How does a computer work? The critical components of a computer are the peripherals (including the mouse), the input/output subsystem (which controls what and how much information comes in and out), and the central processing unit (the brains), as well as human-written programs and memory. Bettina Bair walks us through the steps your computer ta...

Human beings and computers alike share the challenge of how to get as much done as possible in a limited time. Over the last fifty or so years, computer scientists have learned a lot of good strategies for managing time effectively— and they have a lot of experience with what can go wrong. Brian Christian shares how we can use some of these insi...

The modern hard drive is an object that can likely hold more information than your local library. But how does it store so much information in such a small space? Kanawat Senanan details the generations of engineers, material scientists, and quantum physicists who influenced the creation of this incredibly powerful and precise tool. [Directed by...

With Coursera, Daphne Koller and co-founder Andrew Ng are bringing courses from top colleges online, free, for anyone who wants to take them.

Computer science began in the '30s ... the 1830s. John Graham-Cumming tells the story of Charles Babbage's mechanical, steam-powered "analytical engine" and how Ada Lovelace, mathematician and daughter of Lord Byron, saw beyond its simple computational abilities to imagine the future of computers.

Computer science professor Shimon Schocken is also an avid mountain biker. To share the life lessons he learned while riding, he began an outdoor program with Israel's juvenile inmates and was touched by both their intense difficulties and profound successes. Photographs by Raphael Rabinovitz.

At the online University of the People, anyone with a high school diploma can take classes toward a degree in business administration or computer science — without standard tuition fees (though exams cost money). Founder Shai Reshef hopes that higher education is changing "from being a privilege for the few to a basic right, affordable and acces...

Roger Antonsen combines science, mathematics and computer science with entertainment, philosophy and visualizations.

Watch science in action in this original TED series about cutting-edge neuroscience experiments on a shoestring budget.

What if tiny microparticles could help us solve the world's biggest problems in a matter of minutes? That's the promise -- and magic -- of quantum computers, says Matt Langione. Speaking next to an actual IBM quantum computer, he explains how these machines solve complex challenges like developing vaccines and calculating financial risk in an en...

Shimon Schocken is a computer science professor and dedicated educator.

This is episode 6 of our animated series "Think Like A Coder." This 10-episode narrative follows a girl, Ethic, and her robot companion, Hedge, as they attempt to save the world. The two embark on a quest to collect three artifacts and must solve their way through a series of programming puzzles. [Directed by Kozmonot Animation Studio, narrated ...

Historian George Dyson tells stories from the birth of the modern computer -- from its 17th-century origins to the hilarious notebooks of some early computer engineers.

Tanya Berger-Wolf is among the founders of the field of computational ecology, leading research at the unique intersection of computer science, wildlife biology and social sciences.

As the director of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at the University of Maryland, Jennifer Golbeck studies how people use social media -- and thinks about ways to improve their interactions.

Researcher Kwabena Boahen is looking for ways to mimic the brain's supercomputing powers in silicon -- because the messy, redundant processes inside our heads actually make for a small, light, superfast computer.

A theoretical physicist by training, IBM's Simone Bianco believes that the 21st century will be the century when the synergy between AI and biology will be fully realized.

Tom Griffiths uses ideas from computer science to understand how human minds work.

Ian Ritchie

At Pixar, Danielle Feinberg delights in bending the rules of light to her every whim.

Computer scientist Michael Rubinstein and his team have developed a "motion microscope" that can show video footage of barely perceivable movements, like breaths and heartbeats.

David Baker designs new biomolecules (proteins) from first principles to address 21st-century challenges in health and technology.

TED Fellow Nithya Ramanathan develops tools to keep vaccines safe.

Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. He leads the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), overseeing the Web's standards and development.

Scott Rickard is passionate about mathematics, music -- and educating the next generation of scientists and mathematicians.

Katherine Kuchenbecker works on incorporating the sense of touch directly into virtual objects. Imagine being able to feel textures on your digital screens.

Witness technology’s transformation over the past decade, and the astounding ways we’ll interact with reality in the future.

Stephen Wolfram is the creator of Mathematica and Wolfram|Alpha, the author of A New Kind of Science, and the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research.

A research scientist at Intel, Jennifer Healey develops the mobile internet devices of the future.

Daniel Levitin incorporates findings from neuroscience into everyday life.