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.

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  1. The wonders of the molecular world, animated | Janet Iwasa

    · 5:55

    Some biological structures are so small that scientists can't see them with even the most powerful microscopes. That's where molecular animator and TED Fellow Janet Iwasa gets creative. Explore vast, unseen molecular…

  2. The galactic recipe for a living planet | Karin Öberg

    · 13 min

    Did you know that one of the most notorious poisons is also a key ingredient for life as we know it? Join space chemist Karin Öberg and learn how she scans the universe in search of this paradoxical chemical using…

  3. A history of Indigenous languages -- and how to revitalize them | Lindsay Morcom

    · 13 min

    Indigenous languages across North America are under threat of extinction due to the colonial legacy of cultural erasure, says linguist Lindsay Morcom. Highlighting grassroots strategies developed by the Anishinaabe…

  4. How you can help save the monarch butterfly -- and the planet | Mary Ellen Hannibal

    · 12 min

    Monarch butterflies are dying at an alarming rate around the world -- a looming extinction that could also put human life at risk. But we have just the thing to help save these insects, says author Mary Ellen Hannibal:…

  5. Indigenous knowledge meets science to take on climate change | Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim

    · 13 min

    To tackle a problem as large as climate change, we need both science and Indigenous wisdom, says environmental activist Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim. In this engaging talk, she shares how her nomadic community in Chad is…

  6. The weird history of the "sex chromosomes" | Molly Webster

    · 13 min

    The common thinking on biological sex goes like this: females have two X chromosomes in their cells, while males have one X and one Y. In this myth-busting talk, science writer and podcaster Molly Webster shows why the…

  7. How we could change the planet's climate future | David Wallace-Wells

    · 11 min

    The climate crisis is too vast and complicated to solve with a silver bullet, says author David Wallace-Wells. What we need is a shift in how we live. Follow along as he lays out some of the dramatic actions we could…

  8. The dangers of a noisy ocean -- and how we can quiet it down | Nicola Jones

    · 13 min

    The ocean is a naturally noisy place full of singing whales, grunting fish, snapping shrimp, cracking ice, wind and rain. But human-made sounds -- from ship engines to oil drilling -- have become an acute threat to…

  9. How a miniaturized atomic clock could revolutionize space exploration | Jill Seubert

    · 11 min

    Ask any deep space navigator like Jill Seubert what makes steering a spacecraft difficult, and they'll tell you it's all about the timing; a split-second can decide a mission's success or failure. So what do you do…

  10. What a nun can teach a scientist about ecology | Victoria Gill

    · 14 min

    To save the achoque -- an exotic (and adorable) salamander found in a lake in northern Mexico -- scientists teamed up with an unexpected research partner: a group of nuns called the Sisters of the Immaculate Health. In…

  11. The science of friction -- and its surprising impact on our lives | Jennifer Vail

    · 12 min

    Tribology: it's a funny-sounding word you might not have heard before, but it could change how you see and interact with the physical world, says mechanical engineer Jennifer Vail. Offering lessons from tribology --…

  12. A new type of medicine, custom-made with tiny proteins | Christopher Bahl

    · 4:31

    Some common life-saving medicines, such as insulin, are made of proteins so large and fragile that they need to be injected instead of ingested as pills. But a new generation of medicine -- made from smaller, more…

  13. What ocean microbes reveal about the changing climate | Angelicque White

    · 13 min

    When the ocean changes, the planet changes -- and it all starts with microbes, says biological oceanographer Angelicque White. Backed by decades of data, White shares how scientists use these ancient microorganisms as…

  14. Are indoor vertical farms the future of agriculture? | Stuart Oda

    · 9:47

    By 2050, the global population is projected to reach 9.8 billion. How are we going to feed everyone? Investment-banker-turned-farmer Stuart Oda points to indoor vertical farming: growing food on tiered racks in a…

  15. How designing brand-new enzymes could change the world | Adam Garske

    · 13 min

    "If DNA is the blueprint of life, enzymes are the laborers that carry out its instructions," says chemical biologist Adam Garske. In this fun talk and demo, he shows how scientists can now edit and design enzymes for…

  16. Why are drug prices so high? Investigating the outdated US patent system | Priti Krishtel

    · 12 min

    Between 2006 and 2016, the number of drug patents granted in the United States doubled -- but not because there was an explosion in invention or innovation. Drug companies have learned how to game the system,…

