Controlling Diseases

Using evolution to design disease organisms intelligently is the focus of this Paul Ewald keynote. The evolutionary biologist begins his discussion on diarrheal infection by asking the audience to think about the problem from a germ's point of view. As he explains, Darwinism will always favor the more predatory and aggressive diseases -- the ones likely to cause the most damage.

His speech explores the possibility of controlling the spread of infection and disease by domesticating germs, which can result in more mild diseases.

While his discussion is extremely scientific and possibly difficult for its audience to truly grasp if they're not from a science background, it carries importance significance when applied to global health issues. If diarrheal infections can be controlled more, millions of lives of children suffering from waterborne diseases in Africa, South American and Asia could be spared each year.