Podcasts · Science · Technology

TED Talks Science and Medicine

TED

133 episodes

Some of the world's greatest scientists, doctors and medical researchers share their discoveries and visions onstage at the TED conference, TEDx events and partner events around the world. You can also download these and many other videos free on TED.com, with an interactive English transcript and subtitles in up to 80 languages. TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading.

Episodes page 1 of 3

  1. Are life-saving medicines hiding in the world's coldest places? | Normand Voyer

    · 12 min

    Could the next wonder drug be somewhere in Canada's snowy north? Take a trip to this beautiful, frigid landscape as chemist Normand Voyer explores the mysterious molecular treasures found in plants thriving in the…

  2. What to do when there's a polar bear in your backyard | Alysa McCall

    · 11 min

    As Arctic ice melts, polar bears are being forced on land -- and they're hungry. With the apex predators frequently turning to human junkyards for a snack, northern towns have had to get creative in order to keep both…

  3. The fantastically weird world of photosynthetic sea slugs | Michael Middlebrooks

    · 13 min

    Meet the fantastically colorful and astonishingly adaptable sea slugs that found a way to photosynthesize (or create energy from sunlight) like plants. Diving deep into these often overlooked creatures, invertebrate…

  4. Where does your sense of self come from? A scientific look | Anil Ananthaswamy

    · 13 min

    Our memories and bodies give us clues about who we are, but what happens when this guidance shifts? In this mind-bending talk, science writer Anil Ananthaswamy shares how the experiences of "altered selves" --…

  5. Can we feed ourselves without devouring the planet? | George Monbiot

    · 16 min

    Farming is the worst thing humanity has ever done to the planet, says journalist George Monbiot. What's more: the global food system could be heading toward collapse. Detailing the technological solutions we need to…

  6. How to harness the ancient partnership between forests and fungi | Colin Averill

    · 12 min

    If we want to better understand the environment and combat climate change, we need to look deep underground, where diverse microscopic fungal networks mingle with tree roots to form symbiotic partnerships, says…

  7. The wheat field that could change the world | Guntur V. Subbarao

    · 11 min

    Crop physiologist Guntur V. Subbarao and his team have developed an antibiotic-infused strain of wheat that naturally combats harmful, fertilizer-eating bacteria -- a "monster" contributor to climate change. Learn more…

  8. A virus-resistant organism -- and what it could mean for the future | Jason W. Chin

    · 11 min

    What if we could use the power of DNA to create a sustainable, circular economy? In a talk about breakthrough science, synthetic biologist Jason W. Chin describes his team's work rewriting the genetic blueprint of…

  9. How green hydrogen could end the fossil fuel era | Vaitea Cowan

    · 9:14

    As climate change accelerates, finding clean alternatives to fossil fuels is more urgent than ever. Social entrepreneur Vaitea Cowan believes green hydrogen is the answer. Watch as she shares her team's work mass…

  10. A giant Jurassic sea dragon, unearthed | Dean R. Lomax

    · 15 min

    Among the dinosaurs, giant sea dragons roamed the ancient ocean. Millions of years later, paleontologist Dean R. Lomax and his team freed the remains of one of these colossal creatures from the Earth. Settle in to…

  11. How we're reverse engineering the human brain in the lab | Sergiu P. Pasca

    · 13 min

    Neuroscientist Sergiu P. Pasca has made it his life's work to understand how the human brain builds itself -- and what makes it susceptible to disease. In a mind-blowing talk laden with breakthrough science, he shows…

  12. The future of fashion -- made from mushrooms | Dan Widmaier

    · 11 min

    Your closet is likely full of all kinds of materials -- leather, cotton, nylon and polyester, to name a few -- that contribute to fashion's sustainability crisis. Biomaterials investigator Dan Widmaier explains how we…

  13. The search for the invisible matter that shapes the universe | Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

    · 15 min

    The universe that we know, with its luminous stars and orbiting planets, is largely made up of elements we can't actually see -- like dark energy and dark matter -- and therefore don't fully understand. Theoretical…

  14. The brain science (and benefits) of ASMR | Craig Richard

    · 12 min

    A curious, quiet revolution of sound has taken over the internet. Physiologist Craig Richard explains the soothing brain science of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR), tracking its rise in popularity and why…

  15. Humanity's search for cosmic truth and poetic beauty | Maria Popova

    · 7:18

    Linking together the histories of Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Edwin Hubble and Tracy K. Smith, poet and thinker Maria Popova crafts an astonishing story of how humanity came to see the edge of the observable universe.…

  16. How mRNA medicine will change the world | Melissa J. Moore

    · 18 min

    The secret behind medicine that uses messenger RNA (or mRNA) is that it "teaches" our bodies how to fight diseases on our own, leading to groundbreaking treatments for COVID-19 and, potentially one day, cancer, the flu…

