David Binder is a major Broadway producer, but last summer he found himself in a small Australian neighborhood, watching locals dance and perform on their lawns -- and loving it. He shows us the new face of arts festivals, which break the boundary between audience and performer and help cities express themselves. Talk by David Binder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Explore the psychology of social identity and in-group bias and discover the conditions that cause people to turn against one another. -- One day a pair of brothers working together as shoemakers had an explosive fight that split the family business in two. Over the coming years, this disagreement divided their town— residents and businesses chose sides. Could such a serious divide really be about shoes? Doesn’t it take more significant differences to produce this degree of conflict? Jay Van Bav...
Each of our bodies is utterly unique, which is a lovely thought until it comes to treating an illness -- when every body reacts differently, often unpredictably, to standard treatment. Tissue engineer Nina Tandon talks about a possible solution: Using pluripotent stem cells to make personalized models of organs on which to test new drugs and treatments, and storing them on computer chips. (Call it extremely personalized medicine.) Talk by Nina Tandon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...
Master a variety of communication skills with TED’s official public speaking course. This course will teach you how to identify, develop and share your best ideas with the world. This video - the first in the series - is available for free. If you'd like to continue on this learning journey, you can purchase the full 11-lesson course. All proceeds support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission to develop and share free high-quality educational materials with the world. Lesson 1 Learning Goal: Identify the q...
A decade ago, Robin Chase founded Zipcar in the US, now the largest car-sharing company in the world. Now she's exploring the next level of car-sharing: Buzzcar, a French startup that lets people rent their own cars to others. The details are fascinating (how does insurance work, exactly?), and the larger vision (she calls it Peers, Inc.) points to a new definition of ownership and entrepreneurship. Talk by Robin Chase. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dig into different strategies that can improve your listening skills so you can become a high quality listener. -- It’s easy to tell when someone’s not paying attention, but it can be surprisingly tricky to know what good listening looks like. Good listening is one of the most important things we can do to improve our relationships, develop our worldview, and potentially change people’s minds. So what can we do to become better listeners? Dig into different strategies that can improve your liste...
Imagine you're a shipwrecked sailor adrift in the enormous Pacific. You can choose one of three directions and save yourself and your shipmates -- but each choice comes with a fearful consequence too. How do you choose? In telling the story of the whaleship Essex, novelist Karen Thompson Walker shows how fear propels imagination, as it forces us to imagine the possible futures and how to cope with them. Talk by Karen Thompson Walker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Explore the history of the European plague doctor, and find out where their iconic outfit of a beaked mask and robe came from. -- The year is 1656. Your body is wracked by violent chills. Your head pounds and you're too weak to sit up. In your feverish state, you see a strange-looking man wearing a beak-like mask, his body covered from head to toe. Without seeing his face, you know: you have the plague. So, where did these iconic outfits come from? Stephanie Honchell Smith explores the history o...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/pros-and-cons-of-public-opinion-polls-jason-robert-jaffe How do public opinion polls work? And, more importantly, are they accurate? Jason Robert Jaffe reveals the complexities and biases of polls and provides tips on how to think about polls as we make everyday decisions. Lesson by Jason Robert Jaffe, animation by Flaming Medusa Studios. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Explore the model known as doughnut economics, which aims to meet the needs of people without overshooting Earth's ecological limits. -- Can we call any economy “healthy” in the face of dwindling resources and growing inequality? What if we cut off our addiction to endless growth, and used a new compass for modern prosperity? One such compass is known as “doughnut economics,” which aims to meet the needs of people without overshooting Earth's ecological limits. Explore how this model reframes ou...
Filmed at TED 2012. View on TED-Ed blog: http://blog.ed.ted.com/2013/05/16/ladies-and-gentlemen-the-hobart-shakespereans/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dig into the construction of the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum that Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan had built for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. -- It’s 1631. Mumtaz Mahal, beloved wife of Emperor Shah Jahan, is giving birth to their 14th child. A healthy girl is born, but Mumtaz dies soon after. Sobbing uncontrollably, the emperor decides to build a tomb worthy of his queen: a replica of paradise to embody their love and project the power of the Mughal Empire for all time. Stephanie Honchell Smith details the const...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/animation-basics-homemade-special-effects-ted-ed Animation is used everywhere to communicate big ideas--in movies, television, and media. Do you ever stop and wonder about the magic of it all? And have you ever wanted to create your own special effects? TED-Ed animators show just how easy (and fun) homemade special effects can be. Lesson and animation by TED-Ed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Explore the current limitations of artificial intelligence and the possibility of creating human-compatible technology. -- In the coming years, artificial intelligence is probably going to change your life— and likely the entire world. But people have a hard time agreeing on exactly how AI will affect our society. Can we build AI systems that help us fix the world? Or are we doomed to a robotic takeover? Explore the limitations of artificial intelligence and the possibility of creating human-com...
James Glattfelder studies complexity: how an interconnected system -- say, a swarm of birds -- is more than the sum of its parts. And complexity theory, it turns out, can reveal a lot about how the economy works. Glattfelder shares a groundbreaking study of how control flows through the global economy, and how concentration of power in the hands of a shockingly small number leaves us all vulnerable. (Filmed at TEDxZurich.) Talk by James B. Glattfelder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...
