Daniel Tammet is the author of "Born on a Blue Day," about his life with high-functioning autistic savant syndrome. He runs the language-learning site Optimnem, and his new book is "Embracing the Wide Sky: A Tour Across the Horizons of the Mind."

Jack Horner and his dig teams have discovered the first evidence of parental care in dinosaurs, extensive nesting grounds, evidence of dinosaur herds, and the world’s first dinosaur embryos. He's now exploring how to build a dinosaur.

David Gruber and his team take a delicate approach to understanding whales and other life forms.

Eva Galperin is director of cybersecurity for the online security organization Electronic Frontier Foundation, safeguarding the privacy of vulnerable populations.

Erin Sullivan believes that the magic in this world can be communicated through images that blend art and science.

For over 15 years Diana has been a secondary social studies teacher in Wisconsin, Kansas, Arizona and Pennsylvania.

As the cofounder and executive director of Waterford UPSTART, Claudia Miner has one goal: to help families overcome barriers and prepare their children for lifelong learning.

Catherine Mohr loves what she does -- she's just not ever sure what it will be next.

LB Hannahs facilitates change by leaning into discomfort and centering authenticity.

Sara Menker is founder and CEO of Gro Intelligence, a tech company that marries the application of machine learning with domain expertise and enables users to understand and predict global food and agriculture markets.

Vittorio Loreto is passionate about the complexity of the world around us in all its forms and he actively tries to decode it.

Whether speaking to barbers about early literacy, entertaining strangers at comedy clubs, or reading to kindergarteners at a local school, TED Resident Alvin Irby endeavors to make learning relevant and engaging.

Jonathan Drori commissioned the BBC's very first websites, one highlight in a long career devoted to online culture and educational media -- and understanding how we learn.

Amber Case studies the symbiotic interactions between humans and machines -- and considers how our values and culture are being shaped by living lives increasingly mediated by high technology.

Steven Sharp Nelson is a classically trained cellist and member of the musical group The Piano Guys.

Kate Adams spends her days dissecting digital communications to find a better way to tell brand stories and connect with customers.

As an information theorist and computer scientist, David MacKay uses hard math to assess our renewable energy options.

Makhtoum Abdalla is passionate about equal access to quality education for all children and young people.

An eternally curious student of life, Naomi Shimada engages deeply with people to understand what connects us all.

Blaise Agüera y Arcas works on machine learning at Google. Previously a Distinguished Engineer at Microsoft, he has worked on augmented reality, mapping, wearable computing and natural user interfaces.

Through his witty and literate books -- and his new School of Life -- Alain de Botton helps others find fulfillment in the everyday.

Tanya Berger-Wolf is among the founders of the field of computational ecology, leading research at the unique intersection of computer science, wildlife biology and social sciences.

A prolific short story writer and blogger since age seven, Adora Svitak (now 12) speaks around the United States to adults and children as an advocate for literacy.

At MIT, Cynthia Breazeal and her team are building robots with social intelligence that communicate and learn the same way people do.

Supasorn Suwajanakorn works on ways to reconstruct, preserve and reanimate anyone -- just from their existing photos and videos.

Mitch Resnick directs the Lifelong Kindergarten group at MIT Media Lab, dedicated to helping kids of all ages tinker and experiment with design.

In her work, Clemantine Wamariya is learning and sharing how remembering our life experiences in story form guides us to make sense and appreciate our present moments.

Lýdia Machová teaches people how they can learn any language by themselves.

Jok Church created the science-education comic strip "You Can with Beakman and Jax" and the zany TV series "Beakman's World."

Kio Stark explores the myriad ways encounters with strangers impact our lives.