Original subtitles

Narrator: buried in the ruins Of this building

Are the remnants Of a broken dream.

Here, more than fifty years ago, Began a controversial experiment

That many believed would lead To a startling breakthrough.

Man: it wasn't science fiction.

It was a breakthrough

Of potentially World historic significance.

Narrator: The experiment involved

Communicating with dolphins.

And if successful, it would Not only change our world;

It would open up the door To other worlds beyond us.

Man: we wanted to understand As much as we could

About what the challenges Were going to be

In communicating with Other intelligent species.

Woman: come right out With the english, peter.

Don't even think In your own language.

[dolphin squeaking]

Narrator: but after years Of intense effort,

The dream spiraled Out of control.

Woman: he said, "Alright, I'm gonna inject the lsd."

And I said, "Whoa! I will have Nothing to do with that."

Narrator: in its wake, The research left devastation.

Woman: the worst experiment In the world,

I've read somewhere.

Narrator: Now, for the first time,

Those with knowledge of this Notorious experiment speak,

And they tell a story

Almost too shocking To be believed.

If there's one thing That defines us as human,

It's our ability To think and use language

To communicate with each other.

But we don't just talk To other people.

Man: do this, vickie.

Narrator: in the 1950s,

Researchers tried communicating With the great apes,

Teaching them sign language

And even teaching english To chimpanzees.

Man: another sound Resembles the letter "K."

Vickie, sit up, girl.

Come on.

Do this. Kuh.

[vickie sputters]

Man: vickie has to hold her hand Over her nose.

Narrator: but these experiments Didn't consistently demonstrate

That animals could talk to us,

Or that they could Think independently.

Yet one pioneering researcher Refused to give up on the idea.

His name was john lilly.

Graham burnett: lilly's A fascinating character.

He was a super smart, Physics-oriented caltech grad

Who, during The second world war,

Ends up doing experimental work On american pilots.

And then subsequently, As his research life develops,

Increasingly interested In animals.

Narrator: in the 1950s,

Lilly was A respected brain scientist

Working for The u.S. Government's

National institute Of mental health.

His focus was what The brains of animals

Could reveal about our own.

And for his subject He chose an animal

With a brain of surprising Size and complexity--

The bottlenose dolphin.

[squeaking]

Graham: this is a big brain.

This is a bigger brain than We're accustomed to working on.

In fact it's a bigger brain Than a human brain.

Narrator: About 30% bigger, in fact.

Lilly's search For dolphins to study

Took him To a well-known aquarium

That doubled as an underwater Movie sound stage.

Graham: Marine studios in florida

Is one of the first institutions In the postwar period

To keep the bottlenose dolphin In captivity.

Lilly makes his way down there In order to have access

To some of these animals For experimental purposes.

Narrator: lilly began doing His brain experiments

On the dolphins At marine studios

And recording their reactions.

One day, in 1957,

This research Triggered a behavior

That would change The course of his life.

The first to spot it Was his wife mary.

While john and his team Were working nearby,

She noticed Something they'd missed.

Mary lilly: I came in.

I heard john talking.

John lilly: chi chi. Chi chi. More, more fish.

[dolphin squeaking]

Mary: and then I realized

It was hearing their voices And imitating them.

I went down to where They were operating

And told them That this was going on,

And they were quite startled.

John: more, more fish.

[dolphin squeaking]

Narrator: lilly was convinced

The dolphin Was imitating the humans,

Trying to speak to them.

Graham: For the rest of his career,

Lilly would write about and Talk about that moment in 1957

Where it all Popped open for him.

He thinks that this indicates Ambition on their part

To communicate with the beings Around them that are human.

Narrator: if he was right,

It would be one of The biggest discoveries

In the history of science.

Graham: a breakthrough Of not just scientific

But potentially even World historic significance.

Humans were being displaced From their position

Atop the cosmos Of intelligent creatures.

We were not alone.

[squeaking]

Announcer: And now...Here's jack.

