Science

Environmentalist John Francis speaks about the 17 years of his life during which he never spoke a word.

How Do Years Of Silence Change Someone?

1:22pm May 06, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

For almost three decades, John Francis has been a planetwalker, traveling the globe by foot and sail with a silent message of environmental responsibility. For 17 years he didn't speak a word.

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Leana Wen on stage at the TEDMED conference.

What Does It Take To Bring Transparency To Medicine?

11:45am May 06, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

Doctors in the U.S. don't have to tell patients about conflicts of interest. When physician Leana Wen asked her fellow doctors to open up, the reaction she got was frightening.

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Chef Dan Barber explains how he went on a journey to find the perfect fish.

Science
Arts

Can Organic Farming Make Perfect Fish?

11:41am May 06, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

Chef Dan Barber tackles a dilemma facing many chefs today: how to keep fish on the menu. He chronicles his search for a fish that would please both diners and environmentalists.

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The elusive Kraken wasn't seen in its natural habitat until Dr. Edith Widder came up with some innovative technology.

What Did It Take To Find The Giant Squid?

11:40am May 06, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

Humans have been looking for the giant squid for decades. Oceanographer Edith Widder shares how innovative technology helped her capture the squid on video for the first time.

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Will we find signals from intelligent life in the next few decades? SETI astronomer Seth Shostak says yes.

Why Should We Search For ET?

11:40am May 06, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

Will we find ET in the next 25 years? Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at SETI, says yes. He explains that new technologies and the laws of probability make the breakthrough likely.

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Science

Baltimore Police Shooting That Wasn't 'Illustrates Malleable Nature Of Memories'

7:32pm May 05, 2015

NPR's Robert Siegel speaks to Elizabeth Loftus, professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine, about inventing memories. False reports Monday said a man was shot by Baltimore police.

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"You can choose to be a vegetarian, but don't think that just because you've made that decision, bacon suddenly stops smelling good." - Christopher Ryan

Science
Arts

What Did Cavemen Think About Lust?

4:20pm May 05, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

Christopher Ryan says that human beings are sexual omnivores and hopes that a better understanding of sexual fidelity may end discrimination, shame and unrealistic expectations.

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"Maybe we can dissolve a brain... turn it into soup." - Suzana Herculano-Houzel

Science

What Makes The Human Brain Unique?

4:17pm May 05, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

Neuroscientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel turns brains into soup so she can meticulously count the neurons and determine why human brains are unique.

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"Understanding consciousness is a real key, I think, both to understanding the universe and to understanding ourselves." - David Chalmers

How Can We Explain The Mystery Of Consciousness?

4:17pm May 05, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

Philosopher David Chalmers asks why humans have a sense of self, a constantly running movie full of sensation and internal chatter. He offers two ideas about the nature of consciousness.

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"Although we human adults are really good at understanding other minds, we weren't always that way." - Rebecca Saxe

How Do We Know What Other People Are Thinking?

4:17pm May 05, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

Sensing the motives and feelings of others is a natural talent for humans. But how do we do it? Neuroscientist Rebecca Saxe explains how one region in the brain focuses on other people's thoughts.

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