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https://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_bezos_what_matters_more_than_your_talents | In this Princeton University graduation address, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos makes the case that our character is reflected not in the gifts we're endowed with at birth, but by the choices we make over the course of a lifetime. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_ridley_when_ideas_have_sex | At TEDGlobal 2010, author Matt Ridley shows how, throughout history, the engine of human progress has been the meeting and mating of ideas to make new ideas. It's not important how clever individuals are, he says; what really matters is how smart the collective brain is. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/benoit_mandelbrot_fractals_and_the_art_of_roughness | At TED2010, mathematics legend Benoit Mandelbrot develops a theme he first discussed at TED in 1984 -- the extreme complexity of roughness, and the way that fractal math can find order within patterns that seem unknowably complicated. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/ellen_dunham_jones_retrofitting_suburbia | Can we rebuild our broken suburbs? Ellen Dunham-Jones shares a vision of dying malls rehabilitated, dead "big box" stores re-inhabited, and endless parking lots transformed into thriving wetlands. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_why_i_m_a_weekday_vegetarian | We all know the arguments that being vegetarian is better for the environment and for the animals -- but in a carnivorous culture, it can be hard to make the change. Graham Hill has a powerful, pragmatic suggestion: Be a weekday veg. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/sharmeen_obaid_chinoy_inside_a_school_for_suicide_bombers | Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy takes on a terrifying question: How does the Taliban convince children to become suicide bombers? Propaganda footage from a training camp is intercut with her interviews of young camp graduates. A shocking vision. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/john_underkoffler_pointing_to_the_future_of_ui | Minority Report science adviser and inventor John Underkoffler demos g-speak -- the real-life version of the film's eye-popping, tai chi-meets-cyberspace computer interface. Is this how tomorrow's computers will be controlled? |
https://www.ted.com/talks/jeremy_jackson_how_we_wrecked_the_ocean | In this bracing talk, coral reef ecologist Jeremy Jackson lays out the shocking state of the ocean today: overfished, overheated, polluted, with indicators that things will get much worse. Astonishing photos and stats make the case. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/lawrence_lessig_re_examining_the_remix | Former "young Republican" Larry Lessig talks about what Democrats can learn about copyright from their opposite party, considered more conservative. A surprising lens on remix culture. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/george_whitesides_toward_a_science_of_simplicity | Simplicity: We know it when we see it -- but what is it, exactly? In this funny, philosophical talk, George Whitesides chisels out an answer. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/johanna_blakley_lessons_from_fashion_s_free_culture | Copyright law's grip on film, music and software barely touches the fashion industry ... and fashion benefits in both innovation and sales, says Johanna Blakley. In her talk, she talks about what all creative industries can learn from fashion's free culture. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_moot_poole_the_case_for_anonymity_online | The founder of 4chan, a controversial, uncensored online imageboard, describes its subculture, some of the Internet "memes" it has launched, and the incident in which its users managed a very public, precision hack of a mainstream media website. The talk raises questions about the power -- and price -- of anonymity. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/sebastian_wernicke_lies_damned_lies_and_statistics_about_tedtalks | In a brilliantly tongue-in-cheek analysis, Sebastian Wernicke turns the tools of statistical analysis on TEDTalks, to come up with a metric for creating "the optimum TEDTalk" based on user ratings. How do you rate it? "Jaw-dropping"? "Unconvincing"? Or just plain "Funny"? |
