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  • Talks 409
  • People 110
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1 - 30 of 791 results

Playlist: The secret lives of plants (9 talks)

Trees talk, flowers build elaborate traps and some plants can even come back from the dead. Skeptical? These fascinating talks may just grow on you.
Curated by TED · 9 talks
http://www.ted.com/playlists/the_secret_lives_of_plants

Playlist: Plantastic! (14 talks)

Green, leafy, often delicious: Plants are all around us and make the ecosystem work. Hear from gardeners, vegetarians, designers and conservationists on the wonderful world of plants and vegetables.
Curated by TED · 14 talks
http://www.ted.com/playlists/plantastic

Kenny Coogan: The wild world of carnivorous plants

Around the world there are more than 600 plant species that supplement a regular diet of sunlight, water and soil with insects, frogs and even rats. Flies, tadpoles and beetles fall prey to the remarkable, predatory antics of carnivorous plants. What exactly are carnivorous plants and how do they trap their prey? Kenny Coogan dives into the worl...
https://www.ted.com/talks/kenny_coogan_the_wild_world_of_carnivorous_plants

Playlist: Talks for when you want to start a garden (9 talks)

Bring plants inside, outside and to your community with these talks all about the power of gardening and nourishing the nature around us.
Curated by TED · 9 talks
http://www.ted.com/playlists/talks_for_when_you_want_to_sta_2

Mennat El Ghalid: How fungi recognize (and infect) plants

Each year, the world loses enough food to feed half a billion people to fungi, the most destructive pathogens of plants. Mycologist and TED Fellow Mennat El Ghalid explains how a breakthrough in our understanding of the molecular signals fungi use to attack plants could disrupt this interaction -- and save our crops.
https://www.ted.com/talks/mennat_el_ghalid_how_fungi_recognize_and_infect_plants

Joanne Chory: How supercharged plants could slow climate change

Plants are amazing machines -- for millions of years, they've taken carbon dioxide out of the air and stored it underground, keeping a crucial check on the global climate. Plant geneticist Joanne Chory is working to amplify this special ability: with her colleagues at the Salk Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory, she's creating plant...
https://www.ted.com/talks/joanne_chory_how_supercharged_plants_could_slow_climate_change

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim: Humble plants that hide surprising secrets

(NOTE: Ameenah Gurib-Fakim stepped down as president of Mauritius in March 2018, following accusations that she misused a credit card given to her by a nonprofit. Read "Criticisms & Updates" below for more details.) In this intriguing talk, biologist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim introduces us to rare plant species from isolated islands and regions of...
https://www.ted.com/talks/ameenah_gurib_fakim_humble_plants_that_hide_surprising_secrets

Stefano Mancuso: The roots of plant intelligence

Plants behave in some oddly intelligent ways: fighting predators, maximizing food opportunities ... But can we think of them as actually having a form of intelligence of their own? Italian botanist Stefano Mancuso presents intriguing evidence.
https://www.ted.com/talks/stefano_mancuso_the_roots_of_plant_intelligence

Nirupa Rao: An illustrated kingdom of real, fantastical plants

Botanical artist Nirupa Rao captures the spirit and beauty of nature in watercolor. With a portfolio of enchanting, scientifically accurate illustrations, she aims to reignite our emotional connection to the environment -- and open our eyes to an entire kingdom hidden in plain sight.
https://www.ted.com/talks/nirupa_rao_an_illustrated_kingdom_of_real_fantastical_plants

Anil Raj: Micro-power plants to bring electricity to millions

Reliable electricity remains a distant dream for too many people around the world and simply linking to the existing grid can be cost prohibitive. In this talk, Anil Raj proposes an alternative: micropower plants, small-scale renewable energy sources connected to a minigrid.
https://www.ted.com/talks/anil_raj_micro_power_plants_to_bring_electricity_to_millions

Alex Gendler: Building the world's largest (and most controversial) power plant

In 2018, a single power plant produced more energy than the world's largest coal-powered and gas-powered plants combined. China's Three Gorges Dam relies on running water, and is capable of producing more energy than any other power plant on Earth. So what allows Three Gorges to generate all this power? And how do hydroelectric plants work in th...
https://www.ted.com/talks/alex_gendler_building_the_world_s_largest_and_most_controversial_power_plant

Menno Schilthuizen: How animals and plants are evolving in cities

In cities, evolution occurs constantly, as countless plants, animals and insects adapt to human-made habitats in spectacular ways. Evolutionary biologist Menno Schilthuizen calls on peculiar beings such as fast food-loving mice and self-cooling snails to illustrate the ever-transforming wonders of urban wildlife -- and explains how you can obser...
https://www.ted.com/talks/menno_schilthuizen_how_animals_and_plants_are_evolving_in_cities

Greg Gage: Electrical experiments with plants that count and communicate

Neuroscientist Greg Gage takes sophisticated equipment used to study the brain out of graduate-level labs and brings them to middle- and high-school classrooms (and, sometimes, to the TED stage.) Prepare to be amazed as he hooks up the Mimosa pudica, a plant whose leaves close when touched, and the Venus flytrap to an EKG to show us how plants u...
https://www.ted.com/talks/greg_gage_electrical_experiments_with_plants_that_count_and_communicate

