0:00:01.887,0:00:05.727 Welcome to our next participant. 0:00:05.727,0:00:09.098 Her name is Giulia Enders. 0:00:09.098,0:00:14.315 She studies at the Goethe University [br]in Frankfurt. 0:00:14.319,0:00:20.905 Applause to Giulia Enders. 0:00:20.905,0:00:23.779 The next 10 minutes are yours! 0:00:23.779,0:00:27.236 (Applause) 0:00:27.236,0:00:30.527 Okay, I study medicine -- 0:00:30.527,0:00:32.670 (Cheers) 0:00:32.670,0:00:33.917 -- yes, exactly. 0:00:33.917,0:00:37.771 And studying medicine [br]really comes in handy [br] 0:00:37.771,0:00:40.887 when i'm having coffee [br]and tea with my aunties. 0:00:40.887,0:00:43.435 Because usually they ask you [br]what you study. 0:00:43.435,0:00:45.853 And whereas my sister needs [br]half an hour to explain 0:00:45.853,0:00:48.271 what Communication Design is, 0:00:48.271,0:00:49.368 I can just say: 0:00:49.368,0:00:51.265 medicine. 0:00:51.265,0:00:52.350 (Laughter) 0:00:52.350,0:00:56.426 And my aunties just look at me [br]all happy and satisfied. 0:00:56.426,0:00:59.554 (Laughter) (Applause) 0:00:59.554,0:01:03.691 It is nice, but it lasts only 30 seconds, [br] 0:01:03.691,0:01:05.754 and then the usual question: 0:01:05.754,0:01:08.418 What field of medicine [br]are you going to specialize in? 0:01:08.418,0:01:10.933 And then I must confess: 0:01:10.933,0:01:14.957 I have been crazy about the digestive tract [br]since my first semester. 0:01:14.957,0:01:19.104 It began with the anus,[br]and now I'm hooked to it! 0:01:19.104,0:01:26.812 (Laughter) (Applause) 0:01:26.812,0:01:29.549 Suddenly all the enthusiasm trickles away, 0:01:29.549,0:01:32.979 usually there ensues an awkward silence. 0:01:32.979,0:01:35.663 And the next question comes [br]from the far corner of the room: 0:01:35.663,0:01:39.563 And what is Communication Design good for? 0:01:39.563,0:01:40.973 (Laughter) 0:01:40.973,0:01:44.491 It is a pity, because the bowels [br]are very charming. 0:01:44.491,0:01:45.668 (Laughter) 0:01:45.668,0:01:48.531 I'm not sure what my aunties think. 0:01:48.531,0:01:52.521 But I suspect they think [br]it's about tons of poop 0:01:52.521,0:01:53.734 (Laughter) 0:01:53.734,0:01:57.457 in all shapes and sizes 0:01:57.457,0:02:02.951 or about other people's excrements 0:02:02.951,0:02:08.770 (Laughter) 0:02:08.770,0:02:14.002 or about obscure cleansing methods 0:02:14.002,0:02:18.886 that make us walk like this [br]out of doctor's room 0:02:18.886,0:02:23.041 or internet videos that are so graphic 0:02:23.041,0:02:29.410 that it's quite enough to watch [br]other people's reaction to them. 0:02:29.410,0:02:31.195 Even science can find reasons 0:02:31.195,0:02:32.843 to hate the bowel. 0:02:32.843,0:02:35.615 But these are also the very reasons [br]why the bowel is so fascinating: 0:02:35.615,0:02:37.451 It's 100 times larger [br]then the area of the skin. 0:02:37.451,0:02:39.347 Just think of hundred Giulias [br]standing here on this stage. 0:02:39.347,0:02:41.018 Such a thin tube, 0:02:41.018,0:02:42.521 with so much immune system inside, 0:02:42.521,0:02:44.395 so many hormones produced, 0:02:44.395,0:02:48.408 100 trillion gut bacteria, 0:02:48.408,0:02:50.409 that's the number of humans [br]times the number of humans[br] 0:02:50.409,0:02:52.476 times two. 0:02:52.476,0:02:55.910 The gut has such a completely [br]independent nervous system 0:02:55.910,0:02:58.186 that if I cut out a piece and tap on it [br] 0:02:58.186,0:03:00.831 it would just mumble a friendly reply. 0:03:00.831,0:03:02.740 (Laughter) 0:03:02.740,0:03:04.708 It's very complex [br]and science is afraid of it, 0:03:04.708,0:03:06.506 which is understandable, 0:03:06.506,0:03:08.646 but my grandmother says [br]that if you really like something, 0:03:08.646,0:03:10.465 even if it is overwhelming [br]in the beginning, 0:03:10.465,0:03:12.130 you should approach it step by step, 0:03:12.130,0:03:13.971 and then even if you step in a puddle, 0:03:13.971,0:03:15.981 only one foot gets wet. 0:03:15.981,0:03:23.656 (Laughter) (Applause) 0:03:23.656,0:03:26.240 Let's begin. Here's the esophagus. 0:03:26.240,0:03:28.697 It makes powerful movements [br]and pushes the food downward. 0:03:28.697,0:03:30.053 It falls into the stomach, 0:03:30.053,0:03:32.025 which cradles and rocks it a bit, 0:03:32.025,0:03:34.523 and feeds it into the small intestine, 0:03:34.523,0:03:36.662 where it's sort of magically kneaded, 0:03:36.662,0:03:38.254 diminishing in bulk during the process, 0:03:38.254,0:03:39.863 then it passes through the colon 0:03:39.863,0:03:42.364 and comes out from the anus, [br]it all sounds so simple. 0:03:42.364,0:03:44.490 But if we focus on a single process -- 0:03:44.490,0:03:46.683 -- I go for the anus -- 0:03:46.683,0:03:51.645 then we realize it's a bit more complex [br]than expected. 0:03:51.645,0:03:53.521 I actually didn't pick [br]this subject on my own 0:03:53.521,0:03:55.115 rather my roommate asked me: 0:03:55.115,0:03:57.310 Giulia, you study medicine: 0:03:57.310,0:03:59.197 How does pooping work? 0:03:59.197,0:04:02.498 (Laughter) 0:04:02.498,0:04:06.963 I have noticed that the anus [br]is actually very communicative. 0:04:06.963,0:04:11.123 It's an intermediate between [br]two worlds of consciousness. 0:04:11.123,0:04:14.837 Here's an internal sphincter 0:04:14.837,0:04:17.803 and here's an external anal sphincter. 0:04:17.803,0:04:20.095 We know the external one very well. 0:04:20.095,0:04:24.400 Let's say: A - O - A - O 0:04:24.400,0:04:26.164 Audience: A - O - A - O 0:04:26.164,0:04:28.010 I meant with your anus. 0:04:28.010,0:04:29.282 (Laughter) 0:04:29.282,0:04:32.755 Probably many are doing it right now, [br]we just don't see it. 0:04:32.755,0:04:35.003 So, you see we can do it. 0:04:35.003,0:04:37.516 If I say, now do the same -- 0:04:37.516,0:04:44.314 (Laughter) 0:04:44.314,0:04:48.522 If I say, now do the same [br]with your internal sphincter -- 0:04:48.522,0:04:50.779 -- it's more difficult. 0:04:50.779,0:04:51.917 (Laughter) 0:04:51.917,0:04:54.638 Perhaps somebody managed... 0:04:54.638,0:04:57.660 But we can see there's a difference. 0:04:57.066,0:04:59.494 It's not under our command. 0:04:59.494,0:05:01.924 Let's take a look at the process: 0:05:01.924,0:05:05.567 when digested food arrives [br]at the internal sphincter, 0:05:05.567,0:05:09.312 it opens up and lets a little morsel [br]pass through for testing. 0:05:09.312,0:05:11.348 (Laughter) 0:05:11.348,0:05:16.803 And there are sensor cells [br]in between the two sphincters. 