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  • All
  • Talks 678
  • People 217
  • Playlists 35
  • Blog posts 213
  • Pages 9
  • TEDx events 59
Talks
1 - 30 of 678 results

Drew Berry: Animations of unseeable biology

We have no ways to directly observe molecules and what they do -- but Drew Berry wants to change that. He demos his scientifically accurate (and entertaining!) animations that help researchers see unseeable processes within our own cells.
https://www.ted.com/talks/drew_berry_animations_of_unseeable_biology

Christina Agapakis: What happens when biology becomes technology?

"We've been promised a future of chrome -- but what if the future is fleshy?" asks biological designer Christina Agapakis. In this awe-inspiring talk, Agapakis details her work in synthetic biology -- a multidisciplinary area of research that pokes holes in the line between what's natural and artificial -- and shares how breaking down the bounda...
https://www.ted.com/talks/christina_agapakis_what_happens_when_biology_becomes_technology

Emily Leproust: How synthetic biology can improve our health, food and materials

What if we could use biology to restore our balance with nature without giving up modern creature comforts? Advocating for a new kind of environmentalism, scientist and entrepreneur Emily Leproust rethinks modern sustainability at the molecular level, using synthetic biology to create green alternatives. From lab-developed insulin and disease-re...
https://www.ted.com/talks/emily_leproust_how_synthetic_biology_can_improve_our_health_food_and_materials

Ani Liu: Smelfies, and other experiments in synthetic biology

What if you could take a smell selfie, a smelfie? What if you had a lipstick that caused plants to grow where you kiss? Ani Liu explores the intersection of technology and sensory perception, and her work is wedged somewhere between science, design and art. In this swift, smart talk, she shares dreams, wonderings and experiments, asking: What ha...
https://www.ted.com/talks/ani_liu_smelfies_and_other_experiments_in_synthetic_biology

Juan Enriquez: Using biology to rethink the energy challenge

Juan Enriquez challenges our definition of bioenergy. Oil, coal, gas and other hydrocarbons are not chemical but biological products, based on plant matter -- and thus, growable. Our whole approach to fuel, he argues, needs to change.
https://www.ted.com/talks/juan_enriquez_using_biology_to_rethink_the_energy_challenge

Robert Sapolsky: The biology of our best and worst selves

How can humans be so compassionate and altruistic -- and also so brutal and violent? To understand why we do what we do, neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky looks at extreme context, examining actions on timescales from seconds to millions of years before they occurred. In this fascinating talk, he shares his cutting edge research into the biology th...
https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_sapolsky_the_biology_of_our_best_and_worst_selves

Neri Oxman: Design at the intersection of technology and biology

Designer and architect Neri Oxman is leading the search for ways in which digital fabrication technologies can interact with the biological world. Working at the intersection of computational design, additive manufacturing, materials engineering and synthetic biology, her lab is pioneering a new age of symbiosis between microorganisms, our bodie...
https://www.ted.com/talks/neri_oxman_design_at_the_intersection_of_technology_and_biology

Natsai Audrey Chieza: Fashion has a pollution problem -- can biology fix it?

Natsai Audrey Chieza is a designer on a mission -- to reduce pollution in the fashion industry while creating amazing new things to wear. In her lab, she noticed that the bacteria Streptomyces coelicolor makes a striking red-purple pigment, and now she's using it to develop bold, color-fast fabric dye that cuts down on water waste and chemical r...
https://www.ted.com/talks/natsai_audrey_chieza_fashion_has_a_pollution_problem_can_biology_fix_it

Jim Al-Khalili: How quantum biology might explain life's biggest questions

How does a robin know to fly south? The answer might be weirder than you think: Quantum physics may be involved. Jim Al-Khalili rounds up the extremely new, extremely strange world of quantum biology, where something Einstein once called "spooky action at a distance" helps birds navigate, and quantum effects might explain the origin of life itself.
https://www.ted.com/talks/jim_al_khalili_how_quantum_biology_might_explain_life_s_biggest_questions

Karissa Sanbonmatsu: The biology of gender, from DNA to the brain

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 trauma or diet. Learn how life experiences shape the way genes are expressed -- and wha...
https://www.ted.com/talks/karissa_sanbonmatsu_the_biology_of_gender_from_dna_to_the_brain

