José Bowen is an accomplished musician and teacher who explores how technology has shaped the history of music.

Nizar Ibrahim scours Northern Africa for clues to what things were like there in the Cretaceous period. A 2015 TED Fellow, he has spearheaded the recent search for the semi-aquatic dinosaur Spinosaurus.

Hubertus Knabe studies the history of torture, oppression and surveillance in former East Germany.

Computer programmer John Graham-Cumming keeps geek history alive by raising awareness for its heroes and their inventions.

Steve Silberman is a writer and contributing editor for Wired who covers science and society. His newest book explores neurodiversity and the link between autism and genius.

Nobel laureate James Watson took part in one of the most important scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century: the discovery of the structure of DNA. More than 50 years later, he continues to investigate biology's deepest secrets.

Ian Ritchie

Kevin Kelly packages ideas -- both other people's and his own.

Philosopher Stephen Cave wants to know: Why is humanity so obsessed with living forever?

Deborah Lipstadt's research focuses on the development of Holocaust denial and how to fight for the truth in an era marked by "alternative facts."

Tiffany Watt Smith investigates the hidden cultural forces which shape our emotions.

Titus Kaphar's artworks interact with the history of art by appropriating its styles and mediums.

Steven Johnson is a leading authority on innovation and the bestselling author of 13 books about history of health, medicine and technology.

Dong Woo Jang turns an unusual stick of bamboo into an archer’s bow, an exploration of his cultural heritage and a metaphor for his perfect world.

Rajesh Rao seeks to understand the human brain through computational modeling, on two fronts: developing computer models of our minds, and using tech to decipher the 4,000-year-old lost script of the Indus Valley civilization.

Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher and the bestselling author of "Sapiens," "Homo Deus" and "21 Lessons for the 21st Century." He is considered one of the world’s most influential public intellectuals today.

Jonathan Klein runs Getty Images, a stock photo agency whose vast archive of still photography and illustrations is a mainstay of the creative class.

Colin Grant is an author and historian whose works focus on larger-than-life figures of the African diaspora.

Laurel Braitman is a bestselling author and the director of writing and storytelling at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Frances Larson explores the dark and varied obsessions that our culture has had with decapitated heads and skulls throughout history.

Carl Schoonover is a neuroscientist and one of the founders of NeuWrite, a collaboration between writers and neuroscientist.

Naomi Oreskes is a historian of science who uses reason to fight climate change denial.

Sheikha Al Mayassa is the young and progressive force behind Qatar's mission to become the Middle East's foremost destination for the arts and culture.

Vishal Vaid brings a modern perspective to the traditional music of India, creating melodies that evoke his culture’s past while shaping popular music’s future.

Laura Snyder weaves tales of Victorian-era scientists that have been described as “fit for Masterpiece Theater.”

Former hippie, former jailbird, former aficionado of crack cocaine, Felix Dennis built one of the most successful privately owned magazine empires in the world.

Like a modern-day Indiana Jones, Sarah Parcak uses satellite images to locate lost ancient sites. The winner of the 2016 TED Prize, her wish is to protect the world’s shared cultural heritage.

Brenda Romero designs games that turn some of history's most tragic lessons into interactive, emotional experiences.

Photographer, adventurer and storyteller Aaron Huey captures all of his subjects -- from war victims to rock climbers to Sufi dervishes -- with elegance and fearless sensitivity.

Novelist Tracy Chevalier is the author of "Girl With a Pearl Earring."