https://www.ted.com/talks/julia_sweeney_it_s_time_for_the_talk | Despite her best efforts, comedian Julia Sweeney is forced to tell a little white lie when her 8-year-old begins learning about frog reproduction -- and starts to ask some very smart questions. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/william_li_can_we_eat_to_starve_cancer | (NOTE: This talk was given in 2010, and this field of science has developed quickly since then. Enjoy it as a piece of science history but not as the last word on this topic. Read "Criticisms & updates" below for more details.) William Li presents a new way to think about treating cancer and other diseases: anti-angiogenesis, preventing the growth of blood vessels that feed a tumor. The crucial first (and best) step: Eating cancer-fighting foods that cut off the supply lines and beat cancer at its own game. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/enric_sala_glimpses_of_a_pristine_ocean | Enric Sala shares glorious images -- and surprising insights and data -- from some of the most pristine areas of the ocean. He shows how we can restore more of our oceans to this healthy, balanced state, and the powerful ecological and economic benefits of doing so. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_dolby_love_is_a_loaded_pistol | To write his first studio album in decades, "A Map of the Floating City," Thomas Dolby has been working in the inspirational setting of a restored lifeboat. At TED2010 he premieres a gorgeous, evocative song from that album -- about one night with a legend. He's backed by members of the modern string quartet Ethel. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/frederick_balagadde_bio_lab_on_a_microchip | Drugs alone can't stop disease in sub-Saharan Africa: We need diagnostic tools to match. TED Senior Fellow Frederick Balagadde shows how we can multiply the power and availability of an unwieldy, expensive diagnostic lab -- by miniaturizing it to the size of a chip. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_learning_revolution | In this poignant, funny follow-up to his fabled 2006 talk, Sir Ken Robinson makes the case for a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning -- creating conditions where kids' natural talents can flourish. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_sears_planning_for_the_end_of_oil | As the world's attention focuses on the perils of oil exploration, we present Richard Sears' talk from early February 2010. Sears, an expert in developing new energy resources, talks about our inevitable and necessary move away from oil. Toward ... what? |
https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_meyer_math_class_needs_a_makeover | Today's math curriculum is teaching students to expect -- and excel at -- paint-by-numbers classwork, robbing kids of a skill more important than solving problems: formulating them. Dan Meyer shows classroom-tested math exercises that prompt students to stop and think. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/nicholas_christakis_the_hidden_influence_of_social_networks | We're all embedded in vast social networks of friends, family, co-workers and more. Nicholas Christakis tracks how a wide variety of traits -- from happiness to obesity -- can spread from person to person, showing how your location in the network might impact your life in ways you don't even know. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/seth_berkley_hiv_and_flu_the_vaccine_strategy | Seth Berkley explains how smart advances in vaccine design, production and distribution are bringing us closer than ever to eliminating a host of global threats -- from AIDS to malaria to flu pandemics. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/roz_savage_why_i_m_rowing_across_the_pacific | Five years ago, Roz Savage quit her high-powered London job to become an ocean rower. She's crossed the Atlantic solo, and just started the third leg of a Pacific solo row, the first for a woman. Why does she do it? Hear her reasons, both deeply personal and urgently activist. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/anil_gupta_india_s_hidden_hotbeds_of_invention | Anil Gupta is on the hunt for the developing world's unsung inventors -- indigenous entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, hidden by poverty, could change many people's lives. He shows how the Honey Bee Network helps them build the connections they need -- and gain the recognition they deserve. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/esther_duflo_social_experiments_to_fight_poverty | Alleviating poverty is more guesswork than science, and lack of data on aid's impact raises questions about how to provide it. But Clark Medal-winner Esther Duflo says it's possible to know which development efforts help and which hurt -- by testing solutions with randomized trials. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/viktor_frankl_why_believe_in_others | In this rare clip from 1972, legendary psychiatrist and Holocaust-survivor Viktor Frankl delivers a powerful message about the human search for meaning -- and the most important gift we can give others. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/adam_sadowsky_how_to_engineer_a_viral_music_video | The band OK Go dreamed up the idea of a massive Rube Goldberg machine for their next music video -- and Adam Sadowsky's team was charged with building it. He tells the story of the effort and engineering behind their labyrinthine creation that quickly became the YouTube sensation "This Too Shall Pass." |
