The mystery of the lost sisters – Rebecca Webster

From TED Ed. Get to know the story of the Three Sisters, and what we can learn about sustainably growing food from Indigenous practices. — Suffering illness and despair, Chief Handsome Lake prepared for death. Then, he had a vision. He was walking through a planted field and heard a woman call out. She told…

Why can’t you put metal in a microwave? – Aaron Slepkov

From TED Ed. Dig into the science of how microwave ovens use electromagnetic waves to heat your food, and what you should avoid cooking in them. — In 1945, engineer Percy Spencer was standing near a RADAR device that produced high-intensity microwaves and noticed that his candy bar had melted. He then exposed popcorn kernels…

Is Chandigarh a perfectly planned city? – Vikramāditya Prakāsh

From TED Ed. Explore the construction of the futurist city Chandigarh, a project of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and planned by Le Corbusier. — In 1947, India achieved independence from British rule — but this freedom came at a tremendous cost. Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, was eager to usher his country towards a…

How does alcohol cause blackouts? – Shannon Odell

From TED Ed. Explore how alcohol interacts with your brain, and how it can interrupt the brain’s memory networks, leading to blackouts. — Alcohol has been shown to have strange and selective effects on the brain. Many intoxicated people can perform complex tasks like holding a detailed conversation or navigating a walk home. Yet for…

The real reason dodo birds went extinct – Leon Claessens

From TED Ed. Uncover the most common misperceptions about dodos, and find out the truth of how the flightless birds actually went extinct. — Dodos are commonly considered brainless, blundering birds that were poorly adapted and doomed to die off, making their human-mediated extinction effortless and inevitable. But that’s not the case. So, what were…

How much would it cost to buy the ocean? – Astrid J. Hsu

From TED Ed. Dig into the monetary value of the ocean, from global trade, to tourism, fishing, and more, as Poseidon contemplates selling it. — Surveying his vast domain, Poseidon considers retirement. What if someone else donned the coral crown so he could spend his immortality harmonizing with whales and cozying up to hydrothermal vents?…

Why is rice so popular? – Carolyn Beans

From TED Ed. Dig into how rice became a staple in the world’s diet, and the surprising consequences of its traditional production practices. — Rice contributes over 20% of the calories consumed by humans each year. Korean bibimbap, Nigerian jollof, Indian biryani, Spanish paella, and countless other culinary masterpieces all begin with rice. So how…

The secret sex lives of pandas – Lucy Cooke

From TED Ed. Uncover the most common misperceptions about pandas, and find out why it’s so difficult for them to breed in captivity. — In the 1930’s, a grand panda drama unfolded at the Chicago Zoo. Zookeepers procured a female panda named Mei Mei, and they were determined to find her a mate. They found…

How to get motivated even when you don’t feel like it

From TED Ed. Explore the psychology of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and dig into how these forces contribute to our drive. — Motivation is complicated. Psychologists define motivation as the desire or impetus to initiate and maintain a particular behavior. But sometimes, no matter how passionate you are about a goal or hobby, finding the…

The science of laughter – Sasha Winkler

From TED Ed. Explore the common scientific theories about why humans laugh, and how this universal behavior evolved. — Isn’t it odd that, when something’s funny, you might show your teeth, change your breathing, become weak and achy in some places, and maybe even cry? In other words, why do we do this bizarre thing…

Does planting trees actually cool the planet? – Carolyn Beans

From TED Ed. Dig into common mistakes that tree-planting programs make, and explore strategies that can successfully re-green the planet. — In fighting climate change, few solutions are discussed more than planting lots and lots of trees. It sounds simple enough: trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, so planting more should help eliminate greenhouse gasses.…