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Stephen Webb: Where are all the aliens?  13:18 minutes · Filmed Apr 2018 · Posted Jul 2018 · TED2018 The universe is incredibly old, astoundingly vast and populated by trillions of planets -- so where are all the aliens? Astronomer Stephen Webb has an explanation: we're alone in the universe. In a mind-expanding talk, he spells out the remarkable barriers a planet would need to clear in order to host an extraterrestrial civilization -- and makes a case for the beauty of our potential cosmic loneliness. "The silence of the universe is shouting, 'We're the creatures who got lucky,'" Webb says. | |
Want to ponder some very big questions? Browse through TED curator Chris Anderson's latest playlist. Watch » 10 TED Talks • Total run time 2:23:51 | |
 Does everyone experience happiness, sadness and anxiety the same way? What are emotions anyway? For the past 25 years, psychology professor Lisa Feldman Barrett has mapped facial expressions, scanned brains and analyzed hundreds of physiology studies to understand what emotions really are. She shares the results of her exhaustive research -- and explains how we may have more control over our emotions than we think. Watch »  If you think democracy is broken, here's an idea: let's replace politicians with randomly selected people. Author and activist Brett Hennig presents a compelling case for sortition democracy, or random selection of government officials -- a system with roots in ancient Athens that taps into the wisdom of the crowd and entrusts ordinary people with making balanced decisions for the greater good of everyone. Sound crazy? Learn more about how it could work to create a world free of partisan politics. Watch » |  What would a sustainable, universally beneficial economy look like? "Like a doughnut," says Oxford economist Kate Raworth. In an eye-opening, thought-provoking talk, she explains how we can move countries out of the hole -- where people are falling short on life's essentials -- and create regenerative, distributive economies that work within the planet's ecological limits. Watch »  We get stronger, not weaker, by engaging with ideas and people we disagree with, says Zachary R. Wood. In an important talk about finding common ground, Wood makes the case that we can build empathy and gain understanding by engaging tactfully and thoughtfully with controversial ideas and unfamiliar perspectives. "Tuning out opposing viewpoints doesn't make them go away," Wood says. Watch » | | |
| Want to help your New Year's resolutions stick? Make this one-word change in how you write them, says psychologist Susan David. Read more »
Meet the dogs on the front lines of wildlife conservation. These incredible pups catch poachers, sniff out invasive plants and diseases, and more. Read more »
3 ways your memory stays sharp as you get older. It's normal to be more forgetful as you age -- but you also develop some memory superpowers. Read more »
The art — and science — of sharing a secret. There are clear benefits of sharing your private hopes and fears with someone you trust. Here's how and why. Read more »
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Watch science in action in this original TED series about cutting-edge neuroscience experiments on a shoestring budget. Learn why mosquitos buzz, how octopus fight, and whether a computer can read your mind ...
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