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From the plagues of egypt
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to the black death,
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smallpox,
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cholera,
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and the spanish flu,
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humans have repeatedly
faced contagious diseases
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that have the power to
change the course of history.
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We like to think that
modern medicine
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can protect us against almost everything,
but...
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Is that really true?
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Or are we destined
to face a future
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of ever more potent illnesses
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that attack without warning
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and can bring
civilization to its knees?
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Well...
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...That is what
we'll try and find out.
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Advertise your product or brand here
contact www.OpenSubtitles.org today
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News reports surface that a new,
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highly contagious disease
first discovered in wuhan, china,
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is spreading like wildfire.
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In a matter of weeks,
the lethal virus...
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Known as "coronavirus"
or "covid-19"...
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Sweeps the globe.
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On March 11,
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as the number of
infections and deaths
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continue to climb,
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the world health
organization declares
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that the outbreak has
become a worldwide pandemic.
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What separates, clinically,
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coronavirus from other
common viruses such as influenza
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is that it knows
how to hide itself.
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It has what we call a period
where you could be asymptomatic.
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That means without symptoms.
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That's a chance to pass
that virus to other people,
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keeping the disease
going on and spreading.
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Most of the time,
when you wait for these symptoms,
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you've already missed it.
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In the wake
of the harrowing effects
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of the coronavirus outbreak,
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scientists have been
compelled to reexamine
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the nature of
viruses themselves.
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Viruses are very mysterious,
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because you can't see them.
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You need a very
powerful microscope
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to be able to see them.
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And we didn't even know
that they were around
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until relatively recently.
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A virus is
essentially a bit of nucleic acid,
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either dna or rna,
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encapsulated in some
sort of coating. Right?
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So it needs to... it needs
to get into another organism
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and then essentially hijack that
organism's cellular machinery
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to make more copies of itself.
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It needs to
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actually take over
another living cell.
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And whether that's the
living cell of a human,
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animal,
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plant or even a bacteria,
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it needs that.
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It's making more
and more viruses
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till that cell is not
needed anymore.
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A virus relies on either
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direct transmission through
sneezing or coughing
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or touching, um,
a viral particle
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from a person who's expelled it.
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Or they rely on a mosquito
or some other organism
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to be transmitted
between people.
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And so the density of people
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will facilitate quicker
spread of viruses,
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especially if it's, um,
relatively contagious
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and-and easy to-to transfer
from one person to another.
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According to experts,
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the origins of many viruses
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remain shrouded in mystery.
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It's so difficult
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to determine the origin
of viruses because,
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when you want
to study that virus,
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you have to separate what is
the natural history of that cell.
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So one of the important things
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that epidemiologists
are looking at right now is,
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what did we learn from the past?
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What should we be looking at?
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Where should we be looking?
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Some of the earliest
records of plagues
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are found in ancient india,
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china, the middle east,
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and they talk about
plagues occurring
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before the very
first civilization,
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around 3200 bc.
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Throughout human history,
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there have been accounts
of devastating afflictions
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that defied understanding
at the time they happened.
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But perhaps a closer
examination of these plagues
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will provide some lessons
about infectious diseases
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and how they begin.
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Emperor justinian sits
atop a powerful throne.
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But lurking in the
shadows is a hidden enemy
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about to consume his kingdom.
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A plague
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started by a bacteria
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comes out of the east
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and infects.
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This simple bacteria
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ended up killing
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almost one half the population
of the entire old empire.
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With that type of death toll,
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the economic and
social ramifications
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were catastrophic.
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Everything that
justinian had tried
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was now collapsing.
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His military collapsed,
his economy collapsed.
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And everything
that he tried to do
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was of no avail.
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Justinian plague
is caused by a bacterium,
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yersinia pestis.
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It can either enter humans directly,
um, through...
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From saliva or-or coughing.
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It usually manifests itself
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in terms of swelling
of the lymph nodes.
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The skin turns black
and basically dies.
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And then there's a
progression of fever
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and chills and eventual death.
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As justinian's empire
was collapsing and breaking
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and his military
strength was waning...
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Because the science of
medicine in those days
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was far more primitive
than we have today.
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People cry out, "why?
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Why is this happening?"
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The plague of justinian,
as it became known,
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ultimately killed an
estimated 50 million people.
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The vast byzantine
empire was crippled
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not by an invading army
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but by an enemy they could
not see and did not understand.
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At the time,
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since the existence
of bacteria and viruses
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had not yet been discovered,
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many believed that the invisible
force that caused the plague
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was god himself.
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It was a belief that
was widely accepted,
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because people
would read in the bible
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about how pestilence
from the past
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had been created
by the hand of god.
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Whenever humanity is infected
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by something greater and
beyond human understanding,
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it has always been
psychologically understood
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to be an expression
of the wrath of god.
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We have in the book of exodus
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the famous ten plagues of egypt.
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Moses had come back after
seeing god on the mountain
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to free the hebrews
from slavery.
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He went before the pharaoh
and asked to let his people go.
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Of course, the pharaoh said no.
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Therefore, the hebrew god sent a
number of plagues through egypt.
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The bible stories are clear.
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The order of the plagues are
well-documented in the bible.
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We know, of course,
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that there was the turning
of the nile into blood.
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There were the frogs, the lice,
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the pestilence and, of course,
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the great plagues of the
three days of darkness
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and, of course,
the death of the firstborn.
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The biblical writer
who is writing what happens
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and is inspired by god
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does say that the plague stopped
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after the hebrews
were finally free.
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So, perhaps there was some
divine intervention from god.
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But we'll never know,
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because miracles are
very difficult to prove.
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Was there a
higher power involved
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that both started and
ended the plagues of egypt
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and the plague of justinian?
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Perhaps more clues as to
what causes devastating plagues
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can be found by examining
the disease responsible
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for claiming more
lives than any other.
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Officials from the california
odepartment of public health
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alert residents that a
woman has tested positive
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for a dangerous and
quite unexpected disease.
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The bubonic plague,
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otherwise known
as the black death.
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Does the
bubonic plague still exist?
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The answer is... Yes.
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And it's amazing
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how, many centuries later,
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you could say this
with a calm voice.
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What is the difference?
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The answer is antibiotics.
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We know that if you
have symptoms early
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that antibiotics
can save your life.
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While it's not
as prevalent anymore,
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the plague is certainly
still in circulation.
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In the united states,
right, in more rural areas,
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where people come into
contact with-with rodents
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that might be infected with it,
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it's still known to, like,
crop up here and there.
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The worst case of the
bubonic plague that there was
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was known as the black death,
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in the middle of the 1300s.
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And that wiped out
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60% of all of
europe's population.
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12 trade ships arrive
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from the black sea
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and drift into the port of
messina to unload freight.
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As dockworkers
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approach the vessels,
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they discover a
disturbing scene.
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The port master goes on board
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to see the crew, and,
to their surprise,
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it was almost like there
were zombies on the ship.
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Gangrene fingers.
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Big boils.
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And if I saw
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a crew that had black fingers
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and boils, let's be honest:
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It sounds like a
zombie apocalypse.
