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  • Talks 1489
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Talks
1 - 30 of 1489 results

Dave Brain: What a planet needs to sustain life

"Venus is too hot, Mars is too cold, and Earth is just right," says planetary scientist Dave Brain. But why? In this pleasantly humorous talk, Brain explores the fascinating science behind what it takes for a planet to host life -- and why humanity may just be in the right place at the right time when it comes to the timeline of life-sustaining ...
https://www.ted.com/talks/dave_brain_what_a_planet_needs_to_sustain_life

Keith Barry: Brain magic

First, Keith Barry shows us how our brains can fool our bodies -- in a trick that works via podcast too. Then he involves the audience in some jaw-dropping (and even a bit dangerous) feats of brain magic.
https://www.ted.com/talks/keith_barry_brain_magic

Elizabeth Waters: The left brain vs. right brain myth

The human brain is visibly split into a left and right side. This structure has inspired one of the most pervasive ideas about the brain: that the left side controls logic and the right side controls creativity. And yet, this is a myth, unsupported by scientific evidence. So how did this idea come about, and what does it get wrong? Elizabeth Wat...
https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_waters_the_left_brain_vs_right_brain_myth

Iain McGilchrist: The divided brain

Psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist describes the real differences between the left and right halves of the human brain. It's not simply "emotion on the right, reason on the left," but something far more complex and interesting. A Best of the Web talk from RSA Animate.
https://www.ted.com/talks/iain_mcgilchrist_the_divided_brain

Miguel Nicolelis: Brain-to-brain communication has arrived. How we did it

You may remember neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis — he built the brain-controlled exoskeleton that allowed a paralyzed man to kick the first ball of the 2014 World Cup. What’s he working on now? Building ways for two minds (rats and monkeys, for now) to send messages brain to brain. Watch to the end for an experiment that, as he says, will go to ...
https://www.ted.com/talks/miguel_nicolelis_brain_to_brain_communication_has_arrived_how_we_did_it

Siddharthan Chandran: Can the damaged brain repair itself?

After a traumatic brain injury, it sometimes happens that the brain can repair itself, building new brain cells to replace damaged ones. But the repair doesn't happen quickly enough to allow recovery from degenerative conditions like motor neuron disease (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease or ALS). Siddharthan Chandran walks through some new tec...
https://www.ted.com/talks/siddharthan_chandran_can_the_damaged_brain_repair_itself

Lisa Mosconi: How menopause affects the brain

Many of the symptoms of menopause -- hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, memory lapses, depression and anxiety -- start in the brain. How exactly does menopause impact cognitive health? Sharing groundbreaking findings from her research, neuroscientist Lisa Mosconi reveals how decreasing hormonal levels affect brain aging -- and shares simple li...
https://www.ted.com/talks/lisa_mosconi_how_menopause_affects_the_brain

Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight

Jill Bolte Taylor got a research opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: She had a massive stroke, and watched as her brain functions -- motion, speech, self-awareness -- shut down one by one. An astonishing story.
https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_my_stroke_of_insight

Helen Fisher: The brain in love

Why do we crave love so much, even to the point that we would die for it? To learn more about our very real, very physical need for romantic love, Helen Fisher and her research team took MRIs of people in love -- and people who had just been dumped.
https://www.ted.com/talks/helen_fisher_the_brain_in_love

Brené Brown: Listening to shame

Shame is an unspoken epidemic, the secret behind many forms of broken behavior. Brené Brown, whose earlier talk on vulnerability became a viral hit, explores what can happen when people confront their shame head-on. Her own humor, humanity and vulnerability shine through every word.
https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_listening_to_shame

Mia Nacamulli: The benefits of a bilingual brain

It's obvious that knowing more than one language can make certain things easier -- like traveling or watching movies without subtitles. But are there other advantages to having a bilingual (or multilingual) brain? Educator Mia Nacamulli details the three types of bilingual brains and shows how knowing more than one language keeps your brain heal...
https://www.ted.com/talks/mia_nacamulli_the_benefits_of_a_bilingual_brain

Charles Limb: Your brain on improv

Musician and researcher Charles Limb wondered how the brain works during musical improvisation -- so he put jazz musicians and rappers in an fMRI to find out. What he and his team found has deep implications for our understanding of creativity of all kinds.
https://www.ted.com/talks/charles_limb_your_brain_on_improv

Christina Costa: How gratitude rewires your brain

When a psychologist who studies well-being ends up with a brain tumor, what happens when she puts her own research into practice? Christina Costa goes beyond the "fight" narrative of cancer -- or any formidable personal journey -- to highlight the brain benefits of an empowering alternative to fostering resilience in the face of unexpected chall...
https://www.ted.com/talks/christina_costa_how_gratitude_rewires_your_brain

Mads Tang-Christensen: The brain science of obesity

Your belly and your brain speak to each other, says obesity researcher Mads Tang-Christensen. Offering scientific proof that obesity is a disease influenced by genetics and the environment, he introduces a molecule discovered in both the brain and gut that helps control appetite -- and which could be engineered to promote healthy weight loss for...
https://www.ted.com/talks/mads_tang_christensen_the_brain_science_of_obesity

Kimberly Noble: How does income affect childhood brain development?

Neuroscientist and pediatrician Kimberly Noble is leading the Baby's First Years study: the first-ever randomized study of how family income changes children's cognitive, emotional and brain development. She and a team of economists and policy experts are working together to find out: Can we help kids in poverty simply by giving families more mo...
https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberly_noble_how_does_income_affect_childhood_brain_development

Tan Le: How does the brain work in everyday situations?

