Hunting for lost civilizations -- with satellites

Archeological wonders waiting to be discovered ... Open this email in your browser

This week on TED.com August 20, 2016

Talk of the week Sarah Parcak: Hunting for Peru's lost civilizations -- with satellites 06:59 minutes · Filmed Jun 2016 · Posted Aug 2016 · TEDSummit Around the world, hundreds of thousands of lost ancient sites lie buried and hidden from view. Satellite archaeologist Sarah Parcak is determined to find them before looters do. With the 2016 TED Prize, Parcak is building an online citizen-science tool called GlobalXplorer that will train an army of volunteer explorers to find and protect the world's hidden heritage. In this talk, she offers a preview of the first place they'll look: Peru -- the home of Machu Picchu, the Nazca lines and other archaeological wonders waiting to be discovered. Watch now »

Playlist of the week Math in unexpected places These talks illuminate the unexpected ways formulas and fractions influence everything, from love and war to origami and coral reefs. Watch » 8 TED Talks • Total run time 1:38:56

More TED Talks Is there life beyond Earth? Join NASA's director of planetary science James Green for a survey of the places in our solar system (three moons and one planet) that are most likely to harbor extraterrestrial life. Watch » How do we build a society without fossil fuels? Using her home of Costa Rica as an example, climate advocate Monica Araya outlines a bold vision for a world committed to clean energy. Yes, she says, small countries can lead the way. Watch » With warmth and respect, coach Gonzalo Vilariño tells the captivating story of Argentina's blind soccer team -- and how a belief in themselves and their capabilities (and a lot of hard work) transformed the players into two-time World Champions. "You have to get out there and play every game in this beautiful tournament that we call life," Vilariño says. Watch » Summer, 2016: amid populist revolts, clashing resentments and fear, writer Anand Giridharadas doesn't give a talk but reads a letter. It's from those who have won in this era of change, to those who have, or feel, lost. It confesses to ignoring pain until it became anger. It chides an idealistic yet remote elite for its behind-closed-doors world-saving and airy, self-serving futurism — for at times worrying more about sending people to Mars than helping them on Earth. And it rejects the exclusionary dogmas to which we cling, calling us instead to "dare to commit to the dream of each other." Watch »

Read more on ideas.ted.com Medicine: What if we could brew new painkillers? Some of our most powerful medicines come from plants. These scientists are looking for new ways to make them safely and cheaply Excel wizards: Surprising things we can learn by looking at government data Most governments collect a lot of data, from building inspection records to parking tickets. When the public can see it, amazing things happen Society: In the US, the real gap isn't between red vs. blue The 2016 election is exposing a divide. But it's not the one you think

Quote of the Week “ So here's the cool part. My team is beginning to look at some of the satellite imagery, and we've already begun to find previously unknown sites. I have to say, if what my team has already discovered in the past few weeks are any indication, what the world discovers is just going to be beyond imagination." Sarah Parcak Hunting for Peru's lost civilizations -- with satellites

TEDWomen 2016: It's About Time. October 26-28 Join us in San Francisco, October 26-28, for three days of TED Talks, performances and meaningful conversations -- as we explore how time and attention shape us. Hear from leaders on the biggest issues of our time, and gain new perspective on how we use time in our own lives. Learn more about TEDWomen 2016.

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