Love often feels inexplicable, the most unpredictable of forces. Using science, math and methodical observation, these speakers offer clues to understanding it.

Alice Dreger works with people at the edge of anatomy, such as conjoined twins and intersexed people. In her observation, it's often a fuzzy line between male and female, among other anatomical distinctions. Which brings up a huge question: Why do we let our anatomy determine our fate?

Ever wished you could stop procrastinating and just be as efficient as a machine? Since you're a human, that's not going to happen -- but that's OK, says entrepreneur Dan Shipper. Here's how you can use awareness, observation and experimentation to clear your own way to getting more done.

Octopuses have the ability to solve puzzles, learn through observation, and even use tools – just like humans. But what makes octopus intelligence so amazing is that it comes from a biological structure completely different from ours. Cláudio L. Guerra takes a look inside the amazing octopus brain. [Directed by Cinematic, narrated by Addison And...

Danielle Wood leads the Space Enabled research group at the MIT Media Lab, where she works to tear down the barriers that limit the benefits of space exploration to only the few, the rich or the elite. She identifies six technologies developed for space exploration that can contribute to sustainable development across the world -- from observati...

By showing people how to look closely at painting, sculpture and photography, Amy Herman helps them hone their visual intelligence to recognize the most pertinent and useful information as well as recognize biases that impede decision making.

Social justice advocate and law scholar Dorothy Roberts has a precise and powerful message: Race-based medicine is bad medicine. Even today, many doctors still use race as a medical shortcut; they make important decisions about things like pain tolerance based on a patient's skin color instead of medical observation and measurement. In this sear...

Sarah Rugheimer looks for signs of life on other planets by studying the telltale chemical signatures on distant planets.

As founder and CEO of Rocket Lab, Peter Beck oversees the manufacturing and launch of rockets designed to put small satellites into orbit.

The president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, Jimmy Carter used his post-presidency years to work for peace, teach, write and engage in global activism.

Edith Widder combines her expertise in research and technological innovation with a commitment to stopping and reversing the degradation of our marine environment.

In our era of the patient-as-data-point, Abraham Verghese believes in the old-fashioned physical exam, the bedside chat, the power of informed observation.

Irina Kareva is looking for answers to biological questions using mathematical modeling.

Paige Alexander leads The Carter Center in its efforts to advance peace, human rights and health care across the globe through conflict resolution, election observation and disease eradication programs.

Tony Luciani picked up a camera in 2014 to document his aging mom's struggle with dementia, beginning a four-year-long voyage of discovery.

TED Senior Fellow Lauren Sallan is a paleobiologist using a wide variety of data and methods to reveal how biodiversity changes at scales beyond human observation (macroevolution).

About this event: Kalos. Eidos. Skopeo. Beauty. Shape. Examine. Together, these three words form kaleidoscope — the observation of beautiful forms. The TEDxLondon Business School conference invites you to pick up your kaleidoscope and view the world through a new lens. Accompany us on this journey of ideas as with each twist of our kaleidoscope we explo...

Even the most advanced prosthetic isn't useful if it's hard to wear. This observation guides TED Fellow David Sengeh's work at the Biomechatronics group in the MIT Media Lab.

About this event: Every extraordinary action in the world is born from the ordinary — an ordinary person, observation or situation. This year’s theme is designed to bring out the extraordinary in all of us. Through this year’s TEDx Talks, attendees will be inspired by real life examples of ordinary individuals who have been, done, or found their own extraordinari...

About this event: Our view of the world is necessarily conditioned by our point of observation. But in order to keep the horizon open and enrich our dialogue, we must train ourselves to look at reality from different points of view. We need to understand how to evaluate points of view and be aware that reality is complex and no single point of view can ever give ...

A prolific short story writer and blogger since age seven, Adora Svitak (now 12) speaks around the United States to adults and children as an advocate for literacy.

Like a modern-day Indiana Jones, Sarah Parcak uses satellite images to locate lost ancient sites. The winner of the 2016 TED Prize, her wish is to protect the world’s shared cultural heritage.

About this event: "Space is an inspirational concept that allows you to dream big." (Peter Diamandis) The concept of Space allows us a more insightful analysis of the world around us, on micro- and macro scale. It enables a reflection on exploring both the Universe (the Cosmos) and the universe (our internal world), as well as the observation of our surroundin...

Climate scientist Kate Marvel looks at the big picture of environmental change.

Nathalie Miebach is a Boston-based artist who translates weather data into complex sculptures and musical scores.

Carrie Nugent is part of a team that uses NASA's NEOWISE telescope to search the skies for and catalog asteroids.

About this event: 美國著名經濟學家、克拉克獎得主李維特曾指出，現今世界充斥著千百種問題，解決之道也並非單一化，但唯有試著透視問題的潛藏一面，才能採行最客觀與適當途徑排除問題，不因看似理所當然的起因而誤判結果。 本次年會主題結合social和solution兩字，結合成全新單字，意思是倘若在尋找解決之道(Solution)中加入平常我們容易忽視的三種定律：觀察(Comprehension)、審視(Inspection)與洞析(Observation)，那麼Sociolution便是我們窺探社會問題甚至是自身疑慮的全新法則，表淺的分析不再主宰我們的思維，取而代之的是更宏觀的批判與精準的手段。 Comprehension 理解 理解，是為了以客觀的立場熟稔問題的面貌，進而看清癥結與矛盾。 . Insp...

About this event: Are you looking for people who are passionate about Earth observation, climate change, civic science, and have an idea worth sharing? Are you ready to be inspired with a new perspective on our blue planet? Come and hear Pierre-Yves Cousteau talk about his passion - the oceans of our world. Be inspired by Eelco Dykstra’s view on Risk and Resili...

Best known as the voice of Roger Rabbit, Charles Fleischer's multi-decade career includes work on stage and on screen, and an online emporium of unusual observations called MonkeyDog.