ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Carolyn Porco - Planetary scientist
As the leader of the Imaging Team on the Cassini mission to Saturn, Carolyn Porco interprets and shares the pictures coming back from this fascinating planet, its rings and its moons.

Why you should listen

Planetary scientist Carolyn Porco studies and interprets the photos from NASA space missions like the renowned Voyager mission to the outer solar system in the 1980s and the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn. She leads a team of scientists from the US and Europe that has been analyzing the images Cassini has sent back since it left Earth in 1997. At Saturn, they have found new phenomena everywhere they've turned their cameras … in the planet’s atmosphere, within its rings and on the surfaces of its many moons. And they've produced spectacular images and animations of these marvels in the process.

Back in the early-1980s, while still working on her doctorate, Porco was drafted onto the Voyager imaging team to assist in crunching the mountains of data coming back from Voyager’s fly-by of Saturn. Her work on the planet's rings and their relation to its moons cemented her connection with Saturn. After Voyager had flown by Neptune and was nearing conclusion, she worked together with Carl Sagan in planning Voyager’s celebrated Pale Blue Dot picture of Earth.

Her ongoing work at the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPs) has two goals: to process, interpret and archive Cassini’s images for other scientists, and to make sure the images -- in all their breathtaking poetry and mystery and sheer Save-Image-As-Desktop awesomeness -- connect with the general public. She is an advocate for the exploration and understanding of planetary space, and her frequent talks (as well as her "Captain's Log" memos on the CICLOPS website) speak to everyone, scientist and nonscientist alike. Her advocacy extends to Hollywood, where she was the character consultant on the 1997 movie “Contact,” and a consultant on the 2009 Paramount Pictures re-boot of “Star Trek.” In 2012, she was named one the 25 most influential people in space by TIME magazine.

Finally, in a twist on the Pale Blue Dot theme, it was she who conceived the idea to invite the people of the world to smile while Cassini imaged the Earth on July 19, 2013 in an event called “The Day the Earth Smiled.”

For more information: 

Solar System Portrait: Earth as 'Pale Blue Dot'

BBC: Saturn snapped as Earth smiled

The Atlantic: The Carl Sagan of Our Time Reprises the 'Pale Blue Dot' Photo of Earth

The Day the Earth Smiled: Image

Library of Congress: Portraits of the Solar System: Talking with Carolyn Porco About Carl Sagan  

More profile about the speaker
Carolyn Porco | Speaker | TED.com
TED2009

Carolyn Porco: Could a Saturn moon harbor life?

Carolyn Porco: Mungkinkah satelit Saturnus memiliki kehidupan ?

Filmed:
1,054,733 views

Carolyn Porco memaparkan temuan baru dari wahana antariksa Cassini, yang mengorbit di satelit Saturnus, Enceladus. Sampel yang diperoleh dari geiser beku satelit tersebut memberikan petunjuk adanya lautan di bawah permukaannya yang memungkinkan bagi adanya kehidupan.
- Planetary scientist
As the leader of the Imaging Team on the Cassini mission to Saturn, Carolyn Porco interprets and shares the pictures coming back from this fascinating planet, its rings and its moons. Full bio