https://www.ted.com/talks/dee_boersma_pay_attention_to_penguins | Think of penguins as ocean sentinels, says Dee Boersma -- they're on the frontlines of sea change. Sharing stories of penguin life and culture, she suggests that we start listening to what penguins are telling us. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/stephen_wolfram_computing_a_theory_of_all_knowledge | Stephen Wolfram, creator of Mathematica, talks about his quest to make all knowledge computational -- able to be searched, processed and manipulated. His new search engine, Wolfram Alpha, has no lesser goal than to model and explain the physics underlying the universe. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_sandel_the_lost_art_of_democratic_debate | Democracy thrives on civil debate, Michael Sandel says -- but we're shamefully out of practice. He leads a fun refresher, with TEDsters sparring over a recent Supreme Court case (PGA Tour Inc. v. Martin) whose outcome reveals the critical ingredient in justice. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/kavita_ramdas_radical_women_embracing_tradition | Investing in women can unlock infinite potential around the globe. But how can women walk the line between Western-style empowerment and traditional culture? Kavita Ramdas of the Global Fund for Women talks about three encounters with powerful women who fight to make the world better -- while preserving the traditions that sustain them. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action | Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership -- starting with a golden circle and the question: "Why?" His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Wright brothers ... |
https://www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_build_a_tower_build_a_team | Tom Wujec presents some surprisingly deep research into the "marshmallow problem" -- a simple team-building exercise that involves dry spaghetti, one yard of tape and a marshmallow. Who can build the tallest tower with these ingredients? And why does a surprising group always beat the average? |
https://www.ted.com/talks/omar_ahmad_political_change_with_pen_and_paper | Want your local politician to pay attention to an issue you care about? Send a monthly handwritten letter, says former mayor Omar Ahmad -- it's more effective than email, phone, or even writing a check. He shares four steps to writing a letter that works. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/sophie_hunger_songs_of_secrets_and_city_lights | This haunting, intimate performance by European singer-songwriter Sophie Hunger features songs from her breakout debut "Monday's Ghost" and album "1983." |
https://www.ted.com/talks/brian_cox_why_we_need_the_explorers | In tough economic times, our exploratory science programs -- from space probes to the LHC -- are first to suffer budget cuts. Brian Cox explains how curiosity-driven science pays for itself, powering innovation and a profound appreciation of our existence. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/nathan_myhrvold_could_this_laser_zap_malaria | Nathan Myhrvold and team's latest inventions -- as brilliant as they are bold -- remind us that the world needs wild creativity to tackle big problems like malaria. And just as that idea sinks in, he rolls out a live demo of a new, mosquito-zapping gizmo you have to see to believe. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/brian_skerry_the_ocean_s_glory_and_horror | Photographer Brian Skerry shoots life above and below the waves -- as he puts it, both the horror and the magic of the ocean. Sharing amazing, intimate shots of undersea creatures, he shows how powerful images can help make change. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/craig_venter_watch_me_unveil_synthetic_life | Craig Venter and team make a historic announcement: they've created the first fully functioning, reproducing cell controlled by synthetic DNA. He explains how they did it and why the achievement marks the beginning of a new era for science. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/eric_whitacre_a_choir_as_big_as_the_internet | 185 voices from 12 countries join a choir that spans the globe: "Lux Aurumque," composed and conducted by Eric Whitacre, merges hundreds of tracks individually recorded and posted to YouTube. It's an astonishing illustration of how technology can connect us. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_specter_the_danger_of_science_denial | Vaccine-autism claims, "Frankenfood" bans, the herbal cure craze: All point to the public's growing fear (and, often, outright denial) of science and reason, says Michael Specter. He warns the trend spells disaster for human progress. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/juliana_machado_ferreira_the_fight_to_end_rare_animal_trafficking_in_brazil | Biologist Juliana Machado Ferreira, a TED Senior Fellow, talks about her work helping to save birds and other animals stolen from the wild in Brazil. Once these animals are seized from smugglers, she asks, then what? |
