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1 - 30 of 457 results

Richard Dawkins: Why the universe seems so strange

Biologist Richard Dawkins makes a case for "thinking the improbable" by looking at how the human frame of reference limits our understanding of the universe.
https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_dawkins_why_the_universe_seems_so_strange

Juliana Machado Ferreira: The fight to end rare-animal trafficking in Brazil

Biologist Juliana Machado Ferreira, a TED Senior Fellow, talks about her work helping to save birds and other animals stolen from the wild in Brazil. Once these animals are seized from smugglers, she asks, then what?
https://www.ted.com/talks/juliana_machado_ferreira_the_fight_to_end_rare_animal_trafficking_in_brazil

Robert Full: The sticky wonder of gecko feet

Biologist Robert Full shares slo-mo video of some captivating critters. Take a closer look at the spiny legs that allow cockroaches to scuttle across mesh and the nanobristle-packed feet that let geckos to run straight up walls.
https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_full_the_sticky_wonder_of_gecko_feet

Janet Iwasa: How animations can help scientists test a hypothesis

3D animation can bring scientific hypotheses to life. Molecular biologist (and TED Fellow) Janet Iwasa introduces a new open-source animation software designed just for scientists.
https://www.ted.com/talks/janet_iwasa_how_animations_can_help_scientists_test_a_hypothesis

Sheila Patek: The shrimp with a kick!

Biologist Sheila Patek talks about her work measuring the feeding strike of the mantis shrimp, one of the fastest movements in the animal world, using video cameras recording at 20,000 frames per second.
https://www.ted.com/talks/sheila_patek_the_shrimp_with_a_kick

E.O. Wilson: Advice to a young scientist

"The world needs you, badly," says legendary biologist E.O. Wilson in his letter to a young scientist. He gives advice collected from a lifetime of experience -- and reminds us that wonder and creativity are the center of the scientific life.
https://www.ted.com/talks/e_o_wilson_advice_to_a_young_scientist

Carin Bondar: The birds and the bees are just the beginning

Think you know a thing or two about sex? Think again. In this fascinating talk, biologist Carin Bondar lays out the surprising science behind how animals get it on. (This talk describes explicit and aggressive sexual content.)
https://www.ted.com/talks/carin_bondar_the_birds_and_the_bees_are_just_the_beginning

Mark Pagel: How language transformed humanity

Biologist Mark Pagel shares an intriguing theory about why humans evolved our complex system of language. He suggests that language is a piece of "social technology" that allowed early human tribes to access a powerful new tool: cooperation.
https://www.ted.com/talks/mark_pagel_how_language_transformed_humanity

Robert Full: Learning from the gecko's tail

Biologist Robert Full studies the amazing gecko, with its supersticky feet and tenacious climbing skill. But high-speed footage reveals that the gecko's tail harbors perhaps the most surprising talents of all.
https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_full_learning_from_the_gecko_s_tail

Tierney Thys: Swim with the giant sunfish

Marine biologist Tierney Thys asks us to step into the water to visit the world of the Mola mola, or giant ocean sunfish. Basking, eating jellyfish and getting massages, this behemoth offers clues to life in the open sea.
https://www.ted.com/talks/tierney_thys_swim_with_the_giant_sunfish

Guy Harvey: Painting sharks ... for science

Artist and marine biologist Guy Harvey painted his first sea creature in school while illustrating Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea." In this inspirational talk, he describes how -- despite an intervening PhD in marine biology -- those early forays into painting drew him away from academia and into a lifelong dedication to causes of m...
https://www.ted.com/talks/guy_harvey_painting_sharks_for_science

Paul Ewald: Can we domesticate germs?

Evolutionary biologist Paul Ewald drags us into the sewer to discuss germs. Why are some more harmful than others? How could we make the harmful ones benign? Searching for answers, he examines a disgusting, fascinating case: diarrhea.
https://www.ted.com/talks/paul_ewald_can_we_domesticate_germs

Lauren Esposito: What scorpions can teach us about brain tumors

Biologist Lauren Esposito argues for the healing potential of deadly scorpion stings. In this fascinating and visual talk, she breaks down the curative properties of scorpion neurotoxin and explains why these much maligned arachnids should be seen as nothing less than evolutionary marvels.
https://www.ted.com/talks/lauren_esposito_what_scorpions_can_teach_us_about_brain_tumors

Nina Fedoroff: A secret weapon against Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases

Where did Zika come from, and what can we do about it? Molecular biologist Nina Fedoroff takes us around the world to understand Zika's origins and how it spread, proposing a controversial way to stop the virus -- and other deadly diseases -- by preventing infected mosquitoes from multiplying.
https://www.ted.com/talks/nina_fedoroff_a_secret_weapon_against_zika_and_other_mosquito_borne_diseases

David Gallo: Deep ocean mysteries and wonders

In the deepest, darkest parts of the oceans are ecosystems with more diversity than a tropical rainforest. Taking us on a voyage into the ocean -- from the deepest trenches to the remains of Titanic -- marine biologist David Gallo explores the wonder and beauty of marine life.
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_gallo_deep_ocean_mysteries_and_wonders

James Logan: How we're using dogs to sniff out malaria

What if we could diagnose some of the world's deadliest diseases by the smells our bodies give off? In a fascinating talk and live demo, biologist James Logan introduces Freya, a malaria-sniffing dog, to show how we can harness the awesome powers of animal scent to detect chemical signatures associated with infection -- and change the way we dia...
https://www.ted.com/talks/james_logan_how_we_re_using_dogs_to_sniff_out_malaria

