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The next software revolution: programming biological cells | Sara-Jane Dunn

Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized Talk recommendations and more. The cells in your body are like computer software: they’re “programmed” to carry out specific functions at specific times. If we can better understand this process, we could unlock the ability to reprogram cells ourselves, says computational biologist Sara-Jane…

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Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized Talk recommendations and more.

The cells in your body are like computer software: they’re “programmed” to carry out specific functions at specific times. If we can better understand this process, we could unlock the ability to reprogram cells ourselves, says computational biologist Sara-Jane Dunn. In a talk from the cutting-edge of science, she explains how her team is studying embryonic stem cells to gain a new understanding of the biological programs that power life — and develop “living software” that could transform medicine, agriculture and energy.

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25 Comments

25 Comments

  1. Oracle of Dephi

    November 28, 2019 at 9:05 pm

    Endure and educe ur own naive state

  2. Oracle of Dephi

    November 28, 2019 at 9:06 pm

    Prob urself or LET US show you

  3. Steven Ray

    November 29, 2019 at 2:50 am

    Take your time. Get it right and never save a baby boomer plz!

  4. Jaydeep Vipradas

    November 29, 2019 at 5:53 am

    Insight : Biology is like kids, you have to dominate it carefully with care, nurture it, guide it without being harsh. Plus, you and your intentions have to be very pure, like parents approach towards kids. Then only Biology will work in your favour, otherwise adversely. Domination should be enchanting, not brutal. Also, Biology works as a team, this should be considered too. One literally has to use emotions to program Biology.
    Edit: scope of Biology could be beyond cell level to global level, like a global consciousness or emergence. This is because of millions of years of evolution and connections at quantum level. This needs to be considered too. As of now it behaves like grumpy kid locally.

  5. Petko Ditchev

    November 29, 2019 at 1:10 pm

    This is how women in science get recognition. By being amazing at their job and presentation. Not through SJW bullshit.

  6. Andrew Liljenquist

    November 30, 2019 at 1:42 am

    👍🏻

  7. Gringohuevon

    November 30, 2019 at 1:44 am

    yellow trousers

  8. Feel English

    November 30, 2019 at 5:12 am

    She did not even mentioned the name of tool? and is that tool is open source?

  9. HL Muench

    November 30, 2019 at 7:09 am

    I’m already writing the bio ransomware. What’s your MAC?

  10. Tarzan

    November 30, 2019 at 8:35 am

    If you have a belly, you shouldn’t put yellow trousers over it. Common sense is not that common?…I’m scared of her programming anything.

  11. Ethernos Grace

    November 30, 2019 at 12:52 pm

    Give me photosynthesis gene my cell can activate it and my cell can assimilate any gene as my own specially plant genes. I don’t want the poisonous one.

  12. Panisch dabei

    November 30, 2019 at 5:26 pm

    Now that is really cool.

  13. GodisAwesome Asalways

    November 30, 2019 at 10:48 pm

    She’s naming all these positive things when in all reality it’s all lies because they will never use this for the good of the people. They want population control and this would literally put it right in their hands. The crap they spray in the air is already changing our DNA wait till 5G rolls out completely that’s going to mutate our DNA not to mention all the other harmful crap it does. Don’t get me started on their vaccines. God programmed me just fine and my DNA is what it’s meant to be

  14. Mike Heffernan

    December 1, 2019 at 2:36 am

    Fantastic! Bring it on!

  15. enoch king

    December 1, 2019 at 10:06 am

    I am a software engineer by profession such project will lead to the degradation of human and make us vulnerable to man 👨

  16. darren dwyer

    December 1, 2019 at 2:18 pm

    I like to think of the genome, or dna, as a long ribbon, with codes along the ribbon being utilized from birth (start of genome, start of code) to death (end of genome, end of code)…. 2,500,000,000 genes is approximately 1 gene being executed each second.

  17. darren dwyer

    December 1, 2019 at 2:24 pm

    love the term ‘wetware’…… I am a software developer, I loved this ted talk.

  18. Learnin2

    December 1, 2019 at 4:04 pm

    …or how to loose our humanity. Too much is too much.

  19. xyz4469

    December 1, 2019 at 5:21 pm

    Too much IFs and WHENs for experimenting with embryonal stemcells. No real knowledge here. Leave those embryos alone.

  20. Martin Piggins

    December 1, 2019 at 5:39 pm

    A beautiful aspiration that will unfortunately be disfigured by profits and greed and technological suppression………..prove me wrong?

  21. Dadson worldwide

    December 1, 2019 at 8:56 pm

    Its amazing that every cell in you is replaced and only your conscious stays the same.
    This could be that through water somehow it transfers the information or might actually be on the quantum level.

  22. STEMSWIM

    December 1, 2019 at 11:40 pm

    Nice pants speaker

  23. Victor Thurse

    December 2, 2019 at 9:21 am

    Sara-Jane, are low income people going to have access to life extending technologies?

  24. Daniel Parsons

    December 2, 2019 at 12:15 pm

    I’m not sure if the world is ready for yellow trousers.

  25. Abhishek Origami

    December 2, 2019 at 3:50 pm

    You know I am waiting for biological evolution from 2010. It has been 9 years now but no groundbreaking evolution in biology 😣😥😢.

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In a quick talk, he shares three major updates of recent human progress on eradicating ancient diseases, establishing massive new ocean sanctuaries and transforming children’s rights. (This conversation was recorded on December 2, 2024.)

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