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  • Talks 795
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91 - 120 of 1361 results

Jill Heinerth: The mysterious world of underwater caves

Cave diver Jill Heinerth explores the hidden underground waterways coursing through our planet. Working with biologists, climatologists and archaeologists, Heinerth unravels the mysteries of the life-forms that inhabit some of the earth's most remote places and helps researchers unlock the history of climate change. In this short talk, take a di...
https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_heinerth_the_mysterious_world_of_underwater_caves

Yasheng Huang: Does democracy stifle economic growth?

Economist Yasheng Huang compares China to India, and asks how China's authoritarian rule contributed to its astonishing economic growth -- leading to a big question: Is democracy actually holding India back? Huang's answer may surprise you.
https://www.ted.com/talks/yasheng_huang_does_democracy_stifle_economic_growth

Steven Johnson: The playful wonderland behind great inventions

Necessity is the mother of invention, right? Well, not always. Steven Johnson shows us how some of the most transformative ideas and technologies, like the computer, didn't emerge out of necessity at all but instead from the strange delight of play. Share this captivating, illustrated exploration of the history of invention. Turns out, you'll fi...
https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_johnson_the_playful_wonderland_behind_great_inventions

Dallas Taylor: What silence can teach you about sound

What can you hear in silence? In this exploration of sound, host of the podcast "Twenty Thousand Hertz" Dallas Taylor tells the story of arguably the most debated musical composition in recent history -- composer John Cage's iconic piece 4'33" -- and invites you to take notice of the soundscape around you. Watch to the end to experience a perfor...
https://www.ted.com/talks/dallas_taylor_what_silence_can_teach_you_about_sound

David Lang: Let's protect the oceans like national parks

You don't have to be a scientist to help protect the world's oceans, says underwater drone expert and TED Fellow David Lang -- in fact, ordinary citizens have pulled together to save the planet's natural treasures many times in history. Lang asks us to take a lesson from the story of the US National Parks Service, offering a three-point plan for...
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_lang_let_s_protect_the_oceans_like_national_parks

Kayla Wolf: The biggest mistakes in mapmaking history

For thousands of years, people made both functional maps and what are known as cosmographies, illustrating the earth and its position in the cosmos, often including constellations, gods, and mythic locations. These maps were meant to depict the world's geography, but weren't necessarily useful for navigation and contained some glaring mistakes. ...
https://www.ted.com/talks/kayla_wolf_the_biggest_mistakes_in_mapmaking_history

Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids

Child prodigy Adora Svitak says the world needs "childish" thinking: bold ideas, wild creativity and especially optimism. Kids' big dreams deserve high expectations, she says, starting with grownups' willingness to learn from children as much as to teach.
https://www.ted.com/talks/adora_svitak_what_adults_can_learn_from_kids

Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz: Your body was forged in the spectacular death of stars

We are all connected by the spectacular birth, death and rebirth of stars, says astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz. Journey through the cosmic history of the universe as Ramirez-Ruiz explains how supernovas forged the elements of life to create everything from the air you breathe to the very atoms that make you.
https://www.ted.com/talks/enrico_ramirez_ruiz_your_body_was_forged_in_the_spectacular_death_of_stars

Stephen Hawking: Questioning the universe

In keeping with the theme of TED2008, professor Stephen Hawking asks some Big Questions about our universe -- How did the universe begin? How did life begin? Are we alone? -- and discusses how we might go about answering them.
https://www.ted.com/talks/stephen_hawking_questioning_the_universe

Emily Parsons-Lord: Art made of the air we breathe

Emily Parsons-Lord re-creates air from distinct moments in Earth's history -- from the clean, fresh-tasting air of the Carboniferous period to the soda-water air of the Great Dying to the heavy, toxic air of the future we're creating. By turning air into art, she invites us to know the invisible world around us. Breathe in the Earth's past and f...
https://www.ted.com/talks/emily_parsons_lord_art_made_of_the_air_we_breathe

