Best Sam Scriven Podcasts (2024)

1
Are life-saving medicines hiding in the world's coldest places? | Normand Voyer 11:56

11M ago11:56

11:56

Could the next wonder drug be somewhere in Canada's snowy north? Take a trip to this beautiful, frigid landscape as chemist Normand Voyer explores the mysterious molecular treasures found in plants thriving in the cold. These scarcely investigated organisms could hold immense medical promise, he says – so long as we work quickly enough to discover …

1
What to do when there's a polar bear in your backyard | Alysa McCall 10:33

1y ago10:33

10:33

As Arctic ice melts, polar bears are being forced on land -- and they're hungry. With the apex predators frequently turning to human junkyards for a snack, northern towns have had to get creative in order to keep both their people and wildlife safe. Biologist and conservationist Alysa McCall shares lessons from the field on how to safely navigate c…

1
The fantastically weird world of photosynthetic sea slugs | Michael Middlebrooks 12:41

1y ago12:41

12:41

Meet the fantastically colorful and astonishingly adaptable sea slugs that found a way to photosynthesize (or create energy from sunlight) like plants. Diving deep into these often overlooked creatures, invertebrate zoologist Michael Middlebrooks introduces the solar-powered slugs that lost their shells -- but gained the ability to directly harness…

1
Where does your sense of self come from? A scientific look | Anil Ananthaswamy 12:28

1+ y ago12:28

12:28

Our memories and bodies give us clues about who we are, but what happens when this guidance shifts? In this mind-bending talk, science writer Anil Ananthaswamy shares how the experiences of "altered selves" -- resulting from schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, foreign limb syndrome or other conditions -- shed light on the constructed nature of identity. He…

1
Can we feed ourselves without devouring the planet? | George Monbiot 15:38

1+ y ago15:38

15:38

Farming is the worst thing humanity has ever done to the planet, says journalist George Monbiot. What's more: the global food system could be heading toward collapse. Detailing the technological solutions we need to radically reshape food production -- from lab-grown, protein-rich foods to crops that don't require plowing -- Monbiot shares a future…

1
How to harness the ancient partnership between forests and fungi | Colin Averill 11:59

1+ y ago11:59

11:59

If we want to better understand the environment and combat climate change, we need to look deep underground, where diverse microscopic fungal networks mingle with tree roots to form symbiotic partnerships, says microbiologist Colin Averill. As we learn more about which of these fungi are most beneficial to forest health, we can reintroduce them int…

1
The wheat field that could change the world | Guntur V. Subbarao 10:48

1+ y ago10:48

10:48

Crop physiologist Guntur V. Subbarao and his team have developed an antibiotic-infused strain of wheat that naturally combats harmful, fertilizer-eating bacteria -- a "monster" contributor to climate change. Learn more about how this breakthrough could once again revolutionize agriculture, increasing crop yields and protecting our planet at the sam…

1
A virus-resistant organism -- and what it could mean for the future | Jason W. Chin 11:03

1+ y ago11:03

11:03

What if we could use the power of DNA to create a sustainable, circular economy? In a talk about breakthrough science, synthetic biologist Jason W. Chin describes his team's work rewriting the genetic blueprint of cells to create a virus-resistant organism -- the largest synthetic genome ever made and a first step towards reimagining what life can …

1
How green hydrogen could end the fossil fuel era | Vaitea Cowan 9:11

1+ y ago9:11

9:11

As climate change accelerates, finding clean alternatives to fossil fuels is more urgent than ever. Social entrepreneur Vaitea Cowan believes green hydrogen is the answer. Watch as she shares her team's work mass producing electrolyzers -- devices that separate water into its molecular components: hydrogen and oxygen -- and shows how they could hel…

1
A giant Jurassic sea dragon, unearthed | Dean R. Lomax 14:56

1+ y ago14:56

14:56

Among the dinosaurs, giant sea dragons roamed the ancient ocean. Millions of years later, paleontologist Dean R. Lomax and his team freed the remains of one of these colossal creatures from the Earth. Settle in to learn about the once-in-a-lifetime discovery of the 10-meter-long Rutland ichthyosaur: the largest and most complete ichthyosaur ever un…

