Starting with the simple tale of an ant, philosopher Dan Dennett unleashes a devastating salvo of ideas, making a powerful case for the existence of memes -- concepts that are literally alive.

Philosopher Dan Dennett calls for religion -- all religion -- to be taught in schools, so we can understand its nature as a natural phenomenon. Then he takes on The Purpose-Driven Life, disputing its claim that, to be moral, one must deny evolution.

Philosopher Dan Dennett makes a compelling argument that not only don't we understand our own consciousness, but that half the time our brains are actively fooling us.

Why are babies cute? Why is cake sweet? Philosopher Dan Dennett has answers you wouldn't expect, as he shares evolution's counterintuitive reasoning on cute, sweet and sexy things (plus a new theory from Matthew Hurley on why jokes are funny).

Downloadable, printable clothing may be coming to a closet near you. What started as designer Danit Peleg's fashion school project turned into a collection of 3D-printed designs that have the strength and flexibility for everyday wear. "Fashion is a very physical thing," she says. "I wonder what our world will look like when our clothes will be ...

There's no such thing as throwing something away, says Andrew Dent -- when you toss a used food container, broken toy or old pair of socks into the trash, those things inevitably end up in ever-growing landfills. But we can get smarter about the way we make, and remake, our products. Dent shares exciting examples of thrift -- the idea of using a...

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...

Showing a series of inspiring, unusual and playful products, British branding and design guru Paul Bennett explains that design doesn't have to be about grand gestures, but can solve small, universal and overlooked problems.

Amanda Bennett and her husband were passionate and full of life all throughout their lives together -- and up until the final days, too. Bennett gives a sweet yet powerful talk on why, for the loved ones of the dying, having hope for a happy ending shouldn't warrant a diagnosis of "denial." She calls for a more heroic narrative for death -- to m...

Satirist Tom Rielly delivers a wicked parody of the 2006 TED conference, taking down the $100 laptop, the plight of the polar bear, and people who mention, one too many times, that they work at Harvard. Watch for a special moment between Tom and Al Gore.

(NOTE: Statements in this talk have been challenged by scientists working in this field. Read "Criticisms & updates" below for more details.) Elaine Morgan was a tenacious proponent of a theory that is not widely accepted. The aquatic ape hypothesis lays out the idea that humans evolved from primate ancestors who dwelt in watery habitats. He...

Photographer Phil Borges shows rarely seen images of people from the mountains of Dharamsala, India, and the jungles of the Ecuadorean Amazon. In documenting these endangered cultures, he intends to help preserve them.

Susan Blackmore studies memes: ideas that replicate themselves from brain to brain like a virus. She makes a bold new argument: Humanity has spawned a new kind of meme, the teme, which spreads itself via technology -- and invents ways to keep itself alive

Our consciousness is a fundamental aspect of our existence, says philosopher David Chalmers: “There’s nothing we know about more directly…. but at the same time it’s the most mysterious phenomenon in the universe.” He shares some ways to think about the movie playing in our heads.

Outside.in's Steven Johnson says the Web is like a city: built by many people, completely controlled by no one, intricately interconnected and yet functioning as many independent parts. While disaster strikes in one place, elsewhere, life goes on.

Michael Shermer says the human tendency to believe strange things -- from alien abductions to dowsing rods -- boils down to two of the brain's most basic, hard-wired survival skills. He explains what they are, and how they get us into trouble.

Cliff Dennett poses questions around our relationship with technology and how we use it on a daily basis whilst being aware of how and when this impacts on the world we live in

In his talk, William Dent informs the audience about black holes and how they are interpreted in today's world. Due to his experience working as a system astronomer, he is able to communicate his thoughts very efficiently.

Compétitivité, attractivité et innovation : comment passer de l'idée à un modèle performant. Connaissez-vous le point commun entre une pyramide, une station spatiale, une voiture électrique, la réhabilitation d’une habitation classée, un site web marchand ? Aucune de ces cinq créations n’aurait pu voir le jour sans une gestion de projet solideme...

Danat travels all around the world and he believes that you do not need much money to travel.

Dontae Latson, President and CEO of YWCA McLean County, presents: “The Power of Community” Since June 2013, Dontae has served as the President and CEO of YWCA McLean County. His primary responsibility is to impart the organization with a visionary road map of innovative, transformative and sustainable progress in the delivery of social justice p...

Deonte Clarke examines stereotypes in the black community, past and present. This talk makes a distinction between active and passive stereotyping, both of which plague marginalized communities.

The hazard of choice in music. Classical or contemporary music ?Classical or electric guitar ? Does the specialization in music mean our exclusion from some musical styles ? What is the role of technology and how does it affect music evolution ? We live in the age of musical overinformation, where the musician shall anticipate and assimilate kno...

Dante leapt head first into the small house movement in 2013 joining Four Lights Tiny House Company as its COO. In 2014, Dante founded Pendant Homes with the mission of developing small, energy-efficient homes, in walkable neighborhoods at attainable prices. Pendant was a finalist for Y Combinator’s W15 batch and has been featured on ABC, NBC, C...

The global water crisis is a crisis of governance, and therein lies the opportunity. It is by fixing the people and the organizations that fix the pipes, and the policy environment that influences their decisions, that we can turn the situation around and ensure that the 780 million people in the world who do not have access to clean water, will...

Despoina talks about her search for meaning in life and goes beyond all social expectations to propose to us, regardless of our years, to create it ourselves!

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As salas de aulas precisam ser repensadas. Você acredita que hoje estamos realmente formando profissionais adequados para o futuro? Qual o papel da escola nos tempos de hoje? Com toda a tecnologia e inovação isso tem mudado. Esse talk trás uma experiencia de uma não escola, no qual os alunos aprendem de outra maneira.

Have you allowed realism to stop you from stepping into the limelight? Ideas and ambitions often get put aside simply because they’re deemed to be too unrealistic. Who says? After all, wasn’t every great invention, once a single thought? NLP Trainer, Award Winning / No 1 Best Selling Author and Speaker and Founder of The LinkedIn Lab, Deenita Pa...

In this heartfelt and thoughtful talk, Christina shares her ideas about the destructive impact of the war on drugs and the mounting evidence that the opposite approach would be much more effective.