Floating University — April 26, 2015

WATCH: Inside Every Human Cell Lies the Fountain of Youth

Professor Douglas Melton takes a look at the basis for regenerative medicine, the human body’s ability to divide, grow, and specialize cells.

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Welcome to The Floating University. Instead of taking out thousands of dollars in student loans, or to get a jump-start on the education you wish you’d had, begin watching these amazing one-hour lectures by some of America’s most talented thinkers, investors, artists, and leaders.

We’ve been introducing each video specifically over the past couple weeks, but we’ve also put all the videos here. That’s the foundation of an Ivy League education on a single page — because we think knowledge can change a person’s life, and it would be a shame to keep that knowledge locked away. These videos are pretty amazing! We hope you agree.

In this video, professor Douglas Melton introduces the science of stem cells and their greatest hope: new “man-made” stem cells that could soon be used to reverse incurable degenerative diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. Professor Melton tells how these same stem cells may be the keys that unlock an end to aging as we know it.

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Check out our entire Floating University Playlist.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

All Videos

Inside Every Human Cell May Lie the Fountain of Youth

Professor Douglas Melton introduces the astounding advances being made today to unlock the powerful potential hidden within our own cells.

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43 min

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with

Doug Melton

Personal Growth

Floating University: When Ideas Have Authority, We Learn, Profit, and Grow

Global Population Boom: Are People the Problem, the Solution, or Both? Professor Joel Cohen first asks and answers the question, “How did humans grow from small populations on the African […]

Surprising Science

The Age of Regenerative Medicine: How to Heal Faster

“All of the cells in the body have this potential to make other kinds of cells. This has led to the discovery of human embryonic stem cells and other stem cells, which we’d now like to use to replace tissue and body parts,” says Dr. Douglas Melton.

Floating University

Regenerative Biology: Have We Discovered the Fountain of Youth?

Doug Melton, of Harvard’s Stem Cell Institute, speaks of a new era of medicine in his Floating University lecture. Medicine will no longer aim to simply fix you if you have a disease or injury, but replenish you in order to maintain your young and vibrant state.

Floating University

How to Grow a Heart: Transforming Cells Into Human Organs

In the 21st century, biology will usher in advances in regenerative medicine. Stem cells will be at the center of discovery and application in that new field.

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Floating University

WATCH: Psychology is the Study of Innate Human Compassion

We’re halfway through our rollout of The Floating University here at Big Think. It’s some of the most vital, timely, and mind-changing video content anywhere on the Web. Here’s number six of 12 on our list, featuring Yale psychologist Paul Bloom.