Hidden miracles of the natural world
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0:01 - 0:05What is the intersection
between technology, art and science? -
0:07 - 0:09Curiosity and wonder,
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0:09 - 0:12because it drives us to explore,
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0:12 - 0:14because we're surrounded
by things we can't see. -
0:15 - 0:18And I love to use film
to take us on a journey -
0:18 - 0:21through portals of time and space,
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0:21 - 0:24to make the invisible visible,
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0:24 - 0:25because what that does,
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0:25 - 0:27it expands our horizons,
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0:27 - 0:30it transforms our perception,
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0:30 - 0:32it opens our minds
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0:32 - 0:33and it touches our heart.
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0:34 - 0:37So here are some scenes
from my 3D IMAX film, -
0:37 - 0:39"Mysteries of the Unseen World."
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0:39 - 0:42(Music)
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0:42 - 0:46There is movement which is too slow
for our eyes to detect, -
0:46 - 0:49and time lapse makes us discover
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0:49 - 0:52and broaden our perspective of life.
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0:52 - 0:54We can see how organisms emerge and grow,
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0:56 - 1:00how a vine survives by creeping
from the forest floor -
1:00 - 1:01to look at the sunlight.
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1:04 - 1:06And at the grand scale,
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1:06 - 1:09time lapse allows us to see
our planet in motion. -
1:11 - 1:14We can view not only
the vast sweep of nature, -
1:14 - 1:16but the restless movement of humanity.
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1:17 - 1:21Each streaking dot
represents a passenger plane, -
1:21 - 1:24and by turning air traffic data
into time-lapse imagery, -
1:24 - 1:27we can see something
that's above us constantly -
1:27 - 1:28but invisible:
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1:28 - 1:32the vast network of air travel
over the United States. -
1:34 - 1:36We can do the same thing
with ships at sea. -
1:37 - 1:42We can turn data into a time-lapse view
of a global economy in motion. -
1:50 - 1:53And decades of data give us
the view of our entire planet -
1:53 - 1:56as a single organism
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1:56 - 1:59sustained by currents circulating
throughout the oceans -
1:59 - 2:03and by clouds swirling
through the atmosphere, -
2:03 - 2:05pulsing with lightning,
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2:05 - 2:07crowned by the aurora Borealis.
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2:08 - 2:10It may be the ultimate time-lapse image:
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2:12 - 2:14the anatomy of Earth brought to life.
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2:20 - 2:21At the other extreme,
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2:21 - 2:25there are things that move
too fast for our eyes, -
2:25 - 2:28but we have technology
that can look into that world as well. -
2:32 - 2:33With high-speed cameras,
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2:33 - 2:35we can do the opposite of time lapse.
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2:35 - 2:36We can shoot images
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2:36 - 2:39that are thousands of times
faster than our vision. -
2:41 - 2:45And we can see how nature's
ingenious devices work, -
2:45 - 2:47and perhaps we can even imitate them.
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2:51 - 2:53When a dragonfly flutters by,
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2:53 - 2:55you may not realize,
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2:55 - 2:57but it's the greatest flier in nature.
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2:57 - 2:59It can hover, fly backwards,
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3:01 - 3:03even upside down.
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3:04 - 3:08And by tracking markers
on an insect's wings, -
3:08 - 3:10we can visualize the air flow
that they produce. -
3:11 - 3:13Nobody knew the secret,
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3:13 - 3:15but high speed shows that a dragonfly
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3:15 - 3:18can move all four wings
in different directions -
3:18 - 3:19at the same time.
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3:20 - 3:23And what we learn can lead us
to new kinds of robotic flyers -
3:23 - 3:25that can expand our vision
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3:25 - 3:27of important and remote places.
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3:32 - 3:34We're giants,
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3:34 - 3:37and we're unaware of things
that are too small for us to see. -
3:37 - 3:41The electron microscope
fires electrons which creates images -
3:41 - 3:44which can magnify things
by as much as a million times. -
3:45 - 3:47This is the egg of a butterfly.
