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♪
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Narrator: Ever since humanity
went into space,
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We've looked down on the marvels
of our civilization.
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We've achieved
incredible things,
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But we didn't do this alone.
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Thanks to space technology,
we are gaining new insight
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Into how the dynamic life
of our planet
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Has influenced
the rise of our species.
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♪
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We're finding evidence
that our exceptional brains
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May be an evolutionary response
to an unpredictable climate.
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Man: When you really look
at what our brains do,
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They're our organ
of adaptability.
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Narrator: We're revealing
how a lifestyle revolution
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Triggered
the growth of civilization.
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Man: These are probably
the earliest ancient roadways
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In the world.
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Narrator: And we're uncovering
the full power and peril
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Of unleashing the energy
stored within our planet
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Hundreds of millions
of years ago.
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Man:
That's an energy revolution,
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And there are climatic and
ecosystem consequences to that
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That are going to be present
for thousands of years to come.
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Narrator: Humanity's
very success is pushing us
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And our environment to the edge.
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Man: We have become a force
to match anything that you see
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In a billion years
of earth history.
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Narrator: But our technology
gives us a chance
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To shape what happens next.
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Man: We can actually
conceive of a desirable future
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And build a global plan
to get to that future.
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That's the challenge for
humanity in the 21st century.
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♪
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Narrator:
This is the story of us,
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Of the life of earth
in the age of humans.
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♪
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♪
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From its birth
4.5 billion years ago,
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Planet earth has endured
constant change--
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Devastating impacts
from asteroids and comets,
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And tectonic shifts generated
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By the churning heat
beneath its crust,
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Transforming
the planet's environment.
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All life that clings
to its surface
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Evolves to survive
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Or succumbs to extinction.
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Our story begins
300,000 years ago.
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Earth's climate
is colder than today,
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With ice sheets
extending from both poles.
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In the warmer equatorial zone
on the african continent,
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A new creature arises,
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A species of ape
with great potential.
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They are us...
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Homo sapiens.
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But 300,000 years ago,
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We were not
the only two-legged ape
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Wandering the african plains.
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2015, southern africa.
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In a region rich
in ancient human fossils,
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A fantastic new discovery awaits
deep underground.
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It's the first time
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Paleoanthropologist
dr. Lee berger
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Has explored
the rising star cave system.
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Lee berger:
I had this map I'd created
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Of almost 800 cave sites
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That were all entryways
into the underworld
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That I hadn't been in yet,
and that was the mission.
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Narrator: Berger has heard
rumors of human remains
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Glimpsed
down one of these passageways.
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It's challenging terrain
for the scientific team.
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Berger:
To travel just 100 meters
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Takes 20, 30, 40 minutes,
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Depending on how fit you are
and how good you are
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At squeezing
through very tight spaces.
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It's a torturous journey.
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♪
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Narrator:
The effort is worth it.
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They make an incredible find.
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Berger: I was speechless.
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I mean, there I saw something
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I thought I would never see
in my entire career.
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There was
a clearly primitive hominid
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Just lying there on the surface
in the dirt.
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♪
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Narrator:
The body is just the beginning.
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Berger and his team
uncover bones
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From 15 separate skeletons,
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Dating from the time humans
first spread across africa.
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Berger: We've had everything
from individuals just born,
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All the way
to the extreme elderly,
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And everybody in between.
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Narrator:
But the bones are not human.
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They belong
to a totally new species--
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Homo naledi.
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Berger: Imagine
if you're standing out here
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300,000 years ago.
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A group of homo naledis
from 500 meters...
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They'd look very little
different from humans
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Because they're walking
on two legs.
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As they approach,
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You're going to start seeing
things that are different.
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You're going to notice that
the proportions aren't right,
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That the heads are small,
that the shoulders are narrow.
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When they got about 50 meters
from you,
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You'd realize that's
not a human coming at you.
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There'd be no mistaking.
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Narrator:
Naledi now joined the ranks
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Of at least three other
human-like species
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That existed in parallel
to homo sapiens
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300,000 years ago,
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Exhibited here in the national
museum of natural history.
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Rick potts: We used to see
human evolutionary history
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As that March of progress
from ape-like to human beings.
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Instead, what we've learned is
that there were contemporaries.
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Our evolutionary tree
is branching and diverse,
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Like the evolutionary trees
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Of almost all other organisms
on earth.
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Narrator: But if all these
human-like competitors
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Once shared our planet,
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Why are we the only ones left?
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Potts: None of them
now exist on earth.
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We are the last bipeds standing.
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Narrator: Humanity's survival
advantage may have its roots
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In dramatic changes
in the earth's unstable climate.
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♪
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Satellite images
of the western sahara
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Reveal remains of a major
river system 250 miles long...
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Evidence that this was once
a lush valley.
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It's now believed
that every 20,000 years
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Throughout humanity's evolution,
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Periodic ice ages
swing the african environment
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From wet to dry and back again.
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Potts:
The past six million years
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Have been
the most dramatic period
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Of climate oscillation
and change in landscapes
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Ever since the extinction
of the dinosaurs
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65 million years ago.
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Narrator:
Any species that can't cope
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With rapid environmental change
will not endure.
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Potts: The boundary
between survival and extinction
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Was really adaptability,
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The ability to adjust
to changes in the landscape.
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Narrator:
Scientists think the need
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00:09:03,401 --> 00:09:06,039
To solve
environmental challenges
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Spurred homo sapiens to evolve
a uniquely adaptive brain.
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We developed imagination
and language skills
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Our rivals lacked.
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Potts: When you really look
at what our brains do,
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They're our organ
of adaptability.
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With language,
we have the ability
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Of not just having our brains
being inside our skulls,
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We have the possibility of our
brains being shared with others
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In ways that go far beyond
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What any other organism
was capable of doing
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Up to that time,
including earlier humans,
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And that capacity
to socially network our brains
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Meant that innovations could
start to not only be invented
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But also to accumulate.
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That was our real card
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That we could put down
on the survival table.
