The lineup
Who spoke at TED 2008?
- AGAl Gore Nobel Peace Prize Winner | Climate Crisis Catalyst and Global Environmental Leader, University of California, Los Angeles
- ATAmy Tan Acclaimed Novelist | Exploring Identity, Culture & Resilience
Andy Hobsbawm Founder & CMO | Sustainable Tech & Social Impact Entrepreneur, Evrythng
Brian Cox Professor of Particle Physics | BBC Science Presenter- BBBruno Bowden Former Google Engineering Director | Pioneering Scalable AI Systems, Google
Chris Abani Nigerian Novelist | Emerging Technology & Human Experience.jpg%3Fwidth%3D800&w=3840&q=75)
Chris Jordan Photographer & Environmental Activist | 'Midway' Film & Ocean Plastic Pollution- CVCraig Venter Pioneer of human genome sequencing | Founder of Celera Genomics and J. Craig Venter Institute, genetics pioneer
- CWCurtis Wong Technologist | Reimagining Digital Experiences, Microsoft
- DEDave Eggers Pulitzer Prize Finalist | Literary Innovator Transforming Publishing & Philanthropy
- DODean Ornish President of Preventive Medicine Research Institute | Proved lifestyle changes reverse heart disease, author
- DGDoris Kearns Goodwin Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian | Author of Team of Rivals, Harvard University
Garrett Lisi Theoretical Physicist | Eight-Dimensional Model of the Universe
Gregory Petsko Biochemist & Protein Researcher | Pioneering New Perspectives on the Human Body
Helen Fisher Anthropologist | Decoding the Biological Science of Human Love, expert on love.jpg%3Fwidth%3D800&w=3840&q=75)
Isaac Mizrahi Fashion Designer & Author | Brand Building & Design Thinking- JWJay Walker Founder, TEDMED | Pioneer of Personalized Medicine, TEDMED
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Jill Bolte Taylor Brain Scientist & TED Speaker | Revealing the Power of Neurological Transformation, Indiana University- JFJohn Francis Environmentalist | From Littering to Lifelong Advocacy
Jonathan Haidt NYU social psychologist | Author of The Righteous Mind, leading voice on polarization & teen mental health, New York University Stern School of Business
Joshua Klein Design & Tech Innovator | Pioneering Human-Centered Solutions
Kaki King Guitarist | Musical performance and experimental sound
Karen Armstrong Professional Speaker- LLLouise Leakey Paleontologist & Anthropologist | Unearthing Humanity's Origins, Koobi Fora Research Project
Neil Turok Founder, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences | Pioneering STEM Education in Africa, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences
Nellie McKay Singer-Songwriter | Reinventing the American Songbook
Paul Collier Renowned Economist | The Bottom Billion & Global Poverty, University of Oxford- PRPaul Rothemund Caltech Professor | DNA Nanotech & Molecular Programming, California Institute of Technology
Paul Stamets Mycologist | Transforming Ecosystems with Mushrooms
Peter Diamandis Founder & Chairman of XPRIZE | Co-Founder of Singularity University, XPRIZE Foundation- PWPeter Ward Founder and CEO | Transforming Sustainable Urban Mobility, Trraffic
- PZPhilip Zimbardo Stanford Psychologist | The Lucifer Effect & Situational Ethics, Stanford University
- RIRives TED Speaker | Innovative Performance Poetry and Multimedia Storytelling, multimedia artist
Robert Ballard Ocean Explorer & Discoverer of the Titanic | National Geographic Explorer, North American Aviation- RLRobert Lang Origami Artist | Pushing the Boundaries of Design
- SPSamantha Power Former UN Ambassador | Diplomacy, Global Affairs & Human Rights
Siegfried Woldhek Artist & Facial Analysis Expert | Uncovering Hidden Truths in Art
Stefan Sagmeister Award-winning Graphic Designer | Expert on Happiness and Creative Time Off, Sagmeister & Walsh- SHStephen Hawking Theoretical Physicist | Pioneering Cosmology & Black Hole Research
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Susan Blackmore Psychologist & Consciousness Researcher | The Evolution of Mind, University of Plymouth
Sxip Shirey Innovative Composer | Reconfiguring Everyday Sounds- WDWade Davis National Geographic Explorer | Author of Award-Winning Cultural Studies, ethnobotanist
- YBYves Behar fuseproject founder | Designed One Laptop Per Child, Jawbone; chief creative of August, fuseproject
From the stage
Sessions worth replaying
The sessions from this edition we found on video.
Session
"The Dog Song"
Nellie McKay
Session
6 ways mushrooms can save the world
Paul Stamets
Session
A complicated hero in the war on dictatorship
Samantha Power
Session
A dig for humanity's origins
Louise Leakey
Session
A performance with breath, music, passion
Sxip Shirey
Session
A preview of the WorldWide Telescope
Curtis Wong
Frequently asked
- Who spoke at TED 2008?
- 43 speakers, including Al Gore, Amy Tan, Andy Hobsbawm, Brian Cox, and Bruno Bowden.
- What did TED 2008 cover?
- Topics include Cognitive Neuroscience, Design Thinking, Astrophysics & Cosmology, Climate Activism, Conservation & Biodiversity, and Creative Thinking.
- When and where was TED 2008?
- Feb 2, 2008 in Monterey, United States.
What this lineup's speakers cover
The topics this edition's speakers are known for.
Industries represented
The sectors this edition's speakers come from.
Similar events
Other editions that drew the TED 2008 crowd