Thanks to Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962), Americans have been terrified of pesticides. But the thing is, pesticides aren’t all bad. This video examines various kinds of pesticides: herbicides, insecticides, and more. Because of these different ‘cides, farmers are able to grow foods without losing nearly a quarter of their crops. But of course, there are down’cides (get it?!), and this video also explains what harm various pesticides do. It also explains that the kinds of foods you think are pesticide-free are, usually, not.

It doesn’t take much time on Facebook to realize that the place is lousy with petty arguments. And what’s strangest of all is that it seems like it takes almost nothing for an argument to flare up. That’s because Facebook wants you to argue. It wants to stoke heated emotions and get people spending more time fighting on the site. Crazy conspiracy? Not exactly. This Daily Show segment puts together interviews with early Facebook investors and industry professionals to explain how Facebook monetizes your emotions. 

Simone Giertz earned her fame on YouTube. She’s not a gamer or a singer or a comedian. Instead, she makes robots. More specifically, she makes really, really bad robots. From vegetable chopping devices that are likely to kill you to automatic tooth brushing machines that might take an eye out, Giertz’s devices are half awful half incredible and all non-functional. That doesn’t matter, though, as she explains in this TED talk. Aiming not for success but for failure frees you up to do explore, play, and create without fear. 

Going to a run-of-the-mill steakhouse is usually a disappointing experience as far as the meat itself is concerned. It’s generally tough, chewy, and bland. But there’s often one saving grace of such crummy steak experiences: loaded baked potatoes. You know, potatoes stuffed with cheese, bacon, chives, and sour cream. This video teaches you simply and easily how to make loaded baked potatoes. And, as “You Suck at Cooking” has a way of doing, it teaches you with surreal humor that makes it fun to learn. 

If you’ve paid attention to the news lately, you might have heard that 30,000 teachers walked out of the classroom on a massive strike. That is because the teaching conditions in the state had deteriorated so much that teachers were spending money out of their own pockets to buy much-needed materials for their classrooms. And they were doing so on shoestring budgets of their own. This video interviews eighteen teachers, and they explain the conditions that led them to quit forever. 

The Catholic Church ran several homes for orphans, the sick, and the dying. But many people don’t know that the Church, at least in Ireland, housed women who were pregnant out of marriage. This short New York Times investigative piece is about about one of those homes, one with a particularly dark past. Allegedly, hundreds of children died of neglect and other causes at this home. Even more shockingly, the home might have sold children to wealthy American families. 

Australian farmers imported the cane toad in the 1930s. Their hope was that the toads would eat beetles that were eating their crops. Unfortunately, the cane toads cannot easily be killed, since predators have to be specialized to survive the cane toad’s toxins. Australia had no such predator, and the cane toad ran amok. Why can’t the government just wipe out the cane toad? This video explains why such invasive species cannot just be killed off. 

Most of us remember something about the Great Depression from our high school United States History classes, but few of us could explain it if we were forced to. This short, five minute video will refresh your memory about the Great Depression and then some. It includes both pre-Depression context, the major causes that led to Depression, and also the major events that happened during the Depression. You’ll be ready to wow your next cocktail party after watching this one. 

Mr. Rogers is one of the most iconic figures in American television history. His genteel manner, his soft voice, slippers, and cardigan all make him an icon of kindness, gentleness, and of neighborly compassion. Whenever a major catastrophe happens, he’s often quoted: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'” This video examines what it is about Mr. Rogers that makes his kindness so special. 

The last time you baked a batch of cookies or some Thanksgiving pies, you probably noticed that a lot of baked goods are cooked at 350º. This isn’t a coincidence, there is actually a lot of science behind baking, and specifically why so many things are cooked at that temperature. Specifically, you’ll learn about the Maillard Reaction, which is what makes your steaks nice and browned on the outside, but also what makes your cookies all golden brown. 

Anyone who spends time in the kitchen knows that a good knife is a chef’s best friend. Unfortunately, for most kitchen amateurs––which is most of us––discerning a good knife from a cheap knife can be nearly impossible. But watching this expert review cheap and expensive knives is highly informative. You’ll learn how to tell for yourself the difference between cheap, poorly made knives and higher quality ones. The difference between a good knife and a bad knife means more than just better food, it means more safety. 

Last year, energy drinks accounted for nearly three billion dollars of drinks sales in the United States. That means millions of people turn to energy drinks for, well, energy. But the question is, are these drinks really providing energy drinks? Or are the naysayers right, and they’re actually terrible for you? This chemist goes through some of the main ingredients in these drinks and analyzes their impact on your body. For example, there is so much vitamin B in some of these drinks that they put an adult male close to the upper limit of vitamin B tolerance.