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. […]
TED Fellow Sean Gourley spoke at TED University 2009 about the mathematics of war — how he and his team of mathematicians, physicists and computer scientists uncovered a strong mathematical relationship linking the fatality and frequency of insurgent attacks. Today, TED is absolutely thrilled to tell you that this research has been published in the […]
In a funny, rapid-fire 4 minutes, Alexis Ohanian of Reddit tells the real-life fable of one humpback whale’s rise to Web stardom. The lesson of Mister Splashy Pants is a shoo-in classic for meme-makers and marketers in the Facebook age. (Recorded at TEDIndia, November 2009, Mysore, India. Duration: 4:27) Twitter URL: http://on.ted.com/344I Watch Alexis Ohanian’s […]
Ryan Lobo has traveled the world, taking photographs that tell stories of unusual human lives. In this haunting talk, he reframes controversial subjects with empathy, so that we see the pain of a Liberian war criminal, the quiet strength of UN women peacekeepers and the perseverance of Delhi’s underappreciated firefighters. (Recorded at TEDIndia, November 2009, […]
Loretta Napoleoni details her rare opportunity to talk to the secretive Italian Red Brigades — an experience that sparked a lifelong interest in terrorism. She gives a behind-the-scenes look at its complex economics, revealing a surprising connection between money laundering and the US Patriot Act. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2009, July 2009, Oxford, England. Duration: 15:45) […]
At TEDGlobal University, Shereen El Feki shows how some Arab cultures are borrowing trademarks of Western pop culture — music videos, comics, even Barbie — and adding a culturally appropriate twist. The hybridized media shows how two civilizations, rather than dividing, can dovetail. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2009, July 2009, Oxford, UK. Duration: 5:06) Twitter URL: […]
India’s revolutionary Aravind Eye Care System has given sight to millions. Thulasiraj Ravilla looks at the ingenious approach that drives its treatment costs down and quality up, and why its methods should trigger a re-think of all human services. (Recorded at TEDIndia, November 2009, Mysore, India. Duration: 17:27) Twitter URL: http://on.ted.com/290K Watch Thulasiraj Ravilla’s talk […]
Marc Pachter has conducted live interviews with some of the most intriguing characters in recent American history as part of a remarkable series created for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. He reveals the secret to a great interview and shares extraordinary stories of talking with Steve Martin, Clare Booth Luce and more. (Recorded at the […]
Scottish funnyman Rory Bremner convenes a historic council on the TEDGlobal stage — as he lampoons Gordon Brown, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and a cast of other world leaders with his hilarious impressions and biting commentary. See if you can catch a few sharp TED in-jokes. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2009, July 2009, Oxford, UK. […]
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 Masahiro Kyushima. Tell us about yourself. In my childhood, I was a trivia king, reading all […]
At the 2008 EG conference, famed puzzle designer Scott Kim takes us inside the puzzle-maker’s frame of mind. Sampling his career’s work, he introduces a few of the most popular types, and shares the fascinations that inspired some of his best. (Recorded at TEDIndia, November 2009, Mysore, India. Duration: 11:50) Twitter URL: http://on.ted.com/226Z Watch Scott […]
With wisdom and wit, Anupam Mishra talks about the amazing feats of engineering built centuries ago by the people of India’s Golden Desert to harvest water. These structures are still used today — and are often superior to modern water megaprojects.(Recorded at TEDIndia, November 2009, Mysore, India. Duration: 17:14) Twitter URL: http://on.ted.com/216V Watch Anupam Mishra’s […]
With new data from the Keck telescopes, Andrea Ghez shows how state-of-the-art adaptive optics are helping astronomers understand the universe’s most mysterious objects — black holes. She shares evidence that a supermassive black hole may be lurking at the center of the Milky Way. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2009, July 2009, Oxford, UK. Duration: 16:26) Twitter […]
Architecture student Magnus Larsson details his bold plan to transform the harsh Sahara desert using bacteria and a surprising construction material: the sand itself.(Recorded at TEDGlobal 2009, July 2009, Oxford, UK. Duration: 11:44) Twitter URL: http://on.ted.com/126Y Watch Magnus Larsson’s talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find […]
Rob Hopkins reminds us that the oil our world depends on is steadily running out. He proposes a unique solution to this problem — the Transition response, where we prepare ourselves for life without oil and sacrifice our luxuries to build systems and communities that are completely independent of fossil fuels. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2009, […]
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 Anwar Dafa-Alla. Tell us about yourself. My full name is Anwar Fatihelrahman Ahmed Dafa-Alla. I was […]