TED Talks Science and Medicine

TED Talks Science and Medicine

Author: TED Language: English Episodes: 133
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.
Episodes
The wonders of the molecular world, animated | Janet Iwasa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:51
Some biological structures are so small that scientists can't see them with even the most powerful microscopes. That's where molecular animator and TED Fellow Janet Iwasa gets creative. Explore vast, unseen molecular wor…
The galactic recipe for a living planet | Karin Öberg [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:18
Did you know that one of the most notorious poisons is also a key ingredient for life as we know it? Join space chemist Karin Öberg and learn how she scans the universe in search of this paradoxical chemical using ALMA,…
The weird history of the "sex chromosomes" | Molly Webster [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:21
The common thinking on biological sex goes like this: females have two X chromosomes in their cells, while males have one X and one Y. In this myth-busting talk, science writer and podcaster Molly Webster shows why the s…
How we could change the planet's climate future | David Wallace-Wells [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:08
The climate crisis is too vast and complicated to solve with a silver bullet, says author David Wallace-Wells. What we need is a shift in how we live. Follow along as he lays out some of the dramatic actions we could tak…
What a nun can teach a scientist about ecology | Victoria Gill [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:46
To save the achoque -- an exotic (and adorable) salamander found in a lake in northern Mexico -- scientists teamed up with an unexpected research partner: a group of nuns called the Sisters of the Immaculate Health. In t…