Discover Resources
Browse curated homeschool resources from the community
Can You Solve the Control Room Riddle Dennis Shasha
As your country's top spy, you must infiltrate the headquarters of the evil syndicate, find the secret control panel, and deactivate their death ray. But your reconnaissance team is spotty, and you have only limited information about the control panel's whereabouts. Can you solve the control room riddle and deactivate their weapon in time? Dennis Shasha shows you how.
Learning from Past Presidents Doris Kearns Goodwin
Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin talks about what we can learn from American presidents, including Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson. Then she shares a moving memory of her own father and of their shared love of baseball.
Can You Be Awake and Asleep at the Same Time Masako Tamaki
Many animals need sleep. But all of the threats and demands animals face don’t just go away when it’s time to doze. That’s why a range of birds, mammals, and even humans experience some degree of asymmetrical sleep, where parts of the brain are asleep and other areas are more active. So, how does it work? Masako Tamaki explores how animals' brains remain vigilant even at their most vulnerable.
Our Loss of Wisdom Barry Schwartz
Barry Schwartz makes a passionate call for "practical wisdom" as an antidote to a society gone mad with bureaucracy. He argues powerfully that rules often fail us, incentives often backfire, and practical, everyday wisdom will help rebuild our world.
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.
The Basics of Boson Dave Barney and Steve Goldfarb
In 2012, scientists at CERN discovered evidence of the Higgs boson. The what? The Higgs boson is one of two types of fundamental particles and is a particular game-changer in the field of particle physics, proving how particles gain mass. Using the Socratic method, CERN scientists Dave Barney and Steve Goldfarb explain the exciting implications of the Higgs boson.
The Uncertain Location of Electrons George Zaidan and Charles Morton
The tiny atoms that make up our world are made up of even tinier protons, neutrons and electrons. Though the number of protons determines an atom's identity, it’s the electrons -- specifically, their exact location outside the nucleus -- that particularly perplex scientists. George Zaidan and Charles Morton show how to make an educated guess of where those itty-bitty freewheeling electrons might be.
Is it Possible to Lose Weight Fast Hei Man Chan
In the wealthiest circles of Victorian England, dieters would swallow an unhatched tapeworm and let it grow inside them by consuming undigested meals. And while modern fad diets aren’t usually this extreme, they do promise similar results; specifically, losing weight fast. So, are there any fast diets that do work? And are any of them actually healthy for you? Hei Man Chan investigates.
How to 3d Print Human Tissue Taneka Jones
There are currently hundreds of thousands of people on transplant lists, waiting for critical organs like kidneys, hearts and livers that could save their lives. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough donor organs available to fill that demand. What if, instead of waiting, we could create new, customized organs from scratch? Taneka Jones explores bioprinting, a new branch of regenerative medicine.
In on a Secret That s Dramatic Irony Christopher Warner
You’re in a movie theater, watching the new horror flick. The audience knows something that the main character does not. The audience sees the character's actions are not in his best interest. What's that feeling -- the one that makes you want to shout at the screen? Christopher Warner identifies this storytelling device as dramatic irony.
Time Travel and Einstein s Special Relativity Colin Stuart
Time travel is a staple of science fiction stories, but is it actually possible? It turns out nature does allow a way of bending time, an exciting possibility suggested by Albert Einstein when he discovered special relativity over one hundred years ago. Colin Stuart imagines where (or, when) this fascinating phenomenon, time dilation, may one day take us.
How Polarity Makes Water Behave Strangely Christina Kleinberg
Water is both essential and unique. Many of its particular qualities stem from the fact that it consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen, therefore creating an unequal sharing of electrons. From fish in frozen lakes to ice floating on water, Christina Kleinberg describes the effects of polarity.
The Math Behind Michael Jordan s Legendary Hang Time Andy Peterson and Zack Patterson
Michael Jordan’s legendary slam dunk from the free throw line has been calculated at 0.92 seconds of pure hang time. But how many seconds could Jordan have gotten were he doing the same jump on Mars? Or Jupiter? Andy Peterson and Zack Patterson share the math equation behind hang time.
Ugly History the U s Syphilis Experiment Susan M Reverby
Afflicting nearly 1 in 10 Americans, syphilis was ravaging the U.S. in the 1930s. Many doctors believed syphilis affected Black and white patients differently, and the Public Health Service launched an experiment to investigate, recruiting 600 Black men to take part. But the study was centered on a lie: the men wouldn’t actually receive treatment. Susan Reverby details the Tuskegee Syphilis Study.
What Does it Mean to Be a Refugee Benedetta Berti and Evelien Borgman
About 60 million people around the globe have been forced to leave their homes to escape war, violence and persecution. The majority have become Internally Displaced Persons, meaning they fled their homes but are still in their own countries. Others, referred to as refugees, sought shelter outside their own country. But what does that term really mean? Benedetta Berti and Evelien Borgman explain.
How Bacteria Talk Bonnie Bassler
Bonnie Bassler discovered that bacteria "talk" to each other, using a chemical language that lets them coordinate defense and mount attacks. The find has stunning implications for medicine, industry -- and our understanding of ourselves.
Make Robots Smarter Ayanna Howard
There are three major rules that we want our robots to follow: do not harm a human, obey us, and protect us. The prerequisite for these rules? We need to make robots smarter. Ayanna Howard explains how robots can become smarter (hint: it is related to how smart we humans are).
The Standard Model of Particle Physics Jonathan Butterworth
If you were to take a coffee cup, and break it in half, then in half again, and keep carrying on, where would you end up? Could you keep on going forever? Or would you eventually find a set of indivisible building blocks out of which everything is made? Jonathan Butterworth explains the Standard Model theory and how it helps us understand the world we live in.
Mapping the World with Twitter Jer Thorp
Good morning, Twitter! Millions of tweets are sent everyday, and from these tweets, we can gather a lot of information about people’s lives: where they travel, when they wake up, and their opinions on pretty much everything. In this TEDYouth 2012 Talk, former New York Times data artist-in-residence Jer Thorp imagines what uses we can devise from this wealth of information.