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This summer, four NASA crew members began a 378-day stay in simulated Martian housing. Multiple private companies have announced plans to put hotels in space soon. NASA is aiming to 3-D-print lunar neighborhoods within a couple of decades.

Modern life runs on wireless technology. What if the energy powering our devices could also be transmitted without wires? Electrical engineer Ali Hajimiri explains the principles behind wireless energy transfer and shares his far-out vision for launching flexible solar panels into space in order to collect sunlight, convert it to electrical power and then beam it down to Earth. Learn how this technology could...

Dinosaur tracks can teach us more about the day-to-day behavior of creatures like T. rex or the Stegosaurus than their skeletons ever could, says paleontologist Martin Lockley. From a "dinosaur's lover's lane" in Colorado to the rocky shores of South Korea, Lockley explores what we can learn from the traces of some of the most impressive creatures ever to walk the Earth.

What does an in-flight meal look like when you're traveling to Mars? Designer Phnam Bagley envisions a future where astronauts have nourishing, flavorful food reminiscent of home -- a giant leap from their current staple of "goop-in-a-bag." Learn more about her team's gourmet creations for galactic travel and how these innovations can improve life here on Earth.

After a billion years of evolution, fungi are masters of invention and resilience. What wisdom can we draw from their long, remarkable existence? Mycologist David Andrew Quist explores how fungi's innate biointelligence, penchant for collaboration and incredible regeneration abilities can show us new ways to think about complex problems -- and may hold the secret to humanity's survival on Earth.

To close out the year on TED Talks Daily, we wanted to leave you with something special. It's an immersive sound journey through the history of Earth, as told by ecologist and author Stephan Harding. He's had a massive influence on the climate movement and has inspired global leaders to shift their perspective to a Gaian view of life, which respects both the living...

Among the dinosaurs, giant sea dragons roamed the ancient ocean. Millions of years later, paleontologist Dean R. Lomax and his team freed the remains of one of these colossal creatures from the Earth. Settle in to learn about the once-in-a-lifetime discovery of the 10-meter-long Rutland ichthyosaur: the largest and most complete ichthyosaur ever unearthed in Britain and one of the greatest finds in the...

What is a black hole? Why do we remember the past but not the future? If time had a beginning, does it have an end?

We don’t have the answers to some of the universe’s biggest questions. What we do know often feels bleak, such as the notion that in a billion years there will most likely be no life on Earth. Or the...

Richard Ramirez was the worst human to be spat onto Earth in a long time. Between the years of 1984 and 1985, he terrorized the residents of Los Angeles and surrounding areas by creeping through unlocked windows and doors in the dead of night to rape, assault, torture and murder whoever was unfortunate enough to be sleeping inside. In Part 1 of our two...