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The black death seemed
to have been introduced
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via the silk road,
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which is a major trading route
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00:11:24,601 --> 00:11:27,519
in the early medieval
period from central asia
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where the bubonic
plague regularly pops up.
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Europe seems to have
been largely unprepared
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for this devastating event.
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This is in the 1300s.
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It went for quite a few years,
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and whole villages and
areas were wiped out.
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And like many plagues,
uh, people wondered why.
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These cities
would get the plague,
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and no one knew why.
228
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And then we always
have the advantage
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of looking back on
history and tracing.
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Historians could look back and say,
"wait a minute.
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"all the cities with ports
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"that do a lot of
trading were infected.
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00:12:00,804 --> 00:12:04,723
And what were going
to all these ports? Ships."
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00:12:05,517 --> 00:12:07,851
The black death
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00:12:07,936 --> 00:12:10,228
was spread by fleas
that lived on rats.
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And wherever these rats went,
the fleas went,
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and they bit people.
That's what made them ill.
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00:12:16,278 --> 00:12:19,090
The flea
would actually vomit the bacteria
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00:12:19,114 --> 00:12:21,322
onto the person's
skin while biting them.
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The disease spreads to
the body's lymph nodes
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and causes buboes,
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which are infected sores
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which get to be about
the size of an egg.
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And they eventually
burst and expel bloody pus.
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The body goes through
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such horrific and
gruesome transformations
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that from the time you contract
the bubonic plague until death
248
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can sometimes only
be a matter of days.
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During the middle ages,
many believed
250
00:12:46,308 --> 00:12:49,601
that demons were
responsible for the black death.
251
00:12:49,686 --> 00:12:51,936
- - and people who were deemed
252
00:12:52,022 --> 00:12:54,856
to be wicked or unworthy
253
00:12:54,941 --> 00:12:56,274
were punished
254
00:12:56,318 --> 00:12:59,736
in hopes of driving
the demons away.
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00:13:01,907 --> 00:13:04,783
Many people believed
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00:13:04,868 --> 00:13:08,495
that the source of this plague
257
00:13:08,580 --> 00:13:10,830
was caused by evil spirits,
258
00:13:10,916 --> 00:13:13,792
witchcraft and the like.
259
00:13:15,295 --> 00:13:17,003
The powers of the occult.
260
00:13:17,088 --> 00:13:20,089
And this led many people
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00:13:20,175 --> 00:13:23,510
to seek out any
type of expressions
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00:13:23,595 --> 00:13:26,763
of the occult,
witchcraft and the like...
263
00:13:28,391 --> 00:13:29,974
...And to root it out
264
00:13:30,060 --> 00:13:33,436
in the attempt to placate god.
265
00:13:37,692 --> 00:13:39,796
Some were so
convinced that the black death
266
00:13:39,820 --> 00:13:42,487
was a scourge
brought by evil spirits,
267
00:13:42,572 --> 00:13:47,784
they were willing to
scourge themselves.
268
00:13:49,079 --> 00:13:51,432
One common occurrence
during the time of the black death
269
00:13:51,456 --> 00:13:55,542
was to see, uh, people that
were called flagellants, which...
270
00:13:55,627 --> 00:13:57,647
They were under the belief
that they were being punished
271
00:13:57,671 --> 00:14:00,797
by god for their sins,
so they would publicly atone,
272
00:14:00,882 --> 00:14:03,299
and they would March
through the town square,
273
00:14:03,385 --> 00:14:06,177
flogging themselves
in the name of god.
274
00:14:11,101 --> 00:14:13,643
This flagellation
movement really exploded.
275
00:14:13,728 --> 00:14:16,187
Whole towns
flagellating themselves.
276
00:14:16,231 --> 00:14:18,565
Those that didn't were
accused of being with the devil.
277
00:14:19,568 --> 00:14:23,903
Something else that
came from the black death was
278
00:14:23,989 --> 00:14:27,448
the practice of
selling holy relics.
279
00:14:27,534 --> 00:14:31,786
When the black death
was decimating europe,
280
00:14:31,872 --> 00:14:34,372
the church were saying,
281
00:14:34,416 --> 00:14:35,915
"come to us,
282
00:14:36,001 --> 00:14:38,543
and we can cure you."
283
00:14:38,587 --> 00:14:40,295
the bones of a saint
284
00:14:40,380 --> 00:14:43,047
or something that had
once belonged to a saint
285
00:14:43,091 --> 00:14:45,383
kept in these churches.
They were called relics.
286
00:14:45,427 --> 00:14:47,488
And people believed
that if they went there
287
00:14:47,512 --> 00:14:49,095
or close to such relics,
288
00:14:49,180 --> 00:14:51,222
prayed, that god may intervene
289
00:14:51,266 --> 00:14:53,266
and protect them
from the plague.
290
00:14:53,351 --> 00:14:55,727
Now, they weren't curing anyone,
291
00:14:55,812 --> 00:14:59,397
but people were still
flocking to the churches
292
00:14:59,441 --> 00:15:02,567
just on the hope that
they could be cured.
293
00:15:03,570 --> 00:15:06,237
So,
when we talk about the many lives
294
00:15:06,281 --> 00:15:08,698
that were lost during
the black death,
295
00:15:08,742 --> 00:15:10,325
I think about a horror movie.
296
00:15:11,286 --> 00:15:13,764
Historians
estimate that the black death
297
00:15:13,788 --> 00:15:17,540
wiped out anywhere from
50 to 200 million people,
298
00:15:17,626 --> 00:15:20,209
at least a third of
europe's population.
299
00:15:20,253 --> 00:15:22,253
So it's little wonder
300
00:15:22,297 --> 00:15:24,756
that most people thought
that something so destructive
301
00:15:24,841 --> 00:15:28,259
must have been some
kind of punishment from god.
302
00:15:28,303 --> 00:15:31,679
But today,
we have a much different understanding
303
00:15:31,765 --> 00:15:33,431
of this disease.
304
00:15:33,475 --> 00:15:35,266
We call it the black death,
305
00:15:35,352 --> 00:15:38,436
but it's-it's a bacteria
called yersinia pestis.
306
00:15:38,521 --> 00:15:42,482
But it's not as
dangerous as it was then.
307
00:15:42,567 --> 00:15:45,151
Now we have antibiotics.
308
00:15:45,236 --> 00:15:46,945
We can detect it.
309
00:15:47,030 --> 00:15:48,905
You know, you can treat it.
310
00:15:50,867 --> 00:15:52,575
In any case,
311
00:15:52,661 --> 00:15:56,079
yersinia pestis is
still around today,
312
00:15:56,122 --> 00:15:58,706
which begs the question,
313
00:15:58,792 --> 00:16:00,249
is it possible
314
00:16:00,335 --> 00:16:02,961
to actually kill
off a fatal disease
315
00:16:03,004 --> 00:16:04,295
once and for all?
316
00:16:04,339 --> 00:16:05,630
Perhaps the answer can be found
317
00:16:05,674 --> 00:16:07,924
by examining a deadly plague
318
00:16:07,968 --> 00:16:09,634
that, believe it or not,
319
00:16:09,678 --> 00:16:12,470
has been infecting humankind
320
00:16:12,514 --> 00:16:15,974
for more than 10,000 years.
