Ideas worth spreading

Evolution

A collection of TED Talks (and more) on the topic of Evolution.

Video playlists about Evolution

Theories of evolution

The enduring ideas, discoveries and observations that define and expand life as we know it.

The evolution of music

How did music transform into what it is today? A brief journey through time, sound and rhythm.

Get into your genes

Try on these talks about the traits that make you who you are.

Fascinating history

Be transported through the centuries with these talks for your inner (and outer) history buff.

See all playlists on Evolution

Talks about Evolution

A year in the life of one of Earth's weirdest animals

Darien Satterfield

Real-life "Alien" jaws

Nina G. Jablonski

Why do we have hair in such random places?

Can you be awake and asleep at the same time?

Carolyn Freiwald

The hidden history found in your teeth

Why monkeys (and humans) are wired for fairness

The most colorful gemstones on Earth

Why do you get a fever when you're sick?

Is human evolution speeding up or slowing down?

Noah R. Bressman

The fish that walk on land

Michael Corballis

Evolution's great mystery: Language

Menno Schilthuizen

How animals and plants are evolving in cities

No one can figure out how eels have sex

An evolutionary perspective on human health and disease

A brief tour of the last 4 billion years (dinosaurs not included)

Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz

Your body was forged in the spectacular death of stars

See all talks on Evolution

Exclusive articles about Evolution

Why does running give you a high? A look at the science

And it's not just running -- you can get these feelings of bliss and well-being from other kinds of physical activity too. Research psychologist Kelly McGonigal explains how we can get it and why it exists.

Posted Apr 2020

Humans aren’t the only ones that help out their adult kids — here’s why animals do it too

Did you know that meerkats stay close to home, even as adults, so they can inherit territory when Mom dies? Or that North American red squirrel mothers gift real estate to their kids (complete with stockpiles of food)? Evolutionary biologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and writer Kathryn Bowers make the case for why parents -- animals and humans -- should remain involved in the lives of their full-grown offspring.

Posted Mar 2020

What can cavefish teach us about the world?

These weird-looking, isolated aquatic creatures probably won’t star in a Pixar film anytime soon, but by studying them, we can learn about our planet’s past and its future, says evolutionary biologist and ichthyologist Prosanta Chakrabarty.

Posted May 2018

See all articles on Evolution