The BEST episodes of TED Talks season 2017
Every episode of TED Talks season 2017, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of TED Talks season 2017!
TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. TEDTalks began as a simple attempt to share what happens at TED with the world. Under the moniker "ideas worth spreading," talks were released online. They rapidly attracted a global audience in the millions. Indeed, the reaction was so enthusiastic that the entire TED website has been reengineered around TEDTalks, with the goal of giving everyone on-demand access to the world's most inspiring voices. [TED-Ed and TEDx are separate TVDB series and should NOT be listed here.]
#1 - Jeff Speck: 4 ways to make a city more walkable
Season 2017 - Episode 27 - Aired 2/9/2017
Freedom from cars, freedom from sprawl, freedom to walk your city! City planner Jeff Speck shares his "general theory of walkability" -- four planning principles to transform sprawling cities of six-lane highways and 600-foot blocks into safe, walkable oases full of bike lanes and tree-lined streets.
Watch Now:Amazon
#2 - Adam Grant: Are you a giver or a taker?
Season 2017 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/3/2017
In every workplace, there are three basic kinds of people: givers, takers and matchers. Organizational psychologist Adam Grant breaks down these personalities and offers simple strategies to promote a culture of generosity and keep self-serving employees from taking more than their share.
Watch Now:Amazon
#3 - Paul Knoepfler: The ethical dilemma of designer babies
Season 2017 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/23/2017
Creating genetically modified people is no longer a science fiction fantasy; it's a likely future scenario. Biologist Paul Knoepfler estimates that within fifteen years, scientists could use the gene editing technology CRISPR to make certain "upgrades" to human embryos -- from altering physical appearances to eliminating the risk of auto-immune diseases. In this thought-provoking talk, Knoepfler readies us for the coming designer baby revolution and its very personal, and unforeseeable, consequences.
Watch Now:Amazon
#4 - Nagin Cox: What time is it on Mars?
Season 2017 - Episode 23 - Aired 2/3/2017
Nagin Cox is a first-generation Martian. As a spacecraft engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cox works on the team that manages the United States' rovers on Mars. But working a 9-to-5 on another planet -- whose day is 40 minutes longer than Earth's -- has particular, often comical challenges.
Watch Now:Amazon
#5 - Elon Musk: The future we're building -- and boring
Season 2017 - Episode 89 - Aired 5/1/2017
Elon Musk discusses his new project digging tunnels under LA, the latest from Tesla and SpaceX and his motivation for building a future on Mars in conversation with TED's Head Curator, Chris Anderson.
Watch Now:Amazon
#6 - Alastair Gray: How fake handbags fund terrorism and organized crime
Season 2017 - Episode 270 - Aired 12/6/2017
What's the harm in buying a knock-off purse or a fake designer watch? According to counterfeit investigator Alastair Gray, fakes like these fund terrorism and organized crime. Learn more about the trillion-dollar underground economy of counterfeiting -- from the criminal organizations that run it to the child labor they use to produce its goods -- as well as measures you can take to help stop it. "Let's shine a light on the dark forces of counterfeiting that are hiding in plain sight," Gray says.
Watch Now:Amazon
#7 - Jennifer Pluznick: You smell with your body, not just your nose
Season 2017 - Episode 144 - Aired 7/27/2017
Do your kidneys have a sense of smell? Turns out, the same tiny scent detectors found in your nose are also found in some pretty unexpected places -- like your muscles, kidneys and even your lungs. In this quick talk (filled with weird facts), physiologist Jennifer Pluznick explains why they're there and what they do.
Watch Now:Amazon
#8 - Joel Jackson: A vehicle built in Africa, for Africa
Season 2017 - Episode 284 - Aired 12/19/2017
Joel Jackson wants to reimagine transportation around the needs of the African consumer. He's designed an SUV that's rugged enough for long stretches of uneven terrain and affordable enough to be within reach of those who need it most. Learn more about the challenges of mobility and manufacturing in Africa -- and what a localized motor industry could mean for the future of the continent.
