David Biello: How the compass unlocked the world
David Biello: How long will human impacts last?
Imagine aliens land on Earth a million years from now. What will these curious searchers find of us? They will find what geologists, scientists, and other experts are increasingly calling the Anthropocene, or new age of mankind. David Biello explains how the impacts that humans have made have become so pervasive, profound, and permanent that som...
David Biello: 1816: The year with no summer
In 1815, Mount Tambora erupted and its emissions spread across the globe, blotting out the sun for almost an entire year. This wreaked havoc on agriculture, leading to famines all across the Northern hemisphere. It was the year without summer— one of the darkest periods in human history. So why are some modern researchers considering repeating i...
Kristen Bell + Giant Ant: Why is 1.5 degrees such a big deal?
Kristen Bell + Giant Ant: What is net-zero?
Ryan Panchadsaram, Anjali Grover and David Biello: An updated action plan for solving the climate crisis — and a look at progress to date
When it comes to climate, what are we doing right and where should we focus our efforts next? Systems innovator Ryan Panchadsaram and strategist Anjali Grover talk with TED science curator David Biello about the latest on the world's progress toward solving the climate crisis — and why there's more reason for optimism than you might think. Using...
Kristen Bell + Giant Ant: Why act now?
Kristen Bell + Giant Ant: Why is the world warming up?
Kristen Bell + Giant Ant: Where does all the carbon we release go?
Al Roker, Al Gore, David Biello and Latif Nasser: The science of extreme weather — and how to reduce the harm
Floods, droughts, heat waves and cold blasts -- why is the weather becoming more extreme? Environmentalist and "America's weatherman" Al Roker discusses the link between climate change and disruptions to weather patterns worldwide, followed by a conversation between Nobel laureate Al Gore and TED science curator David Biello about the science of...
Countdown: The 55 gigaton challenge
Victor Vescovo: What's at the bottom of the ocean -- and how we're getting there
Victor Vescovo is leading the first-ever manned expedition to the deepest point of each of the world's five oceans. In conversation with TED science curator David Biello, Vescovo discusses the technology that's powering the explorations -- a titanium submersible designed to withstand extraordinary conditions -- and shows footage of a never-befor...
Audrey Tang: How digital innovation can fight pandemics and strengthen democracy
Can technology create a democracy that's fast, fair ... and even fun? Digital minister Audrey Tang shares how Taiwan avoided a COVID-19 shutdown in early 2020 through innovations like developing apps to map mask availability, crowdsourcing ideas that could become laws and creating a "humor over rumor" campaign to combat disinformation with comed...
Lisa Damour: 3 steps of anxiety overload — and how you can take back control
Anxiety is a normal part of life, so why are we so afraid of it? Psychologist Lisa Damour breaks down how to recognize when anxiety is helpful and when it's harmful, offering simple solutions for calming yourself and taking back control when you feel it slipping away. (This conversation, hosted by TED science curator David Biello, was part of an...
Sonia Shah: How to make pandemics optional, not inevitable
What can past pandemics teach us how to tackle the current one? Tracing the history of contagions from cholera to Ebola and beyond, science journalist Sonia Shah explains why we're more vulnerable to outbreaks now than ever before, what we can do to minimize the spread of coronavirus and how to prevent future pandemics. (This virtual conversatio...
David Brenner: Can light stop the coronavirus?
Far-UVC light is a type of ultraviolet light that kills microbes and viruses and, crucially, seems to be safe to use around humans. Radiation scientist David Brenner describes how we could use this light to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, in hospitals, nursing homes, trains and other public indoor spaces -- pav...
Georges C. Benjamin: The secret weapon against pandemics
The coronavirus pandemic won't be the last crisis to test public health systems worldwide, says physician and health policy leader Georges C. Benjamin. He details what's needed to lead us out of the pandemic and prevent future ones -- including a robust governmental health entity equipped with updated technology and well-trained staff -- and exp...
Emma Marris: Are wild animals really "wild"?
Human activity is affecting the planet in dramatic, unsustainable ways -- including destroying the habitats of wild animals. Considering our obligation to care for the creatures we've impacted, environmental writer Emma Marris dives into the ethics of wildlife management, zoos and aquariums, offering her thoughts on how we can help Earth's wildl...
