TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading -- through TED.com, our annual conferences, the annual TED Prize and local TEDx events.

In stunning large-format photographs, Edward Burtynsky follows the path of oil through modern society, from wellhead to pipeline to car engine -- and then beyond to the projected peak-oil endgame.

TED Talks In 4 minutes, atmospheric chemist Rachel Pike provides a glimpse of the massive scientific effort behind the bold headlines on climate change, with her team -- one of thousands who contributed -- taking a risky flight over the rainforest in pursuit of data on a key molecule.

Abhay Deol at TEDIndia, Session 7, "Power of Stories," November 6, 2009, in Mysore, India. Credit: TED / James Duncan Davidson

At a time of economic uncertainty, one thing remains clear. There's an unmistakable shift of influence to the east. It's not just about IT outsourcing. Increasingly India, China and the rest of Asia are ...