Watch Now:Amazon
#9 - Javed Akhtar: The gift of words
Season 2017 - Episode 282 - Aired 12/18/2017
"Do you know what I mean?" Legendary poet, lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar asks why we seem to be losing our power to use words -- and inspires us to better understand and communicate with one another using this near-magical tool that carries our culture across generations. (In Hindi with English subtitles)
Watch Now:Amazon
#10 - Susan Pinker: The secret to living longer may be your social life
Season 2017 - Episode 163 - Aired 8/18/2017
The Italian island of Sardinia has more than six times as many centenarians as the mainland and ten times as many as North America. Why? According to psychologist Susan Pinker, it's not a sunny disposition or a low-fat, gluten-free diet that keeps the islanders healthy -- it's their emphasis on close personal relationships and face-to-face interactions. Learn more about super longevity as Pinker explains what it takes to live to 100 and beyond.
Watch Now:Amazon
#11 - Manoush Zomorodi: How boredom can lead to your most brilliant ideas
Season 2017 - Episode 158 - Aired 8/15/2017
Do you sometimes have your most creative ideas while folding laundry, washing dishes or doing nothing in particular? It's because when your body goes on autopilot, your brain gets busy forming new neural connections that connect ideas and solve problems. Learn to love being bored as Manoush Zomorodi explains the connection between spacing out and creativity.
Watch Now:Amazon
#12 - Tristan Harris: The manipulative tricks tech companies use to capture your attention
Season 2017 - Episode 143 - Aired 7/26/2017
A handful of people working at a handful of tech companies steer the thoughts of billions of people every day, says design thinker Tristan Harris. From Facebook notifications to Snapstreaks to YouTube autoplays, they're all competing for one thing: your attention. Harris shares how these companies prey on our psychology for their own profit and calls for a design renaissance in which our tech instead encourages us to live out the timeline we want.
Watch Now:Amazon
#13 - Todd Scott: An intergalactic guide to using a defibrillator
Season 2017 - Episode 76 - Aired 4/12/2017
If Yoda goes into cardiac arrest, will you know what to do? Artist and first-aid enthusiast Todd Scott breaks down what you need to know about using an automated external defibrillator, or AED -- in this galaxy and ones that are far, far away. Prepare to save the life of a Jedi, Chewbacca (he'll need a quick shave first) or someone else in need with some helpful pointers.
Watch Now:Amazon
#14 - Casey Brown: Know your worth, and then ask for it
Season 2017 - Episode 68 - Aired 4/3/2017
Your boss probably isn't paying you what you're worth -- instead, they're paying you what they think you're worth. Take the time to learn how to shape their thinking. Pricing consultant Casey Brown shares helpful stories and learnings that can help you better communicate your value and get paid for your excellence.
Watch Now:Amazon
#15 - Grady Booch: Don't fear superintelligent AI
Season 2017 - Episode 34 - Aired 2/17/2017
New tech spawns new anxieties, says scientist and philosopher Grady Booch, but we don't need to be afraid an all-powerful, unfeeling AI. Booch allays our worst (sci-fi induced) fears about superintelligent computers by explaining how we'll teach, not program, them to share our human values. Rather than worry about an unlikely existential threat, he urges us to consider how artificial intelligence will enhance human life.
Watch Now:Amazon
#16 - Maurice Conti: The incredible inventions of intuitive AI
Season 2017 - Episode 24 - Aired 2/6/2017
What do you get when you give a design tool a digital nervous system? Computers that improve our ability to think and imagine, and robotic systems that come up with (and build) radical new designs for bridges, cars, drones and much more -- all by themselves. Take a tour of the Augmented Age with futurist Maurice Conti and preview a time when robots and humans will work side-by-side to accomplish things neither could do alone.