[applause]

Narrator: News of lilly's research

Into dolphin communication

Captured The public's imagination.

For the first time, Here was another species

That seemed to be trying To make contact with us.

And in 1961 he published a book, "Man and dolphin,"

Revealing his findings.

Jack paar: doc, what was Your prediction in your book

That caused such comment?

John: I predicted that Within a decade or two

That the human species would Establish communication

With another species.

Jack: this is a scientist.

This isn't some, you know, nut That I've brought out here!

This man knows what he-- He may be a little nutty.

John: thank you!

Jack: but he's a real Acknowledged scientist.

Now, roll this film,

And you're going to see Some interesting things.

These are some Of the sounds they make.

What in the main do you think Dolphins talk about

Among each other?

John: oh, food, sex, And danger.

Jack: sounds like westport, Connecticut, to me there.

[laughter]

Mary: hi.

Narrator: Lilly's talking dolphins

Proved more than a passing fad.

In fact, For one group of people,

His work had A special significance.

Man on radio: Ok. Back-up is in.

Man: lift-off!

Narrator: In the early sixties,

America was in the midst Of a space race,

Launching satellites And manned spacecraft

To the moon and planets.

[indistinct radio chatter]

Narrator: surprisingly, The ideas in "Man and dolphin"

Struck a chord With american astronomers

Who were searching For extraterrestrial life.

They were led by frank drake.

Frank drake: It was a very exciting book

Because it had these new ideas--

Particularly the idea

That there could be creatures

As intelligent and sophisticated

In their thinking as us,

And yet living In a far different milieu.

Narrator: drake and his team

Were part of an official Government-funded project

Using radio telescopes To listen for signals

From other intelligent life In the galaxy.

For them, lilly's work was Potentially groundbreaking.

Drake: the possible Intelligence of dolphins

Was of special interest to me

And the others Who were interested

In extraterrestrial Intelligent life,

Because we wanted to understand As much as we could

About what the challenges Were going to be

In communicating with Other intelligent species.

There might be other Civilizations in space

Attempting to send us messages.

The detection Of extraterrestrial signals

Are going to be One of the most exciting things

That ever happened.

Narrator: astronomer carl sagan Was also part of the seti team.

Carl sagan: it's possible, But by no means certain,

That life on many Of these planets

Evolves into beings

Which are as advanced as we, Or more advanced.

Narrator: lilly realized The astronomers' interest

Opened up a new opportunity For funding.

Graham: lilly brilliantly Pitches the space administration

On the idea that they need A model organism

Upon which to experiment

For the prospect Of an encounter with aliens.

Narrator: in 1961,

Nasa and other Government agencies

Gave financial backing

For lilly to construct A state-of-the-art laboratory.

The modern white villa Was known as the dolphin house.

Reporter: at st. Thomas In the virgin islands

Stands a unique laboratory.

Narrator: here, a thousand miles From the american mainland,

He would now focus on research

Into human communication With dolphins.

And in this idyllic setting,

A strange new chapter in Scientific research would begin.

John lilly was convinced The dolphin's large brain size

Gave it the capability To learn a human language,

And he set out to prove it.

Lilly had assembled a team Of brilliant researchers

To help him in his quest.

But in 1963, he struck gold.

Graham: he recruits A very significant figure,

Gregory bateson, An anthropologist,

Who rounds out his team

For thinking big About these animals.

Narrator: gregory bateson

Was an intellectual giant Of his time.

He had explored subjects

Like linguistics And human anthropology

At cambridge And sydney universities.

He'd also been studying Animal behavior.

Lois bateson: gregory had been Doing behavioral work,

Not only with humans,

But with otters,

And we had in our house 17 octopuses.

And we were studying Their personal relationships,

Which was interesting.

Narrator: bateson's focus

Wasn't on humans Communicating with animals,

But rather how animals Communicated with each other.

He brought his wife And 11-year-old stepson eric

With him to st. Thomas.