Monika Bulaj: The hidden light of Afghanistan

Photographer Monika Bulaj shares powerful, intimate images of Afghanistan -- of home life, of ritual, of men and women. Behind the headlines, what does the world truly know about this place?
https://www.ted.com/talks/monika_bulaj_the_hidden_light_of_afghanistan

Rob Reid: How synthetic biology could wipe out humanity -- and how we can stop it

The world-changing promise of synthetic biology and gene editing has a dark side. In this far-seeing talk, author and entrepreneur Rob Reid reviews the risks of a world where more and more people have access to the tools and tech needed to create a doomsday bug that could wipe out humanity -- and suggests that it's time to take this danger serio...
https://www.ted.com/talks/rob_reid_how_synthetic_biology_could_wipe_out_humanity_and_how_we_can_stop_it

Danielle N. Lee: How hip-hop helps us understand science

In the early 1990s, a scandal rocked evolutionary biology: scientists discovered that songbirds -- once thought to be strictly monogamous -- engaged in what's politely called "extra-pair copulation." In this unforgettable biology lesson on animal infidelity, TED Fellow Danielle N. Lee shows how she uses hip-hop to teach science, leading the crow...
https://www.ted.com/talks/danielle_n_lee_how_hip_hop_helps_us_understand_science

Asha de Vos: Why are blue whales so enormous?

Blue whales are the largest animals on the planet, but what helps them grow to the length of a basketball court? Asha de Vos explains why the size of krill make them the ideal food for the blue whale -- it's as if the blue whale was made to eat krill (and krill was made to be eaten by the blue whale). [Directed by Cognitive Media, narrated by As...
https://www.ted.com/talks/asha_de_vos_why_are_blue_whales_so_enormous

Menno Schilthuizen: The evolution of animal genitalia

Genitals are the fastest-evolving organs in the animal kingdom. But why is this so? And what's the point of having decorative private parts? Menno Schilthuizen explains how the evolutionary biology of nature's nether regions uncovers a hidden world of seduction, conflict, and rivalry. [Directed by Mette Ilene Holmriis, narrated by Adrian Dannatt...
https://www.ted.com/talks/menno_schilthuizen_the_evolution_of_animal_genitalia

Susan Savage-Rumbaugh: The gentle genius of bonobos

Savage-Rumbaugh's work with bonobo apes, which can understand spoken language and learn tasks by watching, forces the audience to rethink how much of what a species can do is determined by biology -- and how much by cultural exposure.
https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_savage_rumbaugh_the_gentle_genius_of_bonobos

Lee Cronin: Making matter come alive

Before life existed on Earth, there was just matter, inorganic dead "stuff." How improbable is it that life arose? And -- could it use a different type of chemistry? Using an elegant definition of life (anything that can evolve), chemist Lee Cronin is exploring this question by attempting to create a fully inorganic cell using a "Lego kit" of in...
https://www.ted.com/talks/lee_cronin_making_matter_come_alive

Gokul Upadhyayula: The life unfolding inside your cells, revealed in 3D

To understand how life works, you need to watch it in action, says bioimaging scientist Gokul Upadhyayula. Taking us down to the cellular level, he shares the work behind cutting-edge microscopes that capture and record, in three dimensions, the complex behaviors of living organisms -- from infecting cancer cells to crawling immune cells -- and ...
https://www.ted.com/talks/gokul_upadhyayula_the_life_unfolding_inside_your_cells_revealed_in_3d

Antoine Gourévitch: What is deep tech? A look at how it could shape the future

How do companies like SpaceX make sudden breakthroughs on decades-old challenges? Emerging tech expert Antoine Gourévitch explains how deep tech -- a new approach to innovation that merges science, engineering and design thinking -- is unlocking solutions to problems in space exploration, biology, energy and more. As Gourévitch says: "[deep tech...
https://www.ted.com/talks/antoine_gourevitch_what_is_deep_tech_a_look_at_how_it_could_shape_the_future

Oliver Sacks: What hallucination reveals about our minds

Neurologist and author Oliver Sacks brings our attention to Charles Bonnet syndrome -- when visually impaired people experience lucid hallucinations. He describes the experiences of his patients in heartwarming detail and walks us through the biology of this under-reported phenomenon.
https://www.ted.com/talks/oliver_sacks_what_hallucination_reveals_about_our_minds

Stewart Brand: The dawn of de-extinction. Are you ready?

