How AI is unearthing hidden scientific knowledge | Sara Beery
Ecologist and AI researcher Sarah Beery explains how vast ecological databases like iNaturalist contain far more information than simple species sightings, including individual identification, species interactions, vegetation, and food webs. She describes how her team at MIT built an AI-powered system called Inquire that lets scientists search millions of images using natural language queries to rapidly extract research-ready datasets, dramatically accelerating ecological discovery. The talk closes with a call for widespread citizen participation in data collection to help build a more complete, actionable picture of life on Earth and support conservation in the face of the biodiversity crisis.
The thrill of not knowing all the answers | Harini Bhat
On TED Talks Daily, scientist and storyteller Harini Bhatt describes how embracing not knowing transformed her from a self-described "wannabe know-it-all" into the creator of the YouTube channel Today I Learned Science. She shares how following her curiosity about the Teotihuacan pyramids led to her first viral video and a mission to translate rigorous scientific research into captivating stories for everyone. Through striking examples-from a brain turned to glass, to new ideas about the origins of life, to watching an embryo implant in real time-she argues that science belongs to anyone willing to stay gloriously curious and keep asking why.