TED Talks Daily (SD video‪)‬ TED

Democracy may be an abstract concept, but it holds the very essence of our autonomy and humanity, says lawyer and human rights advocate Fatma Karume. Sharing her journey navigating a tumultuous political transition in Tanzania that put her life at risk, she highlights the importance of speaking truth to power and fighting for a brighter democratic future.

There are more than 2,000 firefly species, found on every continent except for Antarctica — an astonishing diversity of movement and light. Firefly scientist Wan Faridah Akmal Jusoh explores the mysteries of these little beetles that light up the night and details her quest to discover and protect new species as their habitats are at risk of disappearing.

What you experience through your senses — sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch — can impact how healthy you are and how long you live, says neurobiologist Christi Gendron. She explores how environmental cues like temperature, light and even just the sight of death have influenced the lifespan of fruit flies, suggesting your everyday perceptions may have direct repercussions on your ability to live a long, healthy life.

In the beginning of the universe, all was darkness — until the first organisms developed sight, which ushered in an explosion of life, learning and progress. AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li says a similar moment is about to happen for computers and robots. She shows how machines are gaining "spatial intelligence" — the ability to process visual data, make predictions and act upon those predictions — and shares how this could enable AI to interact with humans in the real world.

When the world's problems have you weary, journalist and science fiction writer Annalee Newitz suggests a good dose of escapist fiction to refresh your perspective. Step into the whimsical world of science fiction, cosplay and "goblincore" to see how fantasy worlds help us reimagine our relationships with our communities and each other — and why the best way to solve your problems may start with escaping them.

We're programmed to think every issue is binary: "us vs. them." But Daniel Lubetzky, the founder of KIND Snacks, says the real enemy isn't a person but a mindset. He introduces a new initiative that aims to bring together "builders" from around the world to replace extremism with practical problem-solving — and shows how you can join the movement.