Anil Seth: How your brain invents your "self"
Who are you, really? Neuroscientist Anil Seth lays out his fascinating new theory of consciousness and self, centered on the notion that we "predict" the world into existence. From sleep to memory and everything in between, Seth explores the reality we experience in our brains -- versus the world as it objectively might be. (This talk and conver...
TED Countdown: TED Countdown Dilemma Series: Carbon credits [Session 1]
Session 1 of TED's Countdown Dilemma Series from June 2022 features scientists, activists, artists, frontline community leaders and more debating the role of carbon credits in a net-zero future. This session focuses on the science of carbon credits, how the current system is failing and various perspectives on how to address these challenges. (F...
Jerome Kim: The trials, tribulations and timeline of a COVID-19 vaccine
Developing a vaccine usually takes five to 10 years, costs about a billion dollars and has a failure rate of 93 percent. Under the pressure of the coronavirus pandemic, scientists are being asked to speed that timeline up to 12 to 18 months, says Jerome Kim, director general of the International Vaccine Institute. How are things going? Kim updat...
Uri Alon: A COVID-19 "exit" strategy to end lockdown and reopen the economy
How can we return to work without spurring a second surge of coronavirus infection? Biologist Uri Alon shares a thought-provoking strategy: four days at work followed by 10 days of lockdown, a cycle that would exploit a weakness in the virus's biology and potentially cut its reproductive rate to a manageable level. Learn more about this approach...
Lucy Cooke: What can animals teach us about sex and gender?
What if we stopped seeing females (of every species) as passive and instead welcomed the extraordinary diversity of sexuality? Through tales of same-sex bird couples, sexually transformative fish and unexpectedly promiscuous chimps, zoologist Lucy Cooke invites us to embrace the "genderless continuum" of females in nature, ditching archaic sexua...
Rebecca Collyer: How to supercharge renewables and energize the world
The power sector generates the electricity that sustains modern life -- but it's also the number one contributor to climate change. We need a swift and equitable shift to renewable energy, says 2023 Audacious Project grantee and ReNew2030 executive director Rebecca Collyer. In conversation with TED's David Biello, she introduces a new coalition ...
Catherine Price: 3 elements of true fun — and how to have more of it
What comes to mind when you think about the most fun moments of your life? Science journalist Catherine Price asked thousands of people across the world this question, and their answers led her to a new definition of "true" fun: a special confluence of playfulness, connection and flow. Hear her thoughts on why having fun is good for your mental ...
Lisa Genova: How your memory works -- and why forgetting is totally OK
Have you ever misplaced something you were just holding? Completely blanked on a famous actor's name? Walked into a room and immediately forgot why? Neuroscientist Lisa Genova digs into two types of memory failures we regularly experience -- and reassures us that forgetting is totally normal. Stay tuned for a conversation with TED science curato...
Anthony Fauci: Is the pandemic actually over? It's complicated
"Be spreaders of facts and truths," says scientist and immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci. Having advised seven US presidents on various disease outbreaks including COVID-19, he shares insights on the present and future of pandemics, backed up by decades of experience in public health. Hear him dive into the latest on protecting yourself from the vi...
TED Countdown: How do we get the world off fossil fuels quickly and fairly?
What are the realistic pathways off of fossil fuels and towards a world of abundant clean energy? TED Countdown gathered for its second Dilemma Series -- events designed to look at some of the tricky challenges of climate change, where diverging positions have stalled progress -- to answer this core question of the climate crisis. Through TED Ta...
TED: Countdown Global Livestream 2021
Combining new TED Talks with live performances, short films, expert conversations and more, the Countdown Global Livestream event vividly explains the climate crisis, focusing on solutions and calling for leaders and citizens everywhere to step up. Hosted by Latif Nasser, with appearances by AsapSCIENCE, Don Cheadle, TED science curator David Bi...
TED Countdown: Is there a role for carbon credits in the transition to a fair, net-zero future?
In June 2022, TED's climate initiative, Countdown, launched its Dilemma Series: events designed to look at some of the "knots" in the climate change space, where diverging positions have stalled progress and solidified into an inability to collaborate across differences. The event focused on the question: Is there a role for carbon credits in th...