Poverty isn't a lack of character (it's a lack of cash)

A fascinating case for basic income. Open in your browser

This week on TED.com May 27, 2017

Rutger Bregman: Poverty isn't a lack of character; it's a lack of cash 14:58 minutes · Filmed Apr 2017 · Posted May 2017 · TED2017 "Ideas can and do change the world," says historian Rutger Bregman, sharing his case for a provocative one: guaranteed basic income. Learn more about the idea's 500-year history and a forgotten modern experiment where it actually worked -- and imagine how much energy and talent we would unleash if we got rid of poverty once and for all. Watch now »

Playlist of the week Kickstart your creativity  Out of fresh ideas? These inspiring talks offer the spark you might need to unleash your creative spirit. Watch » 6 TED Talks • Total run time 1:23:00

THIS week's new TED Talks Where does OK Go come up with the amazing ideas for their music videos -- like dancing in zero gravity, performing in ultra-slow-motion or building a warehouse-sized Rube Goldberg machine? Along with live performances of "This Too Shall Pass" and "The One Moment," lead singer and guitarist Damian Kulash takes us inside the band's creative process, showing us how to look for wonder and surprise. Watch » Are you trying to make sense of the US political environment in 2017? Anthony Romero suggests it can all be explained ... in a 14th-century fresco by the Italian painter Ambrogio Lorenzetti. Learn what a 700-year-old masterpiece can teach us about life today in this passionate talk that's as striking as the painting itself. Watch » Where did Zika come from, and what can we do about it? Molecular biologist Nina Fedoroff takes us around the world to understand Zika's origins and how it spread, proposing a controversial way to stop the virus -- and other deadly diseases -- by preventing infected mosquitoes from multiplying. Watch » Once homebound by epilepsy, Sitawa Wafula found her strength in writing about it. Now she advocates for others who are yet to find their voices, cutting through stigma and exclusion to talk about what it's like to live with the condition. Watch »

Read more on ideas.ted.com Tech: What's the real future of AI? Creating new kinds of minds Imagine a brain that thinks in ways we can't possibly imagine ... Science: What's beneath the Earth's crust? Amazing new findings How we're learning more and more about the insides of our planet Tech: The quest to build a virtual worm An open-source project wants to create the world’s first fully digital organism. Gallery: These gorgeous portraits celebrate amazing nurses Often overlooked, nurses bring care and compassion to the health system

Quote of the Week “ So ... here's what I've learned. When it comes to poverty, we, the rich, should stop pretending we know best. We should stop sending shoes and teddy bears to the poor, to people we have never met. Because the great thing about money is that people can use it to buy things they need instead of things that self-appointed experts think they need. " Rutger Bregman Poverty isn't a lack of character; it's a lack of cash

TED Radio Hour: wired for altruism Helping others feels good, but why do some of us go farther than others? This hour, TED speakers explore ideas about altruism -- what motivates us to be altruistic, what limits us and ... do we ever go too far. Listen on Apple Podcasts, the TED Android app, NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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What makes life worth living in the face of death

A beautiful talk about being human. Opn in your browser

This week on TED.com May 20, 2017

Lucy Kalanithi: What makes life worth living in the face of death 16:09 minutes · Filmed Nov 2016 · Posted May 2017 · TEDMED 2016 In this deeply moving talk, Lucy Kalanithi reflects on life and purpose, sharing the story of her late husband, Paul, a young neurosurgeon who turned to writing after his terminal cancer diagnosis. "Engaging in the full range of experience -- living and dying, love and loss -- is what we get to do," Kalanithi says. "Being human doesn't happen despite suffering -- it happens within it." Watch now »

Playlist of the week How to live many lives During the span of a single life, how do you reinvent yourself? Meet five people who have found creative ways to fit many lives into one. Watch » 5 TED Talks • Total run time 1:18:00

This week's new TED Talks How can we harness the power of superintelligent AI while also preventing the catastrophe of robotic takeover? As we move closer toward creating all-knowing machines, AI pioneer Stuart Russell is working on something a bit different: robots with uncertainty. Hear his vision for human-compatible AI that can solve problems using common sense, altruism and other human values. Watch » Teens don't get enough sleep, and it's not because of Snapchat, social lives or hormones -- it's because school starts too early, says Wendy Troxel. Drawing from her experience as a sleep researcher, a clinician and the mother of a teenager, Troxel shows how early school start times deprive adolescents of sleep during the time of their lives when they need it most. Watch » Why are politicians so deadlocked on climate, and what would it take to start finding solutions? Policy entrepreneur Ted Halstead proposes a transformative solution based on the conservative principles of free markets and limited government. Learn more about how this carbon dividends plan could trigger an international domino effect towards a more popular, cost-effective and equitable climate solution. Watch » "When black women walk, things change," say T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison, the founders of the health nonprofit GirlTrek. They're on a mission to reduce the leading causes of preventable death among black women -- and build communities in the process. How? By getting one million black women and girls to prioritize their self-care, lace up their shoes and walk in the direction of their healthiest, most fulfilled lives. Watch »

Read more on ideas.ted.com Opinion: Should we have a basic right to affordable housing? An intriguing case for housing as a right, not a privilege Culture: Want to get ahead at work? Think like a magician David Kwong spills every magician's real secret Art: A fascination aesthetic fusion between West Africa and Japan Artist Serge Mouangue creates intriguing mashups Gallery: Meet the 12 new types of clouds A dozen new reasons to look up

Quote of the Week “ I've learned that cancer isn't always a battle. Or if it is, maybe it's a fight for something different than we thought. Our job isn't to fight fate, but to help each other through." Lucy Kalanithi: What makes life worth living in the face of death