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3:49 - 3:53And there are unseen creatures
living all over your body, -
3:53 - 3:55including mites
that spend their entire lives -
3:55 - 3:57dwelling on your eyelashes,
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3:57 - 3:59crawling over your skin at night.
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4:01 - 4:02Can you guess what this is?
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4:04 - 4:05Shark skin.
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4:08 - 4:09A caterpillar's mouth.
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4:12 - 4:14The eye of a fruit fly.
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4:17 - 4:18An eggshell.
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4:22 - 4:23A flea.
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4:27 - 4:29A snail's tongue.
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4:32 - 4:34We think we know
most of the animal kingdom, -
4:34 - 4:37but there may be millions of tiny species
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4:37 - 4:39waiting to be discovered.
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4:43 - 4:46A spider also has great secrets,
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4:46 - 4:49because spiders' silk thread
is pound for pound stronger than steel -
4:50 - 4:51but completely elastic.
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4:52 - 4:55This journey will take us
all the way down to the nano world. -
4:56 - 5:00The silk is 100 times thinner
than human hair. -
5:02 - 5:05On there is bacteria,
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5:05 - 5:08and near that bacteria, 10 times smaller,
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5:08 - 5:09a virus.
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5:11 - 5:15Inside of that, 10 times smaller,
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5:15 - 5:16three strands of DNA.
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5:18 - 5:21And nearing the limit
of our most powerful microscopes, -
5:21 - 5:23single carbon atoms.
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5:26 - 5:28With the tip of a powerful microscope,
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5:28 - 5:30we can actually move atoms
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5:30 - 5:33and begin to create amazing nano devices.
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5:36 - 5:40Some could one day patrol our body
for all kinds of diseases -
5:40 - 5:43and clean out clogged arteries
along the way. -
5:44 - 5:47Tiny chemical machines of the future
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5:47 - 5:50can one day, perhaps, repair DNA.
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5:51 - 5:54We are on the threshold
of extraordinary advances, -
5:54 - 5:58born of our drive
to unveil the mysteries of life. -
6:01 - 6:03So under an endless rain of cosmic dust,
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6:03 - 6:06the air is full of pollen,
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6:06 - 6:07micro-diamonds and jewels
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6:07 - 6:11from other planets
and supernova explosions. -
6:12 - 6:16People go about their lives
surrounded by the unseeable. -
6:19 - 6:22Knowing that there's so much
around us we can't see -
6:22 - 6:25forever changes
our understanding of the world, -
6:25 - 6:27and by looking at unseen worlds,
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6:27 - 6:29we recognize that we exist
in the living universe, -
6:29 - 6:32and this new perspective creates wonder
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6:32 - 6:35and inspires us to become explorers
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6:35 - 6:36in our own backyards.
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6:39 - 6:41Who knows what awaits to be seen
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6:41 - 6:44and what new wonders
will transform our lives. -
6:45 - 6:46We'll just have to see.
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6:50 - 6:54(Applause)
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6:54 - 6:56Thank you.
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6:56 - 6:59(Applause)
- Title:
- Hidden miracles of the natural world
- Speaker:
- Louie Schwartzberg
- Description:
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We live in a world of unseeable beauty, so subtle and delicate that it is imperceptible to the human eye. To bring this invisible world to light, filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg bends the boundaries of time and space with high-speed cameras, time lapses and microscopes. At TED2014, he shares highlights from his latest project, a 3D film titled "Mysteries of the Unseen World," which slows down, speeds up, and magnifies the astonishing wonders of nature.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 07:24
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for Hidden miracles of the natural world | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for Hidden miracles of the natural world | ||
Krystian Aparta commented on English subtitles for Hidden miracles of the natural world | ||
Yasushi Aoki commented on English subtitles for Hidden miracles of the natural world | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for Hidden miracles of the natural world | ||
Morton Bast approved English subtitles for Hidden miracles of the natural world | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for Hidden miracles of the natural world | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for Hidden miracles of the natural world |
Yasushi Aoki
Correction:
Knowing that there's so much around us we can see
#-> we can't see
Krystian Aparta
The English transcript was updated on 5/1/2015.