What's left to explore? - Nathan Wolfe
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Applause]
recently<00:00:16.760> I<00:00:16.920> visited<00:00:17.279> Beloit<00:00:17.720> Wisconsin<00:00:18.680> and
recently I visited Beloit Wisconsin and
recently I visited Beloit Wisconsin and
I<00:00:18.920> was<00:00:19.119> there<00:00:19.320> to<00:00:19.680> honor<00:00:20.000> a<00:00:20.160> great<00:00:20.359> 20th
I was there to honor a great 20th
I was there to honor a great 20th
century<00:00:21.279> Explorer<00:00:22.279> Roy<00:00:22.640> Chapman<00:00:23.279> Andrews
century Explorer Roy Chapman Andrews
century Explorer Roy Chapman Andrews
during<00:00:24.519> his<00:00:24.680> time<00:00:24.840> at<00:00:24.960> the<00:00:25.080> American<00:00:25.359> Museum
during his time at the American Museum
during his time at the American Museum
of<00:00:25.880> Natural<00:00:26.359> History<00:00:27.160> Andrews<00:00:27.519> led<00:00:27.760> a<00:00:28.039> range
of Natural History Andrews led a range
of Natural History Andrews led a range
of<00:00:28.760> expeditions<00:00:29.480> to<00:00:30.000> charted<00:00:30.400> regions<00:00:31.240> like
of expeditions to charted regions like
of expeditions to charted regions like
here<00:00:31.519> in<00:00:31.679> the<00:00:31.800> GOI<00:00:32.160> desert<00:00:32.880> he<00:00:33.000> was<00:00:33.239> quite<00:00:33.399> a
here in the GOI desert he was quite a
here in the GOI desert he was quite a
figure<00:00:34.200> he<00:00:34.320> was<00:00:34.480> later<00:00:35.040> it<00:00:35.200> said<00:00:35.600> the<00:00:35.760> basis<00:00:36.079> of
figure he was later it said the basis of
figure he was later it said the basis of
the<00:00:36.360> Indiana<00:00:36.760> Jones
the Indiana Jones
the Indiana Jones
character<00:00:38.800> and<00:00:38.960> when<00:00:39.079> I<00:00:39.160> was<00:00:39.280> in<00:00:39.399> bit
character and when I was in bit
character and when I was in bit
Wisconsin<00:00:40.320> I<00:00:40.480> gave<00:00:40.680> a<00:00:41.120> public<00:00:41.520> lecture<00:00:42.440> to<00:00:42.600> a
Wisconsin I gave a public lecture to a
Wisconsin I gave a public lecture to a
group<00:00:42.920> of<00:00:43.039> middle<00:00:43.360> school<00:00:43.760> students<00:00:44.760> and<00:00:44.879> I'm
group of middle school students and I'm
group of middle school students and I'm
here<00:00:45.160> to<00:00:45.320> tell<00:00:45.520> you<00:00:45.719> if<00:00:45.840> there's<00:00:46.120> anything
here to tell you if there's anything
here to tell you if there's anything
more<00:00:46.719> intimidating<00:00:47.320> than<00:00:47.520> talking<00:00:47.800> here<00:00:47.960> at
more intimidating than talking here at
more intimidating than talking here at
Ted<00:00:48.879> it'll<00:00:49.160> be<00:00:49.320> trying<00:00:49.520> to<00:00:49.680> hold<00:00:49.879> the
Ted it'll be trying to hold the
Ted it'll be trying to hold the
attention<00:00:50.559> of<00:00:50.680> a<00:00:50.840> group<00:00:51.039> of<00:00:51.160> a,<00:00:51.640> 12<00:00:51.920> year<00:00:52.120> olds
attention of a group of a, 12 year olds
attention of a group of a, 12 year olds
for<00:00:52.480> a<00:00:52.640> 45<00:00:53.079> minute<00:00:53.520> lecture<00:00:54.520> uh<00:00:54.800> don't<00:00:55.000> try
for a 45 minute lecture uh don't try
for a 45 minute lecture uh don't try
that<00:00:55.480> one<00:00:56.280> um<00:00:57.120> at<00:00:57.199> the<00:00:57.320> end<00:00:57.440> of<00:00:57.559> the<00:00:57.680> lecture
that one um at the end of the lecture
that one um at the end of the lecture
they<00:00:58.199> asked<00:00:58.480> a<00:00:58.600> number<00:00:58.840> of<00:00:59.079> questions<00:00:59.559> but
they asked a number of questions but
they asked a number of questions but
there<00:01:00.239> one<00:01:00.399> that's<00:01:00.680> really<00:01:01.039> stuck<00:01:01.440> with<00:01:01.640> me
there one that's really stuck with me
there one that's really stuck with me
since<00:01:02.600> then<00:01:02.800> there<00:01:02.920> was<00:01:03.039> a<00:01:03.199> young<00:01:03.440> girl<00:01:03.760> who
since then there was a young girl who
since then there was a young girl who
stood<00:01:04.239> up<00:01:04.879> and<00:01:05.000> she<00:01:05.199> asked<00:01:05.479> the<00:01:05.680> question