1
How we're reverse engineering the human brain in the lab | Sergiu P. Pasca 12:32

1+ y ago12:32

12:32

Neuroscientist Sergiu P. Pasca has made it his life's work to understand how the human brain builds itself -- and what makes it susceptible to disease. In a mind-blowing talk laden with breakthrough science, he shows how his team figured out how to grow "organoids" and what they call brain "assembloids" -- self-organizing clumps of neural tissue de…

1
The future of fashion -- made from mushrooms | Dan Widmaier 10:47

2y ago10:47

10:47

Your closet is likely full of all kinds of materials -- leather, cotton, nylon and polyester, to name a few -- that contribute to fashion's sustainability crisis. Biomaterials investigator Dan Widmaier explains how we could look to nature for sustainable replacements for these much-used materials and introduces a leather alternative made from mushr…

1
The search for the invisible matter that shapes the universe | Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 14:52

2y ago14:52

14:52

The universe that we know, with its luminous stars and orbiting planets, is largely made up of elements we can't actually see -- like dark energy and dark matter -- and therefore don't fully understand. Theoretical physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein takes us inside the search for this cosmos-shaping invisible matter and explains how, with the help …

1
The brain science (and benefits) of ASMR | Craig Richard 11:44

2y ago11:44

11:44

A curious, quiet revolution of sound has taken over the internet. Physiologist Craig Richard explains the soothing brain science of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR), tracking its rise in popularity and why this fascinating phenomenon is so relaxing to millions of people around the world.By Craig Richard

1
Humanity's search for cosmic truth and poetic beauty | Maria Popova 7:15

2y ago7:15

7:15

Linking together the histories of Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Edwin Hubble and Tracy K. Smith, poet and thinker Maria Popova crafts an astonishing story of how humanity came to see the edge of the observable universe. (Followed by an animated excerpt of "My God, It's Full of Stars," by Tracy K. Smith)By Maria Popova

1
How mRNA medicine will change the world | Melissa J. Moore 18:00

2y ago18:00

18:00

The secret behind medicine that uses messenger RNA (or mRNA) is that it "teaches" our bodies how to fight diseases on our own, leading to groundbreaking treatments for COVID-19 and, potentially one day, cancer, the flu and other ailments that have haunted humanity for millennia. RNA researcher Melissa J. Moore -- Moderna's chief scientific officer …

1
We can make COVID-19 the last pandemic | Bill Gates 14:46

2y ago14:46

14:46

Building a pandemic-free future won't be easy, but Bill Gates believes that we have the tools and strategies to make it possible -- now we just have to fund them. In this forward-looking talk, he proposes a multi-specialty Global Epidemic Response and Mobilization (GERM) team that would detect potential outbreaks and stop them from becoming pandemi…

1
5 promising factors propelling climate action | Gabriel Kra 11:26

2y ago11:26

11:26

Given the scale of the challenge, the conversation around climate change is often tinged with doom and gloom. But climate tech investor Gabriel Kra thinks we need to reframe the crisis as a source of tremendous opportunity. He offers five big reasons to be optimistic about climate -- starting with the fact that many of the world's best minds are fo…

1
The deep sea's medicinal secrets | Sam Afoullouss 13:10

2y ago13:10

13:10

Under the sea, untold wonders await in the form of untapped medicinal potential. Chemist Sam Afoullouss dives into the science behind natural remedies, explaining why the ocean's great (and still largely unexplored) biodiversity is ideal for deriving and inspiring future treatments -- if we protect its waters and the marine life within them.…

1
What seaweed and cow burps have to do with climate change | Ermias Kebreab 9:01

2y ago9:01

9:01

Scientists have long known that cows are a huge source of the greenhouse gas methane, contributing up to four percent of emissions globally. But could there be a way to make cattle less -- ahem -- gassy? Animal scientist Ermias Kebreab talks through an ingenious solution to reduce methane-rich cow burps by feeding cattle something growing below the…

