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TED Talks Daily

Are life-saving medicines hiding in the world's coldest places? | Normand Voyer

TED Talks Daily

TED

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4.1 β€’ 11.9K Ratings

πŸ—“οΈ 25 May 2023

⏱️ 13 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Could the next wonder drug be somewhere in Canada's snowy north? Take a trip to this beautiful, frigid landscape as chemist Normand Voyer explores the mysterious molecular treasures found in plants thriving in the cold. These scarcely investigated organisms could hold immense medical promise, he says – so long as we work quickly enough to discover them.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Ted Audio Collective

0:10.8

I'm Elise Hugh, you're listening to Ted Talks daily.

0:13.9

What if cures to future pandemics or rare diseases exist in nature, but they're trapped

0:19.4

in the great white snowy north?

0:22.2

Chemist Norma Envoye specializes in organisms that thrive in the harsh, freezing cold.

0:28.8

This 2023 talk from Ted at Destination Canada introduces us to the promising possibilities

0:35.1

of northern ecosystems, and why it's quick warming is so worrying after a break.

0:45.8

On January 6th, I recorded the secret communications of the Oathkeepers.

0:51.2

We have a good group, we got about 30, 40 of us are sticking together and sticking

0:55.1

to the plan.

0:56.1

Two years later, this audio is a key piece of evidence in a criminal trial sending

1:01.2

a militia leader to prison.

1:03.2

In this week's On the Media, I explore what happens when a journalist is forced to testify

1:08.4

in court.

1:09.4

To listen, subscribe to On the Media, wherever you get your podcasts.

1:14.2

As a nutroenter, the chemists have always been inspired by those wonderful chemical

1:19.8

substances we found in nature.

1:23.0

Initially, the chemicals that are made by living organisms from cold environments.

1:29.5

And today, I want to bring you along my incredible journey into discovering the molecular treasure

1:36.7

hiding in plants and other organisms thriving in the cold.

1:42.5

Okay, now I know what you might be thinking.

1:47.4

Norma, this just isn't for me.

...

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