  17. We can make COVID-19 the last pandemic | Bill Gates

    · 15 min

    Building a pandemic-free future won't be easy, but Bill Gates believes that we have the tools and strategies to make it possible -- now we just have to fund them. In this forward-looking talk, he proposes a…

  18. 5 promising factors propelling climate action | Gabriel Kra

    · 11 min

    Given the scale of the challenge, the conversation around climate change is often tinged with doom and gloom. But climate tech investor Gabriel Kra thinks we need to reframe the crisis as a source of tremendous…

  19. The deep sea's medicinal secrets | Sam Afoullouss

    · 13 min

    Under the sea, untold wonders await in the form of untapped medicinal potential. Chemist Sam Afoullouss dives into the science behind natural remedies, explaining why the ocean's great (and still largely unexplored)…

  20. What seaweed and cow burps have to do with climate change | Ermias Kebreab

    · 9:09

    Scientists have long known that cows are a huge source of the greenhouse gas methane, contributing up to four percent of emissions globally. But could there be a way to make cattle less -- ahem -- gassy? Animal…

  21. The incredible cancer-detecting potential of photoacoustic imaging | Lei Li

    · 6:53

    Could we use the energy from light and sound to detect disease? TED Fellow Lei Li shares the exciting promise of photoacoustic imaging: an affordable, painless and accurate method of converting light into sound in…

  22. Could we treat Alzheimer's with light and sound? | Li-Huei Tsai

    · 13 min

    What if we could use brain waves to treat Alzheimer's? Professor and neuroscientist Li-Huei Tsai details a promising new approach to artificially stimulate gamma brain waves using light and sound therapy, to increase…

  23. How biochar removes CO2 from the air -- and helps farmers thrive | Axel Reinaud

    · 11 min

    Biochar is a kind of charcoal that removes CO2 from the atmosphere, helping yield healthy crops and even producing abundant renewable energy in the form of electricity as it's made. This exciting climate change fighter…

  24. A king cobra bite -- and a scientific discovery | Gowri Shankar

    · 5:32

    A king cobra has enough venom to kill 10 people in a single bite. Recounting his near-death experience after being bitten by one of these majestic yet deadly snakes, conservationist and TED Fellow Gowri Shankar shares…

  25. The science of extreme weather — and how to reduce the harm | Al Roker, Al Gore, David Biello and Latif Nasser

    · 5:59

    Floods, droughts, heat waves and cold blasts -- why is the weather becoming more extreme? Environmentalist and "America's weatherman" Al Roker discusses the link between climate change and disruptions to weather…

  26. The problem of vaccine spoilage -- and a smart sensor to help | Nithya Ramanathan

    · 5:43

    Refrigerators do much more than store your groceries -- they're also vital to preserving and distributing vaccines. Illustrating the realities of (and threats to) global vaccine supply chains, technologist and TED…

  27. How we could eat real meat without harming animals | Isha Datar

    · 13 min

    What if you could eat chicken nuggets without harming a chicken? It's possible through "cellular agriculture," says Isha Datar. In a talk about cutting-edge science, she explains how this new means of food production…

  28. The brain science of obesity | Mads Tang-Christensen

    · 9:39

    Your belly and your brain speak to each other, says obesity researcher Mads Tang-Christensen. Offering scientific proof that obesity is a disease influenced by genetics and the environment, he introduces a molecule…

  29. Planet City -- a sci-fi vision of an astonishing regenerative future | Liam Young

    · 9:42

    Get transported on a stunningly rendered, sci-fi safari through Planet City: an imaginary metropolis of 10 billion people, from the brain of director and architect Liam Young. Explore the potential outcomes of an urban…

  30. A sci-fi vision of life in 2041 | Chen Qiufan

    · 7:52

    Sci-fi writer Chen Qiufan doesn't fear a dystopian future. Instead, he believes developments in artificial intelligence will make all of our lives better, healthier and safer. He takes us on a tour of the next 20 years…

  31. Meet the scientist couple driving an mRNA vaccine revolution | Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci

    · 25 min

    As COVID-19 spread, BioNTech cofounders Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci had one goal: to make a safe, effective vaccine faster than ever before. In this illuminating conversation with head of TED Chris Anderson, the…

  32. The missing 96 percent of the universe | Claire Malone

    · 13 min

    We've misplaced the building blocks of the cosmos -- and particle physicists like Claire Malone are on a mission to find them. Despite scientists hitting a "major snag" in uncovering what exactly makes up dark matter…

  33. The death of the universe -- and what it means for life | Katie Mack

    · 6:15

    The universe started with a bang -- but how will it end? With astonishing visuals, cosmologist and TED Fellow Katie Mack takes us to the theoretical end of everything, some trillions of years in the future, in a…

