The thrill of discovery -- in math

"Mathematician -- best job in the world" Open in your browser

This week on TED.com June 11, 2016

Talk of the week Cédric Villani: The thrill of discovery -- in mathematics 16:23 minutes · Filmed Feb 2016 · Posted Jun 2016 · TED2016 Hidden truths permeate our world; they're inaccessible to our senses, but elegant math allows us to uncover their mysteries. In this survey of mathematical breakthroughs, Cédric Villani speaks to the pure thrill of discovery. "Beautiful mathematical explanations are not only for our pleasure," he says. "They change our vision of the world." Watch now »

Playlist of the week Your next favorite TED Talk? This hand-picked list of favorites from 2016 is a great playlist to take on a road trip. Watch » Total run time 3:34:33

More TED Talks Watch this mind-bending demo of experiments from Google's Art Project -- that let you explore the world's greatest museum collections in vivid, hyper-zoomed-in detail. Join director Amit Sood and artist Cyril Diagne in a fast, fun series of big-screen demos, and glimpse the exciting future of global access to great art. Watch » A quarter of the world's population follows the Chinese zodiac. Even if you don't believe in it, you'd be wise to know how it works, says ShaoLan Hseuh. In this fun, informative talk, she shares some tips for understanding the ancient tradition, which is believed to influence your personality, career, marriage prospects and how you'll do in a given year -- and influences global trends in surprising ways. Watch » Negin Farsad weaves comedy and social commentary to cleverly undercut stereotypes of Muslim culture. In this uproarious talk/stand-up hybrid, Farsad offers a detailed breakdown of the different types of haters she's encountered in her work. "Comedy is one of our best weapons," she says. "We've tried a lot of approaches to social justice, like war and competitive ice dancing. I think it's time we try and tell a really good joke." Watch » "Once upon a time in America," says professor Sajay Samuel, "going to college did not mean graduating with debt." Today, higher education has become a consumer product -- costs have skyrocketed, saddling students with a combined debt of over $1 trillion, while universities and loan companies make massive profits. Samuel proposes a radical solution: link tuition costs to a degree's expected earnings, so that students can make informed decisions about their future, restore their love of learning and contribute to the world in a meaningful way. Watch »

Read more on ideas.ted.com Politics: Wish you could vote in others countries' elections? Now you can (kind of) » A new project from the Good Country Index lets you share your opinion on Brexit, the Iceland presidency and more to come Film: A filmmaker explores the power of silence » It's surprisingly loud Body: How your body's microbes might govern your weight » In other words: Is your biome making you fat?

Quote of the Week “ What if students and parents treated higher education as a consumer product? Everybody else seems to. Then, like any other consumer product, you would demand to know what you're paying for." Sajay Samuel How college loans exploit students for profit

Becoming Wise We may get wiser with age, but that doesn't mean we have to grow up to wise up. In this hour, TED speakers explore what it means to find wisdom at every stage of life. Hear from Joshua Prager, Boyd Varty, Tony Porter, Robert Waldinger -- and Adora Svitak, who's now 18, as she reflects on a talk she gave at 12. TED Radio Hour on iTunes »

 

You are receiving this email because you've subscribed to our mailing list. We also send out daily emails, if you can't get enough of us. We love you too. Copyright © 2016 TED, All rights reserved. You're receiving the TED Talks weekly newsletter because you subscribed to it on TED.com. (Was this forwarded by a friend? You can sign up here: http://www.ted.com/newsletter ) Our mailing address is: TED 330 Hudson Street 11th Floor New York, NY 10013 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list   update subscription preferences   view email in browser