TED Talks
Henry Markram: A brain in a supercomputer
Henry Markram says the mysteries of the mind can be solved -- soon. Mental illness, memory, perception: they're made of neurons and electric signals, and he plans to find them with a supercomputer that models all the brain's...
TED Talks
Graham Hawkes: A flight through the ocean
Graham Hawkes takes us aboard his graceful, winged submarines to the depths of planet Ocean (a.k.a. "Earth"). It's a deep blue world we landlubbers rarely see in 3D.
TED-Ed
TED-ED: An exercise in time perception - Matt Danzico
Why is that some experiences feel like they last forever, while others fly by? We tend to miscalculate the time it takes to engage in novel activities due to the influence of memories. Matt Danzico explains why your childhood feels like...
SciShow
Pareidolia: Why People Keep Seeing Crazy Stuff on Mars
Why do people supposedly see a woman in pictures sent from Mars by the Curiosity Rover? For the same reason that people see Pepe the Frog in their toast, or Jesus in a tortilla: a phenomenon known as pareidolia.
SciShow
Why Up Matters to Your Brain
Gravity may be doing a lot more than just keeping us planted on the Earth. Scientists are learning that it’s also a key player in how we perceive things.
TED Talks
Drew Berry: Animations of unseeable biology
We have no ways to directly observe molecules and what they do -- but Drew Berry wants to change that. He demos his scientifically accurate (and entertaining!) animations that help researchers see unseeable processes within our own cells.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Ugly History: Cambodian Genocide | Timothy Williams
From 1975 to 1979, the Communist Party of Kampuchea ruled Cambodia with an iron fist, perpetrating a genocide that killed one fourth of the country's population. Roughly one million people were executed as suspected political enemies or...
Crash Course
Perceiving is Believing - Crash Course Psychology
So what does perception even mean? What's the difference between seeing something and making sense of it? In today's episode of Crash Course Psychology, Hank gives us some insight into the differences between sensing and...
SciShow
Why Does Salt Make Food Taste Better?
Salt doesn’t just make things salty! It has a lot of different effects on how we perceive flavors!
TED Talks
TED: Meet Spot, the robot dog that can run, hop and open doors | Marc Raibert
That science fiction future where robots can do what people and animals do may be closer than you think. Marc Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics, is developing advanced robots that can gallop like a cheetah, negotiate 10 inches of snow,...
SciShow
Have You Seen That Face Before?
You’re probably familiar with that flash of recognition that happens when you see a person and suddenly realize it is someone you know, but neuroscientists have been trying to understand exactly how our brains do this for years.
SciShow
You Don't Have as Much Control as You Think You Do
Like a scene from a horror film, you are in a elevator, you push the close button ,Hurry! The murderer is coming at you! However, again you push the close button, the door won't close! Psych! The button is fake. But why is that most of...
SciShow
How Paintings Help You See the World Differently
Emerging research suggests that paintings might be more than just pretty pictures: how we process what we see in paintings might also impact the way we process the world around us.
Bozeman Science
The Sensory System
Paul Andersen explains how we perceive our environment using our sensory system. He starts with a brief discussion of action potentials and the nervous system. He shows that we many more than five senses. He goes into more detail to show...
Crash Course
Locke, Berkeley, & Empiricism: Crash Course Philosophy
This week we answer skeptics like Descartes with empiricism. Hank explains John Locke’s primary and secondary qualities and why George Berkeley doesn’t think that distinction works -- leaving us with literally nothing but our minds,...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How does the Rorschach inkblot test work? - Damion Searls
What are the origins of the Rorschach test and how does it work? Explore the inkblot tool psychologists use to test a subject’s perceptions and mental health. -- For nearly a century, ten inkblots have been used as an almost mystical...
SciShow
Hearing Colors, Seeing Sounds: Synesthesia
Hank explains the little we know about the perceptual condition known as synesthesia, where a person involuntary associates one sensation or experience with another sensation.
SciShow
The Taste of Color
To the average tongue, the color "red" doesn't have a flavor or a smell. But color can affect how we perceive the world in so many ways - including how things taste and smell!
SciShow
Do we have more than 5 senses?
The Greek philosopher Aristotle used sensory experiences and body parts to propose that humans have five senses. But almost as soon as he proposed them, people noticed things that didn’t fit the bill. And the debate has continued ever...
Be Smart
Illuminating the Universe: The History of Light
Beyond what we can touch, taste, smell, and hear, we experience the universe through light. But how did we come to discover light, and how did we learn light's true nature, as the fastest thing in the universe, an electromagnetic...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Is marijuana bad for your brain? | Anees Bahji
In 1970, marijuana was classified as a schedule 1 drug in the United States: the strictest designation possible, meaning it was completely illegal and had no recognized medical uses. Today, marijuana's therapeutic benefits are widely...
Curated Video
What is the SCARF Model?
Social behaviors – like those we see in and around our projects – are driven by two urges: to minimize perceived threat, and to maximize potential reward. But what are the sources of threat and reward in the social domain? That is the...
Curated Video
Intuition: How it Works and What to Do when it Fails You
You use your intuition every day. And it often serves you well. But, not always. So, how does it work and how can you fix it, when your intuition fails you? Intuition is your ability to: 1. Extract a small amount of essential information...