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Glass sponge gardens, bioluminescent octopus squid and a 150-foot siphonophore – the longest animal ever recorded – were just a few of the discoveries made aboard the research vessel Falkor off the coast of Western Australia earlier this year. Led by Nerida Wilson, senior research scientist at the Western Australian Museum, the expedition explored never-before-seen ocean canyons and coral reefs using a remotely controlled robotic vehicle capable of descending to depths of 4,500 metres. Accompanied by words of insight and wonder from the expedition’s scientists, this video offers both a rare look at bioluminescent deep-sea life and a glimpse into how the human impulse for exploration helps to drive scientific discovery.
Video by the Schmidt Ocean Institute
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Death
Even in modern secular societies, belief in an afterlife persists. Why?
9 minutes
video
Nature and landscape
Take a serene hike through an ancient forest, inspired by a Miyazaki masterpiece
6 minutes
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Design and fashion
The mundane becomes mesmerising in this deep dive into segmented displays
14 minutes
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Physics
A song of ice, fire and jelly – exploring the physics and history of the trumpet
9 minutes
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Animals and humans
An artist and ants collaborate on an exhibit of ‘tiny Abstract Expressionist paintings’
5 minutes
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Mathematics
How a curious question about colouring maps changed mathematics forever
9 minutes
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Physics
A dreamy tribute to the music of Brian Eno, rendered in paint, soap and water
2 minutes
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Biology
To understand how an animal sees the world, start with the shape of its pupils
5 minutes
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Technology and the self
Why we should worry less about ‘sentient’ AIs and more about what we’re teaching them
16 minutes