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Talks
91 - 120 of 138 results

Johan Rockström: 10 years to transform the future of humanity -- or destabilize the planet

"For the first time, we are forced to consider the real risk of destabilizing the entire planet," says climate impact scholar Johan Rockström. In a talk backed by vivid animations of the climate crisis, he shows how nine out of the 15 big biophysical systems that regulate the climate -- from the permafrost of Siberia to the great forests of the ...
https://www.ted.com/talks/johan_rockstrom_10_years_to_transform_the_future_of_humanity_or_destabilize_the_planet

Penny Chisholm: The tiny creature that secretly powers the planet

Oceanographer Penny Chisholm introduces us to an amazing little being: Prochlorococcus, the most abundant photosynthetic species on the planet. A marine microbe that has existed for millions of years, Prochlorococcus wasn't discovered until the mid-1980s -- but its ancient genetic code may hold clues to how we can reduce our dependence on fossil...
https://www.ted.com/talks/penny_chisholm_the_tiny_creature_that_secretly_powers_the_planet

George Monbiot: For more wonder, rewild the world

Wolves were once native to the US' Yellowstone National Park -- until hunting wiped them out. But when, in 1995, the wolves began to come back (thanks to an aggressive management program), something interesting happened: the rest of the park began to find a new, more healthful balance. In a bold thought experiment, George Monbiot imagines a wild...
https://www.ted.com/talks/george_monbiot_for_more_wonder_rewild_the_world

Simon Berrow: How do you save a shark you know nothing about?

They're the second-largest fish in the world, they're almost extinct, and we know almost nothing about them. In this talk, Simon Berrow describes the fascinating basking shark ("great fish of the sun" in Irish), and the exceptional -- and wonderfully low-tech -- ways he's learning enough to save them.
https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_berrow_how_do_you_save_a_shark_you_know_nothing_about

David Gruber: Glow-in-the-dark sharks and other stunning sea creatures

Just a few meters below the waves, marine biologist and explorer-photographer David Gruber discovered something amazing -- a surprising new range of sea creatures that glow in many colors in the ocean's dim blue light. Join his journey in search of biofluorescent sharks, seahorses, sea turtles and more, and learn how these light-up creatures cou...
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_gruber_glow_in_the_dark_sharks_and_other_stunning_sea_creatures

Tim Kruger: Can we stop climate change by removing CO2 from the air?

Could we cure climate change? Geoengineering researcher Tim Kruger wants to try. He shares one promising possibility: using natural gas to generate electricity in a way that takes carbon dioxide out of the air. Learn more -- both the potential and the risks -- about this controversial field that seeks creative, deliberate and large-scale interve...
https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_kruger_can_we_stop_climate_change_by_removing_co2_from_the_air

Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado: To solve old problems, study new species

Nature is wonderfully abundant, diverse and mysterious -- but biological research today tends to focus on only seven species, including rats, chickens, fruit flies and us. We're studying an astonishingly narrow sliver of life, says biologist Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, and hoping it'll be enough to solve the oldest, most challenging problems in ...
https://www.ted.com/talks/alejandro_sanchez_alvarado_to_solve_old_problems_study_new_species

Ariel Anbar: A needle in countless haystacks: Finding habitable worlds

Out of billions of galaxies and billions of stars how do we find Earth-like habitable worlds? What is essential to support life as we know it? Ariel Anbar provides a checklist for finding life on other planets. [Directed by Jeremiah Dickey, narrated by Ariel Anbar].
https://www.ted.com/talks/ariel_anbar_a_needle_in_countless_haystacks_finding_habitable_worlds

Elizabeth "Zibi" Turtle: What Saturn's most mysterious moon could teach us about the origins of life

NASA's Dragonfly -- a robotic rotorcraft-lander that's designed to hop across the surface of an extraterrestrial body -- is set to voyage deep into the solar system to explore Titan, Saturn's largest moon, in 2026. Planetary scientist Elizabeth "Zibi" Turtle shares how studying this mysterious moon that's thought to resemble the early Earth coul...
https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_zibi_turtle_what_saturn_s_most_mysterious_moon_could_teach_us_about_the_origins_of_life

Tina Arrowood: A circular economy for salt that keeps rivers clean

During the winter of 2018-2019, one million tons of salt were applied to icy roads in the state of Pennsylvania alone. The salt from industrial uses like this often ends up in freshwater rivers, making their water undrinkable and contributing to a growing global crisis. How can we better protect these precious natural resources? Physical organic...
https://www.ted.com/talks/tina_arrowood_a_circular_economy_for_salt_that_keeps_rivers_clean

Pavan Sukhdev: Put a value on nature!

