Digest for 1/16/2026

Corals in the Caribbean have been dying off at an alarming rate. Yet Kristen Marhaver gives us a few reasons why she is not ready to give up hope for their future.

Legendary ocean researcher Sylvia Earle shares astonishing images of the ocean -- and shocking stats about its dire fate -- as she makes her TED Prize wish: that we will join her in protecting the vital blue heart of the planet.

Kristen Marhaver shares her team's work in the Caribbean to help coral reproduction and restore reefs by growing baby corals in labs.

Sara Menker quit a career in commodities trading to figure out how the global value chain of agriculture works. Her discoveries have led to some startling predictions: 'We could have a tipping point in global food and agriculture if surging demand surpasses the agricultural system's structural capacity to produce food,' she says. 'People could starve and governments may fall.' Menker's models predict that this scenario could happen in a decade -- that the world could be short 214 trillion calories per year by 2027. She offers a vision of this impossible world as well as some steps we can take to avoid it.

Will Marshall shares how Planet Labs' fleet of tiny satellites provides daily images of Earth, aiding in monitoring environmental changes and disasters.

Andrew Ng explains how AI could transform any industry by unlocking human potential through accessible machine learning tools.

Less than 10% of plastic trash is recycled -- compared to almost 90% of metals -- because of the massively complicated problem of finding and sorting the different kinds. Mike Biddle has developed a cheap and incredibly energy efficient plant that can, and does, recycle any kind of plastic.

David Katz explains how turning plastic waste into currency can incentivize collection and reduce ocean pollution.

What Ellen MacArthur learned from sailing around the world solo led her to advocate for a circular economy -- a regenerative system in which nothing is wasted.