View full lesson- http-//ed.ted.com/lessons/where-do-genes-come-from-carl-zimmer When life emerged on Earth about 4 billion years ago, the earliest microbes had a set of basic genes that succeeded in keeping them alive. In the age of humans and other large organisms, there are a lot more genes to go around. Where did all of those new genes come from? Carl Zimmer examines the mutation and multiplication of genes. Lesson by Carl Zimmer, animation by TOGETHER.

View full lesson- http-//ed.ted.com/lessons/secrets-of-the-x-chromosome-robin-ball The sequence of DNA that we inherit from our parents encodes directions for making our cells and giving us specific traits. Identical twins have the same DNA sequence, so how can one twin end up with a genetic disorder while the other twin does not? Robin Ball explains how the secret lies in X chromosome inactivation. Lesson by Robin Ball, animation by Anton Trofimov.

View full lesson- http-//ed.ted.com/lessons/how-mendel-s-pea-plants-helped-us-understand-genetics-hortensia-jimenez-diaz Each father and mother pass down traits to their children, who inherit combinations of their dominant or recessive alleles. But how do we know so much about genetics today? Hortensia Jimenez Diaz explains how studying pea plants revealed why you may have blue eyes. Lesson by Hortensia Jimenez Diaz, animation by Cinematic Sweden.

View full lesson- http-//ed.ted.com/lessons/how-the-choices-you-make-can-affect-your-genes-carlos-guerrero-bosagna Here's a conundrum- Identical twins originate from the same DNA ... so how can they turn out so different -- even in traits that have a significant genetic component? Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna explains that while nature versus nurture has a lot to do with it, a deeper, related answer can be found within something called epigenetics. Lesson by Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna, animation by Chris Bishop.

From something as small and complex as a chromosome to something as seemingly simple as the weather, sex determination systems vary significantly across the animal kingdom. Biologist and teacher Aaron Reedy shows us the amazing differences between species when it comes to determination of gender. Lesson by Aaron Reedy, animation by BuzzCo (http-//buzzzco.com).

View full lesson- http-//ed.ted.com/lessons/what-happens-when-your-dna-is-damaged-monica-menesini The DNA in just one of your cells gets damaged tens of thousands of times per day. Because DNA provides the blueprint for the proteins your cells need to function, this damage can cause serious issues--including cancer. Fortunately, your cells have ways of fixing most of these problems, most of the time. Monica Menesini details the processes of DNA damage and repair. Lesson by Monica Menesini, animation by FOX Animation Domination High-Def.

View full lesson- http-//ed.ted.com/lessons/rosalind-franklin-dna-s-unsung-hero-claudio-l-guerra The discovery of the structure of DNA was one of the most important scientific achievements in human history. The now-famous double helix is almost synonymous with Watson and Crick, two of the scientists who won the Nobel prize for figuring it out. But there's another name you may not know- Rosalind Franklin. Claudio L. Guerra shares the true story of the woman behind the helix. Lesson by Claudio L. Guerra , animation by Chris Bishop.

View full lesson on ed.ted.com http-//ed.ted.com/lessons/the-twisting-tale-of-dna-judith-hauck What do a man, a mushroom, and an elephant have in common? A very long and simple double helix molecule makes us more similar and much more different than any other living thing. But, how does a simple molecule determine the form and function of so many different living things? Lesson by Judith Hauck, animation by Cameron Slayden.

View full lesson- http-//ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-sequence-the-human-genome-mark-j-kiel Your genome, every human's genome, consists of a unique DNA sequence of A's, T's, C's and G's that tell your cells how to operate. Thanks to technological advances, scientists are now able to know the sequence of letters that makes up an individual genome relatively quickly and inexpensively. Mark J. Kiel takes an in-depth look at the science behind the sequence. Lesson by Mark J. Kiel, animation by Marc Christoforidis.

View full lesson- http-//ed.ted.com/lessons/the-immortal-cells-of-henrietta-lacks-robin-bulleri Imagine something small enough to float on a particle of dust that holds the keys to understanding cancer, virology, and genetics. Luckily for us, such a thing exists in the form of trillions upon trillions of human, lab-grown cells called HeLa. But where did we get these cells? Robin Bulleri tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, a woman whose DNA led to countless cures, patents, and discoveries. Lesson by Robin Bulleri, animation by Brandon Denmark.

Check out the science of biohacking, where biologists go into a patient's genetic code and reprogram their immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells. -- The human body is made up of about 30 trillion cells that carry a code which has been duplicated over and over for billions of years - with varying degrees of accuracy. So what happens when the system breaks down and the machinery turns on itself, leading to cancer? Greg Foot dives into the science of how biologists are biohacking the human body to try to fix the seemingly unfixable. Lesson by Greg Foot, directed by Pierangelo Pirak. Produced for TED-Ed by NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre. Sign up for our newsletter- http-//bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter Support us on Patreon- http-//bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon Follow us on Facebook- http-//bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook Find us on Twitter- http-//bit.ly/TEDEdTwitter Peep us on Instagram- http-//bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram View full lesson- https-//ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-biohack-your-cells-to-fight-cancer-greg-foot Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Dan Paterniti, Jerome Froelich, Tyler Yoshizumi, Martin Stephen, Justin Carpani, Faiza Imtiaz, Khalifa Alhulail, Tejas Dc, Benjamin & Shannon Pinder, Srikote Naewchampa, Sage Curie, Exal Enrique Cisneros Tuch, Ana Maria, Vignan Velivela, Ahmad Hyari, eden sher, Travis Wehrman, Louisa Lee, Kiara Taylor, Arkadii Skaiuoker, Milad Mostafavi, Rob Johnson, Clarence E. Harper Jr., Mihail Radu Pantilimon, Karthik Cherala, haventfiguredout , Violeta Cervantes, Elaine Fitzpatrick, Lyn-z Schulte, cnorahs, Henrique 'Sorin' Cassus, Tim Robinson, Jun Cai, Joichiro Yamada, Paul Schneider, Amber Wood, Ophelia Gibson Best, Cas Jamieson, Michelle Stevens-Stanford, Phyllis Dubrow, Andreas Voltios, Eunsun Kim, Philippe Spoden, Samantha Chow, Ayala Ron, Manognya Chakrapani, Simon Holst Ravn, Doreen Reynolds-Consolati, Rakshit Kothari and Melissa Sorrells.