0:05:16.803,0:05:20.558 These cells analyze [br]whether it is solid or gaseous [br] 0:05:20.558,0:05:22.267 and notify the brain. 0:05:22.267,0:05:23.731 (Laughter) 0:05:23.731,0:05:25.595 And then the brain realizes: 0:05:25.595,0:05:27.674 ah, I must poop. 0:05:27.674,0:05:29.324 (Laughter) 0:05:29.324,0:05:33.097 And the brain does what it's good at: 0:05:33.097,0:05:35.545 It informs us of our surroundings. 0:05:35.545,0:05:36.889 It might say, for example: 0:05:36.889,0:05:38.819 well, I have looked, 0:05:38.819,0:05:43.458 (Laughter) 0:05:43.458,0:05:46.897 we are at the Science Slam right now, 0:05:46.897,0:05:48.841 perhaps some gas is all right, 0:05:48.841,0:05:53.065 if you let it pass very silently, 0:05:53.065,0:05:55.718 but something solid [br]would not be so good. 0:05:55.718,0:05:57.811 (Laughter) 0:05:57.811,0:06:00.749 So they unite their efforts [br]and push it back in 0:06:00.749,0:06:02.923 (Laughter) 0:06:02.923,0:06:05.403 it goes back in the queue, 0:06:05.403,0:06:08.021 but it has to come out, eventually. 0:06:08.021,0:06:10.999 But when we are at home, [br]with nothing better to do, [br] 0:06:10.999,0:06:13.378 then -- free to go! 0:06:13.378,0:06:26.251 (Laughter) (Applause) 0:06:27.021,0:06:31.594 The anus is just the tip of the iceberg. 0:06:31.594,0:06:35.772 Auntie 1: What did she say? 0:06:35.772,0:06:41.518 Auntie 2: I think she said that the anus [br]is just the tip of the iceberg. 0:06:41.518,0:06:44.930 The anus is really [br]just the tip of the iceberg. 0:06:44.930,0:06:51.112 There are 2 cm that we perceive [br]and that we can control 0:06:51.112,0:06:54.122 and the whole rest -- 0:06:54.122,0:06:57.178 -- if we want to know what happens there 0:06:57.178,0:07:00.430 we need to look at the border area. 0:07:00.430,0:07:06.488 So we chose something which is [br]both unconscious and conscious. 0:07:06.488,0:07:11.595 There are 7 basic emotions [br]that show on the face, 0:07:11.595,0:07:14.751 they are same for all the people worldwide, [br]in all cultures, 0:07:14.751,0:07:16.467 here are 3 of them, 0:07:16.467,0:07:17.420 fear, 0:07:17.420,0:07:18.274 joy, 0:07:18.274,0:07:19.556 sadness. 0:07:19.556,0:07:24.734 These basic emotions show in our faces [br]when we feel them 0:07:24.734,0:07:28.265 and in the first split second [br]we cannot suppress them. 0:07:28.265,0:07:31.123 That reminds us a bit [br]of our internal sphincter, 0:07:31.123,0:07:32.744 which we cannot control [br]consciously either, 0:07:32.744,0:07:34.303 and that's not a far fetched comparison. 0:07:34.303,0:07:37.433 For when we were little embryological [br]heaps of cells in the womb 0:07:37.433,0:07:39.303 there wasn't much of a face -- 0:07:39.303,0:07:41.727 - there was just the front opening [br]of the intestinal tube. 0:07:41.727,0:07:45.395 And finally it was decided: [br]O.K., let's create a face around it, 0:07:45.395,0:07:48.072 seems like people like it, 0:07:48.072,0:07:51.697 so it was a part of this [br]unconscious tube of muscle 0:07:51.697,0:07:56.080 which is why we don't have perfect control [br]over our facial expression. 0:07:56.080,0:07:59.739 We can control our arm any time, [br]but not our mimics. 