Musician John Kenny is the first person in hundreds of years to play the carnyx, an ancient bronze Celtic horn.
Michael Sandel teaches political philosophy at Harvard, exploring some of the most hotly contested moral and political issues of our time.
Steve Howard leads the sustainability effort at Ikea, helping the low-price-furniture giant to bring sustainable products to millions of people.
Ad exec Jose Miguel Sokoloff, an anti-guerrilla creative, is leading a multi-year marketing campaign to help lead Colombian guerrillas back home.
Manal al-Sharif, a women's rights activist, advocates for women’s right to drive, male guardianship annulment, and family protection in Saudi Arabia.
Annette Heuser, a Rating agency reformer, proposes critical reforms to loosen the iron grip of rating agencies on national credit scores.
Toby Eccles, a social investment visionary, has created a radical financial instrument that helps private investors contribute to solving thorny public problems.
Didier Sornette, a risk economist, studies whether it is possible to anticipate big changes or predict crises in complex systems.
Apollo Robbins, a gentleman thief, will take the watch off your wrist and the phone from your pocket, then hand them back to you and (maybe) show you how he did it.
Physician-novelist and activist writer Nassim Assefi confronts health and human rights challenges around the globe.
TED Senior Fellow Gabriella Gomez-Mont directs "Laboratorio para la Ciudad", Mexico City´s new creative think tank and experimental space.
Juan Pardinas works to increase prosperity in Mexico and Latin America by challenging conventional wisdom along with investors' preconceptions.
Trita Parsi, a political scientist, delves into Middle Eastern history and politics, uncovering fresh perspectives on Iranian, Israeli, and U.S. relations -- and discovers potential solutions to brewing conflicts.
With provocative actions that erase the lines between performance and politics, Tania Bruguera transforms passive audiences into engaged citizens.
Singled out for the originality of her voice and style, Egyptian singer Dina El Wedidi has made her mark on her country’s music scene in just a few years.
Writer Lesley Hazleton is the author of The First Muslim, a new look at the life of Muhammad.
The Beirut Marathon is the largest running event in the Middle East. May El-Khalil founded it as an instrument of peace.
Architect and urbanist, Teddy Cruz looks for clues to the "city of the future" in the emerging urban areas of today.
Sociologist and philosopher Renata Salecl scrutinizes our individual and societal neuroses, and offers a way out of our current paralysis.
A rising public intellectual, Eric X Li argues that the universality claim of Western democratic systems is going to be "morally challenged" by China.
Shereen El Feki works and writes on sexuality and social change in the Arab world.
Lissie writes finely etched songs and sings them with a big old rebellious voice.
Benjamin Barber believes that the future of the world may lie with the politicians who implement practical change every day: mayors.
Adrian Hong works to promote innovation and empower citizens with technology, smart government and an entrepreneurial approach to problems.
Erik Hersman nurtures the creativity springing from the African tech community, and helps spread its innovations throughout the world.
Dambisa Moyo is an international economist who analyzes the macroeconomy and global affairs.
In "The Fastest Billion," Charles Robertson re-examines the narrative of economic growth in African nations.
The publisher and editor of Stuff magazine, Toby Shapshak is a South African writer focusing on innovation -- and the role it plays in Africa.
Just a Band, the artists behind Kenya’s first viral video, burst out of obscurity with their exuberant fusion of African funk and electronica.
Following the fall of Gaddafi, Mustafa Abushagur served as Libya's first Deputy Prime Minister and briefly as the Prime Minister-Elect.
Joseph Kim
Joseph Kim escaped alone from North Korea at the age of 16, first to China and then to the United States.
In "Plutocrats," Chrystia Freeland, a Plutocracy chronicler, explores the growing gap between the working poor and the increasingly disconnected mega-rich.
Global Witness co-founder Charmian Gooch exposes how a global architecture of corruption is weaved into the extraction and exploitation of natural resources.
Michael E. Porter wrote the books on modern competitive strategy for business. Now he is thinking deeply about the intersection between society and corporate interests.
RuthAnne is a stunning vocalist, has written songs for many stars, and she's now preparing her debut album.
An artist, hacker and interaction designer, Salvatore Iaconesi embarked on a bold open-source project last fall. Subject: his own brain cancer
Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk, meditates and writes on "the gentle power" of gratefulness.