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WERNER HERZOG: These images taken
under the ice of the Ross Sea in Antarctica
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00:01:19,813 --> 00:01:23,316
were the reason
I wanted to go to this continent.
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00:01:26,153 --> 00:01:31,357
The pictures were taken by a friend of mine,
one of these expert divers.
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00:02:33,086 --> 00:02:37,156
The best connection is on
military planes out of New Zealand,
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00:02:37,324 --> 00:02:41,127
loaded with chained-down parts
of polar stations.
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00:02:47,100 --> 00:02:52,471
Most of the passengers had tucked
into their laptops and their books,
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00:02:52,573 --> 00:02:54,774
and many of them were sleeping.
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00:02:59,012 --> 00:03:05,418
Who were the people I was going to meet
in Antarctica at the end of the world?
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00:03:05,519 --> 00:03:07,420
What were their dreams?
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00:03:14,361 --> 00:03:18,898
We flew into the unknown,
a seemingly endless void.
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00:03:20,534 --> 00:03:24,837
I was surprised that
I was even on this plane.
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00:03:24,938 --> 00:03:28,875
The National Science Foundation
had invited me to Antarctica,
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00:03:28,976 --> 00:03:32,445
even though I left no doubt
that I would not come up
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00:03:32,546 --> 00:03:34,947
with another film about penguins.
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00:03:36,617 --> 00:03:41,053
My questions about nature,
I let them know, were different.
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00:03:43,423 --> 00:03:45,758
I told them I kept wondering
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00:03:45,859 --> 00:03:52,198
why is it that human beings put on
masks or feathers to conceal their identity?
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00:03:53,500 --> 00:03:58,938
And why do they saddle horses
and feel the urge to chase the bad guy?
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00:04:01,642 --> 00:04:03,476
Hi-yo, Silver!
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00:04:06,013 --> 00:04:12,985
HERZOG: And why is it that certain species
of ants keep flocks of plant lice as slaves
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00:04:13,086 --> 00:04:15,588
to milk them for droplets of sugar?
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00:04:17,624 --> 00:04:22,361
I asked them why is it
that a sophisticated animal like a chimp
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00:04:22,462 --> 00:04:25,031
does not utilize inferior creatures?
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00:04:26,967 --> 00:04:30,770
He could straddle a goat
and ride off into the sunset.
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00:04:41,715 --> 00:04:47,954
Despite my odd questions, I found myself
landing on the ice runway at McMurdo.
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00:04:52,292 --> 00:04:57,763
For most of the austral spring and summer,
which lasts from October through February,
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00:04:57,898 --> 00:05:01,801
planes can land on
the 8-foot thick ice of the Ross Sea.
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00:05:03,971 --> 00:05:07,673
In the distance,
the mountains of the Transantarctic range.
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00:05:09,509 --> 00:05:12,578
McMurdo itself is situated on an island.
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00:05:14,581 --> 00:05:18,651
The Ross Sea is the largest bay
in the continent.
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00:05:18,752 --> 00:05:22,288
This bay alone covers the size
of the state of Texas.
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00:05:35,702 --> 00:05:38,371
On this very same frozen ocean,
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00:05:38,472 --> 00:05:43,242
the early explorer's ship
got wedged into moving ice flows.
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00:05:44,578 --> 00:05:48,547
Here, Shackleton's expedition
evacuates their vessel,
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00:05:48,648 --> 00:05:52,618
which would later come to ruin,
leaving them stranded there.
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00:06:04,765 --> 00:06:07,800
Everything in this expedition was doomed,
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00:06:07,901 --> 00:06:11,804
including the first ancestor
of the snowmobile.
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00:06:11,905 --> 00:06:17,276
The idea was too big for
the technical possibilities 100 years ago.
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00:06:18,845 --> 00:06:22,882
At that time,
every step meant incredible hardship.
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00:06:41,435 --> 00:06:44,637
The first thing that caught my eye
upon landing
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was the humongous bus and its driver.
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00:06:57,417 --> 00:07:02,188
-We're clearing the apron now, thank you.
-MAN: Hey, you're welcome.
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00:07:07,761 --> 00:07:11,797
This is Ivan the Terra Bus.
It's one of seven in the world,
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00:07:11,898 --> 00:07:15,534
weighs 67,000 pounds
and is the largest vehicle on the continent.
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00:07:16,970 --> 00:07:19,939
HERZOG: What do you do when you are
back home? Are you a taxi driver?
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00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:22,208
I am not a taxi driver at home.
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00:07:22,309 --> 00:07:25,945
Before I came to Antarctica,
I was actually a banker in Colorado.
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00:07:26,046 --> 00:07:29,448
And after two years there,
I changed my pace a little bit
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00:07:29,616 --> 00:07:32,384
and decided to help
the people of Guatemala,
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00:07:32,486 --> 00:07:37,923
so I joined the Peace Corps, and there
I worked in small business development.
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00:07:38,091 --> 00:07:41,060
Just realized that the world's
not all about money.
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00:07:41,228 --> 00:07:43,496
ROWLAND: Where I lived in Guatemala
was in the northern part.
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It's a Kekchรญ Mayan village, 99% Mayan,
and therefore nobody spoke Spanish.
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00:07:50,604 --> 00:07:53,439
I had to learn the Mayan dialect, Kekchรญ.
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00:07:55,142 --> 00:07:59,912
When I first moved to Chisec, I was just out
on a normal walk, and before I knew it
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I had six people with machetes
chasing me down, wanting to talk to me.
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00:08:04,151 --> 00:08:08,053
Turns out the little brother
told them I was there to steal children.
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00:08:08,155 --> 00:08:10,422
I was, however, not there to steal children.
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00:08:11,391 --> 00:08:15,961
They took me back to my... My judge
and jury was the 14-year-old boy in the town
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who could speak both Spanish and Kekchรญ.
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00:08:19,466 --> 00:08:21,300
Luckily, they let me go,
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00:08:21,401 --> 00:08:24,870
and we ended up being
great friends over the two years.
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00:08:25,238 --> 00:08:29,208
-HERZOG: The jury acquitted you.
-I was acquitted. I made it out of there.
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00:08:30,343 --> 00:08:31,677
But it could have been dangerous.
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00:08:31,778 --> 00:08:35,648
It is, it is.
And, you know, a story not too long ago is,
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00:08:35,749 --> 00:08:37,816
a lady was just taking a picture of a child,
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00:08:37,918 --> 00:08:42,221
you know, the same type of group of people
with machetes, and she wasn't so fortunate.
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00:08:42,722 --> 00:08:45,291
-She didn't make it out.
-What happened to her?
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00:08:45,392 --> 00:08:48,360
She was killed, by a machete.
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00:08:51,364 --> 00:08:55,601
HERZOG: Approaching McMurdo Station,
the largest American base,
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in fact the largest settlement in Antarctica.
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00:08:59,639 --> 00:09:02,908
Right there is Captain Scott's hut,
built in 1902.
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00:09:04,678 --> 00:09:06,145
HERZOG: During the austral summer,
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00:09:06,246 --> 00:09:10,649
about 1,000 people live here
experiencing a strange state,
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00:09:11,751 --> 00:09:14,153
five months of no nighttime.
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00:09:17,257 --> 00:09:20,092
McMurdo serves as a logistical hub
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00:09:20,260 --> 00:09:24,196
and provides fixed laboratory facilities
for research.
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00:09:25,532 --> 00:09:28,334
All the decisions about scientific projects
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00:09:28,435 --> 00:09:32,304
are the domain of my host,
the National Science Foundation.
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00:09:33,773 --> 00:09:37,776
Day to day logistics
are run by a defense contractor.
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00:09:39,212 --> 00:09:42,915
I had been told by some
disgruntled former inhabitants
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that they ran things
in the spirit of a correctional facility.
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00:09:50,123 --> 00:09:56,128
Actually, they were decent people,
just too concerned for my personal safety.
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00:09:58,865 --> 00:10:02,768
Of course, I did not expect
pristine landscapes
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00:10:02,869 --> 00:10:07,072
and men living in blissful harmony
with fluffy penguins,
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00:10:07,173 --> 00:10:12,411
but I was still surprised to find McMurdo
looking like an ugly mining town
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00:10:12,512 --> 00:10:16,548
filled with Caterpillars
and noisy construction sites.
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00:10:52,852 --> 00:10:56,021
Who are the people
who drive the heavy machinery,
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00:10:56,156 --> 00:10:58,824
and what brought them to Antarctica?
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00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:06,965
(LAUGHING) It's a long story.
I've explored many different
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lands of the mind and many worlds of ideas,
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and I started before I even knew
how to read and write.
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00:11:18,011 --> 00:11:21,413
My grandmother was reading
The Odyssey and The Iliad to me,
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00:11:21,514 --> 00:11:25,851
so I started my journey in my fantasy,
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00:11:25,952 --> 00:11:28,821
before I even knew the means
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of accomplishing it, but my mind
and my psyche was ready for it.
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00:11:32,926 --> 00:11:37,730
I was already traveling with Odysseus
and with the Argonauts
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00:11:37,831 --> 00:11:42,735
and to those strange and amazing lands,
and that always stayed with me,
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00:11:42,836 --> 00:11:47,740
that fascination of the world,
and that I fell in love with the world.
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And it's been very powerful
and has been with me this whole time.
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00:11:54,614 --> 00:11:58,217
HERZOG: And how does it happen that
we are encountering each other here
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at the end of the world?
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I think that it's a logical place to find
each other because this place works
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00:12:05,892 --> 00:12:10,529
almost as a natural selection for people that
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00:12:11,398 --> 00:12:14,433
have this intention to jump
off the margin of the map,
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00:12:14,534 --> 00:12:18,470
and we all meet here where
all the lines of the map converge.
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00:12:19,639 --> 00:12:23,208
PASHOV: There is no point that is
south of the South Pole.
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00:12:25,578 --> 00:12:29,782
And I think there is a fair amount
of the population here
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00:12:29,883 --> 00:12:34,253
which are full-time travelers
and part-time workers.
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00:12:34,354 --> 00:12:36,188
So yes, those are the professional dreamers.
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00:12:36,289 --> 00:12:40,692
They dream all the time,
and, I think, through them
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00:12:41,428 --> 00:12:45,497
the great cosmic dreams come into fruition,
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00:12:45,598 --> 00:12:49,468
because the universe dreams
through our dreams,
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00:12:49,569 --> 00:12:53,839
and I think that there is
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00:12:53,940 --> 00:12:56,742
many different ways for the reality
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00:12:56,843 --> 00:13:01,146
to bring itself forward, and dreaming
is definitely one of those ways.
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00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:03,308
HERZOG: As banal as McMurdo appears,
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00:14:03,409 --> 00:14:07,112
it turns out it is filled
with these professional dreamers.
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00:14:09,582 --> 00:14:12,784
At night, I was laying
in my bed here in McMurdo.
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00:14:13,319 --> 00:14:18,724
I am again walking across the top of B-15.