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♪
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Narrator: Over 200,000 years
of intense competition
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In a fluctuating climate,
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We become the only homo species
still surviving in africa.
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Homo naledi
and our other african rivals
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Are overwhelmed.
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And it's time for our mental
advantage to go global.
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An extreme ice age
causes sea levels
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To drop nearly 250 feet.
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Sections of the red sea
narrow to just a few miles wide.
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♪
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It's a new route out of africa
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That some of our ancestors
now use
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To spread across the world.
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The decline and disappearance
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Of all remaining
rival homo species
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Can be traced
to this great migration.
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And our rivals
are not the only casualties.
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We now begin to have
an impact on the planet
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Unlike any other animal
before or since.
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The latest ice age
approaches its peak.
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Over the last 30,000 years,
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Our ancestors have spread
across the globe.
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But their path to the americas
was hindered.
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Deep oceans proved
a formidable obstruction,
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But now this barrier disappears.
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Expanding ice caps
cause sea levels
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To dip to record lows.
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In 2014, a satellite survey
between siberia and alaska
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Measures the shallow contours
of the seabed.
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Here is conclusive proof
that 25,000 years ago,
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A 600-mile land corridor
opens up.
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♪
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Across it, animals and humans
start to migrate.
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But evidence from this late
migration tells a bigger story--
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That humans have by now amassed
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The power to unbalance
an entire ecosystem.
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♪
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00:13:06,994 --> 00:13:10,439
In michigan, a team
of paleontologists investigates
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The remains of an ice age lake.
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♪
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00:13:17,074 --> 00:13:21,559
Team leader dr. Dan fisher
unearths incredible evidence
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Of the deadly impact
of this human migration.
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Dan fisher: What's that?
205
00:13:30,194 --> 00:13:31,879
There's something there.
206
00:13:31,954 --> 00:13:34,272
Okay, this shape right here
207
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Is the central column-like
section of a vertebra,
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00:13:38,034 --> 00:13:40,592
The part that supports weight.
209
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Oh! There's another one
below this.
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Narrator: These are the remains
of an icon of the ice age...
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The woolly mammoth.
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00:13:52,834 --> 00:13:54,759
Fisher:
Humans living here at this time
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00:13:54,834 --> 00:13:56,199
Would absolutely
have encountered them
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On a more or less daily basis.
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00:14:00,441 --> 00:14:02,039
Narrator: Before humans arrived,
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00:14:02,114 --> 00:14:06,039
Mammoths and other large animals
roamed throughout the americas.
217
00:14:08,674 --> 00:14:12,719
But they had never faced
a predator this cunning.
218
00:14:16,274 --> 00:14:17,959
Fisher's evidence shows
219
00:14:18,034 --> 00:14:21,552
Just how sophisticated
these hunters were.
220
00:14:21,561 --> 00:14:24,512
Fisher: I think this comes
from the base of the skull
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00:14:24,521 --> 00:14:26,512
That was cleaved off.
222
00:14:26,521 --> 00:14:28,512
This would suggest,
not in a single piece,
223
00:14:28,521 --> 00:14:30,839
Maybe in multiple pieces,
224
00:14:30,914 --> 00:14:34,352
We have this very targeted
damage on the skull.
225
00:14:34,361 --> 00:14:37,639
They broke in
just where it was necessary
226
00:14:37,714 --> 00:14:40,359
To most easily remove
the entire brain.
227
00:14:42,041 --> 00:14:44,112
Narrator: The early humans
aren't just eating
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00:14:44,121 --> 00:14:46,192
The nutritious brain.
229
00:14:46,201 --> 00:14:50,679
They know how to prepare
and preserve it.
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00:14:50,754 --> 00:14:53,559
Fisher: The fact
that it's found in the pond
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00:14:53,634 --> 00:14:55,639
Is consistent with the notion
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00:14:55,714 --> 00:14:59,792
That they store brains in skulls
in lakes for a month or two
233
00:14:59,801 --> 00:15:01,312
To sort of season them
234
00:15:01,321 --> 00:15:05,319
And, and get them sort of
to just the right consistency,
235
00:15:05,394 --> 00:15:07,199
But then
they'll eat them directly.
236
00:15:10,754 --> 00:15:14,079
Narrator: Mammoths once
dominated this landscape.
237
00:15:17,794 --> 00:15:22,359
But fossil evidence shows
that by 10,000 years ago,
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00:15:22,434 --> 00:15:26,832
Their numbers
are in steep decline.
239
00:15:26,841 --> 00:15:30,519
And the clues
point to one culprit.
240
00:15:33,401 --> 00:15:35,552
Fisher: You might think
that a small human population
241
00:15:35,561 --> 00:15:40,279
Would never make a dent
in the populations like this,
242
00:15:40,354 --> 00:15:44,039
But these are
slow-reproducing animals.
243
00:15:44,201 --> 00:15:47,552
When they suffer losses
to hunting year after year,
244
00:15:47,561 --> 00:15:50,039
It has the potential
to have a serious impact
245
00:15:50,114 --> 00:15:52,039
On the population as a whole.
246
00:15:55,794 --> 00:15:58,912
The evidence strongly supports
human activity
247
00:15:58,921 --> 00:16:03,519
As the principal cause
of the mammoths' extinction.
248
00:16:07,161 --> 00:16:09,392
Narrator:
The end of the mammoths is proof
249
00:16:09,401 --> 00:16:12,039
That as early
as 10,000 years ago,
250
00:16:12,114 --> 00:16:15,872
Our adaptive brain
gives us enormous influence
251
00:16:15,881 --> 00:16:17,639
Over our environment.
252
00:16:19,554 --> 00:16:22,352
But globally,
our scattered populations
253
00:16:22,361 --> 00:16:25,519
Still total
fewer than five million.
254
00:16:27,721 --> 00:16:30,359
In this ice age world,
our numbers are limited
255
00:16:30,434 --> 00:16:34,279
By the scarcity of the wild
resources we depend on.
256
00:16:37,641 --> 00:16:40,839
But the planet itself
will soon create opportunity
257
00:16:40,914 --> 00:16:43,472
For a new way of life.
