ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Alexander Tsiaras - Medical image maker
Using art and technology, Alexander Tsiaras visualizes the unseen human body.

Why you should listen

Alexander Tsiaras is an artist and technologist whose work explores the unseen human body, developing scientific visualization software to enable him to "paint" the human anatomy using volume data. He's the author of Body Voyage and co-author of Information Architects. Most recently, he is the author of From Conception to Birth: A Life Unfolds and The Architecture and Design of Man and Woman: The Marvel of the Human Body, Revealed.

His latest project is The Visual MD, an online compendium of health visualizations.

More profile about the speaker
Alexander Tsiaras | Speaker | TED.com
INK Conference

Alexander Tsiaras: Conception to birth -- visualized

Alexander Tsiaras: Dende a concepción ata o nacemento: visualización.

Filmed:
7,405,500 views

O creador de imaxes Alexander Tsiaras comparte unha magnífica visualización médica, onde mostra o desenvolvemento humano dende a concepción ata o nacemento e mais alá. (Contén algunhas imaxes bastante gráficas.)
- Medical image maker
Using art and technology, Alexander Tsiaras visualizes the unseen human body. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:15
I was offered a position as associate professor of medicine
0
0
3000
Ofrecéronme un posto de profesor asociado de medicina
00:18
and chief of scientific visualization
1
3000
3000
e xefe de visualización científica
00:21
at Yale University
2
6000
2000
no departamento de medicina
00:23
in the department of medicine.
3
8000
2000
da Universidade de Yale.
00:25
And my job was to write many of the algorithms and code
4
10000
3000
O meu traballo consistía en escribir algoritmos e código
00:28
for NASA to do virtual surgery
5
13000
2000
para que a NASA realizase cirurxía virtual
00:30
in preparation for the astronauts going into deep spaceflight,
6
15000
3000
para preparar os astronautas para se adentraren no espazo profundo,
00:33
so they could be kept in robotic pods.
7
18000
2000
para que puidesen ser conservados en vaíñas robóticas.
00:35
One of the fascinating things about what we were actually working on
8
20000
2000
Unha das cousas máis fascinante de traballar niso foi que
00:37
is that we were seeing, using new kinds of scanning technologies,
9
22000
3000
ao usarmos nova tecnoloxía de imaxe, conseguiamos ver
00:40
things that had just never been seen before --
10
25000
2000
cousas que nunca se viran antes.
00:42
I mean, not only in disease management,
11
27000
2000
Refírome non só ao tratamento de enfermidades
00:44
but also things that allowed us to see things about the body
12
29000
4000
senón outras cousas que puidemos ver sobre o corpo
00:48
that just made you marvel.
13
33000
3000
que vos abraiarían.
00:51
I remember one of the first times we were looking at collagen.
14
36000
3000
Lembro unha das primeiras veces que vimos o coláxeno.
00:54
And your entire body, everything --
15
39000
2000
Todo o corpo, todo:
00:56
your hair, skin, bone, nails --
16
41000
2000
cabelos, pel, ósos, unllas...
00:58
everything is made of collagen.
17
43000
2000
todo está feito de coláxeno.
01:00
And it's a kind of rope-like structure
18
45000
2000
É coma unha estrutura con forma de corda
01:02
that twirls and swirls like this.
19
47000
2000
que xira e enguedella desta xeito.
01:04
And the only place that collagen changes its structure
20
49000
4000
O único lugar onde o coláxeno cambia de estrutura
01:08
is in the cornea of your eye.
21
53000
2000
é na córnea do ollo.
01:10
In your eye,
22
55000
2000
No ollo,
01:12
it becomes a grid formation,
23
57000
2000
é mais coma unha reixa,
01:14
and therefore, it becomes transparent, as opposed to opaque.
24
59000
3000
de forma que se volve transparente, e non opaco.
01:17
So perfectly organized a structure,
25
62000
3000
Cunha estrutura tan perfecta,
01:20
it was hard not to attribute divinity to it.
26
65000
2000
era difícil non atribuirlle orixe divina.
01:22
Because we kept on seeing this over and over and over again
27
67000
3000
Porque seguíamola a ver unha e outra vez en
01:25
in different parts of the body.
28
70000
2000
distintas partes do corpo.
01:27
One of the opportunities I had
29
72000
3000
Tiven a oportunidade de unirme a
01:30
was one person was working on a really interesting
