In a talk about understanding and practicing the art of healthy relationships, Katie Hood reveals the five signs you might be in an unhealthy relationship -- with a romantic partner, a friend, a family member -- and shares the things you can do every day to love with respect, kindness and joy. "While love is an instinct and an emotion, the abili...

It's an incredible discovery: an abandoned alien space station filled with precursor technology. Now every species in the galaxy is in a mad dash to get there first, but you've got a problem. Your ship can't hold enough fuel to get you there unless you vent caches of it into space at precise points and then come back for the fuel later. Can you ...

As Numberland's best detective, you thought you'd seen it all. But the desiccated corpses of prominent natural numbers have been showing up all over the city. A lockdown is ordered from sundown to sunrise, and it's still not enough to stop what can only be described as a vampiric feeding frenzy. Can you figure out why the citizens of Numberland ...

Some people take aspirin or ibuprofen to treat everyday aches and pains but how exactly do the different classes of pain relievers work? Learn about the basic physiology of how humans experience pain and the mechanics of the medicines we've invented to block or circumvent that discomfort. [Lesson by George Zaidan, directed by Hal Lee, narrated b...

This is episode 4 of our animated series "Think Like A Coder." This 10-episode narrative follows a girl, Ethic, and her robot companion, Hedge, as they attempt to save the world. The two embark on a quest to collect three artifacts and must solve their way through a series of programming puzzles. [Directed by Kozmonot Animation Studio, narrated ...

If you read a poem and feel moved by it, but then find out it was actually written by a computer, would you feel differently about the experience? Would you think that the computer had expressed itself and been creative, or would you feel like you had fallen for a cheap trick? In this talk, writer Oscar Schwartz examines why we react so strongly...

You've stealthily descended into the darkness of a vampire cave, setting a sequence of mirrors as you go. When the sun reaches the right angle in the sky, a beam of light will ricochet along the mirrors, strike a diffuser, and illuminate the great chamber where the vampires sleep. Can you place the diffuser correctly and flood the lair with sunl...

Is outer space really the silent and lifeless place it's often depicted to be? Perhaps not. Astrophysicist and musician Matt Russo takes us on a journey through the cosmos, revealing the hidden rhythms and harmonies of planetary orbits. The universe is full of music, he says -- we just need to learn how to hear it.

This is episode 7 of our animated series "Think Like A Coder." This 10-episode narrative follows a girl, Ethic, and her robot companion, Hedge, as they attempt to save the world. The two embark on a quest to collect three artifacts and must solve their way through a series of programming puzzles. [Directed by Kozmonot Animation Studio, narrated ...

The concepts of work and power help us unlock and understand many of the physical laws that govern our universe. In this Lesson, Peter Bohacek explores the interplay of each concept when applied to two common objects---a lightbulb and a grandfather clock. [Directed by Luke Cahill, narrated by Peter Bohacek].

After years of war, the world's kingdoms have come to an agreement. Every five years, teams representing the elves, goblins, and treefolk will compete in a grand tournament of dragon jousting. You have the important job of recording the scores for the inaugural tournament. But, you overslept and the games are already underway. Can you figure out...

Your mortal enemy has captured you and hooked you up to a bizarre experiment. He's extended your nervous system with one very long neuron to a target about 70 meters away. At some point, he's going to fire an arrow. If you can then think a thought to the target before the arrow hits it, he'll let you go. So who wins that race? Seena Mathew exami...

Ask any deep space navigator like Jill Seubert what makes steering a spacecraft difficult, and they'll tell you it's all about the timing; a split-second can decide a mission's success or failure. So what do you do when a spacecraft is bad at telling time? You get it a clock -- an atomic clock, to be precise. Let Seubert whisk you away with the ...

Your friend's birthday is tomorrow, and he's turning... well... you've forgotten. A ginormous cake has been prepared and your job is to sculpt his age as the chocolate centerpiece. The birthday boy is a giant, and you're afraid that if your forgetfulness becomes known, you'll become part of the feast. Can you figure out your friend's age before ...

Economist Yasheng Huang compares China to India, and asks how China's authoritarian rule contributed to its astonishing economic growth -- leading to a big question: Is democracy actually holding India back? Huang's answer may surprise you.