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

00:18
Two yearstahun agolalu here at TEDTED
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Pada TED, dua tahun yang lalu
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I reporteddilaporkan that we had discoveredditemukan
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Saya menyampaikan temuan
00:22
at SaturnSaturnus, with the CassiniCassini SpacecraftPesawat ruang angkasa,
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dari wahana antariksa Cassini di Saturnus,
00:25
an anomalouslyanomalously warmhangat and geologicallysecara geologis activeaktif regionwilayah
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sebuah keganjilan berupa wilayah hangat dan aktif secara geologi
00:28
at the southernselatan tiptip of the smallkecil SaturnineSuram moonbulan
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di ujung selatan satelit mini Saturnus
00:31
EnceladusEnceladus, seenterlihat here.
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yaitu Enceladus, yang terlihat disini.
00:33
This regionwilayah seenterlihat here for the first time
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Wilayah ini terlihat untuk pertama kalinya
00:35
in the CassiniCassini imagegambar takendiambil in 2005. This is the southSelatan polarkutub regionwilayah,
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dari citra yang direkam oleh Cassini tahun 2005. Ini adalah wilayah kutub selatan
00:40
with the famousterkenal tiger-stripebelang harimau fracturespatah tulang crossingpersimpangan the southSelatan poletiang.
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Dengan retakan laksana belang harimau yang khas di kutub selatan.
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And seenterlihat just recentlybaru saja in lateterlambat 2008,
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dan baru-baru ini di akhir tahun 2008,
00:47
here is that regionwilayah again,
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di wilayah yang sama,
00:49
now halfsetengah in darknesskegelapan because the southernselatan hemispherebelahan bumi
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tampak sebagian dalam kegelapan karena kutub selatan
00:52
is experiencingmengalami the onsetawal of AugustAgustus
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memasuki awal Agustus
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and eventuallyakhirnya wintermusim dingin.
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dan kemudian, musim dingin.
00:57
And I alsojuga reporteddilaporkan that we'dmengawinkan madeterbuat this mind-blowingbertiup pikiran discoverypenemuan --
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Saya juga menyampaikan bahwa kami membuat penemuan menggemparkan--
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this once-in-a-lifetimesekali dalam seumur hidup discoverypenemuan
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yang sangat langka
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of toweringMenjulang jetsjet
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berupa semburan gas bagaikan menara
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eruptingmeletus from those fracturespatah tulang at the southSelatan poletiang,
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keluar dari retakan di kutub selatan,
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consistingterdiri of tinymungil waterair iceEs crystalskristal
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yang mengandung kristal es
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accompanieddisertai by waterair vaporUap
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dan uap air
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and simplesederhana organicorganik compoundssenyawa like carbonkarbon dioxidedioksida and methanemetana.
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serta senyawa organik sederhana, seperti karbon dioksida dan metana.
01:16
And at that time two yearstahun agolalu
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Dua tahun yang lalu
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I mentionedtersebut that we were speculatingberspekulasi
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Saya menyatakan bahwa kami berspekulasi
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that these jetsjet mightmungkin in factfakta be geysersgeyser,
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bahwa kemungkinan tersebut adalah geyser (semburan air panas),
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and eruptingmeletus from pocketskantong
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dan meletup dari kantung
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or chambersChambers of liquidcair waterair underneathdi bawah the surfacepermukaan,
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atau badan air di dalam permukaan tanah.
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but we weren'ttidak really sure.
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Meskipun kami tidak yakin.
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HoweverNamun, the implicationsimplikasi of those resultshasil --
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Bagaimanapun, dampak dari hasil
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of a possiblemungkin environmentlingkungan Hidup withindalam this moonbulan
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tentang kemungkinan lingkungan di satelit tersebut
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that could supportmendukung prebioticPrebiotik chemistrykimia,
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yang dapat mendukung kimiawi prakehidupan,
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and perhapsmungkin life itselfdiri --
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bahkan kemungkinan dari kehidupan,
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were so excitingseru that, in the interveningintervensi two yearstahun,
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sangat menggairahkan sehingga 2 tahun ini
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we have focusedfokus more on EnceladusEnceladus.
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kami lebih memfokuskan pada Enceladus.
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We'veKami telah flownterbang the CassiniCassini SpacecraftPesawat ruang angkasa
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Kami telah menerbangkan wahana antariksa Cassini
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by this moonbulan now severalbeberapa timeswaktu,
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beberapa kali di satelit ini.
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flyingpenerbangan closerlebih dekat and deeperlebih dalam into these jetsjet,
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Untuk melihat semburan lebih dekat dan mendalam,
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into the denserpadat regionsdaerah of these jetsjet,
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menuju wilayah dengan lebih banyak semburan,
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so that now we have come away with some
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sehingga kami mendapatkan
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very precisetepat compositionalkomposisi measurementspengukuran.
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hasil pengukuran komposisi yang tepat.
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And we have foundditemukan
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Dan kami menemukan
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that the organicorganik compoundssenyawa comingkedatangan from this moonbulan
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senyawa organik yang berasal dari satelit ini
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are in factfakta more complexkompleks than we previouslysebelumnya reporteddilaporkan.
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ternyata lebih rumit dari laporan kami sebelumnya.
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While they're not aminoamino acidsasam,
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Senyawa tersebut bukanlah asam amino,
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we're now findingtemuan things like
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kami menemukan
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propanepropana and benzenebenzena,
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propana dan benzena,
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hydrogenhidrogen cyanidesianida, and formaldehydeformaldehida.
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asam sianida dan formaldehid.
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And the tinymungil waterair crystalskristal here
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Dan kristal air disini
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now look for all the worlddunia
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terlihat
02:18
like they are frozenbeku dropletstetesan of saltyasin waterair,
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seperti butiran air asin beku.
02:21
whichyang is a discoverypenemuan that suggestsmenyarankan
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Penemuan tersebut menyimpulkan bahwa
02:23
that not only do the jetsjet come from
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semburan tidak hanya berupa air dari
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pocketskantong of liquidcair waterair,
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kantung air di bawah tanah,
02:27
but that that liquidcair waterair is in contactkontak with rockbatu.
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namun namun juga bercampur dengan batuan.
02:30
And that is a circumstancekeadaan
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Dan keadaan tersebut
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that could supplymenyediakan the chemicalbahan kimia energyenergi
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dapat menghasilkan energi kimia
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and the chemicalbahan kimia compoundssenyawa neededdibutuhkan to sustainmenopang life.
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dan senyawa kimia yang dibutuhkan bagi kehidupan
02:37
So we are very encouragedmendorong by these resultshasil.
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Sehingga kami sangat termotivasi oleh hasilnya,
02:40
And we are much more confidentpercaya diri now than we were two yearstahun agolalu
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dan sekarang lebih yakin dibandingkan dua tahun yang lalu
02:43
that we mightmungkin indeedmemang
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bahwa kami mungkin
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have on this moonbulan, underdibawah the southSelatan poletiang,
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menemukan, di kutub selatan,
02:48
an environmentlingkungan Hidup or a zonedaerah that is hospitableramah to livinghidup organismsorganisme.
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sebuah lingkungan atau wilayah yang bisa dihidupi oleh makhluk hidup.
02:52
WhetherApakah or not there are livinghidup organismsorganisme there, of courseTentu saja,
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Tentu saja, apakah disana ada makhluk hidup atau tidak
02:55
is an entirelysepenuhnya differentberbeda mattermasalah.
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merupakan hal lain.
02:57
And that will have to awaitmenunggu the arrivalkedatangan,
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Dan kita harus menunggu
02:59
back at EnceladusEnceladus,
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datangnya ke Enceladus,
03:02
of the spacecraftspesawat antariksa, hopefullysemoga some time in the neardekat futuremasa depan,
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beberapa wahana antariksa, mudah-mudahan tidak lama lagi,
03:05
specificallysecara khusus equippedlengkap to addressalamat that particulartertentu questionpertanyaan.
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yang ditugaskan untuk menjawab pertanyaan itu.
03:09
But in the meantimesementara itu I inviteUndang you to imaginemembayangkan the day
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Untuk sementara, saya mengundang Anda untuk membayangkan saat
03:12
when we mightmungkin journeyperjalanan to the SaturnineSuram systemsistem,
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di mana kita berkunjung ke sistem Saturnus,
03:15
and visitmengunjungi the EnceladusEnceladus interplanetaryAntarplanet geyserGeyser parktaman,
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dan melihat taman geyser antar planet di Enceladus,
03:19
just because we can.
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karena hal tersebut mungkin terjadi.
03:21
Thank you.
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Terima kasih.
03:23
(ApplauseTepuk tangan)
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(Tepuk tangan)
Translated by alex sumadijaya
Reviewed by Ahmad Zakky Habibie