30
75000
2000
unha persoa que traballaba cunha máquina de
01:32
micromagnetic resonance imaging machine with the NIH.
31
77000
3000
resonancias micromagnéticas no Instituto Nacional de Saúde.
01:35
And what we were going to do
32
80000
2000
Comezamos un proxecto
01:37
was scan a new project
33
82000
2000
de escaneado do desenvolvemento
01:39
on the development of the fetus from conception to birth
34
84000
2000
do feto dende a concepción ata o nacemento
01:41
using these kinds of new technologies.
35
86000
2000
usando estas novas tecnoloxías.
01:43
So I wrote the algorithms in code,
36
88000
2000
Así que escribin o código de algoritmos,
01:45
and he built the hardware -- Paul Lauterbur --
37
90000
3000
el construiu o aparello, Paul Lauterbur,
01:48
then went onto win the Nobel Prize for inventing the MRI.
38
93000
3000
logo gañou o premio Nobel polo invento da Imaxe por Resonancia Magnética.
01:51
I got the data.
39
96000
2000
Conseguín os datos.
01:53
And I'm going to show you a sample of the piece,
40
98000
2000
E vouvos mostrar un cachiño dese traballo:
01:55
"From Conception to Birth."
41
100000
2000
"Dende a concepción ata o nacemento."
01:57
(Music)
42
102000
6000
(música)
02:03
Video text: "From Conception to Birth"
43
108000
3000
Texto do vídeo: "Dende a concepción ata o nacemento."
02:09
Oocyte
44
114000
3000
Oocito
02:14
Sperm
45
119000
3000
Esperma
02:20
Egg Inseminated
46
125000
4000
Óvulo inseminado
02:27
24 Hours: Baby's first division
47
132000
3000
24 horas: primeira división do bebé
02:33
The fertilized ovum divides a few hours after fusion ...
48
138000
3000
O óvulo fertilizado divídese unhas horas despois da fusión...
02:38
And divides anew every 12 to 15 hours.
49
143000
3000
e faino de novo cada 12-15 horas.
02:41
Early Embryo
50
146000
3000
Embrión temperán
02:44
Yolk sack still feeding Baby.
51
149000
3000
O saquiño vitelino alimenta o bebé
02:48
25 Days: Heart chamber developing
52
153000
4000
Día 25, desenvolvemento da cámara cardíaca
02:56
32 Days: Arms & hands are developing
53
161000
7000
Día 32, desenvolvemento de brazos e mans
03:05
36 Days: Beginning of the primitive vertabrae
54
170000
6000
Día 36, aparecen as vértebras primarias
03:11
These weeks are the period of the most rapid development of the fetus.
55
176000
7000
Durante estas semanas sucede o periodo de desenvolvemento mais rápido do feto.
03:24
If the fetus continues to grow at this speed for the entire nine months,
56
189000
3000
Se o feto continua crecendo a esta velocidade durante os 9 meses,
03:27
it would be 1.5 tons at birth.
57
192000
2000
pesaría 1,5 tonelada ao nacer.
03:31
45 Days
58
196000
4000
Día 45,
03:39
Embryo's heart is beating twice as fast as the mother's.
59
204000
5000
o corazón do embrión latexa o dobre de rápido do da nai.
03:46
51 Days
60
211000
3000
Día 51-52,
03:49
52 Days: Developing retina, nose and fingers
61
214000
8000
desenvolvemento da retina, do nariz e dos dedos.
04:03
The fetus' continual movement in the womb
62
228000
5000
O movemento continuo do feto no útero
04:08
is necessary for muscular and skeletal growth.
63
233000
5000
permite o desenvolvemento muscular e esquelético.
04:25
12 Weeks: Indifferent penis --
64
250000
2000
Semana 12, xenitais non definidos,
04:27
girl or boy yet to be determined
65
252000
2000
non se pode determinar o sexo aínda.
04:31
8 Months
66
256000
4000
8º mes
05:01
Delivery: the expulsion stage
67
286000
6000
Parto: etapa da expulsión.
05:43
The moment of birth
68
328000
3000
Momento do nacemento.
05:52
(Applause)
69
337000
4000
(Aplausos)
05:56
Alexander Tsiaras: Thank you.
70
341000
2000
Alexander: Grazas.
05:58
But as you can see,
71
343000
2000
Como podedes ver,
06:00
when you actually start working on this data,
72
345000
2000
cando se empeza a traballar con estes datos,
06:02
it's pretty spectacular.
73
347000
2000
resultan espectaculares.
06:04
And as we kept on scanning more and more,
74
349000
2000
Seguimos a escanear máis e máis,
06:06
working on this project,
75
351000
2000
traballando no proxecto,
06:08
looking at these two simple cells
76
353000
2000
con estas dúas células tan simples
06:10
that have this kind of unbelievable machinery
77
355000
3000
que teñen ese mecanismo tan incrible
06:13
that will become the magic of you.
78
358000
2000
que as convertirá na maxia de nós.
06:15
And as we kept on working on this data,
79
360000
2000