Every day, we use materials from the earth without thinking, for free. But what if we had to pay for their true value: would it make us more careful about what we use and what we waste? Think of Pavan Sukhdev as nature's banker -- assessing the value of the Earth's assets. Eye-opening charts will make you think differently about the cost of air,...
https://www.ted.com/talks/pavan_sukhdev_put_a_value_on_nature

Ariel Waldman: The invisible life hidden beneath Antarctica's ice

In this tour of the microscopic world, explorer and artist Ariel Waldman introduces the charismatic creatures lurking beneath Antarctica's massive ice sheet, the largest on earth. From "cuddly" water bears to geometric algae made of glass, Waldman shows how this seemingly barren landmass is actually a polar oasis of life -- if we just know where...
https://www.ted.com/talks/ariel_waldman_the_invisible_life_hidden_beneath_antarctica_s_ice

Stewart Brand and Chris Anderson: Mammoths resurrected, geoengineering and other thoughts from a futurist

Stewart Brand is a futurist, counterculturist and visionary with a very wide-ranging mind. In conversation with TED Curator Chris Anderson, Brand discusses ... just about everything: human nature, bringing back the wooly mammoth, geoengineering, rewilding and science as organized skepticism -- plus the story of an acid trip on a San Francisco ro...
https://www.ted.com/talks/stewart_brand_and_chris_anderson_mammoths_resurrected_geoengineering_and_other_thoughts_from_a_futurist

Al Gore: What comes after An Inconvenient Truth?

At TED2009, Al Gore presents updated slides from around the globe to make the case that worrying climate trends are even worse than scientists predicted, and to make clear his stance on "clean coal."
https://www.ted.com/talks/al_gore_what_comes_after_an_inconvenient_truth

Morgan Vague: These bacteria eat plastic

Humans produce 300 million tons of new plastic each year -- yet, despite our best efforts, less than 10 percent of it ends up being recycled. Is there a better way to deal with all this waste? Morgan Vague describes her research with microbiologist Jay Mellies on bacteria that have evolved the unexpected ability to eat plastic -- and how they co...
https://www.ted.com/talks/morgan_vague_these_bacteria_eat_plastic

Amy Hrdina and Jesse Kroll: What's in the air you breathe?

Take a deep breath. In a single intake of air, your lungs swell with roughly 25 sextillion molecules, ranging from days-old compounds, to those formed billions of years in the past. In fact, many of the molecules you're breathing were likely exhaled by members of ancient civilizations and innumerable humans since. But what exactly are we all bre...
https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_hrdina_and_jesse_kroll_what_s_in_the_air_you_breathe

Amina J. Mohammed: A new perspective on the journey to net-zero

Climate action can be a vehicle to deliver dignity, opportunity and equality for all. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed invites us to reimagine what the journey to net-zero could look like if we invest in people's climate efforts while prioritizing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals -- a blueprint of interlinked global goals to pro...
https://www.ted.com/talks/amina_j_mohammed_a_new_perspective_on_the_journey_to_net_zero

Al Gore: The case for optimism on climate change

Why is Al Gore optimistic about climate change? In this spirited talk, Gore asks three powerful questions about the man-made forces threatening to destroy our planet -- and the solutions we're designing to combat them. (Featuring Q&A with TED curator Chris Anderson)
https://www.ted.com/talks/al_gore_the_case_for_optimism_on_climate_change

Lucy Cooke: 3 bizarre (and delightful) ancient theories about bird migration

In 1822, Count von Bothmer shot down a stork in Germany. However, the bird had already been impaled by a yard-long wooden spear. The stork had been speared in Africa and then flew over 2,500 km. This astonishing flight proved to be an essential clue in a mystery that had plagued scientists for centuries: the seasonal disappearance of birds. Lucy...
https://www.ted.com/talks/lucy_cooke_3_bizarre_and_delightful_ancient_theories_about_bird_migration