1
The incredible cancer-detecting potential of photoacoustic imaging | Lei Li 6:50

2y ago6:50

6:50

Could we use the energy from light and sound to detect disease? TED Fellow Lei Li shares the exciting promise of photoacoustic imaging: an affordable, painless and accurate method of converting light into sound in order to create high-resolution images of what's going on inside our bodies. From early detection of breast cancer to steering medicine-…

1
Could we treat Alzheimer's with light and sound? | Li-Huei Tsai 12:43

2+ y ago12:43

12:43

What if we could use brain waves to treat Alzheimer's? Professor and neuroscientist Li-Huei Tsai details a promising new approach to artificially stimulate gamma brain waves using light and sound therapy, to increase connectivity and synchrony and delay the onset of this deadly disease. This non-invasive therapy has already been shown to work in mi…

1
How biochar removes CO2 from the air -- and helps farmers thrive | Axel Reinaud 11:27

2+ y ago11:27

11:27

Biochar is a kind of charcoal that removes CO2 from the atmosphere, helping yield healthy crops and even producing abundant renewable energy in the form of electricity as it's made. This exciting climate change fighter is ready for scaling now. Entrepreneur Axel Reinaud outlines three ways to make this material more accessible to farmers -- so that…

1
A king cobra bite -- and a scientific discovery | Gowri Shankar 5:53

2+ y ago5:53

5:53

A king cobra has enough venom to kill 10 people in a single bite. Recounting his near-death experience after being bitten by one of these majestic yet deadly snakes, conservationist and TED Fellow Gowri Shankar shares the epiphany he had when the antivenom failed: there's more than one unique species of king cobra.…

1
The science of extreme weather — and how to reduce the harm | Al Roker, Al Gore, David Biello and Latif Nasser 5:51

2+ y ago5:51

5:51

Floods, droughts, heat waves and cold blasts -- why is the weather becoming more extreme? Environmentalist and "America's weatherman" Al Roker discusses the link between climate change and disruptions to weather patterns worldwide, followed by a conversation between Nobel laureate Al Gore and TED science curator David Biello about the science of ex…

1
The problem of vaccine spoilage -- and a smart sensor to help | Nithya Ramanathan 5:52

2+ y ago5:52

5:52

Refrigerators do much more than store your groceries -- they're also vital to preserving and distributing vaccines. Illustrating the realities of (and threats to) global vaccine supply chains, technologist and TED Fellow Nithya Ramanathan describes how smart sensors placed in fridges that store medical supplies can provide crucial, real-time data a…

1
How we could eat real meat without harming animals | Isha Datar 12:40

2+ y ago12:40

12:40

What if you could eat chicken nuggets without harming a chicken? It's possible through "cellular agriculture," says Isha Datar. In a talk about cutting-edge science, she explains how this new means of food production makes it possible to eat meat without the negative consequences of industrial farming -- and how it could fundamentally change our fo…

1
The brain science of obesity | Mads Tang-Christensen 9:49

2+ y ago9:49

9:49

Your belly and your brain speak to each other, says obesity researcher Mads Tang-Christensen. Offering scientific proof that obesity is a disease influenced by genetics and the environment, he introduces a molecule discovered in both the brain and gut that helps control appetite -- and which could be engineered to promote healthy weight loss for th…

1
Planet City -- a sci-fi vision of an astonishing regenerative future | Liam Young 9:52

2+ y ago9:52

9:52

Get transported on a stunningly rendered, sci-fi safari through Planet City: an imaginary metropolis of 10 billion people, from the brain of director and architect Liam Young. Explore the potential outcomes of an urban space designed to house the entire population of the earth -- and imagine answers to what is possible, and what is sustainable, for…

1
A sci-fi vision of life in 2041 | Chen Qiufan 8:02

2+ y ago8:02

8:02

Sci-fi writer Chen Qiufan doesn't fear a dystopian future. Instead, he believes developments in artificial intelligence will make all of our lives better, healthier and safer. He takes us on a tour of the next 20 years of AI and shares some astonishing predictions for the advancements in science and technology that could await us. "For every future…

1
Meet the scientist couple driving an mRNA vaccine revolution | Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci 24:50

2+ y ago24:50

24:50

As COVID-19 spread, BioNTech cofounders Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci had one goal: to make a safe, effective vaccine faster than ever before. In this illuminating conversation with head of TED Chris Anderson, the immunologists (and married couple) share the fascinating story of how their decades of mRNA research powered the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine -…

1
The missing 96 percent of the universe | Claire Malone 12:44

3y ago12:44

12:44

We've misplaced the building blocks of the cosmos -- and particle physicists like Claire Malone are on a mission to find them. Despite scientists hitting a "major snag" in uncovering what exactly makes up dark matter and dark energy, she explains how questioning our fundamental understanding of nature itself invites a different, more meaningful per…

1
The death of the universe -- and what it means for life | Katie Mack 6:24

3y ago6:24

6:24

The universe started with a bang -- but how will it end? With astonishing visuals, cosmologist and TED Fellow Katie Mack takes us to the theoretical end of everything, some trillions of years in the future, in a profound meditation on existence, wonder and the legacy of humanity within the immensity of time and space.…

1
The search for microscopic aliens | Sarah Rugheimer 5:38

3y ago5:38

5:38

Astrophysicist and TED Fellow Sarah Rugheimer searches for aliens -- but not the cartoony green kind. She's looking for extraterrestrial microbes by studying how these single-celled organisms emit gases, which could reveal evidence of them throughout the cosmos. Wondering if we're really alone in the universe, Rugheimer identifies two big hurdles t…

1
How COVID-19 transformed the future of medicine | Daniel Kraft 14:52

3y ago14:52

14:52

The pandemic forced the world to work together like never before and, with unprecedented speed, bore a new age of health and medical innovation. Physician-scientist Daniel Kraft explains how breakthroughs and advancements like AI-infused antiviral discoveries and laboratory-level diagnostic tools accessible via smartphones are paving the way for a …

1
How your memory works -- and why forgetting is totally OK | Lisa Genova 22:25

3y ago22:25

22:25

Have you ever misplaced something you were just holding? Completely blanked on a famous actor's name? Walked into a room and immediately forgot why? Neuroscientist Lisa Genova digs into two types of memory failures we regularly experience -- and reassures us that forgetting is totally normal. Stay tuned for a conversation with TED science curator D…

1
The electrical blueprints that orchestrate life | Michael Levin 19:36

3y ago19:36

19:36

DNA isn't the only builder in the biological world -- there's also a mysterious bioelectric layer directing cells to work together to grow organs, systems and bodies, says biologist Michael Levin. Sharing unforgettable and groundbreaking footage of two-headed worms, he introduces us to xenobots -- the world's first living robots, created in his lab…

1
The hidden history found in your teeth | Carolyn Freiwald 10:49

3y ago10:49

10:49

Your teeth carry secrets: centuries of history about your ancestors, from where they lived to what they ate and where they traveled. Bioarchaeologist Carolyn Freiwald traces the story of human migration across the Americas -- from Mayan royalty and Belizean buccaneers to rural Appalachian farmers -- to illustrate what ancient teeth can reveal about…

1
The promise of quantum computers | Matt Langione 12:09

3y ago12:09

12:09

What if tiny microparticles could help us solve the world's biggest problems in a matter of minutes? That's the promise -- and magic -- of quantum computers, says Matt Langione. Speaking next to an actual IBM quantum computer, he explains how these machines solve complex challenges like developing vaccines and calculating financial risk in an entir…

1
A stellar history of modern astronomy | Emily Levesque 15:20

3+ y ago15:20

15:20

Astronomers once gazed upon the night sky and counted every star in the galaxy by hand. The process has evolved since then, but the thirst for celestial knowledge remains the same. Join astrophysicist Emily Levesque for an anecdote-rich jaunt through the technological history of photographing the cosmos and learn about the one constant that makes i…

