In search of the little green men | David Saul | TEDxWaiheke

David Saul takes us through a fascinating journey in microbiology, from breakthroughs in the way we study microbes through DNA sequencing, to understanding the limits of environmental conditions within which life could exist. This has lead to significant progress in astrobiology, the study of extra-terrestial life, and raises the interesting question of whether we've been looking for aliens in the wrong place.
David obtained a PhD in molecular genetics, specialised in life in extreme environments. He has visited the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica to look at how life survives in the coldest, windiest, driest and most Mars-like place on Earth, and has published papers on microbes in cold, hot and radioactive environments.
This work was a natural fit with the emerging field of astrobiology. He is currently the chief scientist of a New Zealand biotechnology company, and is an affiliate member of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Видео In search of the little green men | David Saul | TEDxWaiheke канала TEDx Talks