TED Radio Hour: 7 deadly sins Sinful behavior is human, and nearly impossible to avoid. In this hour, TED speakers talk about the guilty pleasure of behaving badly and the challenge of confronting sin — and avoiding it. Get TED Radio Hour on iTunes »

 

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The science behind our best and worst selves

How can humans be so good ... and so bad? Open in your browser

This week on TED.com May 14, 2017

Robert Sapolsky: The biology of our best and worst selves 15:51 minutes · Filmed Apr 2017 · Posted May 2017 · TED2017 How can humans be so compassionate and altruistic -- and also so brutal and violent? Neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky studies human actions, from our split-second decisions to our most ancient hard-wired behavior patterns. In this fascinating talk, he shares his cutting-edge research into the biology that drives our worst and best behaviors. Watch now »

Playlist of the week Seeing sound and hearing color Keep your ears and eyes wide open to explore new ways you can interact with sound and color. Start playlist » Total run time 46:23

This week's new TED Talks Let's celebrate nurses! Carolyn Jones spent five years interviewing, photographing and filming nurses across America to gather these personal stories of unwavering dedication. It's a celebration of the everyday heroes who work at the front lines of health care. Watch » One night in 2002, a friend gave singer Jorge Drexler a challenge: Write a new song in a complex poetic form known as the décima. In this fascinating talk, Drexler examines the blended nature of identity, weaving together the history of the décima with his own quest to write one. He closes the talk with a performance of his song, "La Milonga del Moro Judío." (In Spanish with English subtitles) Watch » Oceanographer Kate Stafford lowers us into the sonically rich depths of the Arctic Ocean, where ice groans, whales sing to communicate over vast distances -- and climate change and human noise threaten to alter the environment in ways we don't yet understand. Learn more about our underwater soundscape and why it matters. Watch » "I sell dreams, and I peddle love to millions of people," says Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood's biggest star. In this charming, funny talk, Khan traces the arc of his life, showcases a few of his famous dance moves and shares hard-earned wisdom from a life spent in the spotlight. Watch »

Read more on ideas.ted.com Environment: Sick of wasting food? Five smart ways to fight food waste Imaginative ideas to use our food supply more wisely Culture: What if the whole world could vote in each other's elections? Unexpected results, to say the least ... We humans: When you feel guilty, why do you want to wash your hands? Surprising ways our brain mixes up the physical and metaphorical  Gallery: Simple, gorgeous art made of balloons Buoyant art that will take your breath away

Quote of the Week “ In some settings, pulling a trigger is an appalling act; in others, it's heroically self-sacrificial. In some settings, putting your hand on someone else's is deeply compassionate. In others, it's a deep betrayal. The challenge is to understand the biology of the context of our behaviors. Because every bit of behavior has multiple levels of causality." Robert Sapolsky The biology of our best and worst selves

ted radio hour: forgiveness When loss, violence or betrayal test our willingness to forgive — how do we do it anyway? This hour, TED speakers explore the challenges and benefits of forgiving others and ourselves. Hear the latest TED Radio Hour »

 

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Elon Musk on the future we're building (and boring)

"We're digging a tunnel under LA" Open in your browser

This week on TED.com May 7, 2017

Elon Musk: The future we're building -- and boring 40:50 minutes · Filmed Apr 2017 · Posted Apr 2017 · TED2017 Elon Musk discusses his new project digging tunnels under LA, plus the latest from Tesla and SpaceX -- and his motivation for building a future on Mars -- in conversation with TED's Chris Anderson. Watch now »

Playlist of the week Things to do to make STEAM learning (more!) fun (9 talks) Science, technology, engineering, art and math talks that will make school feel a little fresher. Watch » 9 TED Talks • Total run time 1:35:24

THis week's new TED Talks "There are facts, there are opinions, and there are lies," says historian Deborah Lipstadt, telling the remarkable story of her research into Holocaust deniers -- and their deliberate distortion of history. Lipstadt encourages us all to go on the offensive against those who assault the truth and facts. "Truth is not relative," she says. Watch » Hacking, fake news, information bubbles ... all these and more have become part of the vernacular in recent years. But as cyberspace analyst Laura Galante describes in this alarming talk, the real target of anyone looking to influence geopolitics is dastardly simple: it's you. Watch » When stress got to be too much for entrepreneur Sangu Delle, he had to confront his own deep prejudice: that men shouldn't take care of their mental health. In a personal talk, Delle shares how he learned to handle anxiety in a society that's uncomfortable with emotions. As he says: "Being honest about how we feel doesn't make us weak -- it makes us human." Watch » In the US, most kids have a very long summer break, during which they forget a lot of what they learned during the school year. This "summer slump" affects kids from low-income neighborhoods most, setting them back almost three months. TED Fellow Karim Abouelnaga has a plan to reverse this learning loss. Learn how he's helping kids improve their chances for a brighter future. Watch »

Read more on ideas.ted.com We humans: Don't know what you want to be when you grow up? A celebration of our multiple potentials Science: Could the neutrino hold the answer to the universe's biggest questions? They're called "the ghost particle" -- and researchers are trying to catch them Culture: Not every kid is a "digital native." Here's how to understand the new generation of tech users The three (very different) ways parents can handle technology with kids Gallery: Fantastic visions of a future mega-city Intriguing tomorrows, rooted in today's reality

Quote of the Week “ While the hacked phone calls and emails and networks keep grabbing the headlines, the real operations are the ones that are influencing the decisions you make and the opinions you hold, all in the service of a nation-state's strategic interest. This is power in the information age." Laura Galante How to exploit democracy

ted radio hour: how things spread What makes an idea, a brand, or a behavior catch fire? This hour, TED speakers explore the mysteries behind the many things we spread: laughter and sadness, imagination, viruses and viral ideas. Get 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 © 2017 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