Susan Solomon is an advocate for more research into a promising treatment for many conditions: human stem cells. “They are our bodies’ own repair kits, because they are pluripotent — they can morph into any cells in our bodies.” We can use them to model and study disease, but she hopes for much more. She hopes, and […]
Hassine Labaied is here to talk wind. Specifically, wind power. “Wind is clean, free, perpetually renewable and widely distributed across the globe,” he says. “Yet the current main wind technology, the turbine, is still based on a windmill system.” And existing turbines are terribly inefficient: 70% of wind power is simply lost, while the devices are also expensive […]
“Fifteen years ago, it was widely assumed that the vast majority of brain development takes place in the first few years of life,” says professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, who heads up the Developmental Group at the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience. “Back then we didn’t have the ability to look inside the living human brain and track development […]
Fuel without fossils Jonathan Trent set out to understand if there was a way to develop biofuels that would compete with fossil fuels, but not compete with agriculture. His proposed solution is extraordinary: Make an enclosure with plastic and let algae grow in sunlight in the ocean, taking in wastewater from cities. Generated heat will be […]
Vicki Arroyo knows a thing or two about climate change. A lawyer by training, she is the executive director of the Georgetown Climate Center, which works on policies to help government leaders (and the world) deal with climate change’s inevitable disruptions. But that’s not the only reason she’s familiar with climate change. As she tells us, she also […]
Today, we begin to write a whole new chapter for the TED Prize. There are three key shifts: + Historically, the TED Prize was awarded to individuals who then made a wish. Starting in 2013, it will be awarded to individuals with a big wish already in mind. + Individuals can self-nominate or nominate someone […]
Brief: People are similar to any good idea. It goes through an adventure to become mature. Director’s statement: “We drew a character with a massive pile of hair containing bits of his world. We see bits and pieces of his widening and deepening life until we reach his older self.’ – Hobson-Chant Direction and Illustration: […]
Click to watch the session-opening animation The balance between “long-term” and “short-term” has become a critical focal point of discussion in many fields, from the economy to the environment. In fact, accusing someone of short-term thinking is probably the quickest way to start a brawl. In this session, we attempt to focus on the far-off, […]
Robert Legato’s life is about perception. He is a two-time Oscar winner for his visual effects magic, and in this spectacularly visual talk he dissects some of his most famous effects, showing how they use the brain’s processes to create the effect of reality. Apollo 13 Working on this, he discovered something about how our brains work: “When we’re […]
A vast gulf in care Vikram Patel asks us to imagine two men who live in the same town. They have the same education, the same jobs, and everything else the same. Both present at a hospital with chest pains — but one is treated and one is not. Why? The second one has a […]
Wayne McGregor bounds onto stage wearing a tracksuit. “I’m passionate about creativity,” says the choreographer excitedly. “And it’s something you can teach. You can find out something about your own cognitive habits and use that as a point of departure to misbehave beautifully.” McGregor, who runs his own company, Random Dance, is here to choreograph and […]
Ruby Wax bounds onto the stage with a beaming smile and a glint in her eye. Then she says firmly, “One in four people have mental illness.” She looks down at the audience mischievously. She counts out. “You, sir, with the weird teeth. It’s you.” She points behind him. “That whole row isn’t right. Hi. […]
A professor with schizophrenia Elyn Saks has chronic schizophrenia, and she is a professor of law, psychology and psychiatry at USC. She might have spent her life in the back ward of a hospital, but that’s not what happened. She starts by telling of the time when Dr. White, her doctor after she graduated from law school, was getting […]
Brief: An idea multiplies and becomes open when you play with it. Director’s statement: “I like to bring out the growth of inspiration. How a new idea inspires others to think differently and let their mind generate ideas.” — Kim Demane CREDITS: Direction, Illustration and Animation: Kim Demane http://www.kimdemane.se/ Music: Lili Labass Agency: WE ARE […]
A reformed computational neuroscientist, professor Read Montague takes the stage and admits he’s nervous. Then he asks the audience to put their hands up if they think they have a behavioral superpower. “Oh! I actually see hands! TED really is a superconference.” Montague is here to talk about people, relationships, and brains. As he tells […]
Click to watch the session-opening animation We’re going through a revolution is neuroscience and psychology, gaining new insights into how the brain works, and what happens when parts go wrong. All that insight is producing applications in a crucial area: understanding mental illness. And that understanding is one that holds the promise of removing the […]