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ROWE: The universe...
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Vast, dynamic, and explosive.
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[explosion blasts]
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But this huge cosmos,
with its billions of galaxies
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and countless stars,
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isn't the only one...
We share our lives with
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another universe.
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The world of the small,
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of the viruses, of the bacteria.
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ROWE: We call this strange
hidden kingdom the microcosmos.
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LANZA: The microcosmos
is incredibly important.
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Even though we can't see it,
it's everywhere.
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It's almost like
another universe
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or another world all in its own.
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ROWE: It guided our evolution...
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We wouldn't be here
without the microcosmos.
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...and it keeps us alive.
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The microcosmos
is responsible for
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the very oxygen that we breathe.
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ROWE: And it will influence
our future as we venture out
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into space.
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OLUSEYI: And if we were ever
to find a place where
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there is life, potentially
a new microcosmos,
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we would have no immunity
if they're bad.
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ROWE: We share our world
with the microcosmos.
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Will we coexist in
an uneasy peace,
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or will it destroy us?
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[explosion blasts]
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A strange invisible
assassin stalks its prey.
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It attacks and hijacks the cell,
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forcing it to produce hundreds
of new raiders.
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This is what happens when
the microcosmos turns on us.
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In 2020, we experienced
this invasion
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of the body snatchers
first-hand.
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A tiny virus caused
a global pandemic... COVID-19.
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This pandemic makes
me see the world completely
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differently, because there was
an invisible universe,
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one that covers me and is
within me
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that I pretty much ignored
for the most part.
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ROWE: Maybe we ignore
this other universe
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because it's invisible
to the naked eye.
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PLAIT: We live in a largely
invisible universe.
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We can't see everything
that's going on.
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Some of the biggest stuff
we can't see very well,
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and, in fact, a lot of the
littlest stuff we can't either.
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Just because something
is too small to see
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doesn't mean it's not important.
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In fact, very, very tiny things
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have a huge impact on our lives.
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ROWE: Some of these impacts
are beneficial,
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but they're overshadowed by
the devastating effects
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of disease.
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The longest-running conflict
that humanity has been
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engaged in is that against
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the microcosmos, our
long running battle against
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the bacteria and viruses
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that are trying to kill us.
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ROWE: A century ago,
we faced the Spanish flu.
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HOWETT: This absolutely
annihilated Europe at the time.
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It caused millions upon
millions of death.
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So this is definitely
not the first pandemic,
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quite frankly, probably isn't
the last one.
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In a way, the coronavirus has
forced us to come
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to a greater understanding
of the microscopic world.
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ROWE:
The microcosmos is complex.
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While some parts kill us,
others keep us alive.
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Microcosmos is important for
us to survive,
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in order for us to do
all of the things
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that our body does,
in order for us to live
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and grow and thrive.
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Our lives depend
on the microcosmos.
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The air we breathe and
the surface of the Earth around
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us has been profoundly
affected by the microcosmos.
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ROWE: Three invisible
microcosmos operates
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in every part of the world.
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This world that you can't see
is everywhere,
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from geothermal hot springs
to glaciers
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to deep sea hydrothermal
vent systems.
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ROWE: We have discovered
that every cubic foot of
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Earth's atmosphere and its
oceans contain millions
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of viruses.
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There are more viruses here
on Earth
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than there are stars in
the universe.
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That's incredible.
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ROWE: Even though
they're around 1/400th
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the thickness of human hair,
stuck end to end,
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all the viruses on Earth
would stretch
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100 million light-years.
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That's 40 times the distance
to our neighboring
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galaxy, Andromeda.
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RADEBAUGH:
That really makes us ask,
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"Whose planet is this anyway?"
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If you just added this up
by sheer numbers,
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you would say,
"This is the virus planet."
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ROWE: The microcosmos
has also taken over
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our bodies...
We're only partly human.
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The fact that so little of
my own body, of everyone's body,
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is human cells
kind of leaves you wondering
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what's the rest of it
made of, right?