258
00:16:43,481 --> 00:16:47,479
Humans will harness
the power of cultivation,
259
00:16:47,554 --> 00:16:50,112
Transforming
not just our population,
260
00:16:50,121 --> 00:16:54,919
But our societies,
even the whole ecosystem.
261
00:17:03,394 --> 00:17:07,199
Our planet today
is lit up by civilization.
262
00:17:15,161 --> 00:17:18,112
But 10,000 years ago,
263
00:17:18,121 --> 00:17:21,599
Not a single town or city
exists.
264
00:17:25,074 --> 00:17:27,792
All humans are nomads.
265
00:17:27,801 --> 00:17:32,039
They live in small groups
of hunter-gatherers,
266
00:17:32,121 --> 00:17:34,199
Always on the move,
267
00:17:34,274 --> 00:17:40,359
Hunting wild animals
and foraging wild plants.
268
00:17:40,434 --> 00:17:45,479
This lifestyle has changed
little for over 100,000 years.
269
00:17:45,554 --> 00:17:50,359
♪
270
00:17:50,434 --> 00:17:55,239
But just 5,000 years later,
grand structures appear
271
00:17:55,314 --> 00:17:58,439
Alongside teeming cities,
272
00:17:58,514 --> 00:18:01,319
Hallmarks of civilization.
273
00:18:02,521 --> 00:18:04,832
It's a dramatic turning point.
274
00:18:04,841 --> 00:18:08,759
♪
275
00:18:08,834 --> 00:18:11,319
And a set
of top secret photographs
276
00:18:11,394 --> 00:18:14,679
May just have revealed
where it all began.
277
00:18:20,514 --> 00:18:24,672
In the 1960s,
at the height of the cold war,
278
00:18:24,681 --> 00:18:28,119
America launches
a spy satellite program...
279
00:18:32,841 --> 00:18:35,599
Code name: Corona.
280
00:18:39,401 --> 00:18:42,919
For decades, the 800,000
satellite photographs
281
00:18:42,994 --> 00:18:48,119
Of the corona program
remain top secret,
282
00:18:48,194 --> 00:18:52,999
But in 1995, an archaeologist
from the smithsonian institution
283
00:18:53,074 --> 00:18:58,359
Persuades the government
to declassify the images.
284
00:18:58,434 --> 00:19:00,199
This treasure trove of data
285
00:19:00,274 --> 00:19:04,799
May just have identified
the world's first city.
286
00:19:08,921 --> 00:19:12,919
Anthropologist dr. Jesse casana
has spent years
287
00:19:12,994 --> 00:19:19,072
Studying corona spy photographs
of the middle east.
288
00:19:19,081 --> 00:19:21,072
The images are invaluable
289
00:19:21,081 --> 00:19:24,359
Because 50 years ago
when the photos were taken,
290
00:19:24,434 --> 00:19:28,512
The countryside
was far less industrialized.
291
00:19:31,161 --> 00:19:36,672
Ancient details remain visible,
if you know what to look for.
292
00:19:36,681 --> 00:19:38,359
Jesse casana:
We were able to document
293
00:19:38,434 --> 00:19:42,839
Something like 10,000 previously
unknown archaeological sites
294
00:19:42,914 --> 00:19:46,032
That, through the history
of 150 years
295
00:19:46,041 --> 00:19:48,192
Of archaeologists
working in the middle east,
296
00:19:48,201 --> 00:19:50,079
No one had ever documented.
297
00:19:51,721 --> 00:19:53,232
Narrator: In 2007,
298
00:19:53,241 --> 00:19:57,079
The spy images
herald a breakthrough,
299
00:19:57,154 --> 00:19:59,872
Revealing details
that are causing experts
300
00:19:59,881 --> 00:20:05,199
To reclassify one settlement
as the world's first city.
301
00:20:06,841 --> 00:20:10,992
4,000 years older
than the pyramids of egypt,
302
00:20:11,001 --> 00:20:14,599
It's called tell brak.
303
00:20:14,674 --> 00:20:17,072
Casana: It looks like
a gigantic hill today,
304
00:20:17,081 --> 00:20:21,079
And surrounding the big hill
is a fan of other settlement
305
00:20:21,154 --> 00:20:24,279
That encompasses
a very large area.
306
00:20:24,354 --> 00:20:26,759
It's the remains
of an ancient city
307
00:20:26,834 --> 00:20:31,792
That was probably first founded
more than 6,000 years ago,
308
00:20:31,801 --> 00:20:37,079
And that makes it perhaps
the oldest city in the world.
309
00:20:37,154 --> 00:20:40,599
Narrator: Settlements like
tell brak only start to appear
310
00:20:40,674 --> 00:20:45,039
After a dramatic event
transforms the environment.
311
00:20:48,681 --> 00:20:53,072
It's the end
of the last ice age.
312
00:20:53,121 --> 00:20:56,039
Earth's climate
radically shifts.
313
00:20:56,114 --> 00:21:04,512
♪
314
00:21:04,521 --> 00:21:11,319
The planet is at its warmest
point in 100,000 years.
315
00:21:11,394 --> 00:21:15,199
Where tell brak lies
is an area of the middle east
316
00:21:15,241 --> 00:21:18,672
Known as the fertile crescent.
317
00:21:18,681 --> 00:21:22,039
It's now
that it becomes fertile.
318
00:21:22,121 --> 00:21:26,352
♪
319
00:21:26,361 --> 00:21:30,192
Rainfall and temperatures
increase,
320
00:21:30,201 --> 00:21:34,039
Leading to a great expansion
of grassland.
321
00:21:34,114 --> 00:21:40,839
♪
322
00:21:40,914 --> 00:21:45,479
Climate change is about to fuel
a food revolution.
323
00:21:47,954 --> 00:21:53,552
For millennia,
humans foraged wild grass seeds,
324
00:21:53,561 --> 00:21:56,432
But now abundant wheat
and barley
325
00:21:56,441 --> 00:21:59,679
Prove easy to grow
and to control.