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00:14:18,825 --> 00:14:21,360
Might as well be
on a piece of the South Pole,
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00:14:21,461 --> 00:14:24,396
but yet I'm actually adrift in the ocean,
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00:14:25,331 --> 00:14:29,935
a vagabond floating in the ocean,
and below my feet
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00:14:30,036 --> 00:14:32,738
I can feel the rumble of the iceberg.
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00:14:32,839 --> 00:14:36,308
I can feel the change, the cry of the iceberg
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00:14:36,409 --> 00:14:39,945
as it's screeching
and as it's bouncing off the seabed,
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00:14:40,046 --> 00:14:43,982
as it's steering the ocean currents,
as it's beginning to move north.
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00:14:44,083 --> 00:14:48,921
I can feel that sound coming up
through the bottoms of my feet
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00:14:49,022 --> 00:14:53,559
and telling me that this iceberg
is coming north. That's my dream.
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00:15:06,439 --> 00:15:11,910
So here I'm sitting in this lovely warm lab
and just outside is the environment
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that Scott and Shackleton first faced
when they came here about 100 years ago.
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00:15:17,283 --> 00:15:22,788
Unlike Scott and Shackleton, who viewed
the ice as this sort of static monster
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00:15:22,889 --> 00:15:25,891
that had to be crossed
to get to the South Pole,
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00:15:26,025 --> 00:15:30,796
we scientists now are able to
see the ice as a dynamic living entity
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00:15:30,897 --> 00:15:35,400
that is sort of producing change,
like the icebergs that I study.
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00:15:37,236 --> 00:15:39,404
For me, it's been a wild ride.
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00:15:39,505 --> 00:15:43,909
First of all, I found out that the iceberg
that I came down to study
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00:15:44,010 --> 00:15:48,080
not only was larger than the iceberg
that sank the Titanic,
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00:15:48,281 --> 00:15:51,717
it was not only larger than the Titanic itself,
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00:15:51,818 --> 00:15:55,320
but it was larger than the country
that built the Titanic.
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00:15:55,421 --> 00:15:56,521
That's pretty big.
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00:15:57,624 --> 00:16:04,363
This is B-15. So what we see here
is the white cliff. It's about 150 feet tall,
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00:16:04,464 --> 00:16:09,735
so that means that there's over
1, 000 feet of ice below the water line.
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00:16:09,836 --> 00:16:14,039
This iceberg is so big
that the water that it contains
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00:16:14,140 --> 00:16:19,611
would run the flow of
the river Jordan for 1,000 years.
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00:16:19,712 --> 00:16:25,851
It's so big that the water that is inside of it
would run the river Nile for 75 years.
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MacAYEAL: This is a little bit
of video that we shot
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00:16:32,291 --> 00:16:34,526
when we were flying up to the iceberg.
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00:16:34,627 --> 00:16:38,263
It looks big and it looms above us,
even if we're on an aircraft
152
00:16:38,364 --> 00:16:42,601
flying above the iceberg,
the iceberg is always above us.
153
00:16:42,702 --> 00:16:46,538
It's above us because it's a mystery
that we don't understand.
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00:16:47,740 --> 00:16:52,144
Here's a picture of what it looked like once
we had arrived in the center of the iceberg.
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00:16:52,245 --> 00:16:53,979
We put out our instruments.
156
00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:58,684
Now we're gonna have an opportunity
to monitor how the iceberg drifts north.
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00:16:59,786 --> 00:17:03,288
They're so big, there's an element of fear.
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00:17:03,389 --> 00:17:05,724
We don't know, really,
what's going to come ahead
159
00:17:05,825 --> 00:17:09,895
when they eventually begin to melt
in the ocean beyond Antarctica.
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00:17:12,098 --> 00:17:17,536
What we're seeing now here
is a time-lapse sort of animation
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00:17:17,637 --> 00:17:22,107
of satellite imagery of the sea ice
and of the continent of Antarctica.
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00:17:22,208 --> 00:17:24,810
And what you see are three shades of gray.
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00:17:24,911 --> 00:17:27,913
This sort of lighter shade of gray
is the sea ice,
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00:17:28,014 --> 00:17:32,184
and these little bits and pieces here,
these are titanic icebergs.
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00:17:32,719 --> 00:17:37,656
This little fellow right here, he's not a very
big iceberg compared to these other ones,
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00:17:37,857 --> 00:17:42,994
but that guy there might be the size of
the island of Sicily in the Mediterranean.
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00:17:43,096 --> 00:17:46,665
It's like a little tiny bumblebee
zipping around in a circle,
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00:17:46,766 --> 00:17:50,135
happy to be in the warm waters
as it's drifting north.
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00:17:51,804 --> 00:17:58,143
I'd be happy to see Antarctica as a static,
monolithic environment,
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00:17:58,244 --> 00:18:03,815
a cold monolith of ice, sort of the way
the people back in the past used to see it,
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00:18:03,916 --> 00:18:08,420
but now our comfortable thought
about Antarctica is over.
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00:18:08,521 --> 00:18:12,124
Now we're seeing it as
a living being that's dynamic,
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00:18:12,258 --> 00:18:18,230
that's producing change, change that
it's broadcasting to the rest of the world,
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00:18:18,331 --> 00:18:23,368
possibly in response to what the world
is broadcasting down to Antarctica.
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00:18:23,469 --> 00:18:27,205
Certainly on a gut level
it's going to be frightening
176
00:18:27,306 --> 00:18:30,976
to watch what happens
to these babies once they get north.
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00:18:44,190 --> 00:18:48,493
HERZOG: What environment would the men
of Shackleton's expedition encounter
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00:18:48,594 --> 00:18:51,029
if they returned in a next life?
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00:18:55,568 --> 00:18:59,404
Shackleton, seen here,
would finally make it to the Pole,
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00:18:59,505 --> 00:19:03,208
a quest he had to abandon
a mere 100 miles short of it.
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00:19:05,611 --> 00:19:08,180
Would there be any ice left?
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00:19:08,281 --> 00:19:12,484
Would he have to construct
an artificial Antarctica in a studio
183
00:19:12,585 --> 00:19:16,421
and try to find his route through
papier-mรขchรฉ icebergs?
184
00:19:27,500 --> 00:19:32,304
Would our only modern recourse
be to create ice with machines?
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00:19:33,139 --> 00:19:35,807
This is Frosty Boy, here in McMurdo.
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00:19:35,908 --> 00:19:39,544
It's the equivalent of ice cream in the States,
and it's a really big hit.
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00:19:39,645 --> 00:19:44,749
Everybody loves it. It's what they go for
three or four times a day.
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00:19:44,851 --> 00:19:48,687
And it has the texture of ice cream,
but it's not quite ice cream.
189
00:19:49,956 --> 00:19:54,726
There's a lot of crises that happen
in McMurdo when the Frosty Boy runs out.
190
00:19:56,362 --> 00:19:57,629
It's bad news.
191
00:19:57,730 --> 00:20:04,002
Words circulate everywhere throughout
McMurdo when Frosty Boy goes down.
192
00:20:04,103 --> 00:20:06,004
It's really good stuff.
193
00:20:07,740 --> 00:20:11,843
HERZOG: From the very first day,
we just wanted to get out of this place.
194
00:20:13,579 --> 00:20:19,284
McMurdo has climate-controlled housing
facilities, its own radio station,
195
00:20:19,385 --> 00:20:26,224
a bowling alley and abominations
such as an aerobic studio and yoga classes.
196
00:20:27,860 --> 00:20:29,961
It even has an ATM machine.
197
00:20:32,164 --> 00:20:37,769
For all these reasons, I wanted to get out
into the field as soon as possible.
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00:20:41,908 --> 00:20:47,045
But before we could do that, it is mandatory
that every inhabitant of McMurdo
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00:20:47,146 --> 00:20:51,416
attend survival school
before being allowed to leave.
200
00:20:56,188 --> 00:20:59,991
This two-day exercise
is called Happy Camper.
201
00:21:10,536 --> 00:21:15,340
Students learn to build
survival trenches and igloos.
202
00:21:15,441 --> 00:21:20,445
The bad news is, that night
you have to sleep in your own construction.
203
00:21:20,579 --> 00:21:24,616
As long as I end up with 10 fingers
and 10 toes at the end, it's all good.
204
00:21:39,298 --> 00:21:40,765
Oh, God, sorry!
205
00:21:40,866 --> 00:21:43,902
We just need to break ourselves
into two different groups now.
206
00:21:44,070 --> 00:21:49,541
We're gonna brief this group over here
for the burning vehicle scenario first,
207
00:21:49,642 --> 00:21:52,277
then we're gonna come back over
and we're gonna brief
208
00:21:52,378 --> 00:21:55,780
the bucket head white-out scenario
for everybody else.
209
00:21:55,881 --> 00:22:00,585
Essentially, we're trying to create conditions
where we wouldn't be able to see.
210
00:22:00,686 --> 00:22:06,191
The wind is so severe, the snow is blowing
so severely. Very, very cold.
211
00:22:06,292 --> 00:22:11,529
Exposed skin might actually
create frostbite instantaneously.
212
00:22:11,630 --> 00:22:15,300
The winds are so severe
you could be blown off of your stance
213
00:22:15,401 --> 00:22:20,138
of just simply standing out,
and visibility is pretty much none.
214
00:22:20,306 --> 00:22:21,873
You can't see flag to flag.
215
00:22:21,974 --> 00:22:25,410
You might not be able to see your hand
in front of your own face.
216
00:22:25,511 --> 00:22:29,147
Therefore,
what we're gonna do as a simulator
217
00:22:29,248 --> 00:22:35,020
is incorporate a bucket to simulate
a white-out condition
218
00:22:35,121 --> 00:22:38,289
to a point where I can barely hear myself.
219
00:22:38,391 --> 00:22:44,763
You can't necessarily even hear me, and
I certainly can't see any of you right now.
220
00:22:47,700 --> 00:22:49,901
So that's the whole idea
behind the bucket head
221
00:22:50,002 --> 00:22:54,372
is to actually be a white-out simulator,
and it works really quite well.
222
00:22:55,474 --> 00:22:58,710
So, some of the parameters
for this are gonna be,
223
00:22:58,811 --> 00:23:01,246
we're gonna start inside the sea-ice hut.
224
00:23:01,347 --> 00:23:03,415
I said I was gonna go to the bathroom,
and in fact I did.
225
00:23:03,516 --> 00:23:07,118
I needed to go to the bathroom, right.
So, I've gone out.
226
00:23:07,219 --> 00:23:09,554
I've been gone for
quite some time now though,
227
00:23:09,655 --> 00:23:13,358
you know, like 10, 15.
All of a sudden 20 minutes, you're like,
228
00:23:13,459 --> 00:23:16,694
"First off, where's the chocolate,
second off, where's Kevin?"
229
00:23:17,229 --> 00:23:19,497
-EMERY: Are you with us, Number One?
-Number One is out.