stood up and she asked the question
stood up and she asked the question
where<00:01:06.720> should<00:01:06.960> we<00:01:07.400> explore<00:01:08.400> I<00:01:08.479> think<00:01:08.640> there's
where should we explore I think there's
where should we explore I think there's
a<00:01:09.000> sense<00:01:09.240> that<00:01:09.400> many<00:01:09.600> of<00:01:09.720> us<00:01:10.040> have<00:01:10.280> that<00:01:10.439> the
a sense that many of us have that the
a sense that many of us have that the
great<00:01:10.920> Age<00:01:11.119> of<00:01:11.360> Exploration<00:01:12.040> on<00:01:12.240> Earth<00:01:12.520> is
great Age of Exploration on Earth is
great Age of Exploration on Earth is
over<00:01:13.799> that<00:01:13.920> for<00:01:14.080> the<00:01:14.240> next<00:01:14.479> Generation
over that for the next Generation
over that for the next Generation
they're<00:01:15.159> going<00:01:15.240> to<00:01:15.400> have<00:01:15.520> to<00:01:15.720> go<00:01:16.000> to<00:01:16.240> outer
they're going to have to go to outer
they're going to have to go to outer
space<00:01:16.920> or<00:01:17.119> the<00:01:17.240> deepest<00:01:17.640> oceans<00:01:18.080> in<00:01:18.159> order<00:01:18.400> to
space or the deepest oceans in order to
space or the deepest oceans in order to
find<00:01:18.880> something<00:01:19.280> significant<00:01:19.799> to<00:01:20.479> explore
find something significant to explore
find something significant to explore
but<00:01:21.640> is<00:01:21.799> that<00:01:22.000> really<00:01:22.320> the<00:01:22.680> case<00:01:23.680> is<00:01:23.799> there
but is that really the case is there
but is that really the case is there
really<00:01:24.280> nowhere<00:01:24.680> significant<00:01:25.200> for<00:01:25.360> us<00:01:25.479> to
really nowhere significant for us to
really nowhere significant for us to
explore<00:01:26.159> left<00:01:26.400> here<00:01:26.560> on<00:01:26.960> Earth<00:01:27.960> sort<00:01:28.159> of<00:01:28.280> made
explore left here on Earth sort of made
explore left here on Earth sort of made
me<00:01:28.600> think<00:01:28.840> back<00:01:28.960> to<00:01:29.079> one<00:01:29.200> of<00:01:29.320> my<00:01:29.439> favorite
me think back to one of my favorite
me think back to one of my favorite
explorers<00:01:30.600> in<00:01:30.759> the<00:01:30.920> history<00:01:31.240> of<00:01:31.479> biology<00:01:32.479> this
explorers in the history of biology this
explorers in the history of biology this
is<00:01:32.720> an<00:01:32.880> Explorer<00:01:33.280> of<00:01:33.360> the<00:01:33.479> Unseen<00:01:33.920> World
is an Explorer of the Unseen World
is an Explorer of the Unseen World
martinus<00:01:35.000> Bank<00:01:36.000> so<00:01:36.200> Bank<00:01:36.640> set<00:01:36.799> out<00:01:36.960> to
martinus Bank so Bank set out to
martinus Bank so Bank set out to
discover<00:01:37.560> the<00:01:37.880> cause<00:01:38.159> of<00:01:38.399> tobacco<00:01:38.920> Mosaic
discover the cause of tobacco Mosaic
discover the cause of tobacco Mosaic
disease<00:01:40.399> what<00:01:40.520> he<00:01:40.680> did<00:01:41.079> is<00:01:41.240> he<00:01:41.399> took<00:01:41.640> the
disease what he did is he took the
disease what he did is he took the
infected<00:01:42.360> juice<00:01:42.720> from<00:01:42.960> tobacco<00:01:43.439> plants<00:01:43.799> and
infected juice from tobacco plants and
infected juice from tobacco plants and
he<00:01:44.000> would<00:01:44.159> filter<00:01:44.479> it<00:01:44.600> through<00:01:44.840> smaller<00:01:45.200> and
he would filter it through smaller and
he would filter it through smaller and
smaller<00:01:46.119> filters<00:01:47.119> and<00:01:47.200> he<00:01:47.320> reached<00:01:47.640> the<00:01:47.840> point
smaller filters and he reached the point
smaller filters and he reached the point
where<00:01:48.360> he<00:01:48.520> felt<00:01:48.799> that<00:01:48.960> there<00:01:49.200> must<00:01:49.520> be
where he felt that there must be
where he felt that there must be
something<00:01:50.479> out<00:01:50.840> there<00:01:51.399> that<00:01:51.520> was<00:01:51.799> smaller
something out there that was smaller
something out there that was smaller
than<00:01:52.439> the<00:01:52.600> smallest<00:01:53.000> forms<00:01:53.320> of<00:01:53.520> life<00:01:53.799> that
