Some might think that humanity explored already everything that was possible on this Earth. And that now we can only look up into skies and cosmos. But it obviously seems not to be true. On our planet, there are still millions of possibilities to explore the unexplored.

I was always interested in myths, legends, fairy tales, which were the basis of my childhood. And this childish fascination evolved in curiosity about how those ancient tales influence our lives. Among us, there are many people that still believe that legends are alive, but they are not satisfied only with beliefs. They act and use all their skills to discover if the tale was actually a truth.

Explore the unexplored: ideas worth spreading

TED’s events gather people like this. This worldwide organization spread the best ideas and inventions from Technology, Education and Development fields, so anyone can benefit the knowledge and optimism of its speakers.

I discovered TED on my studies and since then it is my best source of innovative ideas that make me excited each time I listen to a new talk. Every time when I have a small personal crisis, I go to TED’s website, look for a promising speech and listen. After that, I recover my faith in people and the future.

So today I prepared for you a list of crazy exciting TED talks that will immediately inspire you to travel, discover and explore the unexplored. Listen to those people which were chasing their dreams of making the legends alive and spreading the knowledge they gained.

Plenty of recorded speeches is equipped with subtitles in different languages. All you need to do is to click on the speech cloud in the right bottom corner.

1. Looking for vampires in deep oceans

8 minutes watching

As I mentioned above, there is still a lot to discover here, on Earth. You do not need to travel the cosmos to see an amazing, hard to access world. Our Blue Planet is covered with oceans in 70%. That is so much that it is hard to imagine.

David Gallo invites us for an underwater adventure when we will observe creatures that could be considered as aliens. Let yourself be surprised by the amount and diversity of life just a few kilometers below the water surface.

And check out who has got the eyes in… a place that no one should look at.

2. The inexplicable phenomenon of a sacred, boiling river

15 minutes watching

I am pretty sure you have heard about El Dorado – a legendary city built of gold. According to some scientists, if it really exists, it is probably located somewhere in the Amazon rain forest. Many brave souls tried to find it and they failed. But instead, they were bringing stories about wonders that people, even today, cannot understand.

One of these stories was a tale about the boiling river. The inexplicable phenomenon which will change your imagination of a cold and refreshing mountain streams. Sure, there exist boiling rivers in the world. We can find them in areas which show high volcanic activity. But what would you say about the hot as hell stream in the region with absolutely no volcanoes?

Listen to this exciting speech of an inspiring scientist, Andrés Ruzo, about how he managed to explore the unexplored forests of Peru.

3. The secret knowledge of immortality

14 minutes watching

Who of us did not wonder about being immortal? Live through many, many years, see how the planet changes, how the environment evolves? Imagine, that there are forms of life on this planet that we actually consider as immortal. And they live literally thousands of years!

But there are people out there, like Rachel Sussman, who investigate how those creatures are able to survive for such a long time. And their studies let us all feel the meaning of eternity.

4. Become a space archeologist and discover ancient civilizations

21 minutes watching

Have you ever wondered about becoming an archeologist? And spend time looking for traces of ancient civilizations deep in the ground? Well, now you have this opportunity without leaving your home!

Sarah Parcak is a passionate space archeologist. And no, it doesn’t mean she digs in Mars. Space, in this case, means she uses satellite images, taken from the space, to look for potential new archeological sites.

She claims that on the Earth, we still did not discover millions of places where the people lived thousands of years ago and which are well preserved under the ground surface. Those places wait for us to explore the unexplored. And now, each of us could be a part of it!

Sarah created an inclusive online program – GlobalXplorer, which delivers satellite photos of the Earth (currently the regions of Peru). Everyone could join this program, get access to the photos and help archeologists estimate if those pictures consist of signs that something (tomb, house or even ruins of an ancient city) is hidden in the location. And doing so online from in front of a computer screen! I find this program really interesting and giving everyone an opportunity to virtually join the space archeologists team.

5. In search of the mythical Kraken

8 minutes watching

I am closing the list of TED’s talks inspiring to explore the unexplored with another marine tale. Everyone who is excited about sea stories, shanties and tavern’s tales of old sailors must hear about this mythical creature. Kraken was mentioned by mariners for centuries. This huge squid was guilty of destroying ships and killing many people on the sea. But no one, until now, truly believed those stories.

Edith Widder, an oceanographer, and CO-founder of the Ocean Research & Conservation Association, will take us for a submarine adventure to find the beast. She will also prove that Kraken actually exists. Thanks to modern technology and a bit of cunning, together with her team, she found the creature in the ocean’s deep.

Find the courage to explore the unexplored

For me, those talks were really exciting and calling for action. Even if I am not a scientist, every time I hear about such amazing discoveries I feel moved. But I think the global world still underestimate them, so I decided to create this shortlist for you to spread them among the people.

I also deeply believe that we can achieve the feeling of discovering something new, even if someone already discovered the place. When I was climbing my first volcano, I felt like doing something really extraordinary. Or when I strayed from the main trail while hiking the jungle just to see when it will lead me. Even if there were other people, I felt like I could find the true adventure just around the corner.

And what about you? Is there any mystery in this world, that you would be deeply willing to discover?

Chasing for some more inspiration? Take a glance at those articles:

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5 TED talks to instantly inspire you to travel an explore the unexplored - Sunday In Wonderland Travel Blog Explore the Unexplored - 5 TED talks that will immediatelly inspire you to travel and discover - Sunday In Wonderland Travel Blog