326
00:22:02,274 --> 00:22:04,359
Some people begin to settle,
327
00:22:04,434 --> 00:22:09,872
To nurture
and protect their crops.
328
00:22:09,881 --> 00:22:13,399
They gradually give up
the hunter-gatherer lifestyle
329
00:22:13,474 --> 00:22:18,352
To become farmers.
330
00:22:18,361 --> 00:22:20,079
From this point forward,
331
00:22:20,121 --> 00:22:25,072
Human reliance on cultivated
plants and domesticated animals
332
00:22:25,121 --> 00:22:27,759
Will begin to change
the landscape.
333
00:22:31,081 --> 00:22:34,592
Potts: With agriculture,
people began to have an impact,
334
00:22:34,601 --> 00:22:37,792
Taking a few plants,
then breeding them,
335
00:22:37,801 --> 00:22:41,399
Growing them, and rejecting all
of the other plants around them,
336
00:22:41,474 --> 00:22:44,832
Simplifying those ecosystems.
337
00:22:44,841 --> 00:22:48,079
Narrator: Tell brak is special
because the earliest evidence
338
00:22:48,121 --> 00:22:49,792
Of this shift to agriculture
339
00:22:49,801 --> 00:22:52,912
Is visible
in the corona images--
340
00:22:52,921 --> 00:22:55,319
The world's first roads.
341
00:22:55,394 --> 00:22:56,672
Casana: What we can see
342
00:22:56,681 --> 00:22:59,072
Are these,
these dark linear features
343
00:22:59,121 --> 00:23:03,472
That extend out from the site
like the spokes on a wheel.
344
00:23:03,481 --> 00:23:04,999
They're really long.
345
00:23:05,074 --> 00:23:08,512
They extend four or five
kilometers, and what they are
346
00:23:08,521 --> 00:23:12,279
Are the remains of probably
the earliest known roadways
347
00:23:12,354 --> 00:23:14,272
In the world.
348
00:23:14,281 --> 00:23:15,952
What we are able to reconstruct
349
00:23:15,961 --> 00:23:19,152
Is that, in the immediate
hinterland surrounding the city,
350
00:23:19,161 --> 00:23:21,072
There would have been
extensive fields
351
00:23:21,201 --> 00:23:25,392
Of intensively cultivated
wheat and barley.
352
00:23:25,401 --> 00:23:27,159
The sheep and goat
that lived with the people
353
00:23:27,234 --> 00:23:28,439
Here in tell brak,
354
00:23:28,514 --> 00:23:31,792
They would need
to pass by those fields,
355
00:23:31,801 --> 00:23:33,152
And they didn't want
to trample the wheat,
356
00:23:33,161 --> 00:23:35,072
So they would be
kind of constrained,
357
00:23:35,081 --> 00:23:37,159
And so that's how we get
these roadways forming.
358
00:23:37,234 --> 00:23:38,752
They served as passage
359
00:23:38,761 --> 00:23:41,479
For large herds of sheep
and goat and other animals
360
00:23:41,554 --> 00:23:43,799
To come in and out of the city.
361
00:23:46,201 --> 00:23:49,392
Narrator: The settled
populations expand,
362
00:23:49,401 --> 00:23:53,072
Overwhelming
the remaining hunter-gatherers,
363
00:23:53,081 --> 00:23:56,079
Transforming the landscape
364
00:23:56,121 --> 00:24:01,079
With fields, villages, towns,
365
00:24:01,154 --> 00:24:05,152
And eventually cities.
366
00:24:05,161 --> 00:24:09,952
As these cities become the hubs
of great civilizations,
367
00:24:09,961 --> 00:24:14,919
This is the moment humanity
becomes visible from space.
368
00:24:16,914 --> 00:24:19,239
Over the next
few thousand years,
369
00:24:19,314 --> 00:24:24,112
Agricultural revolutions
occur across the globe.
370
00:24:24,121 --> 00:24:26,039
Each civilization is built
371
00:24:26,114 --> 00:24:31,152
Around locally cultivated
plants.
372
00:24:31,161 --> 00:24:35,319
In china and southeast asia,
rice and millet.
373
00:24:35,394 --> 00:24:38,839
In the americas,
corn or potatoes.
374
00:24:41,721 --> 00:24:44,119
And wherever
agriculture takes hold,
375
00:24:44,194 --> 00:24:48,352
There is a population explosion.
376
00:24:48,361 --> 00:24:50,359
By the first century a.D.,
377
00:24:50,434 --> 00:24:55,392
The world population
is over 170 million.
378
00:24:55,401 --> 00:24:59,159
By 1500, it's 500 million.
379
00:25:02,441 --> 00:25:05,632
The footprint
of expanding human populations
380
00:25:05,641 --> 00:25:10,119
Spreads over the entire surface
of the earth.
381
00:25:10,194 --> 00:25:12,592
But now,
as long as we rely solely
382
00:25:12,601 --> 00:25:15,079
On plants and animals
for energy,
383
00:25:15,154 --> 00:25:18,599
Our growth is constrained.
384
00:25:21,481 --> 00:25:23,792
Further progress is unlikely
385
00:25:23,801 --> 00:25:29,239
If not for a hidden source
of power lying under our feet.
386
00:25:34,274 --> 00:25:36,039
Above our heads today,
387
00:25:36,161 --> 00:25:39,559
Scores of satellites
orbit the earth.
388
00:25:39,634 --> 00:25:42,999
Their mission--treasure seeking.
389
00:25:45,234 --> 00:25:49,872
Using an array of sensors,
they probe the planet's surface,
390
00:25:49,881 --> 00:25:51,479
Seeking an energy bonanza
391
00:25:51,554 --> 00:25:54,759
Buried hundreds of millions
of years ago.
392
00:25:54,834 --> 00:25:59,319
♪
393
00:25:59,394 --> 00:26:02,672
Over the earth's
4.5-billion-year history,
394
00:26:02,681 --> 00:26:06,519
It has experienced
many violent transformations.
