TED Talks with English transcript

06:27

TEDLagos Ideas Search

Stephanie Busari: How fake news does real harm

2017-02-111,358,172 views

Readability: 3.9

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On April 14, 2014, the terrorist organization Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok, Nigeria. Around the world, the crime became epitomized by the slogan #BringBackOurGirls -- but in Nigeria, government officials called the crime a hoax, confusing and delaying efforts to rescue the girls. In this powerful talk, journalist Stephanie Busari points to the Chibok tragedy to explain the deadly danger of fake news and what we can do to stop it.

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15:26

TEDxPerth

Natasha Hurley-Walker: How radio telescopes show us unseen galaxies

2016-10-141,295,837 views

Readability: 4

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Our universe is strange, wonderful and vast, says astronomer Natasha Hurley-Walker. A spaceship can't carry you into its depths (yet) -- but a radio telescope can. In this mesmerizing talk, Hurley-Walker shows how she probes the mysteries of the universe using special technology that reveals light spectrums we can't see.

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15:08

TEDMED 2016

David Casarett: A doctor's case for medical marijuana

2016-11-302,801,315 views

Readability: 4.4

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Physician David Casarett was tired of hearing hype and half-truths around medical marijuana, so he put on his skeptic's hat and investigated on his own. He comes back with a fascinating report on what we know and what we don't -- and what mainstream medicine could learn from the modern medical marijuana dispensary.

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12:47

TEDNYC

Siamak Hariri: How do you build a sacred space?

2017-03-081,374,014 views

Readability: 4.3

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To design the Bahá'í Temple of South America, architect Siamak Hariri focused on illumination -- from the temple's form, which captures the movement of the sun throughout the day, to the iridescent, luminous stone and glass used to construct it. Join Hariri for a journey through the creative process, as he explores what makes for a sacred experience in a secular world.

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10:35

TEDNYC

Amy Green: A video game to cope with grief

2017-02-151,614,279 views

Readability: 4

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When Amy Green's young son was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, she made up a bedtime story for his siblings to teach them about cancer. What resulted was a video game, "That Dragon, Cancer," which takes players on a journey they can't win. In this beautiful talk about coping with loss, Green brings joy and play to tragedy. "We made a game that's hard to play," she says, "because the hardest moments of our lives change us more than any goal we could ever accomplish."

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29:29

TEDxEuston

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: We should all be feminists

2012-12-014,033,919 views

Readability: 3.5

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We teach girls that they can have ambition, but not too much ... to be successful, but not too successful, or they'll threaten men, says author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In this classic talk that started a worldwide conversation about feminism, Adichie asks that we begin to dream about and plan for a different, fairer world -- of happier men and women who are truer to themselves.

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06:45

TED Residency

Zubaida Bai: A simple birth kit for mothers in the developing world

2016-12-13975,456 views

Readability: 3.9

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TED Fellow Zubaida Bai works with medical professionals, midwives and mothers to bring dignity and low-cost interventions to women's health care. In this quick, inspiring talk, she presents her clean birth kit in a purse, which contains everything a new mother needs for a hygienic birth and a healthy delivery -- no matter where in the world (or how far from a medical clinic) she might be.

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14:57

TEDxPSU

Jonathan Marks: In praise of conflict

2017-02-121,369,835 views

Readability: 4.8

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Conflict is bad; compromise, consensus and collaboration are good -- or so we're told. Lawyer and bioethicist Jonathan Marks challenges this conventional wisdom, showing how governments can jeopardize public health, human rights and the environment when they partner with industry. An important, timely reminder that common good and common ground are not the same thing.

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05:23

TEDNYC

Todd Scott: An intergalactic guide to using a defibrillator

2017-01-261,149,314 views

Readability: 3.6

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If Yoda goes into cardiac arrest, will you know what to do? Artist and first-aid enthusiast Todd Scott breaks down what you need to know about using an automated external defibrillator, or AED -- in this galaxy and ones that are far, far away. Prepare to save the life of a Jedi, Chewbacca (he'll need a quick shave first) or someone else in need with some helpful pointers.

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13:43

TEDxMidAtlantic

Ari Wallach: 3 ways to plan for the (very) long term

2016-10-212,384,369 views

Readability: 3.6

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We increasingly make decisions based on short-term goals and gains -- an approach that makes the future more uncertain and less safe. How can we learn to think about and plan for a better future in the long term ... like, grandchildren-scale long term? Ari Wallach shares three tactics for thinking beyond the immediate.

