Why building new proteins from scratch is our new superpower | David Baker

TED Talks Daily

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4.1 • 11.9K Ratings

🗓️ 25 July 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The rapidly evolving field of protein design is revealing solutions to some of the world’s greatest problems, whether it's blocking a virus, breaking down a pollutant or creating brand-new materials. In conversation with TED’s Whitney Pennington Rodgers, biochemist David Baker explores his team’s Nobel Prize-winning work using AI to design new proteins with functions never before seen in nature — achieving breakthroughs that have fundamentally changed the future of science. (This conversation was part of an exclusive TED Membership event. TED Membership is the best way to support and engage with the big ideas you love from TED. To learn more, visit ted.com/membership.)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity
0:11.2	every day. I'm your host, Elise Hugh. Could the scientific study of proteins and protein design
0:17.1	save the world? For computational biologist David Baker, the answer is yes. His belief in this
0:24.7	led to his popular 2019 TED Talk receiving funding from Ted's audacious project and a Nobel Prize.
0:32.1	He sat down with TED curator Whitney Pennington Rogers for a recent TED membership event to dig into
0:37.0	how much the science
0:38.0	of protein design has progressed in the last six years. The surprising problems his team is
0:42.8	able to solve for and why he continues to believe wholeheartedly that designing new proteins
0:47.8	can save the world. You never know where the journey will take you.
0:57.5	One Tinder match.
0:59.5	And not only have I met someone new,
1:02.2	but we've discovered a sick Italian restaurant together.
1:06.3	And it turns out, football is now our thing.
1:09.8	Didn't see that one coming?
1:12.9	Discover unexpected possibilities with Tinder.
1:16.5	Whatever it takes you.
1:17.8	It starts with a swipe.
1:19.8	Tinder.
1:20.8	Download the app today.
1:38.8	This episode is sponsored by Ancient and Brave, the wellness brand blending ancient wisdom with modern science to create a toolkit of collagen blends and supplements that support whole body health.
1:40.1	Here's something fascinating.
1:48.0	Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body, supporting everything from joints and muscles to the strength of your hair and nails. But your body naturally produces less of it as you age.
	...

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