  34. The search for microscopic aliens | Sarah Rugheimer

    · 5:29

    Astrophysicist and TED Fellow Sarah Rugheimer searches for aliens -- but not the cartoony green kind. She's looking for extraterrestrial microbes by studying how these single-celled organisms emit gases, which could…

  35. How COVID-19 transformed the future of medicine | Daniel Kraft

    · 15 min

    The pandemic forced the world to work together like never before and, with unprecedented speed, bore a new age of health and medical innovation. Physician-scientist Daniel Kraft explains how breakthroughs and…

  36. How your memory works -- and why forgetting is totally OK | Lisa Genova

    · 22 min

    Have you ever misplaced something you were just holding? Completely blanked on a famous actor's name? Walked into a room and immediately forgot why? Neuroscientist Lisa Genova digs into two types of memory failures we…

  37. The electrical blueprints that orchestrate life | Michael Levin

    · 19 min

    DNA isn't the only builder in the biological world -- there's also a mysterious bioelectric layer directing cells to work together to grow organs, systems and bodies, says biologist Michael Levin. Sharing unforgettable…

  38. The hidden history found in your teeth | Carolyn Freiwald

    · 11 min

    Your teeth carry secrets: centuries of history about your ancestors, from where they lived to what they ate and where they traveled. Bioarchaeologist Carolyn Freiwald traces the story of human migration across the…

  39. The promise of quantum computers | Matt Langione

    · 12 min

    What if tiny microparticles could help us solve the world's biggest problems in a matter of minutes? That's the promise -- and magic -- of quantum computers, says Matt Langione. Speaking next to an actual IBM quantum…

  40. A stellar history of modern astronomy | Emily Levesque

    · 15 min

    Astronomers once gazed upon the night sky and counted every star in the galaxy by hand. The process has evolved since then, but the thirst for celestial knowledge remains the same. Join astrophysicist Emily Levesque…

  41. How COVID-19 human challenge trials work -- and why I volunteered | Sophie Rose

    · 6:24

    In April 2020, epidemiologist-in-training Sophie Rose volunteered to be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. As a young, healthy adult, she's offering to take part in a human challenge trial, a study where…

  42. Could we treat spinal cord injuries with asparagus? | Andrew Pelling

    · 7:18

    Take a mind-blowing trip to the lab as TED Senior Fellow Andrew Pelling shares his research on how we could use fruits, vegetables and plants to regenerate damaged human tissues -- and develop a potentially…

  43. The power of venom -- and how it could one day save your life | Mandë Holford

    · 9:06

    Venom can kill ... or it can cure. In this fascinating talk, marine chemical biologist Mandë Holford shares her research into animal venom, from killer sea snails to platypuses and slow lorises -- and explores its…

  44. A concrete idea to reduce carbon emissions | Karen Scrivener

    · 4:27

    Concrete is the second most-used substance on Earth (behind water), and it's responsible for eight percent of the world's carbon footprint. Cement researcher Karen Scrivener shares the research behind a pioneering new…

  45. How animals and plants are evolving in cities | Menno Schilthuizen

    · 12 min

    In cities, evolution occurs constantly, as countless plants, animals and insects adapt to human-made habitats in spectacular ways. Evolutionary biologist Menno Schilthuizen calls on peculiar beings such as fast…

  46. Can light stop the coronavirus? | David Brenner

    · 30 min

    Far-UVC light is a type of ultraviolet light that kills microbes and viruses and, crucially, seems to be safe to use around humans. Radiation scientist David Brenner describes how we could use this light to stop the…

  47. The case to infect volunteers with COVID-19 to accelerate vaccine testing | Nir Eyal

    · 18 min

    Conventional vaccine testing is a slow, years-long process. As thousands of people continue to die each day from COVID-19, bioethicist Nir Eyal proposes a radical idea that could dramatically accelerate the vaccine…

  48. The new science of personalized vaccines | Ofer Levy

    · 12 min

    At the intersection of precision medicine and vaccinology lies a revolutionary scientific pursuit: personalized vaccines. Infectious disease specialist Ofer Levy introduces this promising medical approach, in which…

  49. Let's make the world wild again | Kristine McDivitt Tompkins

    · 16 min

    Earth, humanity and nature are inextricably interconnected. To restore us all back to health, we need to "rewild" the world, says environmental activist Kristine McDivitt Tompkins. Tracing her life from Patagonia CEO…

  50. An ER doctor on triaging your "crazy busy" life | Darria Long

    · 12 min

    How do doctors in the emergency room stay calm and focused amidst the chaos? Drawing on years of experience, ER doctor Darria Long shares a straightforward framework to help you take back control and feel less…

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