Trace the strange history of Graham crackers, invented by minister Sylvester Graham in order to curb the vices of Americans. -- In the 1800s, minister Sylvester Graham believed Americans had a big problem— not just with their bodies, but their souls. He argued that overindulgence was fueling their baser desires, making them immoral and oversexed. To curb this corruption, puritanical reformers advocated for foods they thought curbed a variety of appetites. Stephanie Honchell Smith details the inv...
May 23, 2026•8 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/david-mccandless-the-beauty-of-data-visualization David McCandless turns complex data sets, like worldwide military spending, media buzz, and Facebook status updates, into beautiful, simple diagrams that tease out unseen patterns and connections. Good design, he suggests, is the best way to navigate information glut -- and it may just change the way we see the world. Talk by David McCandless. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...
May 23, 2026•24 min
How do you deal with a bully without becoming a thug? In this wise and soulful talk, peace activist Scilla Elworthy maps out the skills we need -- as nations and individuals -- to fight extreme force without using force in return. To answer the question of why and how non-violence works, she evokes historical heroes -- Aung San Suu Kyi, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela -- and the personal philosophies that powered their peaceful protests. (Filmed at TEDxExeter.) Talk by Scilla Elworthy. Learn more...
May 23, 2026•11 min
Trace the history of bloodletting, a medical practice dating back to ancient Greece and its continued use into the 19th century. -- Bloodletting was a pervasive medical practice that dates as far back as ancient Greece and continued well into the 19th century. Physicians like Hippocrates believed bad health could be attributed to a fluid imbalance, and recommended bloodletting to help reset the body's balance. So, why did bloodletting stick around so long? Stephanie Honchell Smith digs into its ...
May 23, 2026•9 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-genius-of-mendeleev-s-periodic-table-lou-serico The elements had been listed and carefully arranged before Dmitri Mendeleev. They had even been organized by similar properties before. So why is Mendeelev's periodic table the one that has endured? Lou Serico explains via eka-aluminum, an element whose existence Mendeelev predicted years before it was discovered. Lesson by Lou Serico, animation by TED-Ed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...
May 23, 2026•6 min
Puzzle through the ethical dilemma of intellectual property rights, and decide: how should we determine ownership of work? -- In the city of Ockham, spellcasters invent incantations and publish them in scrolls that others can purchase. Unfortunately, you can’t always afford them. But one day, a friend tells you he uses an illegal duplication spell to copy scrolls. So, do you use his counterfeit scrolls to further your own research? Michael Vazquez and Will Kanwischer explore the ethics of intell...
May 23, 2026•9 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/three-anti-social-skills-to-improve-your-writing-nadia-kalman You need social skills to have a conversation in real life -- but they're quite different from the skills you need to write good dialogue. Educator Nadia Kalman suggests a few "anti-social skills," like eavesdropping and muttering to yourself, that can help you write an effective dialogue for your next story. Lesson by Nadia Kalman, animation by Enjoyanimation. Learn more about your ad choic...
May 23, 2026•5 min
Practice more problem-solving at https://brilliant.org/TedEd -- It’s moments after the Big Bang and you’re still reeling. You’re a particle of matter, amidst a chaotic stew of forces, fusion, and annihilation. If you’re lucky and avoid being destroyed by antimatter, you’ll be the seed of a future galaxy. Can you ensure that you’re the last particle standing? James Tanton shows how. Lesson by James Tanton, directed by Igor Coric, Artrake Studio. Support Our Non-Profit Mission --------------------...
May 23, 2026•9 min
Learn more at https://brilliant.org/TedEd -- Ever since Einstein published his Special Theory of Relativity, one equation has been the bane of humans hoping to explore the stars: E=mc². In addition to informing our understanding of gravity, space, and time, this formula implies that traveling at or beyond light speed is impossible. Why is that? Lindsay DeMarchi and Fabio Pacucci explain the physics behind this unbreakable speed limit. Lesson by Lindsay DeMarchi and Fabio Pacucci, directed by Igo...
