TED Talks Science and Medicine

Episodes page 3 of 3

1. Where did the Moon come from? A new theory | Sarah T. Stewart

   13 Mar 2019 · 11 min

   The Earth and Moon are like identical twins, made up of the exact same materials -- which is really strange, since no other celestial bodies we know of share this kind of chemical relationship. What's responsible for…

2. How a new species of ancestors is changing our theory of human evolution | Juliet Brophy

   1 Mar 2019 · 11 min

   In 2013, a treasure trove of unusual fossils were uncovered in a cave in South Africa, and researchers soon realized: these were the remains of a new species of ancient humans. Paleoanthropologist Juliet Brophy takes…

3. The age of genetic wonder | Juan Enriquez

   15 Feb 2019 · 18 min

   Gene-editing tools like CRISPR enable us to program life at its most fundamental level. But this raises some pressing questions: If we can generate new species from scratch, what should we build? Should we redesign…

4. Can we solve global warming? Lessons from how we protected the ozone layer | Sean Davis

   29 Jan 2019 · 9:40

   The Montreal Protocol proved that the world could come together and take action on climate change. Thirty years after the world's most successful environmental treaty was signed, atmospheric scientist Sean Davis…

5. What sticky sea creatures can teach us about making glue | Jonathan Wilker

   24 Jan 2019 · 14 min

   What if we could harness the sticking powers of sea creatures like mussels, oysters and barnacles, which refuse to budge even on wet, stormy coastlines? Dive into the wonderful world of animals that make their own glue…

6. The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it | Katharine Hayhoe

   14 Dec 2018 · 17 min

   How do you talk to someone who doesn't believe in climate change? Not by rehashing the same data and facts we've been discussing for years, says climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe. In this inspiring, pragmatic talk,…

7. 3 kinds of bias that shape your worldview | J. Marshall Shepherd

   11 Dec 2018 · 12 min

   What shapes our perceptions (and misperceptions) about science? In an eye-opening talk, meteorologist J. Marshall Shepherd explains how confirmation bias, the Dunning-Kruger effect and cognitive dissonance impact what…

8. The radical possibilities of man-made DNA | Floyd E. Romesberg

   26 Nov 2018 · 14 min

   Every cell that's ever lived has been the result of the four-letter genetic alphabet: A, T, C and G -- the basic units of DNA. But now that's changed. In a visionary talk, synthetic biologist Floyd E. Romesberg…

9. The pharmacy of the future? Personalized pills, 3D printed at home | Daniel Kraft

   18 Oct 2018 · 12 min

   We need to change how we prescribe drugs, says physician Daniel Kraft: too often, medications are dosed incorrectly, cause toxic side effects or just don't work. In a talk and concept demo, Kraft shares his vision for…

10. 5 transformational policies for a prosperous and sustainable world | Johan Rockström

    17 Oct 2018 · 12 min

    In a talk about how we can build a robust future without wrecking the planet, sustainability expert Johan Rockström debuts the Earth3 model -- a new methodology that combines the UN Sustainable Development Goals with…

11. The key to a better malaria vaccine | Faith Osier

    16 Oct 2018 · 7:02

    The malaria vaccine was invented more than a century ago -- yet each year, hundreds of thousands of people still die from the disease. How can we improve this vital vaccine? In this informative talk, immunologist and…

12. How I became part sea urchin | Catherine Mohr

    21 Sep 2018 · 6:06

    As a young scientist, Catherine Mohr was on her dream scuba trip -- when she put her hand right down on a spiny sea urchin. While a school of sharks circled above. What happened next? More than you can possibly…

13. How China is (and isn't) fighting pollution and climate change | Angel Hsu

    29 Aug 2018 · 12 min

    China is the world's biggest polluter -- and now one of its largest producers of clean energy. Which way will China go in the future, and how will it affect the global environment? Data scientist Angel Hsu describes…

14. A rare galaxy that's challenging our understanding of the universe | Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil

    28 Aug 2018 · 4:29

    What's it like to discover a galaxy -- and have it named after you? Astrophysicist and TED Fellow Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil lets us know in this quick talk about her team's surprising discovery of a mysterious new galaxy type.

15. Where are all the aliens? | Stephen Webb

    19 Jul 2018 · 13 min

    The universe is incredibly old, astoundingly vast and populated by trillions of planets -- so where are all the aliens? Astronomer Stephen Webb has an explanation: we're alone in the universe. In a mind-expanding talk,…

16. A new way to monitor vital signs (that can see through walls) | Dina Katabi

    12 Jul 2018 · 13 min

    At MIT, Dina Katabi and her team are working on a bold new way to monitor patients' vital signs in a hospital (or even at home), without wearables or bulky, beeping devices. Bonus: it can see through walls. In a…

17. How to build synthetic DNA and send it across the internet | Dan Gibson

    11 Jul 2018 · 15 min

    Biologist Dan Gibson edits and programs DNA, just like coders program a computer. But his "code" creates life, giving scientists the power to convert digital information into biological material like proteins and…

