The Most Important Question

The Dive Into Challenger Deep


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What if you got the chance to dive to the bottom of the ocean? Would you go? And what would you find there?

That's today's big question and my returning guest, one of my all-time favorites, is Dr. Dawn Wright, better known the world over as Deep Sea Dawn.

Dawn recently became the 27th person ever in history and the first Black person ever to dive into the Challenger Deep, the deepest part of Earth's ocean.

Dawn is an elected member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering and the Chief Scientist at Esri, where she works with other scientists to map the ocean floor in 3D.

As our oceans heat up and rise, as we try to reduce overfishing, and as our governments and companies race to mine minerals for our all-electric future, there has never been a more monumental and historic, and vitally important project than trying to understand our oceans.

A lot has happened, since Dawn and I last spoke.

It shouldn't be surprising then, that this conversation not only talked about the wonder of the deep seas and the Earth's crust but also went to some wonderful and unexpectedly emotional places.

I'm so thankful to have shared another conversation with Deep Sea Dawn.

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INI Book Club:

  • Surrender by Bono

  • Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club

  • Links:

    • 5 Ways Scientists, NGOs, and Governments Can Support Indigenous-led Conservation

    • The “story maps” that Esri made for Victor Vescovo and Caladan Oceanic after Kathy Sullivan’s dive to Challenger

    • The “story map” of Dawn's dive

    • The MPA Guide – great resource for all things designating and managing Marine Protected Areas

    • Dawn's mom’s story 

    • Follow Deep Sea Dawn on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn

    • Follow us:

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      • Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett

      • Edited by Anthony Luciani

      • Produced by Willow Beck

      • Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

      • Find our more about our guests here: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/guest-stats

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