than the smallest forms of life that
than the smallest forms of life that
were<00:01:54.119> ever<00:01:54.320> known<00:01:55.079> uh<00:01:55.240> bacteria<00:01:55.719> at<00:01:55.840> the<00:01:56.119> time
were ever known uh bacteria at the time
were ever known uh bacteria at the time
uh<00:01:57.240> he<00:01:57.399> came<00:01:57.560> up<00:01:57.759> with<00:01:58.200> a<00:01:58.399> name<00:01:58.640> for<00:01:58.840> his
uh he came up with a name for his
uh he came up with a name for his
mystery<00:01:59.360> agent<00:01:59.680> he<00:02:00.039> called<00:02:00.280> it<00:02:00.960> the<00:02:01.399> virus<00:02:02.399> uh
mystery agent he called it the virus uh
mystery agent he called it the virus uh
Latin<00:02:02.920> for
Latin for
Latin for
poison<00:02:04.920> and<00:02:05.119> in<00:02:05.320> sort<00:02:05.479> of<00:02:05.680> uncovering<00:02:06.439> viruses
poison and in sort of uncovering viruses
poison and in sort of uncovering viruses
really<00:02:08.200> opened<00:02:08.560> this<00:02:08.759> entire<00:02:09.200> new<00:02:09.440> world
really opened this entire new world
really opened this entire new world
for<00:02:10.080> us<00:02:10.720> we<00:02:10.879> now<00:02:11.039> know<00:02:11.239> that<00:02:11.440> viruses<00:02:11.959> make<00:02:12.160> up
for us we now know that viruses make up
for us we now know that viruses make up
the<00:02:12.599> majority<00:02:12.959> of<00:02:13.040> the<00:02:13.200> genetic<00:02:13.599> information
the majority of the genetic information
the majority of the genetic information
on<00:02:14.319> our<00:02:14.560> planet<00:02:14.920> more<00:02:15.120> than<00:02:15.280> the<00:02:15.400> genetic
on our planet more than the genetic
on our planet more than the genetic
information<00:02:16.239> and<00:02:16.440> all<00:02:16.640> other<00:02:16.840> forms<00:02:17.120> of<00:02:17.319> life
information and all other forms of life
information and all other forms of life
combined<00:02:18.800> and<00:02:19.000> obviously<00:02:19.360> there's<00:02:19.560> been
combined and obviously there's been
combined and obviously there's been
tremendous<00:02:20.319> practical<00:02:20.760> applications
tremendous practical applications
tremendous practical applications
associated<00:02:22.000> with<00:02:22.160> this<00:02:22.280> world<00:02:22.640> things<00:02:22.879> like
associated with this world things like
associated with this world things like
the<00:02:23.160> eradication<00:02:23.720> of<00:02:23.920> small<00:02:24.599> poox<00:02:25.599> uh<00:02:26.200> the
the eradication of small poox uh the
the eradication of small poox uh the
Advent<00:02:26.840> of<00:02:26.959> a<00:02:27.120> vaccine<00:02:27.560> against<00:02:27.800> cervical
Advent of a vaccine against cervical
Advent of a vaccine against cervical
cancer<00:02:28.920> which<00:02:29.040> we<00:02:29.200> now<00:02:29.360> know<00:02:29.560> is<00:02:29.680> most<00:02:29.879> most
cancer which we now know is most most
cancer which we now know is most most
caused<00:02:30.440> by<00:02:30.599> human<00:02:30.959> papiloma<00:02:31.800> virus<00:02:32.800> and
caused by human papiloma virus and
caused by human papiloma virus and
Byron's<00:02:33.800> Discovery<00:02:34.160> this<00:02:34.239> was<00:02:34.400> not<00:02:34.560> something
Byron's Discovery this was not something
Byron's Discovery this was not something
that<00:02:34.920> occurred<00:02:35.319> 500<00:02:35.879> years<00:02:36.160> ago<00:02:37.160> a<00:02:37.280> little<00:02:37.599> it
that occurred 500 years ago a little it
that occurred 500 years ago a little it
was<00:02:37.840> a<00:02:37.959> little<00:02:38.239> over<00:02:38.519> a<00:02:38.720> hundred<00:02:39.040> years<00:02:39.319> ago
was a little over a hundred years ago
was a little over a hundred years ago
that<00:02:40.800> discovered<00:02:41.159> viruses<00:02:42.040> so
that discovered viruses so
that discovered viruses so
basically<00:02:42.680> we<00:02:42.800> had<00:02:43.000> automobiles<00:02:43.760> but<00:02:43.879> we<00:02:43.959> were
basically we had automobiles but we were
basically we had automobiles but we were
unaware<00:02:44.640> of<00:02:44.920> the<00:02:45.280> forms<00:02:45.640> of<00:02:45.879> life<00:02:46.040> that<00:02:46.200> make