Barbara Block: Tagging tuna in the deep ocean

Tuna are ocean athletes -- fast, far-ranging predators whose habits we're just beginning to understand. Marine biologist Barbara Block fits tuna with tracking tags (complete with transponders) that record unprecedented amounts of data about these gorgeous, threatened fish and the ocean habitats they move through.
https://www.ted.com/talks/barbara_block_tagging_tuna_in_the_deep_ocean

Mohamed Hijri: A simple solution to the coming phosphorus crisis

There's a farming crisis no one is talking about: The world is running out of phosphorus, an essential element that's a key component of DNA and the basis of cellular communication. As biologist Mohamed Hijri shows, all roads of this crisis lead back to how we farm -- with chemical fertilizers chock-full of the element, which plants are not effi...
https://www.ted.com/talks/mohamed_hijri_a_simple_solution_to_the_coming_phosphorus_crisis

Munir Virani: Why I love vultures

As natural garbage collectors, vultures are vital to our ecosystem -- so why all the bad press? Why are so many in danger of extinction? Raptor biologist Munir Virani says we need to pay more attention to these unique and misunderstood creatures, to change our perception and save the vultures.
https://www.ted.com/talks/munir_virani_why_i_love_vultures

Nathan Wolfe: What's left to explore?

We've been to the moon, we've mapped the continents, we've even been to the deepest point in the ocean -- twice. What's left for the next generation to explore? Biologist and explorer Nathan Wolfe suggests this answer: Almost everything. And we can start, he says, with the world of the unseeably small.
https://www.ted.com/talks/nathan_wolfe_what_s_left_to_explore

Asha de Vos: Why you should care about whale poo

Whales have a surprising and important job, says marine biologist Asha de Vos: these massive creatures are ecosystem engineers, keeping the oceans healthy and stable by ... well, by pooping, for a start. Learn from de Vos, a TED Fellow, about the undervalued work that whales do to help maintain the stability and health of our seas -- and our pla...
https://www.ted.com/talks/asha_de_vos_why_you_should_care_about_whale_poo

Stephen Palumbi: Hidden toxins in the fish we eat

What's link between the ocean's health and our health? Marine biologist Stephen Palumbi shows how toxins at the bottom of the ocean food chain find their way into our bodies -- and tells a shocking story of toxic contamination in the fish market, where consumers were being tricked into buying fish that's not only mislabeled but unsafe.
https://www.ted.com/talks/stephen_palumbi_hidden_toxins_in_the_fish_we_eat

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

Marah J. Hardt: Are we interrupting the kinky sex lives of fish?

The ocean plays host to a peculiar party of wild, marine sex life that's perhaps quirkier (and kinkier) than you can fathom. But is human behavior interrupting these raunchy reproductive acts? Take a deep dive with marine biologist Marah J. Hardt to discover what exactly goes down under the sea -- and why your own wellness depends on the healthy...
https://www.ted.com/talks/marah_j_hardt_are_we_interrupting_the_kinky_sex_lives_of_fish

Paul Knoepfler: The ethical dilemma of designer babies

Creating genetically modified people is no longer a science fiction fantasy; it's a likely future scenario. Biologist Paul Knoepfler estimates that within fifteen years, scientists could use the gene editing technology CRISPR to make certain "upgrades" to human embryos -- from altering physical appearances to eliminating the risk of auto-immune ...
https://www.ted.com/talks/paul_knoepfler_the_ethical_dilemma_of_designer_babies

Graham Worthy: The future of our coastal systems

The US state of Florida is facing down environmental threats that affect millions of people a year, such as toxic algal blooms and hurricanes. The solutions will take Biologist (and Florida resident) Graham Worthy proposes that by breaking down academic silos and engaging interdisciplinary teams, Florida might finally start solving some of its i...
https://www.ted.com/talks/graham_worthy_the_future_of_our_coastal_systems

Steve Simpson: How ocean noise destroys marine ecosystems

Noise pollution is normally seen as a problem for big cities. In this talk, marine biologist Steve Simpson sets the story straight, describing how human-made sounds are the culprits behind catastrophic marine disruptions. Simpson lays out several concrete methods for a relatively quick and easy fix to decrease our noise levels.
https://www.ted.com/talks/steve_simpson_how_ocean_noise_destroys_marine_ecosystems

Willie Smits: How to restore a rainforest

By piecing together a complex ecological puzzle, biologist Willie Smits believes he has found a way to re-grow clearcut rainforest in Borneo, saving local orangutans — and creating a thrilling blueprint for restoring fragile ecosystems. NOTE: The core content of this talk has been challenged on a number of grounds. For details, and Willie Smits'...
https://www.ted.com/talks/willie_smits_how_to_restore_a_rainforest

Ellen Jorgensen: Biohacking -- you can do it, too

We have personal computing -- why not personal biotech? That's the question biologist Ellen Jorgensen and her colleagues asked themselves before opening Genspace, a nonprofit DIY bio lab in Brooklyn devoted to citizen science, where amateurs can go and tinker with biotechnology. Far from being a sinister Frankenstein's lab (as some imagined it),...
https://www.ted.com/talks/ellen_jorgensen_biohacking_you_can_do_it_too

Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado: To solve old problems, study new species

Nature is wonderfully abundant, diverse and mysterious -- but biological research today tends to focus on only seven species, including rats, chickens, fruit flies and us. We're studying an astonishingly narrow sliver of life, says biologist Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, and hoping it'll be enough to solve the oldest, most challenging problems in ...
https://www.ted.com/talks/alejandro_sanchez_alvarado_to_solve_old_problems_study_new_species
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