Kayla Wolf: Why every world map is wrong

Fourteen Greenlands could fit in Africa— but you wouldn't guess it from most maps of the world. The fact is, every world map humans have ever made is wrong. Actually, it's impossible to make a flat map of the whole spherical world 100% right. So why do we bother with these inaccurate maps at all? Kayla Wolf explores how even the simplest changes...
https://www.ted.com/talks/kayla_wolf_why_every_world_map_is_wrong

Vinay Shandal: How conscious investors can turn up the heat and make companies change

In a talk that's equal parts funny and urgent, consultant Vinay Shandal shares stories of the world's top activist investors, showing how individuals and institutions can take a page from their playbook and put pressure on companies to drive positive change. "It's your right to have your money managed in line with your values," Shandal says. "Us...
https://www.ted.com/talks/vinay_shandal_how_conscious_investors_can_turn_up_the_heat_and_make_companies_change

Diana Nyad: Extreme swimming with the world's most dangerous jellyfish

In the 1970s, Diana Nyad set long-distance swim records that are still unbroken. Thirty years later, at 60, she attempted her longest swim yet, from Cuba to Florida. In this funny, powerful talk at TEDMED, she talks about how to prepare mentally to achieve an extreme dream, and asks: What will YOU do with your wild, precious life?
https://www.ted.com/talks/diana_nyad_extreme_swimming_with_the_world_s_most_dangerous_jellyfish

Will Wright: Spore, birth of a game

In a friendly, high-speed presentation, Will Wright demos his newest game, Spore, which promises to dazzle users even more than his previous masterpieces.
https://www.ted.com/talks/will_wright_spore_birth_of_a_game

John C. Mather: How the James Webb Space Telescope will unfold the universe

The James Webb Space Telescope is a miracle of modern science and engineering. With a 21-foot, gold-coated mirror protected by a sunshield that's the size of a tennis court, it's the world's most powerful telescope and humanity's latest attempt to answer questions like: "Where did we come from?" and "Are we alone?" (It also needed to be folded u...
https://www.ted.com/talks/john_c_mather_how_the_james_webb_space_telescope_will_unfold_the_universe

Antonio Donato Nobre: The magic of the Amazon: A river that flows invisibly all around us

The Amazon River is like a heart, pumping water from the seas through it, and up into the atmosphere through 600 billion trees, which act like lungs. Clouds form, rain falls and the forest thrives. In a lyrical talk, Antonio Donato Nobre talks us through the interconnected systems of this region, and how they provide environmental services to th...
https://www.ted.com/talks/antonio_donato_nobre_the_magic_of_the_amazon_a_river_that_flows_invisibly_all_around_us

Peter Ward: A theory of Earth's mass extinctions

Asteroid strikes get all the coverage, but "Medea Hypothesis" author Peter Ward argues that most of Earth's mass extinctions were caused by lowly bacteria. The culprit, a poison called hydrogen sulfide, may have an interesting application in medicine.
https://www.ted.com/talks/peter_ward_a_theory_of_earth_s_mass_extinctions

Ralph Chami: What a living whale is worth -- and why the economy should protect nature

How much is one living blue whale worth in the fight against climate change? A lot more than you may think, says financial economist Ralph Chami. He explains the value of bringing the language of dollars and cents to conservation -- and offers his vision of a new economy that would profit off regenerating nature, not extracting from it.
https://www.ted.com/talks/ralph_chami_what_a_living_whale_is_worth_and_why_the_economy_should_protect_nature

Jill Tarter: Join the SETI search

The SETI Institute's Jill Tarter makes her TED Prize wish: to accelerate our search for cosmic company. Using a growing array of radio telescopes, she and her team listen for patterns that may be a sign of intelligence elsewhere in the universe.
https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_tarter_join_the_seti_search

Zach King: The trick to regaining your childlike wonder

When we ditch our assumptions, new ideas can enter the world, says filmmaker Zach King. In an entertaining talk full of props and surprises, King shows us the trick to regaining our sense of childlike wonder through the power of storytelling -- and a bit of magic.
https://www.ted.com/talks/zach_king_the_trick_to_regaining_your_childlike_wonder

Phil Plait: The secret to scientific discoveries? Making mistakes

Phil Plait was on a Hubble Space Telescope team of astronomers who thought they may have captured the first direct photo of an exoplanet ever taken. But did the evidence actually support that? Follow along as Plait shows how science progresses -- through a robust amount of making and correcting errors. "The price of doing science is admitting wh...
https://www.ted.com/talks/phil_plait_the_secret_to_scientific_discoveries_making_mistakes
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