395
00:26:09,881 --> 00:26:11,199
But through them all,
396
00:26:11,241 --> 00:26:15,399
The sun has shone,
bathing the surface with light,
397
00:26:15,474 --> 00:26:18,519
A source of incredible energy.
398
00:26:18,594 --> 00:26:24,112
♪
399
00:26:24,121 --> 00:26:26,519
When life takes off in earnest,
400
00:26:26,594 --> 00:26:30,079
It does so because it has
perfected photosynthesis...
401
00:26:32,521 --> 00:26:36,112
Using light energy
to trap carbon from the air
402
00:26:36,121 --> 00:26:42,079
In leaves, stems, and trunks.
403
00:26:42,121 --> 00:26:48,199
For over 100 million years,
immense forests swamp the globe,
404
00:26:48,274 --> 00:26:53,079
And the seas fill with life.
405
00:26:53,154 --> 00:26:59,632
As plants and animals die,
their remains become fossilized.
406
00:26:59,641 --> 00:27:02,832
They lock up the solar energy
that created them
407
00:27:02,841 --> 00:27:08,032
In coal, oil, and gas,
408
00:27:08,041 --> 00:27:09,872
Which millions of years later
409
00:27:09,881 --> 00:27:13,952
Will utterly transform
human societies.
410
00:27:13,961 --> 00:27:23,999
♪
411
00:27:24,001 --> 00:27:29,879
♪
412
00:27:29,954 --> 00:27:32,432
Since the start of civilization,
413
00:27:32,441 --> 00:27:34,432
To keep the fires burning,
414
00:27:34,441 --> 00:27:37,792
Populations rely on wood
for fuel.
415
00:27:37,801 --> 00:27:45,872
♪
416
00:27:45,881 --> 00:27:48,272
And by around 300 years ago,
417
00:27:48,281 --> 00:27:51,392
Populated areas
like europe and china
418
00:27:51,401 --> 00:27:56,032
Burn up most of their forests.
419
00:27:56,041 --> 00:27:58,352
If they use up all their wood,
420
00:27:58,361 --> 00:28:01,719
Their civilizations
may soon collapse.
421
00:28:06,194 --> 00:28:08,079
But in the 18th century,
422
00:28:08,121 --> 00:28:12,359
Humans tap the true potential
of fossil fuels...
423
00:28:14,281 --> 00:28:16,272
Developing machines
to harness
424
00:28:16,281 --> 00:28:19,559
This buried source
of rich energy.
425
00:28:22,994 --> 00:28:24,912
Over just a few hundred years,
426
00:28:24,921 --> 00:28:28,999
They fuel humanity's
great leap forward--
427
00:28:29,074 --> 00:28:33,472
The industrial revolution.
428
00:28:33,481 --> 00:28:36,679
Scott wing: We're tapping into
this fossilized source of carbon
429
00:28:36,754 --> 00:28:40,199
That's been deposited over
hundreds of millions of years,
430
00:28:40,274 --> 00:28:42,432
And we're then
burning that energy up,
431
00:28:42,441 --> 00:28:46,199
And that's really an energy
revolution that's so recent
432
00:28:46,274 --> 00:28:47,312
That I, I think sometimes
433
00:28:47,321 --> 00:28:49,952
We don't realize
how important it is.
434
00:28:49,961 --> 00:28:54,599
♪
435
00:28:54,674 --> 00:28:56,839
Narrator:
Access to fossilized energy
436
00:28:56,914 --> 00:29:00,479
Puts human civilization
into overdrive.
437
00:29:02,761 --> 00:29:06,192
Wing: The energy revolution
lets all of us
438
00:29:06,201 --> 00:29:10,112
Consume a huge amount of power.
439
00:29:10,121 --> 00:29:15,119
The amount of energy that each
one of us use in our daily lives
440
00:29:15,161 --> 00:29:16,599
Is equivalent to having,
441
00:29:16,674 --> 00:29:19,519
You know, more than 100 people
working for you full-time.
442
00:29:21,794 --> 00:29:25,279
Narrator: Gasoline-fueled
vehicles link cities.
443
00:29:28,521 --> 00:29:32,639
Coal- and oil-powered ships
link continents.
444
00:29:37,714 --> 00:29:41,719
Technological innovation
allows instant communication
445
00:29:41,794 --> 00:29:44,272
Across the planet.
446
00:29:44,281 --> 00:29:48,079
Civilization
is now truly global.
447
00:29:52,114 --> 00:29:53,552
But this energy revolution
448
00:29:53,561 --> 00:29:56,439
Also unleashes
humanity's potential
449
00:29:56,514 --> 00:30:00,079
For incredible
destructive power.
450
00:30:00,121 --> 00:30:05,799
[explosion]
451
00:30:05,874 --> 00:30:08,519
The explosion
of the first atomic bomb
452
00:30:08,594 --> 00:30:11,679
Marks a turning point
for humankind.
453
00:30:14,161 --> 00:30:18,959
[explosion]
454
00:30:21,001 --> 00:30:22,672
Over the following decades,
455
00:30:22,681 --> 00:30:26,512
More than 2,000 atomic warheads
are tested.
456
00:30:26,521 --> 00:30:31,792
♪
457
00:30:31,801 --> 00:30:36,352
They generate an unprecedented
release of radioactive dust
458
00:30:36,361 --> 00:30:39,359
That spreads across the globe.
459
00:30:41,641 --> 00:30:44,839
Wing: If you were a geologist
ten million years from now,
460
00:30:44,914 --> 00:30:47,799
Some of it
would still be visible
461
00:30:47,874 --> 00:30:53,072
In the sediments deposited
in the mid-20th century.
462
00:30:53,081 --> 00:30:54,759
Narrator: This is the moment
463
00:30:54,834 --> 00:30:59,639
Geologists consider the official
start of the age of humans,
464
00:30:59,714 --> 00:31:02,679
The point when a species of ape
achieved the power
465
00:31:02,754 --> 00:31:06,839
To determine the destiny
of all life on earth.