230
00:23:20,232 --> 00:23:25,170
HERZOG: The goal is clear,
to find the instructor next to the outhouse.
231
00:23:25,271 --> 00:23:27,639
Number Two is out.
232
00:23:27,740 --> 00:23:30,608
Number Three out. Number Three out.
233
00:23:30,709 --> 00:23:33,878
EMERY: All right, Number One, you're
gonna have to walk in one simple direction,
234
00:23:33,979 --> 00:23:36,714
and I'm gonna keep the...
Pull on one rope for me.
235
00:23:36,782 --> 00:23:38,049
Four out.
236
00:23:38,517 --> 00:23:42,754
HERZOG: It looks pretty good. They seem
to be heading in the right direction.
237
00:23:42,922 --> 00:23:44,122
Five out.
238
00:23:44,957 --> 00:23:46,191
Six out.
239
00:23:46,692 --> 00:23:52,263
But very soon the front man veers
off-course, pulling everyone else with him.
240
00:24:14,687 --> 00:24:17,555
-Pull the rope, somebody...
-THREE: Hey, anybody out there?
241
00:24:17,656 --> 00:24:19,324
Out here. Number Three is here.
242
00:24:21,660 --> 00:24:24,662
-Where you at, Number Two?
-Find him?
243
00:24:55,127 --> 00:24:58,229
-Did we find the guy?
-No.
244
00:25:03,402 --> 00:25:04,536
ONE: Okay, I think we're gonna go this way.
245
00:25:04,637 --> 00:25:07,906
Follow me this way, guys. This way, guys.
246
00:25:09,375 --> 00:25:11,376
Hold on, hold on.
247
00:25:12,478 --> 00:25:15,079
So part of what we want to do here
as an educational opportunity
248
00:25:15,181 --> 00:25:17,282
is see if they realize what they've done,
249
00:25:17,383 --> 00:25:20,051
come back to a hut
and come up with a new game plan,
250
00:25:20,152 --> 00:25:24,289
or if they just keep going down
that cascading error phenomenon,
251
00:25:24,390 --> 00:25:26,457
where one mistake
leads into another mistake
252
00:25:26,559 --> 00:25:29,260
which leads into a third,
and it just gets really bad.
253
00:25:29,929 --> 00:25:31,696
Who's pulling on this line?
254
00:25:31,797 --> 00:25:33,131
-Me.
-Number One.
255
00:25:33,232 --> 00:25:36,267
Number One, don't pull on that.
That's the line going back to the hut.
256
00:25:36,368 --> 00:25:39,037
-I got the end.
-Okay, back to the hut?
257
00:25:39,171 --> 00:25:40,672
-Back to the hut.
-Back to the hut.
258
00:25:40,739 --> 00:25:42,273
Back to the hut.
259
00:25:43,609 --> 00:25:46,177
HERZOG: But rather than
pulling everyone in,
260
00:25:46,278 --> 00:25:48,479
last man first along the rope,
261
00:25:48,581 --> 00:25:51,516
they drift completely off-course.
262
00:25:52,117 --> 00:25:55,787
-Number Two is here. Is Number Three here?
-Number Three is here.
263
00:25:55,854 --> 00:25:57,155
Number Four?
264
00:25:58,490 --> 00:26:02,026
-Towards the sun.
-No, not towards the sun.
265
00:26:02,261 --> 00:26:04,229
-Left.
-We need to go left.
266
00:26:04,430 --> 00:26:06,297
Left, stay left.
267
00:26:06,398 --> 00:26:09,467
We don't know where he's standing though,
so left might be different for him.
268
00:26:09,568 --> 00:26:11,536
-Correct.
-Number Two.
269
00:26:11,937 --> 00:26:13,838
-Okay, Number One.
-I'm here.
270
00:26:13,939 --> 00:26:18,977
HERZOG: For most of our time here,
we had postcard-pretty weather conditions.
271
00:26:20,646 --> 00:26:26,284
This was frustrating because I loathe
the sun both on my celluloid and my skin.
272
00:26:29,154 --> 00:26:35,260
So it almost came as a relief when a few
days later, the weather suddenly changed.
273
00:26:48,007 --> 00:26:53,478
The storm soon broke and we were allowed
to venture out of McMurdo for the first time.
274
00:26:56,515 --> 00:27:02,520
We set out on snowmobiles, in front of us
miles and miles of frozen ocean.
275
00:27:04,790 --> 00:27:09,560
We were heading toward a field camp
of scientists who study seals.
276
00:27:13,699 --> 00:27:15,633
It was amazing to consider
277
00:27:15,734 --> 00:27:20,204
that a mere six feet under us
was the expanse of the Ross Sea.
278
00:28:17,930 --> 00:28:21,432
These scientists here
are particularly interested
279
00:28:21,533 --> 00:28:24,369
in the feeding cycle of the Weddell seal.
280
00:28:25,304 --> 00:28:27,338
In just a few short weeks,
281
00:28:27,539 --> 00:28:32,777
pups grow rapidly, while mothers lose
some 40% of their body weight.
282
00:28:45,424 --> 00:28:52,330
Bagging the seal's head keeps the animal
calm as the scientists extract a milk sample.
283
00:28:52,531 --> 00:28:53,998
(SEAL WAILING)
284
00:29:07,045 --> 00:29:10,581
OFTEDAL: Well, this really is quite
a wonderful group of animals to work on.
285
00:29:10,816 --> 00:29:13,985
Weddell seals in particular,
you can see they're very big.
286
00:29:14,086 --> 00:29:17,622
They're very strong,
and yet they allow us to work with them.
287
00:29:17,723 --> 00:29:20,658
They're not very aggressive,
nor are they very timid.
288
00:29:20,759 --> 00:29:25,163
Even though they struggle somewhat
when you have them in a bag or in a net,
289
00:29:25,264 --> 00:29:27,365
when you release them, they lie down.
290
00:29:27,466 --> 00:29:30,368
There's the mother behind us
who we just worked on,
291
00:29:30,469 --> 00:29:32,170
and she's just lying quietly with her pup.
292
00:29:32,271 --> 00:29:35,239
We've had pups start to nurse within
a couple of minutes of releasing them.
293
00:29:35,340 --> 00:29:40,311
So even though they are a bit perturbed
at being handled,
294
00:29:40,412 --> 00:29:44,015
they recover very quickly from it
and seem to behave normally after that,
295
00:29:44,116 --> 00:29:49,320
and really that's the ideal for us is to have
an animal species that we can work on
296
00:29:49,421 --> 00:29:54,192
that will not be so disturbed by the work
that's being done on them
297
00:29:54,293 --> 00:29:55,493
that they behave abnormally,
298
00:29:55,594 --> 00:30:00,131
'cause we want to know how these
animals survive, under these conditions.
299
00:30:03,936 --> 00:30:07,472
HERZOG: In a field laboratory
adjacent to the colony,
300
00:30:07,573 --> 00:30:09,674
they prepare the milk samples
301
00:30:09,775 --> 00:30:13,978
that may ultimately provide insight
into human weight loss.
302
00:30:14,112 --> 00:30:18,683
This was just collected. It's still warm
from the animal. So if you see that...
303
00:30:19,551 --> 00:30:21,519
See, it's like, you know,
it's almost like pouring wax.
304
00:30:21,620 --> 00:30:26,757
It's really something else. And if I let this
cool down, it would get pretty pasty.
305
00:30:26,859 --> 00:30:30,895
I wouldn't be able to pour it like that at all.
It's at body temperature right now.
306
00:30:32,231 --> 00:30:35,500
The milk of the Weddell seal
is about 45% fat.
307
00:30:35,601 --> 00:30:40,805
It's about 60% dry matter, 65% dry matter.
308
00:30:40,906 --> 00:30:42,139
It's very, very high in protein.
309
00:30:42,241 --> 00:30:46,010
It's about 10 to 12% protein
and contains no lactose at all,
310
00:30:46,211 --> 00:30:47,411
which is very unusual.
311
00:30:48,614 --> 00:30:50,948
And there's many things
about this place that are very unusual,
312
00:30:51,049 --> 00:30:56,554
and one of the things that I find
very fascinating is how quiet it gets.
313
00:30:56,655 --> 00:30:57,855
It's the quietest place.
314
00:30:57,956 --> 00:31:00,825
When the wind is down,
when there's no wind,
315
00:31:00,926 --> 00:31:03,461
it wakes you up in the middle of the night
because there's no wind,
316
00:31:03,562 --> 00:31:04,896
and there's no sound at all,
317
00:31:04,997 --> 00:31:07,865
and if you walk out on the ice,
you can hear your own heartbeat,
318
00:31:07,966 --> 00:31:09,000
that's how still it is.
319
00:31:09,101 --> 00:31:11,569
And you can hear the...
You can hear the ice crack,
320
00:31:11,670 --> 00:31:14,772
and it sounds like there's somebody walking
behind you, but it's just the ice.
321
00:31:14,873 --> 00:31:18,643
It's sort of, you know,
these little stress cracks moving all the time,
322
00:31:18,777 --> 00:31:20,678
because we're actually,
right here we're on ocean.
323
00:31:20,779 --> 00:31:24,949
We're not on solid ground, so...
And you can hear the seals.
324
00:31:25,050 --> 00:31:27,685
You can hear the seals call,
and it's the most amazing sound.
325
00:31:27,786 --> 00:31:30,388
They make these really inorganic sounds.
326
00:31:30,489 --> 00:31:31,956
(SEAL CALLING)
327
00:31:32,791 --> 00:31:35,293
They sound like,
I don't know, Pink Floyd or something.
328
00:31:35,394 --> 00:31:38,496
They don't sound like mammals,
and they definitely don't sound like animals.
329
00:31:39,932 --> 00:31:42,934
It's really out of this world, I can say that.
330
00:31:51,310 --> 00:31:53,544
OFTEDAL: You get used to
a surface being solid,
331
00:31:53,645 --> 00:31:57,348
and you sort of think in your mind
that you're on land, and then all of a sudden
332
00:31:57,449 --> 00:31:59,450
you'll hear the sound
coming up through the floor.
333
00:31:59,551 --> 00:32:03,187
-You'll hear the chucks and the whistles...
-And the booms.
334
00:32:03,288 --> 00:32:04,822
And the booms that come which are the...
335
00:32:04,923 --> 00:32:07,491
You realize there's
a whole world underneath you,
336
00:32:07,593 --> 00:32:11,395
that seals are moving and competing
and fighting beneath you under the ice
337
00:32:11,496 --> 00:32:15,366
while you're here sleeping in a tent
or working in a lab hut.
338
00:32:16,501 --> 00:32:18,803
(SEALS CALLING)
339
00:33:28,974 --> 00:33:33,511
HERZOG: We soon returned to
the prosaic world of today's McMurdo.
340
00:33:35,047 --> 00:33:40,351
David Pacheco works in maintenance
and construction as a journeyman plumber.
341
00:33:41,186 --> 00:33:43,821
He prides himself on his heritage.