  17. The urgent case for antibiotic-free animals | Leon Marchal

    · 11 min

    The UN predicts that antimicrobial resistance will be our biggest killer by 2050. "That should really scare the hell out of all of us," says bioprocess engineer Leon Marchal. He's working on an urgently needed…

  18. The search for dark matter -- and what we've found so far | Risa Wechsler

    · 16 min

    Roughly 85 percent of mass in the universe is "dark matter" -- mysterious material that can't be directly observed but has an immense influence on the cosmos. What exactly is this strange stuff, and what does it have…

  19. Your body was forged in the spectacular death of stars | Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz

    · 15 min

    We are all connected by the spectacular birth, death and rebirth of stars, says astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz. Journey through the cosmic history of the universe as Ramirez-Ruiz explains how supernovas forged the…

  20. The search for our solar system's ninth planet | Mike Brown

    · 14 min

    Could the strange orbits of small, distant objects in our solar system lead us to a big discovery? Planetary astronomer Mike Brown proposes the existence of a new, giant planet lurking in the far reaches of our solar…

  21. What it's like to live on the International Space Station | Cady Coleman

    · 6:06

    In this quick, fun talk, astronaut Cady Coleman welcomes us aboard the International Space Station, where she spent nearly six months doing experiments that expanded the frontiers of science. Hear what it's like to fly…

  22. Small rockets are the next space revolution | Peter Beck

    · 11 min

    We're in the dawn of a new space revolution, says engineer Peter Beck: the revolution of the small. In a talk packed with insights into the state of the space industry, Beck shares his work building rockets capable of…

  23. The next software revolution: programming biological cells | Sara-Jane Dunn

    · 15 min

    The cells in your body are like computer software: they're "programmed" to carry out specific functions at specific times. If we can better understand this process, we could unlock the ability to reprogram cells…

  24. The link between fishing cats and mangrove forest conservation | Ashwin Naidu

    · 5:29

    Mangrove forests are crucial to the health of the planet, gobbling up CO2 from the atmosphere and providing a home for a diverse array of species. But these rich habitats are under continual threat from deforestation…

  25. A coral reef love story | Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

    · 6:32

    Over the course of hundreds of scuba dives, marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson fell in love -- with a fish. In this ode to parrotfish, she shares five reasons why these creatures are simply amazing (from their…

  26. How a handful of fishing villages sparked a marine conservation revolution | Alasdair Harris

    · 12 min

    We need a radically new approach to ocean conservation, says marine biologist and TED Fellow Alasdair Harris. In a visionary talk, he lays out a surprising solution to the problem of overfishing that could both revive…

  27. What happens in your brain when you taste food | Camilla Arndal Andersen

    · 14 min

    With fascinating research and hilarious anecdotes, neuroscientist Camilla Arndal Andersen takes us into the lab where she studies people's sense of taste via brain scans. She reveals surprising insights about the way…

  28. How community-led conservation can save wildlife | Moreangels Mbizah

    · 5:06

    Conservationist and TED Fellow Moreangels Mbizah studied the famous Cecil the lion until he was shot by a trophy hunter in 2015. She wonders how things could've gone differently, asking: "What if the community that…

  29. How one tree grows 40 different kinds of fruit | Sam Van Aken

    · 11 min

    Artist Sam Van Aken shares the breathtaking work behind the "Tree of 40 Fruit," an ongoing series of hybridized fruit trees that grow 40 different varieties of peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines and cherries -- all…

  30. Can seaweed help curb global warming? | Tim Flannery

    · 14 min

    It's time for planetary-scale interventions to combat climate change -- and environmentalist Tim Flannery thinks seaweed can help. In a bold talk, he shares the epic carbon-capturing potential of seaweed, explaining…

  31. We need to track the world's water like we track the weather | Sonaar Luthra

    · 13 min

    We need a global weather service for water, says entrepreneur and TED Fellow Sonaar Luthra. In a talk about environmental accountability, Luthra shows how we could forecast water shortages and risks with a global data…

  32. How climate change could make our food less nutritious | Kristie Ebi

    · 11 min

    Rising carbon levels in the atmosphere can make plants grow faster, but there's another hidden consequence: they rob plants of the nutrients and vitamins we need to survive. In a talk about global food security,…

  33. A climate change solution that's right under our feet | Asmeret Asefaw Berhe

    · 14 min

    There's two times more carbon in the earth's soil than in all of its vegetation and the atmosphere -- combined. Biogeochemist Asmeret Asefaw Berhe dives into the science of soil and shares how we could use its awesome…

