ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Prosanta Chakrabarty - Ichthyologist
Prosanta Chakrabarty studies fish to help explain the evolution of human beings and our planet.

Why you should listen

Dr. Prosanta Chakrabarty is an Associate Professor and Curator of Fishes at the Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Science at Louisiana State University.

Chakrabarty is a systematist and an ichthyologist studying the evolution and biogeography of both freshwater and marine fishes. His work includes studies of Neotropical (Central and South America, Caribbean) and Indo-West Pacific (Indian and Western Pacific Ocean) fishes. His natural history collecting efforts include trips to Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Madagascar, Panama, Kuwait and many other countries. He has discovered over a dozen new species including new anglerfishes and cavefishes.

The LSU Museum of Natural Science fish collection that Chakrabarty oversees includes nearly half a million fish specimens and nearly 10,000 DNA samples covering most major groups of fishes. He earned his PhD at the University of Michigan and his undergraduate degree is from McGill University in Montreal. He has written two books including A Guide to Academia: Getting into and Surviving Grad School, Postdocs and a Research Job. He is also a former Program Director at the National Science Foundation. He was named a TED Fellow in 2016 and a TED Senior Fellow in 2018.

More profile about the speaker
Prosanta Chakrabarty | Speaker | TED.com
TED2016

Prosanta Chakrabarty: Clues to prehistoric times, found in blind cavefish

Prozanta Čakrabarti (Prosanta Chakrabarty): Tragovi praistorijskog vremena otkriveni u slepoj pećinskoj ribi

