TED	Michael Specter: The danger of science denial April 12, 2010 Vaccine-autism claims, "Frankenfood" bans, the herbal cure craze: All point to the public’s growing fear (and, often, outright denial) of science and reason, says Michael Specter. He warns the ...

TED	Devdutt Pattanaik: East vs. West — ... November 19, 2009 Devdutt Pattanaik takes an eye-opening look at the myths of India and of the West — and shows how these two fundamentally different sets of beliefs about God, death and heaven help us ...

TED	Karen Armstrong: Let’s revive the Golden Rule September 30, 2009 Weeks from the Charter for Compassion launch, Karen Armstrong looks at religion’s role in the 21st century: Will its dogmas divide us? Or will it unite us for common good? She reviews the ...

TED	Diane Benscoter on how cults rewire the brain June 17, 2009 Diane Benscoter spent five years as a "Moonie." She shares an insider’s perspective on the mind of a cult member, and proposes a new way to think about today's most ...

TED	A surprising parable of foie gras November 25, 2008 At the Taste3 conference, chef Dan Barber tells the story of a small farm in Spain that has found a humane way to produce foie gras. Raising his geese in a natural environment, farmer Eduardo ...

TED	Ursus Wehrli tidies up art November 13, 2008 Ursus Wehrli shares his vision for a cleaner, more organized, tidier form of art — by deconstructing the paintings of modern masters into their component pieces, sorted by color and size.

TED	The science of scent November 07, 2008 What’s the science behind a sublime perfume? With charm and precision, biophysicist Luca Turin explains the molecular makeup — and the art -- of a scent.

TED	The powerful link between creativity and play November 06, 2008 At the 2008 Serious Play conference, designer Tim Brown talks about the powerful relationship between creative thinking and play — with many examples you can try at home (and one that ...

TED	A 3-minute story of mixed emoticons October 28, 2008 Rives — star of the Bravo special "Ironic Iconic America" -- tells a typographical fairy tale that’s short and bittersweet.

TED	A brief digression on matters of lost time October 21, 2008 Humorist John Hodgman rambles through a new story about aliens, physics, time, space and the way all of these somehow contribute to a sweet, perfect memory of falling in love.

TED	The power of saying thank you September 24, 2008 In this deceptively simple 3-minute talk, Dr. Laura Trice muses on the power of the magic words "thank you" — to deepen a friendship, to repair a bond, to make sure another person knows ...

TED	Dog-friendly dog training August 21, 2008 Speaking at the 2007 EG conference, trainer Ian Dunbar asks us to see the world through the eyes of our beloved dogs. By knowing our pets' perspective, we can build their love and trust. ...

TED	The brain in love July 15, 2008 Why do we crave love so much, even to the point that we would die for it? To learn more about our very real, very physical need for romantic love, Helen Fisher and her research team took MRIs of ...

TED	An atheist’s call to arms June 24, 2008 Richard Dawkins urges all atheists to openly state their position — and to fight the incursion of the church into politics and science. A fiery, funny, powerful talk.

TED	A secular, scientific rebuttal to Rick Warren June 24, 2008 Philosopher Dan Dennett calls for religion — all religion -- to be taught in schools, so we can understand its nature as a natural phenomenon. Then he takes on The Purpose-Driven Life, ...

TED	What’s wrong with what we eat June 24, 2008 In this fiery and funny talk, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman weighs in on what’s wrong with the way we eat now (too much meat, too few plants; too much fast food, too little home ...

TED	The lost art of letter-writing June 24, 2008 Lakshmi Pratury remembers the lost art of letter-writing and shares a series of notes her father wrote to her before he died. Her short but heartfelt talk may inspire you to set pen to paper, too.

TED	The paradox of choice June 24, 2008 Psychologist Barry Schwartz takes aim at a central tenet of western societies: freedom of choice. In Schwartz’s estimation, choice has made us not freer but more paralyzed, not happier but more ...

TED	Slowing down in a world built for speed June 24, 2008 Journalist Carl Honore believes the Western world’s emphasis on speed erodes health, productivity and quality of life. But there's a backlash brewing, as everyday people start putting ...

TED	What we can learn from spaghetti sauce June 24, 2008 Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell gets inside the food industry’s pursuit of the perfect spaghetti sauce — and makes a larger argument about the nature of choice and happiness.