For most of the world’s 4,000 mayfly species, adulthood lasts roughly one day. And for some species, it’s only a matter of minutes. This isn’t because they’re all eaten up by predators. Rather, this abridged adulthood is a natural part of their life cycle. So, what role do these bugs play in their ecosystems? Luke M. Jacobus explores the stunnin...

During the span of a single life, how do you reinvent yourself? Take a page out of the book of these speakers who have found creative ways to fit many lives into one.

Laura Carstensen is the director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, and has extensively studied the effects on wellbeing of extended lifetimes.

Rituals for the dead span much of the natural world, seen in practices from humans and elephants to bees, dolphins and beyond. With charm and playful insight, animal behaviorist Kaeli Swift delves into the life (and death) habits of crows and shares what their responses could reveal about our own relationship to mortality.

Elizabeth Howell is working to address maternal mortality in the United States.

Stephen Palumbi studies the way humanity and ocean life interact and intertwine. His insights into our codependence offer ideas for protecting both the ocean and ourselves.

Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. It can be found in swathes of city pavements, bridges that span vast rivers and the tallest skyscrapers on earth. But it does have a weakness: it's prone to catastrophic cracking that has immense financial and environmental impact. What if we could avoid that problem? Congrui J...

What's going on inside the brains of animals? Can we know what, or if, they're thinking and feeling? Carl Safina thinks we can. Using discoveries and anecdotes that span ecology, biology and behavioral science, he weaves together stories of whales, wolves, elephants and albatrosses to argue that just as we think, feel, use tools and express emot...

American artist Janet Echelman reshapes urban airspace with monumental, fluidly moving sculpture that responds to environmental forces including wind, water, and sunlight.

Debbie Lovich is a managing director and senior partner at BCG, where she is the global leader of BCG's people strategy topic.

Short-sightedness may be the greatest threat to humanity, says conceptual artist Katie Paterson, whose work engages with deep time -- an idea that describes the history of the Earth over a time span of millions of years. In this lively talk, she takes us through her art -- a telephone line connected to a melting glacier, maps of dying stars – an...

Broadway and TV veteran Sara Ramirez challenges stereotypes even as she beguiles audiences.

Tiffany Yu is the founder and CEO of Diversability, a social enterprise that's rebranding disability through the power of community.

How long do you want to live, and why? These are the questions that bestselling author and science writer David Ewing Duncan asks as he surveys the emerging science of radical life extension — from genetics and regeneration to machine solutions. In When I'm 164: The New Science of Radical Life Extension and What Happens If It Succeeds, Duncan co...

Roy Bahat invests in the future of work, with a focus on automation, data, robotics, media, productivity tools and more.

José Bowen is an accomplished musician and teacher who explores how technology has shaped the history of music.

Written by the educators who created Rethinking Cancer, a brief look at the key facts, tough questions and big ideas in their field. Begin this TED Study with a fascinating read that gives context and clarity to the material. In its World Cancer Report 2014, the World Health Organization made a staggering prediction: it expects the number of ne...

Carina Morillo is an advocate for the social inclusion of people with autism.

The chair of neurosurgery at the University of Toronto, Andres Lozano has pioneered the use of deep brain stimulation for treating Parkinson’s, depression, anorexia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Aging happens to all of us, but scientists still don’t know the mechanism behind it. We need to focus on finding an answer, says molecular biologist Oliver Medvedik. If given the option, would you choose to live forever? Many of us would say “yes,” but with one major caveat: just as long we don’t age. In scientific terms, aging means “a progres...

Brimming with insights gained on her picaresque journey from firefighter to best-selling author, Caroline Paul’s "The Gutsy Girl: Escapades for Your Life of Epic Adventure" is a revolutionary guide for raising brave young women.

As a child, Huang Yi longed for a robot companion. As an adult, he created a robot to dance with: KUKA.

Naomi Bagdonas empowers leaders to build more innovative, collaborative and joyful work cultures (and lives).

About this event: Svakodnevica je postala vrtlog (twister) života. Tempo života svakodnevno mijenja smjer i brzinu. Prirodno je da se nastojimo prilagoditi, ali ipak sve ovisi o našoj neurološkoj spremnosti. Svakodnevno tražimo rješenja stvarajući uvjete za život u skladu s tehnološkim inovacijama, potrebama tržišta ili prilikama u obitelji. Novac postaje sve pot...

Louie Schwartzberg is a cinematographer, director and producer who captures breathtaking images that celebrate life -- revealing connections, universal rhythms, patterns and beauty.

Dan Meyer is exploring the way we teach teachers to teach kids.

Adam Savage is an internationally renowned television producer, host and public speaker.

An illustrator and graphic journalist with a background in social work, Wendy MacNaughton believes drawing is an essential tool to help everyone -- young and old -- slow down, look closely and connect with one another.