0:07:59.739,0:08:05.014 That brings up the question [br]what the bowel does with all these emotions, 0:08:05.014,0:08:07.408 if it feels fear, 0:08:07.408,0:08:09.521 if it can laugh 0:08:09.521,0:08:12.050 or be sad. 0:08:12.050,0:08:16.474 And there we are touching [br]on the deeper layers of the iceberg 0:08:16.474,0:08:18.921 on the subconsciousness, 0:08:18.921,0:08:20.769 and people start arguing, 0:08:20.769,0:08:24.442 because many people believe that the bowels [br]have no influence on our emotions, 0:08:24.442,0:08:26.198 that they're just a bunch of cells, 0:08:26.198,0:08:30.150 and the brain, the DNA and the genes [br]are the cause of our feelings. 0:08:30.150,0:08:32.132 So, there are two basic viewpoints: 0:08:32.132,0:08:34.560 One being that the brain [br]decides on an emotion 0:08:34.560,0:08:37.131 and tells all other organs what to do, 0:08:37.131,0:08:40.610 and the other being that the gut [br]is also involved in our emotions, 0:08:40.610,0:08:45.785 thoughts, and perhaps even our behavior. 0:08:45.785,0:08:48.302 So let's just take something 0:08:48.302,0:08:51.211 which has no connection [br]with our genes and our DNA: 0:08:51.211,0:08:53.920 this huge gut flora. 0:08:53.920,0:08:56.246 So we have this whole population of bacteria [br]inside of us, 0:08:56.246,0:09:00.480 which can weigh up to 2 kg, [br]which would be quite normal, 0:09:00.480,0:09:04.530 and it's a collection of things, [br]decisions, what we have eaten 0:09:04.530,0:09:07.597 and the environment that surrounds us, 0:09:07.601,0:09:12.864 our very own Pokemon collection [br]of intestinal bacteria. 0:09:12.864,0:09:15.396 I'd like to introduce you to all of them, 0:09:15.396,0:09:17.652 but 60% of them we don't even know at all 0:09:17.652,0:09:20.132 since we cannot cultivate them, 0:09:20.132,0:09:21.876 they just like it so much in our gut, 0:09:21.876,0:09:25.641 that we can't simply [br]observe them in a Petri dish. 0:09:25.641,0:09:28.227 But since they do have an influence, 0:09:28.227,0:09:32.120 scientists began to research them [br]intensively in the last years. 0:09:32.120,0:09:33.979 Some basic things [br]were already known before: 0:09:33.979,0:09:36.208 they train our immune system, 0:09:36.208,0:09:41.578 our blood type is determined [br]by this training and influence, 0:09:41.578,0:09:44.903 if we have really bad ones [br]then we get bad diarrhea. 0:09:44.903,0:09:46.576 But what about the discreet ones 0:09:46.576,0:09:48.465 quietly doing their job all day long? 0:09:48.465,0:09:51.402 So many different types operating [br]in a huge variety of ways. 0:09:51.402,0:09:53.496 What is their influence? 0:09:53.496,0:09:56.584 And so we have another Babel, 0:09:56.584,0:09:59.103 which is my passion, 0:09:59.103,0:10:04.884 and about which we start [br]asking ourselves many questions: 0:10:04.884,0:10:07.686 If I have certain gut bacteria, 0:10:07.686,0:10:10.704 will I get fatter than others even though [br]I eat the same food as them? 0:10:10.704,0:10:14.077 Can I become depressed [br]because of some kinds of gut bacteria? 0:10:14.077,0:10:16.219 Do some gut bugs protect me from cancer 0:10:16.219,0:10:19.162 while others promote it? 0:10:19.162,0:10:25.676 And most of these questions [br]are getting answered positively. 