It's never been easier to learn about the wonders of science from the comfort of your own home. The internet is packed with enthralling lectures from some of the greatest thinkers of our time covering subjects from the future of medicine and artificial intelligence to our place in the universe and the search for extraterrestrial life.
We've rounded up some of the best TED talks and science lectures to help you expand your mind in minutes...
In 2006 Nigel Ackland lost his right arm in an industrial accident. Six months of pain, surgery and infections followed before he told doctors to amputate his arm below the elbow. Now, Ackland wears one of the world's most advanced prosthetics.
Sheila Rowan from the University of Glasgow's School of Physics and Astronomy gives a fantastic explanation of gravitational waves, where they come from and how we detected them. She breaks down the extremely complex subject into easy-to-understand chunks and also takes a look at what the future of this area of science might look like in future.
In 2008, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking gave a fascinating TED Talk covering some of the really big questions including: 'How did the universe begin?'. He also talked about how human life began and whether he believes there could be intelligent life elsewhere in the universe.
Sabatini opens his talk by reminding us that our mothers are basically 3D computers. By applying his background in numerical modelling and data to DNA, he explains its power and how to read it. Thought you had a good understanding of the subject? Well, this 15 minute lecture is a real eye-opener.
When it comes to physics, Brian Greene is one of the best at explaining immensely complex topics in easy-to-understand and dynamic ways. By looking closely at the Big Bang, physicists are now starting to question whether our basic understanding of the universe is flawed. A crash course in physics, get ready to be Googling theories for hours after.
A day (sol) on Mars lasts for 39 minutes and 35 seconds longer than one on earth. For scientists and engineers working in Nasa's control rooms this is problematic. Nagin Cox gives a fascinating explanation of how the space agency's staff have to adapt their lives to Martian time. There's midnight trips to the beach, disrupted sleeping patterns, and plenty of watches.
In this Royal Institution lecture, Chris Bishop from Microsoft Research talks us through artificial intelligence, delving back into its history and even taking a swift look at fictional AIs like The Terminator and 2001's HAL. His thought-provoking talk looks at the science behind AI technology and how it might be used to help humanity in future.
This superb TED Talk from science journalist Ed Yong covers the 'delightfully macabre' subject of parasitic creatures. Tapeworms, suicidal crickets and parasitic wasps are just some of the oddities of the natural world that Yong talks about with grimly entertaining humour. A study recently revealed that Trypophobia, or the fear of small holes, may be linked to our deep-seated fears of illness and parasites.
Kicking off with a bold "you have cancer" opening line, IBM researcher Joshua Smith goes on to explain how diagnosing cancer early massively boosts the chances of survival and how current methods simply don't cut it. Smith talks about the development of a nanobiotechnology "cancer alarm' that scans for traces of disease in the form of special biomarkers called exosomes. The technology could eventually save lives.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
