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TED-Ed episodes

  • Radioactivity: Prepare for the unpredictable - Steve Weatherall

    View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/radioactivity-expect-the-unexpected-steve-weatherall

    Neutrons don't change into protons. Except, sometimes, they do. Radioactivity is the process under which the nucleus can change spontaneously from one element to another. Steve Weatherall suggests that we acknowledge both the usefulness and danger inherent in harvesting radioactivity.

    Talk by Steve Weatherall, animation by Eugene Uymatiao.

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    6 min
  • TED Prize wish: Defend our oceans - Sylvia Earle

    View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/sylvia-earle-s-ted-prize-wish-to-protect-our-oceans

    Legendary ocean researcher Sylvia Earle shares astonishing images of the ocean -- and shocking stats about its rapid decline -- as she makes her TED Prize wish: that we will join her in protecting the vital blue heart of the planet. Sylvia Earle has been at the frontier of deep ocean exploration for four decades. She's led more than 50 undersea expeditions, and she's been an equally tireless advocate for our oceans and the creatures who live in them.

    Talk by Sylvia Earle.

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    23 min
  • How much would it cost to purchase the Sun? - Cella Wright

    Dig into the monetary value of the Sun and how important it is as our energy source as Daedalus contemplates buying it.

    --

    Daedalus hasn’t been the same since losing Icarus. Suddenly, he begins expressing interest in buying the Sun from Helios. Rumors say Daedalus is aspiring to destroy it to avenge Icarus — or channel its immense power towards other imprudent aims. He summons a divine accountant and asks: how much would it cost to buy the Sun? Cella Wright conducts a financial analysis of our star’s worth.

    Lesson by Cella Wright, directed by Igor Ćorić, Artrake Studio.

    This video made possible in collaboration with Speed & Scale
    Learn more about how TED-Ed partnerships work: https://bit.ly/TEDEdPartner

    A special thanks to Galen Barbose who provided information and insights for the development of this video.

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    View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-much-would-it-cost-to-buy-the-sun-cella-wright
    Dig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-much-would-it-cost-to-buy-the-sun-cella-wright/digdeeper

    Animator's website: https://www.artrake.com
    Music: https://www.workplaywork.com
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    Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Niccolò Frassetto, Mana, I'm here because of Knowledge Fight Facebook group., Linda Freedman, Edgardo Cuellar, Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, Michael Burton, VIVIANA A GARCIA BESNE, The Vernon's, Olha Bahatiuk, Jesús Bíquez Talayero, Chels Raknrl, Sai Pranavi Jonnalagadda, Stuart Rice, Jing Chen, Vector-Dopamine math, Jasper Song, Giorgio Bugnatelli, Chardon, Eddy Trochez, OnlineBookClub.org, Eric Shear, Leith Salem, Omar Hicham, Adrian Rotaru, Brad Sullivan, Karen Ho, Niklas Frimberger, Hunter Manhart, Nathan Nguyen, Igor Stavchanskiy, James R DeVries, Grace Huo, Diana Huang, Chau Hong Diem, Orlellys Torre, Corheu, Thomas Mee, Maryann H McCrory, Blas Borde, John Hellmann, Poompak Meephian, Chuck Wofford, Adam Pagan, Wes Winn, Conder Shou, ntiger, Noname, Hansan Hu, and David D.

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    8 min
  • Unraveling the puzzle of the periodic table - Eric Rosado

    View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/solving-the-puzzle-of-the-periodic-table-eric-rosado

    How did the periodic table of elements revolutionize our understanding of the world? What scientists contributed to the table we have today? Eric Rosado discusses the key people and discoveries that have molded our understanding of chemistry today.

    Lesson by Eric Rosado, animation by Other Scientist Productions.

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    7 min
  • No one can truly define what a tree is - Max G. Levy

    Dig into the system that helps scientists distinguish trees from other varieties of plants, and what characteristics make a tree.

    --

    Plants assume a variety of forms, and trees are just one of them. What makes or breaks a tree can come down to some pretty specific characteristics, based on how the plant develops as a result of how it evolved. Trees don’t all comprise one closely related group, like insects or mammals. So, how exactly do trees get classified as trees? Max G. Levy explains what distinguishes these woody plants.

    Lesson by Max G. Levy, directed by Evandro D'Hipolito.

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    View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/no-one-really-knows-what-a-tree-is-max-g-levy
    Dig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/no-one-really-knows-what-a-tree-is-max-g-levy/digdeeper

    Animator's website: https://evandrodhipolito.myportfolio.com
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    Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Clarence E. Harper Jr., Vignan Velivela, Ana Maria, Exal Enrique Cisneros Tuch, Tejas Dc, Khalifa Alhulail, Martin Stephen, Jose Henrique Leopoldo e Silva, Mandeep Singh, Abhijit Kiran Valluri, Morgan Williams, Devin Harris, Pavel Zalevskiy, Karen Goepen-Wee, Filip Dabrowski, Barbara Smalley, Megan Douglas, Tim Leistikow, Ka-Hei Law, Hiroshi Uchiyama, Mark Morris, Misaki Sato, EdoKun, SookKwan Loong, Bev Millar, Lex Azevedo, Michael Aquilina, Jason A Saslow, Yansong Li, Cristóbal Moenne, Dawn Jordan, Prasanth Mathialagan, Samuel Doerle, David Rosario, Dominik Kugelmann - they-them, Siamak Hajizadeh, Ryohky Araya, Mayank Kaul, Christophe Dessalles, Heather Slater, Sandra Tersluisen, Zhexi Shan, Bárbara Nazaré, Andrea Feliz, Victor E Karhel, Sydney Evans, Latora, Noel Situ, emily lam, and Sid.