unaware of the forms of life that make
unaware of the forms of life that make
up<00:02:46.519> most<00:02:46.640> of<00:02:46.720> the<00:02:46.840> genetic<00:02:47.239> information<00:02:47.680> on
up most of the genetic information on
up most of the genetic information on
our<00:02:48.480> planet<00:02:49.480> we<00:02:49.640> now<00:02:49.760> have<00:02:49.959> these<00:02:50.200> amazing
our planet we now have these amazing
our planet we now have these amazing
tools<00:02:51.159> to<00:02:51.319> allow<00:02:51.560> us<00:02:51.720> to<00:02:51.920> explore<00:02:52.400> the<00:02:52.560> Unseen
tools to allow us to explore the Unseen
tools to allow us to explore the Unseen
World<00:02:54.120> things<00:02:54.360> like<00:02:54.599> deep<00:02:54.879> sequencing<00:02:55.560> which
World things like deep sequencing which
World things like deep sequencing which
allow<00:02:55.959> us<00:02:56.080> to<00:02:56.239> do<00:02:56.440> much<00:02:56.720> more<00:02:57.000> than<00:02:57.200> just<00:02:57.319> sort
allow us to do much more than just sort
allow us to do much more than just sort
of<00:02:58.000> skim<00:02:58.360> the<00:02:58.560> surface<00:02:59.040> and<00:02:59.200> look<00:02:59.360> at<00:02:59.560> IND
of skim the surface and look at IND
of skim the surface and look at IND
individual<00:03:00.319> genomes<00:03:00.840> from<00:03:01.040> a<00:03:01.239> particular
individual genomes from a particular
individual genomes from a particular
species<00:03:02.440> but<00:03:02.560> to<00:03:02.720> look<00:03:02.840> at<00:03:03.000> entire
species but to look at entire
species but to look at entire
metagenomes<00:03:04.840> the<00:03:05.040> communities<00:03:05.720> of<00:03:05.879> teaming
metagenomes the communities of teaming
metagenomes the communities of teaming
microorganisms<00:03:07.519> in<00:03:07.840> on<00:03:08.040> and<00:03:08.280> around<00:03:08.599> us<00:03:08.799> and
microorganisms in on and around us and
microorganisms in on and around us and
to<00:03:09.120> document<00:03:09.560> all<00:03:09.680> of<00:03:09.799> the<00:03:09.920> genetic
to document all of the genetic
to document all of the genetic
information<00:03:11.319> in<00:03:11.480> these<00:03:11.720> species<00:03:12.640> we<00:03:12.720> can
information in these species we can
information in these species we can
apply<00:03:13.319> these<00:03:13.560> techniques<00:03:14.040> to<00:03:14.239> things<00:03:14.560> from
apply these techniques to things from
apply these techniques to things from
soil<00:03:15.799> to<00:03:16.040> skin<00:03:16.440> and<00:03:16.680> everything<00:03:17.080> in<00:03:17.440> between
soil to skin and everything in between
soil to skin and everything in between
uh<00:03:18.560> in<00:03:18.640> my<00:03:18.799> organization<00:03:19.360> we<00:03:19.480> now<00:03:19.640> do<00:03:19.840> this<00:03:20.159> on
uh in my organization we now do this on
uh in my organization we now do this on
a<00:03:20.440> regular<00:03:20.879> basis<00:03:21.239> to<00:03:21.799> identify<00:03:22.799> uh<00:03:22.920> the
a regular basis to identify uh the
a regular basis to identify uh the
causes<00:03:23.440> of<00:03:23.599> outbreaks<00:03:24.159> that<00:03:24.280> are<00:03:24.440> sort<00:03:24.599> of
causes of outbreaks that are sort of
causes of outbreaks that are sort of
unclear<00:03:25.360> exactly<00:03:25.799> what<00:03:25.959> causes<00:03:26.480> them<00:03:27.319> and
unclear exactly what causes them and
unclear exactly what causes them and
just<00:03:27.519> to<00:03:27.680> give<00:03:27.760> you<00:03:27.879> a<00:03:28.000> sense<00:03:28.200> of<00:03:28.360> how<00:03:28.519> this
just to give you a sense of how this
just to give you a sense of how this
works<00:03:29.640> um<00:03:29.920> imagine<00:03:30.319> that<00:03:30.439> we<00:03:30.560> took<00:03:30.720> a<00:03:30.879> nasal
works um imagine that we took a nasal
works um imagine that we took a nasal
swab<00:03:31.599> from<00:03:31.799> every<00:03:32.000> single<00:03:32.280> one<00:03:32.400> of<00:03:32.519> you<00:03:32.680> and
swab from every single one of you and
swab from every single one of you and
this<00:03:32.879> is<00:03:33.000> something<00:03:33.239> we<00:03:33.400> commonly<00:03:33.720> do<00:03:33.879> to<00:03:34.040> look
