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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The secret to scientific di...

03.18.2019

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 ...

TED Talks Science and Medicine episodes:

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 ...
06.27.2018 The story of 'Oumuamua, the first visitor from another star system \| Karen J. Meech 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 named `Oumuamua, from the Hawaiian for "scout" ...
06.18.2018 The surprising science of alpha males \| Frans de Waal In this fascinating look at the "alpha male," primatologist Frans de Waal explores the privileges and costs of power while drawing surprising parallels between how humans and primates choose their leaders. His research reveals some of the unexpected capacities of ...
06.15.2018 Four billion years of evolution in six minutes \| Prosanta Chakrabarty 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 of a complex, four-billion-year process -- and ...
06.12.2018 What we'll learn about the brain in the next century \| Sam Rodriques In this imaginative talk, neuroengineer Sam Rodriques takes us on a thrilling tour of the next 100 years in brain science. He envisions strange (and sometimes frightening) innovations that may be the key to understanding and treating brain disease -- ...
06.12.2018 The journey through loss and grief \| Jason B. Rosenthal 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 on and find happiness. ...
06.06.2018 Let's turn the high seas into the world's largest nature reserve \| Enric Sala 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 ...
06.01.2018 How we can turn the cold of outer space into a renewable resource \| Aaswath Raman 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 phenomenon where infrared light escapes ...
05.31.2018 How vultures can help solve crimes \| Lauren Pharr 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 provide to detectives investigating murders. (This ...
05.22.2018 The shocking danger of mountaintop removal -- and why it must end \| Michael Hendryx Research investigator Michael Hendryx studies mountaintop removal, an explosive type of surface coal mining used in Appalachia that comes with unexpected health hazards. In this data-packed talk, Hendryx presents his research and tells the story of the pushback he's received ...
05.16.2018 Scientists must be free to learn, to speak and to challenge \| Kirsty Duncan "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 researchers must be free to present uncomfortable ...
05.15.2018 The doctors, nurses and aid workers rebuilding Syria \| Rola Hallam 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 the destruction of health care is ...
04.18.2018 The "dead zone" of the Gulf of Mexico \| Nancy Rabalais 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 ...
04.05.2018 Should we create a solar shade to cool the earth? \| Danny Hillis 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 with open-minded curiosity.
03.27.2018 How fungi recognize (and infect) plants \| Mennat El Ghalid 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 the molecular signals fungi ...
03.07.2018 The wonderful world of life in a drop of water \| Tom Zimmerman "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 tech demo, Zimmerman and ...
03.01.2018 How we look kilometers below the Antarctic ice sheet \| Dustin Schroeder Antarctica is a vast and dynamic place, but radar technologies -- from World War II-era film to state-of-the-art miniaturized sensors -- are enabling scientists to observe and understand changes beneath the continent's ice in unprecedented detail. Join radio glaciologist Dustin ...
02.26.2018 The role of human emotions in science and research \| Ilona Stengel Do human emotions have a role to play in science and research? Material researcher Ilona Stengel suggests that instead of opposing each other, emotions and logic complement and reinforce each other. She shares a case study on how properly using ...
02.06.2018 This deep-sea mystery is changing our understanding of life \| Karen Lloyd How deep into the Earth can we go and still find life? Marine microbiologist Karen Lloyd introduces us to deep-subsurface microbes: tiny organisms that live buried meters deep in ocean mud and have been on Earth since way before animals. ...
01.30.2018 Could fish social networks help us save coral reefs? \| Mike Gil Mike Gil spies on fish: using novel multi-camera systems and computer vision technology, the TED Fellow and his colleagues explore how coral reef fish behave, socialize and affect their ecosystems. Learn more about how fish of different species communicate via ...
01.29.2018 Why I study the most dangerous animal on earth -- mosquitoes \| Fredros Okumu What do we really know about mosquitoes? Fredros Okumu catches and studies these disease-carrying insects for a living -- with the hope of crashing their populations. Join Okumu for a tour of the frontlines of mosquito research, as he details ...
01.26.2018 The thrilling potential for off-grid solar energy \| Amar Inamdar There's an energy revolution happening in villages and towns across Africa -- off-grid solar energy is becoming a viable alternative to traditional electricity systems. In a bold talk about a true leapfrog moment, Amar Inamdar introduces us to proud owners ...
01.25.2018 The surprising solution to ocean plastic \| David Katz Can we solve the problem of ocean plastic pollution and end extreme poverty at the same time? That's the ambitious goal of The Plastic Bank: a worldwide chain of stores where everything from school tuition to cooking fuel and more ...

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