On Saturday 17 April 2010, Cambridge hosted its first ever TEDx event at the Cambridge Union, home of Cambridge’s historical debating society. A by-invitation only audience of 350, including leading academics and outstanding businesspeople, students and artists were invited to attend the conference.

Our theme was Pluripotency (lit. many powers), a term traditionally used in biological systems to refer to a stem cell, which has the power to become any cell in the body. In a wider sense, pluripotency suggests specialisation, evolution, possibilities and future potential.

Cambridge
United Kingdom

Steve O'Rahilly

World expert on obesity and Director of the University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories

Bruno Giussani

Writer and commentator, the European Director of the TED Conferences and the Special Project Editor at L’Hebdo/Ringier

Simon Singh

Author of Fermat’s Last Theorem and Trick or Treat, Alternative Medicine on Trial; journalist, TV producer

Ron Laskey

Director of the MRC Cancer Cell Unit in the Hutchison/MRC Research Centre and singer and producer of Songs for Cynical Scientists

Aubrey de Grey

Biomedical gerontologist developing regenerative medicine strategies for halting senescence

Kevin Warwick

The world’s leading expert in cybernetics

Martin Bloom

Award-winning photographer, business angel and Chairman of Renesola, the largest solar company in China

Carolin Crawford

Researcher at the Institute of Astronomy, and a committed communicator of science

Tim Coombs

Inventor of the most powerful permanent magnet in the world and head of the superconductivity group in Cambridge