Ideas change everything

David Biello

David Biello

TED science curator, author

David Biello is TED's science curator and the author of "The Unnatural World: The Race to Remake Civilization in Earth's Newest Age."

Why you should listen

A contributing editor at Scientific American, David Biello has written about all things science, from geoengineering and geology to synthetic biology and the sixth extinction.

David Biello’s TED Talks

David Biello
How long will human impacts last?
5 minutes 11 seconds
Imagine aliens land on Earth a million years from now. What will these curious searchers find of us? They will find what geologists, scientists, and other experts are increasingly calling the Anthropocene, or new age of mankind. David Biello explains how the impacts that humans have made have become so pervasive, profound, and permanent that some geologists believe we merit our own epoch. [Directed by Margaret To, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Stephen LaRosa].
Posted Jun 2024
Victor Vescovo, David Biello
What's at the bottom of the ocean -- and how we're getting there
7 minutes 41 seconds
Victor Vescovo is leading the first-ever manned expedition to the deepest point of each of the world's five oceans. In conversation with TED science curator David Biello, Vescovo discusses the technology that's powering the explorations -- a titanium submersible designed to withstand extraordinary conditions -- and shows footage of a never-before-seen creature taken during his journey to the bottom of the Indian Ocean.
Posted Aug 2019
David Biello
How the compass unlocked the world
3 minutes 6 seconds
"Everything that we think of as world history would not have taken place without the compass." TED science curator David Biello explains how the device changed our relationship to the world.
Posted Feb 2020
Sonia Shah, David Biello, Whitney Pennington Rodgers
How to make pandemics optional, not inevitable
43 minutes 36 seconds
What can past pandemics teach us how to tackle the current one? Tracing the history of contagions from cholera to Ebola and beyond, science journalist Sonia Shah explains why we're more vulnerable to outbreaks now than ever before, what we can do to minimize the spread of coronavirus and how to prevent future pandemics. (This virtual conversation is part of the TED Connects series, hosted by science curator David Biello and current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers. Recorded March 31, 2020)
Posted Apr 2020
Uri Alon, Chris Anderson, David Biello
A COVID-19 "exit" strategy to end lockdown and reopen the economy
15 minutes 40 seconds
How can we return to work without spurring a second surge of coronavirus infection? Biologist Uri Alon shares a thought-provoking strategy: four days at work followed by 10 days of lockdown, a cycle that would exploit a weakness in the virus's biology and potentially cut its reproductive rate to a manageable level. Learn more about this approach -- which has already been adopted by both companies and countries -- and how it could be a key to reopening the economy responsibly. (This virtual conversation, hosted by head of TED Chris Anderson and science curator David Biello, was recorded on May 20, 2020.)
Posted May 2020
Georges C. Benjamin, David Biello, Chris Anderson
The secret weapon against pandemics
32 minutes 32 seconds
The coronavirus pandemic won't be the last crisis to test public health systems worldwide, says physician and health policy leader Georges C. Benjamin. He details what's needed to lead us out of the pandemic and prevent future ones -- including a robust governmental health entity equipped with updated technology and well-trained staff -- and explains how citizens, businesses and political leaders can do their part to put public health first. (This virtual conversation, hosted by science curator David Biello and head of TED Chris Anderson, was recorded on May 20, 2020.)
Posted May 2020
Audrey Tang, David Biello, Whitney Pennington Rodgers
How digital innovation can fight pandemics and strengthen democracy
48 minutes 55 seconds
Can technology create a democracy that's fast, fair ... and even fun? Digital minister Audrey Tang shares how Taiwan avoided a COVID-19 shutdown in early 2020 through innovations like developing apps to map mask availability, crowdsourcing ideas that could become laws and creating a "humor over rumor" campaign to combat disinformation with comedy. (This virtual conversation, hosted by TED science curator David Biello and current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers, was recorded June 1, 2020.)
Posted Jun 2020
Nir Eyal, Chris Anderson, David Biello
The case to infect volunteers with COVID-19 to accelerate vaccine testing
18 minutes 24 seconds
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 determine a vaccine's efficacy. (This virtual conversation, hosted by head of TED Chris Anderson, was recorded June 15, 2020.)
Posted Jun 2020
Jerome Kim, David Biello, Chris Anderson
The trials, tribulations and timeline of a COVID-19 vaccine
23 minutes 22 seconds
Developing a vaccine usually takes five to 10 years, costs about a billion dollars and has a failure rate of 93 percent. Under the pressure of the coronavirus pandemic, scientists are being asked to speed that timeline up to 12 to 18 months, says Jerome Kim, director general of the International Vaccine Institute. How are things going? Kim updates us on the varied field of vaccine candidates and discusses the challenges of making sure the one that works gets distributed to the whole world. (This virtual conversation, hosted by head of TED David Biello, was recorded June 15, 2020.)