Hortensia Jiménez Díaz: How Mendel's pea plants helped us understand genetics

Each father and mother pass down traits to their children, who inherit combinations of their dominant or recessive alleles. But how do we know so much about genetics today? Hortensia Jiménez Díaz explains how studying pea plants revealed why you may have blue eyes. [Directed by Johan Sonestedt and Veronica Wallenberg, narrated by Rose Eveleth].
https://www.ted.com/talks/hortensia_jimenez_diaz_how_mendel_s_pea_plants_helped_us_understand_genetics

Playlist: Talks to celebrate spring (7 talks)

The weather's warmer, flowers are blooming. Let's celebrate the world coming back to life!
Curated by TED · 7 talks
http://www.ted.com/playlists/talks_to_celebrate_spring

Kristie Ebi: How climate change could make our food less nutritious

Rising carbon levels in the atmosphere can make plants grow faster, but there's another hidden consequence: they rob plants of the nutrients and vitamins we need to survive. In a talk about global food security, epidemiologist Kristie Ebi explores the potentially massive health consequences of this growing nutrition crisis -- and explores the st...
https://www.ted.com/talks/kristie_ebi_how_climate_change_could_make_our_food_less_nutritious

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

Jill Farrant: How we can make crops survive without water

As the world's population grows and the effects of climate change come into sharper relief, we'll have to feed more people using less arable land. Molecular biologist Jill Farrant studies a rare phenomenon that may help: "resurrection plants" -- super-resilient plants that seemingly come back from the dead. Could they hold promise for growing fo...
https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_farrant_how_we_can_make_crops_survive_without_water

Playlist: Reconnect with nature! (10 talks)

Be inspired to go out and rediscover the wonders of the natural world with these talks that will give you a deeper understanding of where the wild things grow.
Curated by TED · 10 talks
http://www.ted.com/playlists/reconnect_with_nature

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

Nalini Nadkarni: Conserving the canopy

A unique ecosystem of plants, birds and monkeys thrives in the treetops of the rainforest. Nalini Nadkarni explores these canopy worlds -- and shares her findings with the world below, through dance, art and bold partnerships.
https://www.ted.com/talks/nalini_nadkarni_conserving_the_canopy

Jonathan Drori: Why we're storing billions of seeds

In this brief talk from TED U 2009, Jonathan Drori encourages us to save biodiversity -- one seed at a time. Reminding us that plants support human life, he shares the vision of the Millennium Seed Bank, which has stored over 3 billion seeds to date from dwindling yet essential plant species.
https://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_drori_why_we_re_storing_billions_of_seeds

Mitchell Joachim: Don't build your home, grow it!

TED Fellow and urban designer Mitchell Joachim presents his vision for sustainable, organic architecture: eco-friendly abodes grown from plants and -- wait for it -- meat.
https://www.ted.com/talks/mitchell_joachim_don_t_build_your_home_grow_it

José Antonio Abreu plants youth orchestras

I wish you would help create and document a special training program for 50 gifted young musicians, passionate for both their art and for social justice, and dedicated to developing El Sistema in the US and other countries. The plan An orchestra, says José Antonio Abreu, is a “school of social life.” In being a part of one, kids learn to play mu...
https://www.ted.com/participate/ted-prize/prize-winning-wishes/sistema-fellows-program

Ani Liu: Smelfies, and other experiments in synthetic biology

What if you could take a smell selfie, a smelfie? What if you had a lipstick that caused plants to grow where you kiss? Ani Liu explores the intersection of technology and sensory perception, and her work is wedged somewhere between science, design and art. In this swift, smart talk, she shares dreams, wonderings and experiments, asking: What ha...
https://www.ted.com/talks/ani_liu_smelfies_and_other_experiments_in_synthetic_biology

Mohamed Hijri: A simple solution to the coming phosphorus crisis

There's a farming crisis no one is talking about: The world is running out of phosphorus, an essential element that's a key component of DNA and the basis of cellular communication. As biologist Mohamed Hijri shows, all roads of this crisis lead back to how we farm -- with chemical fertilizers chock-full of the element, which plants are not effi...
https://www.ted.com/talks/mohamed_hijri_a_simple_solution_to_the_coming_phosphorus_crisis

Ani Liu | TED Speaker

Ani Liu explores the intersection between technology and sensory perception.
Designer, artist
https://www.ted.com/speakers/ani_liu

Andrew Pelling: Could we treat spinal cord injuries with asparagus?

Take a mind-blowing trip to the lab as TED Senior Fellow Andrew Pelling shares his research on how we could use fruits, vegetables and plants to regenerate damaged human tissues -- and develop a potentially groundbreaking way to repair complex spinal cord injuries with asparagus.
https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_pelling_could_we_treat_spinal_cord_injuries_with_asparagus

Ron Finley: A guerrilla gardener in South Central LA

Ron Finley plants vegetable gardens in South Central LA -- in abandoned lots, traffic medians, along the curbs. Why? For fun, for defiance, for beauty and to offer some alternative to fast food in a community where "the drive-thrus are killing more people than the drive-bys."
https://www.ted.com/talks/ron_finley_a_guerrilla_gardener_in_south_central_la

Mark Bittman: What's wrong with what we eat

In this fiery and funny talk, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman weighs in on what's wrong with the way we eat now (too much meat, too few plants; too much fast food, too little home cooking), and why it's putting the entire planet at risk.
https://www.ted.com/talks/mark_bittman_what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat
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