Why is there something instead of nothing? In other words: Why does the universe exist (and why are we in it)? Philosopher and writer Jim Holt follows this question toward three possible answers. Or four. Or none.

Which of the following is awesome: your lunch or the Great Pyramid of Giza? Comedian Jill Shargaa sounds a hilarious call for us to save the word "awesome" for things that truly inspire awe.

"We spend so much time listening to the things people are saying that we rarely pay attention to the things they don't," says poet and teacher Clint Smith. A short, powerful piece from the heart, about finding the courage to speak up against ignorance and injustice.

Megan Washington is one of Australia's premier singer/songwriters. And, since childhood, she has had a stutter. In this bold and personal talk, she reveals how she copes with this speech impediment—from avoiding the letter combination “st” to tricking her brain by changing her words at the last minute to, yes, singing the things she has to say rather than speaking them.

At the online University of the People, anyone with a high school diploma can take classes toward a degree in business administration or computer science — without standard tuition fees (though exams cost money). Founder Shai Reshef hopes that higher education is changing "from being a privilege for the few to a basic right, affordable and accessible for all."

One could argue that slang words like ‘hangry,’ ‘defriend’ and ‘adorkable’ fill crucial meaning gaps in the English language, even if they don't appear in the dictionary. After all, who actually decides which words make it into those pages? Language historian Anne Curzan gives a charming look at the humans behind dictionaries, and the choices they make.

بإمكان أحد ما أن يزعم أن كلمة عامية مثل "هانغري، ديفرند، أدوركابل" تملأ فجوات مهمة في المعنى في اللغة الإنجليزية، حتى لو لم تظهر في القاموس. ومن ثم، من يقرر بالفعل أي الكلمات تجد طريقها إلى داخل هذه الصفحات المنقحة؟ تعطي المؤرخة اللغوية آن كرزان نظرة ساحرة إلى البشر الذين يقبعون خلف القواميس، والخيارات التي يقومون بها باستمرار.

Ecologist Deborah Gordon studies ants wherever she can find them -- in the desert, in the tropics, in her kitchen ... In this fascinating talk, she explains her obsession with insects most of us would happily swat away without a second thought. She argues that ant life provides a useful model for learning about many other topics, including disease, technology and the human brain.

Web cartoonist Randall Munroe answers simple what-if questions ("what if you hit a baseball moving at the speed of light?") using math, physics, logic and deadpan humor. In this charming talk, a reader's question about Google's data warehouse leads Munroe down a circuitous path to a hilariously over-detailed answer — in which, shhh, you might actually learn something.

هاميش جولي هو سباح محيط في أستراليا، أراد بذلة سباحة من شأنها أن تردع قرشًا فضوليًا من مراوغته كمصدر محتمل للغذاء، (والذي هو نادر، حسب الإحصائيات، ولكنه قدر يستحق الهروب منه). بالعمل مع فريق من العلماء، جاء هو وأصدقائه بنظام جديد -- لا بقفص قرش، ولا ببذلة من الترس المصبوب، ولكن ببذلة ملساء تبلور فهمنا المتنامي لرؤية القرش.