321
00:16:22,857 --> 00:16:24,816
The valley of mexico.
322
00:16:29,531 --> 00:16:33,241
Spanish conquistadors
led by hern�n cort�s
323
00:16:33,326 --> 00:16:36,911
arrive at tenochtitl�n,
the capital of the aztec empire,
324
00:16:36,997 --> 00:16:39,455
bearing dreams of conquest
325
00:16:39,541 --> 00:16:42,166
and an insatiable
desire for gold.
326
00:16:42,252 --> 00:16:47,338
But they also brought with them a lethal,
infectious disease.
327
00:16:47,382 --> 00:16:49,465
Smallpox is introduced
328
00:16:49,551 --> 00:16:53,011
into the americas
very dramatically
329
00:16:53,054 --> 00:16:54,115
at a specific point in time
330
00:16:54,139 --> 00:16:56,556
and alongside the
european invasion.
331
00:16:56,641 --> 00:17:00,685
This is a tremendous
sort of clash of civilizations,
332
00:17:00,729 --> 00:17:03,479
the likes of which the
world had never seen before
333
00:17:03,565 --> 00:17:04,731
and will never see again.
334
00:17:04,816 --> 00:17:08,860
The single most deciding factor
335
00:17:08,903 --> 00:17:13,072
as to why native american
civilizations fell so rapidly
336
00:17:13,158 --> 00:17:14,918
was the introduction
of smallpox.
337
00:17:17,871 --> 00:17:20,371
So, smallpox is a virus.
338
00:17:20,415 --> 00:17:24,250
It causes these sort
of irregularly spaced,
339
00:17:24,335 --> 00:17:26,878
pustule-y skin lesions
340
00:17:26,921 --> 00:17:28,379
and had a devastating effect
341
00:17:28,465 --> 00:17:31,841
on-on native americans,
um, in the new world.
342
00:17:32,802 --> 00:17:37,055
In europe,
most people had experienced smallpox.
343
00:17:37,098 --> 00:17:38,723
They had the scars,
344
00:17:38,767 --> 00:17:40,183
or they had it as children.
345
00:17:40,268 --> 00:17:43,519
But there was no
immunity in the new world.
346
00:17:43,563 --> 00:17:45,688
There was no
immunity among kids.
347
00:17:45,774 --> 00:17:47,899
There was no
immunity among adults.
348
00:17:47,942 --> 00:17:51,027
And so,
when this new disease came,
349
00:17:51,112 --> 00:17:53,696
everybody was vulnerable.
350
00:17:53,740 --> 00:17:56,115
And so it spread like wildfire.
351
00:17:57,410 --> 00:18:00,203
Although the exact
numbers will never be known,
352
00:18:00,246 --> 00:18:02,163
many experts estimate
353
00:18:02,248 --> 00:18:05,666
that a staggering 95% of
the indigenous population
354
00:18:05,752 --> 00:18:08,878
would eventually
die from smallpox.
355
00:18:08,922 --> 00:18:11,214
But what's even more chilling
356
00:18:11,257 --> 00:18:13,883
is the fact that
smallpox ran rampant
357
00:18:13,968 --> 00:18:16,260
for thousands of years.
358
00:18:16,304 --> 00:18:19,806
I am astounded
359
00:18:19,891 --> 00:18:23,059
by how far back smallpox goes.
360
00:18:23,103 --> 00:18:25,937
For most of human
recorded history,
361
00:18:25,980 --> 00:18:27,772
we believe it's the same strain
362
00:18:27,857 --> 00:18:30,149
that was infecting one
person after another,
363
00:18:30,235 --> 00:18:32,527
this human chain of infection.
364
00:18:32,612 --> 00:18:38,908
The egyptian pharaoh ramses
v had scarring on his face
365
00:18:38,993 --> 00:18:41,744
that's consistent with smallpox.
366
00:18:44,791 --> 00:18:47,416
It is estimated
that smallpox has killed
367
00:18:47,460 --> 00:18:49,961
between 300 and
500 million people
368
00:18:50,046 --> 00:18:53,840
in its more than
10,000-year existence.
369
00:18:53,925 --> 00:18:57,802
How did we finally beat it?
370
00:19:00,682 --> 00:19:03,349
Well, it just so happens
that the cure for smallpox
371
00:19:03,434 --> 00:19:08,479
was discovered in a small
english village in the 1790s.
372
00:19:08,523 --> 00:19:12,358
In the late 1700s,
doctors were noticing
373
00:19:12,443 --> 00:19:16,612
that milkmaids did not seem
to be affected by smallpox,
374
00:19:16,698 --> 00:19:21,325
and their complexions
remained unscarred.
375
00:19:21,411 --> 00:19:25,413
And people were starting
to make that connection
376
00:19:25,498 --> 00:19:29,000
that there might be
immunity from catching
377
00:19:29,043 --> 00:19:33,171
a different kind of pox virus,
cow pox.
378
00:19:33,214 --> 00:19:37,133
So milkmaids were
exposed to the cow pox virus,
379
00:19:37,177 --> 00:19:39,218
probably got infected,
380
00:19:39,304 --> 00:19:42,180
and were then
immune to smallpox.
381
00:19:44,017 --> 00:19:45,911
Edward jenner was
an english physician,
382
00:19:45,935 --> 00:19:49,520
and decided to
test this observation,
383
00:19:49,606 --> 00:19:52,815
and took a piece of
an ulcer from a cow
384
00:19:52,859 --> 00:19:55,026
that was infected by cow pox,
385
00:19:55,069 --> 00:19:58,696
and gave it to an
eight-year-old boy.
386
00:19:58,781 --> 00:20:01,657
And then, a little bit later,
387
00:20:01,743 --> 00:20:05,703
gave this little boy
a dose of smallpox.
388
00:20:05,788 --> 00:20:10,374
Fortunately, the eight-year-old
boy did not develop smallpox
389
00:20:10,418 --> 00:20:13,502
and was actually protected.
390
00:20:13,546 --> 00:20:16,130
Because it wasn't, like,
a direct viral intake,
391
00:20:16,216 --> 00:20:19,967
you would get, like,
a slightly lesser version of the disease.
392
00:20:20,053 --> 00:20:22,094
But because you had
been exposed to it,
393
00:20:22,180 --> 00:20:24,722
you would, of course,
then have immunity.
394
00:20:24,766 --> 00:20:26,702
So it was probably
the first instance
395
00:20:26,726 --> 00:20:29,060
of a crude version
of vaccination.
396
00:20:30,438 --> 00:20:33,689
As it turns out,
edward jenner's revolutionary experiment
397
00:20:33,775 --> 00:20:36,651
is remembered today
for its inspiration,
398
00:20:36,736 --> 00:20:39,570
its sheer audacity
399
00:20:39,614 --> 00:20:42,073
and because it
provided a new defense
400
00:20:42,116 --> 00:20:43,699
against infectious disease,
401
00:20:43,743 --> 00:20:48,913
which we now refer
to as "the vaccine."
