Nature's internet: how trees talk to each other in a healthy forest

This fascinating talk presents the scientific research that shows the interconnectedness of life in the forest ecosystem.

It takes us beneath the forest floor where we learn how trees are communicating and exchanging resources. Going beyond the simple view of a forest as a resource to be exploited, it presents the forest as a complex network of life. Her examination of the relationships that make up the complexity of nature present compelling support for the idea that “We are all one”


Nikkita Oliver

Through spoken word and images, Nikkita Oliver urges a reexamination of both history and the stories we tell.

From the 1968 Summer Olympics to Colin Kaeperhttps://tedxseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/stage-image-1-1.jpg, from Timothy McVeigh to the Blank Panther movement, she reveals fragments of truth often hidden within the bigger story. Holding a light to these distinctions, Oliver urges us to see the invisible frames that shape our assumptions and worldview, and challenges us to look beyond the image.


Empathy is Power

When we think of power, we think of force. But is force always the best option? Negotiator and trainer Tim Dawes demonstrates the power of compassion to influence, lead, and create better outcomes in business and everyday life. Using three remarkable and true stories, Tim shows how re-imagining compassion as a practical set of skills enables us to shift our relationships with adversaries, collaborate, and quickly invent new options we might never have considered before.

Negotiator and trainer Tim Dawes demonstrates the power of compassion to influence, lead, and create better outcomes in business and everyday life. Using three remarkable and true stories, Tim shows how re-imagining compassion as a practical set of skills enables us to shift our relationships with adversaries, collaborate, and quickly invent new options we might never have considered before.


Music that breaks down walls

Publish the Quest is a band from Washington State that brought down the house at TEDxSeattle 2016 with infectious energy and a message about the power of music. Flanked by a great horn section, lead singer Jacob Bain took a moment  to share the  band’s mission to use music and collaboration to break down cultural barriers in their travels to Zimbabwe and other African countries. They hope to restore trust and hope in a world that often seems short on both, with music as their calling card.


Artificial Intelligence will empower us, not exterminate us

Artificial Intelligence advocate Oren Etzioni makes a case for the life-saving benefits of AI used wisely to improve our way of life. Acknowledging growing fears about AI’s potential for abuse of power, he asks us to consider how to responsibly balance our desire for greater intelligence and autonomy with the risks inherent in this new and growing technology.


Let’s make connectivity mobile — by heading to space

Access to the internet has changed the world, but with expectations in the next 15 year of 30 billion connected devices, we are facing a connectivity crisis. The ONLY option for meeting the increased demand for bandwidth is to go to space and we have the technology to get us there.


Why the world needs your story

A filmmaker by accident, Eliaichi came to her story while exploring her Tanzanian roots. Her journey as a first-generation Asian-African American led her to ask questions never asked before. The answers shocked her and helped her see how sharing our stories can reshape lives.

Eliaichi Kimaro uses art and video to bring stories of struggle, resistance, and survival to a broader audience. She brings a lifetime of personal and professional experience exploring issues of culture, identity, race, class, gender and trauma to her Award-winning directorial debut, A Lot Like You. She is currently on the campus/conference lecture circuit, engaging with communities around the world about gender-based violence, global mixed race/multicultural issues, cultural identity and the power of personal storytelling.
Through her production company, 9elephants productions, she has produced over 80 videos for local and national non-profits working within underserved communities to address social and economic justice issues. Following her 5 year term as President of the Board at the NW Network of Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian and Gay Survivors of Abuse, Kimaro joined the Board of the Seattle Globalist, a daily online publication dedicated to elevating diverse voices through media.


Our best hope in fighting global disease is open collaboration

Alexis is a research biologist, but her experience in engineering school and social justice issues before grad school has made her a scientist who looks at social and economic constraints as a path to creativity. She has implemented innovative techniques and made some startling discoveries in the quest for a malaria cure, discoveries that might help us fight other infectious diseases as well.


The life-changing power of live theater

For thousands of years, live theater has captivated the human mind. In this funny and revealing talk, Andrew shows why we respond so strongly to the stage and why recognizing its superpower is more important now than ever.


Surviving Cancer: The Biology of Luck

Why are some people "cured" of cancer while others deal with relapses? Answering that question may mean changing the way we think about the disease.


This judge wants to stop sending kids to jail: how we can help

As a Chief Justice in the juvenile court system, Wesley has come to believe the system is better at sentencing people than reducing crime. He asks that we rely less on the power of the justice system, and more on human connection with Restorative Practices as a solution.


What's wrong with dying?

The answer might seem simple, but in the hands of Lesley Hazleton, the question takes us on a surprisingly humorous and thought-provoking journey into what it would actually mean to live forever. And whether we’d truly want to. A frequent TED.com speaker and 'Accidental Theologist,' Hazleton uses wit and wisdom to challenge our ideas not only about death, but about what it is to live well.