The end of the Napoleonic Wars left the great powers of Europe shaken. Judging from the destruction that had been wrought across the continent, it seemed to the powers that be that the Enlightenment had liberated the people, and led to...

Every seven years, designer Stefan Sagmeister closes his New York studio for a yearlong sabbatical to rejuvenate and refresh their creative outlook. He explains the often overlooked value of time off and shows the innovative projects...

Willard Wigan tells the story of how a difficult and lonely childhood drove him to discover his unique ability -- to create art so tiny that it can't be seen with the naked eye. His slideshow of figures, as seen through a microscope, can...

When Tracy Chevalier looks at paintings, she imagines the stories behind them: How did the painter meet his model? What would explain that look in her eye? Why is that man ... blushing? She shares three stories inspired by portraits,...

What are limits? How are they defined? How are they used to define the derivative? What is L'Hospital's rule?

Jessi and Squeaks want a way to let their friends know when it's time to play at the Fort, so they work together and use engineering to build a prototype solution!



NGSS: ETS1.A : Defining and Delimiting Engineerin
g...

When he was young, artist Shih Chieh Huang loved taking toys apart and perusing the aisles of night markets in Taiwan for unexpected objects. Today, this TED Fellow creates madcap sculptures that seem to have a life of their own—with...

Aziz Abu Sarah is a Palestinian activist with an unusual approach to peace-keeping: Be a tourist. The TED Fellow shows how simple interactions with people in different cultures can erode decades of hate. He starts with Palestinians...

We have no ways to directly observe molecules and what they do -- but Drew Berry wants to change that. He demos his scientifically accurate (and entertaining!) animations that help researchers see unseeable processes within our own cells.

Most people instinctively avoid conflict, but as Margaret Heffernan shows us, good disagreement is central to progress. She illustrates (sometimes counterintuitively) how the best partners aren’t echo chambers -- and how great research...

In this video Paul Andersen shows conceptual thinking in a mini-lesson on stability and change. Two examples are included in the video and two additional examples are included in the linked thinking slides. ...

This week Hank introduces skepticism, exploring everything from the nature of reality through the eyes of a 17th century philosopher and, of course, The Matrix.

In which John continues the discussion of JD Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. This week John reads the novel with Salinger's life story in mind. John explores how Salinger's war experience, educational background, and romantic life inform...

A mini-lesson on patterns of change.

You use your brain's executive function every day -- it's how you do things like pay attention, plan ahead and control impulses. Can you improve it to change for the better? With highlights from her research on child development,...

Singer/guitarist Raúl Midón performs "All the Answers" in a world premiere at TED2007, followed by the sprightly "Tembererana."

In this video Paul Andersen shows conceptual thinking in a mini-lesson on stability and change. Two examples are included in the video and two additional examples are included in the linked thinking slides. ...

In this video Paul Andersen shows conceptual thinking in a mini-lesson on probability and prediction.

T
ERMS:
Cause - a thing that gives rise t
o an event
Ef
fect - an event
Relationship- interconnection betwe
en...

In this video Paul Andersen shows conceptual thinking in a mini-lesson on explaining stability and change. Two examples are included in the video and two additional examples are included in the linked thinking slides. ...

We're generally taught that chromosomes determine an animal's sex, but it is way more nuanced than that.

Some species of bacteria have a wicked survival strategy: killing members of their own species or a closely-related one. There’s a lot we don’t know about it, but it's possible that someday we could potentially harness that knowledge to...

A mini-lesson about patterns in data.

In this video Paul Andersen shows conceptual thinking in a mini-lesson on quantifying and modeling change. Two examples are included in the video and two additional examples are included in the linked thinking slides. ...

Book designer Chip Kidd knows all too well how often we judge things by first appearances. In this hilarious, fast-paced talk, he explains the two techniques designers use to communicate instantly -- clarity and mystery -- and when, why...