Eric bateson: My dad was much more interested

In the interaction Between the dolphins--

Looking at the posture Of pectoral fins.

Does this mean something?

Or the alignment of two Animals swimming together.

Is this sexual, Or is this just friendship,

Or is this just Waiting to be fed?

Narrator: the house was built Over a single outdoor pool

Where the dolphins would live.

Linked to the sea, It was cleaned by the tide.

Lilly's new lab Offered the best conditions

For observing the dolphins In captivity.

And a window allowed bateson

To observe The creatures underwater.

Eric: I actually thought It was fantastic.

I mean, the water Was absolutely crystalline.

That was neat.

I mean, it was just all new.

It was exotic.

That's the best word I can say for it.

Narrator: early in his study,

Lilly brought in Andy williamson,

The island's veterinarian,

To ensure the well-being Of the dolphins.

Andy williamson: Dr. Lilly called me,

And he put me through An interview.

His concern was The health of his animals.

He wanted to be sure that I could relate to the dolphins

By putting me in the water With them.

Narrator: then, in early 1964,

Margaret howe came to the lab.

Margaret was an attractive 22-year-old college dropout

Who had come to st. Thomas In search of adventure.

She heard rumors

About a strange house At the eastern end of the island

Where people Worked with dolphins.

Margaret howe: I was curious,

And I drove out and found signs Saying "Keep out."

It was pretty isolated.

I said, "Well, I heard You had dolphins here,

And I thought I'd come and see If there's anything I can do

Or if there's any way I could help."

Narrator: Margaret met gregory bateson,

Who invited her to observe The dolphins in the pool

And write notes About their behavior.

What she wrote impressed him.

Margaret: he said, "You're able to see things.

You can come here Anytime you want.

We can't pay you, But you can come here.

Would you like to do that?"

"Yes," I said. "Yes, thank you.

I will come back here anytime."

So I did.

Narrator: the dolphins came From marine studios in miami,

Where they'd been used in Filming for the movie "Flipper."

[dolphin squeaking]

There were two female dolphins-- Sissy and pam.

[squeaking]

And then there was One male dolphin.

Eric: Peter was an immature male.

I don't think He was fully mature.

He was different.

Margaret: he was definitely A young guy.

Sexually coming of age, I'm sure,

And liked sissy.

And sissy Was always having to...

Lois: she'd "Bip!"

Flip him off like that.

Narrator: by 1964, The lab was in full operation.

Lilly was often away traveling,

Publicizing his work Or raising funds,

So he left much of the research To the others.

He had margaret Pick up the mimicry work

Where he'd left off.

Her job was to try To encourage the dolphins

To copy the specific sounds Of human speech.

Margaret: they can click And squeak and whistle

And do all the dolphin noises, And there are many.

But this human-like sound,

Humanoid they call it--

Not underwater, in the air,

And through the blowhole.

Andy: the blowhole,

Where they force air Out of the lungs,

And the lips on the blowhole Actually open and close,

And they can talk that way,

If you want to call it talking.

Narrator: margaret focused

On one of the dolphins In particular--

The male.

Margaret: I really chose To work with peter

Because he had not had Any human-like sound training.

The other two had.

My first goal was to get him To listen while I speak,

And then I would listen While he speaks,

And we would set up This conversation-type thing

Where we could make Some sort of progress.

Today is january 27th.

The time is 0900 hours.

[dolphin clicking]

Narrator: much of the work In the dolphin house

Was captured on tape,

And these are the real Sound recordings

Of margaret's lessons.

Margaret: a, e, I, o.

[dolphin squeaking]

Narrator: but from the start, Peter was a reluctant pupil.

Margaret: speak for fish.

Don't squirt.

He would listen to me,

And I would say, "No, no, no, no, peter.

What I want you to do Is count to three.

You're going to say, 'one, two, three.'"

And peter wouldn't repeat Everything I told him.

He would work on the...