this is something we commonly do to look
this is something we commonly do to look
for<00:03:34.439> Respiratory<00:03:35.000> viruses<00:03:35.439> like<00:03:36.120> influenza
for Respiratory viruses like influenza
for Respiratory viruses like influenza
the<00:03:37.239> first<00:03:37.439> thing<00:03:37.560> that<00:03:37.760> we<00:03:37.879> would<00:03:38.120> see<00:03:38.799> is<00:03:38.920> a
the first thing that we would see is a
the first thing that we would see is a
tremendous<00:03:39.840> amount<00:03:40.080> of<00:03:40.280> genetic<00:03:40.959> information
tremendous amount of genetic information
tremendous amount of genetic information
and<00:03:42.159> if<00:03:42.239> we<00:03:42.360> started<00:03:42.720> looking<00:03:43.000> into<00:03:43.280> that
and if we started looking into that
and if we started looking into that
genetic<00:03:43.840> information<00:03:44.280> we'd<00:03:44.480> see<00:03:44.599> a<00:03:44.680> number<00:03:44.879> of
genetic information we'd see a number of
genetic information we'd see a number of
Usual<00:03:45.439> Suspects<00:03:45.920> out<00:03:46.120> there<00:03:46.280> of<00:03:46.400> course<00:03:46.599> a<00:03:46.720> lot
Usual Suspects out there of course a lot
Usual Suspects out there of course a lot
of<00:03:47.000> human<00:03:47.280> genetic<00:03:47.720> information<00:03:48.599> but<00:03:48.760> also
of human genetic information but also
of human genetic information but also
bacterial<00:03:49.560> and<00:03:49.760> viral<00:03:50.120> information<00:03:51.000> mostly
bacterial and viral information mostly
bacterial and viral information mostly
from<00:03:51.560> things<00:03:51.799> that<00:03:51.920> are<00:03:52.120> completely<00:03:52.680> harmless
from things that are completely harmless
from things that are completely harmless
within<00:03:53.400> your<00:03:53.599> nose<00:03:54.599> but<00:03:54.720> we'd<00:03:54.959> also<00:03:55.159> see
within your nose but we'd also see
within your nose but we'd also see
something<00:03:55.760> very<00:03:56.000> very<00:03:56.640> surprising<00:03:57.640> as<00:03:57.760> we
something very very surprising as we
something very very surprising as we
started<00:03:58.159> to<00:03:58.360> look<00:03:58.519> at<00:03:58.680> this<00:03:58.879> information<00:03:59.400> we
started to look at this information we
started to look at this information we
would<00:03:59.840> see<00:04:00.000> that<00:04:00.159> about<00:04:00.799> 20%<00:04:01.799> of<00:04:01.879> the<00:04:02.040> genetic
would see that about 20% of the genetic
would see that about 20% of the genetic
information<00:04:02.920> in<00:04:03.040> your<00:04:03.200> nose<00:04:03.599> doesn't<00:04:04.040> match
information in your nose doesn't match
information in your nose doesn't match
anything<00:04:04.840> that<00:04:04.959> we've<00:04:05.200> ever<00:04:05.400> seen<00:04:05.879> before<00:04:06.720> no
anything that we've ever seen before no
anything that we've ever seen before no
plant<00:04:07.360> animal<00:04:07.760> fungus<00:04:08.360> virus<00:04:08.640> or<00:04:09.280> bacteria
plant animal fungus virus or bacteria
plant animal fungus virus or bacteria
basically<00:04:10.760> we<00:04:10.920> have<00:04:11.239> no<00:04:11.640> clue<00:04:12.000> what<00:04:12.200> this<00:04:12.879> is
basically we have no clue what this is
basically we have no clue what this is
and<00:04:14.159> for<00:04:14.319> the<00:04:14.480> small<00:04:14.799> group<00:04:15.079> of<00:04:15.239> us<00:04:15.439> who
and for the small group of us who
and for the small group of us who
actually<00:04:16.000> study<00:04:16.400> this<00:04:16.560> kind<00:04:16.720> of<00:04:16.919> data<00:04:17.519> a<00:04:17.639> few
actually study this kind of data a few
actually study this kind of data a few
of<00:04:17.959> us<00:04:18.160> have<00:04:18.400> actually<00:04:18.799> be<00:04:19.040> begun<00:04:19.320> to<00:04:19.560> call
of us have actually be begun to call
of us have actually be begun to call
this<00:04:20.560> information<00:04:21.560> biological<00:04:22.280> dark<00:04:22.639> matter
this information biological dark matter
this information biological dark matter
we<00:04:23.880> know<00:04:24.080> it's<00:04:24.360> not<00:04:24.720> anything<00:04:25.040> that<00:04:25.160> we've