May 23, 2026•8 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/would-you-weigh-less-in-an-elevator-carol-hedden What happens when you jump in a moving elevator? Do you weigh more when you're going up and less when you're going down? Carol Hedden explores the relationship between gravity, weight, and relative motion, using a moving elevator to explain the fascinating physics. Lesson by Carol Hedden, animation by London Squared Productions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 23, 2026•5 min
Explore the challenges of Parker Solar Probe’s mission to touch the Sun, and what we could learn about the star as we get closer. -- In 2021, the Parker Solar Probe achieved its mission to touch the Sun, skimming through its outermost atmosphere. Since then, it’s carved closer and closer paths, but probing deeper into the corona— without melting, exploding, or falling into the Sun— is a monumental engineering challenge. Is it possible? Explore the obstacles of the mission and how it could unlock...
May 23, 2026•9 min
Help us caption and translate this video on Amara.org: http://www.amara.org/en/v/BMHi/ View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/kevin-alloca-why-videos-go-viral Kevin Allocca is YouTube's Trends Manager, and he has deep thoughts about silly web videos. In this talk from TEDYouth, he shares the 4 reasons a video goes viral. Talk by Kevin Allocca. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 23, 2026•10 min
When most well-intentioned aid workers hear of a problem they think they can fix, they go to work. This, Ernesto Sirolli suggests, is naïve. In this funny and impassioned talk, he proposes that the first step is to listen to the people you're trying to help, and tap into their own entrepreneurial spirit. His advice on what works will help any entrepreneur. Talk by Ernesto Sirolli. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 23, 2026•23 min
Episode 1: Learn how to identify the qualities that make an idea worth sharing with an audience. -- This is episode 1 of the animated series, “Public Speaking 101.” Ideas change everything — and since language lets us share our ideas, learning how to use it well gives speakers the power to inspire people and even change how they think. This 11-episode course will teach you how to identify, develop, and share your best ideas, while mastering essential communication skills along the way. Directed ...
May 23, 2026•8 min
Dig into the close relationship between figs and wasps, and find out if it's normal and safe for bugs to be in our food. -- In 2023, a US grocer recalled over 10,000 cases of broccoli-cheddar soup over concerns they contained too much of an unintended ingredient. That ingredient? Bugs. We know insects regularly come into contact with our food— but how many are you actually eating? And is it okay? Carolyn Beans takes a look at figs and their conspicuously close bond with wasps. Lesson by Carolyn ...
May 23, 2026•8 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/does-stress-cause-pimples-claudia-aguirre Which came first: the stress or the pimples? The physical reactions to stress can cause major breakouts, which, in turn, can be even more stressful! Claudia Aguirre gives just one more reason to get that stress under control. Lesson by Claudia Aguirre, animation by Alan Foreman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 23, 2026•6 min
Episode 2: Uncover your best ideas by exploring your unique experiences, interests, and perspective. -- This is episode 2 of the animated series, “Public Speaking 101.” Ideas change everything — and since language lets us share our ideas, learning how to use it well gives speakers the power to inspire people and even change how they think. This 11-episode course will teach you how to identify, develop, and share your best ideas, while mastering essential communication skills along the way. Direc...
May 23, 2026•6 min
Discover the dark history of the American suburbs, and how practices like racial covenants restricted access to home ownership for people of color. -- Beginning in the 1800s, people began writing clauses into property deeds that were meant to prevent all future owners from selling or leasing to certain racial groups, especially Black people. These racial covenants spread like wildfire throughout the US, making cities more segregated and the suburbs more restricted. Kevin Ehrman-Solberg and Kirst...
May 23, 2026•9 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/jill-bolte-taylor-s-stroke-of-insight Brain researcher Jill Bolte Taylor studied her own stroke as it happened -- and has become a powerful voice for brain recovery. Talk by Jill Bolte Taylor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 23, 2026•24 min
Dig into how bed bugs establish a colony in your home, and find out what makes it so hard to prevent these itchy invasions. -- Bed bugs have tormented humans for millennia, so detested that their mere mention can make hearts race and arms itch. There are approximately 100 species of bed bugs, but thankfully only three of them feed on humans. So, why are these unwelcome houseguests so difficult to defeat? And is there any way to get rid of them for good? Gale E. Ridge investigates the tremendous ...
