Traditionally, the Kalandar community of India has survived by capturing sloth bear cubs and training them to “dance” through extreme cruelty. Kartick Satyanarayan has been able to put an end to this centuries-old practice, and in so doing discovered a lesson of wider significance: make the practitioners part of the solution.(Recorded at TEDIndia, November 2009, […]
Legendary jazz musician Herbie Hancock delivers a stunning performance alongside two old friends — past drummer for The Headhunters, Harvey Mason and bassist, Marcus Miller. Listen to the end to hear them sweeten the classic “Watermelon Man.” (Recorded at TED2009, February 2009, Long Beach, California. Duration: 25:05) Twitter URL: http://on.ted.com/546Z Watch Herbie Hancock’s talk on […]
The gharial and king cobra are two of India’s most iconic reptiles, and they’re endangered because of polluted waterways. Conservationist Romulus Whitaker shows rare footage of these magnificent animals and urges us to save the rivers that sustain their lives and our own. (Recorded at TEDIndia, November 2009, Mysore, India. Duration: 17:19) Twitter URL: http://on.ted.com/535W […]
To find the path to long life and health, Dan Buettner and team study the world’s “Blue Zones,” communities whose elders live with vim and vigor to record-setting age. At TEDxTC, he shares the 9 common diet and lifestyle habits such as healthy eating habits and daily use of the treadmill that keep them spry […]
Nick Veasey shows outsized X-ray images that reveal the otherworldly inner workings of familiar objects — from the geometry of a wildflower to the anatomy of a Boeing 747. Producing these photos is dangerous and painstaking, but the reward is a superpower: looking at what the human eye can’t see. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2009, July […]
Neuroscientist Vilayanur Ramachandran outlines the fascinating functions of mirror neurons. Only recently discovered, these neurons allow us to learn complex social behaviors, some of which formed the foundations of human civilization as we know it. (Recorded at TEDIndia, November 2009, Mysore, India. Duration: 7:44) Watch Vilayanur Ramachandran’s talk on TED.com, where you can download this […]
For the dawn of a new decade, adventurer Bertrand Piccard offers us a challenge: Find motivation in what seems impossible. He shares his own plans to do what many say can’t be done — to fly around the world, day and night, in a solar-powered aircraft. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2009, July 2009, Oxford, UK. Duration: […]
Just in time for TED’s holiday break, we’re excited to announce a feature we’re launching, today, on TED.com. It’s called Best of the Web, and just like the rest of TED.com, it involves riveting talks by remarkable people. But unlike TEDTalks, these talks don’t come from TED or any of our partner conferences. These talks […]
One of a dozen Pakistanis who came to TEDIndia despite security hassles entering the country, TED Fellow Asher Hasan shows photos of ordinary Pakistanis that drive home a profound message for citizens of all nations: look beyond disputes, and see the humanity we share. (Recorded at TEDIndia, November 2009, Mysore, India. Duration: 4:29) Twitter URL: […]
Physicist Steven Cowley is certain that nuclear fusion is the only truly sustainable solution to the fuel crisis. He explains why fusion will work — and details the projects that he and many others have devoted their lives to, working against the clock to create a new source of energy. (Recorded at TEDGlobal, July 2009, […]
We’re delighted to announce the TED Prize winner for 2010: the chef who’s transforming the way we feed our children … JAMIE OLIVER The prize grants him $100,000 — and something much bigger: “a wish to change the world.” He’ll unveil the wish on February 10 at TED2010 and we, the TED community, will make […]
Shaffi Mather explains why he left his first career to become a social entrepreneur, providing life-saving transportation with his company 1298 for Ambulance. Now, he has a new idea and plans to begin a company to fight the booming business of corruption in public service, eliminating it one bribe at a time. (Recorded at TEDIndia, […]
Winter is sweeping into the Northern Hemisphere! For many, this will be a season for storytelling and ritual, for reconnecting with family, for taking time off work, for just staying indoors and keeping warm … and for getting stranded at airports. Whatever your winter tradition, TED wants to wish you a heartfelt “Happy Holidays!” with […]
In the next weeks, the TED Blog will shine the spotlight on the fantastic TED volunteer translators — offering a glimpse of the people whose efforts continue to enrich the Open Translation Project. Today, we’d like you to meet Zoltan Bencz. Tell us about yourself. “Philosophy. A domain that has nothing to do with practical […]
Aphorism enthusiast and author James Geary waxes on a fascinating fixture of human language: the metaphor. Friend of scribes from Aristotle to Elvis, Geary says metaphor can subtly influence the decisions we make. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2009, July 2009, Oxford, UK. Duration: 9:30) Twitter URL: http://on.ted.com/364Z Watch James Geary’s talk on TED.com, where you can […]
While living and working as a marine biologist in Maldives, Charles Anderson noticed sudden explosions of dragonflies at certain times of year. He explains how he carefully tracked the path of a plain, little dragonfly called the globe skimmer, only to discover that it had the longest migratory journey of any insect in the world. […]