Known for big, attention-grabbing installations -- like his four towering waterfalls in New York's East River -- Olafur Eliasson has scaled down his latest project, Earth Speakr: an art platform for kids designed to spur budding climate activists to lead discussions on nature, conservation, pollution and more.

When two people join a dating website they are matched according to shared interests and how they answer a number of personal questions. But how do sites calculate the likelihood of a successful relationship? Christian Rudder one of the founders of popular dating site OKCupid details the algorithm behind 'hitting it off.' [Directed by Franz Palo...

If you're undergoing surgery, you want the best surgical team to collaborate on your case, no matter where they are. Surgeon and entrepreneur Nadine Hachach-Haram is developing a new system that helps surgeons operate together and train one another on new techniques -- from remote locations using low-cost augmented reality tools. Watch the syste...

When global leaders think about which industries can fuel economic growth, the arts are often overlooked. But filmmaker Mehret Mandefro says the creative sector actually has the power to grow economies -- while also helping safeguard democracy. In this captivating talk, she shares a behind-the-scenes look at how she's putting culture back on the...

This is episode 9 of our animated series "Think Like A Coder." This 10-episode narrative follows a girl, Ethic, and her robot companion, Hedge, as they attempt to save the world. The two embark on a quest to collect three artifacts and must solve their way through a series of programming puzzles. [Directed by Kozmonot Animation Studio, narrated ...

You've promised to get your son the cutest creature in creation: the cuddly. It's part of the Wuddly species, cousin to the terrifying duddly and the hideous fuddly. To make one, 100 eggs are placed in an incubator to undergo egg fusion, and the resulting combination will produce either a cuddly, a duddly or a fuddly. Can you make the right comb...

Townspeople are demanding that a corrupt merchant's collection of 30 rubies be confiscated to reimburse the victims of his schemes. The king announces that the fine will be determined through a game of wits between the merchant and the king's most clever advisor – you. Can you outfox the merchant and win back the greatest amount of rubies to hel...

What controls aging? Biochemist Cynthia Kenyon has found a simple genetic mutation that can double the lifespan of a simple worm, C. elegans. The lessons from that discovery, and others, are pointing to how we might one day significantly extend youthful human life.

From 2016 to 2019, the world saw record-breaking heat waves, rampant wildfires, and the longest run of category 5 tropical cyclones on record. The number of extreme weather events has been increasing for the last 40 years, and current predictions suggest that trend will continue. So, is the increase in extreme weather due to random chance, or ch...

According to legend, once every thousand years a host of sea monsters emerges from the depths to demand tribute from the floating city of Atlantartica. As the ruler of the city, you'd always dismissed the stories... until today, when they rose out of the roiling waters, surrounded your city and demanded a ransom of pearls. Can you figure out whi...

Dutch artist Piet Mondrian's abstract, rectangular paintings inspired mathematicians to create a two-fold challenge. Can you solve the puzzle and get to the lowest score possible? Gordon Hamilton shows how. [TED-Ed Animation by Anton Trofimov]

Can we use trade to fight terrorism? Romaine Seguin believes that when communities are isolated from the global economy, they risk becoming breeding grounds for terrorist groups -- and trade may be a way to ward off this isolation. Seguin illuminates home grown global businesses, like the Haiti-based Deux Mains, which can provide the jobs and se...

The word bipolar means 'two extremes.' For the many millions experiencing bipolar disorder around the world, life is split between two different realities: elation and depression. So what causes this disorder? And can it be treated? Helen M. Farrell describes the root causes and treatments for bipolar disorder.

The good news is that your experimental robo-ants are a success. The bad news is that you accidentally gave them the ability to shoot deadly lasers ... and you can't turn it off. Can you stop them from escaping their habitat before the lasers are activated? Dan Finkel shows how. [TED-Ed Animation by Artrake Studio].

We have over 600 muscles in our bodies that help bind us together, hold us up, and help us move. Your muscles also need your constant attention, because the way you treat them on a daily basis determines whether they will wither or grow. Jeffrey Siegel illustrates how a good mix of sleep, nutrition and exercise keep your muscles as big and stron...