Seguimos a traballar con estes datos,
06:17
looking at small clusters of the body,
80
362000
3000
observando pequenas zonas do corpo,
06:20
these little pieces of tissue
81
365000
3000
estes pequenos tecidos,
06:23
that were a trophoblast coming off of a blastocyst,
82
368000
2000
un trofoblasto dun blastocisto,
06:25
all of a sudden burrowing itself into the side of the uterus,
83
370000
3000
que escarva e se prende na parede do útero,
06:28
saying, "I'm here to stay."
84
373000
2000
coma dicindo, "quédome aquí."
06:30
All of a sudden having conversation and communications
85
375000
2000
De repente parece que fala e se comunica
06:32
with the estrogens, the progesterones,
86
377000
2000
cos estróxenos e a proxesterona,
06:34
saying, "I'm here to stay, plant me,"
87
379000
2000
dicíndolles, "estou aquí, plantádeme,",
06:36
building this incredible trilinear fetus
88
381000
3000
construindo eses fetos incríbles
06:39
that becomes, within 44 days,
89
384000
2000
que, en 44 días, son xa
06:41
something that you can recognize,
90
386000
2000
estruturas recoñecibles.
06:43
and then at nine weeks
91
388000
2000
E en nove semanas
06:45
is really kind of a little human being.
92
390000
2000
xa case parecen un ser humano.
06:47
The marvel of this information:
93
392000
2000
Unha marabilla desta información:
06:49
How do we actually have this biological mechanism
94
394000
2000
cómo temos este mecanismo biolóxico
06:51
inside our body
95
396000
2000
dentro do corpo
06:53
to actually see this information?
96
398000
2000
para ver esta información?
06:55
I'm going to show you something pretty unique.
97
400000
2000
Ensinareivos algo realmente excepcional.
06:57
Here's a human heart at 25 [weeks].
98
402000
2000
Isto é un corazón humano ás 25 semanas.
06:59
It's just basically two strands.
99
404000
2000
Non é mais ca dous fíos.
07:01
And like this magnificent origami,
100
406000
2000
E coma un origami fantástico,
07:03
cells are developing
101
408000
2000
as células reprodúcense
07:05
at one million cells per second at four weeks,
102
410000
3000
durante 4 semanas, a un millón de células por segundo,
07:08
as it's just folding on itself.
103
413000
2000
mentras se prega sobre si mesmo.
07:10
Within five weeks, you can start to see the early atrium and the early ventricles.
104
415000
3000
En cinco semanas, pódense albiscar as aurículas e ventrículos primarios.
07:13
Six weeks, these folds are now beginning
105
418000
2000
En seis, os pregos empezan a formar
07:15
with the papilla on the inside of the heart
106
420000
2000
as papilas dentro do corazón
07:17
actually being able to pull down
107
422000
2000
que permiten pechar
07:19
each one of those valves in your heart
108
424000
2000
cada unha das súas válvulas
07:21
until you get a mature heart --
109
426000
3000
ata conseguir un corazón maduro...
07:24
and then basically the development of the entire human body.
110
429000
2000
E despois o desenvolvemento do resto do corpo humano.
07:26
The magic of the mechanisms
111
431000
2000
Hai mecanismos case máxicos
07:28
inside each genetic structure
112
433000
3000
dentro de cada estrutura xenética
07:31
saying exactly where that nerve cell should go --
113
436000
3000
que din exactamente onde debe ir cada neurona...
07:34
the complexity of these mathematical models
114
439000
2000
Teñen uns modelos matemáticos moi complexos
07:36
of how these things are indeed done
115
441000
2000
de como se fai todo exactamente,
07:38
are beyond human comprehension.
116
443000
2000
que van mais alá da comprensión humana.
07:40
Even though I am a mathematician,
117
445000
2000
Aínda que eu son matemático,
07:42
I look at this with marvel
118
447000
2000
observo todo isto marabillado.
07:44
of how do these instruction sets
119
449000
3000
de como é que todas estas instrucións
07:47
not make these mistakes
120
452000
2000
non comenten erros
07:49
as they build what is us?
121
454000
2000
mentres nos constrúen?
07:51
It's a mystery, it's magic, it's divinity.
122
456000
2000
É un misterio, é maxia, é divino.
07:53
Then you start to take a look at adult life.
123
458000
3000
Logo comezas a observar a vida adulta.
07:56
Take a look at this little tuft of capillaries.
124
461000
2000
Observade esta pequena mata de capilares.
07:58
It's just a tiny sub-substructure, microscopic.
125
463000
3000
É unha subestrutura microscópica, minúscula.
08:01