466
00:31:13,161 --> 00:31:16,439
So far, the fear
of mutual destruction
467
00:31:16,514 --> 00:31:19,559
Has kept us
from nuclear holocaust.
468
00:31:22,441 --> 00:31:24,039
But in the age of humans,
469
00:31:24,114 --> 00:31:27,872
There are other ways we can
threaten our own survival.
470
00:31:27,881 --> 00:31:35,559
♪
471
00:31:35,634 --> 00:31:38,759
It took humanity 300,000 years
472
00:31:38,834 --> 00:31:43,399
To reach a population
of one billion.
473
00:31:43,474 --> 00:31:45,632
But in just two centuries,
474
00:31:45,641 --> 00:31:52,199
Our fossil-fueled civilization
has rocketed to seven billion.
475
00:31:52,274 --> 00:31:55,792
We are now spread,
in increasing density,
476
00:31:55,801 --> 00:32:02,592
Over the entire habitable
surface of the globe.
477
00:32:02,601 --> 00:32:04,039
Kirk johnson:
During my life span,
478
00:32:04,121 --> 00:32:07,232
The population of the planet
has more than doubled.
479
00:32:07,241 --> 00:32:08,992
The impact of that, of course,
480
00:32:09,001 --> 00:32:13,072
Is that people need
food, land, iphones,
481
00:32:13,081 --> 00:32:15,359
Cars, buses, cities.
482
00:32:16,914 --> 00:32:20,512
So as humans grow, they're
appropriating the natural world
483
00:32:20,521 --> 00:32:22,799
At a staggering rate.
484
00:32:24,594 --> 00:32:27,232
Narrator: It's estimated
that to feed everyone,
485
00:32:27,241 --> 00:32:28,759
Farmers will need to produce
486
00:32:28,834 --> 00:32:31,479
As much food
in the next 40 years
487
00:32:31,554 --> 00:32:35,199
As they have
in the previous 8,000.
488
00:32:38,361 --> 00:32:41,559
But as we turn most of the globe
to agriculture,
489
00:32:41,634 --> 00:32:44,879
We are destroying
animal diversity.
490
00:32:47,314 --> 00:32:49,472
Today, livestock farming
491
00:32:49,481 --> 00:32:52,999
Covers a quarter
of all available land.
492
00:32:56,754 --> 00:33:00,199
In just 50 years,
wild mammal numbers
493
00:33:00,274 --> 00:33:03,519
Have dropped
by almost 60 percent.
494
00:33:06,994 --> 00:33:08,592
Johnson: One of the things
we've been seeing is over time
495
00:33:08,601 --> 00:33:12,039
Is that there are less animals
than there used to be.
496
00:33:12,121 --> 00:33:13,712
There are less fish than
there used to be.
497
00:33:13,721 --> 00:33:16,439
There's less wild land
than there used to be.
498
00:33:19,634 --> 00:33:22,999
Narrator: Extinction rates
are 1,000 times higher
499
00:33:23,074 --> 00:33:25,039
Than ever measured before.
500
00:33:27,234 --> 00:33:29,392
Wing: How long
are we going to continue
501
00:33:29,401 --> 00:33:33,559
To decrease the habitat
for other species?
502
00:33:33,634 --> 00:33:36,999
Because if it continues,
I think there's not much doubt
503
00:33:37,074 --> 00:33:39,479
That we will end up
in a mass extinction.
504
00:33:43,154 --> 00:33:44,432
Narrator: We may not notice
505
00:33:44,441 --> 00:33:48,199
The extinction
of most wild animals,
506
00:33:48,274 --> 00:33:51,079
But our addiction
to fossilized energy
507
00:33:51,154 --> 00:33:53,959
Is becoming impossible
to ignore.
508
00:33:54,034 --> 00:34:00,999
♪
509
00:34:01,074 --> 00:34:04,199
Burning fossil fuels
pumps huge quantities
510
00:34:04,274 --> 00:34:06,799
Of ancient carbon
into the atmosphere...
511
00:34:10,514 --> 00:34:14,672
Far too much for today's
plants, soils, or oceans
512
00:34:14,681 --> 00:34:16,039
To reabsorb.
513
00:34:16,161 --> 00:34:19,792
♪
514
00:34:19,801 --> 00:34:24,039
[horns honking]
515
00:34:24,201 --> 00:34:26,439
Wing: We're using
the fossil fuel reservoir
516
00:34:26,514 --> 00:34:29,632
A million times faster
than it was generated,
517
00:34:29,641 --> 00:34:34,672
And there are climatic and
ecosystem consequences to that
518
00:34:34,681 --> 00:34:39,559
That are going to be present
for thousands of years to come.
519
00:34:43,234 --> 00:34:44,839
Narrator: Measurements
from space probes
520
00:34:44,914 --> 00:34:51,792
Confirm that our atmosphere
is altering at an alarming rate.
521
00:34:51,801 --> 00:34:53,392
Gavin schmidt: We've increased
the amount of carbon dioxide
522
00:34:53,401 --> 00:34:54,839
By more than 40 percent.
523
00:34:54,914 --> 00:34:56,592
We've more than doubled
the amount of methane,
524
00:34:56,601 --> 00:34:58,272
Another trace gas
in the atmosphere.
525
00:34:58,281 --> 00:35:01,239
Each one of those things
is changing the climate,
526
00:35:01,314 --> 00:35:02,599
Is changing the weather.
527
00:35:02,674 --> 00:35:04,512
Narrator:
Earth's history tells us
528
00:35:04,521 --> 00:35:08,439
Rapid change in climate
can be disastrous.
529
00:35:08,514 --> 00:35:11,159
Wing: We have past examples
530
00:35:11,234 --> 00:35:13,239
Where the amount of co2
has gone up
531
00:35:13,314 --> 00:35:15,159
And the earth's climate
has warmed,
532
00:35:15,234 --> 00:35:18,519
So it's a fact.
533
00:35:18,594 --> 00:35:20,832
Narrator: 56 million years ago,
534
00:35:20,841 --> 00:35:24,432
The climate warmed
nearly 14 degrees fahrenheit
535
00:35:24,441 --> 00:35:27,152
Over a few thousand years.
