(NOTE: Statements in this talk have been challenged by scientists working in this field. Please read "Criticisms & Updates" below for more details.) "Desertification is a fancy word for land that is turning to desert," begins Allan Savory in this quietly powerful talk. And it's happening to about two-thirds of the world's grasslands, acceler...

Allan Savory works to promote holistic management in the grasslands of the world.

Ryan Coogler, director of "Creed" and "Fruitvale Station," picks his 6 favorite talks.

12 counterintuitive talks to flip your thinking on everything from shoes to aid organizations to the universe.

The growing desert Allan Savory has dedicated his life to studying management of grasslands. And if that doesn't sound exciting, just wait, because it touches on the deepest roots of climate change and the future of the planet. "The most massive, tsunami, perfect storm is bearing down on us," is the grim beginning to Savory's talk. Thi...

About this event: This is a simulcast of TED2013's Session 7, entitled "Sustain!" Open to 100 members of the UConn community. The Session 7 speakers will be: Leyla Acaroglu, Sustainability strategist Ron Finley, Renegade gardener Wang Li, Mouth musician Miranda Wang and Jeanny Yao, Science fair winners Alex Laskey, Energy software maker Pedrito Mar...

TED playlists are collections of talks around a topic, built for you in a thoughtful sequence to illuminate ideas in context. This weekend, a new playlist is available: Everything you thought ... was wrong. You think you know how to tie your shoes, but you're wrong. You think you understand how non-profits should work, but you're wrong. Y...

All over the world, land is turning into desert at an alarming rate. Biologist Allan Savory has dedicated a lifetime to figuring out what’s causing this “desertification.” Finally, after decades of work in the field, Savory discovered a radical solution—one that went against everything scientists had always thought. He used huge herds of liv...

Allan Savory isn’t afraid to own up to the “greatest blunder” of his life. In his incredible talk from TED2013, Savory shares his life’s work managing grasslands in Africa, weaving a gripping tale out of what seems like an unlikely topic.  In the 1950s, Savory helped create large national parks in Africa. But as people left this land to make way...

Allan Savory has spent decades studying the devastating effects of "desertification": healthy land degrading into deserts all around the world and accelerating climate change in the process. On the TED2013 stage, Savory offered a fascinating idea for reclaiming degraded land -- using livestock to mimic the behavior of herds that used to roam ...

As humans, we fail to think of ourselves as incorporated into the animal kingdom, But with these eight talks, you might see how we factor into the food chain. From extinct species, to warding off growing ones, these speakers from the 14-city TED Talent Search have seen it all, so listen to their stories of majesty and survival. Andrea Mar...

It's no longer possible to ignore the effect humans have -- on the environment, on each other and on the Internet. In that spirit, this session brings together people with big ideas on responsible design, creation, consumption and eating. From a renegade gardener to energy software maker, this session takes into mind that it's not easy being gre...

At TED2013 this spring, 34 passionate speakers made it onto the program via a worldwide, 14-city, six-continent Talent Search. The theme of the conference was “The Young. The Wise. The Undiscovered,” and the speakers discovered through the Talent Search Tour gave talks that sent the conference crowd flying to their feet. See: Rose George, Ph...

By Olivia Cucinotta and Emily McManus Here, a look at just a few members of the TED community making headlines this week. Rob Knight’s American Gut project released its latest results this week, with data from the microbiomes (i.e., the microbial world inside each human body) of 3,238 participants so far. Some interesting facts they’ve c...

Today, we are absolutely ecstatic to announce the speaker program for TED2013, themed “The Young. The Wise. The Undiscovered.” With speakers ranging from a deep-sea explorer to a beatboxer, economists to a roboticist, from a photo journalists to an eco-designer to a yo-yo master, many of this year’s speakers have spent decades building their...

The theme of TED2013 is “The Young. The Wise. The Undiscovered.” So how did we find those undiscovered speakers with incredible stories to share? From April to June 2012, TED held a worldwide talent search. Working with TEDx organizers in 14 cities across the globe -- Amsterdam, Bangalore, Doha, Johannesburg, London, Nairobi, New York, Sã...

Counting the days until TED2013 starts on February 25? In the meantime, curl up with a book by one of the talented, scholarly, funny and wise speakers who will grace the stage in Long Beach, California. These books are organized below by session. And make sure to tune in to the TED Blog starting on the 25th for exclusive -- and extensive -- live...

TED2014 will bring together more than 70 speakers with fresh thinking on topics as diverse as leadership, genetics and the magic of fireflies. But this is our 30th anniversary conference, and it’s also time to look back at some of the incredible ideas surfaced in the past. At TED2014, we will hold five All-Stars sessions that bring 50+ favorite ...

By Liz Jacobs and Ben Lillie Taking stock of our moment in history helps us better understand ourselves, our societies and the present moment itself  -- which often gets lost in the temptation to look backwards or forwards. And at TED2014: The Next Chapter we're doing plenty of both. But we're also designating this All-Stars session to th...

TED Conversations is a unique space where any member of this community can get feedback on an idea, pose an interesting question, or start a fascinating debate with fellow TEDizens from around the globe. This week, dozens of new conversations were started — from “What are the ethics of spending money?” to "Are we on the brink of creating a h...

Countdown is a global initiative, powered by TED and Future Stewards, to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis. The goal: to build a better future by cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 towards reaching net zero by 2050. It was launched October 10, 2020 with the Countdown Global Launch, a virtual event featuring five curated se...

Arcane books of forbidden lore, disturbing secrets in the family bloodline, and terrors so unspeakable the very thought of them might drive you mad. These have become standard elements in modern horror stories. But they were largely popularized by a single author: H.P. Lovecraft, whose name has become synonymous with the terror he inspired. Silv...

Sydni and Alana share strategies on how to spot fake news and how to push back against this phenomenon.