xocea

Stephen Hawking opens up to Discovery News correspondent Irene Klotz. In this fascinating question and answer period Stephen Hawking says the human race has no future if we don't go into space and he hopes there is intelligent life somewhere in the universe because there are no signs of it here on earth

Anthropologist Wade Davis muses on the worldwide web of belief and ritual that makes us human. He shares breathtaking photos and stories of the Elder Brothers, a group of Sierra Nevada Indians whose spiritual practice holds the world in balance. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 19:12.)

Watch Wade Davis's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.

Read more about Wade Davis on TED.com.

Embed this video: Use this code to run the video on your own site:

The world's first commercial bionic hand has grabbed Britain's top engineering prize.

Research suggests that it is not size alone that gives more brain power, but rather the quality of connections in the brain.

Researchers find that people's response to a basic test of their sense of fairness can be manipulated by changing the level of the neurotransmitter serotonin.

Women can take comfort from the discovery that it is the quality of connections in the brain, not the overall size, that really matters.For decades, men have gloated over how they have bigger brains, and thus must be smarter, a simple side effect of how they tend to have bigger bodies.

Cross the Wii hacking of Johnny Lee with the creativity tools of Tod Machover, and you get Digital Wheel Art -- a wheelchair that uses a hacked Wii Remote to help disabled people make paintings. As Gizmodo reports, inventor YoungHyun Chung showed off the device at the Maker Faire in NYC last night. Watch the video from Chung's thesis site:

Digital Wheel Art from YoungHyun Chung on Vimeo.

Registration is open for Reduced-Price Memberships and Fellowships to TED2009 in Long Beach.

Apply now >>

+ Reduced-Price Memberships are offered to people in the nonprofit and education worlds, for the reduced membership fee of $2,000 (compared to the regular price of $6,000).

+ Fellowships are offered to a few applicants of exceptional talent and achievement. A TED Fellowship includes conference admission and hotel (sharing with another TED Fellow).

In both categories, we're looking for extraordinary people -- leaders, community builders, inventors, activists -- who will be a strong addition to the TED community.

We expect an overflow of applications for these 50 (total) places at TED2009 in Long Beach. Applications close June 30, 2008; all applications received before June 30, 2008, will be considered. Those accepted for one of these 50 spots will be notified in mid-September.

The TED application asks some deep questions. Take some time before you sign in to get your thoughts together, and definitely keep an offline copy of your responses. Sample questions:

List some of your lifetime achievements (less than 100 words)
List up to three websites that will help us understand you better (Syntax: http://www.ted.com)
What do you hope to gain from a TED membership? (less than 100 words)
What might you be able to contribute to the TED community? (less than 100 words)

Tips for submitting your application to TED >>

Photo: Walking into the Main Hall at TEDGlobal 2007. Photo by Andrew Heavens.

The TED.com staff's favorite psychology research blog, the BPS Research Digest, reports on a study on forgiveness from the University of Sussex and the New School for Social Research. The study examines how groups which have committed atrocious acts against one another come to break the cycle of resentment and forgive.

[The researchers] surveyed 180 Bosnian Muslims about their attitudes towards Bosnian Serbs in the wake of the earlier conflict. They found that Bosnian Muslims who had more Serb friends and who identified more with a sense of being "Bosnian," rather than "Bosnian Muslim" or "Bosniak," also tended to show more empathy for Serbs as a group, to be more trusting of Serbs, and to see Serbs as more varied -- all of which predicted greater levels of forgiveness and more positive attitudes towards the Serbs.

This pattern is consistent with what's known as the "contact hypothesis" in social psychology, which states that more high quality contact between groups promotes intergroup reconciliation.

A pertinent find in the weeks following Pangea Day -- and the beginning of new initiatives by other TEDPrize winners.

(Photo credit: Marla Aufmuth)

Singer-songwriter Rokia Traoré performs "Kounandi," a breathtaking song that blends Malian instruments with a modern, heartfelt vocal. Please note: This song is not available for download. (Recorded June 2007 in Arusha, Tanzania. Duration: 6:26.)

Watch Rokia Traore's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.

Read more about Rokia Traore on TED.com.

Embed this video: Use this code to run the video on your own site: