TED Talks
Siddhartha Mukherjee: Soon we'll cure diseases with a cell, not a pill
Current medical treatment boils down to six words: Have disease, take pill, kill something. But physician Siddhartha Mukherjee points to a future of medicine that will transform the way we heal.
TED Talks
TED: Meet the microscopic life in your home -- and on your face | Anne Madden
Behold the microscopic jungle in and around you: tiny organisms living on your cheeks, under your sofa and in the soil in your backyard. We have an adversarial relationship with these microbes -- we sanitize, exterminate and disinfect...
SciShow
The Secret Ingredient in Ruminant Spit
Every day, humans literally flush a valuable resource down the toilet: nitrogen. But there are some animals that have figured out a way to recycle the extra nitrogen in their bodies by moving it not to their livers, but to their mouths!
SciShow
5 Mysteries Science Created... and Then Solved
Asking questions almost always leads to finding answers, but those answers will often pose even more questions. Here are five mysteries started and later solved by science.
SciShow
7 Organisms That Can Clean Toxic Waste
Toxic waste, by definition, is harmful to living things, but there are actually a bunch of plants, animals, fungi, and microbes that can help us clean it up! Chapters OYSTER MUSHROOMS 0:49 SUNFLOWERS 3:06 3 BIVALVES 5:11 BONFIRE MOSS...
TED Talks
Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi: To detect diseases earlier, let's speak bacteria's secret language
Bacteria "talk" to each other, sending chemical information to coordinate attacks. What if we could listen to what they were saying? Nanophysicist Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi invented a tool to spy on bacterial chatter and translate...
SciShow
Bacteria and Viruses Are Raining Down on Us All the Time
While you probably aren’t going to get sick from just being outside in all this microbe rain, pathogenic organisms ARE raining down on us all the time, everywhere!
TED Talks
Karen Lloyd: The mysterious microbes living deep inside the earth -- and how they could help humanity
The ground beneath your feet is home to a massive, mysterious world of microbes -- some of which have been in the earth's crust for hundreds of thousands of years. What's it like down there? Take a trip to the volcanoes and hot springs...
TED-Ed
What causes dandruff, and how do you get rid of it? | Thomas L. Dawson
On top of our heads, there is a type of yeast that lives and dines on all of our scalps. Feasting constantly, it's in paradise. And in about half of the human population, its activity causes dandruff. So, why do some people have more...
TED Talks
TED: Why healthy soil matters now more than ever | Jane Zelikova
From nourishing our foods to storing massive amounts of carbon, soil is teeming with diverse microbial life that could slow global warming. Climate change scientist Jane Zelikova calls for agricultural practices that protect Earth's soil...
TED Talks
TED: The fingerprints of life beyond Earth | Clara Sousa-Silva
Is there life on Venus? Quantum astrochemist Clara Sousa-Silva makes the case for a new way to seek and possibly discover habitable planets -- and shares her research into a poisonous, smelly molecule that might signal life beyond Earth.
SciShow
Why Is This Island Disappearing?
Hoboro Island off the coast of Japan may soon be an island of the past, and it’s primarily due to one unsuspecting isopod.
SciShow
Why do we Have Earwax?
No Judging: At one point you've probably put a finger in your ear and dug out some rather unsightly ear wax, but why does your body produce this yellowy substance in the first place?
SciShow
These 100-Million-Year-Old Microbes Are Still Alive!
Researchers have found ancient communities of microbes that have been buried deep, for a hundred million years! This discovery might be the oldest living thing on Earth, and could even expand the search for life on other planets.
TED-Ed
What causes cavities? - Mel Rosenberg
When a team of archeologists recently came across some 15,000-year-old human remains, they made an interesting discovery: the teeth of those ancient humans were riddled with holes. So what causes cavities, and how can we avoid them? Mel...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: You are your microbes - Jessica Green and Karen Guillemin
From the microbes in our stomachs to the ones on our teeth, we are homes to millions of unique and diverse communities which help our bodies function. Jessica Green and Karen Guillemin emphasize the importance of understanding the many...
SciShow
Using Microbes to Mine Mars: The Future of Biomining
Humans have been using microbes to separate minerals from mud since the middle of the last century, so we know biomining works on earth. But how will these tiny miners work in microgravity?
SciShow
Your Microbiome and Your Brain
We've talked about the trillions of microbes inside you before, but we're learning that these little creatures may have more influence than you thought!
SciShow
Can We Keep Neurons Active…with Algae?
Cyanobacteria and other microbes produce a lot of oxygen. What if we could use that oxygen to power our brains?
SciShow
We May Have Solved Our Burping Cows Problem
When a bunch of cows burp they can exhale a lot of methane that affects the global warming problem. Researchers are working on finding solutions for it.
SciShow
6 Microbes Saving the Environment
Ever since humans found out about germs, we’ve gone a bit overboard inventing antibacterial soap and antibiotics and antifungals. But despite our aversion to them, microbes aren’t all bad, and some of them could even help us save the...
SciShow
Does Drinking Alcohol Kill Your Gut Bacteria?
Alcohols are used to disinfect things all the time, which makes drinking them sound bad for the helpful critters in your gut. But, turns out, drinking in moderation could actually be good for your microbiome.
Be Smart
The Most Extreme Life Forms On Earth.... And Beyond?
What have we learned from exploring Earth's harshest locations? That pretty everywhere we look for life, we find it. From smoking hot hydrothermal vents to icy deserts, up in clouds and inside rocks, extremophiles have found a way to...