Julia Louis-Dreyfus

There are great, great rewards in fighting for something noble like the future of the planet, of a lake, of a river, a mountain, or the mighty ocean from which our gooey ancestors crawled and evolved into the beautiful, flawed humans that we are today. And that's why it's kind of perfect that on Earth Day, we have one of the greatest ocean activist scientists who ever lived as our guest.

There are great, great rewards in fighting for something noble like the future of the planet, of a lake, of a river, a mountain, or the mighty ocean from which our gooey ancestors crawled and evolved into the beautiful, flawed humans that we are today. And that's why it's kind of perfect that on Earth Day, we have one of the greatest ocean activist scientists who ever lived as our guest.

A woman who must have gills by now. She has spent so much time submerged in the sea. A powerfully brilliant explorer, scientist, and environmental advocate, and someone who is oh so much wiser than me, Dr. Sylvia Earle. I'm Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and this is Wiser Than Me, the podcast where I get schooled by women who are wiser than me.

A woman who must have gills by now. She has spent so much time submerged in the sea. A powerfully brilliant explorer, scientist, and environmental advocate, and someone who is oh so much wiser than me, Dr. Sylvia Earle. I'm Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and this is Wiser Than Me, the podcast where I get schooled by women who are wiser than me.

Before the 1950s, ocean exploration was a lot like space travel, wildly dangerous and experimental. The gear looked like something straight out of a Jules Verne novel. It really did. Back then, oxygen regulators would notoriously malfunction, meeting a life-or-death struggle to reach the surface.

Before the 1950s, ocean exploration was a lot like space travel, wildly dangerous and experimental. The gear looked like something straight out of a Jules Verne novel. It really did. Back then, oxygen regulators would notoriously malfunction, meeting a life-or-death struggle to reach the surface.

Divers faced constant risks from decompression sickness to the near impossibility of communicating with the surface. They had to rely on pure instinct and experience. It makes you wonder, with all that danger, what kind of person would go down there anyway? It would have to be a true explorer, someone whose drive to discover the unknown was stronger than their fear of what could happen.

Divers faced constant risks from decompression sickness to the near impossibility of communicating with the surface. They had to rely on pure instinct and experience. It makes you wonder, with all that danger, what kind of person would go down there anyway? It would have to be a true explorer, someone whose drive to discover the unknown was stronger than their fear of what could happen.

Someone just like our guest, Sylvia Earle. Sylvia is a world-renowned marine biologist, activist, and oceanographer who has spent over 7,000 hours underwater. 7,000 hours. For context, that is almost 10 entire months. She has led over 100 expeditions. She's written more than 200 publications on the wonders of the ocean. She's a pioneer in American diving.

Someone just like our guest, Sylvia Earle. Sylvia is a world-renowned marine biologist, activist, and oceanographer who has spent over 7,000 hours underwater. 7,000 hours. For context, that is almost 10 entire months. She has led over 100 expeditions. She's written more than 200 publications on the wonders of the ocean. She's a pioneer in American diving.

Sylvia descended 1,250 feet to walk untethered on the ocean floor and became the first human, man or woman, to ever venture so deep in this way. At the core of all of her scientific work, Sylvia has been delivering a powerful message. She is asking, begging us, in fact, to see the ocean as a place we are intricately connected to. She should know.

Sylvia descended 1,250 feet to walk untethered on the ocean floor and became the first human, man or woman, to ever venture so deep in this way. At the core of all of her scientific work, Sylvia has been delivering a powerful message. She is asking, begging us, in fact, to see the ocean as a place we are intricately connected to. She should know.

She's been diving for over 50 years and has witnessed firsthand the changes in our oceans, the grave effects of overfishing, pollution, and climate change. And she's still diving at the age of, well, we're going to ask her her age.

She's been diving for over 50 years and has witnessed firsthand the changes in our oceans, the grave effects of overfishing, pollution, and climate change. And she's still diving at the age of, well, we're going to ask her her age.

Dr. John McCosker, head of San Francisco's Steinhardt Aquarium and someone who has worked with Sylvia for many years, said, I think Sylvia may have mellowed a bit in recent years and thank goodness because her magnetism and dynamism are almost impossible to keep up with. Sylvia in her most enthusiastic state is just too hot to handle. And that's exactly how we like her here on Wiser Than Me.

Dr. John McCosker, head of San Francisco's Steinhardt Aquarium and someone who has worked with Sylvia for many years, said, I think Sylvia may have mellowed a bit in recent years and thank goodness because her magnetism and dynamism are almost impossible to keep up with. Sylvia in her most enthusiastic state is just too hot to handle. And that's exactly how we like her here on Wiser Than Me.

She is the president and chairman of Mission Blue, a critical organization and global coalition that inspires public awareness, access, and support for a worldwide network of marine protected areas.

She is the president and chairman of Mission Blue, a critical organization and global coalition that inspires public awareness, access, and support for a worldwide network of marine protected areas.

She is the winner of the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication, a TED Prize, and has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame and recognized by the Library of Congress as a living legend. She's a mother... an aquanaut, and a woman who is infinitely wiser than me, Sylvia Earle. Dr. Sylvia Earle, I should say. Welcome, Sylvia.

She is the winner of the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication, a TED Prize, and has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame and recognized by the Library of Congress as a living legend. She's a mother... an aquanaut, and a woman who is infinitely wiser than me, Sylvia Earle. Dr. Sylvia Earle, I should say. Welcome, Sylvia.