TED Talks Daily

How community-led conservation can save wildlife | Moreangels Mbizah

01 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Conservationist and TED Fellow Moreangels Mbizah studied the famous Cecil the lion until he was shot by a trophy hunter in 2015. She wonders how thing...

Why you should shop at your local farmers market | Mohammad Modarres

01 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The average farmer in America makes less than 15 cents of every dollar on a product that you purchase at a store. They feed our communities, but farme...

Four billion years of evolution in six minutes | Prosanta Chakrabarty

30 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Did humans evolve from monkeys or from fish? In this enlightening talk, ichthyologist and TED Fellow Prosanta Chakrabarty dispels some hardwired myths...

You may be accidentally investing in cigarette companies | Bronwyn King

27 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Tobacco causes more than seven million deaths every year -- and many of us are far more complicit in the problem than we realize. In a bold talk, onco...

A wall won’t solve America’s border problems | Will Hurd

26 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

“Building a 30-foot-high concrete structure from sea to shining sea is the most expensive and least effective way to do border security,” says Con...

How we’re building the world’s largest family tree | Yaniv Erlich

25 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Genealogist Yaniv Erlich helped build the world’s largest family tree -- comprising 13 million people and going back more than 500 years. He shares ...

How couples can sustain a strong sexual connection for a lifetime | Emily Nagoski

24 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As a sex educator, Emily Nagoski is often asked: How do couples sustain a strong sexual connection over the long term? In this funny, insightful talk,...

A bold plan to empower 1.6 million out-of-school girls in India | Safeena Husain

23 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

“Girls’ education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet to help solve some of the world’s most difficult problems,” says social entr...

4 questions you should always ask your doctor | Christer Mjåset

19 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

“Doctor, is this really necessary?” Backed by startling statistics about overtreatment, neurosurgeon Christer Mjåset explains the power of this a...

How we use astrophysics to study earthbound problems | Federica Bianco

17 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

To study a system as complex as the entire universe, astrophysicists need to be experts at extracting simple solutions from large data sets. What else...

How climate change could make our food less nutritious | Kristie Ebi

16 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Rising carbon levels in the atmosphere can make plants grow faster, but there’s another hidden consequence: they rob plants of the nutrients and vit...

The dirty secret of capitalism -- and a new way forward | Nick Hanauer

13 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Rising inequality and growing political instability are the direct result of decades of bad economic theory, says entrepreneur Nick Hanauer. In a visi...

Community-powered criminal justice reform | Raj Jayadev

13 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Community organizer Raj Jayadev wants to transform the US court system through "participatory defense" -- a growing movement that empowers families an...

What reading slowly taught me about writing | Jacqueline Woodson

12 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Reading slowly -- with her finger running beneath the words, even when she was taught not to -- has led Jacqueline Woodson to a life of writing books ...

A “living drug” that could change the way we treat cancer | Carl June

10 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Carl June is the pioneer behind CAR T-cell therapy: a groundbreaking cancer treatment that supercharges part of a patient's own immune system to attac...

How we can turn racism into a solvable problem -- and improve policing | Phillip Atiba Goff

09 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When we define racism as behaviors instead of feelings, we can measure it -- and transform it from an impossible problem into a solvable one, says jus...

Why I became a climate activist -- and why you should too | Luisa Neubauer

06 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"I dream of a world where geography classes teach about the climate crisis as this one great challenge that was won by people like you and me," says c...

Inside the bizarre world of internet trolls and propagandists | Andrew Marantz

05 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist Andrew Marantz spent three years embedded in the world of internet trolls and social media propagandists, seeking out the people who are pr...

How to teach teenagers to think critically about porn | Emily F. Rothman

04 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"The free, online, mainstream pornography that teenagers are most likely to see is a completely terrible form of sex education," says public health re...

What happened when we paired up thousands of strangers to talk politics | Jochen Wegner

03 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In spring 2019, more than 17,000 Europeans from 33 countries signed up to have a political argument with a complete stranger. They were part of "Europ...