Brain research is something typically done in a hospital or lab, taking a look at a patient experiencing some sort of brain irregularity. Tan Le demonstrates how we can take a different approach to better understand the way the brain works in everyday situations.
https://www.ted.com/talks/tan_le_how_does_the_brain_work_in_everyday_situations

Gero Miesenboeck: Re-engineering the brain

In the quest to map the brain, many scientists have attempted the incredibly daunting task of recording the activity of each neuron. Gero Miesenboeck works backward -- manipulating specific neurons to figure out exactly what they do, through a series of stunning experiments that reengineer the way fruit flies percieve light.
https://www.ted.com/talks/gero_miesenboeck_re_engineering_the_brain

Kevin Njabo: How we can stop Africa's scientific brain drain

How can Africans find solutions to Africa's problems? Conservation biologist Kevin Njabo tells his personal story of how he nearly became part of the group of African scientists who seek an education abroad and never return -- and why he's now building a permanent base on the continent to nurture and support local talent. "I'm not coming back al...
https://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_njabo_how_we_can_stop_africa_s_scientific_brain_drain

Madhumita Murgia: How stress affects your brain

Stress isn't always a bad thing; it can be handy for a burst of extra energy and focus, like when you're playing a competitive sport or have to speak in public. But when it's continuous, it actually begins to change your brain. Madhumita Murgia shows how chronic stress can affect brain size, its structure, and how it functions, right down to the...
https://www.ted.com/talks/madhumita_murgia_how_stress_affects_your_brain

Brian Kateman: How to reduce your diet's carbon footprint — without going vegan

You want to eat a more climate-friendly diet but you're not ready to be vegan or vegetarian? That's OK, says entrepreneur Brian Kateman. Instead, you could be a "reducetarian" — someone who's making the conscious choice to decrease the amount of meat they consume. In this talk, he explains the costs of our current diets and the benefits that ada...
https://www.ted.com/talks/brian_kateman_how_to_reduce_your_diet_s_carbon_footprint_without_going_vegan

Brian Skerry: The ocean's glory -- and horror

Photographer Brian Skerry shoots life above and below the waves -- as he puts it, both the horror and the magic of the ocean. Sharing amazing, intimate shots of undersea creatures, he shows how powerful images can help make change.
https://www.ted.com/talks/brian_skerry_the_ocean_s_glory_and_horror

Nicole Avena: How sugar affects the brain

When you eat something loaded with sugar, your taste buds, your gut and your brain all take notice. This activation of your reward system is not unlike how bodies process addictive substances such as alcohol or nicotine -- an overload of sugar spikes dopamine levels and leaves you craving more. Nicole Avena explains why sweets and treats should ...
https://www.ted.com/talks/nicole_avena_how_sugar_affects_the_brain

Allan Jones: A map of the brain

How can we begin to understand the way the brain works? The same way we begin to understand a city: by making a map. In this visually stunning talk, Allan Jones shows how his team is mapping which genes are turned on in each tiny region, and how it all connects up.
https://www.ted.com/talks/allan_jones_a_map_of_the_brain

Daphne Bavelier: Your brain on video games

How do fast-paced video games affect the brain? Step into the lab with cognitive researcher Daphne Bavelier to hear surprising news about how video games, even action-packed shooter games, can help us learn, focus and, fascinatingly, multitask.
https://www.ted.com/talks/daphne_bavelier_your_brain_on_video_games

Gareth Gaskell: How do our brains process speech?

The average 20-year-old knows between 27,000 and 52,000 different words. Spoken out loud, most of these words last less than a second. With every word, the brain has a quick decision to make: which of those thousands of options matches the signal? And about 98% of the time, the brain chooses the correct word. How is this possible? Gareth Gaskell...
https://www.ted.com/talks/gareth_gaskell_how_do_our_brains_process_speech

Richard E. Cytowic: What percentage of your brain do you use?

Two thirds of the population believes a myth that has been propagated for over a century: that we use only 10% of our brains. Hardly! Our neuron-dense brains have evolved to use the least amount of energy while carrying the most information possible -- a feat that requires the entire brain. Richard E. Cytowic debunks this neurological myth (and ...
https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_e_cytowic_what_percentage_of_your_brain_do_you_use

Henry Markram: A brain in a supercomputer

Henry Markram says the mysteries of the mind can be solved -- soon. Mental illness, memory, perception: they're made of neurons and electric signals, and he plans to find them with a supercomputer that models all the brain's 100,000,000,000,000 synapses.
https://www.ted.com/talks/henry_markram_a_brain_in_a_supercomputer

Ralitsa Petrova: Could your brain repair itself?

Imagine the brain could reboot, updating its damaged cells with new, improved units. That may sound like science fiction — but it's a potential reality scientists are investigating right now. Ralitsa Petrova details the science behind neurogenesis and explains how we might harness it to reverse diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. [Directe...
https://www.ted.com/talks/ralitsa_petrova_could_your_brain_repair_itself

Mia Nacamulli: How the food you eat affects your brain

When it comes to what you bite, chew and swallow, your choices have a direct and long-lasting effect on the most powerful organ in your body: your brain. So which foods cause you to feel so tired after lunch? Or so restless at night? Mia Nacamulli takes you into the brain to find out. [Directed by Private Island, narrated by Addison Anderson].
https://www.ted.com/talks/mia_nacamulli_how_the_food_you_eat_affects_your_brain

Wendy Suzuki: The brain-changing benefits of exercise

What's the most transformative thing that you can do for your brain today? Exercise! says neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki. Get inspired to go to the gym as Suzuki discusses the science of how working out boosts your mood and memory -- and protects your brain against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
https://www.ted.com/talks/wendy_suzuki_the_brain_changing_benefits_of_exercise
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