TED Talks with English transcript

Raj Jayadev: Community-powered criminal justice reform

TEDxBinghamtonUniversity

Raj Jayadev: Community-powered criminal justice reform
1,269,712 views

Community organizer Raj Jayadev wants to transform the US court system through "participatory defense" -- a growing movement that empowers families and community members to impact their loved ones' court cases. He shares the remarkable results of their work -- including more than 4,000 years of "time saved" from incarceration -- and shows how this new model could shift the landscape of power in the courts.

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Shannon Lee: What Bruce Lee can teach us about living fully

TED Salon Brightline Initiative

Shannon Lee: What Bruce Lee can teach us about living fully
1,781,243 views

Most of us know Bruce Lee as the famous martial artist and action film star -- but he was also a philosopher who taught "self-actualization": the practice of how to be yourself in the best way possible. In this inspiring talk, Bruce's daughter Shannon Lee takes us inside the mind of her father, exploring how to use his philosophy in your daily life to achieve profound personal growth and make a lasting impact.

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Jamie Paik: Origami robots that reshape and transform themselves

TED2019

Jamie Paik: Origami robots that reshape and transform themselves
621,191 views

Taking design cues from origami, robotician Jamie Paik and her team created "robogamis": folding robots made out super-thin materials that can reshape and transform themselves. In this talk and tech demo, Paik shows how robogamis could adapt to achieve a variety of tasks on earth (or in space) and demonstrates how they roll, jump, catapult like a slingshot and even pulse like a beating heart.

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Jonny Sun: You are not alone in your loneliness

TED2019

Jonny Sun: You are not alone in your loneliness
2,799,364 views

Being open and vulnerable with your loneliness, sadness and fear can help you find comfort and feel less alone, says writer and artist Jonny Sun. In an honest talk filled with his signature illustrations, Sun shares how telling stories about feeling like an outsider helped him tap into an unexpected community and find a tiny sliver of light in the darkness.

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Christer Mjåset: 4 questions you should always ask your doctor

TEDxOslo

Christer Mjåset: 4 questions you should always ask your doctor
1,877,695 views

"Doctor, is this really necessary?" Backed by startling statistics about overtreatment, neurosurgeon Christer Mjåset explains the power of this and other simple questions in the context of medical treatment and surgery -- and shares how patients can better work with doctors to get the care they need.

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Rick Doblin: The future of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy

TED2019

Rick Doblin: The future of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy
2,282,014 views

Could psychedelics help us heal from trauma and mental illnesses? Researcher Rick Doblin has spent the past three decades investigating this question, and the results are promising. In this fascinating dive into the science of psychedelics, he explains how drugs like LSD, psilocybin and MDMA affect your brain -- and shows how, when paired with psychotherapy, they could change the way we treat PTSD, depression, substance abuse and more.

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Heidi Grant: How to ask for help -- and get a "yes"

TED Salon Brightline Initiative

Heidi Grant: How to ask for help -- and get a "yes"
2,446,833 views

Asking for help is tough. But to get through life, you have to do it all the time. So how do you get comfortable asking? In this actionable talk, social psychologist Heidi Grant shares four simple rules for asking for help and getting it -- while making the process more rewarding for your helper, too.

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Moriba Jah: The world's first crowdsourced space traffic monitoring system

TED2019

Moriba Jah: The world's first crowdsourced space traffic monitoring system
1,581,310 views

"Most of what we send into outer space never comes back," says astrodynamicist and TED Fellow Moriba Jah. In this forward-thinking talk, Jah describes the space highways orbiting earth and how they're mostly populated by space junk. Learn more about his quest to develop and scale the world's first crowdsourced space traffic monitoring system -- and how it could help solve the debris problem in near-earth space.

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Jon Gray: The next big thing is coming from the Bronx, again

TED2019

Jon Gray: The next big thing is coming from the Bronx, again
1,658,209 views

"The hood is good," says Jon Gray of the Bronx, New York-based creative collective Ghetto Gastro. Working at the intersection of food, design and art, Gray and his team honor the soul and history of their community while applying their unbridled creativity and expansive imagination to unexpected, otherworldly collaborations. Learn more about how they're creating and investing in their home borough -- bringing the Bronx to the world and vice versa.

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Natalie Fratto: 3 ways to measure your adaptability -- and how to improve it

TED Residency

Natalie Fratto: 3 ways to measure your adaptability -- and how to improve it
2,858,888 views

When venture investor Natalie Fratto is determining which start-up founder to support, she doesn't just look for intelligence or charisma; she looks for adaptability. In this insightful talk, Fratto shares three ways to measure your "adaptability quotient" -- and shows why your ability to respond to change really matters.

