If you've ever watched a video of someone doing some crazy parkour daredevil stuff, you might have wondered how they're still in the gene pool. But it turns out that all that dangerous behavior may be a pretty good thing after all, and...

Scott Galloway addresses a question about the actionable potential of his talk, which connects a dense array of issues and inspires a desire for change. He emphasizes political engagement, support for young people through local...

It's daybreak in the city of Chan Chan, and former soldier Maxo has been up all night fretting. Last night, a friend stopped by and instructed him to go to the plaza at noon to receive an important message. But with the recent defeat of...

The world-changing promise of synthetic biology and gene editing has a dark side. In this far-seeing talk, author and entrepreneur Rob Reid reviews the risks of a world where more and more people have access to the tools and tech needed...

Sharing his experience of being held captive in a Taliban prison for 105 days, humanitarian Safi Rauf talks about his life's mission to get food, medicine and other critical supplies to Afghans in need -- and urges the world to bolster...

At age 81, actor and activist Jane Fonda is putting herself on the line for the planet -- literally. In a video interview with TEDWomen curator Pat Mitchell, Fonda speaks about getting arrested multiple times during Fire Drill Fridays,...

Investing in green energy, holding large corporations accountable for their pollution, stopping pipeline and oil extraction initiatives -- these are non-negotiable actions to protect the planet, but they are still just the bare minimum,...

Thanks to spotted hyenas’ unusual social structure, males experience a tough life of solitude, harassment, and deprivation.

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Don't make people pay for music, says Amanda Palmer: Let them. In a passionate talk that begins in her days as a street performer (drop a dollar in the hat for the Eight-Foot Bride!), she examines the new relationship between artist and...

Who doesn’t love to gaze at a beautiful butterfly fluttering by? Aesthetically speaking, they are simply wonderful to watch. Wonderful, that is, unless you are getting a rare glimpse of pheromone laced coremata.

Composer and conductor Eric Whitacre has inspired millions by bringing together "virtual choirs," singers from many countries spliced together on video. Now, for the first time ever, he creates the experience in real time, as 32 singers...

The Tyrannosaurus genus might have been more diverse than we thought. And researchers show how the composition of the early Earth could have accelerated its move towards habitability.

In the wake of the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami, mixed into the wreckage were lost and damaged photos of families and loved ones. Photo retoucher Becci Manson, together with local volunteers and a global group of colleagues she...

The prevailing image of where refugees live is of temporary camps in isolated areas -- but in reality, nearly 60 percent of them worldwide end up in urban areas. TED Fellow Robert Hakiza takes us inside the lives of urban refugees -- and...

A mountain separating two lakes. A room papered floor to ceiling with bridal satins. The lid of an immense snuffbox. These seemingly unrelated images take us on a tour of a sperm whale's head in Herman Melville's "Moby Dick." Though the...

With help from some surprising footage, Derek Sivers explains how movements really get started. (Hint: it takes two.)

Aziz Abu Sarah is a Palestinian activist with an unusual approach to peace-keeping: Be a tourist. The TED Fellow shows how simple interactions with people in different cultures can erode decades of hate. He starts with Palestinians...

In which Mike Rugnetta sits you down for a little talk about myth as a way to construct or reinforce social orders. Specifically, we're going to look today at stories from around the world that establish or amplify the idea that the...

Comedian Aparna Nancherla loves to take out the trash. In this funny and sharp meditation on garbage -- "the stuff that our modern, consumerist, carbon-powered culture makes us buy endlessly, and often for no reason" -- she shares...

A lack of infrastructure in parts of Africa has made unregulated, gas-powered motorcycle taxis widespread -- a system that gets people where they need to be, but heavily pollutes the air and excludes drivers from the formal economy. TED...

It’s easy to assume that people who join cults have something wrong with them, but usually the people who join cults are just like the rest of us. So, how does it happen?

This video is about cutting, taping, and rearranging the periodic table into the Left Step form, the Mendeleev's flower form, the cake form, the wide form, the standard form, and so on. A great holiday...

"The Little Prince" explores the complexities of life, wisdom, beauty, grief, and loss. Through the story of a young prince and his encounters with various characters, the book challenges readers to reflect on the importance of genuine...

In this video, explore wireless security techniques, including WPA, WPA2, and 802.1X, to protect wireless networks from unauthorized access.