0:10:25.676,0:10:28.851 And this field is so interesting, 0:10:28.851,0:10:31.595 it's constantly on my mind. 0:10:31.595,0:10:35.201 I have been in neuroscience in Frankfurt [br]for the last half a year, 0:10:35.201,0:10:37.834 and we are doing experiments [br]with endogenous proteins 0:10:37.834,0:10:41.572 trying to find out whether they protect [br]or harm nerve cells 0:10:41.572,0:10:46.635 but I keep thinking, I want to do this [br]with proteins from gut bacteria! 0:10:46.635,0:10:49.292 They did a study with a truly [br]amazing outcome: 0:10:49.292,0:10:53.848 The bowels [of mice] were colonized [br]with certain bacteria 0:10:53.848,0:10:55.400 and then under conditions of stress, 0:10:55.400,0:10:57.446 when the gut gets leaky, 0:10:57.446,0:11:00.077 they developed memory lapses [br]of 10 to 30 days. 0:11:00.077,0:11:02.663 With simultaneous doses of probiotics -- [br][no memory loss]. 0:11:02.663,0:11:05.813 And so I wanted to know: [br]O.K., how's that? 0:11:05.813,0:11:08.450 And other questions [br]which I keep carrying around. 0:11:08.450,0:11:11.292 There is almost no research being done [br]on this subject in Germany, 0:11:11.292,0:11:14.134 and I really want to promote this. 0:11:14.134,0:11:15.770 That's why I hope you got something out of this, 0:11:15.770,0:11:17.346 for example that the anus is communicative, 0:11:17.346,0:11:20.644 if you see a beautiful lady smiling [br]it's all right to think of her digestive tract, 0:11:20.644,0:11:22.066 (Laughter) 0:11:22.066,0:11:24.610 the gut is very close to the people, [br]with a lot of private property, 0:11:24.610,0:11:27.383 you all have your own gut population, [br]take good care of it, 0:11:27.383,0:11:29.113 I hope you are more fond of it now, 0:11:29.113,0:11:33.446 some politicians might even [br]start fearing its competition, 0:11:33.446,0:11:36.430 I hope the ladies are happier now, 0:11:36.430,0:11:39.088 Thank you all for listening [br]and thanks to my sister, 0:11:39.088,0:11:42.384 because she made this possible [br]with communication design! 0:11:42.384,0:11:47.234 (Applause) 0:11:47.234,0:11:49.850 Giulia Enders! 0:11:49.850,0:11:53.950 (Applause) 0:11:53.950,0:11:55.647 -- easy, isn't it? 0:11:55.647,0:11:59.072 So let's give today's winner 0:11:59.072,0:12:01.983 some more of our time and attention: 0:12:01.983,0:12:04.510 a short scientific encore! 0:12:04.510,0:12:09.083 So you have the last word! 0:12:09.083,0:12:10.772 How nice, how unusual... 0:12:10.772,0:12:15.555 I have something to share [br]which I always forget, 0:12:15.555,0:12:17.571 and actually it's quite cool, 0:12:17.571,0:12:19.848 I have told you about those sensor cells, 0:12:19.848,0:12:22.530 that distinguish between [br]gaseous and solid, 0:12:22.530,0:12:26.848 but there is a state of matter [br]which is missing -- liquid, 0:12:26.848,0:12:30.771 it is always a bit of an awkward topic [br]for the audience, 0:12:30.771,0:12:33.233 but perhaps some of [br]you are familiar with this: 0:12:33.233,0:12:37.527 you have diarrhea, you feel you have to fart, [br]do you end up with your pants full? 0:12:37.527,0:12:40.848 Your gut can't distinguish liquid from gas, [br]so it just takes its chances! 0:12:40.848,0:12:42.876 That was it! 0:12:42.876,0:12:50.004 (Laughter) (Applause) 0:12:50.004,0:12:53.957 I have forgotten it in Freiburg already, [br]I always forget it...