Videoteca

publicUS

When Is It Bad to Plant Trees? 2024

Mao's Mango Cult 2023 star_border 6
In August 1968, factory workers overheard news of a mandatory meeting. Whispered rumors described shipments of a gift from the country’s Communist leader, Chairman Mao Zedong. And sure enough, managers soon distributed a gift to every factory worker– a glass box encasing a golden wax replica of a mango. What was the meaning behind this unusual offering? Vivian Jiang investigates.

Can Love and Independence Coexist? 2021
Dig into Zora Neale Hurston's classic novel, "Their Eyes Were Watching God," which follows Janie Crawford in her search for love and agency.

The Secret Society of the Great Dismal Swamp 2021
Uncover the history of the hidden communities that inhabited the Great Dismal Swamp in North America.

These Salamanders Snack on Each Other (But Don't Die) 2021
Axolotls are one of science’s most studied animals. Why, you ask? These extraordinary salamanders are masters of regeneration: they can flawlessly regenerate body parts ranging from amputated limbs and crushed spines to parts of their eyes and brains. So, how do they do it? And what other secrets are they keeping? Luis Zambrano explores the baffling biology of the axolotl.

TED-Ed: Why Didn't This Body Decompose? 2021
It may not appear very lively six feet underground, but a single teaspoon of soil contains more organisms than there are human beings on the planet. Why didn't this 2000-year-old body decompose?

The Hidden Treasures of Timbuktu 2020
On the edge of the vast Sahara desert, citizens snuck out of the city of Timbuktu and took to the wilderness. They buried chests in the desert sand, hid them in caves, and sealed them in secret rooms. Inside these chests was a treasure more valuable than gold: the city’s ancient books. Why were they hiding these priceless manuscripts? Elizabeth Cox digs into the literary tradition of Timbuktu.

The Rise and Fall of History's First Empire 2020
Discover history's first empire: Sumer, located in Mesopotamia, which built the world's first cities and created the first writing system.

How to Outsmart the Prisoner's Dilemma 2020
Two perfectly rational gingerbread men, Crispy and Chewy, are out strolling when they’re caught by a fox. Instead of simply eating them, he decides to put their friendship to the test with a cruel dilemma. He’ll ask each gingerbread man whether he’d opt to Spare or Sacrifice the other. What should they choose? Lucas Husted dives into the classic game theory scenario: the Prisoner's Dilemma.

The Tale of the Boy Who Tricked the Devil 2020
In a small town, a proud mother showed off her newborn son. Upon noticing his lucky birthmark, townsfolk predicted he would marry a princess. But soon, these rumors reached the wicked king. Enraged, the king stole the child away, and sent him hurtling down the river. But the infant’s luck proved greater than the king’s plan. Iseult Gillespie tells the tale of the boy’s journey to meet the Devil.

Divine Comedy 2019
Explore Dante Alighieri’s epic poem, “Divine Comedy,” a 3-part narrative that follows Dante’s journey for salvation through Hell.

The Opposites Game 2019
A stop motion animation that reveals the bare bones of violence by attempting to define its other.

The History of the World According to Cats 2019
In ancient times, wildcats were fierce carnivorous hunters. And unlike dogs, who have undergone centuries of selective breeding, modern cats are genetically very similar to ancient cats. How did these solitary, fierce predators become our sofa sidekicks? Eva-Maria Geigl traces the domestication of the modern house cat.

How to Stay Calm Under Pressure 2018 star_border 7
Your favorite athlete closes in for a win; the crowd holds its breath, and at the crucial moment ... she misses the shot. That competitor just experienced the phenomenon known as “choking,” where despite months, even years, of practice, a person fails right when it matters most. Why does this happen, and what can we do to avoid it? Noa Kageyama and Pen-Pen Chen explain why we choke under pressure.

Why Do Cats Act So Weird? 2016
They’re cute, they’re lovable, and judging by the 26 billion views on over 2 million YouTube videos of them, one thing is certain: cats are very entertaining. But their strange feline behaviors, both amusing and baffling, leave many of us asking: Why do cats do that? Tony Buffington explains the science behind some of your cat’s strangest behaviors.