TED Talks Science and Medicine

By TED

Science & Medicine

What's TED Talks Science and Medicine about?

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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How community-led conservat...

10.01.2019

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 lived next to Cecil was ...

TED Talks Science and Medicine episodes:

10.01.2019 How community-led conservation can save wildlife \| Moreangels Mbizah 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 lived next to Cecil was ...
09.27.2019 How one tree grows 40 different kinds of fruit \| Sam Van Aken 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 on the same tree. What ...
09.23.2019 Can seaweed help curb global warming? \| Tim Flannery 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 how oceangoing seaweed farms created on a massive scale ...
09.20.2019 We need to track the world's water like we track the weather \| Sonaar Luthra 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 collection effort -- just like ...
09.16.2019 How climate change could make our food less nutritious \| Kristie Ebi 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, epidemiologist Kristie Ebi explores the ...
09.03.2019 A climate change solution that's right under our feet \| Asmeret Asefaw Berhe 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 carbon-trapping power ...
08.28.2019 Emergency medicine for our climate fever \| Kelly Wanser 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 only starting to understand. Climate activist Kelly ...
08.27.2019 How climate change affects your mental health \| Britt Wray "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 climate change is threatening ...
08.01.2019 What's at the bottom of the ocean -- and how we're getting there \| David Biello 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 powering the explorations -- a titanium submersible designed ...
07.15.2019 The fascinating (and dangerous) places scientists aren't exploring \| Ella Al-Shamahi 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 funny talk, paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi ...
07.08.2019 Grief and love in the animal kingdom \| Barbara J. King 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 many animals experience complex emotions, and suggests ways ...
06.17.2019 5 challenges we could solve by designing new proteins \| David Baker 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 remarkable glimpse of the ...
06.10.2019 The mysterious microbes living deep inside the earth -- and how they could help humanity \| Karen Lloyd 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 ...
05.31.2019 The amazing brains and morphing skin of octopuses and other cephalopods \| Roger Hanlon 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 shares astonishing footage of the camouflaging ...
05.28.2019 These bacteria eat plastic \| Morgan Vague 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 ...
05.21.2019 Sloths! The strange life of the world's slowest mammal \| Lucy Cooke 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 what we ...
05.02.2019 How supercharged plants could slow climate change \| Joanne Chory 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 amplify this special ability: ...
04.22.2019 A personal air-quality tracker that lets you know what you're breathing \| Romain Lacombe 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 pollution levels in real time. See ...
04.18.2019 Inside the black hole image that made history \| Sheperd Doeleman 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 Doeleman, head of ...
03.29.2019 Can we regenerate heart muscle with stem cells? \| Chuck Murry 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 scientist Chuck ...
03.27.2019 To detect diseases earlier, let's speak bacteria's secret language \| Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi 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 chatter and translate their secret communication into human ...
03.20.2019 How you can help save the bees, one hive at a time \| Noah Wilson-Rich 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 in their backyards, gardens ...
03.18.2019 The secret to scientific discoveries? Making mistakes \| Phil Plait 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 shows how science ...
03.13.2019 Where did the Moon come from? A new theory \| Sarah T. Stewart 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 this special connection? ...
03.01.2019 How a new species of ancestors is changing our theory of human evolution \| Juliet Brophy 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 us inside the discovery of ...
02.15.2019 The age of genetic wonder \| Juan Enriquez 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 humanity as we know it? ...
01.29.2019 Can we solve global warming? Lessons from how we protected the ozone layer \| Sean Davis 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 examines the world we avoided when we banned chlorofluorocarbons ...
01.24.2019 What sticky sea creatures can teach us about making glue \| Jonathan Wilker 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 and cement with ...
01.10.2019 The biology of gender, from DNA to the brain \| Karissa Sanbonmatsu How exactly does gender work? It's not just about our chromosomes, says biologist Karissa Sanbonmatsu. In a visionary talk, she shares new discoveries from epigenetics, the emerging study of how DNA activity can permanently change based on social factors like ...
12.17.2018 The fascinating science of bubbles, from soap to champagne \| Li Wei Tan In this whimsical talk and live demo, scientist Li Wei Tan shares the secrets of bubbles -- from their relentless pursuit of geometric perfection to their applications in medicine and shipping, where designers are creating more efficient vessels by mimicking ...
12.14.2018 The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it \| Katharine Hayhoe 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, Hayhoe shows how the key ...
12.11.2018 3 kinds of bias that shape your worldview \| J. Marshall Shepherd 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 we think we know -- and shares ideas for how we can ...
11.28.2018 100 solutions to reverse global warming \| Chad Frischmann What if we took out more greenhouse gases than we put into the atmosphere? This hypothetical scenario, known as "drawdown," is our only hope of averting climate disaster, says strategist Chad Frischmann. In a forward-thinking talk, he shares solutions to ...
11.26.2018 The radical possibilities of man-made DNA \| Floyd E. Romesberg 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 introduces us ...
10.18.2018 The pharmacy of the future? Personalized pills, 3D printed at home \| Daniel Kraft 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 a future of ...
10.17.2018 5 transformational policies for a prosperous and sustainable world \| Johan Rockstrom 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 the nine planetary boundaries, beyond ...
10.16.2018 The key to a better malaria vaccine \| Faith Osier 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 TED Fellow Faith ...
10.05.2018 The secrets of spider venom \| Michel Dugon Spider venom can stop your heart within minutes, cause unimaginable pain -- and potentially save your life, says zoologist Michel Dugon. With a live tarantula on his arm, Dugon explains the medical properties of their potent toxin and how it ...
09.21.2018 How I became part sea urchin \| Catherine Mohr 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 ...
09.18.2018 Why we choke under pressure -- and how to avoid it \| Sian Leah Beilock When the pressure is on, why do we sometimes fail to live up to our potential? Cognitive scientist and Barnard College president Sian Leah Beilock reveals what happens in your brain and body when you choke in stressful situations, sharing ...
09.04.2018 How data is helping us unravel the mysteries of the brain \| Steve McCarroll Geneticist Steve McCarroll wants to make an atlas of all the cells in the human body so that we can understand in precise detail how specific genes work, especially in the brain. In this fascinating talk, he shares his team's ...
08.29.2018 How China is (and isn't) fighting pollution and climate change \| Angel Hsu 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 how the ...
08.28.2018 A rare galaxy that's challenging our understanding of the universe \| Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil 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.
07.19.2018 Where are all the aliens? \| Stephen Webb 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, he spells out the remarkable ...
07.12.2018 A new way to monitor vital signs (that can see through walls) \| Dina Katabi 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 ...
07.11.2018 How to build synthetic DNA and send it across the internet \| Dan Gibson 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 vaccines. Now he's on to a new project: ...
07.10.2018 How we study the microbes living in your gut \| Dan Knights There are about a hundred trillion microbes living inside your gut -- protecting you from infection, aiding digestion and regulating your immune system. As our bodies have adapted to life in modern society, we've started to lose some of our ...
07.05.2018 A new way to remove CO2 from the atmosphere \| Jennifer Wilcox 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 air, using chemical reactions that capture ...
07.03.2018 How we're saving one of Earth's last wild places \| Steve Boyes 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 this near-pristine habitat against the rising threat of development. ...
07.02.2018 The tiny creature that secretly powers the planet \| Penny Chisholm 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 wasn't discovered until the mid-1980s -- but its ancient genetic ...

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