TED Talks
Nancy Etcoff: Happiness and its surprises
Cognitive researcher Nancy Etcoff looks at happiness -- the ways we try to achieve and increase it, the way it's untethered to our real circumstances, and its surprising effect on our bodies.
TED Talks
Beau Lotto + Amy O'Toole: Science is for everyone, kids included
What do science and play have in common? Neuroscientist Beau Lotto thinks all people (kids included) should participate in science and, through the process of discovery, change perceptions. He's seconded by 12-year-old Amy O'Toole, who,...
SciShow
Why Do We Jump in Our Sleep?
Learn why you may experience jumping in your sleep, and how you can prevent it!
TED Talks
Samuel Cohen: Alzheimer's is not normal aging — and we can cure it
More than 40 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's disease, and that number is expected to increase drastically in the coming years. But no real progress has been made in the fight against the disease since its classification...
TED Talks
TED: What are animals thinking and feeling? | Carl Safina
What's going on inside the brains of animals? Can we know what, or if, they're thinking and feeling? Carl Safina thinks we can. using discoveries and anecdotes that span ecology, biology and behavioral science, he weaves together stories...
SciShow
How Words Get Stuck on the Tip of Your Tongue
You know that feeling, when you know a word but it's just out of reach, stuck on the tip of your tongue? Well, why does it happen? And what can you do about it?
TED Talks
Michael Shermer: The pattern behind self-deception
Michael Shermer says the human tendency to believe strange things -- from alien abductions to dowsing rods -- boils down to two of the brain's most basic, hard-wired survival skills. He explains what they are, and how they get us into...
TED Talks
Donald Hoffman: Do we see reality as it is?
Cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman is trying to answer a big question: Do we experience the world as it really is ... or as we need it to be? In this ever so slightly mind-blowing talk, he ponders how our minds construct reality for us.
TED Talks
Andres Lozano: Parkinson's, depression and the switch that might turn them off
Deep brain stimulation is becoming very precise. This technique allows surgeons to place electrodes in almost any area of the brain, and turn them up or down -- like a radio dial or thermostat -- to correct dysfunction. Andres Lozano...
SciShow
People Grow Brain Cells Well Into Their 80s | SciShow News
This week, scientists announced great news about our brains and those discoveries may help us find the cure for a number of diseases and disorders.
SciShow
3 Ways Physics Can Help Us Understand the Brain
Brains are mysterious! Living brains are particularly tough to study, but sometimes scientists can use techniques from other disciplines to get a clearer picture. Here are some ways scientists are adapting tools developed for looking at...
TED Talks
TED: A brain implant that turns your thoughts into text | Tom Oxley
What if you could control digital devices using just the power of thought? That's the incredible promise behind the Stentrode -- an implantable brain-computer interface that collects and wirelessly transmits information directly from the...
TED Talks
TED: How to escape the cynicism trap | Jamil Zaki
Some days, it's hard to be optimistic. But cynicism -- the idea that people are inherently selfish, greedy and dishonest -- is making humanity lonelier and more divided, says psychologist Jamil Zaki. Presenting fascinating research on...
TED Talks
Colin Camerer: When you're making a deal, what's going on in your brain?
When two people are trying to make a deal -- whether they’re competing or cooperating -- what’s really going on inside their brains? Behavioral economist Colin Camerer shows research that reveals how badly we predict what others are...
TED Talks
Denise Herzing: Could we speak the language of dolphins?
For 28 years, Denise Herzing has spent five months each summer living with a pod of Atlantic spotted dolphins, following three generations of family relationships and behaviors. It's clear they are communicating with one another -- but...
TED Talks
Carl Schoonover: How to look inside the brain
There have been remarkable advances in understanding the brain, but how do you actually study the neurons inside it? Using gorgeous imagery, neuroscientist and TED Fellow Carl Schoonover shows the tools that let us see inside our brains.
TED Talks
Max Little: A test for Parkinson's with a phone call
Parkinson's disease affects 6.3 million people worldwide, causing weakness and tremors, but there's no objective way to detect it early on. Yet. Applied mathematician and TED Fellow Max Little is testing a simple, cheap tool that in...
TED Talks
TED: Glow-in-the-dark sharks and other stunning sea creatures | David Gruber
Just a few meters below the waves, marine biologist and explorer-photographer David Gruber discovered something amazing -- a surprising new range of sea creatures that glow in many colors in the ocean's dim blue light. Join his journey...
SciShow
Human Connectome
Hank briefs us on a fascinating project that aims to map the anatomical and functional pathways of the brain - a neural network called the human connectome.
TED Talks
Nancy Kanwisher: A neural portrait of the human mind
Brain imaging pioneer Nancy Kanwisher, who uses fMRI scans to see activity in brain regions (often her own), shares what she and her colleagues have learned: The brain is made up of both highly specialized components and general-purpose...
TED Talks
Gero Miesenboeck: Re-engineering the brain
In the quest to map the brain, many scientists have attempted the incredibly daunting task of recording the activity of each neuron. Gero Miesenboeck works backward -- manipulating specific neurons to figure out exactly what they do,...
TED Talks
Allan Jones: A map of the brain
How can we begin to understand the way the brain works? The same way we begin to understand a city: by making a map. In this visually stunning talk, Allan Jones shows how his team is mapping which genes are turned on in each tiny region,...
TED Talks
Stuart Firestein: The pursuit of ignorance
What does real scientific work look like? As neuroscientist Stuart Firestein jokes: It looks a lot less like the scientific method and a lot more like "farting around ... in the dark." In this witty talk, Firestein gets to the heart of...