Check out the concepts and projects from science, design and technology that will engage and inspire us in 2017. In science: Once-taboo drugs get respectable Magic mushrooms may help ease the fear of death in cancer patients; MDMA (also known as ecstasy) is being investigated to treat post-traumatic stress disorder; and ketamine, a horse tra...

Tough times are inevitable. Wellbeing and resilience expert Lucy Hone shares the three straightforward tactics that she used to get through her darkest days. This post is part of TED’s “How to Be a Better Human” series, each of which contains a piece of helpful advice from people in the TED community; browse through all the posts here. I'd l...

About this event: On July 13, 2011 up to 150 TED-fans are invited to attend TEDxTheHagueLIVE at Igluu Den Haag. TEDxTheHagueLIVE offers its guests a varied program from 08:30 - 21:00, combining both live performers and an exclusive simulcast from TEDGlobal 2011 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Among the live performers will be critically acclaimed opera singer Eva-Maria W...

About this event: The “eat local” movement is thriving across Northeast Florida. From local farms and food producers to farmers’ markets and farm-to-table restaurants, Jacksonville offers a vibrant locavore culture to consumers concerned about the origins, nutrition and sustainability of their food. TEDxFSCJ will host a salon exploring our community’s local foo...

About this event: In the spirit of "ideas worth spreading," TED has created TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxConstitutionDrive, where x = independently organized TED event. At TEDxConstitutionDrive, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep ...

Australian researcher Mark Cook is testing an experimental tool that could take the fear out of epilepsy -- both for patients and for the rest of the world. Imagine never knowing when and where you might black out. Maybe it could happen when you’re on the stairs or a busy street, or while traveling, working out, bathing. For people with epileps...

Google, Facebook, Amazon and others make their profits in two main ways: by collecting as much data as possible from us and by controlling what we pay for, says online security expert Bruce Schneier. And what does this all depend on? A vulnerable internet. Flaws in technology are not the only reason we have such an insecure internet. Another im...

Did you know that meerkats stay close to home, even as adults, so they can inherit territory when Mom dies? Or that North American red squirrel mothers gift real estate to their kids (complete with stockpiles of food)? Evolutionary biologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and writer Kathryn Bowers make the case for why parents -- animals and humans ...

Photojournalist Anastasia Taylor-Lind went to Bangladesh to help document the Rohingya refugees fleeing violence and persecution in Burma. Here’s what she saw. In eastern Bangladesh, where there once were verdant green slopes covered with trees, there is now bleeding red earth. “As far as you can see, the rolling hills have been deforested,” sa...

In 1972, Matthieu Ricard had a promising career in biochemistry, trying to figure out the secrets of E. coli bacteria. A chance encounter with Buddhism led to an about turn, and Ricard has spent the past 40+ years living in the Himalayas, studying mindfulness and happiness. In this free-wheeling discussion at TED Global in October 2014, Ricard t...

Social Entrepreneur

“It’s easy to think that corruption happens somewhere over there, carried out by a bunch of greedy despots,” says anti-corruption activist Charmian Gooch in her blistering talk from TEDGlobal 2013. “The reality is that the engine of corruption exists far beyond the shores of countries like Equatorial Guinea or Nigeria or Turkmenistan. This e...

We know that our world -- our data, our lives, our countries -- are becoming more and more connected. But what should we do with that? In two sessions of TED@IBM, the answer shaped up to be: Dream as big as you can. Speakers took the stage to pitch their ideas for using connected data and new forms of machine intelligence to make material ch...

Artist Zena el Khalil doesn't have the family home she remembers from childhood. Her mother's house in Lebanon was destroyed in a U.S. bomb attack in 1983, while her father's house was occupied by the Israeli army for 22 years, until its withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. "Every home my grandfathers built was destroyed, bombed or occupied," sa...

How did human emotions evolve to help us survive? For the last decade, cultural anthropologist Chelsea Shields Strayer has studied the indigenous healing practices of the Ashante people of Ghana, discovering that emotional pain serves useful purposes -- including the relief of physical pain. In this conversation with the TED Blog, she tells th...

Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter Wednesday, June 25, 2021 Sara Nics: I'm looking at my bedside table. And I have 1, 2, I have three eye masks. I have some melatonin. I have some Zolpidem in case of emergencies. I have a bag full of earplugs. I fear to not be a great sleeper. [00:00:10] Dr. Jen Gunter: This is our editor, Sara. Sara Nics: Latel...

Cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman is trying to answer a big question: Do we experience the world as it really is ... or as we need it to be? In this ever so slightly mind-blowing talk, he ponders how our minds construct reality for us.

Businesses need to stop cutting labor costs and start investing in people, says social impact investor Warren Valdmanis. In this perspective-shifting talk, he breaks down the essential ingredients of a "good" job -- which is more than just the size of a paycheck -- and shares why they're key to building great companies.

People have been grappling with the question of artificial creativity -- alongside the question of artificial intelligence -- for over 170 years. For instance, could we program machines to create high quality original music? And if we do, is it the machine or the programmer that exhibits creativity? Gil Weinberg investigates this creative conund...

How much do you know about intellectual disabilities? Special Olympics champion and ambassador Matthew Williams is proof that athletic competition and the camaraderie it fosters can transform lives, both on and off the field. Together with his fellow athletes, he invites you to join him at the next meet -- and challenges you to walk away with yo...

Anjan Chatterjee uses tools from evolutionary psychology and cognitive neuroscience to study one of nature's most captivating concepts: beauty. Learn more about the science behind why certain configurations of line, color and form excite us in this fascinating, deep look inside your brain.

About this event: A day dedicated to spotlighting our young "creative class" thought leaders and vital youth programs in our vibrant city and its greater metropolitan area. We celebrate an unprecedented network of education resources, spearheaded by the Nashville Engagement Network collaboration between Tennessee State University and Montgomery Bell Academy. TEDx...

The constant thud underneath your feet. The constrained space. The monotony of going nowhere fast. Running on a treadmill can certainly feel like torture, but did you know it was originally used for that very purpose? Conor Heffernan details the dark and twisted history of the treadmill. [Directed by Yukai Du, narrated by Addison Anderson, music...

About this event: 1. Miryam Z. Wahrman, Ph.D. BIO: MIRYAM Z. WAHRMAN is Professor of Biology at William Paterson University of New Jersey, where she directs a research laboratory in microbiology, studying bacteria on environmental surfaces. An expert in Bioethics, Professor Wahrman has developed and teaches graduate courses in Bioethics and Research Methods, an...

You're lifting weights. The first time feels easy, but each lift takes more and more effort until you can't continue. Inside your arms, the muscles responsible for the lifting have become unable to contract. What's going on? Christian Moro explains how exactly our muscles operate, and what causes them to become fatigued. [Directed by Nichola Lat...

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.

How does evolution really work? Actually, not how some of our common evolutionary metaphors would have us believe. For instance, it's species, not individual organisms, that adapt to produce evolution, and genes don't "want" to be passed on -- a gene can't want anything at all! Alex Gendler sets the record straight on the finer points of evoluti...

The 40 or so muscles in the human face can be activated in different combinations to create thousands of expressions. But do these expressions look the same and communicate the same meaning around the world regardless of culture? Is one person's smile another's grimace? Sophie Zadeh investigates. [TED-Ed Animation by Estúdio Bacuri]

What convinced British citizens to send in their taxes on time? And what resulted in San Diego residents reducing their energy consumption? Learning that their neighbors were doing it. Behavioral psychologist Wendy De La Rosa shares the surprising power of our peers and how we can use it to improve our financial habits.

There are many different approaches to modern yoga— though most forms have three core elements: physical postures, breathing exercises, and spiritual contemplation.This blend of physical and mental exercise is widely believed to have a unique set of health advantages. But is yoga actually beneficial to your health? Krishna Sudhir examines how th...