A scientist walks into a bar…and notices the parallels between improv comedy and evolution. Originally from Chile, Isabel Behncke is an Oxford field primatologist who studies bonobos and traces the roots of social behavior in humans and other primates. After attending a course in improvisational theater, she started to realize that nature’s natural evolutionary process amounts to a kind of riffing on ideas. Dr. Behncke is now creating a show on the Science of Joy that combines theater, poetry, and cutting-edge science. Think ancient fireside storytelling, but with the Rolling Stones, Whitman and Darwin around the hearth. The TED Residency program is an incubator for breakthrough ideas. It is free and open to all via a semi-annual competitive application. Those chosen as TED Residents spend four months at TED headquarters in New York City, working on their idea. Selection criteria include the strength of their idea, their character, and their ability to bring a fresh perspective and positive contribution to the diverse TED community.