ice dragons flying towards the region. Can you figure out where to place the new dragons? Henri Picciotto shows how. Lesson by Henri Picciotto, directed by Igor Coric, Artrake S...
May 20, 2026•8 min
Catherine the Great presided over a golden age of Russian expansion — but was she a dedicated ruler or a ruthless oppressor? -- Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia for over three decades, used strategic dalliances, military might, and cutting-edge philosophy to modernize, expand, and transform the Russian Empire. But was she a dedicated ruler determined to move Russia into the future, or a ruthless monarch who oppressed anyone who questioned her? Carolyn Harris puts this controversial figure ...
May 20, 2026•8 min
Improve your understanding of molecular properties with this lesson on the fascinating property of chirality. Your hands are the secret to understanding the strange similarity between two molecules that look almost exactly alike, but are not perfect mirror images. Lesson by Michael Evans, animation by Safwat Saleem and Qa'ed Tung. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 20, 2026•7 min
Explore different poverty intervention and aid programs, and how direct cash giving can address a community's needs. -- In 2018, a nonprofit gave every adult in the Ahenyo village $500. Most families had lived in extreme poverty for generations, and this sum was roughly equivalent to their annual salaries. The money came with no strings attached to how it could be spent. Would this lift villagers out of poverty or be another failed philanthropic endeavor? Explore aid programs and how they addres...
May 20, 2026•7 min
Watch full lesson here: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/joshua-manley-newton-s-3-laws-with-a-bicycle Why would it be hard to pedal a 10,000 pound bicycle? This simple explanation shows how Newton's 3 laws of motion might help you ride your bike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 20, 2026•5 min
Daphne Koller is enticing top universities to put their most intriguing courses online for free -- not just as a service, but as a way to research how people learn. With Coursera (cofounded by Andrew Ng), each keystroke, quiz, peer-to-peer discussion and self-graded assignment builds an unprecedented pool of data on how knowledge is processed. Talk by Daphne Koller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 20, 2026•26 min
Get to know the Japanese legend of Hōichi the earless, a monk summoned by a mysterious samurai to perform songs of past battles. -- Long ago, a temple was built near the site of a naval battle that concluded the long and gruesome conflict known as the Genpei Wars. For centuries after, performers throughout the country honored this tragic past in beautiful, haunting performances. But the most skilled storyteller of all was a monk from this very temple. Jeffrey Angles digs into the Japanese legend...
May 20, 2026•8 min
View full lesson here: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/ainissa-ramirez-magical-metals-how-shape-memory-alloys-work From robots to braces to the Mars Rover, see how a special kind of metal called shape memory alloys advance technology in everyday ways that we don't always realize. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 20, 2026•7 min
Professional vocalists share how to give a great vocal performance by experimenting with styles, training, and taking care of your voice. -- "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 first season "Think Like A Performer" features artists sharing their insight on the ins and outs of fine-tuning your instrument and crafting a great per...
May 20, 2026•14 min
Explore the science of solar storms, and find out why they occur and just how prepared we are for a major event. -- In September 1859, miners following the Colorado gold rush woke up to another sunny day. Or so they thought. To their surprise, they soon discovered it was actually 1am and the sky wasn’t lit by the sun, but rather by brilliant drapes of light. The blazing glow was a solar storm— the largest in recorded history. So what exactly is a solar storm? Fabio Paccuci explains this astrophy...
May 20, 2026•8 min
Most people instinctively avoid conflict, but as Margaret Heffernan shows us, good disagreement is central to progress. She illustrates (sometimes counterintuitively) how the best partners aren't echo chambers -- and how great research teams, relationships and businesses allow people to deeply disagree. Talk by Margaret Heffernan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 19, 2026•11 min
Tamerlane was one of history’s greatest conquerors— but was he a great state builder or a bloodthirsty tyrant? You decide. -- He was born in the 1330s in the Chaghatayid Khanate, formerly the Mongol Empire. On the steppe, he rose from a lowly sheep thief to become one of history’s greatest conquerors, uniting nearly all of Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran under his rule. But was he a great state builder or a bloodthirsty tyrant? Stephanie Honchell Smith puts this controversial figure on trial...
May 19, 2026•9 min
Parkinson's disease affects 6.3 million people worldwide, causing weakness and tremors, but there's no objective way to detect it early on. Yet. Applied mathematician and TED Fellow Max Little is testing a simple, cheap tool that in trials is able to detect Parkinson's with 99 percent accuracy -- in a 30-second phone call. Talk by Max Little. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 19, 2026•9 min
Travel around the world to visit some of nature’s most incredible snakes: vipers, and find out which are the most dangerous. -- As of 2021, there are 368 species of viper worldwide. The name comes from the term viviparity, which means giving birth to live young. Vipers are often highly venomous, with two hollow, extra long fangs that unfold into imposing weapons when the viper prepares to strike. So, which are the most dangerous? Andrew Whitworth travels around the world to visit some of nature’...