536
00:35:27,161 --> 00:35:29,879
Fossils show that to survive
the conditions,
537
00:35:29,954 --> 00:35:35,719
Most species of mammal shrank
in size by over a third.
538
00:35:35,794 --> 00:35:37,072
But under our watch,
539
00:35:37,081 --> 00:35:42,512
The climate is changing
at a much faster pace.
540
00:35:42,521 --> 00:35:44,199
In the last two centuries,
541
00:35:44,274 --> 00:35:48,352
Ocean acidity
increased by 25 percent.
542
00:35:48,361 --> 00:35:52,912
In the last 100 years,
sea levels rose 8 inches,
543
00:35:52,921 --> 00:35:54,752
And in just 50 years,
544
00:35:54,761 --> 00:35:59,792
Nearly half of our arctic ice
has disappeared.
545
00:35:59,801 --> 00:36:04,352
We are creating
a new planetary environment.
546
00:36:04,361 --> 00:36:06,192
Schmidt: We're pushing a system
547
00:36:06,201 --> 00:36:09,072
In a direction
that it's never been before.
548
00:36:09,081 --> 00:36:10,672
Just in the space of 150 years,
549
00:36:10,681 --> 00:36:13,639
We have become
a geological force
550
00:36:13,714 --> 00:36:16,752
To, to match
almost anything that you see
551
00:36:16,761 --> 00:36:20,192
In, in a billion years
of earth history.
552
00:36:20,201 --> 00:36:23,119
Narrator: We face a calamity
of our own making,
553
00:36:23,161 --> 00:36:25,239
But our species came this far
554
00:36:25,314 --> 00:36:29,792
Through brain power
and the tools we created,
555
00:36:29,801 --> 00:36:33,439
So can our tools
come to our rescue?
556
00:36:36,841 --> 00:36:40,272
The problems caused
by humanity's great expansion
557
00:36:40,281 --> 00:36:43,399
Have been brewing for centuries.
558
00:36:43,474 --> 00:36:45,072
But scientists believe
559
00:36:45,201 --> 00:36:48,279
It's the actions
of this current generation
560
00:36:48,354 --> 00:36:52,439
That will decide the future
of the planet.
561
00:36:52,514 --> 00:36:54,519
Potts:
Humans are a turning point
562
00:36:54,594 --> 00:36:56,599
In the history of life on earth.
563
00:36:56,674 --> 00:36:58,352
We've become a global phenomenon
564
00:36:58,361 --> 00:37:00,839
And responsible
for the intensity
565
00:37:00,914 --> 00:37:03,399
Of what is going on
to our planet,
566
00:37:03,474 --> 00:37:04,992
To the ecosystems on which
567
00:37:05,001 --> 00:37:08,199
Not only other organisms,
but human life depends.
568
00:37:08,274 --> 00:37:10,272
This is, in many ways,
569
00:37:10,281 --> 00:37:14,519
Our own survival challenge
for the future.
570
00:37:14,594 --> 00:37:19,119
Narrator: And now we have
technology to help us,
571
00:37:19,161 --> 00:37:24,319
Satellites to monitor our planet
and help find solutions.
572
00:37:27,081 --> 00:37:32,719
Our orbiting probes have already
helped avert a global disaster.
573
00:37:34,834 --> 00:37:38,279
In the 1980s,
above antarctica,
574
00:37:38,354 --> 00:37:41,479
Nasa satellites
provide crucial confirmation
575
00:37:41,554 --> 00:37:46,032
Of a gaping hole
in the ozone layer.
576
00:37:46,041 --> 00:37:49,399
This thin layer of gas
high in the atmosphere
577
00:37:49,474 --> 00:37:55,639
Is a vital protective shield
against the harshest solar rays.
578
00:37:55,714 --> 00:37:57,872
Schmidt: We tan,
we enjoy being in the sun,
579
00:37:57,881 --> 00:38:00,352
But if we were in the sun
without an ozone layer,
580
00:38:00,361 --> 00:38:02,032
We would burn almost instantly,
581
00:38:02,041 --> 00:38:04,599
And it would be very, very
difficult for life to exist.
582
00:38:07,794 --> 00:38:10,039
Narrator:
The culprit is a side-product
583
00:38:10,121 --> 00:38:12,039
Of globalized industry,
584
00:38:12,114 --> 00:38:15,072
Ozone-destroying man-made gases
585
00:38:15,081 --> 00:38:18,079
Used in aerosols
and refrigeration.
586
00:38:20,441 --> 00:38:22,519
Spurred
by the satellite evidence,
587
00:38:22,594 --> 00:38:27,119
Politicians around the world
unite in action.
588
00:38:27,161 --> 00:38:29,392
Margaret thatcher:
No one can opt out.
589
00:38:29,401 --> 00:38:31,559
Narrator:
The chemicals are banned.
590
00:38:35,321 --> 00:38:36,679
Decades later,
591
00:38:36,754 --> 00:38:40,679
Ozone levels are
on the road to recovery.
592
00:38:40,754 --> 00:38:45,072
Schmidt: We avoided the cliff.
Nobody predicted this.
593
00:38:45,081 --> 00:38:46,272
What would have happened?
594
00:38:46,281 --> 00:38:51,239
It would have reconfigured
life on earth.
595
00:38:51,314 --> 00:38:54,839
Narrator: Space technology
helped prevent disaster.
596
00:38:57,161 --> 00:38:58,439
Given the chance,
597
00:38:58,514 --> 00:39:02,359
The atmosphere has the power
to heal itself.
598
00:39:08,434 --> 00:39:12,439
Other satellite studies
show that some animal species
599
00:39:12,514 --> 00:39:16,799
Also appear to show resilience
in the age of humans.
600
00:39:20,114 --> 00:39:22,039
In downtown chicago,
601
00:39:22,201 --> 00:39:25,952
Dr. Stan gehrt
uses gps technology
602
00:39:25,961 --> 00:39:29,239
To study
a population of coyotes.