402
00:20:48,998 --> 00:20:52,416
the word "vaccine" comes
from the virus name "vaccinia,"
403
00:20:52,502 --> 00:20:57,421
which was the virus that
was the cow pox-derived virus
404
00:20:57,465 --> 00:21:00,716
that left people
immune to smallpox.
405
00:21:00,802 --> 00:21:04,220
Vaccines prevent disease,
406
00:21:04,305 --> 00:21:07,265
and some vaccines
can last for decades,
407
00:21:07,308 --> 00:21:11,602
and some vaccines need
to be given every year.
408
00:21:11,646 --> 00:21:15,648
For smallpox, people had to
get vaccinated every ten years.
409
00:21:16,943 --> 00:21:20,361
Vaccines are
humanity's single greatest weapon
410
00:21:20,446 --> 00:21:22,280
against plagues.
411
00:21:22,365 --> 00:21:25,116
Rooted in science
and not superstition,
412
00:21:25,159 --> 00:21:28,995
they provide a powerful
way to fight outbreaks.
413
00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:31,497
The last naturally
occurring case of smallpox
414
00:21:31,582 --> 00:21:35,626
was identified in 1979,
and in 1980,
415
00:21:35,712 --> 00:21:37,503
the world health
organization declared
416
00:21:37,588 --> 00:21:39,630
that smallpox was eradicated.
417
00:21:39,674 --> 00:21:43,009
So no longer spreading
from person to person.
418
00:21:43,094 --> 00:21:47,346
Eradicating smallpox was
the biggest public health victory
419
00:21:47,432 --> 00:21:50,433
in the history of
the human race.
420
00:21:51,561 --> 00:21:54,645
The eradication of
smallpox is the most famous use
421
00:21:54,731 --> 00:21:57,231
of a highly-effective vaccine,
422
00:21:57,317 --> 00:22:01,777
but there are some diseases
that are harder to cure.
423
00:22:01,821 --> 00:22:03,988
There are viruses
424
00:22:04,032 --> 00:22:06,157
for which we have
no vaccines at all,
425
00:22:06,242 --> 00:22:08,200
because they mutate too rapidly.
426
00:22:08,286 --> 00:22:11,454
And so, because viruses mutate,
427
00:22:11,539 --> 00:22:15,333
there's a certain limitation to
what you can do with vaccines.
428
00:22:17,211 --> 00:22:19,420
The minute
you get too confident,
429
00:22:19,505 --> 00:22:22,131
and you think that we
defeated mother nature,
430
00:22:22,216 --> 00:22:25,176
somehow,
it always finds a way to come back.
431
00:22:25,261 --> 00:22:27,553
Vaccines are one of mankind's
432
00:22:27,638 --> 00:22:29,805
greatest scientific triumphs.
433
00:22:29,849 --> 00:22:32,058
But not all medical recoveries
434
00:22:32,143 --> 00:22:34,143
can be easily
explained by science.
435
00:22:34,187 --> 00:22:37,188
Sometimes, the body's reaction
436
00:22:37,273 --> 00:22:40,858
to an infection is so
bizarre and so inexplicable
437
00:22:40,902 --> 00:22:44,362
that it can only
be described as...
438
00:22:44,405 --> 00:22:50,201
Miraculous.
439
00:22:50,286 --> 00:22:52,787
July 4, 1863.
440
00:22:52,872 --> 00:22:55,247
Gettysburg, pennsylvania.
441
00:22:55,333 --> 00:22:57,144
On the morning after
the bloodiest battle
442
00:22:57,168 --> 00:22:58,542
of the civil war,
443
00:22:58,628 --> 00:23:01,712
thousands of dead
soldiers lay strewn
444
00:23:01,798 --> 00:23:04,006
across the
blood-soaked farmland.
445
00:23:04,092 --> 00:23:08,677
But while the brutality of the
civil war is well-documented,
446
00:23:08,763 --> 00:23:11,430
approximately
two-thirds of the more
447
00:23:11,516 --> 00:23:13,766
than 600,000 deaths in the war
448
00:23:13,851 --> 00:23:17,812
weren't caused by injuries
sustained on the battlefield,
449
00:23:17,897 --> 00:23:20,898
but rather... By disease.
450
00:23:23,569 --> 00:23:25,528
The civil war represents
451
00:23:25,571 --> 00:23:30,074
the last major conflict that,
um, that humans experienced
452
00:23:30,159 --> 00:23:33,035
um, before the,
sort of, the inception
453
00:23:33,079 --> 00:23:34,703
or the origins of germ theory.
454
00:23:34,747 --> 00:23:37,415
You can imagine the conditions
455
00:23:37,500 --> 00:23:40,543
that soldiers live in,
crowded together,
456
00:23:40,628 --> 00:23:42,503
substandard sanitation.
457
00:23:42,588 --> 00:23:44,588
In some cases,
458
00:23:44,632 --> 00:23:47,258
open wounds that aren't
being treated correctly.
459
00:23:47,301 --> 00:23:49,260
It's really gross.
460
00:23:49,303 --> 00:23:51,053
Everything smells terrible.
461
00:23:51,097 --> 00:23:53,597
Uh,
these doctors aren't washing their aprons.
462
00:23:53,683 --> 00:23:57,601
They can't explain where they're
getting these diseases from,
463
00:23:57,687 --> 00:23:59,478
how they may be spreading it.
464
00:23:59,564 --> 00:24:02,857
As uncontrollable
infections ravaged
465
00:24:02,942 --> 00:24:05,943
both union and
confederate encampments,
466
00:24:05,987 --> 00:24:09,405
soldiers and their
doctors debated the cause
467
00:24:09,449 --> 00:24:11,115
of their afflictions.
468
00:24:11,159 --> 00:24:17,121
Many came to believe that
the air itself was poisoned.
469
00:24:17,165 --> 00:24:19,123
When we talk about
470
00:24:19,167 --> 00:24:22,084
some of the deadliest
viruses that we know,
471
00:24:22,170 --> 00:24:27,131
some of them get transmitted
by respiratory droplets, the air.
472
00:24:27,175 --> 00:24:32,136
When you cough,
when you sneeze, just by talking.
473
00:24:32,180 --> 00:24:36,307
So maybe they weren't too
off by saying the air is bad.
474
00:24:37,226 --> 00:24:39,810
In the mid-nineteenth century,
475
00:24:39,896 --> 00:24:41,979
little was known
about disease control
476
00:24:42,064 --> 00:24:45,316
or preventing the
spread of germs.
477
00:24:45,401 --> 00:24:48,611
But as the scope
of the war widened
478
00:24:48,696 --> 00:24:51,947
and the ferocity of
infectious outbreaks resulted
479
00:24:51,991 --> 00:24:54,450
in even more
horrific causalities,
480
00:24:54,494 --> 00:24:58,996
doctors were forced to expand
their knowledge of diseases
481
00:24:59,081 --> 00:25:01,081
and how to contain them.
482
00:25:01,167 --> 00:25:03,083
They realize that
483
00:25:03,169 --> 00:25:06,170
maybe a barn isn't the
best place to be doing
484
00:25:06,214 --> 00:25:09,298
amputations and open surgeries.
485
00:25:09,383 --> 00:25:11,842
So, as the war goes on,
486
00:25:11,928 --> 00:25:13,697
there's beginning to
be an understanding
487
00:25:13,721 --> 00:25:15,346
of what medicine should be.
488
00:25:15,389 --> 00:25:16,972
Things like triage,
489
00:25:17,058 --> 00:25:20,601
things like an ambulance system,
hospitals...
490
00:25:20,686 --> 00:25:22,539
These are all established
during the civil war
491
00:25:22,563 --> 00:25:24,374
in the united states
for the first time.
492
00:25:24,398 --> 00:25:27,191
In many ways,
the civil war marked the beginning
493
00:25:27,276 --> 00:25:28,984
of medical science as we know it
494
00:25:29,028 --> 00:25:31,362
and the end of mankind's
495
00:25:31,405 --> 00:25:34,573
superstitious attitude
towards disease.
496
00:25:34,659 --> 00:25:37,368
But there is one
event on the battlefield
497
00:25:37,453 --> 00:25:40,996
that medical historians still
struggle to explain to this day,
498
00:25:41,082 --> 00:25:44,375
because it simply
defies understanding.
499
00:25:48,214 --> 00:25:52,550
April 7, 1862,
hardin county, tennessee.
500
00:25:52,593 --> 00:25:56,053
Union and confederate
forces square off
501
00:25:56,138 --> 00:25:58,055
in one of the
bloodiest confrontations
502
00:25:58,140 --> 00:26:01,225
of the civil war...
The battle of shiloh.
503
00:26:03,187 --> 00:26:06,063
After two days of
vicious fighting...
504
00:26:08,401 --> 00:26:13,529
...More than 20,000
men lie dead or dying.
505
00:26:14,657 --> 00:26:17,199
So,
ulysses s. Grant is the commander
506
00:26:17,285 --> 00:26:18,554
of the union
army at this battle.
507
00:26:18,578 --> 00:26:20,681
He went out,
and looked over the battlefield,
508
00:26:20,705 --> 00:26:24,415
and he could see that there were
so many soldiers who had been
509
00:26:24,458 --> 00:26:27,418
wounded and killed that he
could have walked across one side
510
00:26:27,461 --> 00:26:28,877
of the battlefield to the other
511
00:26:28,963 --> 00:26:30,399
without ever
touching the ground,
512
00:26:30,423 --> 00:26:33,424
walking from body
to body to body.
513
00:26:33,467 --> 00:26:37,136
As night
falls over the battlefield,
514
00:26:37,221 --> 00:26:40,222
many injured
soldiers lie helpless,
515
00:26:40,266 --> 00:26:43,601
hoping to be rescued before
their wounds become infected.
516
00:26:43,686 --> 00:26:47,730
What happens next is one
of the enduring mysteries
517
00:26:47,815 --> 00:26:49,607
of the civil war.
518
00:26:49,650 --> 00:26:52,735
Soldiers are
out between the lines,
519
00:26:52,820 --> 00:26:54,778
wounded during the
course of the battle.
520
00:26:54,822 --> 00:26:57,072
It's cold at night. They're
out there shivering.
521
00:26:57,116 --> 00:27:01,368
And they happen to look down
at their shattered arm or leg,
522
00:27:01,454 --> 00:27:06,540
and they notice this soft,
faint, bluish-greenish glow
523
00:27:06,626 --> 00:27:09,001
seeming to come off their
wounds in the darkness.
524
00:27:09,086 --> 00:27:12,546
There was a connection that was
being made amongst the soldiers
525
00:27:12,632 --> 00:27:16,592
that those who experienced
this glowing wound effect
526
00:27:16,636 --> 00:27:19,303
seemed to have better outcomes
527
00:27:19,347 --> 00:27:21,722
when they went back to the field hospital,
and it seemed
528
00:27:21,807 --> 00:27:25,309
as though their wounds may
not have been as infected.
529
00:27:25,353 --> 00:27:29,938
They termed
this bluish-green glow
530
00:27:29,982 --> 00:27:32,441
angel's glow. Why?
531
00:27:32,526 --> 00:27:35,611
Because, to them,
it looked like a halo.
532
00:27:35,655 --> 00:27:38,322
Mystical light surrounding them.
533
00:27:38,366 --> 00:27:40,491
So,
it was a way of them thinking that god
534
00:27:40,534 --> 00:27:43,494
or the angels were protecting
these particular soldiers.
535
00:27:43,579 --> 00:27:46,872
Was the so-called angel's glow
536
00:27:46,957 --> 00:27:49,041
a type of divine intervention
537
00:27:49,126 --> 00:27:53,253
that somehow protected certain
soldiers from deadly infections?
538
00:27:53,339 --> 00:27:57,466
Perhaps. But recently,
a new theory has surfaced...
539
00:27:57,551 --> 00:27:59,802
One that suggests
this phenomenon
540
00:27:59,845 --> 00:28:05,099
may have had a more
conventional explanation.
541
00:28:05,184 --> 00:28:08,268
It wasn't until many years,
like 150 years later,
542
00:28:08,354 --> 00:28:12,523
that a 17-year-old high
school student visited shiloh,
543
00:28:12,608 --> 00:28:14,983
and he decided for
his science project
544
00:28:15,027 --> 00:28:17,861
to research
bacterium that glows.
545
00:28:17,947 --> 00:28:21,699
And they were able to find
out that there was a bacteria
546
00:28:21,784 --> 00:28:24,702
that would emit some
sort of parasitic worm.
547
00:28:24,745 --> 00:28:27,663
It would get into the veins,
and then it would glow.
548
00:28:27,748 --> 00:28:30,874
Could the angel's glow
549
00:28:30,918 --> 00:28:33,544
really have been a
sign of a type of bacteria,
550
00:28:33,587 --> 00:28:36,004
rather than guardian angels?
551
00:28:36,090 --> 00:28:39,842
And if so, could this bacteria
have actually been responsible
552
00:28:39,927 --> 00:28:43,971
for saving the lives of
the wounded soldiers?
553
00:28:44,056 --> 00:28:46,181
Presumably,
what happened with those soldiers
554
00:28:46,225 --> 00:28:47,891
with the angel's glow
555
00:28:47,935 --> 00:28:51,228
is that those bacteria were
actually infecting their wounds.
556
00:28:51,272 --> 00:28:54,857
And because those bacteria
exude a lot of antibacterial
557
00:28:54,900 --> 00:28:58,235
and antimicrobial compounds,
they actually reduce the level
558
00:28:58,279 --> 00:28:59,695
of infection in the soldiers
559
00:28:59,780 --> 00:29:02,448
that they, that they,
uh, colonized.
560
00:29:03,284 --> 00:29:04,469
The bacteria theory
561
00:29:04,493 --> 00:29:07,578
is the best scientific
explanation we have
562
00:29:07,663 --> 00:29:11,039
for what caused
the angel's glow.