we know it's not anything that we've
we know it's not anything that we've
seen<00:04:25.759> before<00:04:26.280> it's<00:04:26.400> sort<00:04:26.560> of<00:04:26.720> the<00:04:26.919> equivalent
seen before it's sort of the equivalent
seen before it's sort of the equivalent
of<00:04:27.560> an<00:04:27.720> Uncharted<00:04:28.720> continent<00:04:29.800> right<00:04:30.080> within
of an Uncharted continent right within
of an Uncharted continent right within
our<00:04:30.520> own<00:04:30.800> genetic<00:04:31.280> information<00:04:32.199> and<00:04:32.320> there's
our own genetic information and there's
our own genetic information and there's
a<00:04:32.680> lot<00:04:32.840> of<00:04:33.000> it<00:04:33.800> if<00:04:33.919> you<00:04:34.039> think<00:04:34.240> 20%<00:04:34.800> of<00:04:34.960> genetic
a lot of it if you think 20% of genetic
a lot of it if you think 20% of genetic
information<00:04:35.840> your<00:04:35.960> nose<00:04:36.320> is<00:04:36.479> a<00:04:36.639> lot<00:04:37.520> uh
information your nose is a lot uh
information your nose is a lot uh
biological<00:04:38.400> dark<00:04:38.600> matter<00:04:38.840> if<00:04:38.919> we<00:04:39.039> looked<00:04:39.240> at
biological dark matter if we looked at
biological dark matter if we looked at
your<00:04:39.600> gut<00:04:40.000> up<00:04:40.120> to<00:04:40.280> 40<00:04:40.600> or<00:04:40.759> 50%<00:04:41.320> of<00:04:41.479> that
your gut up to 40 or 50% of that
your gut up to 40 or 50% of that
information<00:04:42.120> is<00:04:42.360> biological<00:04:43.000> dark<00:04:43.280> matter
information is biological dark matter
information is biological dark matter
and<00:04:44.280> even<00:04:44.440> in<00:04:44.600> the<00:04:44.759> relatively<00:04:45.240> sterile<00:04:45.840> blood
and even in the relatively sterile blood
and even in the relatively sterile blood
around<00:04:46.919> 1<00:04:47.160> to<00:04:47.320> 2%<00:04:47.759> of<00:04:47.919> this<00:04:48.080> information<00:04:48.560> is
around 1 to 2% of this information is
around 1 to 2% of this information is
dark<00:04:49.039> matter<00:04:49.479> can't<00:04:49.639> be<00:04:49.880> classified<00:04:50.520> can't<00:04:50.720> be
dark matter can't be classified can't be
dark matter can't be classified can't be
typed<00:04:51.199> or<00:04:51.280> mashed<00:04:51.639> with<00:04:51.800> anything<00:04:52.080> that<00:04:52.199> we've
typed or mashed with anything that we've
typed or mashed with anything that we've
seen
seen
seen
before<00:04:54.759> at<00:04:54.880> first<00:04:55.120> we<00:04:55.240> thought<00:04:55.440> that<00:04:55.600> perhaps
before at first we thought that perhaps
before at first we thought that perhaps
this<00:04:56.039> was<00:04:56.240> artifact<00:04:56.880> right<00:04:57.000> these<00:04:57.160> deep
this was artifact right these deep
this was artifact right these deep
sequencing<00:04:57.880> tools<00:04:58.240> are<00:04:58.440> relatively<00:04:59.039> new<00:04:59.880> but
sequencing tools are relatively new but
sequencing tools are relatively new but
as<00:05:00.199> they've<00:05:00.440> become<00:05:00.720> more<00:05:00.880> and<00:05:01.039> more<00:05:01.400> accurate
as they've become more and more accurate
as they've become more and more accurate
we've<00:05:02.560> determined<00:05:03.080> that<00:05:03.240> this<00:05:03.440> information
we've determined that this information
we've determined that this information
is<00:05:04.440> a<00:05:04.600> form<00:05:04.880> of<00:05:05.080> life<00:05:05.280> or<00:05:05.440> at<00:05:05.520> least<00:05:05.720> some<00:05:05.880> of<00:05:06.000> it
is a form of life or at least some of it
is a form of life or at least some of it
is<00:05:06.280> a<00:05:06.400> form<00:05:06.639> of<00:05:07.080> life<00:05:08.080> and<00:05:08.240> while<00:05:08.400> the
is a form of life and while the
is a form of life and while the
hypotheses<00:05:09.759> for<00:05:10.080> explaining<00:05:10.560> the<00:05:10.759> existence
hypotheses for explaining the existence
hypotheses for explaining the existence
of<00:05:11.280> biological<00:05:11.840> Dark<00:05:12.080> Matter<00:05:12.400> are<00:05:12.600> really
of biological Dark Matter are really
of biological Dark Matter are really