Travel into the brain to see what happens when you fall in love and explore how the brain responds to heartbreak. -- Love is often described as heartwarming, heart-wrenching, or even heartbreaking— and your brain is responsible for all these feelings. The journey from first spark to the last tear is guided by a symphony of neurochemicals and brain systems. Shannon Odell explores what happens in your brain when you fall in love, how it responds to a relationship, and how it reacts to a breakup. L...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-brilliance-of-bioluminescence-leslie-kenna Some lucky animals are naturally endowed with bioluminescence, or the ability to create light. The firefly, the anglerfish, and a few more surprising creatures use this ability in many ways, including survival, hunting, and mating. Leslie Kenna investigates this magical glow - and our quest to replicate it. Lesson by Leslie Kenna, animation by Cinematic Sweden. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...
Get to know the story of Palmares, an autonomous settlement founded by people escaping slavery in Brazil in the 1600s. -- In the 1600s, an expansive autonomous settlement called Palmares reached its height in Brazil. It was founded and led by people escaping from slavery, also called maroons. It was one of the world’s largest maroon communities, its population reaching beyond 10,000— and its citizens were at constant war with colonial forces. Marc Adam Hertzman & Flavio dos Santos Gomes tell...
Sign up for our newsletter and never miss an animation: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter How did the young, wealthy women of Ancient Rome spend their days? Meet Domitia and her sister Domitia and her sister Domitia and her sister Domitia. Ray Laurence sketches the domestic life of leisure that these young girls lived, despite little recorded information on women from this otherwise well-documented era. Lesson by Ray Laurence, animation by Cognitive Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...
Explore what to do— and not to do— in order to deliver an authentic apology and make amends in a variety of situations. -- Over the years, people have come up with some truly awful apologies. From classic non-apologies, to evasive excuses, and flimsy corporate promises, it’s all too easy to give a bad apology. Good apologies generally share certain elements, and considering these factors can help you make amends in a variety of situations. Explore what to do— and not to do— in order to deliver a...
Kakenya Ntaiya made a deal with her father: She would undergo the traditional Maasai rite of passage of female circumcision if he would let her go to high school. Ntaiya tells the fearless story of continuing on to college and of working with her village elders to build a school for girls in her community. It's the educational journey of one that altered the destiny of 125 young women. (Filmed at TEDxMidAtlantic.) Talk by Kakenya Ntaiya. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...
Explore what we know— and still don’t know— about puberty and its effects on the body and brain. -- While we often talk about puberty’s effect on the body, what gets overlooked are the fascinating changes that happen in the brain. Puberty, in fact, begins in the brain, and lasts as long as five years. And during this extended process, the brain undergoes its own transformation, thanks to estrogen and testosterone. Shannon Odell details what we know— and still don’t know— about puberty. Lesson by...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/biofuels-and-bioprospecting-for-beginners-craig-a-kohn Biofuels can provide energy without the reliance on environmentally harmful fossils fuels -- but scientists are still searching for a plentiful source. Craig A. Kohn demonstrates how cellulose, the naturally abundant tough walls of plant cells, might be the solution. Lesson by Craig A. Kohn, animation by Hache Rodriguez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Explore the three main ways viruses can be driven to extinction, and dig into the possibility of COVID-19 dying out. -- Viruses are wildly successful organisms. There are about 100 million times as many virus particles on Earth as there are stars in the observable universe. Even so, viruses can and do go extinct. So, what is the possibility of the virus that causes COVID-19 going extinct? Explore the three main ways viruses can be driven to extinction. Directed by Anton Bogaty. This video made p...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/your-brain-is-more-than-a-bag-of-chemicals-david-anderson Modern psychiatric drugs treat the chemistry of the whole brain, but neurobiologist David Anderson believes in a more nuanced view of how the brain functions. He illuminates new research that could lead to targeted psychiatric medications -- that work better and avoid side effects. How's he doing it? For a start, by making a bunch of fruit flies angry. (Filmed at TEDxCaltech.) Talk by David Ande...
Explore the psychology of the phenomenon known as cute aggression, which is the urge to squeeze, bite or pinch something cute. -- Watching a kitten fumbling around, it might feel as if you’ve never encountered anything so devastatingly adorable in your mortal life. You may want to pet its soft fur and kiss its tiny head. But you may also feel the conflicting urge… to squeeze or smush the kitten, maybe even stuff it in your mouth. What is this peculiar phenomenon? Joshua Paul Dale explores the ur...
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/weaving-narratives-in-museum-galleries-thomas-p-campbell As the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Thomas P. Campbell thinks deeply about curating—not just selecting art objects, but placing them in a setting where the public can learn their stories. With glorious images, he shows how his curation philosophy works for displaying medieval tapestries—and for the over-the-top fashion/art of Alexander McQueen. (From The Design Studio s...
Explore how beavers build their impressive dams, and what impact these structures have on the surrounding environment. -- Nestled in the forests of Canada sits the world’s longest beaver dam. This 850-meter-long structure is large enough to be seen in satellite imagery and has dramatically transformed the region, creating a pond containing 70 million liters of water. But dams of any size can have huge impacts on their environment. So how exactly do beavers build these impressive structures? Glyn...
Chemist Lee Cronin is working on a 3D printer that, instead of objects, is able to print molecules. An exciting potential long-term application: printing your own medicine using chemical inks. Talk by Lee Cronin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thomas Jefferson was a founding father of the United States — but were his principles outweighed by his participation in slavery? -- Thomas Jefferson, founding father of the United States and primary author of the Declaration of Independence, was part of America’s fight for freedom and equality. But in his personal life, he held over 600 people in slavery. Are his enlightened principles outweighed by his participation in a greater injustice? Frank Cogliano puts this controversial figure on trial...