A climate change solution that’s right under our feet | Asmeret Asefaw Berhe

03 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There’s two times more carbon in the earth's soil than in all of its vegetation and the atmosphere -- combined. Biogeochemist Asmeret Asefaw Berhe d...

Emergency medicine for our climate fever | Kelly Wanser

01 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As we recklessly warm the planet by pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, some industrial emissions also produce particles that reflect sunshi...

How I escaped North Korea -- and found freedom | Yeonmi Park

30 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"North Korea is unimaginable," says human rights activist Yeonmi Park, who escaped the country at the age of 10. Sharing the harrowing story of her ch...

How I help people understand vitiligo | Lee Thomas

29 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TV news anchor Lee Thomas thought his career was over after he was diagnosed with vitiligo, an autoimmune disorder that left large patches of his skin...

How technology can fight extremism and online harassment | Yasmin Green

28 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Can technology make people safer from threats like violent extremism, censorship and persecution? In this illuminating talk, technologist Yasmin Green...

How climate change affects your mental health | Britt Wray

27 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"For all that's ever been said about climate change, we haven't heard nearly enough about the psychological impacts of living in a warming world," say...

How the West can adapt to a rising Asia | Kishore Mahbubani

26 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As Asian economies and governments continue to gain power, the West needs to find ways to adapt to the new global order, says author and diplomat Kish...

Ping-pong and the riddle of victory | Pico Iyer

23 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Growing up in England, Pico Iyer was taught that the point of a game was to win. Now, some 50 years later, he's realized that competition can be "more...

The power to think ahead in a reckless age | Bina Venkataraman

22 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In a forward-looking talk, author Bina Venkataraman answers a pivotal question of our time: How can we secure our future and do right by future genera...

Family, hope and resilience on the migrant trail | Jon Lowenstein

21 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For the past 20 years, photographer and TED Fellow Jon Lowenstein has documented the migrant journey from Latin America to the United States, one of t...

How craving attention makes you less creative | Joseph Gordon-Levitt

20 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has gotten more than his fair share of attention from his acting career. But as social media exploded over the past decade, he go...

The surprising ingredient that makes businesses work better | Marco Alverà

19 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What is it about unfairness? Whether it's not being invited to a friend's wedding or getting penalized for bad luck or an honest mistake, unfairness o...

The history of human emotions | Tiffany Watt Smith

16 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The words we use to describe our emotions affect how we feel, says historian Tiffany Watt Smith, and they've often changed (sometimes very dramaticall...

Looking for a job? Highlight your ability, not your experience | Jason Shen

15 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Very few of us hold jobs that line up directly with our past experiences or what we studied in college. Take TED Resident Jason Shen; he studied biolo...

A new way to remove CO2 from the atmosphere | Jennifer Wilcox

14 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Our planet has a carbon problem -- if we don't start removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, we'll grow hotter, faster. Chemical engineer Jennife...

Why I train grandmothers to treat depression | Dixon Chibanda

13 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Dixon Chibanda is one of 12 psychiatrists in Zimbabwe -- for a population of more than 16 million. Realizing that his country would never be able to s...

How to tame your wandering mind | Amishi Jha

12 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Amishi Jha studies how we pay attention: the process by which our brain decides what's important out of the constant stream of information it receives...

Be humble -- and other lessons from the philosophy of water | Raymond Tang

09 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How do we find fulfillment in a world that's constantly changing? Raymond Tang struggled with this question until he came across the ancient Chinese p...

Want to change the world? Start by being brave enough to care | Cleo Wade

08 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Artist and poet Cleo Wade recites a moving poem about being an advocate for love and acceptance in a time when both seem in short supply. Woven betwee...

Want to get great at something? Get a coach | Atul Gawande

07 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How do we improve in the face of complexity? Atul Gawande has studied this question with a surgeon's precision. He shares what he's found to be the ke...