https://www.ted.com/talks/mark_roth_suspended_animation_is_within_our_grasp | Mark Roth studies suspended animation: the art of shutting down life processes and then starting them up again. It's wild stuff, but it's not science fiction. Induced by careful use of an otherwise toxic gas, suspended animation can potentially help trauma and heart attack victims survive long enough to be treated. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_gupta_music_is_medicine_music_is_sanity | Robert Gupta, violinist with the LA Philharmonic, talks about a violin lesson he once gave to a brilliant, schizophrenic musician -- and what he learned. Called back onstage later, Gupta plays his own transcription of the prelude from Bach's Cello Suite No. 1. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/kirk_citron_and_now_the_real_news | How many of today's headlines will matter in 100 years? 1000? Kirk Citron's "Long News" project collects stories that not only matter today, but will resonate for decades -- even centuries -- to come. At TED2010, he highlights recent headlines with the potential to shape our future. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world | Games like World of Warcraft give players the means to save worlds, and incentive to learn the habits of heroes. What if we could harness this gamer power to solve real-world problems? Jane McGonigal says we can, and explains how. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/shekhar_kapur_we_are_the_stories_we_tell_ourselves | Where does creative inspiration spring from? At TEDIndia, Hollywood/Bollywood director Shekhar Kapur ("Elizabeth," "Mr. India") pinpoints his source of creativity: sheer, utter panic. He shares a powerful way to unleash your inner storyteller. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/natalie_merchant_singing_old_poems_to_life | Natalie Merchant sings from her poetry-inspired album "Leave Your Sleep," which pairs lyrics from poets -- from Gerard Manley Hopkins to a near-forgotten 10-year-old girl in Brooklyn -- with simple melodies and her unmistakable voice. Stay for an encore performance of her hit "Thank You," dedicated to a notable philanthropist in the audience. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/joel_levine_why_we_need_to_go_back_to_mars | Planetary scientist Joel Levine shows some intriguing -- and puzzling -- new discoveries about Mars: craters full of ice, traces of ancient oceans, and compelling hints at the presence, sometime in the past, of life. He makes the case for going back to Mars to find out more. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/eric_mead_the_magic_of_the_placebo | Sugar pills, injections of nothing -- studies show that, more often than you'd expect, placebos really work. At TEDMED, magician Eric Mead does a trick to prove that, even when you know something's not real, you can still react as powerfully as if it is. (Warning: This talk is not suitable for viewers who are disturbed by needles or blood.) |
https://www.ted.com/talks/gary_lauder_take_turns | Fifty percent of traffic accidents happen at intersections. Gary Lauder shares a brilliant and cheap idea for helping drivers move along smoothly: a new traffic sign that combines the properties of "Stop" and "Yield." |
https://www.ted.com/talks/patsy_rodenburg_why_i_do_theater | Patsy Rodenburg says the world needs actors more than ever. In this talk at Michael Howard Studios, she tells the story of a profound encounter that reveals the deeper role theater can play in people's lives. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/jesse_schell_when_games_invade_real_life | Games are invading the real world -- and the runaway popularity of Farmville and Guitar Hero is just the beginning, says Jesse Schell. At the DICE Summit, he makes a startling prediction: a future where 1-ups and experience points break "out of the box" and into every part of our daily lives. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/edith_widder_glowing_life_in_an_underwater_world | Some 80 to 90 percent of undersea creatures make light -- and we know very little about how or why. Bioluminescence expert Edith Widder explores this glowing, sparkling, luminous world, sharing glorious images and insight into the unseen depths (and brights) of the ocean. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/dean_kamen_the_emotion_behind_invention | Soldiers who've lost limbs in service face a daily struggle unimaginable to most of us. At TEDMED, Dean Kamen talks about the profound people and stories that motivated his work to give parts of their lives back with his design for a remarkable prosthetic arm. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/alan_siegel_let_s_simplify_legal_jargon | Tax forms, credit agreements, healthcare legislation: They're crammed with gobbledygook, says Alan Siegel, and incomprehensibly long. He calls for a simple, sensible redesign -- and plain English -- to make legal paperwork intelligible to the rest of us. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/james_randi_homeopathy_quackery_and_fraud | Legendary skeptic James Randi takes a fatal dose of homeopathic sleeping pills onstage, kicking off a searing 18-minute indictment of irrational beliefs. He throws out a challenge to the world's psychics: Prove what you do is real, and I'll give you a million dollars. (No takers yet.) |
