In Brief
An organic computer of connected rat brains, what the American South can learn from post-WWII Germany and much more
The TED community always has lots of news to share. Below, some highlights from the past two weeks. Lessons for the South — from Germany. “Can the American South, still grappling with the legacy of slavery and segregation, learn something from Germany’s grappling with Nazism?” Anand Giridharadas asked this question of four scholars who study […]
Playlist
9 TED Talks to inspire smart conversation
No one really wants to talk about the weather. Inspired by TED Talks, here are some questions to start a better conversation in any situation. “So, what’s your favorite word?” [ted id=161] Who to ask: The chatty person who’s sharing an outlet with you at the coffee shop The basic idea: Dictionaries don’t compile themselves — […]
Fellows Friday
Astronomer, actor, role model: TED Fellow Aomawa Shields looks for life on other planets
Aomawa Shields is a woman of “contradictions.” An astronomer and astrobiologist, she searches for exoplanets where life might exist by using computer models to calculate the kind of atmosphere they’d need to support it. And she’s also a classically trained actor, who — through her organization Rising Stargirls — teaches astronomy to middle school girls of color using theater, writing and visual art to […]
Profile
At TEDxTeen, a gathering of young minds in New York City
“If you’re a teen, you’ve been called apathetic, narcissistic and social-media obsessed,” said Taylor Trudon, the youth editor at Huffington Post. Standing tall in a crisp white blazer, the 25-year-old shared how she went from keeping a high school diary — decorated with stickers and magazine clippings of John Mayer and Uggs — to becoming […]
Fanfare
One mother’s nightly learning ritual with her son
Erin Freschi, a California mom who has worked in education for nearly 25 years, has a nightly ritual with her 8-year-old son, Sawyer. Instead of bedtime stories or songs, Freschi and her son wind down by watching TED Talks. The name of their unique ritual? TED Before Bed. “It started when Sawyer was in first […]
Business
Career advice for millennials (and really, anyone) from Margaret Heffernan
It’s a few months after graduation, which means the luckiest new college grads are knee-deep into internships and entry-level jobs. How to stand out? Business writer Margaret Heffernan suggests: Start by taking a coffee break with your coworkers. Companies grow best, she suggests, when workers are connected by social bonds. Heffernan’s TED Book, Beyond Measure: […]
Education
How do teens think about body image, beauty and bullying? 3 perspectives from around the world
Body image, beauty and bullying. In TED-Ed Clubs, students are guided through the process of making a presentation on an idea they feel passionate about — and dozens of students in clubs around the world have boldly chosen to talk about how to combat negative body image, distorted images of beauty and the bullying that […]
In Brief
The legacy of slavery echoed in the Charleston shooting, why we feel awe, the happy memories of mice + more
The TED community has been very busy over the past few weeks. Below, some newsy highlights. Powerful thoughts on slavery’s legacy. Last week, Bryan Stevenson spoke with The Marshall Project about the shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. In a Q&A, Stevenson shared his thoughts on the deeply entrenched legacy […]
Business
TED@BCG focuses on the many meanings of growth
Growth is usually a good thing. For a person, it means more wisdom; for a business, it means more profit; for a country, it means increased prosperity. But growth has a darker side too: aging, a sense of impersonality, waste and pollution. At TED@BCG — the latest TED Institute event, held on June 30, 2015, […]
Your Turn
QUIZ: Which TED Talk are you?
A fun way to find a talk that’s just right for you…
How This Talk Came To Be
Neither laryngitis nor repeated microphone fails could keep Dame Stephanie Shirley from her TED Talk
Dame Stephanie Shirley had just a few hours to go before giving her talk at TEDWomen 2013. There was just one problem: she could hardly speak. Shirley, a tech entrepreneur who founded a software company in the 1960s, had flown from London to San Francisco to speak at the conference. Her talk told the story […]
TED Prize
Love triumphs against the odds: StoryCorps celebrates the 46th anniversary of Stonewall
More than 40 years after the Stonewall Riots, even as Caitlyn Jenner dominates pop culture, coming out as gay or transgender remains deeply difficult. In some cases, it’s downright dangerous; in others, it’s enough to tear families apart. But as you’ll discover in these six StoryCorps interviews, love — of each other, and of oneself […]