Ted Talks Daily

It’s time to give paper passports a digital upgrade, says entrepreneur Karoli Hindriks. Looking to Estonia’s technology-driven government for inspiration, she envisions a world where immigration is no longer hindered by bureaucracy and needless repetition. Travel with her to a future beyond borders where universal digital passports replace paper ones -- and where outdated systems stop wasting our time and money. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you work, you expect to be paid for it. Except, for millions of Americans employed across a range of industries like restaurants and construction, that's not always the case. Anthropologist Rebecca Galemba explores the multibillion-dollar problem of wage theft and how employers get away with it, highlighting the changes needed for them to pay up -- and fairly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you answered a work email during an important family event? Or taken a call from your boss while on vacation? According to behavioral scientist and Harvard Business School professor Ashley Whillans, “always-on” work culture is not only ruining our personal well-being -- but our work, as well. She shares which bad habits are stopping us from getting what we need out of our free time and three practical steps for setting boundaries that stick. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if diseases could be treated with a patient’s own cells, precisely and on demand? Biotech entrepreneur Nabiha Saklayen explains how we could harness advances in biology, machine learning and lasers to create personalized stem cell banks -- and develop medicine uniquely designed for each of our bodies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been 10 years since the death of Steve Jobs. Has Apple peaked after 10 years of Tim Cook's leadership, or is the best yet to come? Harvard Business School professors Youngme Moon, Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Mihir A. Desai debate the prospects for Apple -- and discuss the celebrities changing the way Hollywood does business, including Reese Witherspoon, Rihanna and more. After Hours is a member of the TED Audio Collective, a collection of podcasts for the curious. Learn more on . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From a special black-footed ferret to coral that can withstand warming waters, genetic rescue efforts that use genomics and synthetic biology are helping nature thrive. But despite the huge successes of this kind of intervention, conservation innovator Ryan Phelan points out that fear of unintended consequences often stifles innovation -- risking further extinction. She makes the case for embracing the “intended consequences” of genetic tools that have the power to restore Earth’s balance, abundance and biodiversity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are global levels of anxiety and depression so high? Social epidemiologist Richard Wilkinson presents compelling data on the impact of inequality on mental health and social relationships in countries around the world. “Inequality,” he says, “is the enemy between us.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get transported on a stunningly rendered, sci-fi safari through Planet City: an imaginary metropolis of 10 billion people, from the brain of director and architect Liam Young. Explore the potential outcomes of an urban space designed to house the entire population of the earth -- and imagine answers to what is possible, and what is sustainable, for the planet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deep beneath your feet is a molten ball of energy the same temperature as the surface of the sun -- an immense clean energy source that could power the world thousands of times over, says technologist and climate activist Jamie C. Beard. How do we tap it? She lays out a surprising solution, and an unlikely alliance, to harvest geothermal energy from the Earth’s core and get it to anywhere in the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As actress Nicole Maines points out, we all unwittingly play supporting roles in each others' life stories -- for better or worse. With charm and aplomb, she shares her experience growing up as a trans youth, emphasizing the big and small ways community acceptance can affect the course of a deeply personal journey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Global obesity rates are on the rise, but body shaming campaigns are doing more harm than good, says medical anthropologist Nancy N. Chen. Reflecting on how the cultural histories of body ideals have changed over time, she offers a new way to view ourselves and our health by enhancing body diversity to close the gap between what’s ideal and what’s real. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could an everyday clothing item help protect your health? In this quick talk, TED Fellow Alicia Chong Rodriguez introduces us to a smart bra designed to gather real-time data on biomarkers like heartbeat, breath and temperature. Learn how this life-saving gadget could help close the gender gap in cardiovascular research -- and, finally, usher women’s health care into the 21st century. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this fascinating conversation, cosmologist and TED Fellow Katie Mack delves into everything from the Big Bang theory to what we see at the edge of the observable universe to a few ways the cosmos might end. Stay tuned to hear Mack recite an original poem on the wonder and marvel of existence. (This conversation, hosted by deputy director of the TED Fellows program, Lily James Olds, was part of a TED Membership event. Visit ted.com/membership to become a TED Member.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Government deficits have gotten a bad rap, says economist Stephanie Kelton. In this groundbreaking talk, she makes the case to stop looking at government spending as a path towards frightening piles of debt, but rather as a financial contribution to the things that matter -- like health care, education, infrastructure and beyond. “We have the resources we need to begin repairing our broken systems,” Kelton says. “But we have to believe it’s possible.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sci-fi writer Chen Qiufan doesn’t fear a dystopian future. Instead, he believes developments in artificial intelligence will make all of our lives better, healthier and safer. He takes us on a tour of the next 20 years of AI and shares some astonishing predictions for the advancements in science and technology that could await us. “For every future we wish to create, we must first learn to imagine it,” he says. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you found yourself staying up late, joylessly bingeing TV shows and doomscrolling through the news, or simply navigating your day uninspired and aimless? Chances are you're languishing, says organizational psychologist Adam Grant -- a psychic malaise that has become all too common after many months of the pandemic. He breaks down the key indicators of languishing and presents three ways to escape that "meh" feeling and start finding your flow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nearly 1,800 newsrooms have shuttered across the US since 2004, leaving many communities unseen, unheard and in the dark. In this passionate talk and rallying cry, journalist Chuck Plunkett explains why he rebelled against his employer to raise awareness for an industry under threat of extinction -- and makes the case for local news as an essential part of any healthy democracy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are about 7,000 languages spoken around the world -- and they all have different sounds, vocabularies and structures. But do they shape the way we think? Cognitive scientist Lera Boroditsky shares examples of language -- from an Aboriginal community in Australia that uses cardinal directions instead of left and right to the multiple words for blue in Russian -- that suggest the answer is a resounding yes. "The beauty of linguistic diversity is that it reveals to us just how ingenious and how flexible the human mind is," Boroditsky says. "Human minds have invented not one cognitive universe, but 7,000." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you: do laundry, are (or have been) pregnant, tidy up, shop for your household or do similar labor, then by GDP standards, you're unproductive. In this visionary talk, economist Marilyn Waring seeks to correct the failures of this narrow-minded system, detailing why we deserve a better way to measure growth that values not just our own livelihood but the planet's as well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dating back more than 800 years, chocolate is deeply woven into the Indigenous history of Oaxaca, Mexico. TED Fellow Germán Santillán talks about his work reviving the Mixtec technique used to prepare this ancient delicacy by training a new generation of local farmers -- helping create economic opportunity and preserve a delicious legacy at the same time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.