Filmed:
1,220,884 views

Učesnik TED Fellows programa Prozanta Čakrabarti istražuje skrivene delove sveta, u potrazi za novim vrstama riba koje počivaju u pećinama. Ova podzemna stvorenja su razvila zadivljujuće načine prilagođavanja i pružaju nam biološke uvide u slepilo, kao i geološke tragove o tome kako su se kontinenti otcepili pre više miliona godina. Razmotrite duboki protok vremena u ovom kratkom govoru.
- Ichthyologist
Prosanta Chakrabarty studies fish to help explain the evolution of human beings and our planet. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
IchthyologyOblasti akvalogije,
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Ihtiologija,
00:14
the studyстудија of fishesribice.
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nauka o ribama.
00:16
It looksизглед like a bigвелики, boringдосадан wordреч,
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To se čini kao velika, dosadna reč,
00:18
but it's actuallyзаправо quiteприлично excitingузбудљиво,
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ali je zapravo prilično uzbudljiva
00:21
because ichthyologyoblasti akvalogije is the only "ologyologije"
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jer je ihtiologija jedina "ologija"
00:24
with "YOLOJOLO" in it.
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koja sadrži "YOLO" u sebi.
00:25
(LaughterSmeh)
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(Smeh)
00:27
Now, to the coolхладан kidsклинци in the audienceпублика,
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Sad, za kul decu u publici,
00:29
you alreadyвећ know, YOLOJOLO standsстоји for
"you only liveживи onceједном,"
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već znate, YOLO stoji za
"samo jednom se živi",
00:33
and because I only have one life,
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i zato što imam samo jedan život,
00:35
I'm going to spendпотрошити it doing
what I always dreamtсањала of doing:
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provešću ga radeći
što sam oduvek sanjao da radim:
00:37
seeingвиди the hiddenсакривен wondersчуда of the worldсвет
and discoveringоткривање newново speciesврсте.
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gledajući skrivena čuda sveta
i otkrivajući nove vrste.
00:41
And that's what I get to do.
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I to me je dopalo da radim.
00:42
Now, in recentскорашњи yearsгодине, I really focusedфокусиран
on cavesпећине for findingпроналажење newново speciesврсте.
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Proteklih godina, zaista sam se fokusirao
na pećine da bih otkrio nove vrste.
00:47
And it turnsокреће се out, there's lots of newново
cavefishcavefish speciesврсте out there.
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I ispostavilo se da ima mnogo novih
pećinskih riba u svetu.
00:50
You just have to know where to look,
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Samo morate da znate kuda da tražite,
00:52
and to maybe be a little thinтанак.
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i možda da budete malčice mršavi.
00:54
(LaughterSmeh)
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(Smeh)
00:55
Now, cavefishescavefishes can tell me
a lot about biologyбиологија and geologyGeologija.
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Sad, pećinske ribe mi mogu reći
mnogo o biologiji i geologiji.
01:00
They can tell me how the landmassesкопна
around them have changedпромењено and movedпреселила се
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Mogu da mi kažu kako su se kopnene mase
oko njih menjale i pomerale
01:04
by beingбиће stuckзаглавити in these little holesрупе,
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tako što ostaju zaglavljene
u ovim rupicama
01:06
and they can tell me about
the evolutionеволуција of sightвид, by beingбиће blindслеп.
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i mogu svojim slepilom
da mi govore o evoluciji vida.
01:11
Now, fishриба have eyesочи
that are essentiallyУ суштини the sameисти as oursнаша.
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Sad, ribe imaju oči
koje su u suštini iste kao naše.
01:14
All vertebratessu do, and eachсваки time
a fishриба speciesврсте startsпочиње to adaptприлагодити
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Kod svih kičmenjaka je tako,
i uvek kad vrsta ribe počne da se adaptira
01:18
to this darkтамно, coldхладно, cavepećina environmentЖивотна средина,
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ovoj mračnoj, hladnoj, pećinskoj sredini,
01:20
over manyмноги, manyмноги generationsгенерације,
they loseизгубити theirњихова eyesочи and theirњихова eyesightvid
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tokom mnogih, mnogih generacija,
izgube svoje oči i svoj vid
01:24
untilсве док the endкрај up like an eyelessbez oka
cavefishcavefish like this one here.
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dok završe poput bezoke
pećinske ribe, poput ove ovde.
01:27
Now, eachсваки cavefishcavefish speciesврсте
has evolvedеволуирао in a slightlyмало differentразличит way,
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Sad, svaka vrsta pećinske ribe
je evoluirala na nešto drugačiji način,
01:31
and eachсваки one has a uniqueјединствен geologicalгеолошки
and biologicalбиолошки storyприча to tell us,
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i svaka ima jedinstvenu geološku
i biološku priču da nam ispriča,
01:35
and that's why it's so excitingузбудљиво
when we find a newново speciesврсте.
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i zato je tako uzbudljivo
kad otkrijemo novu vrstu.
01:39
So this is a newново speciesврсте
we describedописани, from southernјужно IndianaIndiana.
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Dakle, ovo je nova vrsta
koju smo opisali, iz južne Indijane.
01:43
We namedназван it AmblyopsisAmblyopsis hoosierihoosieri,
the HoosierIndijane cavefishcavefish.
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Nazvali smo je Amblyopsis hoosieri,