But basically by the time you're nine months and you're given birth,
126
466000
4000
Pero para cando nacemos, aos nove meses,
08:05
you have almost 60,000 miles of vessels
127
470000
3000
temos case 100.000 km de vasos sanguíneos
08:08
inside your body.
128
473000
2000
dentro do corpo.
08:10
I mean, and only one mile is visible.
129
475000
2000
E só 1 ou 2 km deles son visibles
08:12
59,999 miles
130
477000
3000
uns 100 km
08:15
that are basically bringing nutrients and taking waste away.
131
480000
3000
que aportan nutrintes e se desfán dos refugallos.
08:18
The complexity of building that within a single system
132
483000
2000
A complexidade de construír iso dentro dun só sistema
08:20
is, again, beyond any comprehension
133
485000
2000
é, de novo, superior ao noso entendemento
08:22
or any existing mathematics today.
134
487000
2000
ou a calquera fórmula que teñamos hoxe.
08:24
And that instruction set,
135
489000
2000
E esas instrucións
08:26
from the brain to every other part of the body --
136
491000
2000
saen do cerebro e van cara ao resto do corpo.
08:28
look at the complexity of the folding.
137
493000
2000
Mirade qué plegamentos tan complexos.
08:30
Where does this intelligence
138
495000
2000
De onde sae o coñecemento
08:32
of knowing that a fold can actually hold more information,
139
497000
2000
para saber que un plegamento pode conter máis información...
08:34
so as you actually watch the baby's brain grow --
140
499000
3000
Podemos ver como crece o cerebro dun bebé,
08:37
and this is one of the things that we're doing right now.
141
502000
2000
é algo que estamos a facer agora.
08:39
We're actually doing the launch of two new studies
142
504000
2000
Vamos comezar dous novos estudos
08:41
of actually scanning babies' brains from the moment they're born.
143
506000
3000
onde escanearemos o cerebro dos bebés no momento que nacen,
08:44
Every six months until they're six years old --
144
509000
2000
e cada seis meses ata os seis anos.
08:46
we're going to be doing actually to about 250 children --
145
511000
3000
Vamos traballar cuns 250 nenos,
08:49
watching exactly how the gyri and the sulci of the brains fold
146
514000
3000
observando cómo se pregan as circunvolucións e os sucos
08:52
to see how this magnificent development
147
517000
2000
do cerebro, para ver como o desenvolvemento
08:54
actually turns into memories and the marvel that is us.
148
519000
3000
se convirte en recordos e a marabilla somos nós.
08:57
And it's not just our own existence,
149
522000
2000
Pero non é só a nosa propia existencia.
08:59
but how does the woman's body understand
150
524000
2000
Cómo aprende o corpo dunha muller
09:01
to have genetic structure that not only builds her own,
151
526000
3000
a ter a estrutura xenética para non só formarse a si mesma
09:04
but then has the understanding
152
529000
2000
senón que tamén ten o entendemento
09:06
that allows her to become
153
531000
2000
para se converter
09:08
a walking immunological, cardiovascular system
154
533000
3000
nun sistema inmunolóxico e cardiovascular andante,
09:11
that basically is a mobile system
155
536000
2000
un sistema móbil
09:13
that can actually nurture, treat this child with a kind of marvel
156
538000
4000
que pode nutrir e coidar o bebé; unha marabilla,
09:17
that is beyond, again, our comprehension --
157
542000
3000
de novo, mais alá da nosa comprensión
09:20
the magic that is existence, that is us?
158
545000
3000
A maxia da existencia que somos nós.
09:23
Thank you.
159
548000
2000
Grazas.
09:25
(Applause)
160
550000
5000
(Aplausos)
Translated by Eulalia Baroja
Reviewed by Xosé María Moreno

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Alexander Tsiaras - Medical image maker
Using art and technology, Alexander Tsiaras visualizes the unseen human body.

Why you should listen

Alexander Tsiaras is an artist and technologist whose work explores the unseen human body, developing scientific visualization software to enable him to "paint" the human anatomy using volume data. He's the author of Body Voyage and co-author of Information Architects. Most recently, he is the author of From Conception to Birth: A Life Unfolds and The Architecture and Design of Man and Woman: The Marvel of the Human Body, Revealed.

His latest project is The Visual MD, an online compendium of health visualizations.

More profile about the speaker
Alexander Tsiaras | Speaker | TED.com