The surprising science of alpha males
Frans de Waal / Primatologist
What the gay rights movement learned from the civil rights movement

TED Talk: An exploration of fascinating overlaps between two communities, and how they propel each other forward

Talks to watch when things seem hopeless

Playlist: 7 talks that demonstrate the strength and beauty of human will

Newest Talks

  1. The surprising science of alpha males
  2. Can home cooking change the world?
  3. Four billion years of evolution in six minutes
  4. How I'm bringing queer pride to my rural village
  5. The incredible potential of flexible, soft robots
  6. How to get empowered, not overpowered, by AI

Trending

  1. Evolution's gift of play, from bonobo apes to humans
  2. What the gay rights movement learned from the civil rights movement
  3. 3 reasons why we can win the fight against poverty
  4. How cyberattacks threaten real-world peace
  5. Moral behavior in animals
  6. What happens when you lose everything

Recommended today

  1. Nature is everywhere -- we just need to learn to see it
  2. How to grow a forest in your backyard
  3. A plant's-eye view
  4. How to grow fresh air
  5. For more wonder, rewild the world
  6. The world's oldest living things

Explore playlists

Heard on TED Radio Hour

  1. A broken body isn't a broken person
  2. Confessions of a bad feminist
  3. Don't ask where I'm from, ask where I'm a local
  4. How to talk (and listen) to transgender people
  5. How fashion helps us express who we are -- and what we stand for
  6. How the teddy bear taught us compassion

TED-Ed lessons: feed your curiosity

  1. Can you solve the giant cat army riddle?
  2. What causes insomnia?
  3. The Irish myth of the Giant's Causeway
  4. What is bipolar disorder?
  5. A simple way to tell insects apart
  6. The benefits of a bilingual brain

across the political spectrum

  1. America's forgotten working class
  2. A conservative's plea: Let's work together
  3. Political common ground in a polarized United States
  4. How our friendship survives our opposing politics
  5. The moral roots of liberals and conservatives
  6. Political change with pen and paper

lifelong learning

  1. The life-long learner
  2. How to get better at the things you care about
  3. 12 truths I learned from life and writing
  4. Why some of us don't have one true calling
  5. We should aim for perfection -- and stop fearing failure
  6. Life's third act

deep space science

  1. How to take a picture of a black hole
  2. The hunt for a supermassive black hole
  3. How I fell in love with quasars, blazars and our incredible universe
  4. The sound the universe makes
  5. Is our universe the only universe?
  6. Let's look for life in the outer solar system

Your digital privacy: global perspectives from TEDx

  1. How data brokers sell your identity
  2. Why we must protect the digital rights of children
  3. The surveillance device you carry around all day
  4. Using corporate data to improve our lives
  5. Do we really own our bodies?
  6. Your social media "likes" expose more than you think

A little bit sexy

  1. 10 things you didn't know about orgasm
  2. What we learn from insects' sex lives
  3. Cute, sexy, sweet, funny
  4. The birds and the bees are just the beginning
  5. How a dead duck changed my life
  6. The loves and lies of fireflies

About TED

TED is a nonpartisan nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 110 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.