Ideas change everything

Can we domesticate germs?

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Paul Ewald |

TED2007

• March 2007

Evolutionary biologist Paul Ewald drags us into the sewer to discuss germs. Why are some more harmful than others? How could we make the harmful ones benign? Searching for answers, he examines a disgusting, fascinating case: diarrhea.

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Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Evolutionary biologist Paul Ewald drags us into the sewer to discuss germs. Why are some more harmful than others? How could we make the harmful ones benign? Searching for answers, he examines a disgusting, fascinating case: diarrhea.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

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About the speaker

Evolutionary biologist

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After years of studying illness from the germs' point of view, microbiologist Paul Ewald believes that Big Pharma is wrong about some very big issues. What's right? The leader in evolutionary medicine posits radical new approaches.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.