TEDTalks

For the next two weeks, we're presenting some of our favoriteTEDTalks from among the 270+ talks and performances we've posted sinceJune 2006. Look for brand-new TEDTalks starting August 18. Until then,enjoy these gems -- and suggest your own by writing to contact@ted.com or joining the conversation on TED.com.

 

Bill Stone: "I'm going to the moon -- who's with me?"
Bill Stone, a maverick cave explorer who has plumbed Earth's deepestabysses, gives a rousing talk on his efforts to mine lunar ice forspace fuel and to build an autonomous robot for studying Jupiter's moonEuropa. A TED.com user writes: "Where do I sign up?" Watch this talk >>

 

Peter Donnelly: Designing a chip that works like the brain
In the TED tradition of rethinking statistics, Oxford mathematicianPeter Donnelly talks about the common mistakes we make in interpretingnumbers -- and the devastating impact these errors can have on theoutcome of criminal trials. In the forum, TED.com members havediscussed the coin-toss experiment in depth (read the comments to finda simulation). Watch this talk >>

 

George Ayittey: Cheetahs vs. Hippos for the soul of Africa
Ghanaian economist George Ayittey unleashes a blistering, brilliantlyargued torrent of controlled anger toward corrupt leaders in Africa. Hecalls on the "Cheetah generation" -- fast-moving, net-connected andpassionate -- to take back the continent from the entrenched leaders,the bloated, greedy and deadly Hippos. One commenter called this talk"one of the best I have seen on TED." Watch this talk >>

 

Bjorn Lomborg: Setting priorities for saving the planet
Given $50 billion to spend, which would you solve first, AIDS or globalwarming? Danish political scientist Bjorn Lomborg comes up withsurprising answers. Whether or not you agree with his results (and manyTED.com commenters do not), it's an invigorating argument, and a newlens on some global problems that might otherwise seem too big tocomprehend Watch this talk >>

 

David Deutsch: What is our place in the cosmos?
Physicist David Deutsch is the leading proponent of the multiverseintrepretation of quantum theory -- the astounding idea that ouruniverse is constantly spawning countless numbers of parallel worlds.In this rare (and delightfully engaging) public appearance, he weaves acomplex and captivating argument placing the study of physics at thecenter of our species' survival. Watch this talk >>

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