1
How COVID-19 human challenge trials work -- and why I volunteered | Sophie Rose 6:34

3+ y ago6:34

6:34

In April 2020, epidemiologist-in-training Sophie Rose volunteered to be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. As a young, healthy adult, she's offering to take part in a human challenge trial, a study where participants are intentionally exposed to SARS-CoV-2 to test vaccines and gather critical data. Explaining how challenge trials could s…

1
Could we treat spinal cord injuries with asparagus? | Andrew Pelling 7:27

3+ y ago7:27

7:27

Take a mind-blowing trip to the lab as TED Senior Fellow Andrew Pelling shares his research on how we could use fruits, vegetables and plants to regenerate damaged human tissues -- and develop a potentially groundbreaking way to repair complex spinal cord injuries with asparagus.By Andrew Pelling

1
The power of venom -- and how it could one day save your life | Mandë Holford 9:16

3+ y ago9:16

9:16

Venom can kill ... or it can cure. In this fascinating talk, marine chemical biologist Mandë Holford shares her research into animal venom, from killer sea snails to platypuses and slow lorises -- and explores its potential to one day treat human diseases like cancer. The mechanism behind this powerful substance is still mysterious, Holford says, b…

1
A concrete idea to reduce carbon emissions | Karen Scrivener 4:26

3+ y ago4:26

4:26

Concrete is the second most-used substance on Earth (behind water), and it's responsible for eight percent of the world's carbon footprint. Cement researcher Karen Scrivener shares the research behind a pioneering new kind of cement known as LC3, which could slash carbon emissions from this crucial building material by 40 percent, if adopted at sca…

1
How animals and plants are evolving in cities | Menno Schilthuizen 12:07

3+ y ago12:07

12:07

In cities, evolution occurs constantly, as countless plants, animals and insects adapt to human-made habitats in spectacular ways. Evolutionary biologist Menno Schilthuizen calls on peculiar beings such as fast food-loving mice and self-cooling snails to illustrate the ever-transforming wonders of urban wildlife -- and explains how you can observe …

1
Can light stop the coronavirus? | David Brenner 30:15

4y ago30:15

30:15

Far-UVC light is a type of ultraviolet light that kills microbes and viruses and, crucially, seems to be safe to use around humans. Radiation scientist David Brenner describes how we could use this light to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, in hospitals, nursing homes, trains and other public indoor spaces -- paving…

1
The case to infect volunteers with COVID-19 to accelerate vaccine testing | Nir Eyal 18:34

4y ago18:34

18:34

Conventional vaccine testing is a slow, years-long process. As thousands of people continue to die each day from COVID-19, bioethicist Nir Eyal proposes a radical idea that could dramatically accelerate the vaccine development timeline: "human challenge trials," in which scientists would deliberately expose volunteers to the virus to more quickly d…

1
The new science of personalized vaccines | Ofer Levy 11:44

4y ago11:44

11:44

At the intersection of precision medicine and vaccinology lies a revolutionary scientific pursuit: personalized vaccines. Infectious disease specialist Ofer Levy introduces this promising medical approach, in which tailored inoculations will enable effective immunization of the most vulnerable among us, including the young and elderly, and shares h…

1
Let's make the world wild again | Kristine Tompkins 16:22

4y ago16:22

16:22

Earth, humanity and nature are inextricably interconnected. To restore us all back to health, we need to "rewild" the world, says environmental activist Kristine Tompkins. Tracing her life from Patagonia CEO to passionate conservationist, she shares how she has helped to establish national parks across millions of acres of land (and sea) in South A…

1
An ER doctor on triaging your "crazy busy" life | Darria Long 11:43

4y ago11:43

11:43

How do doctors in the emergency room stay calm and focused amidst the chaos? Drawing on years of experience, ER doctor Darria Long shares a straightforward framework to help you take back control and feel less overwhelmed when life starts to get "crazy busy."By Darria Long

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Sam Scriven Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

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