We've all heard that robots are going to take our jobs -- but what can we do about it? Innovation expert David Lee says that we should start designing jobs that unlock our hidden talents and passions -- the things we spend our weekends doing -- to keep us relevant in the age of robotics. "Start asking people what problems they're inspired to sol...

A cat's bladder can only store a golf ball's worth of urine. For humans, it's a coffee mug and for elephants, a kitchen trash can. An elephant's bladder is 400 times the size of a cat's, but it doesn't take an elephant 400 times longer to pee. So, how does this work? David L. Hu digs into what scientists call the "Other Golden Rule." [Directed b...

1,700 years ago, Chinese alchemist Ge Hong was renowned for his soup that could cure diarrhea-stricken patients. It had a surprising secret ingredient: feces. While it might seem unwise to consume feces, exciting new research suggests that taking poop into the body in other ways might benefit our health. Kathryn M. Stephenson & David L. Susk...

In a story of scientific discovery, chemical biologist David R. Liu shares a breakthrough: his lab's development of base editors that can rewrite DNA. This crucial step in genome editing takes the promise of CRISPR to the next level: if CRISPR proteins are molecular scissors, programmed to cut specific DNA sequences, then base editors are pencil...

Technologist Kai-Fu Lee describes the high-stakes battle between the West and China in artificial intelligence, and what it means for the future of work. (Audio only)

New York Times pundit David Brooks describes a plan to rebuild broken communities and offers actionable steps to live a more meaningful life. (Audio only)

David McCandless turns complex data sets (like worldwide military spending, media buzz, Facebook status updates) into beautiful, simple diagrams that tease out unseen patterns and connections. Good design, he suggests, is the best way to navigate information glut -- and it may just change the way we see the world.

Philosopher-comedian Emily Levine talks (hilariously) about science, math, society and the way everything connects. She's a brilliant trickster, poking holes in our fixed ideas and bringing hidden truths to light. Settle in and let her ping your brain.

Would you kill for a pair of Air Jordans? Lemon Andersen spins a tale of someone who did, reciting a poem by Reg E. Gaines. These verses taught Lemon that poetry could be about more than self-expression, and could sound like music when given rhythm and infused with the grit of the New York streets around him.

Asteroid strikes get all the coverage, but "Medea Hypothesis" author Peter Ward argues that most of Earth's mass extinctions were caused by lowly bacteria. The culprit, a poison called hydrogen sulfide, may have an interesting application in medicine.

Diagnosed with cancer, Bruce Feiler worried first about his young family. So -- as he shares in this funny, rambling and ultimately thoughtful talk -- he asked his closest friends to become a "council of dads," bringing their own lifetimes of wisdom to advise his twin daughters as they grow.

Group brainstorming is usually where creativity goes to die. But at The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, they have it down to a science. Adam grant takes us behind the scenes in the writers' room to show how creative collaboration really works, and reveals what inspires people to share their best -- and worst -- ideas. This episode is brought to you...

In this absorbing look at emerging media and tech history, Peter Hirshberg shares some crucial lessons from Silicon Valley and explains why the web is so much more than "better TV."

What if you could tell your co-workers what you really think of them? At the world's most successful hedge fund, everyone is rated and ranked constantly -- in front of everyone. They've figured out how to embrace negative feedback, and they swear it's essential to their success. Adam Grant shows how you can learn to take criticism well -- and ge...

Memory is a skill you can learn -- and a powerful strategy every workplace can harness. (Audio only)

Open office plans. Learning styles. 10,000 hours of practice. "Freakonomics" host Stephen Dubner joins Adam Grant for a live conversation to reveal why some popular workplace fads might be bogus -- and what to do instead.

Are you an introvert ... or an extrovert? You might not know yourself as well as you think. Adam Grant talks with "Quiet" author Susan Cain and visits a workplace where personality training starts even before job training, to help you discover what your traits really are -- and how you can stretch beyond them. This episode is brought to you by W...

In a special live taping at the 92nd Street Y in New York, Adam talks with Revisionist History's Malcolm Gladwell about how to avoid doing highly undesirable tasks, what makes an idea interesting, and why Malcolm thinks we shouldn't root for the underdog. This episode is brought to you by Accenture, Bonobos, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Warby Pa...

You manage your own emotions at work -- and your coworkers' and customers' emotions, too. How do you do it without burning out? To find out how to get into character, deliver a great performance and avoid exhaustion, Adam Grant talks with actor John Lithgow and takes you inside the call center at Zappos as well as the hospitality philosophy of a...

The Butler Bulldogs have a habit of shocking college basketball fans by beating top teams with far more talent. How do they do it? Adam Grant joins the team to talk about why stars are overrated and role players are underrated -- and how humility can go hand in hand with confidence. Also featuring "Moneyball" author Michael Lewis and Brad Steven...

Astronauts on the International Space Station live in capsules together for months. And yes, they can get on each other's nerves. A crew of astronauts from different countries -- and the wilderness trainer who was called in for an emergency intervention -- share fresh insights about handling conflict and building trust. This episode is brought t...

Being your own boss can be liberating, but it can also be paralyzing. Adam talks with author Dan Pink about the challenges of working for ourselves and visits a tomato paste company, Morning Star, that has run successfully for decades without bosses. This episode is brought to you by Bonobos, Accenture, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Warby Parker...

Technology is making it harder than ever to disconnect, but it might be easier than you think. To learn about setting boundaries, Adam talks with entrepreneur Arianna Huffington, leaders who have taken bold steps to ban emails at odd hours in their workplaces, and an FBI hostage negotiator who has surprising advice on saying no. This episode is ...

Harness the power of frustrated people to shake up the status quo -- just like Pixar did. (Audio only)

Do schools kill creativity? Back in 2006, Sir Ken Robinson posed this question to the TED audience -- and boy, did it touch a nerve. More than fifty million views and a decade later, head of TED Chris Anderson sits down with Sir Ken to dig into the changes and progress that have been made, and to see if the answer now is any different. How are e...

Learn how to face rejection -- and even come out stronger because of it. (Audio only)

What we can learn about friendly competition from Olympic skiers, elite marathoners and ... food truck vendors. (Audio only)

The ubiquity of technology in the 21st century poses a dilemma for the future of all of mankind, one that can and must be addressed now. In the Information Age, we can’t escape the presence of technology, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) beginning to make its mark in the world. Common myths depicting AI in fictional form simply attests trek of ...

This TEDxSantaCruz talk is part of 22 surrounding our theme of “the Art of Hope.” Defined as the anticipation of something desired happening, hope is ferocious, persistent, necessary; hope is a powerful force for invention, change, and social justice. To hope is to be human. Our fifth TEDxSantaCruz event was held on December 7, 2019, at the Rio...

David Lee is Co-Founder and CEO of NEX Team Inc., a Silicon Valley-based startup building mobile AI technologies that understand and analyze mobile video capture in real-time. The team is currently focused on their iOS app, HomeCourt, which applies these technologies to basketball, allowing players to better understand and improve their own game...