Mike duGruy: Hooked by an octopus
Mike deGruy is a marine zoologist that became interested in the field after a remarkable encounter with an octopus. He recounts the meeting and points out some of the differences between animals living in our oceans. He explains an entire ecosystem living in the mid-ocean ridge unknown to the world until it’s discovery nearly 40 years ago. He then goes on to describe how these ecosystems can be wiped out entirely by human pollution and brings light to the term “deep six it”, which I had never heard before watching.
http://www.ted.com/talks/mike_degruy_hooked_by_octopus
Robert Ballard: The astonishing hidden world of the deep ocean
Robert Ballard is an oceanographer, and in fact, was one of the few involved in the discovery of the ecosystem living in the mid-ocean ridge talked about by Mike duGruy. Ballard states that of the two exploration programs in our county, NASA and NOAA, NASA receives funding that is roughly 1,500 times greater than that of NOAA. Within the oceans on Earth are miles and miles of unexplored territory. Ballard stresses the importance and necessity of education to keep people interested and involved in exploration.
http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_ballard_on_exploring_the_oceans
