Podcast
TED Talks Daily
Episodes — page 122
How to build synthetic DNA and send it across the internet | Dan GibsonBiologist Dan Gibson edits and programs DNA, just like coders program a computer. But his "code" creates life, giving scientists the power to convert digital information into biolo…
How we study the microbes living in your gut | Dan KnightsThere are about a hundred trillion microbes living inside your gut -- protecting you from infection, aiding digestion and regulating your immune system. As our bodies have adapted…
How farming could employ Africa's young workforce -- and help build peace | Kola MashaAfrica's youth is coming of age rapidly, but job growth on the continent isn't keeping up. The result: financial insecurity and, in some cases, a turn towards insurgent groups. In…
The rapid growth of the Chinese internet -- and where it's headed | Gary LiuThe Chinese internet has grown at a staggering pace -- it now has more users than the combined populations of the US, UK, Russia, Germany, France and Canada. Even with its imperfec…
A crash course in organic chemistry | Jakob MagolanJakob Magolan is here to change your perception of organic chemistry. In an accessible talk packed with striking graphics, he teaches us the basics while breaking the stereotype th…
Hamilton vs. Madison and the birth of American partisanship | Noah FeldmanThe divisiveness plaguing American politics today is nothing new, says constitutional law scholar Noah Feldman. In fact, it dates back to the early days of the republic, when a dis…
How we're saving one of Earth's last wild places | Steve BoyesNavigating territorial hippos and active minefields, TED Fellow Steve Boyes and a team of scientists have been traveling through the Okavango Delta, Africa's largest remaining wetl…
Why teens confess to crimes they didn't commit | Lindsay MalloyWhy do juveniles falsely confess to crimes? What makes them more vulnerable than adults to this shocking, counterintuitive phenomenon? Through the lens of Brendan Dassey's interrog…
The tiny creature that secretly powers the planet | Penny ChisholmOceanographer Penny Chisholm tells the story of a tiny ocean creature you've probably never heard of: Prochlorococcus, the most abundant photosynthetic species on the planet. A mar…
How autonomous flying taxis could change the way you travel | Rodin LyasoffFlight is about to get a lot more personal, says aviation entrepreneur Rodin Lyasoff. In this visionary talk, he imagines a new golden age of air travel in which small, autonomous…
The agony of opioid withdrawal -- and what doctors should tell patients about it | Travis RiederThe United States accounts for five percent of the world's population but consumes almost 70 percent of the total global opioid supply, creating an epidemic that has resulted in te…
Bridges should be beautiful | Ian FirthBridges need to be functional, safe and durable, but they should also be elegant and beautiful, says structural engineer Ian Firth. In this mesmerizing tour of bridges old and new,…
The symbols of systemic racism -- and how to take away their power | Paul RuckerMultidisciplinary artist and TED Fellow Paul Rucker is unstitching the legacy of systemic racism in the United States. A collector of artifacts connected to the history of slavery…
What if we eliminated one of the world's oldest diseases? | Caroline HarperThousands of years ago, ancient Nubians drew pictures on tomb walls of a terrible disease that turns the eyelids inside out and causes blindness. This disease, trachoma, is still a…
How we can design timeless cities for our collective future | Vishaan ChakrabartiThere's a creeping sameness in many of our newest urban buildings and streetscapes, says architect Vishaan Chakrabarti. And this physical homogeneity -- the result of regulations,…
Why you should love gross science | Anna RothschildWhat can we learn from the slimy, smelly side of life? In this playful talk, science journalist Anna Rothschild shows us the hidden wisdom of "gross stuff" and explains why avoidin…
The nightmare videos of childrens' YouTube -- and what's wrong with the internet today | James BridleWriter and artist James Bridle uncovers a dark, strange corner of the internet, where unknown people or groups on YouTube hack the brains of young children in return for advertisin…
How Netflix changed entertainment -- and where it's headed | Reed HastingsNetflix changed the world of entertainment -- first with DVD-by-mail, then with streaming media and then again with sensational original shows like "Orange Is the New Black" and "S…
How we can bring mental health support to refugees | Essam DaodThe global refugee crisis is a mental health catastrophe, leaving millions in need of psychological support to overcome the traumas of dislocation and conflict. To undo the damage,…
Technology that knows what you're feeling | Poppy CrumWhat happens when technology knows more about us than we do? Poppy Crum studies how we express emotions -- and she suggests the end of the poker face is near, as new tech makes it…
