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  • All
  • Talks 112
  • People 27
  • Playlists 8
  • Blog posts 66
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1 - 30 of 217 results

Playlist: Insects are awesome! (11 talks)

Bugs are one of nature's wonders. These insect-obsessed speakers talks about how ants form societies, how bees pollinate flowers, and how termites can be quite ... tasty.
Curated by TED · 11 talks
http://www.ted.com/playlists/insects_are_awesome

Marcel Dicke | TED Speaker

Marcel Dicke wants us to reconsider our relationship with insects, promoting bugs as a tasty -- and ecologically sound -- alternative to meat in an increasingly hungry world.
Ecological entomologist
https://www.ted.com/speakers/marcel_dicke

Marcel Dicke: Why not eat insects?

Marcel Dicke makes an appetizing case for adding insects to everyone's diet. His message to squeamish chefs and foodies: delicacies like locusts and caterpillars compete with meat in flavor, nutrition and eco-friendliness.
https://www.ted.com/talks/marcel_dicke_why_not_eat_insects

Jonathan Drori: The beautiful tricks of flowers

In this visually dazzling talk, Jonathan Drori shows the extraordinary ways flowering plants -- over a quarter million species -- have evolved to attract insects to spread their pollen: growing 'landing-strips' to guide the insects in, shining in ultraviolet, building elaborate traps, and even mimicking other insects in heat.
https://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_drori_the_beautiful_tricks_of_flowers

Marlene Zuk: What we learn from insects' sex lives

In this enlightening, funny talk, Marlene Zuk shares just some of the ways that insects are truly astonishing -- and not least for the creative ways they have sex.
https://www.ted.com/talks/marlene_zuk_what_we_learn_from_insects_kinky_sex_lives

Levon Biss | TED Speaker

With his "Microsculpture" series, Levon Biss photographs the incredible details of insects.
Photographer
https://www.ted.com/speakers/levon_biss

Anika Hazra: A simple way to tell insects apart

There are nearly a million known insect species in the world, but most have one of just five common types of mouthparts. Why is this information useful to scientists? Anika Hazra explains how the features of an insect's mouthparts can help identify which order it belongs to, while also providing clues about how it evolved and what it feeds on.
https://www.ted.com/talks/anika_hazra_a_simple_way_to_tell_insects_apart

Levon Biss: Mind-blowing, magnified portraits of insects

Photographer Levon Biss was looking for a new, extraordinary subject when one afternoon he and his young son popped a ground beetle under a microscope and discovered the wondrous world of insects. Applying his knowledge of photography to subjects just five millimeters long, Biss created a process for shooting insects in unbelievable microscopic ...
https://www.ted.com/talks/levon_biss_mind_blowing_magnified_portraits_of_insects

Marcus Byrne | TED Speaker

Marcus Byrne is fascinated by the way insects, particularly the intrepid dung beetle, have hardwired solutions to the challenges posed by their environments. Could they help humans solve problems?
Entomologist
https://www.ted.com/speakers/marcus_byrne

Marlene Zuk | TED Speaker

Marlene Zuk studies insect behavior -- and how humans use animal behavior to think about how we behave ourselves.
Evolutionary biologist
https://www.ted.com/speakers/marlene_zuk

Anne Gaskett: The sexual deception of orchids

Nearly 28,000 species of orchid grow all around the world, bearing every imaginable color, shape and pattern. There's a cunning purpose behind these elaborate displays: many orchids trick insects into pollinating, sometimes even into having sex with them. How do they deploy these deceptive tactics? Anne Gaskett dives into the surprisingly comple...
https://www.ted.com/talks/anne_gaskett_the_sexual_deception_of_orchids

Sara Lewis | TED Speaker

Evolutionary ecologist Sara Lewis digs deep into firefly mating rituals to uncover a world of secret languages and strange gifts in these silent sparks.
Firefly specialist
https://www.ted.com/speakers/sara_lewis

Michael Dickinson | TED Speaker

Most people are irritated by the buzzing of a fly's wings. But biologist Michael Dickinson views the sound with a deep sense of wonder.
Biologist
https://www.ted.com/speakers/michael_dickinson

Marla Spivak | TED Speaker

Marla Spivak researches bees’ behavior and biology in an effort to preserve this threatened, but ecologically essential, insect.
Bees scholar
https://www.ted.com/speakers/marla_spivak

Shimon Steinberg | TED Speaker

Shimon Steinberg's biotech lab researches ways to harness the natural benefits of insects on a massive scale.
Entomologist
https://www.ted.com/speakers/shimon_steinberg

