If we want to become a multi-planetary species, we’re going to have to figure out how to eat on our new homes. In this accessible yet educational talk, Dr Sarah Kessans shares how advances in genetic engineering, and our ability to synthesize biochemical pathways, will give us the nutrition necessary to live on Mars—and even allow us to enjoy some delicious ketchup. Dr Sarah Kessans is a US-born New Zealand scientist and biochemist, a multi-national champion in rowing and was in the top 50 applicants—out of over 18,000—in the NASA astronaut programme.
She’s earned degrees in plant and molecular biologies, worked on a plant-based HIV vaccine, and is now working at the cutting edge of synthetic biology solutions to combat climate change, facilitate space colonisation, and advance innovations in medicine and agriculture. In short, she’s figuring out what we’ll eat on Mars.
She uses her work whilst educating and inspiring future leaders to courageously tackle scientific and societal challenges with purpose, integrity, and empathy.
Speaking at TEDxChristchurch 2019: Tūrangawaewae probably won’t be the most terrifying thing she’s done; in 2006, she spent 16 hours clinging to a capsised rowboat during her first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Two years later she returned with a crew to complete her mission, setting a world record in the process. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
How to eat ketchup on Mars | Sarah Kessans | TEDxChristchurch