Rose Eveleth explains what makes certain foods spicy and how the human body reacts to that heat.
Enjoy!
When you take a bite of a hot pepper, your body reacts as if your mouth is on fire — because that’s essentially what you’ve told your brain! Rose Eveleth details the science and history behind spicy foods, giving insights into why some people continue to pay the painful price for a little spice.
Lesson by Rose Eveleth, animation by Flaming Medusa Studios Inc.
In this Ted-Ed animated video, Edmond Hui teams up with animator Anton Bogaty to explain the often misunderstood inner-workings of the human heart.
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For most of history, scientists weren’t quite sure why our hearts were beating or even what purpose they served. Eventually, we realized that these thumping organs serve the vital task of pumping clean blood throughout the body. But how? Edmond Hui investigates how it all works by taking a closer look at the heart’s highly efficient ventricle system.
Joe Hanson of It’s Okay to Be Smart explains how the elements got their names in Dr. Seuss like rhyming fashion.
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Ever wonder what all those names on the periodic table actually mean?
There’s a whole lot of fascinating history on Mendeleev’s table. Some carry names from antiquity, some are named for people, some are named for places, and some are named for mythical beings. Discover the etymology of the elements!
This video explains exactly how big the Moon really is and why it looks small in the sky despite being the fifth-largest moon in the Solar System.
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The moon seems small when looked up at in the night sky. But it’s really not small at all! So how big is our moon really? As educational group Kurzgesagt explains, our moon is actually the biggest in the solar system in relation to its planet and is much larger than Pluto. It may surprise you to learn that China, the US, Brazil, and Europe could all fit on the moon with a little room to spare.
How do we smell?
Good question.
Thankfully, Rose Eveleth of TED-Ed explains on the gooey and stinky details on how the nose and olfactory work in this educational animation.