Why you fear the unknown — and what it can teach you | Maya Shankar, Simone Stolzoff

Why you fear the unknown — and what it can teach you | Maya Shankar, Simone Stolzoff

Cognitive scientist Maya Shankar and author Simone Stolzoff have each spent years studying how people navigate uncertainty (and why it often feels so difficult). In this conversation, they discuss why your discomfort with not having the answers might be holding you back — and how leaning into life’s unpredictable moments can unlock resilience, growth and new possibilities. (This conversation was part of an exclusive TED Membership event. TED Membership is the best way to support and engage with the big ideas you love from TED. To learn more, visit ted.com/membership.) ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Why democracy requires renewal | Michael Dimock

Pew Research Center president Michael Dimock has spent years listening to what Americans think — and what they're telling him right now is pretty dark. But buried in the data is something revealing: people are ready for bold democratic reform that the country hasn't seen in decades. He explores how America's founders didn't create a finished system of government but rather launched an ongoing project that requires each generation to renew, adapt and reimagine democracy. The survey says Americans are ready to do the work. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The path to mathematical superintelligence | Tudor Achim

Generative AI hallucinates, creating a truth problem that science can't afford. Computer scientist Tudor Achim thinks a 400-year-old idea holds the fix: Leibniz's dream of a logical framework where errors are simply impossible. Learn about his idea for mathematical superintelligence that would ground AI in formal verification, turning unreliable chatbots into rigorous partners for scientific discovery. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

An immersive record of what the LA fires left behind | Nonny de la Peña

Arriving in the devastated neighborhoods of Los Angeles after the 2025 Southern California wildfires, journalist Nonny de la Peña started scanning the remains — what firefighters called “Nuketown.” Beneath the rubble, her team uncovered a surprising range of things that had survived. From a shockingly undamaged car to family heirlooms in a safety deposit box, see how her team found the story by stepping inside it. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Why countries should measure dreams and ambitions (just like GDP) | Lance Katigbak

What do you want to be when you grow up? It's a universal question — and yet at some point, people stop asking you. Drawing on a nationwide survey across the Philippines, consumer researcher Lance Katigbak makes the case that countries should keep track of their citizens' ambitions and aspirations. His radical proposal: What if governments didn't just track GDP but also started measuring dreams? ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.