Currently browsing: TED Talks

What illusion are you believing? Magician and puzzle master David Kwong knows a thing or two about tricking our brains. Here’s how we can use those insights to see our own biases and make ourselves less vulnerable to deception.

Image: A man wearing the headset and staring out into the distance at a sunset

25 minutes

[ Innovation ]

What if You Could Record All of Your Memories?

Want more control over your life? This piece of wearable technology may help us all do just that by recording our experiences. The creator of this innovation tells us all about the ways this can be utilized, from understanding ourselves better, to making better decisions, to assisting Alzheimer’s patients. Check this out!

Image: Grandmother looking through binoculars

16 minutes

[ TED Talks ]

Aging Gracefully Alongside Your Loved Ones

What if love and laughter could replace some of the struggles we face as our loved ones age and their memories decline? Could we see them and ourselves in new ways? Here are some insights from caretakers who have found ways to bring their relationships to life with a little creativity.

Image: Paper towel dispenser overflowing

9 minutes

Save the World One Paper Towel at a Time

Want to be a part of making the world a little better place? Here’s a profoundly simple but impactful way to start! The U.S. uses 13 billion pounds of paper towels a year! And you—yes you—can begin to make a dent in that after you learn to shake and fold.

Image: Two coffee cups sitting in front of a cactus

17 minutes

[ Culture ]

#DialogueCoffee: Why We Need More Difficult Conversations

The world can feel pretty divided right now, but we have a fix for you. It’s a technique called #DialogueCoffee and it makes talking to someone with an opposing viewpoint on the world a little easier (and much much more rewarding). Here’s the story of how it came to be!

13 minutes

[ Creativity ]

There’s a Common Language We All Speak!

You are fluent in a language that you don’t even realize you know! And it might be a place we can find some real fun and eventually share the struggle for connection.

Image: A diver close in front of a sperm whale

25 minutes

[ Nature ]

Sperm Whales’ Clicks are Expanding Possibility!

What if sperm whales are communicating with language far more complex than we are? Could our view of ourselves change if we learn that they may be as capable of future planning, reasoning, and emotions like love and empathy? These mysteries are beginning to be unraveled!

13 minutes

[ Thought Leaders ]

How to Catch the Winds of Luck

What if you could have more luck without just wishing for it? Here’s a Stanford Professor, with decades of research, pointing to 3 simple ways to start increasing the odds of finding more “good luck” in your life!

26 minutes

[ Creativity ]

Can Super Mario Teach Us To Be More Successful?

By Dakota Phenix

There’s a tendency to look at what stands in our way to success and feel overwhelmed. But Mark Rober has a novel method to get around this, and he calls it the Super Mario Effect. Now, THIS is a game-changer!

Image: Two figures offer each other things to trade

16 minutes

How to Trade a Paperclip for a House

Now here’s a TED Talk that is both fun and transformational! The best ideas are a win/win for everyone and this one certainly qualifies. After this, you’ll never look at your “stuff” in the same way.

Image: Two people highfiving in a laboratory

20 minutes

[ Science ]

Community Laboratories are Changing What’s Possible

Genspace is the world’s first DIY biolab; letting members of the community from all walks of life get a closer look at the building blocks of our world. Science isn’t just for scientists, and the amazing projects and discoveries coming from Genspace and community laboratories like it, are proving this to be true.

Image: Painting from Zaria Forman of the Getz Ice Shelf in Antarctica viewed from above

16 minutes

[ Creativity ]

When Art and Science Intersect

This isn’t a photograph of the Getz Ice Shelf, its a drawing! Zaria Forman creates large-scale depictions of glaciers, and NASA’s Operation IceBridge invited her on a trip to get even closer to them. Here’s that story and the gorgeous creations that came from it!

Image: Icelandic horse in front of a barren landscape

30 minutes

[ Nature ]

Iceland’s Comeback Story

By Dakota Phenix

Iceland may be well known for its barren and sweeping landscapes, but the island didn’t always look like that. Here’s how scientists are using the latest science to regrow Iceland’s long-lost forests.

Image: A beautiful landscape of green wheat fields on one side and brown wheat fields on the other

18 minutes

[ Happiness & Hope ]

Janine Shepherd: The Flight of an Unstoppable Spirit

A world of possibilities is waiting for us if we lighten our load! Here is an amazing person to be our guide.

25 minutes

[ Animals ]

You’re Probably More Like a Crow than You Thought

These birds probably live near you, but have you ever noticed just how intelligent they are? No? Well, you’re in for a treat.

Image: Herd of 8 elephants on the savannah against a beautiful blue sky.

7 minutes

[ Animals ]

Celebrating Elephant Intelligence!

They’re a favorite animal for many, but how much do we all actually know about how elephants interact with the world? Here’s your quick overview!

15 minutes

[ Business ]

A More Creative Future with Smog Vacuums and Glowing Sidewalks

What if every construction project needed to have both a practical outcome and a component past that; something that expands possibility? Here’s a guided tour of what that world might look like!

Image: Two children eating ice cream and a Popsicle. One wanting the other's treat.

30 minutes

[ Health ]

Down the Hatch! But Now What?

This is an article for the fearlessly curious, the kind of person who when hearing the colon referred to as “charming” must investigate! (There’s also our second brains and a team of good bacteria to discover!)

Image: A group of traditionally dressed girls in China laughing and having a conversation

15 minutes

[ Psychology ]

How Does Language Shape the Way You See the World?

Lera Boroditsky shows us how our language shapes our perception of the world in her fascinating TED talk! What are the implications of these variations?

Image: Coast Guard Graduates in white suits toss their hats in the air

16 minutes

Abundance is Our Future!

It’s easy to concede that the world is going to hell in a handbasket, but the data shows the opposite! Here’s the CEO of the X-Prize foundation to clue us in on where we are headed and why!

Image: Cross-Section of a blade of grass with cells that look like smiling faces of plants communitating

40 minutes

Are Plants “Talking” to Each Other? They Are!

Trees may seem like some of the planet’s quietest living things, but it turns out that they and their other plant friends are actually communicating with each other in amazing and complex ways!

Image: A volcano in the distance with lush jungle in the foreground

20 minutes

Costa Rica: A Country (Almost) Free of Fossil Fuels

In 2017, Costa Rica went 300 days without using fossil fuels to generate their electricity! How did they pull this off? Monica Araya, the co-founder of Costa Rica Limpia gives us a look into how a decision in the 1940s set them up for success.

Image: Man pretending to talk to a sculpture of an old man sitting on a bench reading the newspaper

20 minutes

[ Life Hacks ]

Here’s How to Talk to Strangers

There are a lot of great people out there that you don’t know! If you’d like to change that, or at least make your introductions easier, here are a few tips.

Image: The Globe at European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) at night

14 minutes

[ Business ]

The Best Way to Improve the World Around Us

Here is a TED Talk that could be a prescription for solving many of the world’s most vexing problems! What if we emulated some of the quirkier characteristics of the most original thinkers and idea people?

17 minutes

Sustainable Energy from Algae and Much More!

As we argue about the future of our fuel sources, we may be swimming right past the answer! Algae can produce Sustainable Energy and much more!

Image: A red lollipop lays on a counter-top reflecting light

9 minutes

[ Curators' Best ]

The Power of Giving People a “Lollipop Moment”

Heard anything about “Lollipop Moments”? Here’s an amazing metaphor to remember how easy it is to fundamentally improve someone’s life with just a simple turn of a phrase!

Image: A red tree shaped like a heart in a field of red flowers

29 minutes

[ Happiness & Hope ]

The Mathematics of Finding Love

Know someone who might need some new insights into finding love? Here’s how mathematics can improve everyone’s chances of finding that special someone!

24 minutes

[ Happiness & Hope ]

Grab Your Hat! You’re About to Become a Space Archaeologist.