342
00:33:43,922 --> 00:33:48,159
He is part Apache
but has claims to yet another lineage.
343
00:33:48,860 --> 00:33:55,433
It's funny, but I'm revealing my hands
and they are very distinct,
344
00:33:57,002 --> 00:33:59,837
and I was told by my doctor
who operated me that
345
00:33:59,938 --> 00:34:04,275
it is from the Aztec
and the Inca's royal family.
346
00:34:04,376 --> 00:34:10,781
An anthropologist told me that,
and one of our daughters is very similar,
347
00:34:10,882 --> 00:34:13,184
but everywhere I go,
I try to find somebody. See?
348
00:34:13,285 --> 00:34:15,686
And I can turn it around too,
if you wanna see it this way.
349
00:34:15,787 --> 00:34:18,923
It's very distinct, the line here,
350
00:34:19,024 --> 00:34:25,229
and I was at awe when they told me
it was from the royal family of the Indians.
351
00:34:25,330 --> 00:34:30,367
HERZOG: When you work, with which fingers
do you work best or point best?
352
00:34:30,469 --> 00:34:32,169
I don't know if I should say this. It's funny,
353
00:34:32,270 --> 00:34:36,373
but in school I used to not reach
the chalkboard with this,
354
00:34:36,475 --> 00:34:39,443
so I used to point with this,
and they called my father in
355
00:34:39,544 --> 00:34:40,945
and said that I was being a bad boy,
356
00:34:41,046 --> 00:34:43,714
but I still have the habit
of pointing like that.
357
00:34:43,815 --> 00:34:47,017
I have a long ribcage.
He could not find the gallbladder.
358
00:34:47,119 --> 00:34:52,890
I have a long ribcage like the Aztecs
used to have, I guess, and...
359
00:34:55,060 --> 00:35:01,632
If you can come to Antarctica, please do.
Plus, be aware of global warming. It's real.
360
00:35:01,733 --> 00:35:08,472
I'm a green person. I'm as green as I can be.
I build adobe homes, solar homes.
361
00:35:08,573 --> 00:35:15,579
I'm a contractor back home, too, but it's
so hard for a small minority to make it, but...
362
00:35:20,418 --> 00:35:23,754
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
363
00:35:57,122 --> 00:36:00,524
Spirit, the fire of my ancestors.
364
00:36:02,527 --> 00:36:03,627
(WHOOPS)
365
00:36:03,995 --> 00:36:05,196
(WHISTLES)
366
00:36:15,273 --> 00:36:19,877
HERZOG: Our next journey took us
85 kilometers over frozen ocean.
367
00:36:26,985 --> 00:36:31,355
We were heading from Ross Island
in the direction of mainland Antarctica.
368
00:36:33,258 --> 00:36:36,193
The empty interior beyond these mountains
369
00:36:36,294 --> 00:36:40,130
is larger in size than
continental North America.
370
00:36:41,266 --> 00:36:47,004
The vast majority of it is
covered in a layer of ice 9,000 feet thick.
371
00:36:48,974 --> 00:36:50,774
We were heading for New Harbor,
372
00:36:50,876 --> 00:36:55,913
a diving camp
which lies on the coastline of the ocean.
373
00:36:56,014 --> 00:36:59,049
To the right is the frozen sea
where they dive.
374
00:36:59,150 --> 00:37:02,253
The camp itself is built on firm ground.
375
00:37:10,996 --> 00:37:16,200
We were welcomed by my friend
Henry Kaiser, a musician and expert diver,
376
00:37:16,301 --> 00:37:20,504
whose underwater footage
it was that brought me to this place.
377
00:37:21,806 --> 00:37:25,976
We had arrived at an opportune time
and went straight to this shelter
378
00:37:26,077 --> 00:37:30,547
which protects a primary diving hole
next to New Harbor camp.
379
00:37:32,717 --> 00:37:36,954
Sam Bowser is the head
of the scientific field team.
380
00:37:37,555 --> 00:37:40,257
We found him in a pensive mood.
381
00:37:40,358 --> 00:37:43,193
HERZOG: Sam Bowser,
this is a special day for you?
382
00:37:46,264 --> 00:37:48,432
Well, I think...
383
00:37:48,533 --> 00:37:52,069
I think everyone should stop
when they've reached a point
384
00:37:52,170 --> 00:37:55,572
where they've done
what they've wanted to do,
385
00:37:55,674 --> 00:37:59,043
and today is probably gonna be
my last Antarctic dive, I think.
386
00:37:59,144 --> 00:38:00,244
I think we've accomplished what...
387
00:38:00,345 --> 00:38:03,981
At least, I've accomplished
what I've set out to do here,
388
00:38:04,082 --> 00:38:09,887
and it's time to pass the ball off to
the next generation of biologists, I think.
389
00:38:09,988 --> 00:38:12,189
So, it is a bit of a special day.
390
00:38:13,291 --> 00:38:17,094
HERZOG: I had heard that he was also
a great science fiction fan.
391
00:38:17,195 --> 00:38:20,764
The creatures that are down there
that are like science-fiction creatures,
392
00:38:20,865 --> 00:38:26,203
they range in the way that they would
gobble you up from slime-type blobs,
393
00:38:27,072 --> 00:38:30,708
but creepier than classic
science-fiction blobs.
394
00:38:30,809 --> 00:38:32,910
These would have long tendrils
that would ensnare you,
395
00:38:33,011 --> 00:38:35,245
and as you tried to get away from them
396
00:38:35,347 --> 00:38:38,716
you'd just become more and more ensnared
by your own actions.
397
00:38:38,817 --> 00:38:42,486
And then after you would be frustrated
and exhausted,
398
00:38:42,887 --> 00:38:47,358
then this creature would start to move in
and take you apart.
399
00:38:47,459 --> 00:38:49,393
So that's one example
of one of the creatures.
400
00:38:49,494 --> 00:38:53,030
Then there are other types of worm-type
things with horrible mandibles
401
00:38:53,732 --> 00:38:57,601
and jaws and just bits to rend your flesh.
402
00:38:58,703 --> 00:39:03,140
It really is a violent,
horribly violent world that
403
00:39:03,241 --> 00:39:08,012
is obscure to us
because we're encased in neoprene,
404
00:39:08,113 --> 00:39:10,681
you know,
and we're much larger than that world.
405
00:39:10,882 --> 00:39:13,550
So it doesn't really affect us,
but if you were to shrink down,
406
00:39:13,651 --> 00:39:18,288
miniaturize into that world,
it'd be a horrible place to be. Just horrible.
407
00:39:18,857 --> 00:39:21,458
HERZOG: And this is a world
earlier than human beings.
408
00:39:21,559 --> 00:39:25,195
Do you think that the human race
and other mammals
409
00:39:25,296 --> 00:39:30,567
fled in panic from the oceans
and crawled on solid land to get out of this?
410
00:39:30,668 --> 00:39:34,204
Yeah, I think undoubtedly
that's exactly the driving force
411
00:39:34,305 --> 00:39:37,274
that caused us to leave the horrors behind.
412
00:39:37,409 --> 00:39:40,711
To grow and evolve into larger creatures
to escape
413
00:39:40,812 --> 00:39:44,948
what's horribly violent
at the miniature scale, miniaturized scale.
414
00:39:47,619 --> 00:39:48,752
Yeah.
415
00:39:55,994 --> 00:39:59,930
HERZOG: The water under the ice is
minus 2 degrees Celsius.
416
00:40:03,735 --> 00:40:07,137
That keeps us insulated from the cold.
417
00:40:17,382 --> 00:40:18,415
Want me to open it up?
418
00:40:18,516 --> 00:40:19,950
-Yeah. Ready?
-Yeah.
419
00:40:37,102 --> 00:40:40,204
Dive operation. Time right now is...
420
00:40:41,172 --> 00:40:44,108
I'll give you a call back at about 2:30.
421
00:40:53,284 --> 00:40:58,155
To me, the divers look like astronauts
floating in space.
422
00:40:59,290 --> 00:41:02,860
But their work is extremely dangerous.
423
00:41:02,961 --> 00:41:06,864
They are diving without tethers
to give them more free range.
424
00:41:09,467 --> 00:41:11,902
But here you can't trust a compass.
425
00:41:12,003 --> 00:41:17,407
So close to the magnetic pole, the needle
would point straight up or straight down.
426
00:41:19,377 --> 00:41:23,814
Somehow you have to find
your way back to the exit hole
427
00:41:23,915 --> 00:41:26,850
or you are trapped under the ceiling of ice.
428
00:43:39,050 --> 00:43:42,986
So I selected some areas
that have the tree foraminifera,
429
00:43:43,087 --> 00:43:46,890
and they're the ones we're interested in
right now, to find out if they're carnivores,
430
00:43:46,991 --> 00:43:51,428
whether or not they eat shrimp-like
creatures, multi-cellular creatures.
431
00:43:51,996 --> 00:43:56,300
And also I found a few of the urchins
that have, I think,
432
00:43:56,401 --> 00:44:00,737
they're the ones that have
a parasitic worm that lives in their anus.
433
00:44:00,838 --> 00:44:03,507
It's a pretty beautiful scarlet worm,
434
00:44:03,608 --> 00:44:07,344
but it must be a horrible way to make a life,
I would think.
435
00:44:13,384 --> 00:44:15,852
ANNOUNCER ON TV: I tell you, gentlemen,
science has agreed
436
00:44:15,953 --> 00:44:18,655
that unless something is done,
and done quickly,
437
00:44:18,756 --> 00:44:24,094
man as the dominant species of life on Earth
will be extinct within a year.
438
00:44:26,898 --> 00:44:28,932
HERZOG: Sam Bowser likes to show
439
00:44:29,033 --> 00:44:32,703
doomsday science fiction films
to the researchers.
440
00:44:34,706 --> 00:44:40,377
Many of them express grave doubts about
our long-ranging presence on this planet.
441
00:44:41,713 --> 00:44:45,182
Nature, they predict, will regulate us.
442
00:44:45,283 --> 00:44:49,086
ANNOUNCER: Stay in your homes.
I repeat, stay in your homes.
443
00:44:49,187 --> 00:44:51,488
Your personal safety,
the safety of the entire city
444
00:44:51,589 --> 00:44:55,959
depends upon your full cooperation
with the military authorities.
445
00:44:56,060 --> 00:45:02,032
Yes! Cities, nations, even civilization itself
threatened with annihilation.
446
00:45:02,600 --> 00:45:05,268
Because in one moment of
history-making violence,
447
00:45:05,937 --> 00:45:10,040
nature, mad, rampant,
wrought its most awesome creation.
448
00:45:10,141 --> 00:45:13,243
For born in that swirling inferno of
radioactive dust
449
00:45:13,478 --> 00:45:18,548
were things so horrible,
so terrifying, so hideous
450
00:45:18,716 --> 00:45:21,952
there is no word to describe them.
451
00:45:28,826 --> 00:45:32,329
We may be witnesses to
a biblical prophecy come true.