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It is astonishing that we
share our bodies with over
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380 trillion viruses.
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ROWE: And over 39
trillion bacterial cells.
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OLUSEYI: The average human
has more bacterial cells
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inside their body than there are
human cells inside their body.
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So what are we really?
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There are moments in the history
of science that I actually
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remember where I was
when they happened... when,
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for example, we detected
two colliding black holes
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or something like that.
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But another one was when
I realized that
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almost half our body
is actually not human.
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- I mean, that is crazy.
- For people that are
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scared of bacteria,
that's a really interesting
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thing to know, right?
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ROWE:
Bacteria help us digest food,
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produce vitamins,
and even influence our mood.
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But what are they?
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Bacteria are single-celled
organisms with a cell wall
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and a central nucleus
containing genetic material,
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RNA or DNA.
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They can move
around and replicate.
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Viruses are
completely different.
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In the universe,
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there are some mysteries that
have actually personally made
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me kind of pause,
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give me goosebumps,
and strangely enough,
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one of them is viruses.
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ROWE: The mystery is
how viruses can
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have so much impact
on the world,
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despite their tiny size
and apparent simplicity.
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Most are just a strand of
genetic material,
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sometimes encased
in a shell of protein.
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I mean, compared to bacteria,
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which behave kind of like
other normal cells that we're
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used to, to some degree,
viruses are very strange.
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We don't really
understand viruses.
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We... we don't even know
if they're alive or not.
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The question are viruses alive
is actually
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more difficult to answer
than you might think.
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What is the definition of life?
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What does it mean to be alive?
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ROWE: NASA's definition
of life is a self-sustained
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chemical system
capable of Darwinian evolution.
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Entities that feed
make energy and reproduce.
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Viruses can't do that
on their own.
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They have to have
a host cell to do that.
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They have the genetic material
that they need,
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but none of the machinery.
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So they really have
to infect a host.
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If not, they're useless.
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ROWE: Inside a host's body,
viruses latch
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onto the surface of cells
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and then take control.
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A virus's life cycle is
effectively to hack
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another cell.
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They have to inject that
genetic material
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into a living cell.
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And then the cell is hijacked
and starts making copies of
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the virus.
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Which then have to burst out
of this cell almost literally
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like that gory,
grotesque scene in "Aliens."
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They burst out from the inside.
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That's like
a cellular level horror movie.
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ROWE: This method of
replicating is chilling
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and doesn't answer
the question of whether
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they're alive.
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That uncertainty may influence
our search for life in space.
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BYWATERS: One of the interesting
things to think about is
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if we found a virus on
another planetary surface,
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would we classify that as life?
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Would we say that
we have found life?
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ROWE: We don't know,
but space viruses could be
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a sign of other
extraterrestrial life forms.
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BYWATERS: Viruses have to have
a host cell to replicate,
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so if you find a virus,
in essence, you've found life.
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ROWE: Viruses might lead us
to extraterrestrial life.
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Now, new research suggests
that life
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on Earth may have come
from space,
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brought to us
in a cosmic bombardment
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when our planet was young.
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ROWE: We find the microcosmos
in every feature of Earth.
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But where did this strange
kingdom of the very small
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come from?
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Some of its members are so
weird, they look like aliens.
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Could they have come from space?
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There's this idea that
microbes could have hitched
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a ride on a chunk of an asteroid
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that would fall to Earth.
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HOWETT: They could form
on a different planet.
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Something hits that planet.
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The rock that
they're sitting on gets lifted
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and then hits the Earth
as a meteorite.
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ROWE: The idea of hitchhiking
bugs sounds a bit wild,
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but we have found chunks
of Mars on Earth.
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Perhaps these space rocks
brought life.
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PLAIT: It's not
completely ridiculous.
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We know that rocks, for example,
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could come from Mars
and land on Earth.