603
00:39:33,794 --> 00:39:35,232
Stan gehrt:
It's extremely difficult for us
604
00:39:35,241 --> 00:39:37,952
To even pick up their signals
on the ground,
605
00:39:37,961 --> 00:39:40,039
But the satellites
can pick them up.
606
00:39:42,441 --> 00:39:45,472
Narrator: Radio-collaring
over 400 coyotes,
607
00:39:45,481 --> 00:39:50,279
Gehrt documents how this species
is thriving in the human world.
608
00:39:50,354 --> 00:39:55,872
♪
609
00:39:55,881 --> 00:39:59,719
Gehrt: One of the most amazing
things is just how many coyotes
610
00:39:59,794 --> 00:40:03,079
Can live
in a major metropolitan area
611
00:40:03,154 --> 00:40:05,072
And live so close to people.
612
00:40:05,201 --> 00:40:09,639
We estimate that there's 3,000
to 4,000 coyotes here.
613
00:40:12,361 --> 00:40:14,352
We have coyotes
that are literally
614
00:40:14,361 --> 00:40:17,799
Within just a few yards
from people on a regular basis
615
00:40:17,874 --> 00:40:21,319
With people not knowing
that they're there.
616
00:40:21,394 --> 00:40:23,319
Narrator:
They survive by adapting
617
00:40:23,394 --> 00:40:26,279
To the urban environment.
618
00:40:26,354 --> 00:40:28,199
Gehrt: Coyotes have to
learn traffic patterns.
619
00:40:28,274 --> 00:40:30,079
They have to learn
how to cross roads
620
00:40:30,121 --> 00:40:31,959
And avoid getting hit by cars,
621
00:40:32,034 --> 00:40:36,079
And that is the biggest risk
to their life down here,
622
00:40:36,121 --> 00:40:37,999
And yet they're able to do that.
623
00:40:39,641 --> 00:40:41,152
The patterns
that we're seeing in chicago
624
00:40:41,161 --> 00:40:42,839
With coyotes
moving into the city
625
00:40:42,914 --> 00:40:46,272
Is being seen in virtually
every single metropolitan area
626
00:40:46,281 --> 00:40:47,839
Across north america.
627
00:40:49,161 --> 00:40:52,992
[train horn blows]
628
00:40:53,001 --> 00:40:56,079
Narrator: If we can make space
for nature,
629
00:40:56,121 --> 00:40:59,119
It can survive alongside us.
630
00:41:05,234 --> 00:41:06,839
Satellites can also provide
631
00:41:06,914 --> 00:41:10,159
A path to preserving
animal diversity.
632
00:41:12,274 --> 00:41:14,119
Radio-tagging technology
633
00:41:14,194 --> 00:41:17,799
Allows the mapping
of wildlife migration routes
634
00:41:17,874 --> 00:41:20,759
Thousands of miles long,
635
00:41:20,834 --> 00:41:24,039
Maps we can use
to create protected corridors
636
00:41:24,201 --> 00:41:28,832
To save species
from human interference.
637
00:41:28,841 --> 00:41:30,352
It's just one example
638
00:41:30,361 --> 00:41:35,632
Of how space data
helps protect our planet.
639
00:41:35,641 --> 00:41:37,719
Johnson: Truly we live
in a remarkable time,
640
00:41:37,794 --> 00:41:40,352
When we as humans
have technology,
641
00:41:40,361 --> 00:41:42,119
We have the ability
to plan ahead,
642
00:41:42,194 --> 00:41:44,592
We know our geologic past.
643
00:41:44,601 --> 00:41:46,032
We can put all that together
644
00:41:46,041 --> 00:41:49,232
And actually conceive
of a desirable future
645
00:41:49,241 --> 00:41:51,639
And build a global plan
to get to that future.
646
00:41:51,714 --> 00:41:56,039
That's the challenge for
humanity in the 21st century.
647
00:41:56,114 --> 00:42:00,199
♪
648
00:42:00,274 --> 00:42:01,632
Narrator: From our perspective,
649
00:42:01,641 --> 00:42:05,072
Our human story
is epic in scope.
650
00:42:05,081 --> 00:42:10,679
♪
651
00:42:10,754 --> 00:42:14,559
Our civilization is measured
in thousands of years...
652
00:42:18,201 --> 00:42:21,392
Our species
in hundreds of thousands.
653
00:42:21,401 --> 00:42:29,239
♪
654
00:42:29,314 --> 00:42:31,239
But the earth measures time
655
00:42:31,314 --> 00:42:34,319
In millions
and billions of years.
656
00:42:37,081 --> 00:42:43,399
Our planet has lived
only half of its life span.
657
00:42:43,474 --> 00:42:46,759
For the last 4.5 billion years,
658
00:42:46,834 --> 00:42:50,672
It has experienced
monumental change.
659
00:42:50,681 --> 00:42:54,439
Species that dominate
then disappear,
660
00:42:54,514 --> 00:42:59,072
Giving rise to new life.
661
00:42:59,081 --> 00:43:04,039
Humanity's entire existence
is a brief moment of brilliance
662
00:43:04,114 --> 00:43:06,679
On this immense timeline.
663
00:43:06,754 --> 00:43:09,719
And the stable environment
we have relied on
664
00:43:09,794 --> 00:43:12,759
Will not last.
665
00:43:12,834 --> 00:43:15,632
Over earth's
next few billion years,
666
00:43:15,641 --> 00:43:20,159
More ice ages,
epic volcanic eruptions,
667
00:43:20,201 --> 00:43:24,039
Meteor impacts,
and extinctions
668
00:43:24,114 --> 00:43:26,439
Will be inevitable.
669
00:43:26,514 --> 00:43:30,752
♪
670
00:43:30,761 --> 00:43:32,512
But the planet's history
671
00:43:32,521 --> 00:43:36,759
Tells us some forms of life
will survive.
672
00:43:39,641 --> 00:43:44,039
Where we fit into this future
is up to us.
673
00:43:44,114 --> 00:43:56,879
♪
54386
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