How to get back to work after a career break | Carol Fishman Cohen

06 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If you've taken a career break and are now looking to return to the workforce, would you consider taking an internship? Career reentry expert Carol Fi...

Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong | Johann Hari

05 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What really causes addiction -- to everything from cocaine to smart-phones? And how can we overcome it? Johann Hari has seen our current methods fail ...

The human skills we need in an unpredictable world | Margaret Heffernan

01 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The more we on technology to make us efficient, the fewer skills we have to confront the unexpected, says writer and entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan. ...

What it was like to grow up under China's one-child policy | Nanfu Wang

31 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

China's one-child policy ended in 2015, but we're just beginning to understand what it was like to live under the program, says TED Fellow and documen...

How policewomen make communities safer | Ivonne Roman

30 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Less 13 percent of police officers in the United States are women -- despite their proven effectiveness in diffusing violent situations and reducing t...

Why governments should prioritize well-being | Nicola Sturgeon

29 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In 2018, Scotland, Iceland and New Zealand established the network of Wellbeing Economy Governments to challenge the acceptance of GDP as the ultimate...

The world's "Third Pole" is melting away. Here's how we can stop it from disappearing | Tshering Tobgay

25 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Hindu Kush Himalaya region is the world's third-largest repository of ice, after the North and South Poles -- and if current melting rates continu...

When in life are you most likely to succeed? | Albert-László Barabási

24 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Backed by mathematical analysis, network theorist Albert-László Barabási explores the hidden mechanisms that drive success -- no matter your field ...

The architectural wonder of impermanent cities | Rahul Mehrotra

22 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Every 12 years, a megacity springs up in India for the Kumbh Mela religious festival -- what's built in ten weeks is completely disassembled in one. W...

What explains the rise of humans? | Yuval Noah Harari

19 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Seventy thousand years ago, our human ancestors were insignificant animals, just minding their own business in a corner of Africa with all the other a...

How we can improve maternal healthcare -- before, during and after pregnancy | Elizabeth Howell

18 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Shocking, but true: the United States has the highest rate of deaths for new mothers of any developed country -- and 60 percent of them are preventabl...

A new way to get every child ready for kindergarten | Claudia Miner

17 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Early education is critical to children's success -- but millions of kids in the United States still don't have access to programs that prepare them t...

The fundamental right to seek asylum | Melanie Nezer

16 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Refugee and immigrants rights attorney Melanie Nezer shares an urgently needed historical perspective on the crisis at the southern US border, showing...

The fascinating places scientists aren't exploring | Ella Al-Shamahi

15 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We're not doing frontline exploratory science in a huge portion of the world -- the places governments deem too hostile or disputed. What might we be ...

How I'm using film to end honor killings in Pakistan | Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

12 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Film has the power to change the way we think about ourselves and our culture. Documentarian and TED Fellow Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy uses it to fight vio...

How we're honoring people overlooked by history | Amy Padnani

11 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Since its founding in 1851, the "New York Times" has published thousands of obituaries -- for heads of state, famous celebrities, even the inventor of...

Why it's worth listening to people we disagree with | Zachary R. Wood

10 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We get stronger, not weaker, by engaging with ideas and people we disagree with, says Zachary R. Wood. In an important talk about finding common groun...

The price of shame | Monica Lewinsky

06 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"Public shaming as a blood sport has to stop," says Monica Lewinsky. In 1998, she says, “I was Patient Zero of losing a personal reputation on a glo...

3 ways to measure your adaptability -- and how to improve it | Natalie Fratto

05 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When venture investor Natalie Fratto is determining which start-up founder to support, she doesn't just look for intelligence or charisma; she looks f...

American bipartisan politics can be saved — here's how | Bob Inglis

04 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Former Republican member of the U.S. Congress Bob Inglis shares an optimistic message about how conservatives can lead on climate change and other pre...

