Exploring space generates tons of data — so much data that most of it is studied using algorithms, not human eyes. But algorithms are not very good at being creative. What happens when we let humans look at data? Sometimes, even amateurs find things that are surprising, remarkable and weird. Astronomer Tabetha Boyajian came to TED2016 with a story about one of those weird things. The story […]
Sarah Parcak is a space archaeologist, and has located multiple lost ancient sites. Still, she says, it’s easy to pick her greatest discovery: her husband, Greg Mumford, who she met on her very first dig in Egypt. He was her first lesson in “finding unexpected wonderful things,” she says, and a second lesson followed quickly. On that […]
Onstage at TED this evening, Danny Hillis spoke a few words to remember his friend, the artificial intelligence researcher, cognitive scientist and longtime TEDster Marvin Minsky, who died in late January of this year. As Hillis looked out into the audience, he wondered “how many of you he challenged or irritated or made laugh…” Once Minsky’s student, Hillis recalled: […]
Pay attention. The talks in Session 4 offer takeaways you’ll find yourself using in everyday life — from a new way to end an argument, to how to talk about gravitational waves at a party, to the hidden benefits of learning a foreign language. Recaps of the talks in Session 4, “Life Hacks,” in chronological order. What […]
Brian Little is one of those professors everyone adores. Students sit starry-eyed in his class, hanging on his every word, and they line up at his door during office hours. But on the TED stage, he shares a secret: “I am as extreme an introvert as you could possibly imagine.” After interacting with students, he […]
The barbershop is a safe haven for black men, a place where they don’t have to worry about how they’re perceived by the outside world, says physician and men’s health advocate Joseph Ravenell. “It’s a place where we don’t feel threatened — or threatening,” he says. Ravenell recalls his first experiences at the barbershop as being filled with discussion. […]
Session 3 of TED2016 examines the ‘i’ words: Imagination. Invention. Ingenuity. Hosted by TED Fellows Jedidah Isler and José Gómez-Márquez, this session is all about speakers who’ve taken the spark of inspiration and put it into action. Recaps of the talks in Session 3, in chronological order. A new way of “seeing.” Early in her career as […]
On technologist Haley Van Dyck’s first day working for the government, in 2008, she was handed a laptop that ran Windows 98. “Three presidential elections had come and gone since the government had updated its operating system,” she says. “That’s when we realized: the problem is bigger than we imagined.” Van Dyck is the co-founder […]
Patterns delight the mind and eye. And yet, they sometimes lead to us getting stuck — not just in behaviors, but in systems. The speakers in Session 2, “Radical Repatterning,” can see what’s beyond the status quo. Below, recaps of the talks in Session 2, in chronological order, from a speaker who will challenge how you think about math to the […]
It’s one thing to dream of what’s possible. But to dedicate your skills, time and talent toward making it a reality? That could make you one of Toyota’s “Dreamers.” At TED2016, Toyota chose three speakers who, through their expertise and innovative problem-solving, are creating positive social change. Each dreamer gets a $10,000 grant, and is […]
On the opening day of TED2016, we heard outrageous ideas from the TED Fellows and one stellar session of talks. Below, highlights for you following at home. The encyclopedia of … a single person. What does one human’s DNA look like — in printed form? When Riccardo Sabatini invites Craig Venter to appear onstage, […]
Tomorrow is a promising day: It’s full of possibility in a way yesterday isn’t, but so much more immediate than the nebulous future. TED2016 kicks off with a session called “Our Tomorrow,” a chance to hear from speakers with big ideas on where we’re headed, from a 10-year-old writer to a titan who creates much of the television you watch today. […]
“A while ago, I tried an experiment,” says Shonda Rhimes, the “titan” behind Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder. “For one year, I would say ‘yes’ to all the things that scared me. Anything that made me nervous or took me out of my comfort zone, I’d say ‘yes.’” Public speaking? Yes. Acting? […]
TED Fellows are scientists, artists and activists and musicians. But they are also biodiversity mathematicians, culinary historians and any other combination of disciplines you can imagine. Below, read short recaps of the talks in the second session of TED Fellows talks at TED2016, each a big idea that will make you think again. Honor thy […]
David Kwong’s TED Talk has been watched at 30,000 feet, accessible through the seat-back TV sets on Delta flights along with a selection of other talks. But on Sunday afternoon, Kwong’s TED talk took to the skies in a very real way. Delta invited the magician aboard the first-ever TED Flight, to entertain 98 lucky TEDsters […]
Some people think outside the box. TED Fellows think outside the lines and corners, but also outside the medical establishment and media landscape — even outside the solar system. Below, read short recaps of the talks in the first session of TED Fellows talks at TED2016, from a group of trailblazers just getting lift-off … Beautiful […]