Ideas change everything

The mind-body problem of scientific discovery

10,673 plays|

Natalie Gunn |

TED@IBM

• December 2017

Natalie Gunn makes a case for thinking of our minds and bodies as a continuum rather than a duality. She's especially intrigued by how this continuum may relate to cancer and whether our mindset impacts the disease. Natalie argues that we have to take the question seriously: "We need to investigate how a disease of the body could be impacted by our mind." She explores where the body ends and the mind begins, and investigates where the two connect.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Natalie Gunn makes a case for thinking of our minds and bodies as a continuum rather than a duality. She's especially intrigued by how this continuum may relate to cancer and whether our mindset impacts the disease. Natalie argues that we have to take the question seriously: "We need to investigate how a disease of the body could be impacted by our mind." She explores where the body ends and the mind begins, and investigates where the two connect.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

About the speaker

Natalie Gunn

Biological architect

Natalie obtained her postgraduate degree in structural biology and now focuses her research in the world of AI and technology. In her studies, she investigated the structure and function of a protein important in cancer. She has brought her biological background to IBM Research, where she and her team develop innovative machine learning applications to solve the top challenges in healthcare. Natalie is passionate about translating the work she does to improve the lives of people all around the world.

About TED Institute

Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.

Read more about the TED Institute