An ambitious plan to explore our oceans, and more news from TED speakers

 

The past few weeks have brimmed over with TED-related news. Below, some highlights.

Exploring the ocean like never before. A school of ocean-loving TED speakers have teamed up to launch OceanX, an international initiative dedicated to discovering more of our oceans in an effort to “inspire a human connection to the sea.” The coalition is supported by Bridgewater Capital’s Ray Dalio, along with luminaries like ocean explorer Sylvia Earle and filmmaker James Cameron, and partners such as BBC Studios, the American Museum of Natural History and the National Geographic Society. The coalition is now looking for ideas for scientific research missions in 2019, exploring the Norwegian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Dalio’s son Mark leads the media arm of the venture; from virtual reality demonstrations in classrooms to film and TV releases like the BBC show Blue Planet II and its follow-up film Oceans: Our Blue Planet, OceanX plans to build an engaged global community that seeks to “enjoy, understand and protect our oceans.” (Watch Dalio’s TED Talk, Earle’s TED Talk and Cameron’s TED Talk.)

The Ebola vaccine that’s saving lives. In response to the recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, GAVI — the Vaccine Alliance, led by Seth Berkeley — has deployed thousands of experimental vaccines in an outbreak control strategy. The vaccines were produced as part of a partnership between GAVI and Merck, a pharmaceutical company, committed to proactively developing and producing vaccines in case of a future Ebola epidemic. In his TED Talk, Berkeley spoke of the drastic dangers of global disease and the preventative measures necessary to ensure we are prepared for future outbreaks. (Watch his TED Talk and read our in-depth interview with Berkeley.)

A fascinating new study on the halo effect. Does knowing someone’s political leanings change how you gauge their skills? Cognitive neurologist Tali Sharot and lawyer Cass R. Sunstein shared insights from their latest research answering the question in The New York Times. Alongside a team from University College London and Harvard Law School, Sharot conducted an experiment testing whether knowing someone’s political leanings affected how we would engage and trust in other non-political aspects of their lives. The study found that people were more willing to trust someone who had the same political beliefs as them — even in completely unrelated fields, like dentistry or architecture. These findings have wide-reaching implications and can further our understanding of the social and political landscape. (Watch Sharot’s TED Talk on optimism bias).

A new essay anthology on rape culture. Roxane Gay’s newest book, Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture, was released in May to critical and commercial acclaim. The essay collection, edited and introduced by Gay, features first-person narratives on the realities and effects of harassment, assault and rape. With essays from 29 contributors, including actors Gabrielle Union and Amy Jo Burns, and writers Claire Schwartz and Lynn Melnick, Not That Bad offers feminist insights into the national and global dialogue on sexual violence. (Watch Gay’s TED Talk.)

One million pairs of 3D-printed sneakers. At TED2015, Carbon founder and CEO Joseph DeSimone displayed the latest 3D printing technology, explaining its seemingly endless applications for reshaping the future of manufacturing. Now, Carbon has partnered with Adidas for a bold new vision to 3D-print 100,000 pairs of sneakers by the end of 2018, with plans to ramp up production to millions. The company’s “Digital Light Synthesis” technique, which uses light and oxygen to fabricate materials from pools of resin, significantly streamlines manufacturing from traditional 3D-printing processes — a technology Adidas considers “revolutionary.” (Watch DeSimone’s TED Talk.)