only<00:05:13.199> in<00:05:13.360> their<00:05:13.600> infancy<00:05:14.400> there's<00:05:14.560> a<00:05:14.919> very
only in their infancy there's a very
only in their infancy there's a very
very<00:05:15.520> exciting<00:05:16.080> possibility<00:05:16.720> that<00:05:17.319> exists
very exciting possibility that exists
very exciting possibility that exists
that<00:05:18.520> buried<00:05:18.919> in<00:05:19.120> this<00:05:19.440> life<00:05:19.800> are<00:05:20.160> signatures
that buried in this life are signatures
that buried in this life are signatures
and<00:05:20.960> this<00:05:21.120> genetic<00:05:21.479> information<00:05:21.960> are
and this genetic information are
and this genetic information are
signatures<00:05:23.199> of<00:05:23.400> as<00:05:23.600> of<00:05:23.880> yet<00:05:24.120> unidentified
signatures of as of yet unidentified
signatures of as of yet unidentified
life<00:05:26.319> that<00:05:26.520> as<00:05:26.680> we<00:05:26.919> explor<00:05:27.560> these<00:05:27.759> strings<00:05:28.120> of
life that as we explor these strings of
life that as we explor these strings of
A's<00:05:28.680> T's<00:05:29.000> C's<00:05:29.280> and<00:05:29.400> G
A's T's C's and G
A's T's C's and G
we<00:05:30.720> may<00:05:30.919> uncover<00:05:31.360> a<00:05:31.479> completely<00:05:31.919> new<00:05:32.240> class<00:05:32.520> of
we may uncover a completely new class of
we may uncover a completely new class of
life<00:05:33.520> that<00:05:33.680> like<00:05:33.880> biank<00:05:34.440> will<00:05:34.639> fundamentally
life that like biank will fundamentally
life that like biank will fundamentally
change<00:05:35.680> the<00:05:35.840> way<00:05:36.000> that<00:05:36.120> we<00:05:36.319> think<00:05:36.560> about<00:05:36.759> the
change the way that we think about the
change the way that we think about the
nature<00:05:37.199> of<00:05:37.560> biology<00:05:38.560> that<00:05:38.759> perhaps<00:05:39.120> will
nature of biology that perhaps will
nature of biology that perhaps will
allow<00:05:39.600> us<00:05:39.720> to<00:05:39.919> identify<00:05:40.479> the<00:05:40.639> cause<00:05:40.880> of<00:05:41.000> a
allow us to identify the cause of a
allow us to identify the cause of a
cancer<00:05:41.520> that<00:05:41.680> afflicts<00:05:42.120> us<00:05:42.680> or<00:05:42.880> identify<00:05:43.479> the
cancer that afflicts us or identify the
cancer that afflicts us or identify the
source<00:05:43.919> of<00:05:44.080> an<00:05:44.280> outbreak<00:05:44.680> that<00:05:44.800> we<00:05:44.960> ar
source of an outbreak that we ar
source of an outbreak that we ar
familiar<00:05:45.720> with<00:05:45.840> or<00:05:46.039> perhaps<00:05:46.360> create<00:05:46.600> a<00:05:46.720> new
familiar with or perhaps create a new
familiar with or perhaps create a new
tool<00:05:47.160> in<00:05:47.319> molecular<00:05:48.280> biology<00:05:49.280> I'm<00:05:49.400> pleased<00:05:49.680> to
tool in molecular biology I'm pleased to
tool in molecular biology I'm pleased to
announce<00:05:50.240> that<00:05:50.400> along<00:05:50.759> with<00:05:51.600> colleagues<00:05:52.360> at
announce that along with colleagues at
announce that along with colleagues at
Stanford<00:05:53.319> and<00:05:53.520> calac<00:05:54.120> and<00:05:54.360> UCSF<00:05:55.360> we're
Stanford and calac and UCSF we're
Stanford and calac and UCSF we're
currently<00:05:55.840> starting<00:05:56.120> an<00:05:56.319> initiative<00:05:56.919> to
currently starting an initiative to
currently starting an initiative to
explore<00:05:57.720> biological<00:05:58.319> dark<00:05:58.560> matter<00:05:58.840> for<00:05:59.000> the
explore biological dark matter for the
explore biological dark matter for the
existence<00:05:59.479> of<00:05:59.639> of<00:05:59.759> new<00:05:59.960> forms<00:06:00.240> of<00:06:00.680> life<00:06:01.680> a
existence of of new forms of life a
existence of of new forms of life a
little<00:06:02.000> over<00:06:02.400> hundred<00:06:02.720> years<00:06:02.960> ago<00:06:03.280> people
little over hundred years ago people
little over hundred years ago people
were<00:06:03.960> unaware<00:06:04.960> of<00:06:05.240> viruses<00:06:06.240> the<00:06:06.360> forms<00:06:06.639> of
were unaware of viruses the forms of
