How does studying the end of time change your perspective of life on Earth? Cosmologist and TED Fellow Katie Mack joins designer and podcaster Debbie Millman to talk about the story of the cosmos — from the Big Bang’s ancient light still glowing across the universe to the five ways it might all come to an end — plus what aerobatic flying taught her about staying present. (Recorded at TEDNext 2025 on November 10, 2025)
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@frank_14320
August 24, 2026 at 11:02 am
❤❤❤
@jason666king
August 24, 2026 at 11:03 am
A mask? In 2026? Wow!
@xshadowscreamx
August 24, 2026 at 11:08 am
@jason she not well, she trying not to spreading the cold/flu around.
@djkognito9740
August 24, 2026 at 11:15 am
Maybe she has a cold and doesn’t want to spread it as she passes through the crowd. Unselfish. Patriotic.
@xshadowscreamx
August 24, 2026 at 11:17 am
@nathanrobersonyes
@franimal86
August 24, 2026 at 11:30 am
You do know people wore masks pre-Covid and post-Covid? Y’all act like children.
@starwars99ok
August 24, 2026 at 11:12 am
All in 19 minutes…. Amazing! 😅
@MaximumResultInLife
August 24, 2026 at 11:15 am
You say writing about the end of the universe “changed your relationship to time” and made you realize “we are completely insignificant in the cosmos.” How do you personally find motivation to continue your work and daily life with this perspective? Doesn’t it ever feel paralyzing?
@franimal86
August 24, 2026 at 11:27 am
Look up positive existentialism / positive nihilism. It’s not so bad. We’re all in it together.
@franimal86
August 24, 2026 at 11:27 am
But yes, for me, it can be depressing, personally, but you know, that’s pretty normal
@HikaruYamamoto
August 24, 2026 at 12:13 pm
“we are completely insignificant in the cosmos.” I don’t believe so, 99% of it is dead. Things just happen. We are a small rare part of the most interesting part of the cosmos.
@JasonasonofNiribu
August 24, 2026 at 11:16 am
Your group has an abhorrent perception towards consciousness and life in general. There is no good reason anyone of sound mind should put the fate of life on this planet and beyond, in the hands of such ignorant fools labelling themselves as experts.
@cecejagger4527
August 24, 2026 at 1:14 pm
@JasonasonofNiribu what group are you talking about?
@JasonasonofNiribu
August 24, 2026 at 1:22 pm
@cecejagger4527 Alphabet Incorp or a Ted. Our lovely hosts, attempting to narrate our lives for us. It’s a long story.
@flafaloon
August 24, 2026 at 11:21 am
The universe is mind, it’s is but an appearance in consciousness of the beholder. When the beholder is not looking, it ceases to exist. Does it have independent existence? Nobody can say. existence is consciousness, and all appearances and experience is made of consciousness. Like a dream. I did not watch the video, I know anything it claims is theoretical. It is also unnecessary to question, it is, and it is beautiful and mysterious. I don’t care for numbers or qualities, I know the qualities of consciousness, and this has settled all questions. Questioning and investigating is like analyzing images on a movie screen – then developing “ideas” about the pictures and images. Nobody can say anything conclusive or true about anything in existence, for it all arises and passes as images on the screen of consciousness.
@seedrank_a
August 24, 2026 at 11:55 am
low IQ take
@short3000y
August 24, 2026 at 2:38 pm
the forest doesn’t exist for a tree to fall in if there is no observer? right keep trying.
@TheCadstar
August 24, 2026 at 11:22 am
No way i’m taking notice of what a fear based neurotic idiot wearing a mask has to say!!
@jessd1485
August 24, 2026 at 11:42 am
Chronic illnesses do exist irrespective of Covid and the like. It’s a smart choice by her if she wants to protect herself from potentially suffering worse outcome than being harassed for wearing a mask
@harshbutt
August 24, 2026 at 11:30 am
Facial herpes?
@miscpersonalities
August 24, 2026 at 11:57 am
glad to see someone in a high profile profession wear a mask
airborne illness never stopped people
@seedrank_a
August 24, 2026 at 12:03 pm
you should be glad to see people not wearing masks , you want people to be sick?
@DocFlay
August 24, 2026 at 5:37 pm
Masks are so you lessen the risk of spreading a disease YOU have, and will not lessen the risk of you catching something.
Notice how it is the doctors in theatre wearing the masks not the patient on the table.
@bruuki001
August 24, 2026 at 12:15 pm
honstly katie change my mind my teacher say to see and listen tour channel and now i am very differend i learn loots of things thank you ted community
@rafael.falcao
August 24, 2026 at 12:46 pm
It will never end.
@kaykayhan7691
August 24, 2026 at 2:53 pm
I think it one day reaches the end
@tvuser9529
August 24, 2026 at 5:46 pm
I read her book about the 5 endings. The Big Rip is the most interesting, because unlike vacuum decay we would be able to see it coming, and unlike the heat death the very end would happen on human timescales. Stars would begin disappearing from the sky, then our planet would be pulled away from the sun, and eventually the earth itself would be ripped apart. Perhaps the last living humans would be those on space stations, but in the end even those would be ripped apart, once this ever accelerating hyper-inflation reached human scales. Shortly after, molecules and then atoms would disintegrate, everywhere. It’s the drama queen of universe endings.
@Jasonxbr
August 24, 2026 at 7:50 pm
Well we humans will be long gone before the inevitable 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