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A giant asteroid impact
on Mars could blow
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shrapnel into space
that could land on Earth.
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ROWE: To learn how we must
return to the early
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solar system,
4.5 billion years ago.
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Many infant planets orbit
a new star,
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our sun... this infant
solar system is chaotic.
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Collisions between planets
are inevitable.
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OLUSEYI: The early solar system
was like a pinball machine.
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Stuff was hitting,
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knocking stuff off,
that would land somewhere
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and knock stuff off.
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ROWE: The young Mars is
in the line of fire.
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It already has primitive
oceans and perhaps
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primitive life.
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A huge space rock smashes
into the surface.
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We call the event
the Borealis Impact.
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It blows quadrillion tons
of rock into space.
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It's not crazy to think that
one of these chunks of
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rock traveling through
our solar system has some
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hitchhikers on board.
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If there's some microbe riding
on an asteroid that got blasted
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off of Mars, kind of
feel sorry for it, right?
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It's just living there on Mars,
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doing whatever little
Martian microbes do.
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And then a giant impact
ejects this thing into space.
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DARTNELL: In order to get
from one planet to another,
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a cell would have
to run a gauntlet.
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It's almost like winning
a survival game show.
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You've got to survive being
blasted off your home world.
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You've then got to survive
the interplanetary journey
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inside a small lump of rock,
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being exposed to the vacuum of
outer space, to cosmic rays,
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to UV radiation,
being dried out and frozen.
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So the idea of
moving life around
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the solar system or through...
Around the galaxy on asteroids
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poses a lot of
different challenges.
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ROWE: Events like the Borealis
Impact ejected so much rock
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from Mars, there were lots of
opportunities for hitchhiking
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bugs to run
the gauntlet of space.
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But could they survive
the journey?
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To find out, astronauts on
the International
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00:12:04,890 --> 00:12:09,961
Space Station grew simple
bacteria outside in space.
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After a year of being
in open space, miraculously,
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some of these microbes survived.
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It's incredible.
These microbes just could not
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be killed, even though
they were in the worst possible
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environment for life.
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DARTNELL: The mission,
therefore, shows us that
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life can survive
the environment in outer space.
248
00:12:34,386 --> 00:12:37,555
Life could be transferred
between planets.
249
00:12:37,656 --> 00:12:40,725
Maybe life did get started
on Mars,
250
00:12:40,826 --> 00:12:42,427
on our next door
neighbor planet,
251
00:12:42,528 --> 00:12:45,096
and then was transferred here
252
00:12:45,197 --> 00:12:46,431
inside a meteorite.
253
00:12:46,532 --> 00:12:50,335
Maybe we
are immigrants from Mars.
254
00:12:50,436 --> 00:12:52,904
ROWE: Hitchhiking bugs
may have arrived on
255
00:12:53,005 --> 00:12:56,741
Earth and kick-started
the microcosmos.
256
00:12:56,842 --> 00:13:00,044
But now, recent studies of
meteorites suggest that
257
00:13:00,146 --> 00:13:03,548
even if living microbes
didn't make the journey,
258
00:13:03,649 --> 00:13:06,251
the building blocks
that made them did.
259
00:13:06,352 --> 00:13:08,419
[explosion blasts]
260
00:13:08,521 --> 00:13:11,790
In November 2019,
an international research team
261
00:13:11,891 --> 00:13:13,458
found an organic molecule
262
00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:17,028
called ribose in meteorites
that had crashed on Earth.
263
00:13:18,531 --> 00:13:21,166
Ribose is a sugar.
264
00:13:21,267 --> 00:13:23,067
It's a simple sugar,
265
00:13:23,169 --> 00:13:24,869
but it is a sugar that is
266
00:13:24,970 --> 00:13:30,041
absolutely crucial to all life
on Earth.
267
00:13:30,142 --> 00:13:35,079
Ribose is the sugar that
makes up RNA, and RNA
268
00:13:35,181 --> 00:13:39,317
sits right in the linchpin
of every cell.
