TED Talk #2: Underwater Astonishments

Do you dream of boldly going where no man has gone before?  To explore?  Discover?  It is not too late! Contrary to what we often think, there are still a lot of undiscovered astonishments out there in the world.  Just when we think we understand the world around us, we discover some new animal, place, wonder, and we are blown away all over again. As our speaker, David Gallo, explains, we only know about 3% of what is out there in the ocean.  That leaves 97% left to explore and learn!  Plenty of room for wonder!

Our second TED talk of the year explores a handful of the amazing creatures living deep below the ocean. These little guys may be hidden away in the dark, but their beauty and resourcefulness outshines our expectations.

Whoa!!!!

Click here to hear the TED Talk Underwater Astonishments
David Gallo shows jaw-dropping footage of amazing sea creatures, including a color-shifting cuttlefish, a perfectly camouflaged octopus, and a Times Square's worth of neon light displays from fish who live in the blackest depths of the ocean. This short talk celebrates the pioneering work of ocean explorers like Edith Widder and Roger Hanlon.

Let David Gallo's TED talk inspire you to dig deep and explore the fascinating world of nature.  Do you have an interest in animals?  The Amazon?  Insect Kingdoms? Deep Space? Birds? Monkeys? The Arctic?  The Earth's core?  Dive deep and dig in!  Let your chromebook be a doorway to the world!   Who knows, maybe you will be the next person to discover a brand new species?

TED Talk #1: The Cockroach Beat Box

In class, we've been talking a lot about the word genius.  What do we mean when we say genius?  What does a genius look like?  How does someone become a genius?  We've discussed that being a genius has no age requirement.  A genius can be a kid as well as a grown-up.  We've talked about how different people are good at different things.   When people are compared to others they may feel bad about themselves... they may feel that they are not smart or talented.  Geniuses come in many shapes and sizes.  And so do ideas.  Passions.  Talents.  Interests. We may not be able to explain them.  We may not always understand them, but one thing's for sure- all of our ideas, genius ideas or not, come from our brains.

Everybody dance now! 

The first TED talk in our TED talk series focuses on just that very subject-- the very place where the magic happens!  It's hiding there under our skin, cozy in our skulls, like an electric mass of muscle, humming silently away.  Where our ideas grow, passions are discovered, questions are formed.  That gooey, squishy, mysterious, ball of gray stuff.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you our brain.  

Only muuuuuuuch smaller.

Neuroscientist (someone who studies the brain) Greg Gage gives us a glimpse into the workings of our brains by, wait for it, dissecting a cockroach... yes, right in front of us!   It turns out that cockroach brains are really similar to human brains, so they are handy to study.  Check out this amazing (and kind of freaky) TED talk to learn about how the brain receives and sends out electric messages and how our bodies respond and even dance to a beat.  

Here's the talk! 

Enjoy!