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Microbiology

A collection of TED Talks (and more) on the topic of Microbiology.

Video playlists about Microbiology

How microbes shape our world

Learn how these microorganisms influence everything from the air we breathe and how healthy we are, to forming life itself.

The fabulous life of germs

Germs -- they get around. Learn what their travels and overall existence can teach us about not just ourselves, but the past, present and future of humanity.

What's the big deal about Mars?

Learn all the hubbub going on with the big Red Planet in these insightful and utterly fascinating talks.

Weird facts about the human body

The workings of the human body? An absolute marvel. And yet, kind of bizarre. The facts in these talks point to both conclusions.

See all playlists on Microbiology

Talks about Microbiology

How to harness the ancient partnership between forests and fungi

Clara Sousa-Silva

The fingerprints of life beyond Earth

Sarah Rugheimer

The search for microscopic aliens

Thomas L. Dawson

What causes dandruff, and how do you get rid of it?

Carolyn Marshall

Why didn't this 2,000 year old body decompose?

Angelicque White

What ocean microbes reveal about the changing climate

The urgent case for antibiotic-free animals

Henna-Maria Uusitupa

How the gut microbes you're born with affect your lifelong health

Humanity at the intersection of science and archaeology

How sharks could inspire a new generation of medical devices

The mysterious microbes living deep inside the earth -- and how they could help humanity

These bacteria eat plastic

Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi

To detect diseases earlier, let's speak bacteria's secret language

Alexander Belcredi

How a long-forgotten virus could help us solve the antibiotics crisis

The secrets of spider venom

How we study the microbes living in your gut

See all talks on Microbiology

Exclusive articles about Microbiology

Inside the fascinating (and delicious!) science of sourdough bread

What makes a baker’s hands different from anyone else’s hands? And how does flour, water, bacteria and wild yeast from the air result in something as delicious and as unique as a loaf of sourdough? Biologist Rob Dunn wanted to find out.

Posted Dec 2018

Watch: A cellular biologist animates the life cycle of HIV in this hypnotic video

While the musical soundtrack is wholly a product of the imagination, everything else in this spellbinding animation of the HIV virus -- created by Janet Iwasa -- is based on the findings of researchers.

Posted Apr 2018

For healthier buildings, just add bacteria?

Just like a human being, a house or office has its own microbiome, with good and bad microorganisms. One researcher has a targeted idea: to customize our spaces with the right microbes.

Posted Jan 2017

See all articles on Microbiology