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11:14

TEDNYC

Giorgia Lupi: How we can find ourselves in data

2017-03-081,279,894 views

Readability: 4.7

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Giorgia Lupi uses data to tell human stories, adding nuance to numbers. In this charming talk, she shares how we can bring personality to data, visualizing even the mundane details of our daily lives and transforming the abstract and uncountable into something that can be seen, felt and directly reconnected to our lives.

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17:28

TEDMED 2016

David R. Williams: How racism makes us sick

2016-11-301,360,391 views

Readability: 5.4

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Why does race matter so profoundly for health? David R. Williams developed a scale to measure the impact of discrimination on well-being, going beyond traditional measures like income and education to reveal how factors like implicit bias, residential segregation and negative stereotypes create and sustain inequality. In this eye-opening talk, Williams presents evidence for how racism is producing a rigged system -- and offers hopeful examples of programs across the US that are working to dismantle discrimination.

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13:46

TEDxRiodelaPlata

Sebastián Bortnik: The conversation we're not having about digital child abuse

2016-10-22518,275 views

Readability: 3.6

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We need to talk to kids about the risks they face online, says information security expert Sebastián Bortnik. In this talk, Bortnik discusses the issue of "grooming" -- the sexual predation of children by adults on the internet -- and outlines the conversations we need to start having about technology to keep our kids safe. (In Spanish with English subtitles)

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08:23

TEDxColumbusWomen

Casey Brown: Know your worth, and then ask for it

2015-05-283,180,395 views

Readability: 3.6

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Your boss probably isn't paying you what you're worth -- instead, they're paying you what they think you're worth. Take the time to learn how to shape their thinking. Pricing consultant Casey Brown shares helpful stories and learnings that can help you better communicate your value and get paid for your excellence.

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12:52

TEDxBeaconStreet

Katie Bouman: How to take a picture of a black hole

2016-11-195,455,257 views

Readability: 4.5

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At the heart of the Milky Way, there's a supermassive black hole that feeds off a spinning disk of hot gas, sucking up anything that ventures too close -- even light. We can't see it, but its event horizon casts a shadow, and an image of that shadow could help answer some important questions about the universe. Scientists used to think that making such an image would require a telescope the size of Earth -- until Katie Bouman and a team of astronomers came up with a clever alternative. Bouman explains how we can take a picture of the ultimate dark using the Event Horizon Telescope.

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10:52

TEDMED 2016

Emtithal Mahmoud: A young poet tells the story of Darfur

2016-11-301,059,568 views

Readability: 3.2

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Emtithal "Emi" Mahmoud writes poetry of resilience, confronting her experience of escaping the genocide in Darfur in verse. She shares two stirring original poems about refugees, family, joy and sorrow, asking, "Will you witness me?"

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16:36

TEDxBratislava

Moshe Szyf: How early life experience is written into DNA

2016-07-031,469,368 views

Readability: 4.2

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Moshe Szyf is a pioneer in the field of epigenetics, the study of how living things reprogram their genome in response to social factors like stress and lack of food. His research suggests that biochemical signals passed from mothers to offspring tell the child what kind of world they're going to live in, changing the expression of genes. "DNA isn't just a sequence of letters; it's not just a script." Szyf says. "DNA is a dynamic movie in which our experiences are being written."

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10:00

TEDWomen 2016

Katie Hinde: What we don't know about mother's milk

2016-10-261,413,994 views

Readability: 5.1

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Breast milk grows babies' bodies, fuels neurodevelopment, provides essential immunofactors and safeguards against famine and disease -- why, then, does science know more about tomatoes than mother's milk? Katie Hinde shares insights into this complex, life-giving substance and discusses the major gaps scientific research still needs to fill so we can better understand it.

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06:02

TED-Ed Weekend

Ashton Cofer: A plan to recycle the unrecyclable

2016-12-031,379,778 views

Readability: 4.9

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From packing peanuts to disposable coffee cups, each year the US alone produces some two billion pounds of Styrofoam -- none of which can be recycled. Frustrated by this waste of resources and landfill space, Ashton Cofer and his science fair teammates developed a heating treatment to break down used Styrofoam into something useful. Learn more out their original design.

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11:46

TEDNYC

Mona Chalabi: 3 ways to spot a bad statistic

2017-02-151,888,599 views

Readability: 4.2

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Sometimes it's hard to know what statistics are worthy of trust. But we shouldn't count out stats altogether ... instead, we should learn to look behind them. In this delightful, hilarious talk, data journalist Mona Chalabi shares handy tips to help question, interpret and truly understand what the numbers are saying.