May 19, 2026•8 min
Rob Legato creates movie effects so good they (sometimes) trump the real thing. In this warm and funny talk, he shares his vision for enhancing reality on-screen in movies like Apollo 13, Titanic and Hugo. Talk by Rob Legato. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 19, 2026•21 min
Puzzle through the ethical dilemma of a spouse accused of murder and decide: do you believe your spouse or the evidence? -- You’re sitting on the couch, when you hear a knock on the door. The police have arrived to arrest your spouse— for murder. This accusation comes as a total shock, but their fingerprints were found on the murder weapon. Your spouse insists they’re innocent. Should you believe your spouse, even though the evidence against them looks damning? Alex Worsnip takes a look at this ...
May 19, 2026•7 min
In her New Orleans neighborhood, artist and TED Fellow Candy Chang turned an abandoned house into a giant chalkboard asking a fill-in-the-blank question: "Before I die I want to ___." Her neighbors' answers -- surprising, poignant, funny -- became an unexpected mirror for the community. (What's your answer?) Talk by Candy Chang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 18, 2026•9 min
Dig into the Greek myth of Persephone, who is abducted by Hades and is only allowed to leave the underworld every spring. -- One day, Persephone was frolicking in a meadow with the nymph, Cyane. As they admired a flower, they noticed it tremble in the ground. Suddenly, the earth split, and a terrifying figure arose. It was Hades, god of the underworld. He wrenched Persephone from Cyane, dragged her into his inky chariot, and blasted back through the earth. Iseult Gillespie shares the myth of the...
May 18, 2026•8 min
View full lesson here: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/jon-bergmann-how-to-think-about-gravity Did you know that when you fall down, the earth falls up to meet you? Explore the counterintuitive equation that describes gravity. Lesson by Jon Bergmann, animation by TED-Ed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 18, 2026•6 min
Are we building skills the wrong way? Explore how having a wide range of experience can be better than early specialization. -- There’s a common idea that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become great at something. From an early age, we are encouraged to choose our path, focus specifically, and start racking up those hours. But, what if these head starts aren’t helping us the way we think they do? What if there’s a better way to excel? David Epstein shares how a different approach could set ...
May 18, 2026•9 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-punishable-perils-of-plagiarism-melissa-huseman-d-annunzio Fighting plagiarism is serious business. From brainchild-snatching to wholly quotables, plagiarists have plenty of wily ways to pass others' work off as their own -- and all of them are threats to original thinking. Melissa Huseman D'Annunzio imagines what would happen if a Department of Plagiarism Investigation were on the case. Lesson by Melissa Huseman D'Annunzio, animation by Hache Rodr...
May 18, 2026•6 min
View full lesson here: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-the-size-of-your-screen-matters-brian-gervase Watching a movie at home isn't quite the same experience as seeing it at a movie theater -- but why? Learn how changes in aspect ratio affect every film, and why your television might not be delivering the whole picture. Lesson by Brian Gervase, animation by Andrei Feheregyhazi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 18, 2026•5 min
Explore the science of bone lengthening surgery, and discover the benefits and limitations of this still-developing technology. -- Differences in leg length can emerge for various reasons, from genetic and hormonal conditions to injuries that impact bone growth. But while we still don’t know exactly what degree of difference causes health issues, doctors have made great strides in figuring out how to even out these mismatched limbs. Jason Shih Hoellwarth digs into the benefits and limitations of...
May 18, 2026•9 min
View the full lesson here: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/michael-mitchell-a-clever-way-to-estimate-enormous-numbers Have you ever tried to guess how many pieces of candy there are in a jar? Or tackled a mindbender like: "How many piano tuners are there in Chicago?" Physicist Enrico Fermi was very good at problems like these -- learn how he used the power of 10 to make amazingly fast estimations of big numbers. Lesson by Michael Mitchell, animation by Mark Phillips. Learn more about your ad choices. ...
May 18, 2026•6 min
Explore how our bodies change and age over time, and the three common markers scientists use to measure aging. -- If you want to learn a tree’s age, you can count their rings. When it comes to humans, scientists have yet to find any visible traits that mark our age with the same specificity. But in the past few decades, they’ve discovered small, invisible markers hidden within the body that do change over time. Juulia Jylhävä shares what these markers can tell us about our health, history, and f...
May 18, 2026•8 min
Dig into the genetic adaptations of cockroaches, and find out what makes it so hard to get rid of these tenacious creatures. -- In ancient Egypt, there was a spell that declared, “Be far from me, O vile cockroach.” Thousands of years later, we’re still trying to oust these insects. But from poison traps to brandished slippers, cockroaches seem to weather just about everything we throw at them. So, what makes cockroaches so hard to kill? Ameya Gondhalekar digs into the genetic wonders of this tro...
May 18, 2026•8 min
View full lesson here: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/daniel-dulek-how-big-is-a-mole-not-the-animal-the-other-one The word "mole" suggests a small, furry burrowing animal to many. But in this lesson, we look at the concept of the mole in chemistry. Learn the incredible magnitude of the mole--and how something so big can help us calculate the tiniest particles in the world. Lesson by Daniel Dulek, animation by Augenblick Studios. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 18, 2026•6 min
Explore the ways that lead exposure can harm the human body, and why this toxic element can be found in so many products. -- Lead is a metallic element that’s distributed across Earth’s crust. When it enters the human body, it can disrupt many critical processes that span various systems, producing a diverse set of symptoms. So, just how bad is lead for human health? And if it’s really that dangerous, how did it get into so many products? Gerald Markowitz and David Rosner dig into the lethal his...
May 18, 2026•8 min