[makes dolphin noises]

[dolphin squeaking]

Margaret: listen, 1, 2, 3.

[dolphin squeaking]

Margaret: You can do better, peter.

We had a few disagreements On things.

He could slap his tail.

You know when A dolphin is annoyed.

One, two, three. I've already done that.

One, two, three. I told you I've done that.

I'm gonna do it one more time.

One, two, three, And now that's it.

And he'd disappear.

[dolphin squeaking]

Narrator: but while margaret's Work with peter continued,

A new development occurred

That would dramatically change The nature of lilly's research.

By early 1965,

Margaret felt the daytime Experiments with peter

Didn't reveal enough About dolphins--

That it should be A 24-7 venture.

Margaret: I said, "I will stay And I will do this."

And lilly said, "What's that?"

I said, "I want to plaster everything

And fill this place with water.

I want to live here with peter."

And lilly got very excited.

And he went for it.

Narrator: margaret drew up Radical plans for the house,

Redesigning the layout Of the upstairs rooms,

Altering their shape And making them waterproof.

Margaret: the building Had not been built to flood,

And we're gonna flood the place

Comfortably knee deep, A little bit deeper.

And I didn't want to Just be indoors for so long,

So the balcony as well.

Eric: They had a giant elevator.

You'd get the animal On the elevator

With a sling under it.

That's how the animal Got up and down.

Narrator: margaret had created A domestic dolphinarium

Where she and peter Could live together

In a semi-aquatic environment.

Margaret: I had a desk Hanging from the ceiling,

A telephone,

And a little stove, I could make tea.

I was on a foam cushion,

And peter would sleep Next to me.

And he would sleep As long as I did.

And I lived there day and night, And it was perfect.

Narrator: and so, in june 1965, Margaret's experiment began.

Over the coming months, She'd live with peter,

Devoting herself To teaching him english,

Like a mother Teaching a child to speak.

Margaret: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Narrator: these are the actual Audio recordings she made.

Margaret: today is august 18.

This is the morning lesson With peter.

Hello.

[dolphin squeaking]

Margaret: hello.

[dolphin squeaking]

Margaret: come on.

I didn't talk to peter The way I talk to you.

I...I spoke In single words usually

And made inflection--

Something that he could follow.

That they were very good at.

The enunciation was not good,

But if I said, "One, two...

[in higher pitch] ...Three,"

I wouldn't get one, two, three,

But I would get... [makes squeaking sound].

Margaret: 1, 2, 3.

[dolphin squeaks]

Margaret: good!

Narrator: But as hard as peter tried,

There were some anatomical Restrictions

That limited his speech.

Margaret: "M" is very difficult.

My name.

You know, "Hello, margaret" I worked on,

And "M" is just impossible.

But he eventually rolled over

So that it kind of... Mwaa...

He would bubble it Into the water.

Mmmmm.

Margaret.

[dolphin squeaking]

Oh, he just couldn't Get it right.

And he just would try And he would try. Oh, god!

Narrator: to help with Peter's pronunciation,

Margaret wanted To draw his attention

To the movement Of her mouth and lips.

Margaret: his blowhole And my mouth

Sort of were trying To do the same thing.

I actually put a white makeup--

Thick white and black Around my mouth--

So that when I was talking To him or teaching a word,

He could really see my blowhole, As it were,

And I would really use my mouth With this makeup on it.

Fish in bucket.

[dolphin squeaking]

Narrator: lilly was impressed With margaret's progress,

Thinking it vindicated His research.

Lilly: I feel armed With a kind of knowledge

That we could never Have obtained

Except through These experiments.

This must be supported and Enthusiastically encouraged.

Margaret: I felt very supported And encouraged to do more.

Narrator: the batesons, however,

Were skeptical about Teaching dolphins english.

Lois' husband gregory Doubted its scientific merit.

He felt that his research on Dolphin-to-dolphin communication

In the sea pool downstairs

Was of more value than Margaret's research with peter.

