(NOTE: Statements in this talk have been challenged by scientists working in this field. Read "Corrections & Updates" below for more details.) Elaine Morgan was a tenacious proponent of a theory that is not widely accepted. The aquatic ape hypothesis lays out the idea that humans evolved from primate ancestors who dwelt in watery habitats. H...

With never-before-seen video, primatologist Isabel Behncke Izquierdo (a TED Fellow) shows how bonobo ape society learns from constantly playing -- solo, with friends, even as a prelude to sex. Indeed, play appears to be the bonobos' key to problem-solving and avoiding conflict. If it works for our close cousins, why not for us?

Some TED speakers are obsessed with one particular animal -- and their joy and passion might just get you obsessed too. You'll meet apes that write! Shrimp that kick! Octopi that disappear!

Savage-Rumbaugh's work with bonobo apes, which can understand spoken language and learn tasks by watching, forces the audience to rethink how much of what a species can do is determined by biology -- and how much by cultural exposure.

Louise Leakey hunts for hominid fossils in East Africa, in the family tradition.

Apes, dolphins and elephants are animals with remarkable communication skills. Could the internet be expanded to include sentient species like them? A new and developing idea from a panel of four great thinkers -- dolphin researcher Diana Reiss, musician Peter Gabriel, internet of things visionary Neil Gershenfeld and Vint Cerf, one of the fathe...

These TED speakers gained remarkable knowledge by closely studying animal behavior. What do their insights mean for you?

Play invites creativity and collaboration, and can inspire you to think out of the box! Take a recess and learn about the benefits of connecting with your inner-child.

Susan Savage-Rumbaugh has made startling breakthroughs in her lifelong work with chimpanzees and bonobos, showing the animals to be adept in picking up language and other "intelligent" behaviors.

Sometimes, things get a little buried in our archive of 2,800+ TED Talks. Check out some great ones, unearthed for your viewing pleasure.

Zeresenay "Zeray" Alemseged digs in the Ethiopian desert, looking for the earliest signs of humanity. His most exciting find: the 3.3-million-year-old bones of Selam, a 3-year-old hominid child, from the species Australopithecus afarensis.

Despite alligators ruling the swamplands of the Everglades for millennia, the last 500 years have brought deadly new predators that challenge their reign. And the origins of these international invaders are just as unexpected as their impact on the Everglades. So, what exactly is threatening this biodiverse region? Kenny Coogan explores the uniq...

Over the past few centuries, Western cultures have been very good at creating general prosperity for themselves. Historian Niall Ferguson asks: Why the West, and less so the rest? He suggests half a dozen big ideas from Western culture -- call them the 6 killer apps -- that promote wealth, stability and innovation. And in this new century, he sa...

Eduardo Paes is the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, a sprawling, complicated, beautiful city of 6.5 million. He shares four big ideas about leading Rio -- and all cities -- into the future, including bold (and do-able) infrastructure upgrades and how to make a city "smarter."

As a writer on animal cognition and emotion, Barbara J. King seeks to motivate us all to be kinder to the animals we share the planet with.

Medieval Europe. Where unbathed, sword-wielding knights ate rotten meat, thought the Earth was flat, defended chastity-belt wearing maidens, and tortured their foes with grisly gadgets. Except... this is more fiction than fact. So, where do all the myths about the Middle Ages come from? And what were they actually like? Stephanie Honchell Smith ...

Diana Reiss studies animal cognition, and has found that bottlenose dolphins (and Asian elephants) can recognize themselves in the mirror.

Humans have sex like apes Christopher Ryan begins his talk with a strong reminder, "We didn't descend from apes. We are apes." A special kind, but we are one. We're closer to chimps and bonobos than they are to any other primate. But he wants to know, "What kind of ape are we? Particularly in terms of our sexuality." That's a subje...

Isabel Behncke applies an evolutionary lens to human questions like: Why do we play?

About this event: Join us for our monthly TED viewing and discussion. Bring a lunch and watch 2-3 prerecorded TED talks on a theme. This month the theme is Hide and Seek. We'll be watching and discussing these talks: Uri Alon: Why science demands a leap into the unknown Isabel Behncke: Evolution's gift of play, from bonobo apes to humans Sarah Parcak: Archaeolog...

About this event: TEDxLancaster 2018 features speakers that are "Inspiring Change" in others, in communities, and in the world. This 5th annual event includes a morning Welcome Session with coffee, tea, and snacks. It also includes lunch. This year features our first ever Technology Hall, featuring robots, 3D printers, Google Expeditions Virtual Reality, and m...

Are you attending a TED Conference? Orient yourself to everything happening around you with TEDConnect — an app created for TED attendees. Download the app Download the app by tapping on the following links on your device: iOS App Store (you'll need iOS 7 or higher), or in the Google Play Store on Android. Then log in with your TED.com user nam...

Mayor Eduardo Paes is on a mission to ensure that Rio's renaissance creates a positive legacy for all its citizens.

When Bran Ferren was just 9, his parents took him to see the Pantheon in Rome — and it changed everything. In that moment, he began to understand how the tools of science and engineering become more powerful when combined with art, with design and beauty. Ever since, he's been searching for a convincing modern-day equivalent to Rome's masterpiec...

TED playlists are collections of talks around a topic, built specially for you in a thoughtful sequence to illuminate ideas in context. This weekend, two new playlists are available: Animals that amaze and The end of oil? Animals that amaze At TED there's a certain species of speaker who is absolutely devoted to all kinds of weird beasts...

Let's face it, online dating can suck. So many potential people, so much time wasted -- is it even worth it? Podcaster and entrepreneur Christina Wallace thinks so, if you do it right. In a funny, practical talk, Wallace shares how she used her MBA skill set to invent a "zero date" approach and get off swipe-based apps -- and how you can, too.

About this event: Experience the excitement of TEDxYouth@Chappaqua! Led by students, this event features an inspiring lineup of speakers including screenwriter of Wolverine and Planet of Apes Mark Bomback, falsely imprisoned justice reform advocate Jeffrey Deskovic, videogame designer and graphic novelist Jordan Mechner, University of Michigan professor Margo Sch...

(TED is on its annual two-week vacation. During the break, we’re posting playlists from the TEDTalks archive. We’ll be back with new talks on August 29th.) We live amongst it. We live away from it. We live with it. We live in spite of it. We love it. We hate it. Regardless of how we feel about it, we can all learn a great deal from it. Nature...

As usual, the TED community has lots of news to share this week. Below, some highlights. A 4.37-lightyear starshot. Humanity has sent people to the moon and rovers to Mars. It might be about time we embark on interstellar travel. Russian philanthropist Yuri Milner, along with board member Stephen Hawking, unveiled a plan on Tuesday to sen...

The internet connects people all over the world. But could the internet also connect us with dolphins, apes, elephants and other highly intelligent species? In a bold talk in Session 10 of TED2013, four incredible thinkers come together to launch the idea of the interspecies internet. Each takes four minutes to talk, then passes the metap...