269
00:13:40,519 --> 00:13:42,153
ROWE: RNA is a simple form of
270
00:13:42,254 --> 00:13:45,056
genetic material that controls
cellular function.
271
00:13:45,157 --> 00:13:48,193
It's found in most
primitive creatures.
272
00:13:48,294 --> 00:13:53,965
Finding ribose on a meteorite
is so important for us to
273
00:13:54,066 --> 00:13:56,467
understand the origins of
274
00:13:56,569 --> 00:13:58,136
the microcosmos,
because these are
275
00:13:58,237 --> 00:14:01,139
the building blocks, these are
the things that it needs to
276
00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:02,307
get started,
277
00:14:02,408 --> 00:14:06,411
so understanding where these
building blocks come from
278
00:14:06,512 --> 00:14:11,382
allows us to understand how
the microcosmos might have
279
00:14:11,483 --> 00:14:13,718
evolved and started.
280
00:14:13,819 --> 00:14:16,855
ROWE: The Rosetta Mission
found another building block
281
00:14:16,956 --> 00:14:18,323
for life out in space...
282
00:14:18,424 --> 00:14:21,192
A form of phosphorus
on the comet,
283
00:14:21,293 --> 00:14:23,528
67P.
284
00:14:23,629 --> 00:14:24,762
SHIELDS: This was astounding.
285
00:14:24,864 --> 00:14:28,967
Comet 67P was formed at
the birth of the solar system,
286
00:14:29,068 --> 00:14:31,469
4.67 billion years ago,
287
00:14:31,570 --> 00:14:33,338
and it hasn't changed
since then.
288
00:14:33,439 --> 00:14:35,807
It's a time capsule
from the birth
289
00:14:35,908 --> 00:14:37,542
of the sun and the planets.
290
00:14:37,676 --> 00:14:40,845
DARTNELL: And it's been in
the deep freeze ever since.
291
00:14:40,946 --> 00:14:45,416
So these forms of phosphorus
that we found on comet 67P
292
00:14:45,517 --> 00:14:47,418
tell us what was available at
293
00:14:47,519 --> 00:14:49,721
the time the Earth
was forming and then
294
00:14:49,822 --> 00:14:53,591
when life was getting started
on primordial Earth.
295
00:14:53,692 --> 00:14:55,793
ROWE: The early solar system
296
00:14:55,895 --> 00:14:58,196
contained many chemicals
needed for life.
297
00:14:59,598 --> 00:15:00,965
BYWATERS:
It's an important discovery,
298
00:15:01,066 --> 00:15:02,767
because it means
that these compounds
299
00:15:02,868 --> 00:15:05,169
were around when
the solar system was forming,
300
00:15:05,271 --> 00:15:07,906
so they would have been
readily available for life to
301
00:15:08,007 --> 00:15:12,710
tap into and use to start
forming cellular structure.
302
00:15:12,811 --> 00:15:16,214
ROWE: These discoveries not only
show that essential chemicals
303
00:15:16,315 --> 00:15:17,348
came to Earth,
304
00:15:17,449 --> 00:15:21,386
but that they exist
throughout the solar system.
305
00:15:21,487 --> 00:15:23,788
LANZA: We tend to think of
the microcosmos as only
306
00:15:23,889 --> 00:15:26,591
existing on Earth in the sense
that only Earth
307
00:15:26,692 --> 00:15:27,926
has these building blocks,
308
00:15:28,027 --> 00:15:31,796
but now, these new observations
suggest that a microcosmos,
309
00:15:31,897 --> 00:15:34,599
at least the building blocks
for one, could exist
310
00:15:34,700 --> 00:15:37,101
beyond Earth and throughout
the solar system.
311
00:15:38,671 --> 00:15:40,538
ROWE: Comets and asteroids
may have brought
312
00:15:40,639 --> 00:15:43,207
chemicals to kick-start
the microcosmos.
