Political economist, author and educator Sophal Ear’s family escaped from the Killing Fields, a story he related in a moving 2009 TEDTalk. Now, driven to give back to Cambodia, he examines the detrimental effects of foreign aid dependence in his new book, Aid Dependence in Cambodia: How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy. Tell us about how […]
[ted id=1594 width=560 height=315] The British Parliament elected in 2005 has an unfortunate nickname — the “Rotten Parliament.” Journalist Heather Brooke had a lot to do with the uncovering of their rottenness. In 2004, just a few years after the passage of the UK’s Freedom of Information Act, Brooke began requesting documentation on members of […]
With just three weeks to go before the 2012 presidential election in the US, eyes around the world are on the contest between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. As shown in last night’s debate, the election may well come down to a few key issues. So what matters most to Americans? The TED Blog read this […]
[ted id=1587 width=560 height=315] Few scientific papers are written in crayon and begin with the words, “Once upon a time.” But then again, few scientific papers are written by a group of 8- to 10-year-olds. In this adorable talk from TEDGlobal, neuroscientist, artist and educator Beau Lotto shares why he thinks children have an edge […]
The answer to this clue from last night’s Jeopardy? Who are ‘introverts,’ of course. The TED staff was excited to see Susan Cain, who gave the blockbuster talk “The power of introverts” at TED2012, name-checked in an episode of the classic game show.
Artist JR’s Inside Out Project has dispersed more than 100,000 stunning black-and-white posters all over the world, intended for groups to paste in their communities to draw attention to social injustice. Today, JR awoke to witness this amazing project, from a group at Les Bosquets in Montfermeil, a suburb of Paris. As JR explains on […]
In today’s thrilling TED-Ed lesson, Bill Nye the Science Guy admits that he has S.O.D., otherwise known as Sundial Obsessive Disorder. But there is a good reason for it — a sundial helped Nye’s father escape from a prison camp in China during World War II, launching a lifelong obsession that Nye eventually picked up […]
[ted id=1585 width=560 height=315] In the late 1800s, Cuban physician Carlos Finlay had a theory that yellow fever was spread by mosquitos — rather than by dirty clothing, as was the belief of the day. To test his theory, he asked living, breathing human beings to be voluntarily infected with the disease. It was devastating, […]
. Navigating around big cities is rarely easy. Subway systems are generally crowded and unreliable, taxis are often expensive and prone to gridlock and bike lanes remain underdeveloped in too many urban areas. But Sara Cantor and George Aye, the founders of Chicago’s Greater Good Studio, have an idea to make getting around their city […]
Good design isn’t just about making a great-looking colander. Good design can actually improve our lives, both individually and collectively. In the new Autodesk Gallery exhibit “Public Interest Design: Products, Places & Processes,” curators Courtney E. Martin and John Cary showcase 12 projects that were designed with the common good in mind. Of the four […]
At TEDGlobal, educator Eddie Obeng highlighted a disconcerting thought — that the answers we learned in school aren’t necessarily true anymore. “This is what happened to us in the 21st century — someone changed the rules about how our world works,” says Obeng in this energetic talk. “The way to successfully run a business, an […]
With her outrageously pink and glittery mixed-media installation pieces and paintings, artist, writer and activist Zena el Khalil takes aim at violence, injustice, and gender and religious stereotypes. Her weapons of choice: pop culture, humor and love. You express yourself through nearly every artistic medium – painting, performance, writing, film. What drives you to make […]
[ted id=1588 width=560 height=315] How, exactly, does a Leonardo da Vinci mural believed to be three times the width of The Last Supper get lost? This is a mystery that Maurizio Seracini has been trying to solve since 1975. After graduating with a degree in engineering from the University of California San Diego, Seracini was […]
[ted id=1592 width=560 height=315] Melissa Marshall has a message for scientists and engineers: Contrary to popular belief, the general public is interested in your work and does want to hear the details of your research. The trick is that you must communicate your ideas clearly, because they will start snoring in their seats if you […]
[cnnvideo url=’http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2010/10/09/nr.power.pose.cnn’ inline=’true’] In the TEDTalk “Your body language shapes who you are,” Amy Cuddy shared that posing for two minutes in a powerful position — with the body expansive and the limbs stretched out — can have a profound effect on how a person feels. Yesterday, Cuddy and her co-researcher Dana Carney sat down […]
One in four people have some form of mental illness, and Ruby Wax wants to talk about it. Watch her TEDTalk, posted today and inspired by her show Losing It, to start the conversation. One project she didn’t get to mention onstage at TEDGlobal: This winter, Wax started up the Black Dog Tribe, an online […]