Back online: Dr. Dean Ornish shares new research that shows how adopting healthy lifestyle habits can affect a person at a genetic level. For instance, he says, when you live healthier, eat better, exercise, and love more, your brain cells actually increase. And new findings show that a healthier lifestyle can turn off disease-provoking genes […]
Economist Steven Levitt shares provocative data that shows carseats are no more effective than seatbelts in protecting kids from dying in cars. However, during the Q&A, he makes one crucial caveat. (Recorded July 2005 in Oxford, UK. Duration: 19:04.) Watch Steven Levitt’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on […]
Adam Grosser talks about a project to build a refrigerator that works without electricity — to bring the vital tool to villages and clinics worldwide. Tweaking some old technology, he’s come up with a system that works. (Recorded February 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 03:31.) Watch Adam Grosser’s talk on TED.com, where you can […]
TED.com will be offline for a few hours for maintenance tonight, starting at about 2 a.m. Eastern time. To find TEDTalks while we’re offline, try these sources: + Check out the free, open-source TED Miro player, with seven channels of TEDTalks. You can download the TED Miro player here, for Mac and for Windows. + […]
Link fixed: Insects and animals have evolved some amazing skills — but, as Robert Full notes, many animals are actually badly engineered. The trick is to copy only what’s necessary. He shows how human engineers can learn from animals’ tricks. Watch for robots inspired by ants and geckos — and a key insight into animal […]
Artist Chris Jordan shows us a surprising view of Western culture, in this energizing look at numbers so big, we simply don’t (or can’t) think about them. His supersized images picture unimaginable statistics — like the astonishing number of paper cups we use every single day. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 11:14.) […]
Historian George Dyson tells stories from the birth of the digital computer — from its 16th-century origins to the hilarious notebooks of the first computer engineers. Dyson, a dedicated archivist and crate-digger, has found some stories that haven’t been told for 50 years. For instance: in the files of Nils Aall Barricelli, the genius who […]
After speaking at TED2007 on elegance in physics, the amazing Murray Gell-Mann gives a quick overview of another passionate interest of his: finding the common ancestry of our modern languages. (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 2:15.) Watch Murray Gell-Mann’s short talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on […]
Anthropologist Wade Davis muses on the worldwide web of belief and ritual that makes us human. He shares breathtaking photos and stories of the Elder Brothers, a group of Sierra Nevada Indians whose spiritual practice holds the world in balance. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 19:12.) Watch Wade Davis’s talk on TED.com, […]
Registration is open for Reduced-Price Memberships and Fellowships to TED2009 in Long Beach. Apply now >> + Reduced-Price Memberships are offered to people in the nonprofit and education worlds, for the reduced membership fee of $2,000 (compared to the regular price of $6,000). + Fellowships are offered to a few applicants of exceptional talent and […]
Singer-songwriter Rokia Traoré performs “Kounandi,” a breathtaking song that blends Malian instruments with a modern, heartfelt vocal. Please note: This song is not available for download. (Recorded June 2007 in Arusha, Tanzania. Duration: 6:26.) Watch Rokia Traore’s talk on TED.com, where you can rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances. […]
Nathan Myhrvold talks about a few of his latest fascinations — animal photography, archeology, BBQ and generally being an eccentric genius multimillionaire. Listen for wild stories from the (somewhat raunchy) edge of the animal world. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 19:28.) Watch Nathan Myhrvold’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, […]
Susan Blackmore studies memes: ideas that replicate themselves, passing from brain to brain like a physical virus. At TED2008, Blackmore makes a bold new argument: Humanity has spawned a new category of meme, the “teme,” which spreads itself via technology — and invents brand-new ways to keep itself alive. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. […]
Around the world right now, one billion people are trapped in poverty by a simple piece of bad luck: being born in a poor country. What makes countries chronically poor? How can we help raise living standards for the “bottom billion” who live there? Economist Paul Collier lays out a bold, compassionate plan for closing […]
If you’ve seen Wade Davis’s unforgettable 2004 TED Talk — where he evokes the magic of the world’s cultural diversity, and speaks so eloquently about the alarming rate with which cultures and languages are dying — then you might find this photo as heart-stopping as I did. It’s so surreal, I thought at first it […]
Dr. Seyi Oyesola takes a searing look at health care in underdeveloped countries. His photo tour of a Nigerian teaching hospital — all low-tech hacks and donated supplies — drives home the challenge of doing basic health care there. (Recorded February 2002 in Monterey, California. Duration: 15:44.) Watch Seyi Oyesola’s talk on TED.com, where […]