The BEST episodes of TED Talks season 2019
Every episode of TED Talks season 2019, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of TED Talks season 2019!
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. Episode ordering and dates are sourced from YouTube.]
#1 - Gangadhar Patil: How we're helping local reporters turn important stories into national news
Season 2019 - Episode 220 - Aired 10/8/2019
Local reporters are on the front lines of important stories, but their work often goes unnoticed by national and international news outlets. TED Fellow and journalist Gangadhar Patil is working to change that. In this quick talk, he shows how he's connecting grassroots reporters in India with major news outlets worldwide — and helping elevate and expose stories that might never get covered otherwise.
#2 - Jochen Wegner: What happened when we paired up thousands of strangers to talk politics
Season 2019 - Episode 186 - Aired 9/3/2019
In spring 2019, more than 17,000 Europeans from 33 countries signed up to have a political argument with a complete stranger. They were part of "Europe Talks," a project that organizes one-on-one conversations between people who disagree — sort of like a Tinder for politics. Editor Jochen Wegner shares the unexpected things that happened when people met up to talk — and shows how face-to-face discussions could get a divided world to rethink itself.
#3 - Arunabha Ghosh: 5 steps for clean air in India
Season 2019 - Episode 274 - Aired 11/18/2019
India's big cities have some of the worst air quality in the world. How can we fix this public health crisis? In an actionable talk, social entrepreneur Arunabha Ghosh lays out a five-step plan to put India on the path to cleaner, safer air -- and shows how every citizen can play an active role in getting there.
#4 - Jack Dorsey: How Twitter needs to change
Season 2019 - Episode 85 - Aired 4/17/2019
Can Twitter be saved? In a wide-ranging conversation with TED's Chris Anderson and Whitney Pennington Rodgers, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey discusses the future of the platform -- acknowledging problems with harassment and moderation and proposing some fundamental changes that he hopes will encourage healthy, respectful conversations. "Are we actually delivering something that people value every single day?" Dorsey asks.
#5 - Joanne Chory: How supercharged plants could slow climate change
Season 2019 - Episode 95 - Aired 5/2/2019
Plants are amazing machines -- for millions of years, they've taken carbon dioxide out of the air and stored it underground, keeping a crucial check on the global climate. Plant geneticist Joanne Chory is working to amplify this special ability: with her colleagues at the Salk Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory, she's creating plants that can store more carbon, deeper underground, for hundreds of years. Learn more about how these supercharged plants could help slow climate change. (This ambitious plan is a part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)
#6 - Katie Hood: The difference between healthy and unhealthy love
Season 2019 - Episode 106 - Aired 5/17/2019
In a talk about understanding and practicing the art of healthy relationships, Katie Hood reveals the five signs you might be in an unhealthy relationship — with a romantic partner, a friend, a family member — and shares the things you can do every day to love with respect, kindness and joy. "While love is an instinct and an emotion, the ability to love better is a skill we can all build and improve on over time," she says.
#7 - Britt Wray: How climate change affects your mental health
Season 2019 - Episode 181 - Aired 8/27/2019
"For all that's ever been said about climate change, we haven't heard nearly enough about the psychological impacts of living in a warming world," says science writer Britt Wray. In this quick talk, she explores how climate change is threatening our well-being — mental, social and spiritual — and offers a starting point for what we can do about it.
#8 - Johann Hari: This could be why you're depressed or anxious
Season 2019 - Episode 201 - Aired 9/18/2019
In a moving talk, journalist Johann Hari shares fresh insights on the causes of depression and anxiety from experts around the world — as well as some exciting emerging solutions. "If you're depressed or anxious, you're not weak and you're not crazy — you're a human being with unmet needs," Hari says.
#9 - Daniel Streicker: What vaccinating vampire bats can teach us about pandemics
Season 2019 - Episode 251 - Aired 10/31/2019
Could we anticipate the next big disease outbreak, stopping a virus like Ebola before it ever strikes? In this talk about frontline scientific research, ecologist Daniel Streicker takes us to the Amazon rainforest in Peru where he tracks the movement of vampire bats in order to forecast and prevent rabies outbreaks. By studying these disease patterns, Streicker shows how we could learn to cut off the next pandemic at its source.
#10 - Gaby Barrios: Why gender-based marketing is bad for business
Season 2019 - Episode 271 - Aired 11/15/2019
Companies often target consumers based on gender, but this kind of advertising shortcut doesn't just perpetuate outdated stereotypes -- it's also bad for business, says marketing expert Gaby Barrios. In this clear, actionable talk, she explains why gender-based marketing doesn't drive business nearly as much as you might think -- and shows how companies can find better ways to reach customers and grow their brands.
#11 - Sandeep Jauhar: How your emotions change the shape of your heart
Season 2019 - Episode 193 - Aired 9/10/2019
"A record of our emotional life is written on our hearts," says cardiologist and author Sandeep Jauhar. In a stunning talk, he explores the mysterious ways our emotions impact the health of our hearts — causing them to change shape in response to grief or fear, to literally break in response to emotional heartbreak — and calls for a shift in how we care for our most vital organ.
#12 - Andrew Forrest: A radical plan to end plastic waste
Season 2019 - Episode 221 - Aired 10/8/2019
Plastic is an incredible substance for the economy — and the worst substance possible for the environment, says entrepreneur Andrew Forrest. In a conversation meant to spark debate, Forrest and head of TED Chris Anderson discuss an ambitious plan to get the world's biggest companies to fund an environmental revolution — and transition industry towards getting all of its plastic from recycled materials, not from fossil fuels.
