Can we use our brains to directly control machines? Miguel Nicolelis suggests yes, showing how a clever monkey in the US learned to control a robot arm in Japan purely with its thoughts. The research has big implications for quadraplegic people -- and in fact, it powered the exoskeleton that kicked off the 2014 World Cup.

When will the coronavirus vaccine be ready? Epidemiologist Seth Berkley (head of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance) takes us inside the effort to create a vaccine for COVID-19. With clarity and urgency, he explains what makes it so challenging to develop, when we can expect it to be rolled out at scale and why we'll need global collaboration to get it ...

It was one of the original six talks posted on TED.com and it has, over the years, become our most-watched video with 13.5 million views. Sir Ken Robinson’s talk from TED2006, “Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity,” is truly a juggernaut. But the real genius is Matt. He has so much creative intelligence, that we're going to do some s...

Blue whale researcher and TED Senior Fellow Asha de Vos unveiled her TED-Ed lesson today on the TED Fellows stage. The video -- "Why are blue whales so enormous?" -- stars a puppet version of de Vos, which she had been coveting for weeks. So Fellows & Community Director Tom Rielly presented her with it, hand-carried from London by TED Senior...

By Patricia Harrison When I attended the taping of TED Talks Education last month at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, I knew I was witnessing an innovative collaboration with the potential to make a difference in the lives of many young people. This milestone collaboration between TED, WNET, PBS, and the CPB American Graduate “Let’s Make it Ha...

By Courtney E. Martin What do sperm donation, marathon runners, disabled rockstars, and yacht racing have in common? They’ve all been subjects of the careful eye and artistic vision of British director Jerry Rothwell, the winner of the first annual Sundance Institute | TED Prize Filmmaker Award, who has received $125,000 to spend the next ...

(TED is on its annual two-week vacation. During the break, we’re posting playlists from the TEDTalks archive. We’ll be back with new talks on August 29th.) To propel us into the week: four speakers whose infectious high energy animates what they have to say. 1) Clifford Stoll captivates his audience with a wildly energetic sprinkling of an...

“I make paper interactive,” says Kate Stone in today’s talk, given at TED2013. Because this description of her work “really confuses most people,” the best way to understand it is to see it in action. So in this talk, Stone demonstrates some of her very cool creations -- like a poster that can pick the perfect slice of cake for you, a new...

Each week, TEDx chooses four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the TEDx community, and its diverse constellation of ideas worth spreading. Below, give this week’s talks a listen. The roots of good and evil: Simon Baron Cohen at TEDxHousesofParliament How is it that otherwise intelligent peopl...

If you could sit down and interview your mom, what would you ask her? Would you ask about your childhood? Her childhood? Would you re-tell old funny stories? Try to dig up some of her secrets? As an adult, the idea of interviewing your mom can seem pretty scary. Kids, on the other hand, are fearless interviewers, especially when Mom is the in...

There's an energy revolution happening in villages and towns across Africa -- off-grid solar energy is becoming a viable alternative to traditional electricity systems. In a bold talk about a true leapfrog moment, Amar Inamdar introduces us to proud owners of off-grid solar kits -- and explains how this technology has the opportunity to meet two...

Teenagers love to text—their thumbs pound out an average of 3,339 texts per month. Crisis Text Line turns this into a way to help teens through their hardest times: family issues, stress or suicidal thoughts. Trained counselors text back and forth with advice and resources—and, in the process, collect (anonymous) data that could lead to bett...

The other day, I got rejected. It wasn’t over love, but nevertheless it stung: a middle school declined my offer to speak to their kids about my latest book, The Gutsy Girl: Escapades for Your Life of Epic Adventure, because it would exclude boys. At first I shrugged, said I understood and went on to other things. But the more I thought about...

TEDxYouthDay is a series of TEDx events happening all around the world on November 20 -- Universal Children's Day. The events are designed to empower and inspire youth and kids. 

TEDx organizers across the globe will host events for (and by) young people. These events will vary widely in size, format and theme, but they will share a comm...

How exactly does gender work? It's not just about our chromosomes, says biologist Karissa Sanbonmatsu. In a visionary talk, she shares new discoveries from epigenetics, the emerging study of how DNA activity can permanently change based on social factors like trauma or diet. Learn how life experiences shape the way genes are expressed -- and wha...