were unaware of viruses the forms of
life<00:06:07.080> that<00:06:07.199> make<00:06:07.360> up<00:06:07.599> most<00:06:07.759> of<00:06:07.880> the<00:06:08.039> genetic
life that make up most of the genetic
life that make up most of the genetic
information<00:06:08.919> on<00:06:09.080> our<00:06:09.560> planet<00:06:10.560> 100<00:06:10.800> years<00:06:11.039> from
information on our planet 100 years from
information on our planet 100 years from
now<00:06:11.560> people<00:06:11.840> may<00:06:12.120> Marvel<00:06:13.080> that<00:06:13.199> we<00:06:13.319> were
now people may Marvel that we were
now people may Marvel that we were
perhaps<00:06:13.960> completely<00:06:14.479> unaware<00:06:14.960> of<00:06:15.039> a<00:06:15.160> new
perhaps completely unaware of a new
perhaps completely unaware of a new
class<00:06:15.720> of<00:06:16.000> life<00:06:16.560> that<00:06:16.720> literally<00:06:17.160> was<00:06:17.400> right
class of life that literally was right
class of life that literally was right
under<00:06:17.800> our
under our
under our
noses<00:06:19.680> it's<00:06:19.919> true<00:06:20.280> we<00:06:20.400> may<00:06:20.560> have<00:06:20.720> charted<00:06:21.160> all
noses it's true we may have charted all
noses it's true we may have charted all
the<00:06:21.479> continents<00:06:21.919> on<00:06:22.080> the<00:06:22.360> planet<00:06:23.360> and<00:06:23.599> we<00:06:23.720> may
the continents on the planet and we may
the continents on the planet and we may
have<00:06:24.160> discovered<00:06:24.400> all<00:06:24.560> the<00:06:24.680> mammals<00:06:25.120> that<00:06:25.240> are
have discovered all the mammals that are
have discovered all the mammals that are
out<00:06:25.759> there<00:06:26.360> but<00:06:26.520> that<00:06:26.639> doesn't<00:06:26.919> mean<00:06:27.120> that
out there but that doesn't mean that
out there but that doesn't mean that
there's<00:06:27.520> nothing<00:06:27.840> left<00:06:28.000> to<00:06:28.240> explore<00:06:28.599> on<00:06:28.840> Earth
there's nothing left to explore on Earth
there's nothing left to explore on Earth
bank<00:06:30.280> and<00:06:30.440> His<00:06:30.720> Kind<00:06:31.560> provide<00:06:31.880> an<00:06:32.080> important
bank and His Kind provide an important
bank and His Kind provide an important
lesson<00:06:32.919> for<00:06:33.120> the<00:06:33.280> next<00:06:33.560> generation<00:06:34.120> of
lesson for the next generation of
lesson for the next generation of
explorers<00:06:35.479> people<00:06:35.759> like<00:06:35.919> that<00:06:36.120> young<00:06:36.360> girl
explorers people like that young girl
explorers people like that young girl
from<00:06:36.880> booy
from booy
from booy
Wisconsin<00:06:39.000> and<00:06:39.160> I<00:06:39.280> think<00:06:39.840> if<00:06:39.919> we<00:06:40.120> phrase<00:06:40.520> that
Wisconsin and I think if we phrase that
Wisconsin and I think if we phrase that
lesson<00:06:41.000> it's<00:06:41.160> something<00:06:41.520> like<00:06:41.800> this<00:06:42.759> don't
lesson it's something like this don't
lesson it's something like this don't
assume<00:06:43.440> that<00:06:43.599> what<00:06:43.720> we<00:06:43.880> currently<00:06:44.280> think<00:06:44.479> is
assume that what we currently think is
assume that what we currently think is
out<00:06:44.919> there<00:06:45.080> as<00:06:45.240> the<00:06:45.360> full<00:06:45.960> story<00:06:46.960> go<00:06:47.199> after<00:06:47.440> the
out there as the full story go after the
out there as the full story go after the
dark<00:06:47.919> matter<00:06:48.800> in<00:06:49.000> whatever<00:06:49.280> field<00:06:49.639> you<00:06:49.759> choose
dark matter in whatever field you choose
dark matter in whatever field you choose
to<00:06:50.800> explore<00:06:51.800> there<00:06:51.919> are<00:06:52.039> unknowns<00:06:52.599> all<00:06:52.800> around
to explore there are unknowns all around
to explore there are unknowns all around
us<00:06:53.919> and<00:06:54.039> they're<00:06:54.199> just<00:06:54.319> waiting<00:06:54.599> to<00:06:54.759> be
us and they're just waiting to be
us and they're just waiting to be
discovered<00:06:56.319> thank<00:06:56.520> you
discovered thank you
discovered thank you
[Music]
Nathan Wolfe, exploration, moon, ocean, biology, TED, TED-Ed, TED, Ed, TEDEducation