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    8 min
  • The fix for our energy challenges is … a toaster - Rachel Yang

    Dig into the science of thermal batteries, and how this technology can generate heat more efficiently than fossil fuels.

    --

    Industrial manufacturers spend a huge amount of energy generating heat to make everyday materials and objects, like cement, steel, and paper. And since most companies use fossil fuels to reach these high temperatures, industrial heat accounts for 20% of our annual global carbon pollution. Thankfully, this is where a century-old technology comes in. Rachel Yang explores how heat batteries work.

    Lesson by Rachel Yang, directed by Sofia Pashaei.

    This video made possible in collaboration with Speed & Scale
    Learn more about how TED-Ed partnerships work: https://bit.ly/TEDEdPartner

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    View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-giant-toasters-could-power-the-world-rachel-yang
    Dig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-giant-toasters-could-power-the-world-rachel-yang/digdeeper
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    Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! OnlineBookClub.org, Eric Shear, Leith Salem, Omar Hicham, Adrian Rotaru, Brad Sullivan, Karen Ho, Niklas Frimberger, Hunter Manhart, Nathan Nguyen, Igor Stavchanskiy, James R DeVries, Grace Huo, Diana Huang, Chau Hong Diem, Orlellys Torre, Corheu, Thomas Mee, Maryann H McCrory, Blas Borde, John Hellmann, Poompak Meephian, Chuck Wofford, Adam Pagan, Wes Winn, Conder Shou, ntiger, Noname, Hansan Hu, David D, Mac Hyney, Keith Ellison, robin valero walters, Lynne Truesdale, Gatsby Dkdc, Matthew Neal, Denis Chon, Julian Oberhofer, Monte Carroll, Eddy, Jay M, Constantino Victor Delgado, Andrea Galvagni, Andrew Tweddle, Laurel-Ann Rice, Fernando A. Endo, Helen Lee, pam morgan, sarim haq, and Gerardo Castro.

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    7 min
  • The history of the barometer (and how it works) - Asaf Bar-Yosef

    View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-history-of-the-barometer-and-how-it-works-asaf-bar-yosef

    Uploaded 28-07-14

    A barometer is an instrument that measures air pressure, allowing weather forecasters and scientists to better predict extreme weather events. Despite its incredible usefulness, inventing the barometer was no walk in the park. Asaf Bar-Yosef describes the series of scientists and events that contributed to the birth of the barometer -- and explains how it actually works.

    Lesson by Asaf Bar-Yosef, animation by Reflective Films.



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    7 min
  • CERN's supercollider – Brian Cox

    View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/brian-cox-on-cern-s-supercollider

    "Rock-star physicist" Brian Cox talks about his work on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Discussing the biggest of big science in an engaging and accessible way, Cox brings us along on a tour of the massive project.

    Talk by Brian Cox.

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    19 min
  • What causes opioid addiction, and why is it so tough to combat? - Mike Davis

    Explore the science of why opioids are addictive and what can be done to reverse the growing rates of addiction and overdose. If you or someone you know is struggling with opioid use in the United States, the Department of Health and Human Services operates a helpline (800-662-4357) and has a database of treatment facilities: https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/

    Uploaded 07-05-20

    --

    In the 1980s and 90s, pharmaceutical companies began to market opioid painkillers aggressively, while actively downplaying their addictive potential. The number of prescriptions skyrocketed, and so did cases of addiction, beginning a crisis that continues today. What makes opioids so addictive? Mike Davis explains what we can do to reverse the skyrocketing rates of addiction and overdose.

    Lesson by Mike Davis, directed by Good Bad Habits.

    Animator's website: https://www.goodbadhabits.ca/
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    View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-causes-opioid-addiction-and-why-is-it-so-tough-to-combat-mike-davis

    Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Della Palacios, Vik Nagjee, Hiroshi Uchiyama, Adi V, Andrew Bosco, Craig Sheldon, Rishi Pasham, Joanne Luce, Jason A Saslow, Mary Sawyer, Scott Gass, Ruth Fang, Mayank Kaul, Kathryn J Hammond, Max Shuai Tang, Terry Minion, Sami Khan, Rob Johnson, Abdullah Abdulaziz, Angelo Urzua-Milla, Tommy Lewis, leorene , Mahina Bachiller, Marcus Andre Nery, Bruce Vieira Lopes, Chef, Charmaine Hanson, Michael Goldberg, Lydia Pflieger, Paul Aldred-Bann, Manav parmar, Susan Wang, Utkarsh Dubey, Thawsitt , Xuebicoco, Jezabel, Maeve, Kim Humphrey, Kristen Damas, JackKeyton , Matthew D. Vigil, Amin Shahril, Adriano Fontes, Xiao Yu, Fatima Kried, Aravind Battaje, Melissa Suarez, Jason Duncan and Brian A. Dunn.



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    12 min
  • Are we born to run? - Christopher McDougall

    Christopher McDougall explores the mysteries of the human desire to run. How did running help early humans survive -- and what urges from our ancient ancestors spur us on today? McDougall tells the story of the marathoner with a heart of gold, the unlikely ultra-runner, and the hidden tribe in Mexico that runs to live. (Filmed at TEDxPennQuarter.)

    Uploaded 08-08-13

    Talk by Christopher McDougall.



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    21 min

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