313
00:15:45,878 --> 00:15:48,546
Now, explosive new research
suggests that
314
00:15:48,647 --> 00:15:52,283
space rocks hitting Earth
did even more.
315
00:15:52,384 --> 00:15:55,153
Could the violent
impacts themselves
316
00:15:55,254 --> 00:15:57,488
have helped life get started?
317
00:16:00,259 --> 00:16:02,660
[explosion blasts]
318
00:16:12,004 --> 00:16:16,307
ROWE: How did the microcosmos
and life on Earth start?
319
00:16:16,408 --> 00:16:18,910
Did asteroids and comets
deliver the building
320
00:16:19,011 --> 00:16:21,212
blocks, phosphorus,
321
00:16:21,313 --> 00:16:23,681
ribose, and other
organic compounds?
322
00:16:23,782 --> 00:16:26,484
Or did they start life
in other ways?
323
00:16:26,585 --> 00:16:29,988
New research suggests
the impact of crashing
324
00:16:30,089 --> 00:16:33,324
space rocks could have provided
the spark for life.
325
00:16:34,426 --> 00:16:37,729
The force of the impact
actually triggered the creation
326
00:16:37,830 --> 00:16:40,732
of these molecules that are
the building blocks of life.
327
00:16:45,170 --> 00:16:47,572
ROWE: The energy
from the impact breaks down
328
00:16:47,673 --> 00:16:51,175
and reforms molecules
into new compounds.
329
00:16:51,276 --> 00:16:53,711
You can actually strip apart
atoms and molecules,
330
00:16:53,812 --> 00:16:56,914
re-combine them in more
complex ways, and make the stuff
331
00:16:57,016 --> 00:16:59,350
of life in an impact.
332
00:16:59,451 --> 00:17:01,419
ROWE: Over millions of years,
333
00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:05,223
complex organic materials
fill Earth's oceans.
334
00:17:05,324 --> 00:17:08,860
Then, around
3.5 billion years ago,
335
00:17:08,961 --> 00:17:12,830
the process that
kick-started life began.
336
00:17:12,931 --> 00:17:15,933
THALLER: Going back to
the origins of life on Earth,
337
00:17:16,035 --> 00:17:19,037
it was a process... you began
with large molecules
338
00:17:19,138 --> 00:17:22,807
that almost accidentally began
to make copies of themselves.
339
00:17:22,908 --> 00:17:26,144
These became the first genetic
material... some of these larger
340
00:17:26,245 --> 00:17:29,313
molecules bound together
and became the first sort of
341
00:17:29,415 --> 00:17:30,615
protocells.
342
00:17:30,716 --> 00:17:33,785
A protocell could represent
343
00:17:33,886 --> 00:17:39,123
this earliest pre-life
stage of evolution.
344
00:17:41,427 --> 00:17:44,162
ROWE: Protocells lack the full
chemical machinery of
345
00:17:44,263 --> 00:17:45,997
modern cells.
346
00:17:46,098 --> 00:17:49,233
They're a simple cell membrane
surrounding a glob of
347
00:17:49,334 --> 00:17:53,237
genetic material like RNA,
built from ribose
348
00:17:53,338 --> 00:17:54,672
and phosphorus.
349
00:17:54,773 --> 00:17:57,008
Now you have a barrier.
350
00:17:57,109 --> 00:17:59,710
Now you can actually control
which chemicals come into
351
00:17:59,812 --> 00:18:03,448
the cell and which go out,
and you protect the genetic
352
00:18:03,549 --> 00:18:06,250
code intact, inside the cell.
353
00:18:06,351 --> 00:18:09,821
Once that happened,
evolution began to run with it.
354
00:18:10,856 --> 00:18:14,058
ROWE: These simple cells
grew more and more complicated
355
00:18:14,159 --> 00:18:16,527
until shazam,
356
00:18:16,628 --> 00:18:19,230
you get all life on Earth...
