TED Talks
TED: 100 solutions to reverse global warming | Chad Frischmann
What if we took out more greenhouse gases than we put into the atmosphere? This hypothetical scenario, known as "drawdown," is our only hope of averting climate disaster, says strategist Chad Frischmann. In a forward-thinking talk, he...
SciShow
Why Don't Birds Have Vertical Tails Like Airplanes?
How do you tell a plane from a bird? The vertical tail, of course! By why can birds fly without a vertical tail, and how do planes use their vertical tails to stay in the air?
SciShow
Seeing Like Mantis Shrimp to Spot Cancer
Mantis shrimp might as well be super heroes, and one of their powers might given us insight on how to spot cancer.
SciShow
The Link Between Zebra Stripes and Sand Dunes | Natural Patterns
Stripes! Hexagons! They're everywhere! These patterns in nature might seem like aesthetic coincidences, but they are actually the result of physical process that show up again and again, even in otherwise unrelated phenomena.
TED Talks
TED: An economic case for protecting the planet | Naoko Ishii
We all share one planet -- we breathe the same air, drink the same water and depend on the same oceans, forests and biodiversity. economist Naoko Ishii is on a mission to protect these shared resources, known as the global commons, that...
TED Talks
TED: What we don't know about mother's milk | Katie Hinde
Breast milk grows babies' bodies, fuels neurodevelopment, provides essential immunofactors and safeguards against famine and disease -- why, then, does science know more about tomatoes than mother's milk? Katie Hinde shares insights into...
Be Smart
Electric Buzzaloo: How Bees See the Invisible
Bees are amazing social insects, and their relationship with flowers is one of nature's coolest examples of "mutualism". It got me wondering: How do bees see the world? Enjoy this look at how bees see in ultraviolet and even sense...
TED Talks
TED: The powerful women on the front lines of climate action | Farwiza Farhan
When it comes to big problems like climate change, we tend to focus on big solutions -- but many of the best ideas come from people on the ground, facing day-to-day conservation battles. Sharing her effort to protect the Leseur ecosystem...
SciShow
3 of the World's Most Intensely Colored Living Things
For most living things the color you see when you look at them is determined by pigments. But some of the most vivid colors we see in nature get their signature looks WITHOUT colorful molecules. How do these intense colors get their power?
SciShow
What If Dark Energy Doesn’t Exist?
Dark Energy is what we call the mysterious force that seems to be pushing the universe apart. By some calculations, it makes up 70% of everything in nature. Or...maybe it doesn’t exist at all! Plus, Juno’s observations give us new...
TED Talks
TED: How to be a good ancestor | Roman Krznaric
Our descendants own the future, but the decisions and actions we make now will tremendously impact generations to come, says philosopher Roman Krznaric. From a global campaign to grant legal personhood to nature to a groundbreaking...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The most colorful gemstones on Earth | Jeff Dekofsky
In November 1986, Australian miners climbed Lunatic Hill and bored 20 meters into the Earth. They were rewarded with a fist-sized, record breaking gemstone, which they named the Hailey's Comet opal. Thanks to a characteristic called...
SciShow
6 Surgical Devices Inspired by Nature
From the sharp mouthparts of mosquitoes to the sticky feet of geckos, researchers have found all kinds of amazing adaptations in the natural world that could be useful in the operating room. Chapters WASPS & TISSUE EXTRACTORS 2:05...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why should you read Sylvia Plath? - Iseult Gillespie
Explore the haunting and intimate works of poet Sylvia Plath, who digs into issues of mental health, trauma and sexuality in works like “The Bell Jar.” -- Under her shrewd eye and pen, Sylvia Plath turned everyday objects into haunting...
TED Talks
TED: Time-lapse proof of extreme ice loss | James Balog
Photographer James Balog shares new image sequences from the Extreme Ice Survey, a network of time-lapse cameras recording glaciers receding at an alarming rate, some of the most vivid evidence yet of climate change.
TED Talks
Roger Hanlon: The amazing brains and morphing skin of octopuses and other cephalopods
Octopus, squid and cuttlefish -- collectively known as cephalopods -- have strange, massive, distributed brains. What do they do with all that neural power? Dive into the ocean with marine biologist Roger Hanlon, who shares astonishing...
Crash Course
Leonardo DiCaprio & The Nature of Reality: Crash Course Philosophy
Today Hank gains insight from that most philosophical of figures...Leonardo DiCaprio. In this episode, we’re talking about the process of philosophical discovery and questioning the relationship between appearance and reality by taking a...
SciShow
5 Toxins Animals Steal For Themselves
Thievery is a known survival strategy in the wild. But you couldn’t steal a toxin...or could you? Meet 5 animals that turn someone else’s poison into their own weapon of choice. PORE-FORMING TOXINS 0:50 BIRDS-FOOT TREFOIL 2:45 SIX-SPOT...
TED-Ed
How do wind turbines work? | Rebecca J. Barthelmie and Sara C. Pryor
Every 24 hours, wind generates enough kinetic energy to produce roughly 35 times more electricity than humanity uses each day. And unlike coal or oil, this resource is totally renewed each day. So how can we harness this incredible...
Be Smart
Why Do Men Have Nipples? - 12 Days of Evolution #7
Some of the biggest evolution questions finally answered.
TED Talks
Love, sorrow and the emotions that power climate action | Knut Ivar Bjørlykhaug
Picture your favorite place in nature. How would you feel if it disappeared tomorrow? In this love letter to the planet, social worker and environmental activist Knut Ivar Bjørlykhaug invites us to confront the deep, difficult emotions...
Crash Course
Everything, The Universe ...And Life
Here it is, folks: the end. In our final episode of Crash Course Astronomy, Phil gives the course a send off with a look at some of his favorite topics and the big questions that Astronomy allows us to ask.
TED Talks
Neri Oxman: Design at the intersection of technology and biology
Designer and architect Neri Oxman is leading the search for ways in which digital fabrication technologies can interact with the biological world. Working at the intersection of computational design, additive manufacturing, materials...
Be Smart
Amazing Animal Superpowers
Evolution has come up with some pretty amazing ways to get things done when it comes to animals, plants and microbes. From radiation-resistant bacteria (like Dr. Manhattan) to geckos who climb glass using atomic adhesion (like Spider...