Throughout humankind's history, we've driven species after species extinct: the passenger pigeon, the Eastern cougar, the dodo ... But now, says Stewart Brand, we have the technology (and the biology) to bring back species that humanity wiped out. So -- should we? Which ones? He asks a big question whose answer is closer than you may think.
https://www.ted.com/talks/stewart_brand_the_dawn_of_de_extinction_are_you_ready

Emma Teeling: The secret of the bat genome

In Western society, bats are often characterized as creepy, even evil. Zoologist Emma Teeling encourages us to rethink common attitudes toward bats, whose unique and fascinating biology gives us insight into our own genetic makeup.
https://www.ted.com/talks/emma_teeling_the_secret_of_the_bat_genome

Paul Snelgrove: A census of the ocean

Oceanographer Paul Snelgrove shares the results of a ten-year project with one goal: to take a census of all the life in the oceans. He shares amazing photos of some of the surprising finds of the Census of Marine Life.
https://www.ted.com/talks/paul_snelgrove_a_census_of_the_ocean

Diane Kelly: What we didn't know about penis anatomy

We're not done with anatomy. We know a tremendous amount about genomics, proteomics and cell biology, but as Diane Kelly makes clear at TEDMED, there are basic facts about the human body we're still learning. Case in point: How does the mammalian erection work?
https://www.ted.com/talks/diane_kelly_what_we_didn_t_know_about_penis_anatomy

Lara Durgavich: An evolutionary perspective on human health and disease

How does your genetic inheritance, culture and history influence your health? Biological anthropologist Lara Durgavich discusses the field of evolutionary medicine as a gateway to understanding the quirks of human biology -- including why a genetic mutation can sometimes have beneficial effects -- and emphasizes how unraveling your own evolution...
https://www.ted.com/talks/lara_durgavich_an_evolutionary_perspective_on_human_health_and_disease

Tim Birkhead: The early birdwatchers

Birds, a perennial human fascination, entertained medieval homes long before science took them for serious study. "Wisdom of Birds" author Tim Birkhead tours some intriguing birdwatcher lore (dug up in old field journals) -- and talks about the role it plays in ornithology today.
https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_birkhead_the_early_birdwatchers

Robert Prill: The microbes in our food can save lives

Does food talk? And if so, what is it saying? Microbe researcher Robert Prill decodes the messages sent by microorganisms to discover the telltale and potentially deadly signs of contaminated foods. Prill says that by paying closer attention we can save lives and better protect our food supply from adulteration.
https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_prill_the_microbes_in_our_food_can_save_lives

Carlos Reif: Why do we kiss under mistletoe?

The sight of mistletoe may either send you scurrying or, if you have your eye on someone, awaiting an opportunity beneath its snow-white berries. But how did the festive tradition of kissing under mistletoe come about? Carlos Reif explains how this long-lived custom intertwines the mythology and biology of this intriguing plant. [Directed by Bál...
https://www.ted.com/talks/carlos_reif_why_do_we_kiss_under_mistletoe

George Zaidan: The bug that poops candy

Aphids can reproduce incredibly fast: they can make 20 new generations within a single season. And that means lots of poop. Some aphid populations can produce hundreds of kilograms of poop per acre— making them some of the most prolific poopers on the planet. We know this poop as the sweet, syrupy liquid called honeydew. George Zaidan explores t...
https://www.ted.com/talks/george_zaidan_the_bug_that_poops_candy

Tierney Thys and Plankton Chronicles Project: The secret life of plankton

New videography techniques have opened up the oceans' microscopic ecosystem, revealing it to be both mesmerizingly beautiful and astoundingly complex. Marine biologist Tierney Thys teamed with Christian Sardet (CNRS/Tara Oceans), Noé Sardet and Sharif Mirshak to use footage from the Plankton Chronicles project to create a film designed to ignite...
https://www.ted.com/talks/tierney_thys_and_plankton_chronicles_project_the_secret_life_of_plankton
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