Tierney Thys has fallen head over heels for a big, goofy fish: the Mola mola, or giant ocean sunfish. In studying the mola -- where they go, what they eat, what eats them -- she's also hunting for clues to the behavior of all life in the open ocean.
Why you should listen to her:
Marine biologist Tierney Thys studies the Mola mola, the world's largest bony fish. With their enormous, odd bodies, peaceful habits and lust for jellyfish, these giants can be key to understanding life in the open ocean. Thys and her team are tagging and tracking molas worldwide to learn about how they live, and how climate change may be affecting all ocean life.
Thys is also director of research at the Sea Studios Foundation, a team of scientists and filmmakers that makes media to raise awareness of environmental issues -- including the PBS series Strange Days on Planet Earth (now heading for its second season) and targeted videos that influence policymakers and businesspeople. Sea Studios was also instrumental in helping eBay stop the trading of invasive species.
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Step into the open ocean with Tierney Thys – May 24, 2007
Marine biologist Tierney Thys asks the audience to step into the open ocean for a visit to the world of the Mola mola, or giant ocean sunfish. Basking, eating jellyfish, and getting massages, this behemoth offers clues to life in the open ocean -- which accounts for 90 percent of the living space on this planet -- and also shows how climate change may be affecting all life. (Recorded February 2003 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 16:53) Read Tierney Thys's profile on TED.com
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