5 challenges we could solve by designing new proteins | David Baker

5 challenges we could solve by designing new proteins | David Baker

Author: TED June 17, 2019 Duration: 10:06
Proteins are remarkable molecular machines: they digest your food, fire your neurons, power your immune system and so much more. What if we could design new ones, with functions never before seen in nature? In this remarkable glimpse of the future, David Baker shares how his team at the Institute for Protein Design is creating entirely new proteins from scratch -- and shows how they could help us tackle five massive challenges facing humanity. (This ambitious plan is a part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)

Curiosity about how our bodies work and the universe functions finds a compelling home in TED Talks Science and Medicine. This curated collection pulls directly from the global stage, featuring leading researchers, pioneering physicians, and insightful thinkers who are actively reshaping their fields. Each episode is a deep, personal narrative from the person behind the discovery, moving beyond textbook summaries to share the human story of scientific pursuit. You’ll hear a neurosurgeon explain the delicate biology of consciousness, a biologist decoding the secret language of trees, or an epidemiologist tracing the path of a pandemic. The discussions are grounded in rigorous research but delivered with a clarity and passion that makes complex concepts accessible and genuinely thrilling. Sourced from flagship TED conferences, independent TEDx events, and partner gatherings worldwide, this podcast serves as a direct line to the cutting edge. It’s for anyone who finds wonder in a detailed medical breakthrough or a revolutionary physics concept, offering a regular dose of perspective on the mechanisms of life and the cosmos. TED’s nonprofit mission to spread impactful ideas is perfectly realized here, turning each listening session into an engaging, thought-provoking exploration of what we know and the vast mysteries that remain.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 133

TED Talks Science and Medicine
Podcast Episodes
The age of genetic wonder | Juan Enriquez [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:52
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 human…
3 kinds of bias that shape your worldview | J. Marshall Shepherd [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:08
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…
The radical possibilities of man-made DNA | Floyd E. Romesberg [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:43
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 introduce…
The key to a better malaria vaccine | Faith Osier [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:58
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…