18. A new way to remove CO2 from the atmosphere | Jennifer Wilcox

    5 Jul 2018 · 14 min

    Our planet has a carbon problem -- if we don't start removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, we'll grow hotter, faster. Chemical engineer Jennifer Wilcox previews some amazing technology to scrub carbon from the…

19. How we're saving one of Earth's last wild places | Steve Boyes

    3 Jul 2018 · 8:51

    Navigating territorial hippos and active minefields, TED Fellow Steve Boyes and a team of scientists have been traveling through the Okavango Delta, Africa's largest remaining wetland wilderness, to explore and protect…

20. The tiny creature that secretly powers the planet | Penny Chisholm

    2 Jul 2018 · 16 min

    Oceanographer Penny Chisholm introduces us to an amazing little being: Prochlorococcus, the most abundant photosynthetic species on the planet. A marine microbe that has existed for millions of years, Prochlorococcus…

21. The story of 'Oumuamua, the first visitor from another star system | Karen J. Meech

    27 Jun 2018 · 13 min

    In October 2017, astrobiologist Karen J. Meech got the call every astronomer waits for: NASA had spotted the very first visitor from another star system. The interstellar comet -- a half-mile-long object eventually…

22. Four billion years of evolution in six minutes | Prosanta Chakrabarty

    15 Jun 2018 · 5:31

    Did humans evolve from monkeys or from fish? In this enlightening talk, ichthyologist and TED Fellow Prosanta Chakrabarty dispels some hardwired myths about evolution, encouraging us to remember that we're a small part…

23. The journey through loss and grief | Jason B. Rosenthal

    12 Jun 2018 · 14 min

    In her brutally honest, ironically funny and widely read meditation on death, "You May Want to Marry My Husband," the late author and filmmaker Amy Krouse Rosenthal gave her husband Jason very public permission to move…

24. Let's turn the high seas into the world's largest nature reserve | Enric Sala

    6 Jun 2018 · 13 min

    What if we could save the fishing industry and protect the ocean at the same time? Marine ecologist Enric Sala shares his bold plan to safeguard the high seas -- some of the last wild places on earth, which fall…

25. How we can turn the cold of outer space into a renewable resource | Aaswath Raman

    1 Jun 2018 · 13 min

    What if we could use the cold darkness of outer space to cool buildings on earth? In this mind-blowing talk, physicist Aaswath Raman details the technology he's developing to harness "night-sky cooling" -- a natural…

26. How vultures can help solve crimes | Lauren Pharr

    31 May 2018 · 11 min

    Can a bird that symbolizes death help the living catch criminals? In this informative and accessible talk, forensic anthropologist Lauren Pharr shows us how vultures impact crime scenes -- and the assistance they can…

27. Scientists must be free to learn, to speak and to challenge | Kirsty Duncan

    16 May 2018 · 14 min

    "You do not mess with something so fundamental, so precious, as science," says Kirsty Duncan, Canada's first Minister of Science. In a heartfelt, inspiring talk about pushing boundaries, she makes the case that…

28. The doctors, nurses and aid workers rebuilding Syria | Rola Hallam

    15 May 2018 · 6:58

    Local humanitarians are beacons of light in the darkness of war, says humanitarian aid entrepreneur and TED Fellow Rola Hallam. She's working to help responders on the ground in devastated communities like Syria, where…

29. The "dead zone" of the Gulf of Mexico | Nancy Rabalais

    18 Apr 2018 · 12 min

    Ocean expert Nancy Rabalais tracks the ominously named "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico -- where there isn't enough oxygen in the water to support life. The Gulf has the second largest dead zone in the world; on top…

30. Should we create a solar shade to cool the earth? | Danny Hillis

    5 Apr 2018 · 6:55

    In this perspective-shifting talk, Danny Hillis prompts us to approach global issues like climate change with creative scientific solutions. Taking a stand for solar geoengineering, he looks at controversial solutions…

31. How fungi recognize (and infect) plants | Mennat El Ghalid

    27 Mar 2018 · 4:26

    Each year, the world loses enough food to feed half a billion people to fungi, the most destructive pathogens of plants. Mycologist and TED Fellow Mennat El Ghalid explains how a breakthrough in our understanding of…

32. The wonderful world of life in a drop of water | Simone Bianco and Tom Zimmerman

    7 Mar 2018 · 11 min

    "Hold your breath," says inventor Tom Zimmerman. "This is the world without plankton." These tiny organisms produce two-thirds of our planet's oxygen -- without them, life as we know it wouldn't exist. In this talk and…

33. The brain-changing benefits of exercise | Wendy Suzuki

    28 Feb 2018 · 13 min

    What's the most transformative thing that you can do for your brain today? Exercise! says neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki. Get inspired to go to the gym as Suzuki discusses the science of how working out boosts your mood…