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TED-Ed episodes

  • How I'm preparing to get Alzheimer's - Alanna Shaikh

    When faced with a parent suffering from Alzheimer's, most of us respond with denial ("It won't happen to me") or extreme efforts at prevention. But global health expert and TED Fellow Alanna Shaikh sees it differently. She's taking three concrete steps to prepare for the moment -- should it arrive -- when she herself gets Alzheimer's disease.

    Uploaded 28-06-13

    Talk by Alanna Shaikh



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    27 min
  • How to use a paper towel - Joe Smith

    You use paper towels to dry your hands every day, but chances are, you're doing it wrong. In this enlightening and funny short talk, Joe Smith reveals the trick to perfect paper towel technique. (Filmed at TEDxConcordiaUPortland.)

    Uploaded 21-08-13

    Talk by Joe Smith.



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    7 min
  • What makes tattoos permanent? - Claudia Aguirre

    View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-makes-tattoos-permanent-claudia-aguirre

    Uploaded 10-07-14

    The earliest recorded tattoo was found on a Peruvian mummy in 6,000 BC. That's some old ink! And considering humans lose roughly 40,000 skin cells per hour, how do these markings last? Claudia Aguirre details the different methods, machines and macrophages (you'll see) that go into making tattoos stand the test of time.

    Lesson by Claudia Aguirre, animation by TOGETHER.



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    7 min
  • Unveiling the secrets of dark matter - Patricia Burchat

    View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/patricia-burchat-sheds-light-on-dark-matter

    Physicist Patricia Burchat sheds light on two basic ingredients of our universe: dark matter and dark energy. Comprising 96% of the universe between them, they can't be directly measured, but their influence is immense.

    Talk by Patricia Burchat.

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    22 min
  • Are dead wasps actually found in figs? - Carolyn Beans

    Dig into the close relationship between figs and wasps, and find out if it's normal and safe for bugs to be in our food.

    --

    In 2023, a US grocer recalled over 10,000 cases of broccoli-cheddar soup over concerns they contained too much of an unintended ingredient. That ingredient? Bugs. We know insects regularly come into contact with our food— but how many are you actually eating? And is it okay? Carolyn Beans takes a look at figs and their conspicuously close bond with wasps.

    Lesson by Carolyn Beans, directed by Denys Spolitak.

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    View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/are-there-really-dead-wasps-in-figs-carolyn-beans
    Dig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/are-there-really-dead-wasps-in-figs-carolyn-beans/digdeeper

    Animator's website: https://vimeo.com/denysspolitak
    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! Jeremy Shimanek, Mark Byers, Avinash Amarnath, Xuebicoco, Rayo, Po Foon Kwong, Boffin, Jesse Jurman, Scott Markley, Elija Peterson, Ovidiu Mrd, paul g mohney, Steven Razey, Nathan Giusti, Helen Lee, Anthony Benedict, Karthik Balsubramanian, Annastasshia Ames, Amy Lopez, Vinh-Thuy Nguyen, Liz Candee, Ugur Doga Sezgin, Karmi Nguyen, John C. Vesey, Yelena Baykova, Nick Johnson, Carlos H. Costa, Jennifer Kurkoski, Ryan B Harvey, Akinola Emmanuel, Jose Arcadio Valdes Franco, Sebastiaan Vleugels, Karl Laius, JY Kang, Abhishek Goel, Heidi Stolt, Nicole Sund, Karlee Finch, Mario Mejia, Denise A Pitts, Doug Henry, Keven Webb, Mihai Sandu, Deepak Iyer, Javid Gozalov, Kyanta Yap, Rebecca Reineke, William Biersdorf, Patricia Alves Panagides, and Yvette Mocete.

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    8 min
  • How social media can create history - Clay Shirky

    View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/clay-shirky-how-social-media-can-make-history

    While news from Iran streams to the world, Clay Shirky shows how Facebook, Twitter, and TXTs help citizens in repressive regimes report on real news, bypassing censors (however briefly). The end of top-down control of news is changing the nature of politics.

    Talk by Clay Shirky.

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    21 min
  • Are we living in a simulation? - Zohreh Davoudi

    Is our reality a detailed computer simulation? And how can we know for sure? Explore the scientific and philosophical theories surrounding this debate.

    Uploaded 08-10-19

    --

    All life on Earth— living and inanimate, microscopic and cosmic— is governed by mathematical laws with apparently arbitrary constants. And this opens up a question: If the universe is completely governed by these laws, couldn’t a powerful enough computer simulate it exactly? Could our reality actually be a detailed simulation set in place by a more advanced civilization? Zohreh Davoudi investigates.

    Lesson by Zohreh Davoudi, directed by Eoin Duffy.

    Animator's website: https://eoinduffy.me
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    View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/are-we-living-in-a-simulation-zohreh-davoudi

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    7 min
  • Can you solve the demon dance party riddle? - Edwin Meyer

    The only way into the world’s most exclusive club is to solve a challenge from the Demon of Reason. Can you get into the party?

    Uploaded 23-02-21

    --

    Once a year, thousands of logicians descend into the desert for Learning Man. At the center of that gathering is the world’s most exclusive club, where under the full moon the annual logician’s rave takes place. The entry is guarded by the Demon of Reason, and the only way in is to solve one of his dastardly challenges. Can you get into the rave? Edwin Meyer shows how.

    Lesson by Edwin Meyer, directed by Artrake Studio.

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    View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/can-you-solve-the-logician-s-rave-riddle-edwin-meyer
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    Animator's website: https://www.artrake.com/​
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    7 min
  • Math class needs a makeover - Dan Meyer

    Today's math curriculum is teaching students to expect -- and excel at -- paint-by-numbers classwork, robbing kids of a skill more important than solving problems: formulating them. In his talk, Dan Meyer shows classroom-tested math exercises that prompt students to stop and think. (Filmed at TEDxNYED.)

    Uploaded 01-08-13

    Talk by Dan Meyer.



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    16 min
  • Watch out for nominalizations (AKA zombie nouns) - Helen Sword

    View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/beware-of-nominalizations-aka-zombie-nouns-helen-sword

    Few mistakes sour good writing like nominalizations, or, as Helen Sword likes to call them, zombie nouns. Zombie nouns transform simple and straightforward prose into verbose and often confusing writing. Keep your nouns away from the elongating nominalizations!

    Lesson by Helen Sword, animation by Bran Dougherty-Johnson.

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    7 min

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TED-Ed’s mission is to create lessons worth sharing. Feed and expand your curiosity with our award-winning animated shorts - published on YouTube and available with supplemental learning materials on ed.ted.com.