By 
Murray Gell-Mann
 | 
TED Stage Talk

The ancestor of language

After speaking at TED2007 on elegance in physics, the amazing Murray Gell-Mann gives a quick overview of another passionate interest: finding the common ancestry of our modern languages.

Related tags:

culture
global issues
history
language
physics
TED is supported by ads and partners

Watch next

5:39
Robert Chang
The dark history of the Chinese Exclusion Act
5:05
Francis de los Reyes
A brief history of toilets
4:53
Sheila Marie Orfano
Can you trust your memory?
5:07
Susan M. Reverby
Ugly History: The US syphilis experiment
4:57
Mark Robinson
A day in the life of the Oracle of Delphi
5:07
Soraya Field Fiorio
The epic of Gilgamesh, the king who tried to conquer death
4:59
Alex Gendler
The woman who stared at the sun
6:33
Feras Fayyad
The real-life superheroes helping Syrian refugees
5:12
Gary Devore
Run, sail or hide? How to survive the destruction of Pompeii
5:07
Orisanmi Burton
What really happened during the Attica Prison Rebellion
4:57
Alex Gendler
How one design flaw almost toppled a skyscraper
5:11
Ilan Stavans
Who decides what's in the dictionary?
5:15
Alex Gendler
Demolition, disease, and death: Building the Panama Canal
4:44
Rebecca J. Barthelmie and Sara C. Pryor
How do wind turbines work?
4:39
Alex Gendler
Why are airplanes slower than they used to be?
5:08
Erick Wilberding
This tool will help improve your critical thinking
4:45
Kristiina J. Hurme and Alejandro Rico-Guevara
The surprising secrets of hummingbird flight
12:44
Marcos Aguiar
7 tools for building a business people trust