563
00:29:11,125 --> 00:29:13,167
If this incredible
theory is true,
564
00:29:13,252 --> 00:29:16,170
then it seems that
some forms of bacteria
565
00:29:16,255 --> 00:29:19,923
can actually help us in
the fight against disease.
566
00:29:19,967 --> 00:29:22,593
But the soldiers
whose lives were saved
567
00:29:22,636 --> 00:29:26,764
at the battle of shiloh
believed that what healed them
568
00:29:26,807 --> 00:29:30,100
could only have been
sent from heaven.
569
00:29:30,144 --> 00:29:31,788
We can't know what
those soldiers experienced
570
00:29:31,812 --> 00:29:35,105
out there on the battlefield
between the lines.
571
00:29:35,191 --> 00:29:37,775
They're in the dark,
they're suffering from shock.
572
00:29:37,818 --> 00:29:39,777
Who's to say that they
didn't experience that
573
00:29:39,820 --> 00:29:42,571
or that they did
experience that?
574
00:29:44,074 --> 00:29:47,743
Guardian angels,
reaching down to comfort
575
00:29:47,787 --> 00:29:52,247
and even cure dying soldiers
during the american civil war?
576
00:29:52,291 --> 00:29:55,417
To some it sounds
like pure fantasy.
577
00:29:55,503 --> 00:29:58,045
But to others, especially those
578
00:29:58,130 --> 00:30:01,381
who've had their own
close calls with death,
579
00:30:01,467 --> 00:30:05,969
there's no doubt that such
a notion is entirely plausible.
580
00:30:06,055 --> 00:30:08,639
When dealing
with deadly diseases,
581
00:30:08,724 --> 00:30:11,183
it's hard to be certain
of pretty much anything.
582
00:30:11,268 --> 00:30:15,103
Not only do we
often know very little
583
00:30:15,147 --> 00:30:17,105
about how to cure an illness,
584
00:30:17,191 --> 00:30:20,609
we know even less about
where an illness comes from.
585
00:30:20,653 --> 00:30:22,986
For instance, what if I told you
586
00:30:23,030 --> 00:30:26,782
that what we commonly
refer to as the spanish flu
587
00:30:26,867 --> 00:30:31,662
didn't come from Spain at all,
but from a remote army base...
588
00:30:33,374 --> 00:30:35,332
...In kansas?
589
00:30:46,554 --> 00:30:48,929
At the height of world war I,
590
00:30:49,014 --> 00:30:52,683
more than 50 years after the
end of the american civil war,
591
00:30:52,768 --> 00:30:56,645
soldiers from more than
30 nations are engaged
592
00:30:56,689 --> 00:30:59,356
in trench warfare
all over europe...
593
00:31:00,776 --> 00:31:04,361
...And a new,
unexpected enemy emerges...
594
00:31:04,405 --> 00:31:07,364
...The spanish flu.
595
00:31:08,409 --> 00:31:09,719
Europe is awash
596
00:31:09,743 --> 00:31:12,452
in the influenza virus.
597
00:31:12,538 --> 00:31:16,540
They had a massive
outbreak of influenza,
598
00:31:16,584 --> 00:31:19,334
and these soldiers
serving at the front lines
599
00:31:19,420 --> 00:31:22,546
are directly impacted on
both sides of the conflict.
600
00:31:22,590 --> 00:31:25,966
- -the symptoms
were pretty horrific,
601
00:31:26,051 --> 00:31:27,946
and so these soldiers were
not capable of performing
602
00:31:27,970 --> 00:31:30,888
their duties, and many of
them actually die of the disease.
603
00:31:32,391 --> 00:31:35,642
We're used to the flu,
but the 1918 flu
604
00:31:35,728 --> 00:31:39,521
had more severe symptoms
and lingering effects.
605
00:31:40,774 --> 00:31:43,025
When the flu first
started spreading,
606
00:31:43,110 --> 00:31:46,236
their skin turned blue.
607
00:31:46,322 --> 00:31:49,239
They just had no
oxygen in their blood.
608
00:31:49,283 --> 00:31:52,910
It was not uncommon for
people to lose all their hair.
609
00:31:52,953 --> 00:31:57,247
It was not uncommon to
have neurological side effects.
610
00:31:58,500 --> 00:32:00,792
The 1918 influenza strain
611
00:32:00,878 --> 00:32:04,296
caused an incredibly high fever,
it caused coughing.
612
00:32:04,381 --> 00:32:08,216
In many cases,
patients' lungs would fill with fluid
613
00:32:08,302 --> 00:32:10,102
as this virus is
taking over their body.
614
00:32:10,179 --> 00:32:13,305
That would cause an
immune system overreaction
615
00:32:13,390 --> 00:32:15,265
and they would
essentially drown.
616
00:32:16,810 --> 00:32:18,204
Medics on the front lines,
617
00:32:18,228 --> 00:32:20,020
prepared for the ravages of war,
618
00:32:20,105 --> 00:32:24,232
look on in horror as young,
healthy soldiers
619
00:32:24,318 --> 00:32:26,193
begin to die within days,
620
00:32:26,278 --> 00:32:29,905
or even hours of
showing symptoms.
621
00:32:29,949 --> 00:32:34,743
The spanish flu was caused by,
um, an h1n1 influenza virus.
622
00:32:34,828 --> 00:32:37,871
And the particular
strain of the h1n1 virus
623
00:32:37,957 --> 00:32:40,624
was a little unusual
amongst influenza viruses
624
00:32:40,668 --> 00:32:43,961
in that it was much more contagious,
it was much easier
625
00:32:44,004 --> 00:32:46,088
to expel and spread
between people.
626
00:32:46,131 --> 00:32:49,049
In 1918, we still really were
627
00:32:49,134 --> 00:32:51,635
sort of incapable of
stopping its spread.
628
00:32:51,679 --> 00:32:54,221
This was right at the
end of world war I,
629
00:32:54,306 --> 00:32:57,516
and so soldiers were, of course,
kept in close quarters
630
00:32:57,601 --> 00:32:59,059
and barracks together.
631
00:32:59,103 --> 00:33:02,479
And then, also,
people were sort of moving around the world
632
00:33:02,523 --> 00:33:04,167
more than they probably
normally would have been
633
00:33:04,191 --> 00:33:05,649
sort of traveling.
634
00:33:05,734 --> 00:33:08,652
Um,
and so those were some of the factors
635
00:33:08,696 --> 00:33:10,821
that caused it to
spread really rapidly.
636
00:33:10,864 --> 00:33:14,408
Since finding a
cure for a mysterious virus
637
00:33:14,493 --> 00:33:17,452
in the midst of a
world war is a difficult,
638
00:33:17,496 --> 00:33:19,496
if not impossible undertaking,
639
00:33:19,581 --> 00:33:23,417
both the central powers
and the allied powers
640
00:33:23,502 --> 00:33:25,335
decided the best
course of action
641
00:33:25,379 --> 00:33:29,798
was to downplay the
threat posed by the disease.
642
00:33:29,883 --> 00:33:33,468
In fact,
the 1918 flu is called the spanish flu
643
00:33:33,554 --> 00:33:36,805
not because it came from Spain,
but because,
644
00:33:36,890 --> 00:33:40,308
initially,
Spain was the only country willing
645
00:33:40,352 --> 00:33:42,352
to acknowledge its existence.