  34. Emergency medicine for our climate fever | Kelly Wanser

    · 15 min

    As we recklessly warm the planet by pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, some industrial emissions also produce particles that reflect sunshine back into space, putting a check on global warming that we're…

  35. How climate change affects your mental health | Britt Wray

    · 7:21

    "For all that's ever been said about climate change, we haven't heard nearly enough about the psychological impacts of living in a warming world," says science writer Britt Wray. In this quick talk, she explores how…

  36. What's at the bottom of the ocean -- and how we're getting there | Victor Vescovo

    · 7:41

    Victor Vescovo is leading the first-ever manned expedition to the deepest point of each of the world's five oceans. In conversation with TED science curator David Biello, Vescovo discusses the technology that's…

  37. The fascinating (and dangerous) places scientists aren't exploring | Ella Al-Shamahi

    · 16 min

    We're not doing frontline exploratory science in a huge portion of the world -- the places governments deem too hostile or disputed. What might we be missing because we're not looking? In this fearless, unexpectedly…

  38. Grief and love in the animal kingdom | Barbara J. King

    · 15 min

    From mourning orcas to distressed elephants, biological anthropologist Barbara J. King has witnessed grief and love across the animal kingdom. In this eye-opening talk, she explains the evidence behind her belief that…

  39. 5 challenges we could solve by designing new proteins | David Baker

    · 10 min

    Proteins are remarkable molecular machines: they digest your food, fire your neurons, power your immune system and so much more. What if we could design new ones, with functions never before seen in nature? In this…

  40. The mysterious microbes living deep inside the earth -- and how they could help humanity | Karen Lloyd

    · 14 min

    The ground beneath your feet is home to a massive, mysterious world of microbes -- some of which have been in the earth's crust for hundreds of thousands of years. What's it like down there? Take a trip to the…

  41. The amazing brains and morphing skin of octopuses and other cephalopods | Roger Hanlon

    · 13 min

    Octopus, squid and cuttlefish -- collectively known as cephalopods -- have strange, massive, distributed brains. What do they do with all that neural power? Dive into the ocean with marine biologist Roger Hanlon, who…

  42. These bacteria eat plastic | Morgan Vague

    · 9:03

    Humans produce 300 million tons of new plastic each year -- yet, despite our best efforts, less than 10 percent of it ends up being recycled. Is there a better way to deal with all this waste? Morgan Vague describes…

  43. Sloths! The strange life of the world's slowest mammal | Lucy Cooke

    · 14 min

    Sloths have been on this planet for more than 40 million years. What's the secret to their success? In a hilarious talk, zoologist Lucy Cooke takes us inside the strange life of the world's slowest mammal and shows…

  44. How supercharged plants could slow climate change | Joanne Chory

    · 14 min

    Plants are amazing machines -- for millions of years, they've taken carbon dioxide out of the air and stored it underground, keeping a crucial check on the global climate. Plant geneticist Joanne Chory is working to…

  45. A personal air-quality tracker that lets you know what you're breathing | Romain Lacombe

    · 5:25

    How often do you think about the air you're breathing? Probably not enough, says entrepreneur and TED Fellow Romain Lacombe. He introduces Flow: a personal air-quality tracker that fits in your hand and monitors…

  46. Inside the black hole image that made history | Sheperd Doeleman

    · 11 min

    At the center of a galaxy more than 55 million light-years away, there's a supermassive black hole with the mass of several billion suns. And now, for the first time ever, we can see it. Astrophysicist Sheperd…

  47. Can we regenerate heart muscle with stem cells? | Chuck Murry

    · 14 min

    The heart is one of the least regenerative organs in the human body -- a big factor in making heart failure the number one killer worldwide. What if we could help heart muscle regenerate after injury? Physician and…

  48. To detect diseases earlier, let's speak bacteria's secret language | Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi

    · 12 min

    Bacteria "talk" to each other, sending chemical information to coordinate attacks. What if we could listen to what they were saying? Nanophysicist Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi invented a tool to spy on bacterial…

  49. Why bees hold the key to our future | Noah Wilson-Rich

    · 13 min

    Bees are dying off in record numbers, but ecologist Noah Wilson-Rich is interested in something else: Where are bees healthy and thriving? To find out, he recruited citizen scientists across the US to set up beehives…

  50. The secret to scientific discoveries? Making mistakes | Phil Plait

    · 11 min

    Phil Plait was on a Hubble Space Telescope team of astronomers who thought they may have captured the first direct photo of an exoplanet ever taken. But did the evidence actually support that? Follow along as Plait…

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