Connect with us

TED Talks

To detect diseases earlier, let’s speak bacteria’s secret language | Fatima AlZahra’a Alatraktchi

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 their secret communication into human language. Her work could pave the way for early diagnosis of disease — before we…

Published

on

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 their secret communication into human language. Her work could pave the way for early diagnosis of disease — before we even get sick.

Get TED Talks recommended just for you! Learn more at .

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
26 Comments

26 Comments

  1. Ngoc Pham

    April 20, 2019 at 2:54 am

    It’s amazied talk. Her voice is cleanly and interresting. She is considering and activity.

    • Dominik S

      April 20, 2019 at 9:36 am

      what

  2. Doogy Dog

    April 20, 2019 at 3:07 am

    Because lyme is such a tricky infection to detect, perhaps this could help with earlier diagnosis. LYME must be treated almost immediately after infected, so this could be ground breaking!

  3. Has Hazer

    April 20, 2019 at 3:27 am

    BACTERIA HAS SWORDS

  4. Extreme

    April 20, 2019 at 3:46 am

    Wonderful work

  5. rifattigli23

    April 20, 2019 at 5:06 am

    very good work!

  6. l96ai

    April 20, 2019 at 5:33 am

    That last 6 minutes is heartbreaking!

  7. A. Latiwala

    April 20, 2019 at 5:50 am

    Your monologue though ?

  8. Stephane Dorion

    April 20, 2019 at 6:45 am

    What a good intro…
    Just look at the headdress and you’ll know who’s sick.

  9. El Kudos

    April 20, 2019 at 8:49 am

    About Jews?..

  10. judyslome1

    April 20, 2019 at 9:02 am

    This says that bacteria release signals before they seriously attack, and this women has tests that uncover bacteria’s early signalling before the culture is positive. Her reaction is to treat early with antibiotics. Antibiotics results in microbiome responding with more virulent strains. Perhaps there is an alternative to antibiotics. Maybe intermittent fasting- not eating for 12- 16- 20 ? hours per day, keeps the bacterial microbiome from fighting, or becoming virulent by making them thin out on a daily basis- instead of them reproducing more by making their food constantly available in high amounts. Could this explain why under-eating has always been associated with longevity?

  11. John Farris

    April 20, 2019 at 9:35 am

    SmarterEveryDay last two videos.

  12. Dominik S

    April 20, 2019 at 9:40 am

    Fatima AlZahra’a Alatraktchi… I hate when my cat walks on my keyboard.

  13. Ti Mo

    April 20, 2019 at 9:47 am

    How can you dumb down a topic that much

  14. RechanRechan

    April 20, 2019 at 10:32 am

    This is so cool! Imagine if the devices are used in most hospitals, there would be many lives we could save!

  15. Muslima Hafiz

    April 20, 2019 at 10:45 am

    Truly astonishing! Such a breakthrough to medicine! Fatima, you made a mesmerizing research, which may help a billions of people with bacteria diseases to get a remedy?

  16. Haidy A.

    April 20, 2019 at 10:49 am

    That’s truly astonishing! Ma shaa Allah to you, what a great role model you are ?

  17. hashknight1

    April 20, 2019 at 12:48 pm

    amazing! we need more scientists like her to improve our current medical care. And also more budget towards medical research and not military &weapons development.

  18. FaithLehane

    April 20, 2019 at 12:57 pm

    Not only is the information in the lecture amazing but this is actually one of the best talks ever – easy to understand and remember and something we should all care about.

  19. taha pipino

    April 20, 2019 at 1:37 pm

    9 Things in the US That Puzzle Most Foreigners

  20. Mogul DaMongrel

    April 20, 2019 at 2:24 pm

    Why dont you just create a beneficial bacteria like penicillin that can reside within the human body preventing future diseases… you know like the ancients did before your time. Or is that to much in the way of your employeers big pharma

  21. Last Destroyer

    April 20, 2019 at 2:53 pm

    I can only focus on her not on what she talking ?

  22. Anshu TM

    April 20, 2019 at 3:11 pm

    I am grateful to you.
    Thank you.

  23. mohannad aljabri

    April 20, 2019 at 3:43 pm

    I watched this several months ago somewhere and good that this made it here! Good Job Fatima!

  24. HANS ARMSTARK

    April 20, 2019 at 8:49 pm

    Muslims are not welcome

  25. Alpha Centauri

    April 20, 2019 at 9:15 pm

    Send this tool to India. We need this. Congratulations for this breakthrough!

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

People & Blogs

The Controversial Climate Tool Funding Real Change | Sandeep Roy Choudhury | TED

If a company plants trees to offset its pollution, is that climate progress — or is it greenwashing? Critics of carbon markets say it’s the latter. But Sandeep Roy Choudhury, who’s spent two decades financing climate projects from rural cookstoves to coastal forests, says the real failure is discouraging companies from even trying. Hear his…

Published

on

If a company plants trees to offset its pollution, is that climate progress — or is it greenwashing? Critics of carbon markets say it’s the latter. But Sandeep Roy Choudhury, who’s spent two decades financing climate projects from rural cookstoves to coastal forests, says the real failure is discouraging companies from even trying. Hear his case for why we shouldn’t let perfection block meaningful action on climate change. (Recorded at TED Countdown Summit 2025 on June 17, 2025)

Join us in person at a TED conference:
Become a TED Member to support our mission:
Subscribe to a TED newsletter:

Follow TED!
X:
Instagram:
Facebook:
LinkedIn:
TikTok:

The TED Talks channel features talks, performances and original series from the world’s leading thinkers and doers. Subscribe to our channel for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.

Watch more:

TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy: . For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at

#TED #TEDTalks #Climate

Continue Reading

People & Blogs

How to Be a Great Listener | Maegan Stephens, Nicole Lowenbraun | TED

Have you ever left a meeting thinking: everyone talked, but nothing was achieved? Chances are that people were listening to each other, just not in the same way. Listening experts Maegan Stephens and Nicole Lowenbraun unpack the four different ways to listen, sharing a practical framework that could change how you respond, build trust and…

Published

on

Have you ever left a meeting thinking: everyone talked, but nothing was achieved? Chances are that people were listening to each other, just not in the same way. Listening experts Maegan Stephens and Nicole Lowenbraun unpack the four different ways to listen, sharing a practical framework that could change how you respond, build trust and get results — starting with just one simple question. (Recorded at TED@BCGon October 23, 2025)

Join us in person at a TED conference:
Become a TED Member to support our mission:
Subscribe to a TED newsletter:

Follow TED!
X:
Instagram:
Facebook:
LinkedIn:
TikTok:

The TED Talks channel features talks, performances and original series from the world’s leading thinkers and doers. Subscribe to our channel for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.

Watch more:

TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy: . For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at

#TED #TEDTalks #Communication

Continue Reading

People & Blogs

Have you heard of aphantasia? Here’s what it is — and how to know if you have it #TEDTalks

Picture this: a rocket ship crash-lands on a planet, and an alien approaches the spacecraft. What do you see in your mind when you visualize this scene? For Alex Rosenthal (and many others), the answer is: absolutely nothing. Exploring the fascinating science of aphantasia, or the inability to generate mental images, he shows why our…

Published

on

Picture this: a rocket ship crash-lands on a planet, and an alien approaches the spacecraft. What do you see in your mind when you visualize this scene? For Alex Rosenthal (and many others), the answer is: absolutely nothing. Exploring the fascinating science of aphantasia, or the inability to generate mental images, he shows why our minds are much more different than we think.

Continue Reading

Trending