The weirdness of water could be the answer | Marcia Barbosa | TEDxCERN

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Published 2014-10-23

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Just because water covers 70% of the earth’s surface and composes the majority of our bodies doesn’t mean we know everything about it. Marcia Barbosa talks about the many anomalies of water and how exploiting them with nano-tubes could help address the problem of freshwater shortages.

Marcia Barbosa has a PhD in physics from Brazil’s Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, where she is now the director of its Physics Institute. She studies the complex structure of the water molecule, and has developed a series of models of its properties which may contribute to our understanding of how earthquakes occur, how proteins fold, and could play an important role in generating cleaner energy and treating diseases. She is actively involved in promoting Women in Physics and was named the 2013 L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science Awards Laureate for Latin America.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

All Comments (21)

@wingtrek8914 6 years ago

What a terrific woman! Love her mind and her energy. The world needs people like this.
@sherdilkhanjadoon2249 7 years ago

To all those haters and ignorants commenting bullshits. She has warned you about a very serious problem for our coming generations. You should show some respect. Your grandchildren might drink some clean water based on her scientific contribution. She deserves appreciation and respect. Hats off for Marcia.🎩
@Geordo1960 6 years ago

I like the way she keeps going from point to point without dropping the story and keeping you’re interested!
@TR-IRL 6 years ago

I can’t tell what I’d loved most, her solution or her preparation and zesty delivery. She’s a left and right brain scientific unicorn.
@CellRus 8 years ago

She seems like a lovely lady who is very easy to get excited by small but fascinating things. And to all the haters below, do sth or come up with your own idea first and see if it has potential, before bitching on other's work. What is wrong with this society? We need more scientists like her, enthusiastic, and good at explaining concepts, not some hypocrites like those who bitching below!
@LoveAndPeaceOccurs 5 years ago

Thank YOU very much Marcia Barbosa (and everyone who got this video here). You are the first person who has helped me to feel more confident that we will have clean water in the future. Love & Peace to All
@Brainbuster 7 years ago

Play at 1.5x playback speed. ;) You're welcome.
@oak4901 6 years ago

Marcia does a great job in a second language- good explanations and analogies- like to hear more about water from her...
@johncastle8254 4 years ago

She’s such a great lecturer ,fantastic ted talk .
@arpadschummer5345 6 years ago

I suspect by her body language and expression that she is very passionate about everything she does. "EVERYTHING"!
@nscenggbangalore1194 6 years ago

I comment very rarely on Youtube but this video was so superb, I have to appreciate it. The speaker informs in a very simple and entertaining way about water's anomalies and presents an innovative solution to solve the most critical problem ever faced by us. Her accent and spirited gesticulations make the speech even more interesting. It was more engrossing than an episode of The Big Bang Theory, to be honest. It brought back the memories of my middle school when teachers instilled in us the basic concepts of science and maths in such animated lectures, memories that had been superposed by the somber lectures of high school and college professors.
@davidbuschhorn6539 9 years ago

I wish I had someone like her as my next-door neighbor. I love curious people who get excited about the tiny, fascinating things in our amazing world. :-)
@matgggg55 3 years ago

All of the years I watched dexters laboratory has prepared me for this moment!
@JamesOKeefe-US 6 years ago

Really enjoyed this and her passion about such a critical subject! I would have loved to have had her as a teacher in college, someone who clearly loves her subject.
@chemicalsweet13 6 years ago

I like her! Eccentric and expressive. Caught me off guard at first, but I got used to her quickly.
@Harishankar-ip7fe 6 years ago

If she was my teacher I would have end up loving science! Wow ,what an explanation!
@GingerGingie 6 years ago

Love her energy, what a joy to watch this talk! So interesting! Water, I didn't know how complicated you were :)
@catherinehenry6762 1 year ago

She's so incredibly entertaining while explaining a hard, dense subject. If she'd been my chemistry/ physics teacher I would have grasped the beauty of it a lot better.
@nickrauseo7303 8 years ago

These Ted talks have some really unique and intelligent people who clearly have been exposed to the topic they're speaking of they are clearly speaking from experience so we don't have to suffer or struggle to try and understand it by ourselves.
@leonytham 6 years ago

Love the way Marcia Barbosa present this great idea, and thank you to Marcia Barbosa and team to create a potential resolve method to world water crisis.