Ants have one of the most complex social organizations in the animal …
Ants have one of the most complex social organizations in the animal kingdom; they live in structured colonies that contain different types of members who perform specific roles. Deborah M. Gordon explains the way these incredible creatures mate, communicate and source food, shedding light on how their actions can mimic and inform our own behavior. [4:47]
How does a computer work? The critical components of a computer are …
How does a computer work? The critical components of a computer are the peripherals (including the mouse), the input/output subsystem (which controls what and how much information comes in and out), and the central processing unit (the brains), as well as human-written programs and memory. Bettina Bair walks us through the steps your computer takes with every click of the mouse. [4:12]
In this third part of his series on light and color, Colm …
In this third part of his series on light and color, Colm Kelleher discusses wave-particle duality and its relationship to how we see light and, therefore, color. [4:23]
It's been a long road to the discovery that Earth is not …
It's been a long road to the discovery that Earth is not the center of the Solar System, the Milky Way, or the universe; great thinkers from Aristotle to Bruno have grappled with it for millennia. But if we aren't at the center of the universe, what is? [4:14]
Many generations have felt they've reached the pinnacle of technological advancement. Yet, …
Many generations have felt they've reached the pinnacle of technological advancement. Yet, if you look back 100 years, the technologies we take for granted today would seem like impossible magic. So- will there be a point where we reach an actual limit of technological progress? And if so, are we anywhere near that limit now? Clement Vidal consults Kardashev's scale to find out. [4:46]
In this video, James Balog describes how evidence for glaciers receding due …
In this video, James Balog describes how evidence for glaciers receding due to climate change can be seen through time-lapse photography. [19:20] Includes a brief quiz and a list of additional resources to explore.
What if Anne Frank hadn't kept a diary? What if no one …
What if Anne Frank hadn't kept a diary? What if no one could listen to Martin Luther King's Mountaintop speech? What if the camera hadn't been rolling during the first moon landing? Actively listening to the voices of the past and the people who matter to us is important, and StoryCorps wants you to lend your voice to history, too. Here's how. [3:18]
Tax forms, credit agreements, healthcare legislation: They're crammed with gobbledygook, says Alan …
Tax forms, credit agreements, healthcare legislation: They're crammed with gobbledygook, says Alan Siegel, and incomprehensibly long. He calls for a simple, sensible redesign- and plain English- to make legal paperwork intelligible to the rest of us. [4:57]
Bobbi Seleski catalogs biology from our body and beyond, tracking how unicellular …
Bobbi Seleski catalogs biology from our body and beyond, tracking how unicellular organisms, tissues, organs, organ systems, organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, and our biosphere build off of each other and work together. [4:53]
Using robotics, laser rangefinders, GPS and smart feedback tools, Dennis Hong is …
Using robotics, laser rangefinders, GPS and smart feedback tools, Dennis Hong is building a car for drivers who are blind. It's not a "self-driving" car, he's careful to note, but a car in which a non-sighted driver can determine speed, proximity and route- and drive independently. [9:09]
How can animation convey complex, intangible concepts? A visual metaphor, or an …
How can animation convey complex, intangible concepts? A visual metaphor, or an idea represented through imagery, can take an idea as massive as Big Data and tie it to the familiar depiction of a growing tree. TED-Ed animators explain how to make an abstract idea come alive visually. [5:03]
There's been a lot of talk and research interest around the possibility …
There's been a lot of talk and research interest around the possibility of resurrecting certain organisms (or, at least their genomes) from extinction, with Woolly Mammoths being prime candidates for such an endeavor. But what about a closely related group, like the Mastodons? What's the criteria for possible 'de-extinction'? The Brain Scoop takes a look. [3:57]
Most 12-year-olds love playing video games- but Thomas Suarez taught himself how …
Most 12-year-olds love playing video games- but Thomas Suarez taught himself how to create them. After developing iPhone apps like "Bustin Jeiber," a whack-a-mole game, he is now using his skills to help other kids become developers. [4:33]
Writing a great English paper can be tough because literature doesn't always …
Writing a great English paper can be tough because literature doesn't always reveal its deeper meanings immediately. Amy E. Harter offers a few tips on how to read and write more critically and thoughtfully. [4:12]
Eddy Cartaya takes us inside the magical spaces where ice glows in …
Eddy Cartaya takes us inside the magical spaces where ice glows in bright blues and greens, and where artifacts rain from the ceiling in glacier caves. [8:02]
The history of the word bewilder is more straightforward than you might …
The history of the word bewilder is more straightforward than you might think. Roots can be traced back to the Old English words wilde (undomesticated) and deor (untamed animals), eventually combined into the word wilderness. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel track bewilder's etymological path from meaning natural states to complete confusion. [1:54]
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