To Ted Or Not To Ted?

While science bloggers are filling in for the rapidly disappearing species known as the “science journalist”, new outlets for communicating science to the public have arisen as well. Perhaps the best known and most viewed of these outlets is TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), whose 18 minute TED Talks present entertaining and inspiring messages, often revolving around new scientific breakthroughs. While the production values of TED Talks are always top-notch, questions are arising about the quality and veracity of the content.

I’ve generally been a fan of TED Talks, and can immediately recall several that were completely astonishing. This talk, featuring examples of cephalopod camouflage and behavioral coloration still blows my mind every time I see it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-Hi5muM44NE

But increasingly, TED Talks are being called out for their lack of quality control. The “Vending Machine for Crows” talk was one of the first to be noticed to be inaccurate, and more and more (and more) have been called into question. The inconsistent nature and lack of vetting has made me approach TED Talks much more skeptically, and I have a hard time watching them without assuming that what I’m hearing is at least an overstatement of fact, if not complete fiction.