Lois: she was certainly Trying to see

If they could be trained To speak english...

[laughs]

Which was an ambitious plan.

It was interesting,

But, you know, It wasn't our cup of tea.

Narrator: Despite the batesons' doubts,

Margaret persevered.

She began using peter's Curiosity and playfulness

To keep him interested In the lessons.

Margaret: let's go through All our toys, peter.

Ball.

[dolphin squeaks]

Margaret: good.

Oblong.

[dolphin squeaks]

Margaret: good!

Triangle.

[dolphin squeaks]

Margaret: oh, nice, peter!

Beautiful!

[beeping]

Narrator: meanwhile, nasa Was monitoring the experiment.

That summer, they sent Astronomer carl sagan to the lab

To evaluate its progress.

Margaret: hello!

[dolphin squeaks]

Margaret: oh, I like it, I like it, I like it, peter!

Good boy.

Narrator: it didn't take long For sagan to conclude

That despite margaret's efforts,

Peter was far from being able To understand and use english.

[dolphin clicking]

So instead of teaching The dolphins a human language,

Like the batesons,

Frank drake suggested Lilly study

How dolphins communicate With each other.

Drake: and so we would suggest To have two dolphins,

One in each tank of water, Separately,

Not able to see each other,

But to be able to hear Any phonations,

One to the other.

And that he should teach One dolphin some procedure

By which it could obtain food

And see if it could Tell the other dolphin

How to do the same thing In its tank.

Narrator: lilly dismissed Drake's suggestion

And instructed margaret to Continue her lessons with peter.

Margaret: ball.

Narrator: but lilly's defiance Would soon prove disastrous.

During the summer of 1965,

Margaret howe continued Her research work with peter

At the dolphin house.

But back on the mainland,

John lilly's interests Were shifting.

Lsd had gained popularity As a powerful drug

With remarkable Mind-altering properties.

Brain scientist lilly Became obsessed

By how humans reacted to it,

Including himself.

He experimented with the drug,

Convinced it would steer him To new insights into the mind.

Margaret: there was one time Where he said,

"Alright, I'm gonna go up And inject the lsd."

And I said, "Whoa! I will have Nothing to do with that.

And I will stay out of that,

And you stay out Of my business,"

Which was dolphins.

Narrator: while lilly was Journeying deep into his mind,

Margaret got a crash course

In one aspect Of a dolphin's basic instincts.

Andy: they have sexual urges.

Peter had caused margaret

Some minor injuries On her legs and stuff,

Pushing like an obsessed suitor.

Margaret: in the beginning

When he would get rambunctious And had this need,

I would put him On the elevator and say,

"You go play with the girls For a day."

Narrator: but that Only worked temporarily.

Peter's urges Grew more frequent.

And soon margaret felt

That the best way of focusing His mind back on the lessons

Was to relieve his desires Herself, by hand.

Margaret: it was just easier To incorporate that

And let it happen.

It was very precious.

It was very gentle.

It was sexual on his part; It was not sexual on mine.

Sensuous perhaps.

And that's really all it was.

I was there To get to know peter.

That was part of peter.

Andy: it was great that she Wasn't gonna be damaged by that.

But as a veterinarian, I wondered about poor peter.

This dolphin was Madly in love with her.

Margaret: margaret.

[dolphin squeaking]

Narrator: by now, Anthropologist gregory bateson

Was seriously questioning

The value of margaret's work With peter.

Eric: my dad had, I think, A pretty firm and clear view

That this was a kind Of circus trick.

Narrator: for bateson,

Peter was simply Copying margaret's sounds

With no real comprehension Of what he was saying.

Eric: I can't see why Anybody in their right mind

Would think they were Going to be able to teach

Or to learn to speak In some common language.

You're not Demonstrating anything

About an animal's Capacity for language

By getting them to master Some part of your language.

You want to find out Whether they have language.

You want to find out what They have for their language.