357
00:18:19,331 --> 00:18:22,600
All cellular life, anyway.
358
00:18:22,701 --> 00:18:26,838
Unlike bacteria,
viruses are not cells.
359
00:18:26,939 --> 00:18:30,374
Scientists debate if
they're even living things.
360
00:18:30,476 --> 00:18:33,811
So how, then, do viruses fit
into the birth of life?
361
00:18:33,912 --> 00:18:37,315
Viruses aren't really thought
of as playing a role
362
00:18:37,416 --> 00:18:38,916
in our evolutionary history,
363
00:18:39,017 --> 00:18:41,119
but we're just beginning to
understand that
364
00:18:41,220 --> 00:18:42,487
that's simply not the case.
365
00:18:42,588 --> 00:18:44,856
What if viruses themselves were
366
00:18:44,957 --> 00:18:48,426
an essential cog in
the machinery of life?
367
00:18:48,527 --> 00:18:50,194
ROWE: How can we investigate if
368
00:18:50,295 --> 00:18:52,997
viruses helped life
on Earth develop?
369
00:18:53,098 --> 00:18:56,634
They don't leave many clues
about their past.
370
00:18:56,735 --> 00:18:59,403
BYWATERS: The hard thing
with understanding
371
00:18:59,505 --> 00:19:00,805
the evolutionary history
372
00:19:00,906 --> 00:19:03,674
of viruses is they don't leave
a fossil record.
373
00:19:03,775 --> 00:19:07,712
There's no geology that we can
go back and dig up and say,
374
00:19:07,813 --> 00:19:10,748
Aha! This is when viruses
first came about.
375
00:19:12,651 --> 00:19:14,952
ROWE: We don't know
when viruses entered
376
00:19:15,053 --> 00:19:16,921
the evolutionary game of life.
377
00:19:17,022 --> 00:19:21,459
Was it near the beginning,
or a little bit later?
378
00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:25,129
There's this crazy idea that
viruses might actually
379
00:19:25,230 --> 00:19:27,064
have come first
in the tree of life.
380
00:19:27,166 --> 00:19:29,767
THALLER: When you think about
the real origins of life,
381
00:19:29,868 --> 00:19:32,136
it had to start with
something that simple,
382
00:19:32,237 --> 00:19:34,205
something that was just
a molecule that could
383
00:19:34,306 --> 00:19:35,206
start replicating.
384
00:19:35,307 --> 00:19:38,409
A virus may be our best
example of that
385
00:19:38,510 --> 00:19:41,212
transition from just
complex chemistry
386
00:19:41,313 --> 00:19:43,114
to the beginnings of life.
387
00:19:43,215 --> 00:19:46,250
In this scenario,
chemicals floating
388
00:19:46,351 --> 00:19:47,985
in the 3.5-billion-year-old
389
00:19:48,086 --> 00:19:51,189
oceans formed a shell of
protein around some simple
390
00:19:51,290 --> 00:19:53,124
genetic material.
391
00:19:54,226 --> 00:19:58,196
But did viruses evolve
before anything else?
392
00:19:58,297 --> 00:20:03,134
BYWATERS: The flaw in the virus
first hypothesis is that
393
00:20:03,235 --> 00:20:07,138
a virus has to have a host
organism to replicate.
394
00:20:07,239 --> 00:20:10,975
So without a host,
how does the virus replicate?
395
00:20:11,076 --> 00:20:13,611
And this is the question
we have to ask ourselves
396
00:20:13,712 --> 00:20:16,314
when we think of viruses
coming first on
397
00:20:16,415 --> 00:20:18,649
the evolutionary tree.
398
00:20:18,750 --> 00:20:22,286
ROWE: Modern viruses can't
replicate without a host.
399
00:20:22,387 --> 00:20:26,257
It's likely that ancient
viruses couldn't either,
400
00:20:26,358 --> 00:20:29,961
but could early cells
and viruses have joined
401
00:20:30,062 --> 00:20:33,264
forces in a way
that benefited them both?
