A story, a work of art, a face, a designed object -- how do we tell that something is beautiful? And why does it matter so much to us? Designer Richard Seymour explores our response to beauty and the surprising power of objects that...

How do the groups that you're part of affect you? How do you, in turn, affect those groups? Today we are talking about how people in society come together with a look at social groups. We’ll look at what social groups are, the different...

A mini-lesson on observational patterns.

In this collection of classic MinuteEarth videos, we take a look at how deep the divide between males and females actually goes.

Cats are known for having fantastic night vision, but why is it during the day my cats can't see the treat that I'm putting right in front of them?

A handful of species on Earth share a seemingly mysterious trait: a menstrual cycle. We're one of the select few mammals on Earth that menstruate, and we also do it more than any other animal, even though it's a waste of nutrients, and...

You might be susceptible to "tickle attacks," but have you ever wondered why you can't tickle yourself?

We can tell which direction a sound is coming from using just two ears, but how do we do that? What would happen if our ears switched sides?

Romantic chemistry is all about warm, gooey feelings that gush from the deepest depths of the heart-right? Not quite. Actually, the real boss behind attraction is your brain, which runs through a very quick, very complex series of...

Farmers stand at the center of the world, says Andrew Youn, cofounder of One Acre Fund, an agricultural organization that's empowering sub-Saharan farm families with the loans, seeds, fertilizer and training needed to increase crop...

Peaceful protests can help people have their voices heard, but sometimes a protest becomes a more aggressive riot. How does that happen?

Some people can truly feel other people’s pain! But even if you aren't someone who can literally feel someone else’s sensations, your connections with people can still do some powerful things.

In the coming years, artificial intelligence is probably going to change your life— and likely the entire world. But people have a hard time agreeing on exactly how AI will affect our society. Can we build AI systems that help us fix the...

You know what's amazing? That we can talk to people, they can make meaning out of it, and then talk back to us. In this episode of Crash Course Psychology, Hank talks to us and tries to make meaning out of how our brains do this thing...

Today we are talking about art and aesthetic appreciation. What makes something an artwork? Can art really be defined? Is aesthetic value is objective or subjective? Can taste be developed? How?

Here's a talk about tears -- and why crying isn't something to be afraid or ashamed of. Exploring the science behind the mood-boosting power of crying, childbirth and lactation educator Kathy Mendias shows how tears can enhance your...

Expert timing and spacing is what separates a slide show from a truly amazing animation. TED-Ed demonstrates, by manipulating various bouncing balls, how the smallest adjustments from frame to frame can make all the difference.

Divergence, curl, and their relation to fluid flow and electromagnetism

This video is about a multistable perceptual illusion, similar to the hollow face illusion, whereby maps or aerial or satellite photos look upside down/inside out, ie, concave (valley) parts look convex and convex...

Many of the bewildering correlations in our world - like that between Beryllium-7 and the Asian monsoon - are a result of huge and unseen forces that tie them together.

As a breeze blows through the savannah, a snake-shaped tube stretches into the air and scans the horizon like a periscope. But it's not seeing— it's sniffing. Containing no bones and an estimated 40,000 muscles, an elephant trunk is one...

An adult human can distinguish up to 10,000 odors. You use your nose to figure out what to eat, what to buy and even when it's time to take a shower. But how do the molecules in the air get translated into smells in your brain? Rose...

Can we solve the problem of ocean plastic pollution and end extreme poverty at the same time? That's the ambitious goal of The Plastic Bank: a worldwide chain of stores where everything from school tuition to cooking fuel and more is...

If you've ever farted in the shower, you know that they smell REALLY bad in there, but why is that?