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Julius Maada Bio: A vision for the future of Sierra Leone

TED2019

Julius Maada Bio: A vision for the future of Sierra Leone
1,568,289 views

When Julius Maada Bio first seized political power in Sierra Leone in 1996, he did so to improve the lives of its citizens. But he soon realized that for democracy to flourish, its foundation needs to be built on the will of the people. After arranging an election, he voluntarily gave up power and left Africa. Twenty years later, after being democratically elected president of Sierra Leone, he reflects on the slow path to democracy, the importance of education for all and his focus on helping young Sierra Leoneans thrive.

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Barbara J. King: Grief and love in the animal kingdom

TED2019

Barbara J. King: Grief and love in the animal kingdom
1,825,903 views

From mourning orcas to distressed elephants, biological anthropologist Barbara J. King has witnessed grief and love across the animal kingdom. In this eye-opening talk, she explains the evidence behind her belief that many animals experience complex emotions, and suggests ways all of us can treat them more ethically -- including every time we eat. "Animals don't grieve exactly like we do, but this doesn't mean that their grief isn't real," she says. "It is real, and it's searing, and we can see it if we choose."

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Suleika Jaouad: What almost dying taught me about living

TED2019

Suleika Jaouad: What almost dying taught me about living
2,529,592 views

"The hardest part of my cancer experience began once the cancer was gone," says author Suleika Jaouad. In this fierce, funny, wisdom-packed talk, she challenges us to think beyond the divide between "sick" and "well," asking: How do you begin again and find meaning after life is interrupted?

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Lynn Rothschild: The living tech we need to support human life on other planets

TEDxBeaconStreetSalon

Lynn Rothschild: The living tech we need to support human life on other planets
333,478 views

What would it take to settle Mars? In a talk about the future of space exploration, Lynn Rothschild reviews the immense challenges to living elsewhere in the universe and proposes some bold, creative solutions to making a home off planet Earth -- like "growing" houses out of fungi or using bacteria to help generate electricity.

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Kishore Mahbubani: How the West can adapt to a rising Asia

TED2019

Kishore Mahbubani: How the West can adapt to a rising Asia
1,663,943 views

As Asian economies and governments continue to gain power, the West needs to find ways to adapt to the new global order, says author and diplomat Kishore Mahbubani. In an insightful look at international politics, Mahbubani shares a three-part strategy that Western governments can use to recover power and improve relations with the rest of the world.

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David Baker: 5 challenges we could solve by designing new proteins

TED2019

David Baker: 5 challenges we could solve by designing new proteins
1,781,320 views

Proteins are remarkable molecular machines: they digest your food, fire your neurons, power your immune system and so much more. What if we could design new ones, with functions never before seen in nature? In this remarkable glimpse of the future, David Baker shares how his team at the Institute for Protein Design is creating entirely new proteins from scratch -- and shows how they could help us tackle five massive challenges facing humanity. (This ambitious plan is a part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)

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Ethan Lindenberger: Why we need to fight misinformation about vaccines

TEDxMidAtlantic

Ethan Lindenberger: Why we need to fight misinformation about vaccines
1,819,166 views

Ethan Lindenberger never got vaccinated as a kid. So one day, he went on Reddit and asked a simple question: "Where do I go to get vaccinated?" The post went viral, landing Lindenberger in the middle of a heated debate about vaccination and, ultimately, in front of a US Senate committee. Less than a year later, the high school senior reports back on his unexpected time in the spotlight and a new movement he's leading to fight misinformation and advocate for scientific truth.

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Sarah Kay: "A Bird Made of Birds"

TED2019

Sarah Kay: "A Bird Made of Birds"
1,727,091 views

"The universe has already written the poem you were planning on writing," says Sarah Kay, quoting her friend, poet Kaveh Akbar. Performing "A Bird Made of Birds," she shares how and where she finds poetry. (Kay is also the host of TED's podcast "Sincerely, X." Listen on the Luminary podcast app at luminary.link/ted)

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Michael Tubbs: The political power of being a good neighbor

TED2019

Michael Tubbs: The political power of being a good neighbor
1,672,693 views

Michael Tubbs is the youngest mayor in American history to represent a city with more than 100,000 people -- and his policies are sparking national conversations. In this rousing talk, he shares how growing up amid poverty and violence in Stockton, California shaped his bold vision for change and his commitment to govern as a neighbor, not a politician. "When we see someone different from us, they should not reflect our fears, our anxieties, our insecurities," he says. "We should see our common humanity."