Deborah Gordon: What ants teach us about the brain, cancer and the Internet

Ecologist Deborah Gordon studies ants wherever she can find them -- in the desert, in the tropics, in her kitchen ... In this fascinating talk, she explains her obsession with insects most of us would happily swat away without a second thought. She argues that ant life provides a useful model for learning about many other topics, including disea...
https://www.ted.com/talks/deborah_gordon_what_ants_teach_us_about_the_brain_cancer_and_the_internet

Greg Gage: How a dragonfly's brain is designed to kill

Dragonflies can catch prey with near perfect accuracy, the best among all predators. But how does something with so few neurons achieve such prowess? Our intrepid neuroscientists explore how a dragonfly unerringly locks onto its preys and captures it within milliseconds using just sensors and a fake fly.
https://www.ted.com/talks/diy_neuroscience_the_terrifying_accuracy_of_dragonfly_strikes

Playlist: The world of tiny things (12 talks)

Zoom in -- way, way in -- to look at the world from speck's-eye view. Learn about very tiny insects, the world at the nanoscale, and sculptures so small it's best to hold your breath while viewing.
Curated by TED · 12 talks
http://www.ted.com/playlists/the_world_of_tiny_things

Greg Gage: How you can make a fruit fly eat veggies

Can the mind be manipulated to love a food we loathe? The evidence from fruit flies is compelling, and perhaps surprising. Our tag team of neuroscientists attempts to change a fly's preference for fruit over vegetables simply by shining a light on their brain.
https://www.ted.com/talks/diy_neuroscience_how_you_can_make_a_fruit_fly_eat_veggies

Jaap de Roode | TED Speaker

Jaap de Roode studies the ecology and evolution of parasites, focusing on those that attack the monarch butterfly.
Biologist
https://www.ted.com/speakers/jaap_de_roode

Fredros Okumu: Why I study the most dangerous animal on earth -- mosquitoes

What do we really know about mosquitoes? Fredros Okumu catches and studies these disease-carrying insects for a living -- with the hope of crashing their populations. Join Okumu for a tour of the frontlines of mosquito research, as he details some of the unconventional methods his team at the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania have developed t...
https://www.ted.com/talks/fredros_okumu_how_i_study_the_most_dangerous_animal_on_earth_the_mosquito

Playlist: GROSS! (9 talks)

Poop, parasites, dead duck sex, eating bugs, and many more impolite -- but fascinating -- topics. These talks are for the non-squeamish.
Curated by TED · 9 talks
http://www.ted.com/playlists/gross

Ed Yong | TED Speaker

Ed Yong blogs with a mission: to ignite excitement for science in everyone, regardless of their education or background.
Science writer
https://www.ted.com/speakers/ed_yong

David Anderson | TED Speaker

Through his lab at the California Institute of Technology, David Anderson seeks to find the neural underpinnings of emotions like fear, anxiety and anger.
Neurobiologist
https://www.ted.com/speakers/david_anderson

Charles Anderson | TED Speaker

Charles Anderson studies marine life in the Maldives, a nation of coral atolls in the Indian ocean.
Marine biologist
https://www.ted.com/speakers/charles_anderson

Amy O'Toole | TED Speaker

Amy O'Toole is a 12-year-old student who helped run a science experiment inspired by Beau Lotto's participative science approach. At age 10 she became one of the youngest people ever to publish a peer-reviewed science paper.
Student
https://www.ted.com/speakers/amy_o_toole

Hadyn Parry | TED Speaker

Biotech entrepreneur Hadyn Parry leads a science start-up that develops GM insects to fight dengue fever.
Biotechnology entrepreneur
https://www.ted.com/speakers/hadyn_parry

Katie Francfort: What if we used the problem as part of the solution?

Logistics expert Katie Francfort invites us to dream of finding solutions in unexpected places. In this thought experiment, she imagines: What if mosquitoes could have a role to play in the supply chain of vaccine delivery? She uses this far-fetched idea to inspire us to think boldly on other problems we're facing -- and how the problem might be...
https://www.ted.com/talks/katie_francfort_what_if_we_used_the_problem_as_part_of_the_solution

Sara Lewis: The loves and lies of fireflies

Biologist Sara Lewis has spent the past 20 years getting to the bottom of the magic and wonder of fireflies. In this charming talk, she tells us how and why the beetles produce their silent sparks, what happens when two fireflies have sex, and why one group of females is known as the firefly vampire. (It's not pretty.) Find out more astonishing ...
https://www.ted.com/talks/sara_lewis_the_loves_and_lies_of_fireflies

Greg Gage: The real reason why mosquitoes buzz

What does the love song of a mosquito sound like? Find out as our intrepid neuroscientists explore the meaning of all that annoying buzzing in your ear.
https://www.ted.com/talks/diy_neuroscience_that_annoying_buzzing_may_be_a_love_song
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