Margaret: come right out With the english, peter.

Don't even think In your own language.

English all the time.

Margaret!

[dolphin squeaking]

Margaret: better. Thank you, peter.

Narrator: Like gregory bateson,

Lilly's funders Were also having doubts

About the value of the research.

Some were starting to pull out.

Lilly grew increasingly Desperate for results

To impress his backers.

He turned to the one experiment He had so far resisted.

Graham: Why wouldn't you go ahead

And use this very powerful drug That has been used

To facilitate psychotherapy--

Namely lsd?

Take a little bit yourself

So you're a little more open To the alien world of the other.

And, heck, while you're at it, Give a little bit to the dolphin

So that they're A little bit more kind of open

To the communicative world Of the other themselves.

Narrator: lilly hoped That giving the dolphins lsd

Would have a dramatic effect.

It had been used Experimentally in research

On animals and humans Since the fifties.

His decision shocked margaret.

Margaret: My first thought was, not peter.

I just said, "Not peter."

What was I? 24 or something.

It was his stuff, It was his animals,

It was his pool.

I can't stop him.

Narrator: Margaret reluctantly agreed

To help lilly With the lsd experiment.

Margaret: he pulled back, And he said, "Ok, not peter."

We pulled peter out Of the sea pool where they were.

So pam and sissy Were in the sea pool.

And john did inject them With lsd.

John: 10:06 p.M.

Lsd, 200 microgram dose Continued.

Andy: different species React in different ways.

Playing with pharmaceuticals

Is tricky business To say the least.

Margaret: we didn't know What was gonna happen.

And we certainly weren't Prepared for anything to happen.

The dolphins were circling.

And john occasionally glanced

And said, "Oh, well, It's only been ten minutes."

And nothing was going on,

And it's been, Well, twenty minutes now.

Nothing was going on.

Nothing, nothing, Nothing happened, period.

Narrator: lilly was anxious To provoke a response.

Standing by the pool, He came up with a cruel idea,

Which shows How far he had strayed

From genuine Scientific research.

Margaret: and he picked up A jackhammer.

Jackhammer makes a big thunk Going through the earth

And the cement and the rock,

And he just started Jackhammering,

Which had everything Sort of shaking.

And still nothing happened.

So that was Sort of the end of it.

Narrator: for gregory bateson,

Lilly's use of lsd On the dolphins

Was the last straw.

He packed up his family And left.

Lois: we had learned As much as we could

From that particular setting In st. Thomas,

And we just felt It was time to go.

Narrator: By the summer of 1966,

With the batesons gone and His government funding depleted,

Lilly was running up Large debts.

And in his lsd-fueled world,

His attention was drifting away From research.

Margaret: he lost focus on it,

And the drug culture and the lsd Took his interest away.

It did fall apart at the end...

Badly.

Narrator: lilly's dream lab Would have to shut down.

But another problem emerged.

Andy: when you're dealing With live subjects,

Whether they're rats Or monkeys or dolphins,

What do you Do with them after...

After the experiments are over?

There was nothing We could do about it.

Narrator: lilly decided To transport the dolphins

To the u.S. Mainland

And keep them In another private lab

He ran outside miami.

It meant the end of margaret And peter's relationship.

Margaret: he wasn't mine.

I couldn't keep him.

We couldn't elope.

We couldn't rush off Into the sea

And disappear and hide.

You just can't do that.

Narrator: after months of living Almost continuously with peter,

The experiment was over.

[dolphin squeaking]

Narrator: in october 1966,

All three dolphins were loaded Into traveling tanks

To be flown to lilly's lab In south florida.

Margaret: seeing that plane Take off and circle...

I didn't go with them.

That was emotional.

Narrator: margaret and andy

Believed the animals Had gone to a good home.

Andy: I was told that They were shipped someplace

Where they would be very happy.

Margaret: I was told He arrived healthy,

That they had him Checked by a vet.

Narrator: in reality, this is The building outside miami

Where the dolphins Had been moved to.