He is a part of you. Whether you are close or not, whether he was a constant part of your life or not, he impacted who you are today. You love him – except maybe when you can’t stand him. For better or worse, he is your dad. Celebrate this Father’s Day with these nine TED Talks about the importance of dads. From what Steve Addis did to maintai...

The way we behave politically, socially, economically and ecologically isn't working, says community organizer and activist Tai Simpson. Sharing the creation myth of her Nez Perce tribe, she advocates for a return to the "old ways" guided by Indigenous wisdom that emphasize balance, community and the importance of intergenerational storytelling ...

Here, your weekly recap of TED-related news: Science writer John Bohannon (watch his TED talk) runs the annual Dance Your Ph.D. contest. This year’s winners must be seen to be believed. In the video above: a dance that explains sperm cell competition in chickens. Bloomberg BusinessWeek has a brilliant, troubling cover story on the drowning...

It’s one thing to dream of what’s possible. But to dedicate your skills, time and talent toward making it a reality? That could make you one of Toyota’s “Dreamers.” At TED2016, Toyota chose three speakers who, through their expertise and innovative problem-solving, are creating positive social change. Each dreamer gets a $10,000 grant, and i...

About this event: TEDxPearlRiver is independently organised by a group of Hong Kong-based visionaries and will be a sponsored event, not-for-profit, free of charge, and by invitation only. TEDxPearlRiver is committed to Ideas Worth Spreading, bringing together Hong Kong and Pearl River Delta movers and shakers, who use both many use both sides of their brains ...

Francesca Fedeli had a hard pregnancy. But she and her husband, Roberto D’Angelo, thought they were in the clear when their son, Mario, was born in January 2011 and seemed healthy. However, just 10 days later, Mario was diagnosed as having had a perinatal stroke. The right side of his brain was damaged, leaving him unable to move the left si...

Most of us have been in its grip before -- the alarm goes off, our mind starts whirring away, and before we know it, we've done a freefall into worry. Neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett has been there, too, and she tells us how we can stop the spiral. This post is part of TED’s “How to Be a Better Human” series, each of which contains a piec...

With Rosh Hashanah fast approaching, Sara Beth Berman of the Davis Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, wanted to create a lesson for the school’s middle school students around the ideas of empathy and forgiveness. “In the month preceding the Jewish New Year, we talk a lot about how to forgive, how to accept forgiveness, and how do you want to be...

Bill Nye the Science Guy (watch his TED-Ed lesson) will be joining the cast of “Dancing with the Stars.” New York Magazine says of Nye’s inclusion in the lineup -- alongside Snooki, Valerie Harper and Jack Osbourne — that he is “the big get.” How long do we think it will be before he and his partner dance to “She Blinded Me With Science?” ...

We all have a story to tell. And in my work as curator of the TEDWomen conference, I've had the pleasure of providing a platform to some of the best stories and storytellers out there. Beyond their TED Talk, of course, many TEDWomen speakers are also accomplished authors -- and if you liked them on the TED stage, odds are you will enjoy spending...

In February 2006, author and educator Sir Ken Robinson stepped on to the TED stage and posed a provocative question: "Do schools kill creativity?” What followed was a masterclass in public speaking -- 19 minutes that sparkled with wit, deep thinking and a fearless confidence in human potential. Since then, Sir Ken's talk has taken on a life ...

“TEDGlobal Para Todos” means “TEDGlobal For Everyone.” And when the TEDGlobal 2014 conference kicks off at the Copacabana Palace Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Monday, October 6, people all over the city will be able to catch the amazing lineup of speakers in livestreams all across town. More than 40 venues in Rio will stream the con...

Photographer Eman Mohammed captures the daily lives of incarcerated women and their children at one of the United States’ rare residential parenting programs. Eman Mohammed was just 19 when she began covering her native Gaza for a Bethlehem-based news agency. She spent more than a dozen years navigating violence and gunfire -- and sexism and ha...

The Opening Ceremony for the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi takes place today, which means that -- over the next few weeks -- we'll all be watching a steady diet of hockey, skiing and figure skating. To get you in the Olympic spirit, watch these powerful TED and TEDx Talks from Olympians and Paralympians. We dare you not to cry. Janin...

Jeffrey Brown is a Baptist minister. And yet, he says, “I learned some of my most important life lessons from drug dealers and gang members and prostitutes and had some of my most profound theological conversations on a street corner.” Brown was one of the co-founders of the Boston Ten Point Coalition, a faith-based group that was an inte...