646
00:33:45,524 --> 00:33:47,752
The reason we
think of it as the spanish flu
647
00:33:47,776 --> 00:33:50,652
is because Spain had
a free press at that time,
648
00:33:50,738 --> 00:33:54,031
and the rest of
the world did not.
649
00:33:54,074 --> 00:33:56,783
Spain was not
involved in world war I,
650
00:33:56,869 --> 00:34:00,370
and their king ended
up getting the 1918 flu.
651
00:34:00,456 --> 00:34:02,225
So it was a matter
of national interest,
652
00:34:02,249 --> 00:34:06,084
and most americans
learned of the flu
653
00:34:06,170 --> 00:34:08,211
from the spanish papers.
654
00:34:10,716 --> 00:34:14,384
The so-called spanish
flu is estimated to have infected
655
00:34:14,428 --> 00:34:17,721
one third of the world's
population at the time,
656
00:34:17,765 --> 00:34:19,723
roughly 500 million people.
657
00:34:19,808 --> 00:34:23,310
But while the press
created a lasting nickname
658
00:34:23,395 --> 00:34:24,811
for the 1918 flu,
659
00:34:24,897 --> 00:34:29,066
some researchers have
suggested that it actually originated
660
00:34:29,151 --> 00:34:32,569
in the heartland
of the united states.
661
00:34:36,658 --> 00:34:38,909
March 4, 1918.
662
00:34:38,994 --> 00:34:40,994
Fort riley, kansas.
663
00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:46,416
Before the so-called spanish flu
outbreak was reported in europe,
664
00:34:46,502 --> 00:34:50,754
a private at this remote
army base in the united states
665
00:34:50,798 --> 00:34:54,925
starts to feel ill.
666
00:34:54,968 --> 00:34:58,428
In March of 1918,
an army private named albert gitchell...
667
00:34:58,472 --> 00:35:00,597
He's a cook with the army...
668
00:35:00,641 --> 00:35:02,744
He reports symptoms,
so he goes to the hospital.
669
00:35:02,768 --> 00:35:05,018
Uh, he's sick,
he's-he's not feeling well.
670
00:35:05,104 --> 00:35:06,831
He's got a bit of a cough,
bit of a fever.
671
00:35:06,855 --> 00:35:09,606
In the end,
he ultimately goes in to work,
672
00:35:09,691 --> 00:35:13,110
feeding all of these
soldiers in this army camp.
673
00:35:13,153 --> 00:35:17,030
In the weeks that follow,
the members of this camp
674
00:35:17,116 --> 00:35:20,742
come down with a
pretty nasty flu strain.
675
00:35:20,786 --> 00:35:24,704
And there are no other outbreaks
similar to this at this point,
676
00:35:24,790 --> 00:35:28,500
which suggests that
this outbreak is starting
677
00:35:28,585 --> 00:35:31,086
at that camp,
and potentially with that soldier.
678
00:35:32,381 --> 00:35:36,967
There were 1,127
cases just at fort riley itself,
679
00:35:37,010 --> 00:35:38,635
and 46 people died.
680
00:35:38,679 --> 00:35:40,490
So all these soldiers
at fort riley are thinking
681
00:35:40,514 --> 00:35:43,807
they just had a bad cold,
or maybe even a mild flu.
682
00:35:43,892 --> 00:35:46,434
They were eventually
all put on trains,
683
00:35:46,478 --> 00:35:47,997
which spread all
over the country
684
00:35:48,021 --> 00:35:49,187
going to various ports.
685
00:35:49,273 --> 00:35:50,667
And then they were
all shipped off to europe
686
00:35:50,691 --> 00:35:52,315
to fight in the war.
687
00:35:52,401 --> 00:35:56,319
Many scientist now
believe that army private albert gitchell
688
00:35:56,405 --> 00:36:00,490
was the first man to
contract the 1918 flu.
689
00:36:00,534 --> 00:36:02,951
Gitchell spread it to
his fellow servicemen
690
00:36:03,036 --> 00:36:04,619
when he served them food.
691
00:36:04,705 --> 00:36:06,788
And soldiers then
were sent overseas
692
00:36:06,874 --> 00:36:09,958
to fight in the war,
and they unwittingly
693
00:36:10,002 --> 00:36:12,002
spread the disease
around the globe.
694
00:36:12,087 --> 00:36:15,797
But of course that
explanation is only a theory.
695
00:36:15,883 --> 00:36:20,302
The situation fits
the epidemiology,
696
00:36:20,387 --> 00:36:22,846
the number of people
who got sick afterwards.
697
00:36:22,890 --> 00:36:26,016
But whether we will
ever know for sure
698
00:36:26,101 --> 00:36:28,351
who patient zero was,
699
00:36:28,395 --> 00:36:31,062
or whether it absolutely
came from kansas,
700
00:36:31,148 --> 00:36:33,356
it's hard to be absolutely sure.
701
00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:36,026
It's really hard to learn
where any virus starts,
702
00:36:36,069 --> 00:36:39,821
where any pandemic starts,
because you're not recording
703
00:36:39,865 --> 00:36:41,865
everywhere all the time,
704
00:36:41,909 --> 00:36:43,491
and having the
scientific tools in place
705
00:36:43,535 --> 00:36:45,035
to be able to detect it.
706
00:36:47,122 --> 00:36:49,100
The great mystery
of any of these pandemics
707
00:36:49,124 --> 00:36:52,209
or public health crises
is where did it start?
708
00:36:52,252 --> 00:36:53,730
And, ultimately,
why did it start?
709
00:36:53,754 --> 00:36:57,005
And what were the circumstances
that allowed that to happen?
710
00:36:57,090 --> 00:36:59,883
It's the story of how we
interact with one another,
711
00:36:59,968 --> 00:37:02,844
and how we spread
diseases amongst each other.
712
00:37:02,930 --> 00:37:05,972
If you track that
and you find that out,
713
00:37:06,058 --> 00:37:09,226
we could prevent it
happening again in the future.
714
00:37:12,272 --> 00:37:15,815
The spanish flu
outbreak lasted for three long years
715
00:37:15,901 --> 00:37:19,653
and killed an estimated
50 million people
716
00:37:19,738 --> 00:37:24,157
before society finally developed
enough collective immunity
717
00:37:24,243 --> 00:37:26,952
for the virus to die out.
718
00:37:27,037 --> 00:37:30,914
History shows us that no matter
how lethal a disease may be,
719
00:37:30,958 --> 00:37:34,334
humankind has always
found a way to endure it,
720
00:37:34,419 --> 00:37:37,170
whether by employing
medical breakthroughs
721
00:37:37,256 --> 00:37:39,381
or sheer patience.
722
00:37:39,466 --> 00:37:42,801
But what kind of illnesses will
we have to face in the future?
723
00:37:42,886 --> 00:37:44,886
Could they be different than
724
00:37:44,930 --> 00:37:46,888
what we've
experienced in the past?
725
00:37:46,974 --> 00:37:51,559
And might they come to our
planet from another world?