Posted Jun 2020
David Brenner, David Biello
Can light stop the coronavirus?
30 minutes 5 seconds
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 the way for a potentially game-changing tool in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. (This virtual conversation, hosted by TED science curator David Biello, was recorded July 7, 2020.)
Posted Jul 2020
Lisa Genova, David Biello
How your memory works -- and why forgetting is totally OK
22 minutes 16 seconds
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 David Biello, where Genova describes the difference between common moments of forgetting and possible signs of Alzheimer's, debunks a widespread myth about brain capacity and shares what you can do to keep your brain healthy and your memory sharp. (This virtual conversation was part of an exclusive TED Membership event. Visit ted.com/membership to become a TED Member.)
Posted Apr 2021
Emma Marris, David Biello
Are wild animals really "wild"?
13 minutes 54 seconds
Human activity is affecting the planet in dramatic, unsustainable ways -- including destroying the habitats of wild animals. Considering our obligation to care for the creatures we've impacted, environmental writer Emma Marris dives into the ethics of wildlife management, zoos and aquariums, offering her thoughts on how we can help Earth's wildlife flourish. (This conversation, hosted by TED science curator David Biello, was part of a TED Membership event. Visit ted.com/membership to become a TED Member.)
Posted Jul 2021
David Biello, Elise Hu
The 55 gigaton challenge
5 minutes 47 seconds
This is the climate challenge we face: we need to go from putting 55 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases into the air each year to zero. And it all needs to happen by 2050 at the latest. How can we get there? This quick animated video explains. (Written by David Biello and voiced by Elise Hu)
Posted Oct 2021
Anil Seth, David Biello
How your brain invents your "self"
23 minutes 10 seconds
Who are you, really? Neuroscientist Anil Seth lays out his fascinating new theory of consciousness and self, centered on the notion that we "predict" the world into existence. From sleep to memory and everything in between, Seth explores the reality we experience in our brains -- versus the world as it objectively might be. (This talk and conversation, hosted by TED science curator David Biello, was part of a TED Membership event. Visit ted.com/membership to become a TED Member.)
Posted Nov 2021
Latif Nasser, Al Roker, David Biello, Al Gore
The science of extreme weather — and how to reduce the harm
5 minutes 59 seconds
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 extreme weather and emerging solutions to reduce the risk of these events. (This segment, introduced by radio researcher Latif Nasser, was part of TED's Countdown Global Livestream on October 30, 2021.)
Posted Nov 2021
Lucy Cooke, David Biello
What can animals teach us about sex and gender?
52 minutes 52 seconds
What if we stopped seeing females (of every species) as passive and instead welcomed the extraordinary diversity of sexuality? Through tales of same-sex bird couples, sexually transformative fish and unexpectedly promiscuous chimps, zoologist Lucy Cooke invites us to embrace the "genderless continuum" of females in nature, ditching archaic sexual stereotypes and offering a path to better understanding our natural world -- and each other. (This conversation, hosted by TED science curator David Biello, was part of an exclusive TED Membership event. Visit ted.com/membership to become a TED Member.)
Posted Feb 2023
David Biello
The strangest summer in recorded history
5 minutes 32 seconds
In 1815, Mount Tambora erupted and its emissions spread across the globe, blotting out the sun for almost an entire year. This wreaked havoc on agriculture, leading to famines all across the Northern hemisphere. It was the year without summer— one of the darkest periods in human history. So why are some modern researchers considering repeating it? David Biello digs into geoengineering. [Directed by Léon Moh-Cah, Andi Concha, Na Na Na Studio, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Stephen LaRosa].
Posted May 2023
Ryan Panchadsaram, Anjali Grover, David Biello
An updated action plan for solving the climate crisis — and a look at progress to date
12 minutes 2 seconds
When it comes to climate, what are we doing right and where should we focus our efforts next? Systems innovator Ryan Panchadsaram and strategist Anjali Grover talk with TED science curator David Biello about the latest on the world's progress toward solving the climate crisis — and why there's more reason for optimism than you might think. Using strategic goal-setting tools that have transformed countless organizations, Panchadsaram and Grover explore the urgent actions needed to steer the planet toward a sustainable future and the pivotal roles of innovation, investment and policy. "The climate story isn't yet written," Grover says.
Posted Apr 2024
David Biello
Is this the most valuable thing in the ocean?
5 minutes 16 seconds
Whales frequently surface to take in air and let out massive plumes of waste. And while this slurry might seem disgusting, whale poop is much more desirable than it may seem. In fact, it may be one of the most important substances in the ocean — and the world. So, what makes whale poop so vital to our ecosystems? David Biello shares the surprising benefits of whale excrement. [Directed by Joseph Clark, Oh Studio, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Jarrett Farkas].
Posted Aug 2024

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