May 22, 2026•9 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/an-anti-hero-of-one-s-own-tim-adams How can an anti-hero teach us about the heroic--and sometimes,the unheroic--characteristics that shape a story's protagonist? From jealousy to self-doubt, Tim Adams challenges us to consider how anti-heroes reflect the very mortal weaknesses that can be found within all of us. Lesson by Tim Adams, animation by Wood Goblin Studios. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 22, 2026•6 min
Episode 3: Discover how to put together the throughline, or main idea that acts as a connective thread or roadmap for your presentation. -- This is episode 3 of the animated series, “Public Speaking 101.” Ideas change everything — and since language lets us share our ideas, learning how to use it well gives speakers the power to inspire people and even change how they think. This 11-episode course will teach you how to identify, develop, and share your best ideas, while mastering essential commu...
May 22, 2026•10 min
Throughout the history of Islam, says journalist Bobby Ghosh, there have been two sides to jihad: one, internal, a personal struggle to be better, the other external. A small minority (most recently Osama bin Laden) has appropriated the second, using it as an excuse for deadly global violence against "the West." Ghosh suggests that, now that bin Laden's worldwide organization has fragmented, it's time to reclaim the word. (Filmed at TEDxGeorgetown.) Talk by Bobby Ghosh. Learn more about your ad ...
May 22, 2026•21 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/dark-matter-how-does-it-explain-a-star-s-speed-don-lincoln All the stars in a spiral galaxy rotate around a center -- but to astronomers, the speed that each star travels wasn't making sense. Why didn't stars slow down toward the edges as expected? Don Lincoln explains how a mysterious force called dark matter is (possibly) the answer -- and why the search for an answer matters. Lesson by Don Lincoln, animation by RocknRoll Animation. Learn more about ...
May 22, 2026•5 min
Explore the effects that isolation has on your body and brain, and how a lack of interaction and activity can impact our well-being. -- Everyone needs time to themselves, and peaceful solitude has stress-relieving benefits. But when being alone is forced upon you, the effects can be surprisingly extensive. And though different people experience distinct effects, symptoms tend to become more severe and persistent the longer one’s isolated. So, how exactly does isolation affect your body and brain...
May 22, 2026•10 min
Dig into the science of soy, and discover what makes soybeans such versatile plants and whether it’s healthy for you and the planet. -- Soybeans have been cultivated in Asia for thousands of years, and have since spread across the globe. Today, soy is in so many foods that most people consume it every day without even knowing it. So, what makes soybeans so versatile? And is our global obsession healthy or harmful? Francesca Bot explores why this single plant is used in everything from mayonnaise...
May 22, 2026•7 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-needle-in-countless-haystacks-finding-habitable-planets-ariel-anbar Out of billions of galaxies and billions of stars, how do we find Earth-like habitable worlds? What is essential to support life as we know it? Ariel Anbar provides a checklist for finding life on other planets. Lesson by Ariel Anbar, animation by TED-Ed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 22, 2026•8 min
Episode 4: Decide on a presentation plan that makes you feel prepared to communicate an idea to an audience confidently and passionately. -- This is episode 4 of the animated series, “Public Speaking 101.” Ideas change everything — and since language lets us share our ideas, learning how to use it well gives speakers the power to inspire people and even change how they think. This 11-episode course will teach you how to identify, develop, and share your best ideas, while mastering essential comm...
May 22, 2026•11 min
When two people are trying to make a deal -- whether they're competing or cooperating -- what's really going on inside their brains? Behavioral economist Colin Camerer shows research that reveals just how little we're able to predict what others are thinking. And he presents an unexpected study that shows chimpanzees might just be better at it than we are. (Filmed at TEDxCalTech.) Talk by Colin Camerer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 22, 2026•19 min
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-life-came-to-land-tierney-thys Spiders and crustaceans, also known as arthropods, led the charge from water to land--now outnumbering all terrestrial animals. But what about arthropods makes them so adaptable to life on land? Marine biologist Tierney Thys, and Noé Sardet and Sharif Mirshak of the Plankton Chronicles Project, shows us a world of fascinating animals and their habitats. Lesson by Tierney Thys, visualization by Noé Sardet and Sharif Mi...
May 22, 2026•8 min