https://www.ted.com/talks/thelma_golden_how_art_gives_shape_to_cultural_change | Thelma Golden, curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem, talks through three recent shows that explore how art examines and redefines culture. The "post-black" artists she works with are using their art to provoke a new dialogue about race and culture -- and about the meaning of art itself. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_klein_photos_that_changed_the_world | Photographs do more than document history -- they make it. At TED University, Jonathan Klein of Getty Images shows some of the most iconic, and talks about what happens when a generation sees an image so powerful it can't look away -- or back. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_berners_lee_the_year_open_data_went_worldwide | At TED2009, Tim Berners-Lee called for "raw data now" -- for governments, scientists and institutions to make their data openly available on the web. At TED University in 2010, he shows a few of the interesting results when the data gets linked up. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/catherine_mohr_the_tradeoffs_of_building_green | In a short, funny, data-packed talk at TED U, Catherine Mohr walks through all the geeky decisions she made when building a green new house -- looking at real energy numbers, not hype. What choices matter most? Not the ones you think. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_pisani_sex_drugs_and_hiv_let_s_get_rational | Armed with bracing logic, wit and her "public-health nerd" glasses, Elizabeth Pisani reveals the myriad of inconsistencies in today's political systems that prevent our dollars from effectively fighting the spread of HIV. Her research with at-risk populations -- from junkies in prison to sex workers on the street in Cambodia -- demonstrates the sometimes counter-intuitive measures that could stall the spread of this devastating disease. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement | With help from some surprising footage, Derek Sivers explains how movements really get started. (Hint: it takes two.) |
https://www.ted.com/talks/eric_dishman_take_health_care_off_the_mainframe | At TEDMED, Eric Dishman makes a bold argument: The US health care system is like computing circa 1959, tethered to big, unwieldy central systems: hospitals, doctors, nursing homes. As our aging population booms, it's imperative, he says, to create personal, networked, home-based health care for all. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_drori_every_pollen_grain_has_a_story | Pollen goes unnoticed by most of us, except when hay fever strikes. But microscopes reveal it comes in stunning colors and shapes -- and travels remarkably well. Jonathan Drori gives an up-close glimpse of these fascinating flecks of plant courtship. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/sam_harris_science_can_answer_moral_questions | Questions of good and evil, right and wrong are commonly thought unanswerable by science. But Sam Harris argues that science can -- and should -- be an authority on moral issues, shaping human values and setting out what constitutes a good life. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/adora_svitak_what_adults_can_learn_from_kids | Child prodigy Adora Svitak says the world needs "childish" thinking: bold ideas, wild creativity and especially optimism. Kids' big dreams deserve high expectations, she says, starting with grownups' willingness to learn from children as much as to teach. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/srikumar_rao_plug_into_your_hard_wired_happiness | We all strive for happiness -- but we spend most of our lives learning to be unhappy, says Srikumar Rao. In this practical talk, he teaches how to break free of the "I'd be happy if ..." mental model, and embrace our hard-wired happiness. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_barber_how_i_fell_in_love_with_a_fish | Chef Dan Barber squares off with a dilemma facing many chefs today: how to keep fish on the menu. With impeccable research and deadpan humor, he chronicles his pursuit of a sustainable fish he could love, and the foodie's honeymoon he's enjoyed since discovering an outrageously delicious fish raised using a revolutionary farming method in Spain. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/shukla_bose_teaching_one_child_at_a_time | Educating the poor is more than just a numbers game, says Shukla Bose. She tells the story of her groundbreaking Parikrma Humanity Foundation, which brings hope to India's slums by looking past the daunting statistics and focusing on treating each child as an individual. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_bales_how_to_combat_modern_slavery | In this moving yet pragmatic talk, Kevin Bales explains the business of modern slavery, a multibillion-dollar economy that underpins some of the worst industries on earth. He shares stats and personal stories from his on-the-ground research -- and names the price of freeing every slave on earth right now. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/gary_vaynerchuk_do_what_you_love_no_excuses | At the Web 2.0 Expo, entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk gives a shot in the arm to dreamers and up-and-comers who face self-doubt. The Internet has made the formula for success simpler than ever, he argues. So there's now no excuse not to do what makes you happy. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/douglas_adams_parrots_the_universe_and_everything | Blind river dolphins, reclusive lemurs, a parrot as fearless as it is lovelorn ... Douglas Adams' close encounters with these rare and unusual animals reveal that evolution, ever ingenious, can be fickle too -- in a University of California talk that sparkles with his trademark satiric wit. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/dennis_hong_my_seven_species_of_robot_and_how_we_created_them | Meet seven all-terrain robots -- like the humanoid, soccer-playing DARwIn and the cliff-gripping CLIMBeR -- built by Dennis Hong's robotics team at RoMeLa, based at Virginia Tech. Watch to the end for the five creative secrets to his lab's success. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_kamler_medical_miracle_on_everest | The second deadliest day in the history of Mount Everest climbs happened in 1996 -- and Ken Kamler was the only doctor on the mountain that day. He shares the incredible story of the climbers' battle to save lives in extreme conditions, and uses brain imaging technology to map the medical miracle of one man who survived roughly 36 hours buried in the snow. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/blaise_aguera_y_arcas_augmented_reality_maps | In a demo that drew gasps at TED2010, Blaise Aguera y Arcas demos new augmented-reality mapping technology from Microsoft. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_weird_or_just_different | "There's a flip side to everything," the saying goes, and in 2 minutes, Derek Sivers shows this is true in a few ways you might not expect. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/philip_k_howard_four_ways_to_fix_a_broken_legal_system | The land of the free has become a legal minefield, says Philip K. Howard -- especially for teachers and doctors, whose work has been paralyzed by fear of suits. What's the answer? A lawyer himself, Howard has four propositions for simplifying US law. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates_innovating_to_zero | At TED2010, Bill Gates unveils his vision for the world's energy future, describing the need for "miracles" to avoid planetary catastrophe and explaining why he's backing a dramatically different type of nuclear reactor. The necessary goal? Zero carbon emissions globally by 2050. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/pawan_sinha_how_brains_learn_to_see | Pawan Sinha details his groundbreaking research into how the brain's visual system develops. Sinha and his team provide free vision-restoring treatment to children born blind, and then study how their brains learn to interpret visual data. The work offers insights into neuroscience, engineering and even autism. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/anthony_atala_growing_new_organs | Anthony Atala's state-of-the-art lab grows human organs -- from muscles to blood vessels to bladders, and more. At TEDMED, he shows footage of his bio-engineers working with some of its sci-fi gizmos, including an oven-like bioreactor (preheat to 98.6 F) and a machine that "prints" human tissue. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/george_whitesides_a_lab_the_size_of_a_postage_stamp | Traditional lab tests for disease diagnosis can be too expensive and cumbersome for the regions most in need. George Whitesides' ingenious answer is a foolproof tool that can be manufactured at virtually zero cost. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/ravin_agrawal_10_young_indian_artists_to_watch | Collector Ravin Agrawal delivers a glowing introduction to 10 of India's most exciting young contemporary artists. Working in a variety of media, each draws on their local culture for inspiration. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/the_lxd_in_the_internet_age_dance_evolves | The LXD (the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers) electrify the TED stage with an emerging global street-dance culture, revved up by the Internet. Directed by Jon M. Chu, this astonishing troupe of dancers and musicians show off their superpowers. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/harsha_bhogle_the_rise_of_cricket_the_rise_of_india | The tale of a major global cultural phenomenon: Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle describes the spectacular arrival of fast-paced 20-20 cricket as it parallels the rise of modern India. He traces the game from its sleepy English roots to the current world of celebrity owners and million-dollar player contracts. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_feynman_physics_is_fun_to_imagine | In this archival footage from BBC TV, celebrated physicist Richard Feynman explains what fire, magnets, rubber bands (and more) are like at the scale of the jiggling atoms they're made of. This accessible, enchanting conversation in physics reveals a teeming nano-world that's just plain fun to imagine. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_cameron_the_next_age_of_government | The leader of Britain's Conservative Party says we're entering a new era -- where governments themselves have less power (and less money) and people empowered by technology have more. Tapping into new ideas on behavioral economics, he explores how these trends could be turned into smarter policy. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_agus_a_new_strategy_in_the_war_on_cancer | Too often, cancer treatments have a short-sighted focus on individual cells, says David Agus. He suggests a new, cross-disciplinary approach, using atypical drugs, computer modeling and protein analysis to diagnose and treat the whole body. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/gary_flake_is_pivot_a_turning_point_for_web_exploration | Gary Flake demos Pivot, a new way to browse and arrange massive amounts of images and data online. Built on breakthrough Seadragon technology, it enables spectacular zooms in and out of web databases, and the discovery of patterns and links invisible in standard web browsing. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/temple_grandin_the_world_needs_all_kinds_of_minds | Temple Grandin, diagnosed with autism as a child, talks about how her mind works -- sharing her ability to "think in pictures," which helps her solve problems that neurotypical brains might miss. She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky kids. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/eric_topol_the_wireless_future_of_medicine | Eric Topol says we'll soon use our smartphones to monitor our vital signs and chronic conditions. At TEDMED, he highlights several of the most important wireless devices in medicine's future -- all helping to keep more of us out of hospital beds. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_kelly_technology_s_epic_story | In this wide-ranging, thought-provoking talk, Kevin Kelly muses on what technology means in our lives -- from its impact at the personal level to its place in the cosmos. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_blaine_how_i_held_my_breath_for_17_minutes | In this highly personal talk from TEDMED, magician and stuntman David Blaine describes what it took to hold his breath underwater for 17 minutes -- a world record (only two minutes shorter than this entire talk!) -- and what his often death-defying work means to him. Warning: do NOT try this at home. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/bobby_mcferrin_watch_me_play_the_audience | In this fun, 3-min performance from the World Science Festival, musician Bobby McFerrin uses the pentatonic scale to reveal one surprising result of the way our brains are wired. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/james_cameron_before_avatar_a_curious_boy | James Cameron's big-budget (and even bigger-grossing) films create unreal worlds all their own. In this personal talk, he reveals his childhood fascination with the fantastic -- from reading science fiction to deep-sea diving -- and how it ultimately drove the success of his blockbuster hits "Aliens," "The Terminator," "Titanic" and "Avatar." |
https://www.ted.com/talks/sivamani_rhythm_is_everything_everywhere | Percussionist Sivamani delivers one of TED's liveliest and most inventive performances yet. He uses traditional Western and Eastern instruments to create a rhythmic tour de force, along with a tub of water, corrugated metal, spoons, luggage, our stage props and even a little audience participation. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/aimee_mullins_the_opportunity_of_adversity | The thesaurus might equate "disabled" with synonyms like "useless" and "mutilated," but ground-breaking runner Aimee Mullins is out to redefine the word. Defying these associations, she shows how adversity -- in her case, being born without shinbones -- actually opens the door for human potential. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/peter_eigen_how_to_expose_the_corrupt | Some of the world's most baffling social problems, says Peter Eigen, can be traced to systematic, pervasive government corruption, hand-in-glove with global companies. In his talk, Eigen describes the thrilling counter-attack led by his organization, Transparency International. |
https://www.ted.com/talks/tom_shannon_john_hockenberry_the_painter_and_the_pendulum | TED visits Tom Shannon in his Manhattan studio for an intimate look at his science-inspired art. An eye-opening, personal conversation with John Hockenberry reveals how nature's forces -- and the onset of Parkinson's tremors -- interact in his life and craft. |