Michael Benton: Mass extinctions and the future of life on Earth

Rich scientific evidence comes from the history of life on Earth -- we just have to ask the right questions to find it. Whether it's figuring out the cause of the dodo bird's extinction or the bite force of a Tyrannosaurus rex, paleontologist Michael Benton shares some offbeat quandaries from the past, present and future.
https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_benton_mass_extinctions_and_the_future_of_life_on_earth

Katherine Mangu-Ward: What capitalism gets right -- and governments get wrong

Is capitalism a good thing? Journalist Katherine Mangu-Ward makes the case that "weirdos" left alone to innovate and explore far-out ideas in a free market system are our best hope for the future. She asks us to reconsider our qualms about capitalism, failure and corporate death, analyzing the recent history of General Motors and Facebook to ill...
https://www.ted.com/talks/katherine_mangu_ward_what_capitalism_gets_right_and_governments_get_wrong

Michael Anti: Behind the Great Firewall of China

Michael Anti (aka Jing Zhao) has been blogging from China for 12 years. Despite the control the central government has over the Internet -- "All the servers are in Beijing" -- he says that hundreds of millions of microbloggers are in fact creating the first national public sphere in the country's history, and shifting the balance of power in une...
https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_anti_behind_the_great_firewall_of_china

Ian Barnes: What archaeology and DNA can teach us about prehistoric migration

In 2018, biomolecular archaeologist Ian Barnes' team at the Natural History Museum in London ascertained that Cheddar Man—the oldest near-complete human skeleton discovered in the British Isles—had dark skin and light eyes. Their findings challenged the views that many groups had long held about Britain's racial heritage. In this talk, Barnes de...
https://www.ted.com/talks/ian_barnes_what_archaeology_and_dna_can_teach_us_about_prehistoric_migration

Gerard Ryle: How the Panama Papers journalists broke the biggest leak in history

Gerard Ryle led the international team that divulged the Panama Papers, the 11.5 million leaked documents from 40 years of activity of the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca that have offered an unprecedented glimpse into the scope and methods of the secretive world of offshore finance. Hear the story behind the biggest collaborative journalism...
https://www.ted.com/talks/gerard_ryle_how_the_panama_papers_journalists_broke_the_biggest_leak_in_history

Dean Kamen: To invent is to give

Inventor Dean Kamen lays out his argument for the Segway and offers a peek into his next big ideas (portable energy and water purification for developing countries).
https://www.ted.com/talks/dean_kamen_to_invent_is_to_give

Ken Jennings: Watson, Jeopardy and me, the obsolete know-it-all

Trivia whiz Ken Jennings has made a career as a keeper of facts; he holds the longest winning streak in history on the US quiz show Jeopardy. But in 2011, he played a challenge match against IBM's supercomputer Watson -- and lost. With humor and humility, Jennings tells us how it felt to have a computer literally beat him at his own game, and ma...
https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_jennings_watson_jeopardy_and_me_the_obsolete_know_it_all

Lilly Singh: "A seat at the table" isn't the solution for gender equity

Women and girls are conditioned to believe success is "a seat at the table." Creator, actress and author Lilly Singh thinks we need to build a better table. In this hilarious, incisive talk, Singh traces the arc of her career from up-and-coming YouTuber to history-making late-night talk show host, offering four ways to build a more inclusive soc...
https://www.ted.com/talks/lilly_singh_a_seat_at_the_table_isn_t_the_solution_for_gender_equity

Michael Green: How flags unite (and divide) us

Flags are one of the simplest yet most powerful pieces of design ever conceived. They can make us swell with pride, burn with hatred -- and even inspire people to die or kill in their name, says vexillologist Michael Green. Take a brief walk through history as Green explores the symbolic fervor behind flags that unify and divide, inviting us to ...
https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_green_how_flags_unite_and_divide_us

Dean R. Lomax: A giant Jurassic sea dragon, unearthed

Among the dinosaurs, giant sea dragons roamed the ancient ocean. Millions of years later, paleontologist Dean R. Lomax and his team freed the remains of one of these colossal creatures from the Earth. Settle in to learn about the once-in-a-lifetime discovery of the 10-meter-long Rutland ichthyosaur: the largest and most complete ichthyosaur ever...
https://www.ted.com/talks/dean_r_lomax_a_giant_jurassic_sea_dragon_unearthed

