TED Talks
Ma Yansong: Urban architecture inspired by mountains, clouds and volcanoes
Taking inspiration from nature, architect Ma Yansong designs breathtaking buildings that break free from the boxy symmetry of so many modern cities. His exuberant and graceful work -- from a pair of curvy skyscrapers that "dance" with...
MinuteEarth
Where Do Our Drugs Come From?
The incredible chemical weapon-making abilities of fungi, bacteria, and plants have created a diverse array of compounds that are useful to humans.
TED Talks
TED: What it means to be intersex | Susannah Temko
For intersex people -- those born with sex characteristics outside the traditional definitions of female and male -- the stakes to appear "normal" are high. Drawing on her personal experience, Susannah Temko reveals the shame, prejudice...
Be Smart
Inside an ICE CAVE! - Nature's Most Beautiful Blue
Where do glaciers and icebergs get their beautiful blue color? This unique blue might be nature's most brilliant, and the color arises in a very special way thanks to some surprising interactions between light and water molecules. Who...
TED Talks
TED: Smelfies, and other experiments in synthetic biology | Ani Liu
What if you could take a smell selfie, a smelfie? What if you had a lipstick that caused plants to grow where you kiss? Ani Liu explores the intersection of technology and sensory perception, and her work is wedged somewhere between...
SciShow
Why Does Nature Make You Feel Better?
It’s not a huge surprise that nature is beneficial to our mental health. But why?
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How to see more and care less: The art of Georgia O'Keeffe | Iseult Gillespie
Feeling disconnected from creating art within classical conventions, artist Georgia O'Keeffe began experimenting with abstract drawings that defied easy classification. Using the shapes and rhythms of nature to capture her internal...
PBS
The Black Hole Information Paradox
Black holes are the result of absolute gravitational collapse of a massive body: a point of hypothetical infinite density surrounded by an event horizon. At that horizon time is frozen and the fabric of space itself cascades inwards at...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Earth's mysterious red glow, explained | Zoe Pierrat
In 2009, a satellite circled Earth, scanning and sorting the wavelengths reflecting off the planet's surface. Researchers noticed something baffling: an unexpected wavelength of unknown origin. They tried looking at Earth with only this...
TED Talks
TED: A robot that runs and swims like a salamander | Auke Ijspeert
Roboticist Auke Ijspeert designs biorobots, machines modeled after real animals that are capable of handling complex terrain and would appear at home in the pages of a sci-fi novel. The process of creating these robots leads to better...
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...
TED Talks
TED: Math is the hidden secret to understanding the world | Roger Antonsen
unlock the mysteries and inner workings of the world through one of the most imaginative art forms ever -- mathematics -- with Roger Antonsen, as he explains how a slight change in perspective can reveal patterns, numbers and formulas as...
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...