726
00:37:59,444 --> 00:38:01,506
British
astronomer sir fred hoyle
727
00:38:01,530 --> 00:38:05,573
publishes a book titled
astronomical origins of life:
728
00:38:05,659 --> 00:38:08,785
Steps towards panspermia.
729
00:38:08,829 --> 00:38:11,496
In it,
hoyle investigates the controversial theory
730
00:38:11,581 --> 00:38:14,082
of panspermia,
which suggests that
731
00:38:14,167 --> 00:38:17,961
life on earth did
not originate here
732
00:38:18,005 --> 00:38:20,505
but rather in space,
733
00:38:20,590 --> 00:38:23,091
and that asteroids
carried the microbial
734
00:38:23,176 --> 00:38:25,969
building blocks of
dna to our planet.
735
00:38:29,141 --> 00:38:31,035
You cannot
dismiss the possibility
736
00:38:31,059 --> 00:38:33,727
that maybe life came
from outer space.
737
00:38:33,812 --> 00:38:37,647
That we were seeded.
Seeded by asteroids or comets
738
00:38:37,733 --> 00:38:40,066
that then put their
organic materials
739
00:38:40,152 --> 00:38:42,485
onto the planet earth.
740
00:38:42,529 --> 00:38:45,280
And so there's a new theory
in astronomy that says that
741
00:38:45,365 --> 00:38:47,532
the solar system is
like a ping-pong game
742
00:38:47,617 --> 00:38:50,702
with meteorites carrying
microbial lifeforms,
743
00:38:50,787 --> 00:38:53,747
going back and forth between venus,
mars,
744
00:38:53,832 --> 00:38:55,957
the earth and the moon.
745
00:38:56,043 --> 00:38:59,002
This has given momentum
to the panspermia theory.
746
00:39:00,339 --> 00:39:02,650
Some scientists
have suggested that if the theory
747
00:39:02,674 --> 00:39:04,341
of panspermia is true,
748
00:39:04,426 --> 00:39:08,762
then it's possible that
extraterrestrial viruses
749
00:39:08,847 --> 00:39:12,640
could also travel here,
bringing with them diseases
750
00:39:12,726 --> 00:39:14,392
that would be much different
751
00:39:14,478 --> 00:39:17,520
from the ones
that exist on earth.
752
00:39:17,606 --> 00:39:19,334
When you
think about the core elements
753
00:39:19,358 --> 00:39:22,484
of viral plagues... those
are the four genetic codes,
754
00:39:22,569 --> 00:39:25,195
dna or rna within
a protein shell...
755
00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:27,781
That's something that's
easier to imagine being stable
756
00:39:27,866 --> 00:39:29,532
deep inside an asteroid,
and safe.
757
00:39:29,618 --> 00:39:31,951
And so any sort
of virus or plague,
758
00:39:32,037 --> 00:39:33,953
you can imagine
them starting from
759
00:39:34,039 --> 00:39:36,623
one of these asteroid events.
760
00:39:36,708 --> 00:39:40,710
A space plague is a
leap into the unknown.
761
00:39:40,754 --> 00:39:43,713
We have no way of
knowing what kinds of dna,
762
00:39:43,799 --> 00:39:47,384
or maybe a modified dna
version exists in outer space.
763
00:39:48,678 --> 00:39:53,056
We have never seen other
kinds of viruses from outer space
764
00:39:53,100 --> 00:39:55,850
that can infect earthlings.
765
00:39:55,936 --> 00:39:58,186
So right now we simply
don't know the answer.
766
00:39:58,271 --> 00:40:01,439
I think if a plague
came from outer space,
767
00:40:01,525 --> 00:40:03,900
just like the way some
of the plagues we know
768
00:40:03,944 --> 00:40:06,403
jump from animals to humans,
suddenly,
769
00:40:06,446 --> 00:40:09,989
any sudden change in the viruses
770
00:40:10,075 --> 00:40:12,409
or bacteria that are
attacking you as a human,
771
00:40:12,494 --> 00:40:15,745
your immune system will not
have a defense to, most likely.
772
00:40:15,789 --> 00:40:17,934
These dramatic events,
whether it's from space
773
00:40:17,958 --> 00:40:20,333
or a sudden jumping
from animals to humans,
774
00:40:20,419 --> 00:40:23,336
are the reason these
plagues can be so devastating.
775
00:40:23,422 --> 00:40:26,923
A plague from outer space?
776
00:40:27,008 --> 00:40:29,217
While that may seem
like a far-fetched notion,
777
00:40:29,302 --> 00:40:34,055
it's a possibility that
science must be prepared for.
778
00:40:34,141 --> 00:40:36,422
There are always
these viruses out there,
779
00:40:36,476 --> 00:40:37,870
these things that
we can't explain.
780
00:40:37,894 --> 00:40:41,312
It's important for us to
always be vigilant, to be aware
781
00:40:41,398 --> 00:40:43,251
and to have our
public health authorities
782
00:40:43,275 --> 00:40:44,732
always on the lookout.
783
00:40:44,818 --> 00:40:46,129
So we can never
put our guard down.
784
00:40:46,153 --> 00:40:48,319
Hopefully, the faster we are
785
00:40:48,405 --> 00:40:50,613
and the better we
are at bioengineering,
786
00:40:50,699 --> 00:40:53,741
the faster we can make
vaccines and countermeasures.
787
00:40:53,827 --> 00:40:56,619
It's key to have them so
that we can make ways
788
00:40:56,705 --> 00:40:58,037
to protect ourselves.
789
00:40:58,123 --> 00:41:01,207
Preparing for any
disease is complex,
790
00:41:01,293 --> 00:41:06,254
and it requires a lot of, um,
mobilization of government,
791
00:41:06,339 --> 00:41:09,841
public health,
and the science to be able to figure out
792
00:41:09,926 --> 00:41:13,052
what happened,
and to prevent it from happening again.
793
00:41:13,138 --> 00:41:17,265
To be able to halt transmission
of this disease, whatever it is.
794
00:41:17,350 --> 00:41:20,351
It becomes a
detective story as well.
795
00:41:20,437 --> 00:41:23,354
You need to figure
out where it came from
796
00:41:23,440 --> 00:41:25,356
and how to
attribute the disease.
797
00:41:25,442 --> 00:41:29,194
It's a mystery that
our lives depend on,
798
00:41:29,279 --> 00:41:31,404
and we need people
to be working on that
799
00:41:31,490 --> 00:41:33,656
and thinking about that.
800
00:41:33,700 --> 00:41:37,660
Perhaps what makes
deadly diseases so frightening
801
00:41:37,704 --> 00:41:40,914
is that we never know when
they're going to strike next.
802
00:41:40,999 --> 00:41:44,334
And that uncertainty
is also what forces us
803
00:41:44,377 --> 00:41:48,296
to ask ourselves
are we really safe?
804
00:41:48,381 --> 00:41:52,217
Well,
the truth is that only time will tell.
805
00:41:52,302 --> 00:41:54,636
Which means that,
at least for now,
806
00:41:54,721 --> 00:41:59,265
these questions
will remain unexplained.63170
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