With little or no natural light And tiny cramped tanks,

This nightmarish room

Was a very different environment To the dolphin house.

[dolphin squealing]

Lilly's friend ric o'barry Remembers once visiting the lab.

Ric o'barry: It was awful, to be frank.

It was awful.

The first thing that hit you Was that smell.

[dolphin shrieking]

Dolphins urinate and defecate

Three to five times The quantity people will,

So you can imagine the stench

Of having dolphins Inside of that small room,

In a plastic Portable swimming pool.

And the chlorine, Copper sulfate, chlorine.

Heavily chlorined.

And, uh, yeah, it was awful.

It was awful.

[dolphins squeaking]

Narrator: Back at the dolphin house,

Margaret was unaware Of the conditions

The dolphins were now kept in.

Weeks passed,

And then margaret received A phone call about peter.

[ringing]

Margaret: I got that phone call From john lilly.

John called me himself To tell me.

And he said He committed suicide.

Ric: suicide--

And I use that word With some trepidation

At the risk of sounding Anthropomorphic--

But it does describe

What is indeed Self-induced asphyxiation.

They're not automatic Air breathers like we are.

Every breath Is a conscious effort.

If life becomes too unbearable,

The dolphins just take a breath And they sink to the bottom.

They don't take That next breath.

Narrator: the shock of being Moved from the dolphin house

Had been too much.

Peter, it seems, Had died of a broken heart.

Andy: you could think that Margaret could rationalize that.

But when she left, could peter?

Here's the love Of his life gone.

Narrator: fifty years Of ocean and storms

Have taken their toll On the dolphin house.

Today, this decaying shell is All that remains of the building

Which housed one of the most Controversial experiments

In the history Of animal science.

Graham: in the ruins Of the dolphin house

It's easy to see The pathetic brokenness

Of lilly's own Extraordinary ambition.

Margaret: boy.

[dolphin squeaking]

Margaret: lovely.

Graham: People who study language

Aren't really persuaded that His claims about dolphin talking

Are really informed By the best work

In the study of language itself.

Narrator: instead, today's Leading animal language experts

Believe what happened At the dolphin house

Was in reality a sophisticated Mimicry experiment.

Margaret: fish in bucket.

[dolphin squeaking]

Margaret: yes!

Graham: your parrot says, "Polly want a cracker,"

And you give that parrot A cracker.

Have you broken through To an alien species?

Narrator: peter could copy Margaret's sounds

And relate them To objects and people.

What he couldn't do Was form these sounds into words

That would communicate Spontaneously back to her.

Margaret: He listens to me.

Narrator: for margaret, This was simply because

The experiment Was stopped too early.

She believes peter's progress Was far more advanced

Than a human infant's Would have been

After the same coaching.

And with more time,

She feels she would have Taken his communication

To the next level.

Margaret: six months.

You have a six-month-old baby. They're doing that? No.

You're talking to them All the time,

Sleeping with them, Hugging them, cuddling them,

Are they doing that? No.

It's nothing.

But people are impatient.

Do more, do more.

Narrator: Throughout the 1970s and '80s,

Lilly's desire to communicate With dolphins continued.

Some of his research Was bizarrely mystical,

Like this attempt to try to Contact them telepathically.

The failure of the dolphin house

Killed off Serious scientific interest

In teaching animals A human language.

Tarnished by the reputation Of his work,

John lilly's use Of mind-expanding drugs

Increased In the following years.

But as he got older,

Lilly's appreciation Of dolphin intelligence

Got him thinking About the animals differently.

Ric: up to that point I think he was very involved

In what dolphins can do for me,

John lilly the scientist.

And something happened Along the way

Where he understood they have Just as much rights as we do,

And let's start thinking about What we can do for them.

Lilly: I had no right To confine them,

To imprison them,

To work on them.

My only right Would be to work with them

In their natural habitat,

In their natural state.

