1. Michael Shermer: The Pattern Behind Self-Deception

As enlightening as it is consequential, Skeptic Magazine’s Michael Shermer shows us how evolution made us into superstitious animals, and how that one evolutionary turn both rendered us the Earth’s keepers and slaves to delusion.

2. Elizabeth Gilbert: Nurturing Your Creative Genius

In ancient Greece and Rome, no man was ever called a genius. Instead, he “had” genius, a creative spirit who was able to connect to the Divine and aid in the creation of his work. Eat, Pray, Love’s Elizabeth Gilbert explains why this small syntactic change could do wonders for the way we create and bear the burden of “genius.”

3. Deb Roy: The Birth of a Word

An inspiring and insightful examination of how social interaction BLANKS in language acquisition, MIT’s Deb Roy lets viewers into his house to watch his first child develop from a babbler to a talker.

4. TED Talks – Hans Rosling: The Best Stats You’ve Ever Seen

The word “statistics” can send most people to sleep before the third syllable, but its use here is wholly different. After realizing that his students had dangerously incorrect prejudices about the developing world, Hans Rosling put together these animated statistics to show just how good things have become since the 20th century.

5. Juan Enriquez: Next Species of Human

What begins as an alarming look at our economic future quickly turns into an inspiring glimpse of our evolutionary future. Bring on Homo Evolutis!