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The scientific practice of Kiana Frank, a microbiologist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, melds contemporary techniques of empirical data-collection with Indigenous knowledge born of her Native Hawaiian heritage. In Decoding Ancestral Knowledge, Frank recalls how an ancient Hawaiian myth, handed down through oral tradition, led her to a scientific breakthrough with meaningful implications for managing and restoring local fishponds. Told via a combination of in-the-lab and in-the-field footage, as well as a touch of paper puppetry, the short documentary offers an intriguing look at how ancient ways of understanding the natural world can help shape a better future.
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Architecture
The celebrated architect who took inspiration from sitting, waiting and contemplating
29 minutes
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Anthropology
Why are witchcraft accusations so common across human societies?
4 minutes
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Wellbeing
Born in China, Zee seeks a gender-affirming life in the American Midwest
11 minutes
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Chemistry
Why do the building blocks of life possess a mysterious symmetry?
12 minutes
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Rituals and celebrations
A whale hunt is an act of prayer for an Inuit community north of the Arctic Circle
8 minutes
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Cosmology
Tiny, entangled universes that form or fizzle out – a theory of the quantum multiverse
11 minutes
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Rituals and celebrations
A beginner’s guide to a joyful Persian tradition of spring renewal and rebirth
3 minutes
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Astronomy
The history of astronomy is a history of conjuring intelligent life where it isn’t
34 minutes
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Politics and government
How it looked to Afghan women to see the Taliban return to power
33 minutes