A vision for the future of Sierra Leone | Julius Maada Bio

03 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Julius Maada Bio first seized political power in Sierra Leone in 1996, he did so to improve the lives of its citizens. But he soon realized that ...

Space traffic is our next wicked environmental problem | Moriba Jah

02 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"Most of what we send into outer space never comes back," says astrodynamicist and TED Fellow Moriba Jah. In this forward-thinking talk, Jah describes...

3 lessons of revolutionary love in a time of rage | Valarie Kaur

01 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What's the antidote to rising nationalism, polarization and hate? In this inspiring, poetic talk, Valarie Kaur asks us to reclaim love as a revolution...

My wish: Protect our oceans | Sylvia Earle

29 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Legendary ocean researcher Sylvia Earle shares astonishing images of the ocean -- and shocking stats about its rapid decline -- as she makes her TED P...

The next big thing is coming from the Bronx, again | Jon Gray

28 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"The hood is good," says Jon Gray of the Bronx, New York-based creative collective Ghetto Gastro. Working at the intersection of food, design and art,...

You are not alone in your loneliness | Jonny Sun

27 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Being open and vulnerable with your loneliness, sadness and fear can help you find comfort and feel less alone, says writer and artist Jonny Sun. In a...

How to ask for help -- and get a "yes" | Heidi Grant

26 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Asking for help is tough. But to get through life, you have to do it all the time. So how do you get comfortable asking? In this actionable talk, soci...

Why we need to fight misinformation about vaccines | Ethan Lindenberger

25 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ethan Lindenberger never got vaccinated as a kid. So one day, he went on Reddit and asked a simple question: "Where do I go to get vaccinated?" The po...

Why kids need to learn about gender and sexuality | Lindsay Amer

24 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Lindsay Amer is the creator of "Queer Kid Stuff," an educational video series that breaks down complex ideas around gender and sexuality through songs...

What will future jobs look like? | Andrew McAfee

22 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Economist Andrew McAfee suggests that, yes, probably, droids will take our jobs -- or at least the kinds of jobs we know now. In this far-seeing talk,...

The power of introverts | Susan Cain

20 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In a culture where being social and outgoing are prized above all else, it can be difficult, even shameful, to be an introvert. But, as Susan Cain arg...

How synthetic biology could wipe out humanity -- and how we can stop it | Rob Reid

18 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

5 challenges we could solve by designing new proteins | David Baker

17 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Proteins are remarkable molecular machines: they digest your food, fire your neurons, power your immune system and so much more. What if we could desi...

How AI can save our humanity | Kai-Fu Lee

13 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

AI is massively transforming our world, but there's one thing it cannot do: love. In a visionary talk, computer scientist Kai-Fu Lee details how the U...

Why we get mad -- and why it's healthy | Ryan Martin

12 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Anger researcher Ryan Martin draws from a career studying what makes people mad to explain some of the cognitive processes behind anger -- and why a h...

3 steps to turn everyday get-togethers into transformative gatherings | Priya Parker

11 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Why do some gatherings take off and others don't? Author Priya Parker shares three easy steps to turn your parties, dinners, meetings and holidays int...

The mysterious microbes living deep inside the earth -- and how they could help humanity | Karen Lloyd

10 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The ground beneath your feet is home to a massive, mysterious world of microbes -- some of which have been in the earth's crust for hundreds of thousa...

An ingenious proposal for scaling up marine protection | Mark Tercek

08 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Island and coastal nations need to protect their waters in order for our oceans to stay healthy. But they often have lots of debt and aren't able to p...

The most detailed map of galaxies, black holes and stars ever made | Juna Kollmeier

07 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Humans have been studying the stars for thousands of years, but astrophysicist Juna Kollmeier is on a special mission: creating the most detailed 3-D ...

The healing power of reading | Michelle Kuo

06 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Reading and writing can be acts of courage that bring us closer to others and ourselves. Author Michelle Kuo shares how teaching reading skills to her...

