There is a mind-boggling amount of data floating around our society. Physicists at CERN have been pondering how to store and share their ever more massive data for decades- stimulating globalization of the internet along the way, whilst 'solving' their big data problem. Tim Smith plots CERN's involvement with big data from fifty years ago to tod...

Whether they're belting Beyoncé, head-banging to classic rock, or rattling off curse words at zoo-goers, parrots are constantly astounding us. They are among the only animals that produce human speech, and some parrots do it almost uncannily well. How is this possible? Grace Smith-Vidaurre and Tim Wright dig into the anatomy that allows parrots ...

Recent scientific developments have made possible things once attributed only to gods and mythologies. Artist and TED Fellow Hiromi Ozaki shows how she worked with scientists in biotechnology and genetic engineering to turn one myth -- the Red String of Fate -- into a reality.

Calls for authenticity at work ask for passionate people with diverse, fresh perspectives who challenge old ways of thinking. But too often workplace culture fails to support the authenticity of professionals of color and other underrepresented groups, leading instead to backlash and fewer opportunities. Writer Jodi-Ann Burey outlines steps towa...

The gods watched as Oedipus’ daughter, Antigone, stole out of the palace in Thebes the morning after a devastating battle. Antigone was on a dangerous mission to do what she felt was right, though it meant risking her life. She sought to abide by divine law and honor her late brother Polyneices through burial— but the king had other plans. Steph...

Thor—son of Odin, god of thunder, and protector of mankind—struggled mightily against his greatest challenge yet: opening a bag of food. How had the mighty god fallen so far? Scott A. Mellor tells the myth of Thor's journey to Utgard. [Directed by Rune F.B. Hansen, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Cem Misirlioglu, Brooks Ball].

Long ago, the ancestral gods of Fiji settled on the Pacific archipelago. They eventually metamorphosed into various forms, with the god Dakuwaqa transforming into a shark. But he was unsatisfied. He became proud and greedy and wanted to establish himself as the mightiest god, and dominate all of Fiji’s islands. Raiana McKinney and Esther Wozniak...

When Queen Jocasta of Thebes gave birth to Oedipus, a grim air seized the occasion. Her husband, King Laius, had received a prophecy from Apollo's oracle foretelling that he would die at the hands of his own son. Determined to escape this fate, Laius abandoned the newborn on Mount Cithaeron. But divine prophecies can be quite stubborn. Stephen E...

Tom Smyth is an entrepreneur who has rebuilt his life through sobriety and has five fundamental principles to share with the world.

NOTE FROM TED: TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/tedx_content_guidelines.pdf Dr Tim Smith uses examples from physics to illustrate the value and benefit of decentralised, open-source search online.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/exploration... There is a mind-boggling amount of data floating around our society. Physicists at CERN have been pondering how to store and share their ever more massive data for decades, stimulating globalization of the internet along the way, whilst "solving" their big data problem. Tim Smith plots ...

Science is a process by which we understand our Universe. Sharing results openly at every stage of the process enables others to cross-check and build on the results, says Dr Tim Smith. Tim illustrates this process through the eyes of CERN, the world’s biggest scientific experiment, and explains why open science is needed now more than ever.