Be Smart
What's the Deadliest Animal in the World?
The world's deadliest animal may be closer than you think.
TED Talks
Richard Resnick: Welcome to the genomic revolution
Cheap and fast genome sequencing is about to turn health care (and insurance, and politics) upside down. Richard Resnick shows how, in this accessible talk.
SciShow
This AI Doesn’t Need Any Help from Humans
Scientists have developed a new AI that can teach itself how to be the master of an ancient board game.
SciShow
Does Lactic Acid Really Cause Muscle Pain?
For decades, lactic acid has taken the blame for the muscle pain you feel when you exercise - but does it really deserve its bad reputation?
TED Talks
Dan Pink: The puzzle of motivation
Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional rewards aren't always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating stories -- and...
SciShow
3 Weird Stars You Can See with the Naked Eye
These three stars can easily be seen with the naked eye, but it took some fancy telescopes for us to realize how weird they really are!
PBS
The First Humans on Mars
Elon Musk's SpaceX program proposes that 100 people could be sent to colonize Mars within 10 years. What might that colony look like?
TED Talks
Alex Steffen: The shareable future of cities
How can cities help save the future? Alex Steffen shows some cool neighborhood-based green projects that expand our access to things we want and need -- while reducing the time we spend in cars.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: A brief history of plural words - John McWhorter
All it takes is a simple S to make most English words plural. But it hasn't always worked that way (and there are, of course, exceptions). John McWhorter looks back to the good old days when English was newly split from German -- and...
SciShow
How to Predict the Odds of Anything
Statistics! They're every scientist's friend. But they can be easy to misinterpret. Check out this thought exercise with Hank to understand how some mental kung fu known as Bayesian reasoning can use stats to draw some downright...
SciShow
THE CICADAS ARE COMING!
Cicadas have developed an amazing strategy for growth, survival, reproduction, and overcoming predation by...doing nothing. They do nothing for years (except sip at the juice excreted from root structures) before emerging in huge,...
SciShow
Bdelloids: The Most Hardcore Animals in the World?
Bdelloid rotifers have a superpower. If their DNA is shredded to pieces, whether from a lack of water or a blast of radiation, they can put it back together.
SciShow
Why Ouija Boards Are So Convincing
If you've ever played with a ouija board, you might have gotten the spooky sensation of an other worldly presence. But really, that's just your brain playing tricks on you.
TED Talks
TED: A smart bra for better heart health | Alicia Chong Rodriguez
Could an everyday clothing item help protect your health? In this quick talk, TED Fellow Alicia Chong Rodriguez introduces us to a smart bra designed to gather real-time data on biomarkers like heartbeat, breath and temperature. Learn...
TED-Ed
The strange history of the world's most stolen painting | Noah Charney
Throughout six centuries, the Ghent Altarpiece, also called "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb," has been burned, forged, and raided in three different wars. It is, in fact, the world's most stolen artwork— and is considered one of the...
Be Smart
Does My Dog Know What I'm Thinking?
Do you ever talk to your dog? Do they ever talk back? Humans and dogs have a truly amazing relationship, developed along an evolutionary journey that goes back nearly 10,000 years. Do they really understand what we say, think, and feel?...
TED Talks
Paul Bennett: Design is in the details
Showing a series of inspiring, unusual and playful products, British branding and design guru Paul Bennett explains that design doesn't have to be about grand gestures, but can solve small, universal and overlooked problems.
TED Talks
Tali Sharot: The optimism bias
Are we born to be optimistic, rather than realistic? Tali Sharot shares new research that suggests our brains are wired to look on the bright side -- and how that can be both dangerous and beneficial.
SciShow
8 Creepy Animals That Are Actually Harmless
Claws, teeth, stingers... there are a lot of things that can make an animal look downright scary and dangerous. Sometimes, though, looks can be deceiving! Face your fears and learn about eight animals that use their tough looks to hide...
TED Talks
TED: Why all melodies should be free for musicians to use | Damien Riehl
Evoke a familiar tune in a song and get slapped with a lawsuit ... it's a tale almost as old as copyright itself. Lawyer and technologist Damien Riehl digs into why "owning" a melody is a ludicrous legal assertion and composes a radical...
SciShow
How to Find Thousands of Oceanic Fossils in... Ohio?
Modern-day Ohio is more than 600 kilometers from the ocean - yet it has thousands of ocean fossils dating back to the Ordovician, giving us a glimpse at its past under an ancient, fishless sea.
SciShow
Are the Meat Sweats a Real Thing?
Some people might bemoan the inevitable onset of the meat sweats after a particularly meaty meal, but this phenomenon may not be as inevitable—or real—as we're led to believe.
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Big Data - Tim Smith
There is a mind-boggling amount of data floating around our society. Physicists at CERN have been pondering how to store and share their ever more massive data for decades - stimulating globalization of the internet along the way, whilst...