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Check out a sneak preview of the animation and other features in new, abbreviated TED videos that aim to bring subjects such as neuroscience and evolution to young students. TED, the conference dedicated to "Ideas Worth Spreading," took a step forward in its educational mission today by launching a TEDEd video channel on YouTube. Shorter than the 18-minute TED talks that have racked up 500 million views, these videos feature a combination of talking heads from TED stages and animation (artwork by Fast Company Most Creative Person Sunni Brown , among others) tackling topics like neuroscience and evolution for a high-school-aged audience

TED data could power apps, visualizations, and more. TED announced today at SXSW that it is opening all of its online talks to the public. An application programming interface (API) will allow open access to all talks and associated data (topic, location, speaker, etc.) for developers who might use that info to build all sorts of tools and applications.

You've heard about the lovely and amazing , now let's hear about the duds of TED. “Only 5% of TED Talks have been given by CEOs,” Pepsi chief Indra Nooyi observed from the stage at TED, before going on to demonstrate why. Her bland recitation of the accomplishments of Pepsi Refresh , a decent, though hardly groundbreaking corporate social responsibility program, had some attendees wondering if it was a paid product placement.

What do a German designer who finds ways to make animal superpowers available for humans, a young MIT professor designing structural components that can self-assemble into entire buildings, and a Bahraini youth activist trying to protect and promote the rights of ethnic minorities in the Middle East have in common? They're all TED Fellows this year. TED first began experimenting with a fellowship program in 2007, when organizers decided to bring emerging leaders to their event in Africa.