Before life existed on Earth, there was just matter, inorganic dead “stuff.” How improbable is it that life arose? And — could it use a different type of chemistry? Using an elegant definition of life (anything that can evolve), chemist Lee Cronin is exploring this question by attempting to create a fully inorganic cell using a “Lego kit” of inorganic molecules — no carbon — that can assemble, replicate and compete. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2011, July 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Duration: 15:11.)
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Keep Your Brain Alive No more punch lines that just slipped away. No more names on the tip of your tongue. No more senior moments Drawing on cuttingedge neurological research, how to keep your brain alive 83 neurobic exercises brings help to everyone whose memory is starting to slip. Devised by Dr. Lawrence Katz, a professor of neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center, and Manning Rubin, author of 60 Ways to Relieve Stress in 60 Seconds, here is a regimen of mental crosstraining that can be done anywhere, by anyone, at any time of day. The premise is simple When you exercise the brain, you release natural growth factors called neurotrophins, which in turn enhance the brains level of fitness. And nothing so easily stimulates the brain as breaking routines and using the five senses in new and unexpected ways. So if youre righthanded, wake up tomorrow and brush your teeth with your left hand. Or close your eyes before you get into the car and then get the key into the ignition. Every time you open a new circuit in your brain, its like doing a round of mental situps, without the pain. 
Keep Your Brain Alive No more punch lines that just slipped away. No more names on the tip of your tongue. No more senior moments Drawing on cuttingedge neurological research, how to keep your brain alive 83 neurobic exercises brings help to everyone whose memory is starting to slip. Devised by Dr. Lawrence Katz, a professor of neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center, and Manning Rubin, author of 60 Ways to Relieve Stress in 60 Seconds, here is a regimen of mental crosstraining that can be done anywhere, by anyone, at any time of day. The premise is simple When you exercise the brain, you release natural growth factors called neurotrophins, which in turn enhance the brains level of fitness. And nothing so easily stimulates the brain as breaking routines and using the five senses in new and unexpected ways. So if youre righthanded, wake up tomorrow and brush your teeth with your left hand. Or close your eyes before you get into the car and then get the key into the ignition. Every time you open a new circuit in your brain, its like doing a round of mental situps, without the pain.