The brain uses a quarter of the body's entire energy supply, yet only accounts for about two percent of the body's mass. So how does this unique organ receive and, perhaps more importantly, rid itself of vital nutrients? New research suggests it has to do with sleep.
Teachers need real feedback
Until recently, many teachers only got one word of feedback a year: “satisfactory.” And with no feedback, no coaching, there’s just no way to improve. Bill Gates suggests that even great teachers can get better with smart feedback — and lays out a program from his foundation to bring it to every classroom.
What makes a word "real"?
One could argue that slang words like ‘hangry,’ ‘defriend’ and ‘adorkable’ fill crucial meaning gaps in the English language, even if they don't appear in the dictionary. After all, who actually decides which words make it into those pages? Language historian Anne Curzan gives a charming look at the humans behind dictionaries, and the choices they make.
The magic of Fibonacci numbers
Math is logical, functional and just ... awesome. Mathemagician Arthur Benjamin explores hidden properties of that weird and wonderful set of numbers, the Fibonacci series. (And reminds you that mathematics can be inspiring, too!)
Don't kill your language
More and more, English is a global language; speaking it is perceived as a sign of being modern. But — what do we lose when we leave behind our mother tongues? Suzanne Talhouk makes an impassioned case to love your own language, and to cherish what it can express that no other language can. In Arabic with subtitles. (Filmed at TEDxBeirut.)
Building blocks that blink, beep and teach
Imagine a set of electronics as easy to play with as Legos. TED Fellow Ayah Bdeir introduces littleBits, a set of simple, interchangeable blocks that make programming as simple and important a part of creativity as snapping blocks together.
Where is home?
More and more people worldwide are living in countries not considered their own. Writer Pico Iyer — who himself has three or four “origins” — meditates on the meaning of home, the joy of traveling and the serenity of standing still.
How do pain relievers work? - George Zaidan
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.
Impossible photography
Erik Johansson creates realistic photos of impossible scenes — capturing ideas, not moments. In this witty how-to, the Photoshop wizard describes the principles he uses to make these fantastical scenarios come to life, while keeping them visually plausible.
Why dieting doesn't usually work
In the US, 80% of girls have been on a diet by the time they're 10 years old. In this honest, raw talk, neuroscientist Sandra Aamodt uses her personal story to frame an important lesson about how our brains manage our bodies, as she explores the science behind why dieting not only doesn't work, but is likely to do more harm than good. She suggests ideas for how to live a less diet-obsessed life, intuitively.
Let's talk parenting taboos
Babble.com publishers Rufus Griscom and Alisa Volkman, in a lively tag-team, expose 4 facts that parents never, ever admit — and why they should. Funny and honest, for parents and nonparents alike.
Love — you're doing it wrong
In this delightful talk, philosopher Yann Dall’Aglio explores the universal search for tenderness and connection in a world that's ever more focused on the individual. As it turns out, it's easier than you think. A wise and witty reflection on the state of love in the modern age. (Filmed at TEDxParis.)
Why work doesn't happen at work
Jason Fried has a radical theory of working: that the office isn't a good place to do it. In his talk, he lays out the main problems (call them the M&Ms) and offers three suggestions to make work work. (Filmed at TEDxMidWest.)
The emergent patterns of climate change
You can't understand climate change in pieces, says climate scientist Gavin Schmidt. It's the whole, or it's nothing. In this illuminating talk, he explains how he studies the big picture of climate change with mesmerizing models that illustrate the endlessly complex interactions of small-scale environmental events.
3 ways the climate might look in the future
Here, compare three different climate projections. Says Schmidt, “we’re collectively making decisions every day that make one of those futures more or less likely.” Bottom left, how the world’s temperatures will change if we aggressively try to combat climate change; top, what happens if we work pretty hard; bottom right, what happens if we just keep trucking along as we are today (hint: a not-pretty blood red world, below). Why is this useful? “It’s important to note we do have an element of control,” says Schmidt. “For better or worse, we are masters of our climate destiny. There are choices to be made.” As for Schmidt himself, his dream is that in the future, climate change discussion will be a thing of the past. “I hope in 50 years’ time someone will ask, ‘What happened with climate change?’ and the answer is that we reduced emissions and it didn’t happen.” Is he optimistic this might actually happen? “Sometimes,” he laughs.
Real vs. prediction: Watch the world’s climate change throughout the 20th century
This animation shows what happened to the world’s temperature in the 20th century — alongside the best guess of a sophisticated prediction model. “Some things aren’t the same; there’s weather that’s different in both cases, and you do see slightly different patterns,” says Schmidt, but in the main he says he’s happy that the two turned out to be so similar, showing that the model is solid. Another lesson from this comparison of reality and a simulation model: “You do see climate changes emerging in both cases.”
Watch particles swirl in the world’s atmosphere
In this animation, different types of atmospheric particles are represented by different colors. “The easiest to see are the reddy-orange particles; those are dust, and you can see them streaming them off the Sahara,” says Schmidt. Also worth noting: white particles (pollution from burning coal and volcanoes); red dots (fires); and blue swirls (sea salt being whipped up into the air by the wind). “All of these particles in the air also affect the climate,” Schmidt says. Bringing together such disparate data in order to see how they all work together allows scientists to consider different future scenarios — and then plan for them.
Cloud patterns over North America
“This is a simulation of clouds over North America, taken from a very high-resolution climate model,” says Schmidt. His pithy description of this particular animation: “it’s dynamic, chaotic, and yet coherent.” Understanding and tracking the patterns within weather systems of the past means that scientists can experiment with what might happen in the future if you changed any of the contributing factors. “We’re trying to understand what happens to that chaos and dynamism and those patterns if you kick the system,” he says.
The quantified self
At TED@Cannes, Gary Wolf gives a 5-min intro to an intriguing new pastime: using mobile apps and always-on gadgets to track and analyze your body, mood, diet, spending — just about everything in daily life you can measure — in gloriously geeky detail.
Break the silence for suicide attempt survivors
Even when our lives appear fine from the outside, locked within can be a world of quiet suffering, leading some to the decision to end their life. At TEDYou, JD Schramm asks us to break the silence surrounding suicide and suicide attempts, and to create much-needed resources to help people who reclaim their life after escaping death. Resources: http://s.muthu.cf/spp
Why privacy matters
The line between public and private has blurred in the past decade, both online and in real life, and Alessandro Acquisti is here to explain what this means and why it matters. In this thought-provoking, slightly chilling talk, he shares details of recent and ongoing research — including a project that shows how easy it is to match a photograph of a stranger with their sensitive personal information.
The curly fry conundrum: Why social media “likes” say more than you might think
Do you like curly fries? Have you Liked them on Facebook? Watch this talk to find out the surprising things Facebook (and others) can guess about you from your random Likes and Shares. Computer scientist Jennifer Golbeck explains how this came about, how some applications of the technology are not so cute — and why she thinks we should return the control of information to its rightful owners.
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