452
00:45:32,463 --> 00:45:36,032
And there shall be destruction
and darkness come upon creation,
453
00:45:36,501 --> 00:45:39,269
and the beasts shall reign over the Earth.
454
00:45:39,370 --> 00:45:41,738
ANNOUNCER: Yes, the Earth,
infested by swarms...
455
00:45:41,839 --> 00:45:45,809
BOWSER: This is just the flower part.
The body is somewhere in the dirt over there.
456
00:45:45,910 --> 00:45:49,413
HERZOG: All that the divers had brought
back from the ocean floor
457
00:45:49,514 --> 00:45:55,018
were a few spoonfuls of sand containing
the strange single-celled creatures
458
00:45:55,119 --> 00:45:57,521
the scientists are studying here.
459
00:45:58,756 --> 00:46:04,161
They are known as tree foraminifera,
primordial single-celled organisms.
460
00:46:05,563 --> 00:46:08,698
They branch out in the shape of trees.
461
00:46:08,800 --> 00:46:13,336
The branches give off pseudopodia,
microscopic false feet
462
00:46:13,438 --> 00:46:19,209
that gather and assemble grains of sand
into a protective shell around the twigs.
463
00:46:21,579 --> 00:46:25,182
BOWSER: These are the pseudopodia
that are secreted by foraminifera.
464
00:46:25,283 --> 00:46:28,718
They're long, thin, tendril-like projections.
465
00:46:30,221 --> 00:46:31,855
What the foram does is it wakes up,
466
00:46:31,956 --> 00:46:35,725
sends out the pseudopods and then just
grabs every particle in its environment
467
00:46:35,827 --> 00:46:38,261
and pulls them in toward its body.
468
00:46:39,630 --> 00:46:43,166
There's a certain pattern to the way
that they sort the particles.
469
00:46:43,267 --> 00:46:46,369
They can select particular grains
out of everything in the environment
470
00:46:46,471 --> 00:46:50,073
and just end up with them.
They're beautiful masons.
471
00:46:50,741 --> 00:46:54,311
HERZOG: Could that be
a very early appearance of intelligence?
472
00:46:54,412 --> 00:46:58,081
-I say it with great care.
-Yeah, I have to say it with great care, too,
473
00:46:58,182 --> 00:47:01,518
because there are stories about
474
00:47:01,619 --> 00:47:05,188
how these particular organisms
have fit into that debate.
475
00:47:05,289 --> 00:47:07,424
Turn of the last century, for example,
476
00:47:07,525 --> 00:47:11,161
there was a scientist,
a British scientist named Heron-Allen
477
00:47:11,262 --> 00:47:14,698
who, apparently, during one of the debates
478
00:47:14,799 --> 00:47:17,534
in one of the British societies was
479
00:47:17,635 --> 00:47:20,971
pointing out the fact that
every definition of intelligence
480
00:47:21,072 --> 00:47:26,142
that was being formulated could be
fulfilled by these single-celled creatures.
481
00:47:28,179 --> 00:47:31,915
Borderline intelligence,
yeah, at the single-celled level.
482
00:47:32,083 --> 00:47:35,685
I mean, it is a manifestation
of the best of our abilities, really,
483
00:47:35,820 --> 00:47:39,689
the way that they build their shells.
It's almost art.
484
00:47:52,036 --> 00:47:54,204
(DRILLING)
485
00:49:26,530 --> 00:49:31,267
HERZOG: I noticed that the divers,
in their routine, were not speaking at all.
486
00:49:34,872 --> 00:49:38,508
To me,
they were like priests preparing for mass.
487
00:50:02,967 --> 00:50:08,138
Under the ice, the divers find themselves
in a separate reality,
488
00:50:08,472 --> 00:50:13,343
where space and time
acquire a strange new dimension.
489
00:50:13,444 --> 00:50:17,747
Those few who have experienced the world
under the frozen sky
490
00:50:18,215 --> 00:50:21,818
often speak of it as
going down into the cathedral.
491
00:54:45,349 --> 00:54:50,653
HERZOG: Back from the strange world
underwater, scientists study the samples.
492
00:54:51,989 --> 00:54:56,859
One of the foremost scholars in the world
in his field, Dr. Pawlowski,
493
00:54:56,961 --> 00:55:00,797
studies the DNA sequences of foraminifera.
494
00:55:00,898 --> 00:55:07,070
What looks esoteric is in fact one of the
fundamental questions about life on Earth.
495
00:55:08,906 --> 00:55:13,576
In the same way that cosmologists search
for the origins of the universe,
496
00:55:13,877 --> 00:55:20,183
the scientists here are tracing back
the evolution of life to its earliest stages.
497
00:55:23,654 --> 00:55:28,191
Sometimes the building blocks
of the sequences all seem to fit.
498
00:55:30,828 --> 00:55:34,864
Jan, what have you found today so far
on the sample that we found?
499
00:55:34,965 --> 00:55:36,833
-Three new species.
-Three new species.
500
00:55:36,934 --> 00:55:39,435
Three new species on the dish.
That's fantastic.
501
00:55:39,536 --> 00:55:43,506
-This is from the ROMEO site.
-Yeah, from the ROMEO site.
502
00:55:43,607 --> 00:55:49,078
It's one small silver and two elongated ones.
I don't know what it is.
503
00:55:49,179 --> 00:55:51,114
We have to do the DNA, too.
We don't know...
504
00:55:51,215 --> 00:55:53,416
HERZOG: Is this a great moment?
505
00:55:54,151 --> 00:55:57,153
-Yeah, yeah, this is.
-Yeah, any time you increase
506
00:55:57,254 --> 00:56:00,723
the known diversity of these types
of creatures, it's pretty exciting.
507
00:56:00,824 --> 00:56:03,826
Yeah. That is very special.
508
00:56:04,294 --> 00:56:05,995
(BOWSER PLAYING GUITAR)
509
00:56:12,770 --> 00:56:15,471
Apologies to rock musicians everywhere.
510
00:56:15,539 --> 00:56:16,873
(LAUGHING)
511
00:56:18,675 --> 00:56:22,145
HERZOG: Once the importance
of the discovery has sunk in,
512
00:56:22,246 --> 00:56:27,450
Sam Bowser and his group plan to celebrate
the event in their own way.
513
00:56:27,551 --> 00:56:29,685
(GUITARS PLAYING)
514
00:56:30,621 --> 00:56:34,457
They are rehearsing for
a late-night outdoor concert.
515
00:56:45,869 --> 00:56:48,104
(PLAYING ROCK MUSIC)
516
00:57:31,615 --> 00:57:36,452
After the helicopter had dropped us off
back at McMurdo,
517
00:57:36,887 --> 00:57:43,526
nobody was around. The sundial showed
that it was close to 1:00 a.m.
518
00:57:58,408 --> 00:58:03,546
It did not feel like night,
so we had a look around.
519
00:58:03,647 --> 00:58:09,485
This unobtrusive building
had raised my curiosity for quite a while.
520
00:58:46,523 --> 00:58:51,561
Here amongst unripe tomatoes,
we ran into this young man.
521
00:58:52,262 --> 00:58:54,597
How did he end up in this place?
522
00:58:54,865 --> 00:58:58,201
Oh, yeah, well, you know, I like to say,
523
00:58:58,302 --> 00:59:01,070
if you take everybody who's not tied down,
they all sort of
524
00:59:01,171 --> 00:59:03,306
fall down to the bottom of the planet, so,
525
00:59:03,407 --> 00:59:06,375
you know, I haven't been...
That's how we got here, you know.
526
00:59:06,476 --> 00:59:08,711
We're all at loose ends
and here we are together.
527
00:59:08,812 --> 00:59:11,314
I remember
when I first got down here I sort of
528
00:59:11,415 --> 00:59:14,584
enjoyed the sensation of recognizing people
with my tribal markings.
529
00:59:14,685 --> 00:59:17,787
You know, I was like,
"Hey, these are my people."
530
00:59:17,888 --> 00:59:23,526
PhDs washing dishes and, you know,
linguists on a continent with no languages
531
00:59:23,627 --> 00:59:25,661
and that sort of thing, yeah. It's great.
532
00:59:25,762 --> 00:59:29,298
Yeah, specifically I was in
a graduate program, and we had lined up
533
00:59:29,399 --> 00:59:33,903
to do some work with
one of the people who was
534
00:59:34,004 --> 00:59:38,241
identified as a native speaker
and a competent native speaker of
535
00:59:38,342 --> 00:59:41,310
one of the languages
of the Winnebago people, the Ho-Chunk,
536
00:59:41,411 --> 00:59:43,446
I think is how they pronounced it, and...
537
00:59:43,847 --> 00:59:46,415
HERZOG: To make a complicated story short,
538
00:59:46,516 --> 00:59:52,521
he ran into New Age ideologues who made
insipid claims about black and white magic
539
00:59:52,623 --> 00:59:54,991
embedded in the grammar of this language.
540
00:59:55,092 --> 00:59:57,293
Some of the oral tradition
that had been passed along...
541
00:59:57,394 --> 01:00:00,496
Hence, in this stupid trend of academia,
542
01:00:00,597 --> 01:00:03,833
it would be better to let the language die
than preserve it.
543
01:00:03,934 --> 01:00:05,568
...you know, I could document a language...
544
01:00:05,669 --> 01:00:09,005
He had to destroy his entire PhD research.
545
01:00:09,473 --> 01:00:12,842
So just imagine, you know, 90%
546
01:00:12,943 --> 01:00:16,279
of languages will be extinct
probably in my lifetime.
547
01:00:16,413 --> 01:00:18,314
It's a catastrophic impact
548
01:00:18,649 --> 01:00:21,951
to an ecosystem to talk
about that kind of extinction.
549
01:00:22,052 --> 01:00:25,221
Culturally, we're talking
about the same thing. I mean,
550
01:00:25,322 --> 01:00:28,524
you know, what if you lost all of
551
01:00:28,725 --> 01:00:32,295
Russian literature, or something like that,
or Russian, you know? If you took all of the
552
01:00:32,396 --> 01:00:36,799
Slavic languages and just they went
away, you know, and no more Tolstoy.
553
01:00:37,834 --> 01:00:42,038
It occurred to me that in the time
we spent with him in the greenhouse,
554
01:00:42,139 --> 01:00:45,441
possibly three or four languages had died.
555
01:00:46,677 --> 01:00:50,146
In our efforts to preserve
endangered species,
556
01:00:50,247 --> 01:00:53,282
we seem to overlook something
equally important.
557
01:00:55,018 --> 01:00:59,288
To me,
it is a sign of a deeply disturbed civilization
558
01:00:59,389 --> 01:01:04,360
where tree huggers and whale huggers
in their weirdness are acceptable,
559
01:01:04,461 --> 01:01:08,264
while no one embraces
the last speakers of a language.
560
01:01:17,240 --> 01:01:21,277
McMurdo is full of characters
like our linguist.