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Carolyn Porco - Planetary scientist
As the leader of the Imaging Team on the Cassini mission to Saturn, Carolyn Porco interprets and shares the pictures coming back from this fascinating planet, its rings and its moons.

Why you should listen

Planetary scientist Carolyn Porco studies and interprets the photos from NASA space missions like the renowned Voyager mission to the outer solar system in the 1980s and the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn. She leads a team of scientists from the US and Europe that has been analyzing the images Cassini has sent back since it left Earth in 1997. At Saturn, they have found new phenomena everywhere they've turned their cameras … in the planet’s atmosphere, within its rings and on the surfaces of its many moons. And they've produced spectacular images and animations of these marvels in the process.

Back in the early-1980s, while still working on her doctorate, Porco was drafted onto the Voyager imaging team to assist in crunching the mountains of data coming back from Voyager’s fly-by of Saturn. Her work on the planet's rings and their relation to its moons cemented her connection with Saturn. After Voyager had flown by Neptune and was nearing conclusion, she worked together with Carl Sagan in planning Voyager’s celebrated Pale Blue Dot picture of Earth.

Her ongoing work at the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPs) has two goals: to process, interpret and archive Cassini’s images for other scientists, and to make sure the images -- in all their breathtaking poetry and mystery and sheer Save-Image-As-Desktop awesomeness -- connect with the general public. She is an advocate for the exploration and understanding of planetary space, and her frequent talks (as well as her "Captain's Log" memos on the CICLOPS website) speak to everyone, scientist and nonscientist alike. Her advocacy extends to Hollywood, where she was the character consultant on the 1997 movie “Contact,” and a consultant on the 2009 Paramount Pictures re-boot of “Star Trek.” In 2012, she was named one the 25 most influential people in space by TIME magazine.

Finally, in a twist on the Pale Blue Dot theme, it was she who conceived the idea to invite the people of the world to smile while Cassini imaged the Earth on July 19, 2013 in an event called “The Day the Earth Smiled.”

For more information: 

Solar System Portrait: Earth as 'Pale Blue Dot'

BBC: Saturn snapped as Earth smiled

The Atlantic: The Carl Sagan of Our Time Reprises the 'Pale Blue Dot' Photo of Earth

The Day the Earth Smiled: Image

Library of Congress: Portraits of the Solar System: Talking with Carolyn Porco About Carl Sagan  

More profile about the speaker
Carolyn Porco | Speaker | TED.com
THE ORIGINAL VIDEO ON TED.COM