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Michelle Kuo: The healing power of reading

TEDxTaipei

Michelle Kuo: The healing power of reading
2,399,463 views

Reading and writing can be acts of courage that bring us closer to others and ourselves. Author Michelle Kuo shares how teaching reading skills to her students in the Mississippi Delta revealed the bridging power of the written word -- as well as the limitations of its power.

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Lindsay Amer: Why kids need to learn about gender and sexuality

TED Residency

Lindsay Amer: Why kids need to learn about gender and sexuality
2,045,479 views

Lindsay Amer is the creator of "Queer Kid Stuff," an educational video series that breaks down complex ideas around gender and sexuality through songs and metaphors. By giving kids and their families a vocabulary to express themselves, Amer is helping to create more empathetic adults -- and spreading a message of radical acceptance in a world where it's sometimes dangerous to just be yourself. "I want kids to grow up and into themselves with pride for who they are and who they can be," Amer says.

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Brandon Clifford: The architectural secrets of the world's ancient wonders

TED2019

Brandon Clifford: The architectural secrets of the world's ancient wonders
642,791 views

How did ancient civilizations move massive stones to build Stonehenge, the Pyramids and the Easter Island statues? In this quick, delightful talk, TED Fellow Brandon Clifford reveals some architectural secrets of the past and shows how we can use these ingenious techniques to build today. "In an era where we design buildings to last 30, maybe 60 years, I would love to learn how to create something that could entertain for an eternity," he says.

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Daniel Lismore: My life as a work of art

TED2019

Daniel Lismore: My life as a work of art
376,941 views

Daniel Lismore's closet is probably a bit different than yours -- his clothes are constructed out of materials ranging from beer cans and plastic crystals to diamonds, royal silks and 2,000-year-old Roman rings. In this striking talk, Lismore shares the vision behind his elaborate ensembles and explores what it's like to live life as a work of art. "Everyone is capable of creating their own masterpiece," he says. "You should try it sometime."

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Rob Reid: How synthetic biology could wipe out humanity -- and how we can stop it

TED2019

Rob Reid: How synthetic biology could wipe out humanity -- and how we can stop it
1,981,233 views

The world-changing promise of synthetic biology and gene editing has a dark side. In this far-seeing talk, author and entrepreneur Rob Reid reviews the risks of a world where more and more people have access to the tools and tech needed to create a doomsday bug that could wipe out humanity -- and suggests that it's time to take this danger seriously.

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Mark Tercek: An ingenious proposal for scaling up marine protection

TED2019

Mark Tercek: An ingenious proposal for scaling up marine protection
1,702,757 views

Island and coastal nations need to protect their waters to keep the oceans healthy. But they often have lots of debt and aren't able to prioritize ocean conservation over other needs. Mark Tercek and his team at The Nature Conservancy see a way to solve both problems at once: restructuring a nation's debt in exchange for its government's commitment to protect coastal areas. Learn more about how "Blue Bonds for Conservation" work -- and how you can help unlock billions of dollars for the oceans. This ambitious plan is a part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change. (Voiced by Ladan Wise)

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Karen Lloyd: The mysterious microbes living deep inside the earth -- and how they could help humanity

TED2019

Karen Lloyd: The mysterious microbes living deep inside the earth -- and how they could help humanity
1,779,249 views

The ground beneath your feet is home to a massive, mysterious world of microbes -- some of which have been in the earth's crust for hundreds of thousands of years. What's it like down there? Take a trip to the volcanoes and hot springs of Costa Rica as microbiologist Karen Lloyd shines a light on these subterranean organisms and shows how they could have a profound impact on life up here.

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Bjarke Ingels: Floating cities, the LEGO House and other architectural forms of the future

TED2019

Bjarke Ingels: Floating cities, the LEGO House and other architectural forms of the future
810,657 views

Design gives form to the future, says architect Bjarke Ingels. In this worldwide tour of his team's projects, journey to a waste-to-energy power plant (that doubles as an alpine ski slope) and the LEGO Home of the Brick in Denmark -- and catch a glimpse of cutting-edge flood resilience infrastructure in New York City as well as an ambitious plan to create floating, sustainable cities that are adapted to climate change.

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Kate Bowler: "Everything happens for a reason" -- and other lies I've loved

TEDMED 2018

Kate Bowler: "Everything happens for a reason" -- and other lies I've loved
4,692,629 views

In life's toughest moments, how do you go on living? Kate Bowler has been exploring this question ever since she was diagnosed with stage IV cancer at age 35. In a profound, heartbreaking and unexpectedly funny talk, she offers some answers -- challenging the idea that "everything happens for a reason" and sharing hard-won wisdom about how to make sense of the world after your life is suddenly, completely changed. "I believe that in the darkness, even there, there will be beauty and there will be love," she says.

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