TED Talks
Reed Kroloff: A tour of modern architecture
Reed Kroloff gives us a new lens for judging new architecture: is it modern, or is it romantic? Look for glorious images from two leading practices -- and a blistering critique of the 9/11 planning process.
TED Talks
TED: How I turned a deadly plant into a thriving business | Achenyo Idachaba
The water hyacinth may look like a harmless, even beautiful flowering plant -- but it's actually an invasive aquatic weed that clogs waterways, stopping trade, interrupting schooling and disrupting everyday life. In this scourge, green...
TED Talks
TED: What a driverless world could look like | Wanis Kabbaj
What if traffic flowed through our streets as smoothly and efficiently as blood flows through our veins? Transportation geek Wanis Kabbaj thinks we can find inspiration in the genius of our biology to design the transit systems of the...
TED Talks
TED: The secrets of spider venom | Michel Dugon
Spider venom can stop your heart within minutes, cause unimaginable pain -- and potentially save your life, says zoologist Michel Dugon. As a tarantula crawls up and down his arm, Dugon explains the medical properties of this potent...
TED Talks
TED: Cloudy with a chance of joy | Gavin Pretor-Pinney
You don't need to plan an exotic trip to find creative inspiration. Just look up, says Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society. As he shares charming photos of nature's finest aerial architecture, Pretor-Pinney...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What is the rarest color in nature? | Victoria Hwang
Plants, animals, or minerals found in nature bear almost every color imaginable. There are two factors that influence what hues you see in the wild: physics and evolution. So, which colors are you least likely to see in the natural...
TED Talks
TED: The ocean's ingenious climate solutions | Susan Ruffo
The ocean is often thought of as a victim of climate change, in need of human protection. But ocean expert Susan Ruffo says that mindset needs to shift. From storing carbon to providing protection to coastal communities, Ruffo highlights...
TED Talks
Milton Glaser: Using design to make ideas new
From the TED archives: The legendary graphic designer Milton Glaser dives deep into a new painting inspired by Piero della Francesca. From here, he muses on what makes a convincing poster, by breaking down an idea and making it new.
SciShow
The Biggest Comet Ever Found is Headed Our Way
Scientists are discovering new objects in the solar system all the time. Most of these are small asteroids or icy bodies, but researchers recently spotted something unexpectedly huge heading our way.
TED Talks
TED: An ever-evolving map of everything on Earth | Jack Dangermond
What if we had a map of ... everything? Jack Dangermond, a visionary behind the geographic information system (GIS) technology used to map and analyze all kinds of complex data, walks us through the interconnected technologies gathering...
TED Talks
TED: The biology of our best and worst selves | Robert Sapolsky
* Viewer discretion advised. This video includes discussion of mature topics and may be inappropriate for some audiences. How can humans be so compassionate and altruistic -- and also so brutal and violent? To understand why we do what...
TED Talks
Reuben Margolin: Sculpting waves in wood and time
Reuben Margolin is a kinetic sculptor, crafting beautiful pieces that move in the pattern of raindrops falling and waves combining. Take nine minutes and be mesmerized by his meditative art -- inspired in equal parts by math and nature.
TED Talks
TED: On time and water | Andri Snær Magnason
Over the next 200 years, we can expect all of the Earth's glaciers to disappear -- unless we act now, says writer Andri Snær Magnason. Telling the story of the Okjökull glacier in Iceland, the first glacier lost to climate change,...
TED Talks
Regina Dugan: From mach-20 glider to hummingbird drone
"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" asks Regina Dugan, then director of DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. In this breathtaking talk she describes some of the extraordinary projects -- a...
TED Talks
David Rockwell: A memorial at Ground Zero
In this emotionally charged conversation with journalist Kurt Andersen, designer David Rockwell discusses the process of building a viewing platform at Ground Zero shortly after 9/11.
TED Talks
Mieux qu’un bonheur imbécile, une colère utile
Mieux qu’un bonheur imbécile, une colère utile À l'ère de la dictature du bonheur et de la menace d'effondrement, Mathilde Ramadier, écrivaine, rappelle l'importance d'une émotion « négative » qu'on a trop tendance à réprimer : la...
TED Talks
TED: The most mysterious star in the universe | Tabetha Boyajian
Something massive, with roughly 1,000 times the area of earth, is blocking the light coming from a distant star known as KIC 8462852, and nobody is quite sure what it is. As astronomer Tabetha Boyajian investigated this perplexing...
TED Talks
Frans Lanting: Photos that give voice to the animal kingdom
Nature photographer Frans Lanting uses vibrant images to take us deep into the animal world. In this short, visual talk he calls for us to reconnect with other earthly creatures, and to shed the metaphorical skins that separate us from...
Be Smart
How Poop Shapes the World
Waste not, want not.... right? Poop, in all of its various forms throughout nature, shapes the world in ways you might not imagine. One creature's waste is another's fuel, and all over nature these leftovers help new life spring up....
TED Talks
Jonathan Trent: Energy from floating algae pods
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...
TED Talks
TED: Whose land are you on? What to know about the Indigenous Land Back movement | Lindsey Schneider
Land thrives in Indigenous hands, and there are real, tangible ways you can help return what was stolen by colonizers from tribes across North America. Indigenous scholar Lindsey Schneider addresses the ill-gotten legacy of settler...
Be Smart
What Are The Most Important Science Images Ever?
Science isn't always a visual medium, but I think it's most important moments have often been captured in photos and illustrations. I picked out some of my favorite science images from history.
TED Talks
TED: How I became part sea urchin | Catherine Mohr
As a young scientist, Catherine Mohr was on her dream scuba trip -- when she put her hand right down on a spiny sea urchin. While a school of sharks circled above. What happened next? More than you can possibly imagine. Settle in for...
TED Talks
Noah Wilson-Rich: Every city needs healthy honey bees
Bees have been rapidly and mysteriously disappearing from rural areas, with grave implications for agriculture. But bees seem to flourish in urban environments -- and cities need their help, too. Noah Wilson-Rich suggests that urban...