For intersex people -- those born with sex characteristics outside the traditional definitions of female and male -- the stakes to appear "normal" are high. Drawing on her personal experience, Susannah Temko reveals the shame, prejudice and harm faced by the intersex community, as they're forced to conform to a binary understanding of sex that u...

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon joined TEDSummit in Edinburgh to deliver a visionary talk about making collective well-being the main aim of public policy and the economy. Watch the full talk at go.ted.com/nicolasturgeon. It was a charged week in UK politics; that same morning, Boris Johnson assumed office as Prime Minister of the Uni...

More than half of the world's population already lives in cities, and another 2.5 billion people are projected to move to urban areas by 2050. The way we build new cities will be at the heart of so much that matters, from climate change to economic vitality to our very well-being and sense of connectedness. Peter Calthorpe is already at work pla...

These TED speakers gained remarkable knowledge by closely studying animal behavior. What do their insights mean for you?

Keith Payne studies how inequality shapes the human mind.

Which TED Talks were watched most in 2019? These talks reflect a year defined by fighting for what's right, believing in the good despite all the bad, supporting others and yourself -- and hoping for the best in the decade to come.

A new technology aspires to harness the powerful human sense of smell to enhance our daily lives.  Someday this approach might even be used to benefit our health. How is this possible? Step one: Just inhale. We’re living in a playlist world, with many of us curating soundtracks to get us through life’s daily ups and downs, such as a tough commu...

Elise Roy thinks that designers have the capacity and responsibility to address and resolve human problems on micro and macro scales and contribute to social well-being.

B. N. Horowitz, MD is a cardiologist and visiting professor at Harvard University's department of human evolutionary biology who turns to the natural world for insights into human well being.

Jaap de Roode studies the ecology and evolution of parasites, focusing on those that attack the monarch butterfly.

Jamie Drummond co-founded the advocacy organization ONE, whose central themes are ending extreme poverty and fighting the AIDS pandemic.

Laura Carstensen is the director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, and has extensively studied the effects on wellbeing of extended lifetimes.

Yvonne van Amerongen is an occupational therapist and a social worker.

As co-founder and CEO of MASS Design Group, Michael Murphy envisions and creates community-centric structures with healing built into their core.

Murray Gell-Mann brings visibility to a crucial aspect of our existence that we can't actually see: elemental particles. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics for introducing quarks, one of two fundamental ingredients for all matter in the universe.

Jill Farrant is leading the development of drought-tolerant crops to nourish populations in arid climates.

A legendary oil and gas entrepreneur, T. Boone Pickens is now on a mission to enhance U.S. energy policies to lessen the nation’s dependence on OPEC oil.

Nancy Etcoff is part of a new vanguard of cognitive researchers asking: What makes us happy? Why do we like beautiful things? And how on earth did we evolve that way?

Carl June is a renowned pioneer in the fight against cancer.

Thomas Curran studies the personality characteristic of perfectionism, how it develops and its impact on mental health.

Thomas Heatherwick is the founder of Heatherwick Studio, an architecture and design firm that, among other projects, designed the astonishing "Seed Cathedral" for the UK Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010.

Jessica Green wants people to understand the important role microbes play in every facet of our lives: climate change, building ecosystems, human health, even roller derby -- using nontraditional tools like art, animation and film to help people visualize the invisible world.

Anna Piperal is a branding expert and digital enthusiast who strives to spread the idea of a "zero-bureaucracy" government ecosystem.

Elizabeth Howell is working to address maternal mortality in the United States.

Baba Shiv studies how “liking” and “wanting” shape the choices we make, and what that means in the world of marketing.

Drawing on a rich cultural and personal history, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò studies philosophy of law, social and political philosophy, Marxism, and African and Africana philosophy.

Chad Frischmann is working to get humanity to "drawdown," the point in time when the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases begins to decline on a year-to-year basis.

Wendy De La Rosa uses behavioral science to help people make better financial decisions.

A practicing surgeon for three decades, Sherwin Nuland witnessed life and death in every variety. Then he turned to writing, exploring what there is to people beyond just anatomy.

Stuart Brown's research shows play is not just joyful and energizing -- it's deeply involved with human development and intelligence. Through the National Institute for Play, he's working to better understand its significance.