7 women in science expand our knowledge of the world

This Friday and Saturday, November 30 and December 1, over 150 TEDx events will join the anchor TEDxWomen event in Washington D.C. in a global conversation about the state of women in the world today. Right now, influential and inspiring women are making great strides in the field of science, from the study of tiny microbes to the development of quantum computing. In the spirit of TEDxWomen, we present seven talks from women who are helping to expand our scientific horizons.

Click here for the TEDxWomen livestream, which will be broadcasting from Friday, November 30 at 6:00 pm to Saturday, December 1 at 7:45 pm EST.

Exploit to preserve: Larissa Oliveira at TEDxAmazonia

When Larissa Oliveira arrived in Peru to study a new species of fur seal, she discovered that it was already threatened by the loss of its primary food source due to overfishing and the effects of climate change. She shares her story of taking action to convince governments and communities that the the little-known anchovita fish — and the creatures who depend on it — are worth saving. (Spanish, with English subtitles).

The secret language of flowers: Heather Whitney at TEDxSalford

Flowers are astoundingly manipulative, and need to be if they are to defend themselves against predators, find food and reproduce. Heather Whitney sheds light on the invisible tactics flowers use to exploit their pollinators.

Managing the magic of microbes: Jessica Green, PhD at TEDxPortland

Microscopic organisms permeate our bodies and our buildings. While some of these microbes are detrimental to our health, others keep us alive. Jessica Green believes that we’re designing buildings to keep microbes out — regardless of whether they’re good or bad — and calls for a new breed of “interior groundskeepers.”

Andrea Armani at TEDxUSC

As a young university student, Andrea Armani became fascinated with the technology that scientists utilize to understand our world. Armani shows us the promise of some of the exciting new developments in scientific devices.

Honey bee societies and dance floor democracy: Margaret Couvillion at TEDxHousesofParliament

In recent years, honeybee food sources have been rapidly disappearing due to human development. Margaret Couvillion is part of a group of researchers who study the amazing systems of bee communication and social organization —even voting — to understand how bees find food, shelter and pollinate the crops that we rely on.

Epigenetics and the influence of our genes: Courtney Griffins at TEDxOU

Beyond the study of nature and nurture — epigenetics. At TEDxOU, Courtney Griffins uncovers how two people born with identical DNA and similar upbringings can turn out very different.

Quantam computation: Michelle Simmons at TEDxSydney

The processing power of our current species of computers will soon hit their limit. But quantum computers (built atom-by-atom), could exponentially outclass even today’s most powerful and advanced supercomputers. And, Michelle Simmons explains, potentially change the way we do everything.