561
01:01:21,812 --> 01:01:26,182
The bleak Motel 6-drabness of
the corridors is misleading.
562
01:01:27,951 --> 01:01:32,922
Behind every door there is someone
with a special story to tell.
563
01:01:36,259 --> 01:01:42,431
JOYCE: Back in the '80s, I took a garbage
truck across Africa from London to Nairobi.
564
01:01:42,866 --> 01:01:46,635
That was a trip. Four months in
a garbage truck. It was horrible.
565
01:01:46,737 --> 01:01:51,040
On numerous occasions we came pretty
close to, I don't know about dying,
566
01:01:51,141 --> 01:01:53,275
but pretty close
to being in some straits where
567
01:01:53,377 --> 01:01:56,779
we didn't know if we were gonna get back
out of it, you know.
568
01:01:56,880 --> 01:01:59,849
We got taken over by the military in Uganda,
569
01:01:59,950 --> 01:02:03,686
and we were kidnapped, basically.
Truck was turned around
570
01:02:03,787 --> 01:02:07,289
and we were going back to Entebbe.
We got out of that one.
571
01:02:07,391 --> 01:02:13,095
We were trying to wait for
this ferry in Wadi Halfa,
572
01:02:13,463 --> 01:02:16,065
the one that blew up and 800 people died.
573
01:02:16,166 --> 01:02:18,868
Well, we didn't get on that one.
We took off across a desert,
574
01:02:18,969 --> 01:02:22,772
and we got stuck. We got stuck for five days
575
01:02:23,173 --> 01:02:29,845
of absolute agony, of clawing
this truck with... We were using plates,
576
01:02:29,946 --> 01:02:34,350
just the dinner plates that we were using
for dinner, clawing at the tires.
577
01:02:34,951 --> 01:02:38,788
We had no water.
He had used all the water tanks for gasoline,
578
01:02:38,889 --> 01:02:42,091
so basically we had a cup of water a day
or two cups.
579
01:02:42,325 --> 01:02:44,960
HERZOG: Her story goes on forever.
580
01:02:45,061 --> 01:02:47,496
She dealt with a bout of malaria,
581
01:02:47,631 --> 01:02:53,269
with a herd of angry elephants pursuing her
through tsetse fly-invested swamps.
582
01:02:53,370 --> 01:02:57,673
Got caught in a civil war,
spent a night in a bombed-out airport,
583
01:02:57,774 --> 01:03:00,743
with rebels fighting and shooting
in a barroom brawl,
584
01:03:00,844 --> 01:03:04,213
and was finally rescued
by drunk Russian pilots,
585
01:03:04,314 --> 01:03:07,383
slaloming around crater holes
in the runway.
586
01:03:07,551 --> 01:03:11,353
This is how you get yourself
to any place in Antarctica.
587
01:03:13,356 --> 01:03:18,027
HERZOG: At the so-called Freak Train event
at one of McMurdo's bars,
588
01:03:18,361 --> 01:03:23,632
Karen is, not surprisingly,
one of the most popular performers.
589
01:03:26,603 --> 01:03:30,473
This is her famous
"Travel as hand luggage" act.
590
01:03:35,479 --> 01:03:37,379
WOMAN: Yeah, take her home.
591
01:03:37,481 --> 01:03:39,281
(ALL CHEERING)
592
01:03:47,824 --> 01:03:49,358
-Thought of another one.
-Yeah.
593
01:03:49,459 --> 01:03:53,762
I traveled from Ecuador to Lima, Peru
in a sewer pipe.
594
01:03:55,832 --> 01:04:00,703
(LAUGHS) Forgot to mention that.
I hitchhiked once from Denver to Bolivia
595
01:04:01,004 --> 01:04:05,174
and back up,
and we got a ride from a truck in...
596
01:04:05,275 --> 01:04:11,046
It was a flatbed truck with three huge sewer
pipes on the back, so I spent... It was days
597
01:04:11,448 --> 01:04:16,585
in the back of this truck, in a sewer pipe,
watching the world go by just like that.
598
01:04:16,686 --> 01:04:19,121
That's all you could see.
599
01:04:21,224 --> 01:04:25,394
HERZOG: Travel for those who have been
deprived of freedom means even more.
600
01:04:26,129 --> 01:04:29,465
These are the ones you'll find in Antarctica.
601
01:04:29,566 --> 01:04:32,935
Libor Zicha works as a utility mechanic.
602
01:04:33,036 --> 01:04:36,238
He lived like a prisoner
behind the Iron Curtain.
603
01:04:36,439 --> 01:04:39,174
HERZOG: You escaped.
And how big a drama was that?
604
01:04:39,276 --> 01:04:44,747
Oh, it was, wasn't a drama, but...
605
01:04:44,848 --> 01:04:49,118
The tragic events surrounding his escape
haunt him to this day.
606
01:04:49,519 --> 01:04:51,820
If we can...
607
01:04:54,391 --> 01:04:58,127
-You do not have to talk about it.
-Okay. Thank you.
608
01:04:59,062 --> 01:05:03,866
For me, the best description of
hunger is a description of bread.
609
01:05:04,968 --> 01:05:07,937
A poet said that once, I think,
610
01:05:09,306 --> 01:05:12,975
and for me the best description of freedom
is what you have in front of you.
611
01:05:13,076 --> 01:05:14,410
You are traveling a lot.
612
01:05:14,511 --> 01:05:15,711
-That's right, yeah.
-Show us.
613
01:05:15,812 --> 01:05:20,749
That's my freedom,
and I will be glad to show you.
614
01:05:23,453 --> 01:05:27,990
HERZOG: He keeps a rucksack packed
and ready to go at all times.
615
01:05:28,091 --> 01:05:33,362
Inside is everything he needs
to set out in a moment's notice:
616
01:05:33,463 --> 01:05:39,568
a sleeping bag, a tent, clothes,
cooking utensils.
617
01:05:42,272 --> 01:05:43,973
How much weight is this all?
618
01:05:44,074 --> 01:05:49,812
It's... I usually don't go over 20 kilos.
That's my limit,
619
01:05:49,913 --> 01:05:53,148
and it's a limit also for airlines.
620
01:05:57,520 --> 01:06:01,890
Some of the contents of his backpack
are quite surprising.
621
01:06:17,374 --> 01:06:20,242
That's about the size of the raft.
622
01:06:20,343 --> 01:06:23,746
-How quickly can you leave?
-Oh, I am always ready.
623
01:06:23,847 --> 01:06:30,753
My bag is always prepared,
and I am always ready for adventure
624
01:06:32,122 --> 01:06:34,623
and exploring new horizons.
625
01:06:41,564 --> 01:06:44,833
HERZOG: Back in the days of Amundsen,
Scott and Shackleton,
626
01:06:45,101 --> 01:06:48,671
scientific exploration of Antarctica began,
627
01:06:48,772 --> 01:06:53,509
and this opening of the unknown continent
is their great achievement.
628
01:06:56,513 --> 01:07:01,083
But one thing about the early explorers
does not feel right.
629
01:07:03,153 --> 01:07:07,756
The obsession to be the first one
to set his foot on the South Pole.
630
01:07:10,627 --> 01:07:14,697
It was for personal fame
and the glory of the British Empire.
631
01:07:16,266 --> 01:07:21,704
This is Shackleton's original hut,
preserved unchanged for 100 years.
632
01:07:26,042 --> 01:07:28,844
But, in a way, from the South Pole onwards
633
01:07:28,945 --> 01:07:31,747
there was no further expansion possible,
634
01:07:31,848 --> 01:07:36,618
and the Empire started to fade
into the abyss of history.
635
01:07:39,022 --> 01:07:42,825
It all looks now like an extinct supermarket.
636
01:07:51,000 --> 01:07:54,670
On a cultural level,
it meant the end of adventure.
637
01:07:56,272 --> 01:08:01,176
Exposing the last unknown spots
of this Earth was irreversible,
638
01:08:01,544 --> 01:08:05,614
but it feels sad
that the South Pole or Mount Everest
639
01:08:05,715 --> 01:08:08,817
were not left in peace in their dignity.
640
01:08:12,455 --> 01:08:16,959
It may be a futile wish
to keep a few white spots on our maps,
641
01:08:17,160 --> 01:08:22,097
but human adventure, in its original sense,
lost its meaning,
642
01:08:22,198 --> 01:08:26,135
became an issue for the
Guinness Book of World Records.
643
01:08:30,774 --> 01:08:34,910
Scott and Amundsen
were clearly early protagonists,
644
01:08:35,211 --> 01:08:39,448
and from there on
it degenerated into absurd quests.
645
01:08:39,916 --> 01:08:44,953
A Frenchman crossed the Sahara Desert
in his car set in reverse gear,
646
01:08:45,388 --> 01:08:49,625
and I am waiting for the first barefoot runner
on the summit of Everest
647
01:08:49,726 --> 01:08:54,329
or the first one hopping into the South Pole
on a pogo stick.
648
01:08:56,065 --> 01:09:01,236
FURMAN: Well, I had this idea of breaking
a Guinness record in every continent,
649
01:09:01,871 --> 01:09:03,539
and Antarctica would be the sixth,
650
01:09:03,973 --> 01:09:07,743
so, now I'm trying to think of a way
to get to Antarctica.
651
01:09:07,844 --> 01:09:11,346
Ashrita Furman did not want
to travel this way,
652
01:09:11,447 --> 01:09:15,484
because he already holds a
Guinness record in this discipline.
653
01:09:16,486 --> 01:09:18,253
And also in this one.
654
01:09:18,354 --> 01:09:23,425
So, he decided upon the more prosaic
approach and took an airplane.
655
01:09:23,693 --> 01:09:25,294
We flew down to Antarctica.
656
01:09:25,395 --> 01:09:27,496
Anyway, it was thrilling
because I'm in Antarctica,
657
01:09:27,597 --> 01:09:29,498
and I'm trying to break a Guinness record.
658
01:09:29,599 --> 01:09:31,934
Being in Antarctica
is like being on the moon.
659
01:09:32,035 --> 01:09:36,138
It's so... I mean, it's so peaceful.
It's so pure.
660
01:09:36,239 --> 01:09:39,741
It's so desolate.
I mean, it's just a great place.
661
01:09:44,881 --> 01:09:49,651
HERZOG: Antarctica is not the moon,
even though sometimes it feels like it.
662
01:09:51,988 --> 01:09:53,522
Yet, on this planet,
663
01:09:53,623 --> 01:09:58,627
McMurdo comes closest to what
a future space settlement would look like.
664
01:10:05,335 --> 01:10:06,935
(PENGUINS CAWING)
665
01:10:08,671 --> 01:10:12,841
We left McMurdo for the penguin colony
at Cape Royds.
666
01:10:13,309 --> 01:10:15,844
Everyone spoke about penguins,
667
01:10:15,945 --> 01:10:20,883
however, the questions I had
were not so easily answered.
