What the sugar coating on your cells is trying to tell you | Carolyn Bertozzi
Your cells are coated with sugars that store information and speak a secret language. What are they trying to tell us? Your blood type, for one -- and, potentially, that you have cancer. Chemical biologist Carolyn Bertozzi researches how sugars on cancerous cells interact with (and sometimes trick) your immune system. Learn more about how your body detects cancer and how the latest cancer-fighting medicines could help your immune system beat the disease. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
24 Aug 201711min
What would happen if we upload our brains to computers | Robin Hanson
Meet the "ems" -- machines that emulate human brains and can think, feel and work just like the brains they're copied from. Economist and social scientist Robin Hanson describes a possible future when ems take over the global economy, running on superfast computers and copying themselves to multitask, leaving humans with only one choice: to retire, forever. Glimpse a strange future as Hanson describes what could happen if robots ruled the earth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
24 Aug 201712min
A lyrical bridge between past, present and future | David Whyte
With his signature charm and searching insight, David Whyte meditates on the frontiers of the past, present and future, sharing two poems inspired by his niece's hike along El Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
23 Aug 201720min
What moral decisions should driverless cars make? | Iyad Rahwan
Should a driverless car kill you if it means saving five pedestrians? In this primer on the social dilemmas of driverless cars, Iyad Rahwan explores how the technology will challenge our morality and explains his work collecting data from real people on the ethical trade-offs we're willing (and not willing) to make. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
22 Aug 201713min
The era of blind faith in big data must end | Cathy O'Neil
Algorithms decide who gets a loan, who gets a job interview, who gets insurance and much more -- but they don't automatically make things fair, and they're often far from scientific. Mathematician and data scientist Cathy O'Neil coined a term for algorithms that are secret, important and harmful: "weapons of math destruction." Learn more about the hidden agendas behind these supposedly objective formulas and why we need to start building better ones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
22 Aug 201713min
How I found myself through music | Anika Paulson
"Music is everywhere, and it is in everything," says musician, student and TED-Ed Clubs star Anika Paulson. Guitar in hand, she plays through the beats of her life in an exploration of how music connects us and makes us what we are. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
21 Aug 20179min
The secret to living longer may be your social life | Susan Pinker
The Italian island of Sardinia has more than six times as many centenarians as the mainland and ten times as many as North America. Why? According to longevity researcher Susan Pinker, it's not a sunny disposition or a low-fat, gluten-free diet that keeps the islanders alive so long -- it's their emphasis on close personal relationships and face-to-face interactions. Learn more about super longevity as Pinker explains what it takes to live to 100 and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
18 Aug 201716min
A practical way to help the homeless find work and safety | Richard J. Berry
When Richard J. Berry, the mayor of Albuquerque, saw a man on a street corner holding a cardboard sign that read "Want a job," he decided to take him (and others in his situation) up on it. He and his staff started a citywide initiative to help the homeless by giving them day jobs and a place to sleep -- and the results were incredible. Find out how your city can replicate Albuquerque's model with this frank and optimistic talk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
17 Aug 201712min
