Scientific Talks

Play and become smart

Stuart Brown

A pioneer in research on play, Dr. Stuart Brown says humor, games, roughhousing, flirtation and fantasy are more than just fun. Plenty of play in childhood makes for happy, smart adults - and keeping it up can make us smarter at any age.

Neural basis of morality

Rebecca Saxe - MIT

Sensing the motives and feelings of others is a natural talent for humans. But how do we do it? Here, Rebecca Saxe shares fascinating lab work that uncovers how the brain thinks about other peoples' thoughts - and judges their actions.

Future orientation as a factor of success

Psychologist Philip Zimbardo says happiness and success are rooted in a trait most of us disregard: the way we orient toward the past, present and future. He suggests we calibrate our outlook on time as a first step to improving our lives.

How the brain processes information

Tom Wujec

Information designer Tom Wujec talks through three areas of the brain that help us understand words, images, feelings and their connections. In this short talk at TEDU, he asks: How can we best engage our brains to help us better understand big ideas?

The Creation of Science

Kary Mullis

Biochemist Kary Mullis talks about the historic basis of modern science: the experiment. Sharing tales from the 17th century and from his own backyard-rocketry days, Mullis celebrates the curiosity, inspiration and rigour of good science in all its forms.