It starts with a fight every parent knows: "Five more minutes, Dad." Stephan de Moraes battles his kids over screens almost daily — until one evening it hits him: this was never about screen time, it's about depth. Reading for pleasure has fallen 3% a year…

A 19th-century war over islands of bird guano, a German chemist who pulled fertilizer out of thin air, and the same molecule turned into weapons: half the people alive owe their existence to Fritz Haber’s ammonia, and millions died from it. Jackson Sarver…

Voters are supposed to pick their politicians. In redistricting, politicians pick their voters. Claire Witalec shows how packing and cracking quietly decide elections before a ballot is cast, why both parties do it, and what an ordinary citizen can actually…

A phone at 4 percent, a DoorDash order, a charger at the hotel door in thirty minutes: it felt like magic. Priyasha Ghosal asks who the magician really is, and shows how friction cannot be erased, only moved onto the people we no longer have to see. Her answer…

Why is your quality as a neighbor measured in inches of grass? Because two developers in the 1800s told you so. Gage Martin follows the false need from the suburban lawn to product placement, the beauty industry, and the manufactured need for constant connection…

NOTE FROM TED: This talk contains a discussion of child sexual abuse, trafficking, and related traumatic experiences. Please do not look to this talk as a substitute for mental health advice and seek professional help if you are struggling. Contents only…

On the first day of ninth grade, James Mason Jr. walked into English class with six months of memorized vocabulary, ready to prove that how you say something matters most. The praise never came, so he kept adjusting, building a different James for every room.…

Nationally, two-thirds of people released from prison are rearrested within three years. At EDWINS, the number is a fraction of that. Chef Brandon Chrostowski shares the engine behind it: nobody is asked what they did, only who they want to become, and every…

Marc Byrnes asks one question three times, and by the third time you realize he is asking about you. Battery chargers empower the people around them; battery drainers want to be king of the castle. Six decades of mentors, setbacks, a company rebuilt around…

Cyber threats like Q-Day and entropic warfare are emerging with a new technilogical era. Our old methods of security are vulnerable. That's where EISD comes in. Entropy as Infrustructure for Security and Defense is a new, hacker-created field striving to…

AI is good at seeing patterns, but it’s humans who figure out what ...

TED Fellow Ryosuke Takashima is the youngest-ever mayor in Japan's history — but he doesn't consider himself a politician. His approach to leadership is simple: listen to as many voices as possible (from students to elders) in order to figure out what needs…

What if the things we consume every day could inspire us to create something of our own? This talk explores how curiosity, creativity, and an entrepreneurial mindset can help young people recognise opportunities around them. It encourages students to question…

Aurora Zhang shares the story of leading a 20-day renovation of a campus dining hall. When her team proposed an easier partial fix, she chose the harder, full renovation instead. With time running out and risks rising, she learned that the right choice isn’t…

Claire used to think gratitude was a simple exchange—you help me, I thank you. But through her grandfather and a plain cotton coat, she learned that true gratitude is not a transaction. It is about truly seeing one another. Her talk invites us to pause before…

Beier left a dream job in the U.S. and faced a painful career drop. Through a volunteer named Tina, she learned that no act of care is too small—and that meaning is found in ordinary moments that make others feel seen. Beijing Hospitality Institute Faculty…

Growing up between Beijing and Henan, Wang Jinbao felt he belonged nowhere—too “Henan” for Beijing, too “Beijing” for Henan. His mixed accent became a source of shame. Through stamp collecting, he discovered that flaws can make something valuable. His talk…

Is sharing a meal ever just eating? Restaurateur Suzana Barros doesn't think so. From a Portuguese painting of two lovers lost in conversation over dinner, to her childhood table set every night by candlelight, to the first-date jitters and quiet business…