In September 1962, when JFK delivered his legendary speech urging the country to pursue a moon landing, it sparked a decade-long mission to take “one giant leap for mankind.” More than half a century later, the Earthshot Prize is aiming to follow suit with another ambitious goal for humanity — but this time, setting our sights on this planet. 

“You can never predict when a family will find themselves in financial instability,” Yuling Zhang, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, says in a preview of UBI Taiwan’s recent documentary on universal basic income. Between layoffs, health episodes, caring for aging parents and young children, and unexpected natural disasters or climate risks, no one knows when savings might disappear to cover an emergency or lack of work.

In an underwater simulation, you marvel at how realistic the world seems to look. As you swim, you float past bleached reefs, occasional plastic water bottles, and Coke cans half-submerged in the sand. Everything else is left to the ocean, save the crustaceans amidst the waves. This is Aftermath Submerged, one of Vipin Dhunnoo’s experiments in virtual reality.