hužer. (Hužer - stanovnik Indijane)
01:46
(LaughterSmeh)
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(Smeh)
01:48
Its closestнајближе relativesrođaci
are cavefishescavefishes in KentuckyKentucky,
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Njegovi najbliži rođaci
su pećinske ribe iz Kentakija,
01:51
in the MammothMamuta CavePećina systemсистем.
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iz sistema pećina Mamut.
01:52
And they startпочетак to divergeдиверге
when the OhioOhio RiverReka splitразделити them
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I počele su da se razilaze
kad ih je reka Ohajo razdvojila
01:55
a fewнеколико millionмилиона yearsгодине agoпре.
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pre nekoliko miliona godina.
01:57
And in that time they developedразвијен
these subtleсуптилно differencesРазлике
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A tokom tog vremena razvile su
ove prefinjene razlike
02:00
in the geneticгенетски architectureархитектура
behindиза theirњихова blindnessслепило.
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u genetskoj arhitekturi
iza njihovog slepila.
02:03
There's this geneген calledпозвани rhodopsinrhodopsin
that's super-criticalSuper-kritičan for sightвид.
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Postoji gen po imenu rodopsin
koji je superključan za vid.
02:06
We have it, and these speciesврсте have it too,
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Mi ga imamo, i ove vrste ga imaju takođe,
02:09
exceptосим one speciesврсте has lostизгубљено
all functionфункција in that geneген,
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samo što je jedna vrsta izgubila
svu funkcionalnost tog gena,
02:12
and the other one maintainsodržava it.
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a druge su je zadržale.
02:14
So this setsсетови up this beautifulЛепа
naturalприродно experimentексперимент
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Te je ovo podesilo taj prelepi
prirodni eksperiment
02:18
where we can look at the genesгена
behindиза our visionвизија,
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gde možemo da posmatramo gene
iza našeg vida
02:21
and at the very rootsкорени of how we can see.
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i samu srž toga kako vidimo.
02:25
But the genesгена in these cavefishescavefishes
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Ali geni u ovim pećinskim ribama
02:26
can alsoтакође tell us
about deepдубоко geologicalгеолошки time,
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nam takođe mogu reći
o dubokom geološkom vremenu,
02:29
maybe no more so
than in this speciesврсте here.
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možda ne dužem od ove vrste ovde.
02:32
This is a newново speciesврсте
we describedописани from MadagascarMadagaskar
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Ovo je nova vrsta sa Madagaskara
koju smo opisali
02:34
that we namedназван TyphleotrisTyphleotris mararybemararybe.
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i imenovali smo je Typhleotris mararybe.
02:38
That meansзначи "bigвелики sicknessболест" in MalagasyMadagaskarski,
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To znači "velika mučnina" na malagasiju,
02:41
for how sickболестан we got tryingпокушавајући
to collectсакупити this speciesврсте.
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po tome koliko nam se smučilo
sakupljajući ovu vrstu.
02:44
Now, believe it or not,
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Sad, verovali ili ne,
02:46
swimmingпливање around sinkholesrupetine
fullпуна of deadмртав things
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plivanje oko ponora punih mrtvih stvari
02:48
and cavepećina fullпуна of batшишмиш poopkaka
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i pećina punih šišmišove kake
02:50
isn't the smartestнајпаметнији thing you could
be doing with your life,
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nije nešto najpametnije
što možete da radite sa životom,
02:53
but YOLOJOLO.
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ali YOLO.
02:55
(LaughterSmeh)
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(Smeh)
02:58
Now, I love this speciesврсте despiteупркос the factчињеница
that it triedПокушали to killубиј us,
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Sad, volim ovu vrstu, uprkos činjenici
da je pokušala da nas ubije,
03:03
and that's because
this speciesврсте in MadagascarMadagaskar,
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a to je zato
što su ove vrste s Madagaskara
03:05
its closestнајближе relativesrođaci
are 6,000 kilometersкилометара away,
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najbliži rođaci 6.000 kilometara udaljene
03:08
cavefishescavefishes in AustraliaAustralija.
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pećinske ribe u Australiji.
03:10
Now, there's no way a three-inch-longtri-inčni-long
freshwaterslatke vode cavefishcavefish
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Nema šanse da je slatkovodna
pećinska riba od osam centimetara
03:14
can swimпливај acrossпреко the IndianIndijanac OceanOcean,
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mogla da prepliva Indijski okean,
03:16
so what we foundнашао when we comparedУ поређењу
the DNADNK of these speciesврсте
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pa smo upoređivanjem
DNK ovih vrsta otkrili
03:19
is that they'veони су been separatedодвојен
for more than 100 millionмилиона yearsгодине,
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da su razdvojene
više od 100 miliona godina
03:22
or about the time that the southernјужно
continentsконтинената were last togetherзаједно.
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ili otprilike istovremeno kad su južni
kontinenti poslednji put bili zajedno.
03:27
So in factчињеница, these speciesврсте
didn't moveпотез at all.
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Te se zapravo ove vrste