Cheyenne Cochrane: A celebration of natural hair

Cheyenne Cochrane explores the role that hair texture has played in the history of being black in America -- from the heat straightening products of the post-Civil War era to the thousands of women today who have decided to stop chasing a conventional beauty standard and start embracing their natural hair. "This is about more than a hairstyle," ...
https://www.ted.com/talks/cheyenne_cochrane_a_celebration_of_natural_hair

Katherine Fulton: You are the future of philanthropy

In this uplifting talk, Katherine Fulton sketches the new future of philanthropy -- one where collaboration and innovation allow regular people to do big things, even when money is scarce. Giving five practical examples of crowd-driven philanthropy, she calls for a new generation of citizen leaders.
https://www.ted.com/talks/katherine_fulton_you_are_the_future_of_philanthropy

Eduardo Paes: The 4 commandments of cities

Eduardo Paes is the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, a sprawling, complicated, beautiful city of 6.5 million. He shares four big ideas about leading Rio -- and all cities -- into the future, including bold (and do-able) infrastructure upgrades and how to make a city "smarter."
https://www.ted.com/talks/eduardo_paes_the_4_commandments_of_cities

Keith Lowe: Why we need to stop obsessing over World War II

Why are we so obsessed with World War II? Historian Keith Lowe thinks the answer lies in what we choose to remember and what we choose to forget about history. In his talk, Lowe describes the grey areas of an epochal event often considered in black and white terms, and argues that we need to challenge our assumptions to avoid repeating historica...
https://www.ted.com/talks/keith_lowe_why_we_need_to_stop_obsessing_over_world_war_ii

Yuval Noah Harari: The war in Ukraine could change everything

Concerned about the war Ukraine? You're not alone. Historian Yuval Noah Harari provides important context on the Russian invasion, including Ukraine's long history of resistance, the specter of nuclear war and his view of why, even if Putin wins all the military battles, he's already lost the war. (This conversation, hosted by TED global curator...
https://www.ted.com/talks/yuval_noah_harari_the_war_in_ukraine_could_change_everything

Daniel Engber: How the progress bar keeps you sane

The progress bar makes waiting more exciting... and mitigates our fear of death. Journalist Daniel Engber explores how it came into existence.
https://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_engber_how_the_progress_bar_keeps_you_sane

Richard Thompson Ford: A tailored history of who wears what -- and why

From puffy trousers to pantsuits and everything in between, law professor and author Richard Thompson Ford takes us on a fascinating tour through the history of fashion and the evolution of dress codes that still influence style today, tracing the real consequences people face for the way they dress. He offers an insightful and eye-opening expla...
https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_thompson_ford_a_tailored_history_of_who_wears_what_and_why

David Puttnam: Does the media have a "duty of care"?

In this thoughtful talk, David Puttnam asks a big question about the media: Does it have a moral imperative to create informed citizens, to support democracy? His solution for ensuring media responsibility is bold, and you might not agree. But it's certainly a question worth asking.
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_puttnam_does_the_media_have_a_duty_of_care

Gavin Schmidt: The emergent patterns of climate change

You can't understand climate change in pieces, says climate scientist Gavin Schmidt. It's the whole, or it's nothing. In this illuminating talk, he explains how he studies the big picture of climate change with mesmerizing models that illustrate the endlessly complex interactions of small-scale environmental events.
https://www.ted.com/talks/gavin_schmidt_the_emergent_patterns_of_climate_change

Sheperd Doeleman: Inside the black hole image that made history

At the center of a galaxy more than 55 million light-years away, there's a supermassive black hole with the mass of several billion suns. And now, for the first time ever, we can see it. Astrophysicist Sheperd Doeleman, head of the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration, speaks with TED's Chris Anderson about the iconic, first-ever image of a bla...
https://www.ted.com/talks/sheperd_doeleman_inside_the_black_hole_image_that_made_history
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