Narrator: in the mid-1980s

Lilly began campaigning Relentlessly

Against holding Dolphins captive.

This, together with the profile His work had given dolphins,

Helped elevate them In the eyes of the public.

And for organizations Like greenpeace,

They became an iconic symbol of The wider conservation movement.

Graham: that story Of a rising campaign

To afford new protections To the world's marine mammals--

I would argue it's impossible To imagine that work

Without lilly's legacy.

Narrator: John lilly died in 2001

After a short illness At the age of 86.

Margaret howe Stayed on in st. Thomas

And married john lovatt,

The photographer who had taken The pictures of her with peter.

Remarkably, she and her husband

Continued living in the house For another ten years,

Converting it into a family home And bringing up three girls.

Margaret: It was a good place.

There was good feeling In that building all the time.

Narrator: but for margaret,

Today the house has an even More powerful memory--

Of a time when communicating Between species seemed possible,

Almost destined to happen.

In the decades since lilly's Failed experiment at st. Thomas,

Scientists have resumed The study of dolphins,

Learning more About their behaviors,

Their habitat, Social structure,

And their intelligence.

Dr. Diana reiss specializes in The field of animal cognition,

The mental capacity of animals.

Early in her career, She met john lilly

And considers him an important Figure in dolphin research.

Diana reiss: he was a visionary, He was a pioneer.

And when I was starting-- It was the late '70s--

We didn't know much About dolphin communication.

He lit our fires.

Reiss: bye!

Narrator: Here, with allison ginsburg

Of the national aquarium In baltimore,

Reiss will demonstrate An extraordinary experiment

With far-reaching implications.

Reiss: much of my work Has focused on finding a tool

To reflect The intelligence of dolphins.

We used to think

We were the only thinking Species on the planet.

We held that view For a long time.

And it's really remarkable That we think about it that way

Because we're part Of the animal world

And are made up Of the same building blocks--

Cells and synapses.

And we all have brains Made up of the same stuff.

So why think that We're the only thinkers?

Narrator: it's a question Scientists are now asking.

In this underwater lab, Reiss uses a simple tool--

A two-way mirror-- To look for an answer.

Reiss: we use a mirror, And we ask how do they react?

Do they act Like it's another animal?

Do they understand

That it's themselves They're looking at?

Will they use the mirror As a tool to view themselves?

Narrator: in the experiment,

Diana watches the behavior Of two young male dolphins,

Beau and foster.

The dolphins See their reflection.

Reiss observes their reactions.

Reiss: and if we think about What a mirror is for a dolphin,

If they understand It's themselves in a mirror,

That means they understand

That that's an external Representation of themselves.

Narrator: reiss has concluded

Dolphins have what's called "Mirror self-recognition,"

The ability to see themselves As individual beings.

Reiss: for many years

We thought, again, We were alone as a species

That could have Mirror self-recognition.

You put a mirror In front of most animals,

And they either think it's Another of their own species

And show social behavior,

Or they don't pay attention.

So it's a very Small group of animals

That show Mirror self-recognition.

It really seems to take A lot of brain power.

Narrator: the recognition of This brain power in a dolphin

Has helped spark a revolution That began with john lilly.

Reiss: so the question is now Not do other animals think,

But how do they think?

It's a very different view.

Narrator: for reiss, This different view

Also brings with it A different outlook

On the plight of marine mammals.

Reiss: as a scientist I've always been trained,

Don't step into advocacy.

I can't help Stepping into advocacy.

Having seen what I've seen In terms of their intelligence,

Their social awareness, Their self-awareness,

The fact that they have capacity For pain and suffering

And being aware of it,

We need to protect them.

It's time to get Global protection

For dolphins and whales.

Narrator: fifty years After the dolphin house closed,

Science may be catching up With john lilly's vision.

Reiss: it's too bad Lilly didn't succeed,

Because then we could have Turned around

And asked the dolphins Themselves

About the nature of their Intelligence and communication.