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10:10

TED2016

Sō Percussion: "Music for Wood and Strings"

2016-02-15839,353 views

Readability: 0

No Transcript

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Sō Percussion creates adventurous compositions with new, unconventional instruments. Performing "Music for Wood and Strings" by Bryce Dessner of The National, the quartet plays custom-made dulcimer-like instruments that combine the sound of an electric guitar with the percussionist's toolkit to create a hypnotic effect.

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47:34

TED Dialogues

Gretchen Carlson, David Brooks: Political common ground in a polarized United States

2017-03-011,044,128 views

Readability: 4.3

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How can we bridge the gap between left and right to have a wiser, more connected political conversation? Journalist Gretchen Carlson and op-ed columnist David Brooks share insights on the tensions at the heart of American politics today -- and where we can find common ground. Followed by a rousing performance of "America the Beautiful" by Vy Higginsen's Gospel Choir of Harlem.

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14:56

TEDxFrankfurt

Simon Anholt: Who would the rest of the world vote for in your country's election?

2016-11-291,145,888 views

Readability: 4.1

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Wish you could vote in another country's election? Simon Anholt unveils the Global Vote, an online platform that lets anybody, anywhere in the world, "vote" in the election of any country on earth (with surprising results).

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11:54

TEDxMidAtlantic

Dan Bell: Inside America's dead shopping malls

2016-10-212,097,290 views

Readability: 3.7

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What happens when a mall falls into ruin? Filmmaker Dan Bell guides us through abandoned monoliths of merchandise, providing a surprisingly funny and lyrical commentary on consumerism, youth culture and the inspiration we can find in decay.

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11:56

TEDWomen 2016

Michele L. Sullivan: Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness

2016-10-261,604,468 views

Readability: 2.9

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We all go through challenges -- some you can see, most you can't, says Michele L. Sullivan. In a talk about perspective, Sullivan shares stories full of wit and wisdom and reminds us that we're all part of each other's support systems. "The only shoes you can walk in are your own," she says. "With compassion, courage and understanding, we can walk together, side by side."

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16:59

TEDxNatick

Peter Weinstock: Lifelike simulations that make real-life surgery safer

2016-01-231,050,553 views

Readability: 4.1

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Critical care doctor Peter Weinstock shows how surgical teams are using a blend of Hollywood special effects and 3D printing to create amazingly lifelike reproductions of real patients -- so they can practice risky surgeries ahead of time. Think: "Operate twice, cut once." Glimpse the future of surgery in this forward-thinking talk.

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06:30

TED2016

Silk Road Ensemble: "Turceasca"

2016-02-15749,090 views

Readability: 0

No Transcript

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Grammy-winning Silk Road Ensemble display their eclectic convergence of violin, clarinet, bass, drums and more in this energetic rendition of the traditional Roma tune, "Turceasca."

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07:29

TEDxBerkeley

John Koenig: Beautiful new words to describe obscure emotions

2016-02-061,814,744 views

Readability: 3.1

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John Koenig loves finding words that express our unarticulated feelings -- like "lachesism," the hunger for disaster, and "sonder," the realization that everyone else's lives are as complex and unknowable as our own. Here, he meditates on the meaning we assign to words and how these meanings latch onto us.

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17:01

TEDWomen 2016

Peggy Orenstein: What young women believe about their own sexual pleasure

2016-10-263,668,105 views

Readability: 4.7

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Why do girls feel empowered to engage in sexual activity but not to enjoy it? For three years, author Peggy Orenstein interviewed girls ages 15 to 20 about their attitudes toward and experiences of sex. She discusses the pleasure that's largely missing from their sexual encounters and calls on us to close the "orgasm gap" by talking candidly with our girls from an early age about sex, bodies, pleasure and intimacy.

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11:55

TEDMED 2016

Caitlin Doughty: A burial practice that nourishes the planet

2016-11-301,259,994 views

Readability: 4.6

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Here's a question we all have to answer sooner or later: What do you want to happen to your body when you die? Funeral director Caitlin Doughty explores new ways to prepare us for inevitable mortality. In this thoughtful talk, learn more about ideas for burial (like "recomposting" and "conservation burial") that return our bodies back to the earth in an eco-friendly, humble and self-aware way.

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