Watch Now:Amazon
#17 - Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado: To solve old problems, study new species
Season 2017 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/12/2017
Nature is wonderfully abundant, diverse and mysterious -- but biological research today tends to focus on only seven species, including rats, chickens, fruit flies and us. We're studying an astonishingly narrow sliver of life, says biologist Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, and hoping it'll be enough to solve the oldest, most challenging problems in science, like cancer. In this visually captivating talk, Alvarado calls on us to interrogate the unknown and shows us the remarkable discoveries that surface when we do.
Watch Now:Amazon
#18 - Dan Bricklin: Meet the inventor of the electronic spreadsheet
Season 2017 - Episode 7 - Aired 1/11/2017
Dan Bricklin changed the world forever when he codeveloped VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet and grandfather of programs you probably use every day like Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. Join the software engineer and computing legend as he explores the tangled web of first jobs, daydreams and homework problems that led to his transformational invention.
#19 - Deepika Kurup: A young scientist's quest for clean water
Season 2017 - Episode 18 - Aired 1/27/2017
Deepika Kurup has been determined to solve the global water crisis since she was 14 years old, after she saw kids outside her grandparents' house in India drinking water that looked too dirty even to touch. Her research began in her family kitchen -- and eventually led to a major science prize. Hear how this teenage scientist developed a cost-effective, eco-friendly way to purify water.
#20 - Eduardo Briceño: How to get better at the things you care about
Season 2017 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/1/2017
Working hard but not improving? You're not alone. Eduardo Briceño reveals a simple way to think about getting better at the things you do, whether that's work, parenting or creative hobbies. And he shares some useful techniques so you can keep learning and always feel like you're moving forward.
#21 - Lara Setrakian: 3 ways to fix a broken news industry
Season 2017 - Episode 32 - Aired 2/15/2017
Something is very wrong with the news industry. Trust in the media has hit an all-time low; we're inundated with sensationalist stories, and consistent, high-quality reporting is scarce, says journalist Lara Setrakian. She shares three ways we can fix the news to better inform all of us about the complex issues of our time.
#22 - Luvvie Ajayi: Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
Season 2017 - Episode 266 - Aired 12/1/2017
Luvvie Ajayi isn't afraid to speak her mind or to be the one dissenting voice in a crowd, and neither should you. "Your silence serves no one," says the writer, activist and self-proclaimed professional troublemaker. In this bright, uplifting talk, Ajayi shares three questions to ask yourself if you're teetering on the edge of speaking up or quieting down -- and encourages all of us to get a little more comfortable with being uncomfortable.
#23 - Mona Chalabi: 3 ways to spot a bad statistic
Season 2017 - Episode 61 - Aired 3/24/2017
Polls that predict political candidates' chances to two decimal places are a problem. But we shouldn't count out stats altogether ... instead, we should learn to look behind them. In this delightful, hilarious talk, data journalist Mona Chalabi shares handy tips to help question, interpret and truly understand what the numbers are saying.
#24 - Matilda Ho: The future of good food in China
Season 2017 - Episode 262 - Aired 11/28/2017
Fresh food free of chemicals and pesticides is hard to come by in China: in 2016, the Chinese government revealed half a million food safety violations in just nine months. In the absence of safe, sustainable food sources, TED Fellow Matilda Ho launched China's first online farmers market, instituting a zero-tolerance test towards pesticides, antibiotics and hormones in food. She shares how she's growing her platform from the ground up and bringing local, organically grown food to the families that need it.
#25 - Tomás Saraceno: Would you live in a floating city in the sky?
Season 2017 - Episode 181 - Aired 9/7/2017
In a mind-bending talk that blurs the line between science and art, Tomás Saraceno exhibits a series of air-inspired sculptures and installations designed to usher in a new era of sustainability, the "Aerocene." From giant, cloud-like playgrounds suspended 22 meters in the air to a balloon sculpture that travels the world without burning a single drop of fossil fuel, Saraceno's work invites us to explore the bounds of our fragile human and terrestrial ecosystems. (In Spanish with English subtitles.)