#13 - Mitchell Katz: What the US health care system assumes about you
Season 2019 - Episode 215 - Aired 10/2/2019
The US health care system assumes many things about patients: that they can take off from work in the middle of the day, speak English, have a working telephone and a steady supply of food. Because of that, it's failing many of those who are most in need, says Mitchell Katz, CEO of the largest public health care system in the US. In this eye-opening talk, he shares stories of the challenges low-income patients face — and how we can build a better system for all.
#14 - Anthony Veneziale: "Stumbling towards intimacy": An improvised TED Talk
Season 2019 - Episode 188 - Aired 9/4/2019
In a hilarious, completely improvised talk, improv master Anthony Veneziale takes to the TED stage for a truly one-of-a-kind performance. Armed with an audience-suggested topic ("stumbling towards intimacy") and a deck of slides he's never seen before, Veneziale crafts a meditation on the intersection of love, language and ... avocados?
#15 - Asmeret Asefaw Berhe: A climate change solution that's right under our feet
Season 2019 - Episode 185 - Aired 9/3/2019
There's two times more carbon in the earth's soil than in all of its vegetation and the atmosphere — combined. Biogeochemist Asmeret Asefaw Berhe dives into the science of soil and shares how we could use its awesome carbon-trapping power to offset climate change. "[Soil] represents the difference between life and lifelessness in the earth system, and it can also help us combat climate change — if we can only stop treating it like dirt," she says.
#16 - Brittany Packnett: How to build your confidence -- and spark it in others
Season 2019 - Episode 107 - Aired 5/20/2019
"Confidence is the necessary spark before everything that follows," says educator and activist Brittany Packnett. In an inspiring talk, she shares three ways to crack the code of confidence — and her dream for a world where revolutionary confidence helps turn our most ambitious dreams into reality.
#17 - Martin Danoesastro: What are you willing to give up to change the way we work?
Season 2019 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/8/2019
What does it take to build the fast, flexible, creative teams needed to challenge entrenched work culture? For transformation expert Martin Danoesastro, it all starts with one question: "What are you willing to give up?" He shares lessons learned from companies on both sides of the innovation wave on how to structure your organization so that people at all levels are empowered to make decisions fast and respond to change.
#18 - Kelly Wanser: Emergency medicine for our climate fever
Season 2019 - Episode 182 - Aired 8/28/2019
As we recklessly warm the planet by pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, some industrial emissions also produce particles that reflect sunshine back into space, putting a check on global warming that we're only starting to understand. Climate activist Kelly Wanser asks: Can we engineer ways to harness this effect and further reduce warming? Learn more about the promises and risks of "cloud brightening" — and how it could help restore our climate to health.
#19 - Ane Brun: "It All Starts With One" / "You Light My Fire"
Season 2019 - Episode 114 - Aired 5/28/2019
Multi-instrumentalist Ane Brun joins the Lyris Quartet to perform two haunting, mesmerizing songs: the cabaret-inspired "It All Starts With One" and folk-infused "You Light My Fire," with backing vocals from Rebecca Lichtenfeld.
#20 - Kate E. Brandt: A world without waste
Season 2019 - Episode 113 - Aired 5/24/2019
Every Google search or YouTube upload costs the global network both energy and resources. As Google's head of sustainability, it's Kate E. Brandt's job to strategize solutions that cut the cost on our environment and our economy. In an innovative talk, she dives into her plan to green up Google by creating a circular economy which reuses, recycles and eliminates waste altogether.
#21 - Dropbox: How one team turned a sprint project into a marathon success
Season 2019 - Episode 51 - Aired 2/12/2019
TED Resident Keith Kirkland and his team at WearWorks use haptic technology to develop products and experiences that communicate information through touch. In 2017, they were faced with a seemingly impossible challenge: quickly develop a device for a blind ultra-marathon runner to compete -- unaided and unassisted -- in the New York City Marathon. Jennifer Brook, a design researcher at Dropbox, explains how the team at WearWorks navigated the challenges and tensions of designing this groundbreaking new technology.
#22 - Dan Clay: Why you should bring your whole self to work
Season 2019 - Episode 38 - Aired 2/5/2019
Dan Clay was worried about being dismissed as "too gay" at work, so he dialed down his personality. But then his alter ego, Carrie Dragshaw, went viral online. Here's what happened next.
#23 - Scott Williams: The impact of a TED Talk -- one year later
Season 2019 - Episode 20 - Aired 1/14/2019
In 2017, Scott Williams highlighted the invaluable role of informal caregivers within society on the TED@Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany stage. Since then, over a million have seen his talk. Williams joins curator Bruno Giussani to discuss the influence of his talk both within Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and on the general public.
#24 - Renzo Vitale: "Drottning Kristina"
Season 2019 - Episode 19 - Aired 1/14/2019
Composer and pianist Renzo Vitale performs his piece "Drottning Kristina," bringing the audience along on a warm, meditative yet energetic instrumental journey that closely reflects the tempos of life.
#25 - Kathy Vinokurov: Challenging the perception of belonging
Season 2019 - Episode 18 - Aired 1/14/2019
What happens when you're Russian, grow up in Israel and work for an international pharmaceutical company in Germany? You end up with a multinational background that may be difficult for your peers to understand or relate to on a personal level. Materials scientist Kathy Vinokurov believes that we can break down these cultural barriers — using something as simple as a homemade cake.