668
01:10:23,386 --> 01:10:26,321
I was referred to a penguin expert out there
669
01:10:26,589 --> 01:10:29,391
who had studied them for almost 20 years.
670
01:10:31,327 --> 01:10:34,196
I was told that he was a taciturn man,
671
01:10:34,297 --> 01:10:39,635
who, in his solitude, was not much into
conversation with humans anymore.
672
01:10:40,270 --> 01:10:43,805
But Dr. Ainley gave his best effort.
673
01:10:43,907 --> 01:10:46,508
Well, here we are at Cape Royds.
674
01:10:47,577 --> 01:10:52,814
This is 2006,
and it's just about the 100th anniversary
675
01:10:52,916 --> 01:10:57,219
of the first penguin study
that was ever done,
676
01:10:57,453 --> 01:11:00,355
which was done here at Cape Royds by
677
01:11:00,456 --> 01:11:03,458
a person that was part
of the Shackleton expedition.
678
01:11:07,030 --> 01:11:11,033
They all had a good winter,
and they're very fat.
679
01:11:11,901 --> 01:11:13,368
They've
680
01:11:14,504 --> 01:11:19,174
claimed their territories and eggs have
been laid and females have left,
681
01:11:19,275 --> 01:11:23,545
and now there's just males
that are sitting on eggs,
682
01:11:24,714 --> 01:11:28,951
using their fat reserves
and waiting for females to return
683
01:11:29,052 --> 01:11:31,954
to relieve them and then go to sea.
684
01:11:34,290 --> 01:11:37,125
I tried to keep the conversation going.
685
01:11:37,560 --> 01:11:42,064
Dr. Ainley, I read somewhere
that there are gay penguins.
686
01:11:42,598 --> 01:11:44,633
What are your observations?
687
01:11:48,871 --> 01:11:50,839
I've never...
688
01:11:52,275 --> 01:11:55,377
Or strange sexual behavior.
Can you talk about...
689
01:11:55,478 --> 01:12:00,949
Yeah, there has been... I've seen
triangular relationships where there's
690
01:12:02,018 --> 01:12:06,455
one female and two males,
and the female lays the egg,
691
01:12:07,924 --> 01:12:13,128
or eggs, and the males and the female
trade off over the season.
692
01:12:15,832 --> 01:12:22,738
There are mis-identities, initially,
of the sex of penguins.
693
01:12:25,141 --> 01:12:29,444
Somebody recently described
what they call prostitution where
694
01:12:30,880 --> 01:12:35,751
a female, who is out
collecting rocks for her nest,
695
01:12:35,852 --> 01:12:38,220
and, of course, some penguins are...
696
01:12:38,321 --> 01:12:40,756
The only way they collect rocks
is to steal them from others.
697
01:12:40,857 --> 01:12:44,026
So, in order to do that,
they have to be very submissive
698
01:12:44,327 --> 01:12:49,398
in order to get close to a male,
who's maybe advertising for a mate,
699
01:12:49,499 --> 01:12:56,171
and so she'll come in, sit in his nest,
and sometimes they'll copulate.
700
01:12:56,406 --> 01:12:59,574
But, really, her idea is to get a rock,
701
01:12:59,675 --> 01:13:03,478
and so, as soon as she can,
she escapes with a rock.
702
01:13:06,716 --> 01:13:12,487
Dr. Ainley, is there such thing
as insanity among penguins?
703
01:13:13,289 --> 01:13:17,392
I try to avoid the definition of insanity
or derangement.
704
01:13:17,493 --> 01:13:22,831
I don't mean that a penguin
might believe he or she is Lenin
705
01:13:22,932 --> 01:13:27,402
or Napoleon Bonaparte,
but could they just go crazy
706
01:13:27,503 --> 01:13:30,639
because they've had enough of
their colony?
707
01:13:34,877 --> 01:13:39,114
Well, I've never seen a penguin
bashing its head against a rock.
708
01:13:40,883 --> 01:13:43,718
They do get disoriented.
709
01:13:43,820 --> 01:13:48,090
They end up in places they shouldn't be,
a long way from the ocean.
710
01:13:52,662 --> 01:13:57,399
HERZOG: These penguins are all heading
to the open water to the right.
711
01:14:01,604 --> 01:14:05,740
But one of them caught our eye,
the one in the center.
712
01:14:06,909 --> 01:14:11,413
He would neither go towards the feeding
grounds at the edge of the ice,
713
01:14:11,514 --> 01:14:13,815
nor return to the colony.
714
01:14:15,785 --> 01:14:20,489
Shortly afterwards, we saw him heading
straight towards the mountains,
715
01:14:20,590 --> 01:14:22,657
some 70 kilometers away.
716
01:14:25,394 --> 01:14:29,097
Dr. Ainley explained
that even if he caught him
717
01:14:29,198 --> 01:14:31,366
and brought him back to the colony,
718
01:14:31,467 --> 01:14:35,670
he would immediately head right back
for the mountains.
719
01:14:38,040 --> 01:14:39,474
But why?
720
01:14:50,353 --> 01:14:54,055
One of these disoriented,
or deranged, penguins
721
01:14:54,357 --> 01:14:57,092
showed up at the New Harbor diving camp,
722
01:14:57,193 --> 01:15:00,996
already some 80 kilometers away
from where it should be.
723
01:15:05,801 --> 01:15:10,739
The rules for the humans
are do not disturb or hold up the penguin.
724
01:15:10,840 --> 01:15:14,809
Stand still and let him go on his way.
725
01:15:18,347 --> 01:15:23,451
And here, he's heading off into the interior
of the vast continent.
726
01:15:24,453 --> 01:15:29,758
With 5,000 kilometers ahead of him,
he's heading towards certain death.
727
01:15:42,205 --> 01:15:46,308
The last field camp we visited
was at Mount Erebus.
728
01:15:47,376 --> 01:15:51,313
This active volcano is 12,500 feet high.
729
01:15:52,582 --> 01:15:58,053
It is of particular importance, as inside
the crater the magma of the inner earth
730
01:15:58,221 --> 01:16:00,288
is directly exposed.
731
01:16:01,958 --> 01:16:05,293
There are only two other such volcanoes
in the world,
732
01:16:05,728 --> 01:16:09,731
one in the Congo and the other in Ethiopia.
733
01:16:10,266 --> 01:16:13,301
Because of political strife in those places,
734
01:16:13,402 --> 01:16:18,240
it is actually easier to conduct field studies
here in Antarctica.
735
01:16:20,109 --> 01:16:25,146
First thing, we were instructed in
the etiquette of dealing with this volcano.
736
01:16:26,048 --> 01:16:30,151
One very important thing to keep in mind
when you're on the crater
737
01:16:30,253 --> 01:16:34,556
is that the lava lake
could explode at any time,
738
01:16:34,657 --> 01:16:40,495
and if it does, it's vital to keep
your attention faced toward the lava lake
739
01:16:41,030 --> 01:16:44,866
and watch for bombs
that are tracking up into the air
740
01:16:44,967 --> 01:16:50,071
and try to pick out the ones that might be
coming toward you and step out of the way.
741
01:16:50,673 --> 01:16:55,977
The last thing you wanna do is turn away
from the crater or run or crouch down.
742
01:16:56,078 --> 01:17:00,582
Keep your attention toward the lava lake,
look up and move out of the way.
743
01:17:02,485 --> 01:17:07,522
HERZOG: We were fortunate that the lava
lake was not enshrouded in mist this day.
744
01:17:08,858 --> 01:17:11,893
This here is the new observation camera.
745
01:17:13,496 --> 01:17:17,932
William McIntosh is the leader
of the team of volcanologists here.
746
01:17:19,001 --> 01:17:23,038
This camera is designed for prison riots
or to be explosion proof,
747
01:17:23,472 --> 01:17:27,042
and it's coated with this thick
Teflon housing.
748
01:17:27,677 --> 01:17:31,146
Here's the lens here. This is a camera.
749
01:17:31,547 --> 01:17:37,285
The camera inside is made by a small
company in Canada, Extreme CCTV.
750
01:17:37,720 --> 01:17:41,056
The inside housing is specifically
designed for explosion...
751
01:17:41,157 --> 01:17:42,390
(EXPLOSION)
752
01:17:42,491 --> 01:17:43,491
...to be explosion-proof.
753
01:17:43,592 --> 01:17:47,762
There's a bang from the lava lake
right now. No bombs, though.
754
01:17:55,604 --> 01:17:58,940
HERZOG: This is the magma lake
filmed 30 years ago.
755
01:18:01,844 --> 01:18:06,481
At that time, there was a bold attempt
to descend into the crater.
756
01:18:15,725 --> 01:18:18,460
Halfway down there is a plateau.
757
01:18:18,728 --> 01:18:23,064
From there, it is a gaping hole straight down
into the magma.
758
01:18:43,319 --> 01:18:46,154
They were in for near disaster.
759
01:18:56,298 --> 01:19:02,670
The magma exploded, striking one of the
climbers, who got away with minor injuries.
760
01:19:10,846 --> 01:19:15,583
Today, the lava is monitored
by Dr. Mclntosh's camera.
761
01:19:47,650 --> 01:19:52,587
Dr. Clive Oppenheimer, a true Englishman
from Cambridge University,
762
01:19:52,688 --> 01:19:58,560
surprised us with his tweed outfit, which
he wears as a tribute to the explorers of old.
763
01:19:59,662 --> 01:20:04,199
He analyzes gas emissions
from volcanoes all over the world.
764
01:20:04,767 --> 01:20:07,836
If this were one of those active
volcanoes in Indonesia,
765
01:20:07,937 --> 01:20:11,339
I'd be far more circumspect
about standing on the crater rim.
766
01:20:11,440 --> 01:20:14,375
This is a very benign form of volcanism,
767
01:20:14,710 --> 01:20:20,548
and even the eruptions we've seen in the
historic period are relatively minor affairs.
768
01:20:20,983 --> 01:20:23,751
If we go back into the geological record,
769
01:20:23,853 --> 01:20:25,653
we see that there are huge
770
01:20:26,789 --> 01:20:30,892
volcanic eruptions,
massive, explosive eruptions that produced
771
01:20:31,393 --> 01:20:33,361
thousands of cubic miles of pumice,
772
01:20:33,462 --> 01:20:37,298
showering large parts of the Earth
with fine ash,
773
01:20:37,733 --> 01:20:41,769
and these have been demonstrated
to have had a strong impact on climate,
774
01:20:42,204 --> 01:20:45,740
and one of the biggest of these events,
74,000 years ago,
775
01:20:46,108 --> 01:20:49,210
has been argued even to have affected
our human ancestors
776
01:20:49,311 --> 01:20:51,246
and may have played an important role in
777
01:20:51,580 --> 01:20:55,049
the origins and dispersal of early humans.
778
01:20:58,354 --> 01:21:02,557
So these events will recur, and I think
the more we understand about them,
779
01:21:02,658 --> 01:21:07,228
the better we can prepare for
their eventuality.
