Ever wonder how we poop? Learn about the gut -- the system where digestion (and a whole lot more) happens -- as doctor and author Giulia Enders takes us inside the complex, fascinating science behind it, including its connection to mental health. It turns out, looking closer at something we might shy away from can leave us feeling more fearless ...

It's never too late to reinvent yourself. Take it from Paul Tasner -- after working continuously for other people for 40 years, he founded his own start-up at age 66, pairing his idea for a business with his experience and passion. And he's not alone. As he shares in this short, funny and inspirational talk, seniors are increasingly indulging th...

Maya Penn started her first company when she was 8 years old, and thinks deeply about how to be responsible both to her customers and to the planet. She shares her story -- and some animations, and some designs, and some infectious energy -- in this charming talk.

Bored in school, failing classes, at odds with peers: This child might be an entrepreneur, says Cameron Herold. In his talk, he makes the case for parenting and education that helps would-be entrepreneurs flourish -- as kids and as adults.

Small businesses in the US are failing at an alarming rate. Nearly half close their doors by year 5, and 70% fail by year 10. The main reason? They run out of money. Compare that to small businesses in Ecuador and Guatemala that have a nearly 100% loan repayment rate with 85% of borrowers going on to expand their business. What's the secret to t...

Linda Zhang says she knows how to get students excited about learning: Wrap their lessons in real-world problems they want to solve.

Navi Radjou has spent years studying "jugaad," also known as frugal innovation. Pioneered by entrepreneurs in emerging markets who figured out how to get spectacular value from limited resources, the practice has now caught on globally. Peppering his talk with a wealth of examples of human ingenuity at work, Radjou also shares three principles f...

All of us want to invent that game-changing product, launch that successful company, write that best-selling book. And yet so few of us actually do it. TED Fellow and Brazilian entrepreneur Bel Pesce breaks down five easy-to-believe myths that ensure your dream projects will never come to fruition.

At the Web 2.0 Expo, entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk gives a shot in the arm to dreamers and up-and-comers who face self-doubt. The Internet has made the formula for success simpler than ever, he argues. So there's now no excuse not to do what makes you happy.

At 23-years-old, Emma Bridgewater boldly launched her new ceramic company in Stoke-on-Trent, a city with rich ceramic traditions but a present that resembled Detroit. She tapped into the dwindling yet still vibrant reservoir of skills and traditions still residing in the city and is now at the center of an economic and cultural renaissance. Emma...

Before he hit eighteen, Fred Swaniker had lived in Ghana, Gambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. What he learned from a childhood across Africa was that while good leaders can't make much of a difference in societies with strong institutions, in countries with weak structures, leaders could make or break a country. In a passionate talk the entrepreneur ...

What would happen if we could generate power from our windowpanes? In this moving talk, entrepreneur Justin Hall-Tipping shows the materials that could make that possible, and how questioning our notion of 'normal' can lead to extraordinary breakthroughs.

You'd never know from her transformation into the death-dealing Arya Stark on "Game of Thrones" that Maisie Williams' childhood dream was to become a professional dancer. In this personal talk, she maps out the winding path that took her from dance lessons and local talent competitions to the world's most popular TV show. The lesson she learned ...

Have an idea you're yearning to turn into a business? Julissa Prado, founder and CEO of Rizos Curls, explains how she was inspired by the Latino and immigrant communities she grew up in -- and shares 3 principles that guide her in her work.

Great incubators of innovations are not limited to garages in Silicon Valley. Manov Subodh charts three principles for sparking entrepreneurial ventures and ideas in people around the world. From dreaming big to getting over the fear of failure, he offers case studies that guide us through the whole process.

What is genomics? How will it affect our lives? In this intriguing primer on the genomics revolution, entrepreneur Barry Schuler says we can at least expect healthier, tastier food. He suggests we start with the pinot noir grape, to build better wines.

As automation eliminates structured jobs and careers, schools should focus on training students to be bold, creative and entrepreneurial. Instead, argues education advocate Ted Dintersmith, the core purpose of education has been lost in a wave of testing, data and increasingly irrelevant metrics. In this talk, he underscores the need to educate...

We celebrate bold entrepreneurs whose ingenuity led them to success, but what happens to those who fail? Far too often, they bury their stories out of shame or humiliation -- and miss out on a valuable opportunity for growth, says author and entrepreneur Leticia Gasca. In this thoughtful talk, Gasca calls for business owners to open up about the...

Women aren't micro--so why do they only get micro-loans? Reporter Gayle Tzemach Lemmon argues that women running all types of firms-- from home businesses to major factories-- are the overlooked key to economic development.

If you had to walk a mile for a jug of water every day, as millions of people do, it's unlikely you'd use that precious water to bathe. Young entrepreneur Ludwick Marishane tells the amazing, funny story of how he invented a cheap, clean and convenient solution: DryBath, the world's first bath-substituting lotion.

In this short, provocative talk, financier Sangu Delle questions whether microfinance — small loans to small entrepreneurs -- is the best way to drive growth in developing countries. "We seem to be fixated on this romanticized idea that every poor person in Africa is an entrepreneur,” he says. "Yet, my work has taught me that most people want jo...

Drew Curtis, the founder of fark.com, tells the story of how he fought a lawsuit from a company that had a patent, "...for the creation and distribution of news releases via email." Along the way he shares some nutty statistics about the growing legal problem of frivolous patents.

¿Qué pasa con los negocios que fracasan? En esta charla práctica, la autora y emprendedora Leticia Gasca llama a todos los emprendedores a compartir sus historias de los proyectos que no funcionaron. Para mejorar el desarrollo de los negocios, propone que reemplacemos la moda de "fracasar rápido" por la nueva idea de "fracasar conscientemente".

Dubbed the millennial whisperer, 19-year-old author and CEO Jared Kleinert has spent thousands of hours studying the millennial mind. Kleinert explains why young people hold more power today than at any other time in history, and explores what sets this group apart.

In the next 15 years, the market for commercial space-travel is predicted to double from $300 to $600 billion. Karin Nilsdotter, CEO of the Swedish Spaceport, believes that the cosmos are the next big frontier in business. And while microgravity research, lunar real estate and space tourism may still sound like sci-fi, Nilsdotter argues that the...

Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership -- starting with a golden circle and the question: "Why?" His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Wright brothers ...

If you want to build a team of innovative problem-solvers, you should value the humanities just as much as the sciences, says entrepreneur Eric Berridge. He shares why tech companies should look beyond STEM graduates for new hires -- and how people with backgrounds in the arts and humanities can bring creativity and insight to technical workplaces.

Plastic is an incredible substance for the economy -- and the worst substance possible for the environment, says entrepreneur Andrew Forrest. In a conversation meant to spark debate, Forrest and head of TED Chris Anderson discuss an ambitious plan to get the world's biggest companies to fund an environmental revolution -- and transition industry...

Shaffi Mather explains why he left his first career to become a social entrepreneur, providing life-saving transportation with his company 1298 for Ambulance. Now, he has a new idea and plans to begin a company to fight the booming business of corruption in public service, eliminating it one bribe at a time.

Have you ever doubted your abilities, feared you were going to be discovered as a "fraud"? That's called "impostor syndrome," and you're definitely not alone in feeling it, says entrepreneur and CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes. In this funny, relatable talk, he shares how his own experiences of impostor syndrome helped pave the way to his success -- and...