The lies our culture tells us about what matters -- and a better way to live | David Brooks

05 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Our society is in the midst of a social crisis, says op-ed columnist and author David Brooks: we're trapped in a valley of isolation and fragmentation...

"Everything happens for a reason" -- and other lies I've loved | Kate Bowler

04 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In life's toughest moments, how do you go on living? Kate Bowler has been exploring this question ever since she was diagnosed with stage IV cancer at...

The art of asking | Amanda Palmer

03 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

The story we tell about millennials -- and who we leave out | Reniqua Allen

31 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Millennials are now the largest, most diverse adult population in the US -- but far too often, they're reduced to the worn-out stereotype of lazy, ent...

What it takes to launch a telescope | Erika Hamden

30 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TED Fellow and astronomer Erika Hamden leads the team building FIREBall, a telescope that hangs from a giant balloon at the very edge of space and loo...

This bacteria eats plastic | Morgan Vague

28 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Humans produce 300 million tons of new plastic each year -- yet, despite our best efforts, less than 10 percent of it ends up being recycled. Is there...

My descent into America's neo-Nazi movement -- and how I got out | Christian Picciolini

27 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

At 14, Christian Picciolini went from naïve teenager to white supremacist -- and soon, the leader of the first neo-Nazi skinhead gang in the United S...

What prosecutors and incarcerated people can learn from each other | Jarrell Daniels

24 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A few weeks before his release from prison, Jarrell Daniels took a class where incarcerated men learned alongside prosecutors. By simply sitting toget...

My identity is a superpower -- not an obstacle | America Ferrera

23 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Hollywood needs to stop resisting what the world actually looks like, says actor, director and activist America Ferrera. Tracing the contours of her c...

The next global agricultural revolution | Bruce Friedrich

21 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Meat production is destroying the planet and jeopardizing our health -- but people aren't going to eat less meat unless we give them alternatives that...

Mosquitos, malaria and education | Bill Gates

21 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Bill Gates hopes to solve some of the world's biggest problems using a new kind of philanthropy. In a passionate and, yes, funny 18 minutes, he asks u...

Roger McNamee takes on big tech

16 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded live at TED2019 for the TED Interview podcast: Roger McNamee -- early investor in Facebook turned outspoken critic -- sits down for an extend...

What you should know about vaping and e-cigarettes | Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin

15 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

E-cigarettes and vapes have exploded in popularity in the last decade, especially among youth and young adults -- from 2011 to 2015, e-cigarette use a...

If I should have a daughter ... | Sarah Kay

14 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"If I should have a daughter, instead of Mom, she's gonna call me Point B ... " began spoken word poet Sarah Kay, in a talk that inspired two standing...

The surprisingly charming science of your gut | Giulia Enders

13 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ever wonder how we poop? Learn about the gut -- the system where digestion (and a whole lot more) happens -- as doctor and author Giulia Enders takes ...

The case for having kids | Wajahat Ali

09 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The global fertility rate, or the number of children per woman, has halved over the last 50 years. What will having fewer babies mean for the future o...

The crisis of leadership -- and a new way forward | Halla Tómasdóttir and Bryn Freedman

08 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What should modern leadership look like? Entrepreneur and former Icelandic presidential candidate Halla Tómasdóttir thinks global leaders need to ch...

How to revive your belief in democracy | Eric Liu

07 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Civic evangelist Eric Liu shares a powerful way to rekindle the spirit of citizenship and the belief that democracy still works. Join him for a trip t...

How to transform apocalypse fatigue into action on global warming | Per Espen Stoknes

03 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The biggest obstacle to dealing with climate disruptions lies between your ears, says psychologist and economist Per Espen Stokes. He's spent years st...

How supercharged plants could slow climate change | Joanne Chory

02 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Plants are amazing machines -- for millions of years, they've taken carbon dioxide out of the air and stored it underground, keeping a crucial check o...