780
01:21:12,101 --> 01:21:17,138
HERZOG: For this and many other reasons,
our presence on this planet
781
01:21:17,339 --> 01:21:20,174
does not seem to be sustainable.
782
01:21:20,276 --> 01:21:25,313
Our technological civilization makes us
particularly vulnerable.
783
01:21:26,749 --> 01:21:31,319
There is talk all over the scientific
community about climate change.
784
01:21:32,655 --> 01:21:37,525
Many of them agree the end of human life
on this Earth is assured.
785
01:21:40,563 --> 01:21:44,365
Human life is part of
an endless chain of catastrophes,
786
01:21:44,800 --> 01:21:49,037
the demise of the dinosaurs being just
one of these events.
787
01:21:50,673 --> 01:21:52,941
We seem to be next.
788
01:21:59,048 --> 01:22:04,352
And when we are gone, what will happen
thousands of years from now in the future?
789
01:22:07,756 --> 01:22:11,225
Will there be alien archeologists
from another planet
790
01:22:11,527 --> 01:22:15,797
trying to find out what we were doing
at the South Pole?
791
01:22:18,100 --> 01:22:22,971
They will descend into the tunnels
that we had dug deep under the pole.
792
01:22:25,107 --> 01:22:30,912
It is still minus 70 degrees here,
and that's why this place has outlived
793
01:22:31,013 --> 01:22:33,581
all the large cities in the world.
794
01:22:37,219 --> 01:22:39,153
They walk on and on.
795
01:22:58,807 --> 01:23:00,375
And then this.
796
01:23:00,909 --> 01:23:05,847
As if we had wanted to leave one remnant
of our presence on this planet,
797
01:23:06,415 --> 01:23:10,852
they would find a frozen sturgeon,
mysteriously hidden away
798
01:23:11,320 --> 01:23:15,390
beneath the mathematically precise
true South Pole.
799
01:23:36,245 --> 01:23:41,215
They stash it back away
into its frozen shrine for another eternity.
800
01:23:44,453 --> 01:23:48,589
And then they find more,
memories of a world once green.
801
01:23:52,161 --> 01:23:57,465
As if the human race wanted to preserve
at least some lost beauty of this Earth,
802
01:23:57,900 --> 01:24:02,336
they left this,
framed in a garland of frozen popcorn.
803
01:24:12,681 --> 01:24:15,316
Back at the base camp of Mount Erebus,
804
01:24:20,089 --> 01:24:22,724
due to the considerable altitude,
805
01:24:23,025 --> 01:24:26,961
once in a while the volcanologists
need medical care.
806
01:24:31,033 --> 01:24:33,668
But soon we find them back at work.
807
01:25:41,837 --> 01:25:43,871
My face is frozen.
808
01:26:23,512 --> 01:26:25,513
Quite cold up here today.
809
01:26:31,620 --> 01:26:36,490
Just by having that fantastic lava lake
down there with all that energy,
810
01:26:36,725 --> 01:26:41,662
we still have to bring old petrol generators
up to the crater rim.
811
01:26:53,442 --> 01:26:59,180
Man versus Machine, Chapter 53.
Professor Clive Oppenheimer on Erebus.
812
01:27:01,250 --> 01:27:05,486
Hands in pockets,
waiting for it to start spontaneously.
813
01:27:06,855 --> 01:27:09,223
He could be waiting a long time.
814
01:27:10,626 --> 01:27:14,495
Have you ever seen two men kiss
on the top of Erebus before?
815
01:27:14,596 --> 01:27:16,364
(BOTH LAUGHING)
816
01:27:16,465 --> 01:27:18,032
OPPENHEIMER: Pushing back the frontiers.
817
01:27:18,133 --> 01:27:19,800
It's R-18, okay?
818
01:27:22,337 --> 01:27:24,372
I like working with Harry.
819
01:27:29,444 --> 01:27:31,846
HERZOG: Along the slopes of the volcano
820
01:27:32,047 --> 01:27:38,219
there are vents where steam creates
so-called fumaroles, bizarre chimneys of ice,
821
01:27:38,520 --> 01:27:41,489
sometimes reaching two stories in height.
822
01:27:49,331 --> 01:27:52,433
It is possible to descend into some of them.
823
01:27:54,336 --> 01:27:59,707
You only have to be careful
to avoid the ones containing toxic gasses.
824
01:31:11,500 --> 01:31:14,902
At the foot of Erebus, out on the sea ice,
825
01:31:15,003 --> 01:31:18,906
the two tallest buildings on this continent
are located.
826
01:31:19,608 --> 01:31:23,511
In these hangars,
scientific payloads are being readied
827
01:31:23,612 --> 01:31:26,680
for their balloon launch
into the stratosphere.
828
01:31:40,562 --> 01:31:44,298
We were interested in
the neutrino detection project.
829
01:31:44,399 --> 01:31:48,068
Scientists are planning
to lift an observation instrument
830
01:31:48,170 --> 01:31:51,438
40 kilometers up into the stratosphere
831
01:31:51,540 --> 01:31:55,643
in search of almost
undetectable subatomic particles.
832
01:31:58,847 --> 01:32:00,314
(ALL CHEERING)
833
01:32:02,050 --> 01:32:07,154
As it rises, this small-looking bubble
of helium will expand
834
01:32:07,289 --> 01:32:11,825
to fill the entire skin,
which here still looks like a white rope.
835
01:32:12,827 --> 01:32:18,532
It will eventually form a gigantic globe
more than 300 feet in diameter.
836
01:32:20,702 --> 01:32:22,803
When it reaches the stratosphere,
837
01:32:22,904 --> 01:32:26,907
the detector will scan
thousands of square miles of ice
838
01:32:27,008 --> 01:32:31,812
without encountering electrical
disturbances from the inhabited world.
839
01:32:32,948 --> 01:32:37,284
Prior to the launch,
we were inside the hangar.
840
01:32:37,385 --> 01:32:42,323
The neutrino project is led by
Dr. Gorham of the University of Hawaii.
841
01:32:42,524 --> 01:32:48,095
So, what we're trying to do
with this instrument is to be the first
842
01:32:48,196 --> 01:32:53,300
scientific group to detect the highest
energy neutrinos in the universe, we hope.
843
01:32:53,768 --> 01:32:57,605
HERZOG: Yeah, but, Dr. Gorham,
what exactly is a neutrino?
844
01:32:58,240 --> 01:33:03,043
The neutrino is... It's the most ridiculous
particle you could imagine.
845
01:33:03,245 --> 01:33:07,381
A billion neutrinos went through my nose
as we were talking.
846
01:33:07,616 --> 01:33:11,018
A trillion, a trillion of them
went through my nose just now,
847
01:33:11,119 --> 01:33:12,886
and they did nothing to me.
848
01:33:12,988 --> 01:33:16,724
They pass through all of the matter
around us continuously,
849
01:33:16,958 --> 01:33:22,162
in a huge, huge blast of particles
that does nothing at all.
850
01:33:22,430 --> 01:33:26,300
They're like...
They almost exist in a separate universe,
851
01:33:26,401 --> 01:33:28,502
but we know, as physicists,
we can measure them,
852
01:33:28,603 --> 01:33:32,973
we can make precision predictions
and measurements. They exist,
853
01:33:33,074 --> 01:33:35,743
but we can't get our hands on them,
854
01:33:35,844 --> 01:33:38,712
because they seem to just exist
in another place,
855
01:33:39,114 --> 01:33:44,118
and yet without neutrinos, the beginning
of the universe would not have worked.
856
01:33:44,319 --> 01:33:46,854
We would not have the matter
that we have today,
857
01:33:46,955 --> 01:33:49,890
because you couldn't create
the elements without the neutrinos.
858
01:33:49,991 --> 01:33:53,560
In the very, very earliest few seconds
of the big bang,
859
01:33:53,662 --> 01:33:57,231
the neutrinos were the dominant particle,
and they actually determined
860
01:33:57,332 --> 01:34:01,835
much of the kinetics of the production
of the elements we know.
861
01:34:01,936 --> 01:34:05,005
So, the universe can't exist the way it is
without the neutrinos,
862
01:34:05,106 --> 01:34:08,676
but they seem
to be in their own separate universe,
863
01:34:08,777 --> 01:34:11,745
and we're trying to actually
make contact with that
864
01:34:11,846 --> 01:34:14,481
otherworldly universe of neutrinos.
865
01:34:15,617 --> 01:34:19,153
And as a physicist, even though
866
01:34:20,088 --> 01:34:24,191
I understand it mathematically
and I understand it intellectually,
867
01:34:24,292 --> 01:34:26,427
it still hits me in the gut
868
01:34:26,961 --> 01:34:30,364
that there is something here around
869
01:34:30,465 --> 01:34:34,268
surrounding me almost like
some kind of spirit or god
870
01:34:34,369 --> 01:34:36,236
that I can't touch,
871
01:34:36,538 --> 01:34:39,106
but I can measure it.
872
01:34:39,207 --> 01:34:40,341
I can make a measurement.
873
01:34:40,442 --> 01:34:43,711
It's like measuring the spirit world
or something like that.
874
01:34:43,812 --> 01:34:46,413
You can go out and touch these things.
875
01:34:47,882 --> 01:34:52,386
HERZOG: Not surprisingly, we found
this incantation in Hawaiian language
876
01:34:52,487 --> 01:34:54,455
on the side of his detector.
877
01:34:55,156 --> 01:34:58,525
It was as if spirits had to be invoked.
878
01:35:00,562 --> 01:35:04,531
What would we see if we could film
the impact of a neutrino?
879
01:35:05,500 --> 01:35:10,671
What you would see is, you would see
a lightning bolt about 10 meters long,
880
01:35:10,939 --> 01:35:12,873
about that thick,
881
01:35:12,974 --> 01:35:17,277
and it would blast at the speed of light
over this 10 meter distance,
882
01:35:17,379 --> 01:35:21,215
and you would see the most beautiful
blue light your eyes have ever seen.
883
01:35:21,349 --> 01:35:23,450
It happens in about...
884
01:35:25,754 --> 01:35:28,522
The entire impulse of radio waves
885
01:35:28,623 --> 01:35:32,192
is up and down in probably
886
01:35:32,293 --> 01:35:35,829
one one-hundred billionth of a second.
887
01:35:36,564 --> 01:35:41,001
It just goes bang and it's gone,
and that's what we're looking for.
888
01:36:09,164 --> 01:36:13,267
There is a beautiful saying by an American,
889
01:36:14,502 --> 01:36:20,441
a philosopher, Alan Watts,
and he used to say that through our eyes,
890
01:36:20,675 --> 01:36:23,143
the universe is perceiving itself,
891
01:36:23,578 --> 01:36:28,248
and through our ears, the universe
is listening to its cosmic harmonies,
892
01:36:28,650 --> 01:36:33,086
and we are the witness
through which the universe
893
01:36:34,122 --> 01:36:37,658
becomes conscious of its glory,
of its magnificence.
79412
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