Imagining a sustainable future - Alex Steffen

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/speech-acts-constative-and-performative-colleen-glenney-boggsUploaded 03-10-13When are words just words, and when do words force action? Linguist J.L. Austin divided words into two categories: constatives (words that describe a situation) and performative…

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-most-groundbreaking-scientist-you-ve-never-heard-of-addison-andersonUploaded 01-10-13Seventeenth-century Danish geologist Nicolas Steno earned his chops at a young age, studying cadavers and drawing anatomic connections between species. Steno made out…

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-do-buildings-fall-in-earthquakes-vicki-v-mayUploaded 26-01-15Earthquakes have always been a terrifying phenomenon, and they’ve become more deadly as our cities have grown — with collapsing buildings posing one of the largest risks. But why do building…

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-whales-breathe-communicate-and-fart-with-their-faces-joy-reidenbergUploaded 10-04-14Comparative anatomist Joy Reidenberg studies the body structure of many different animals in the hope of adapting their unique qualities for human applications. Her fa…