uopšte nisu pomerile.
03:30
It's the continentsконтинената that movedпреселила се them.
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Kontinenti su ih pomerili.
03:31
And so they give us, throughкроз theirњихова DNADNK,
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Pa su nam dale, preko svog DNK,
03:33
this preciseпрецизно modelмодел and measureмеру
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ovaj precizan model i meru
03:36
of how to dateдатум and time
these ancientдревни geologicalгеолошки eventsдогађаји.
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kako da datiramo i tempiramo
ove drevne geološke događaje.
03:41
Now, this speciesврсте here is so newново
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Sad, ova vrsta ovde je toliko nova
03:43
I'm not even allowedдозвољен
to tell you its nameиме yetјош увек,
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da mi i dalje nije dozvoljeno
da vam kažem njeno ime,
03:45
but I can tell you
it's a newново speciesврсте from MexicoMeksiko,
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ali mogu da vam kažem
da je to nova vrsta iz Meksika,
03:48
and it's probablyвероватно alreadyвећ extinctизумрла.
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i verovatno je već istrebljena.
Verovatno je istrebljena jer je jedini
poznati sistem pećina iz kog potiče
03:50
It's probablyвероватно extinctизумрла because
the only knownпознат cavepećina systemсистем it's from
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03:54
was destroyedуништено when a damбрана was builtизграђен nearbyу близини.
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uništen kada je brana u blizini sagrađena.
03:56
UnfortunatelyNa žalost for cavefishescavefishes,
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Nažalost za pećinske ribe,
03:58
theirњихова groundwaterpodzemne vode habitatстаниште
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njihovo stanište podzemnih voda
04:00
is alsoтакође our mainглавни sourceизвор of drinkingпити waterвода.
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je takođe naš glavni izvor pijaće vode.
04:03
Now, we actuallyзаправо don't know
this species'vrste closestнајближе relativeу односу, yetјош увек.
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Sad, zapravo još uvek ne znamo
najbližeg rođaka ove vrste.
04:07
It doesn't appearпојавити to be
anything elseдруго in MexicoMeksiko,
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Ne čini se da je bilo šta iz Meksika,
04:10
so maybe it's something in CubaKuba,
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stoga može da bude nešto s Kube
04:12
or FloridaNa Floridi, or IndiaIndija.
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ili Floride ili Indije.
04:14
But whateverшта год it is, it mightМожда tell us
something newново about the geologyGeologija
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Ali šta god da je, moglo bi da nam kaže
nešto novo o geologiji Kariba
04:19
of the CaribbeanKaribi, or the biologyбиологија
of how to better diagnoseпоставити дијагнозу
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ili biologiji boljeg dijagnostikovanja
04:22
certainизвестан typesврсте of blindnessслепило.
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određenih tipova slepila.
04:24
But I hopeнадати се we discoverоткрити this speciesврсте
before it goesиде extinctизумрла too.
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Ali se isto nadam da ćemo otkriti
ovu vrstu pre nego što bude istrebljena.
04:28
And I'm going to spendпотрошити my one life
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I provešću svoj jedini život
04:30
as an ichthyologistihtiolog
tryingпокушавајући to discoverоткрити and saveсачувати
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kao ihtiolog,
trudeći se da otkrijem i spasim
04:34
these humbleпонизан little blindслеп cavefishescavefishes
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ove skromne slepe pećinske ribice
04:36
that can tell us so much
about the geologyGeologija of the planetПланета
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koje nam mogu reći toliko toga
o geologiji planete
04:40
and the biologyбиологија of how we see.
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i biologiji našeg vida.
04:42
Thank you.
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Hvala vam.
04:43
(ApplauseAplauz)
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(Aplauz)
Translated by Milenka Okuka
Reviewed by Mile Živković

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Prosanta Chakrabarty - Ichthyologist
Prosanta Chakrabarty studies fish to help explain the evolution of human beings and our planet.

Why you should listen

Dr. Prosanta Chakrabarty is an Associate Professor and Curator of Fishes at the Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Science at Louisiana State University.

Chakrabarty is a systematist and an ichthyologist studying the evolution and biogeography of both freshwater and marine fishes. His work includes studies of Neotropical (Central and South America, Caribbean) and Indo-West Pacific (Indian and Western Pacific Ocean) fishes. His natural history collecting efforts include trips to Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Madagascar, Panama, Kuwait and many other countries. He has discovered over a dozen new species including new anglerfishes and cavefishes.

The LSU Museum of Natural Science fish collection that Chakrabarty oversees includes nearly half a million fish specimens and nearly 10,000 DNA samples covering most major groups of fishes. He earned his PhD at the University of Michigan and his undergraduate degree is from McGill University in Montreal. He has written two books including A Guide to Academia: Getting into and Surviving Grad School, Postdocs and a Research Job. He is also a former Program Director at the National Science Foundation. He was named a TED Fellow in 2016 and a TED Senior Fellow in 2018.

More profile about the speaker
Prosanta Chakrabarty | Speaker | TED.com