TED Health

Nicola Twilley, a food writer exploring refrigeration's global impacts, and Emma Bryce, a microbiology researcher who explains food-safety risks. They dive into Salmonella’s path from farm to fork and whether cookie dough is risky. They also trace the fridge’s role in reshaping diets, the cold chain’s environmental costs, and low-emission alternatives.

Dr. Linda Chelico, biochemist studying virology and cancer biology, explains how DNA is constantly changing. She explores deliberate bacterial mutations for survival. She introduces APOBEC proteins that mutate DNA to fight viruses and shape antibodies. She discusses how these processes can both drive cancer and be directed to steer tumors toward death.

Dr. Eric Green, genomic researcher and former NHGRI director now at Illumina, shares a fast tour of modern sequencing. He contrasts genomics with genetics. He highlights impacts on prenatal care, cancer treatment, rapid neonatal diagnosis, and pharmacogenomics. He traces why sequencing got so cheap and urges the public to learn genomic basics.

Adam Munder, a Deaf software engineer and founder of OmniBridge, builds AI that translates American Sign Language into English in real time. He shares personal stories about communication barriers and demonstrates tech that aims to restore nuance and dignity. The conversation covers interpreter shortages, on-device AI models, and making everyday conversations accessible.

Jennifer Pfeifer, a neuroscientist who studies adolescent brain development, hormones and social relationships, unpacks why teen brains are uniquely tuned for learning and social connection. She reframes adolescence as growth. She discusses puberty effects on sleep and mood, decision-making timelines, limited impact of social media, and how relationships and support build resilience.

Dr. Shari Barkin, a pediatrician and academic leader focused on community-engaged child health, shares practical ways families can build healthy routines. She discusses starting small, phone-free meals, community partnerships, family-based interventions, and 10-minute activities to model movement and connection. Conversations also cover dignified approaches to weight and designing culturally feasible programs.

Mathilde H. Ross, a psychiatrist urging parents to trust their instincts, and Lenore Skenazy, author who champions free-range childhood independence. They discuss how overprotective parenting and constant supervision fuel family anxiety. They explore benefits of unsupervised play, simple parenting principles, and practical ways to give kids age-appropriate independence.

Matthew Facciani, an interdisciplinary social scientist who studies polarization and misinformation, explains why beliefs bind groups and how identity shapes receptiveness to information. He explores how offline relationships and compassionate reframing can reduce bias. Practical tips include media literacy habits, communicating scientific uncertainty, and ways communities can rebuild trust.

David Baker, Nobel-winning biochemist and protein-design pioneer, explains how AI-created proteins can tackle viruses, pollutants and new materials. He talks about computing protein structure, AI methods like RF diffusion, real-world vaccines and sustainability applications. He also discusses open science, global access and the future of designed biology.

Max Jaderberg reveals how AI is revolutionizing scientific research, potentially compressing years of work into mere seconds. He discusses the breakthroughs of AlphaFold, which saves billions of years in protein research. Jaderberg highlights the cutting-edge use of AI analogs to simulate complex lab environments, significantly boosting drug discovery efforts. He envisions a future where AI designs personalized medicine at scale, urging more researchers to embrace this transformative technology and tackle pressing challenges in science and beyond.