The uncomplicated truth about women’s sexuality | Sarah Barmak

Is women’s sexuality more complicated than men’s? Well, not really, no, says author Sarah Barmak. In this frank, eye-opening talk, she shows how a flawed understanding of the female body has shaped this discussion for centuries. She debunks some age-old myths (you’re welcome) and offers a richer definition of pleasure that gets closer to the simple truth about women’s sexuality….

How do we learn to work with intelligent machines? | Matt Beane

The path to skill around the globe has been the same for thousands of years: train under an expert and take on small, easy tasks before progressing to riskier, harder ones. But right now, we’re handling AI in a way that blocks that path — and sacrificing learning in our quest for productivity, says organizational ethnographer Matt Beane. What can…

How we can start to heal the pain of racial division | Ruby Sales

“Where does it hurt?” It’s a question that activist and educator Ruby Sales has traveled the US asking, looking deeply at the country’s legacy of racism and searching for sources of healing. In this moving talk, she shares what she’s learned, reflecting on her time as a freedom fighter in the civil rights movement and offering new thinking on pathways…

An astronaut’s story of curiosity, perspective and change | Leland Melvin

What job is best for a young man who’s been a tennis ace, a cross-country traveler, a chemistry nerd and an NFL draftee? How about … astronaut? Leland Melvin tells the story of the challenges he’s accepted and the opportunities he’s seized — and how they led him to the International Space Station and a whole new perspective of life…

The way we think about biological sex is wrong | Emily Quinn

Did you know that almost 150 million people worldwide are born intersex — with biology that doesn’t fit the standard definition of male or female? (That’s as many as the population of Russia.) At age 10, Emily Quinn found out she was intersex, and in this wise, funny talk, she shares eye-opening lessons from a life spent navigating society’s thoughtless…

The disarming case to act right now on climate change | Greta Thunberg

In this passionate call to action, 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg explains why, in August 2018, she walked out of school and organized a strike to raise awareness of global warming, protesting outside the Swedish parliament and grabbing the world’s attention. “The climate crisis has already been solved. We already have all the facts and solutions,” Thunberg says. “All we…

Reflections from a lifetime fighting to end child poverty | Marian Wright Edelman

What does it take to build a national movement? In a captivating conversation with TEDWomen curator Pat Mitchell, Marian Wright Edelman reflects on her path to founding the Children’s Defense Fund in 1973 — from the early influence of growing up in the segregated American South to her activism with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — and shares how growing…

Can we solve global warming? Lessons from how we protected the ozone layer | Sean Davis

The Montreal Protocol proved that the world could come together and take action on climate change. Thirty years after the world’s most successful environmental treaty was signed, atmospheric scientist Sean Davis examines the world we avoided when we banned chlorofluorocarbons — and shares lessons we can carry forward to address the climate crisis in our time. Source: https://www.ted.com/talks/sean_davis_can_we_solve_global_warming_lessons_from_how_we_protected_the_ozone_layer?rss…

The power of women’s anger | Soraya Chemaly

Anger is a powerful emotion — it warns us of threat, insult, indignity and harm. But across the world, girls and women are taught that their anger is better left unvoiced, says author Soraya Chemaly. Why is that, and what might we lose in this silence? In a provocative, thoughtful talk, Chemaly explores the dangerous lie that anger isn’t feminine,…

A powerful way to unleash your natural creativity | Tim Harford

What can we learn from the world’s most enduringly creative people? They “slow-motion multitask,” actively juggling multiple projects and moving between topics as the mood strikes — without feeling hurried. Author Tim Harford shares how innovators like Einstein, Darwin, Twyla Tharp and Michael Crichton found their inspiration and productivity through cross-training their minds. Source: https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_harford_a_powerful_way_to_unleash_your_natural_creativity?rss…