When you think of camels you probably picture sand and heat. You imagine nomadic herders and traders crossing the hot, dry desert, leading camels piled high with blankets and jugs of water. In this TED talk, Latif Nasser, the director of research at WNYC’s Radiolab, gives us a different view of the camel. His story starts when paleobiologist Natalia Rybczynski discovers a 3.5 million year old bone. He then unravels a tale that is fascinating historically and scientifically. Lateef helps us see that even the simplest things can change dramatically when seen from another angle. As he says “The story of our world is a dynamic one. It requires our willingness to readjust, to reimagine…. We’re all just one shard of bone away from seeing the world anew.”

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  • Kimble

    I watched this talk because I LOVE camels. I knew they are the antelope family. I did NOT know about their arctic genisis! This is a new metaphor for upending belief systems. Philosophy studies use the metaphor of swans: the definition of swan based on essential qualities, white, water bird, long neck, and big. ALL swans were considered such, defined as such and anything showing these characteristics would firstly be considered a swan.... until the northern hemisphere explorers ended up in Australia where swans are yes, long necked, water birds and big.... but Black. How 'we'(white, northerners) felt about our Universal knowledge of the world was shaken. Taleb used this white/black swan on one of the covers of his books about what we think we know about universality of Truth.... I am even happier to leave swans and ride the camel conundrum for the rest of my life.

  • Cindy

    One of my favorite talks ever! Such a clever presentation and extremely powerful message... let us see /umagine the world anew.

  • Patrick Perching Eagle (aka anonemoose monk)

    Even as a "Christian", I know in my heart that I must have "the mind of (Cosmic) Christ to be able to receive such things. Only the open mind has room for Truth. }:- ❤️ anonemoose monk

  • Jackie

    Always keep your mind open..your world will be opened to it's true diversity and through this diversity we also learn how we all have adapted to the world around us.

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