Experiment Shows That All Of Us Are Naturally Altruistic
AdultsHumanPhilosophySociety...Put to work at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, Alan Alda finds out how children will help, and like it, while chimps are less inclined to offer enthusiastic assistance.
The Pizza Shop That Pays It Forward
AdultsEqualityFoodCharity...Mason Wartman left Wall Street to start Rosa's Fresh Pizza in Philadelphia. But this is no ordinary pizzeria. At Rosa's, customers can do something very unique: pay forward slices of $1 pizza for those in need with Post-It Notes that hang from the walls.
Why Vaccines Work
AdultsHealthHistoryScience...As more and more parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children or are vaccinating them later, diseases like measles are making a comeback. Are vaccines safe? How do they work? This week we look at why are people afraid of something that has saved so many lives, and look at the history and science of vaccines.
5 Weird Involuntary Behaviors Explained!
AdultsPsychologySocietyNeuroscience...Our bodies do a lot of weird things, and many of them are completely involuntary. Why do we often jerk our bodies awake right before falling asleep? Why do we yawn, or hiccup? Why do some people sneeze when they look at the sun? And why does your eye twitch? This week we'll look at the science behind these crazy involuntary behaviors!
This "Be My Eyes" App Lets People With Sight Guide Blind People Over Video Chat
AdultsDisabilityTechnologySociety...Be the eyes for a blind person in need of help remotely through a live video connection if you are sighted or be assisted by the network of sighted users if you are blind. Be My Eyes is all about contributing to and benefiting from small acts of kindness, so hop on board and get involved!
"Slap her": children's reactions
AdultsMasculinitySocietyWomen...What happens when you put a boy in front of a girl and ask him to slap her? Here is how children react to the subject of violence against women.
Is Santa Real?
AdultsSocietySpiritualityFestivities...Happy Holidays! Ever wonder how Santa could possibly manage to deliver all those presents in a single night? Or what gives red-nosed reindeer the ability to fly? And why do your Christmas lights get tangled in knots no matter how carefully you put the away?!
Peru Is Now Giving Free Solar Power To Its 2 Million Poorest Citizens
AdultsGlobal WarmingTechnologyEnergy...Off-grid solar panels are bringing electricity to Andean villages as part of a 15-year plan to provide Peru's vast countryside with electricity.
8 traits of successful people
AdultsLeadershipSocietyPsychology...Ten years of research and 500 face-to-face-interviews led Richard St. John to a collection of eight common traits in successful leaders around the world.
The Most Radioactive Places on Earth
AdultsGlobal WarmingLifeWorld...I'm filming a documentary for TV about how Uranium and radioactivity have shaped the modern world. It will be broadcast in mid-2015, details to come. The filming took me to the most radioactive places on Earth (and some places, which surprisingly aren't as radioactive as you'd think). Chernobyl and Fukushima were incredible to see as they present post-apocalyptic landscapes. I also visited nuclear power plants, research reactors, Marie Curie's institute, Einstein's apartment, nuclear medicine areas of hospitals, uranium mines, nuclear bomb sites, and interviewed numerous experts.
How Were the Pyramids Built?
AdultsConstructionHistorySociety...The most common misconception about the pyramids is that they were built by slaves. Recent archeological evidence suggests they were instead constructed by paid workers. Some may have performed this work as a form of tax payment for several months of the year. Skilled engineers would have planned and orchestrated the building. An estimated 10,000-20,000 people would have been working on a pyramid at any one point in time. They were well fed and provided with shelter near the pyramids. Plus their burial sites close by indicate they were respected and were not slaves.
Vsauce Breaks Down The Problems Of Naming Everything In Our World
AdultsHistoryLanguageSociety...A misnomer is a word or term that suggests a meaning that is known to be wrong. Misnomers often arise because the thing named received its name long before its true nature was known. A misnomer may also be simply a word that is used incorrectly or misleadingly.
The Fear That Everything Has Already Been Done
AdultsPhotographySocietyCreativity...The frustration of photographing something amazing when thousands of identical photos already exist-the same sunset, the same waterfall, the same curve of a hip, the same closeup of an eye-which can turn a unique subject into something hollow and pulpy and cheap, like a mass-produced piece of furniture you happen to have assembled yourself.
The language of lying
AdultsLanguageSocietyPsychologyWe hear anywhere from 10 to 200 lies a day. And although we've spent much of our history coming up with ways to detect these lies by tracking physiological changes in their tellers, these methods have proved unreliable. Is there a more direct approach? Noah Zandan uses some famous examples of lying to illustrate how we might use communications science to analyze the lies themselves.
Why Are Some People Left-Handed?
AdultsData ScienceScienceSociety...We've got two perfectly good hands attached to two perfectly good arms, so why do most people prefer to use one over the other for common tasks?
Comfortable: 50 People 1 Question
AdultsSelfSocietyPsychologyThese days it is so easy to feel insecure about our appearance. Whether it is because of the mean comment that comes our way or the photoshopped image we see in magazines, it can be so easy to feel self conscious about our body. When was the last time you felt comfortable in your own skin?
Perth Train Party
AdultsMusicTransportationSociety...Social artist Peter Sharp doesn't want money, he just wants to spread a little bit of happiness to the crowd!
3 Questions That Could Change The World from Kid President
AdultsInternet CultureSocietyHumanDo you dare to do something awesome?
Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story
AdultsEqualitySocietyCulture...Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.