402
00:20:33,365 --> 00:20:36,434
Some new theories are
suggesting that viruses
403
00:20:36,535 --> 00:20:41,539
and cellular life co-evolved and
actually helped each other out,
404
00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:44,909
and potentially even helped
out the evolution of
405
00:20:45,010 --> 00:20:47,044
human life.
406
00:20:47,145 --> 00:20:49,747
ROWE: How did
this co-evolution work?
407
00:20:49,848 --> 00:20:53,484
We know that viruses today
inject their genetic material
408
00:20:53,585 --> 00:20:56,454
into cells to manipulate them.
409
00:20:56,555 --> 00:20:59,257
Perhaps early viruses
manipulated the genes
410
00:20:59,324 --> 00:21:02,426
of the first cells the same way.
411
00:21:02,527 --> 00:21:07,331
Think of this primordial soup
and the genes, the RNA, that's
412
00:21:07,432 --> 00:21:10,768
in this primordial soup being
swapped between organisms,
413
00:21:10,869 --> 00:21:12,136
kind of like a swap meet.
414
00:21:12,237 --> 00:21:14,038
You bring something
you don't need any more,
415
00:21:14,139 --> 00:21:16,073
and you pass it along
to somebody else.
416
00:21:16,174 --> 00:21:19,644
So in this way, organisms
sharing their genetic material
417
00:21:19,778 --> 00:21:22,313
back and forth offers
a competitive advantage
418
00:21:22,414 --> 00:21:23,681
to each one.
419
00:21:23,749 --> 00:21:26,217
ROWE: The virus might
break off bits of
420
00:21:26,318 --> 00:21:29,887
the host's genetic material
and mix it with their own.
421
00:21:31,189 --> 00:21:33,524
When the virus attacks
another cell,
422
00:21:33,625 --> 00:21:36,794
it could pass on the mixed
genes to its next host.
423
00:21:37,963 --> 00:21:39,764
In this sense, then,
424
00:21:39,865 --> 00:21:43,134
viruses help stir things up.
425
00:21:43,235 --> 00:21:46,337
They shuttle genes
between wildly different
426
00:21:46,438 --> 00:21:51,842
organisms and therefore help
drive evolution itself.
427
00:21:51,943 --> 00:21:54,145
Now, probably almost all
of these injections did
428
00:21:54,246 --> 00:21:56,447
nothing useful or maybe even
killed the cell.
429
00:21:56,515 --> 00:21:58,849
But if one in a million
injection changed
430
00:21:58,950 --> 00:22:00,017
something for the better,
431
00:22:00,118 --> 00:22:03,354
made it more complex,
made it more able to survive,
432
00:22:03,455 --> 00:22:05,723
then that cell reproduced
even more.
433
00:22:05,824 --> 00:22:10,494
ROWE: If virally enhanced cells
thrived in the primeval oceans,
434
00:22:10,595 --> 00:22:11,662
over time,
435
00:22:11,763 --> 00:22:14,198
they might have evolved into
more complex creatures
436
00:22:14,299 --> 00:22:17,101
and eventually, into us.
437
00:22:17,169 --> 00:22:18,536
RADEBAUGH: What's so crazy
is to think about
438
00:22:18,637 --> 00:22:20,371
the fact that we could
actually be descended
439
00:22:20,472 --> 00:22:21,472
from viruses.
440
00:22:21,573 --> 00:22:23,874
I am sure that a lot of
my genetic
441
00:22:23,975 --> 00:22:27,812
code originally came from
the injection of a virus.
442
00:22:27,913 --> 00:22:31,082
I love the idea that I might
be descendant from a virus,
443
00:22:31,183 --> 00:22:33,684
just coming from something
that simple
444
00:22:33,785 --> 00:22:35,152
and evolving into something
445
00:22:35,253 --> 00:22:38,989
this complex is just
a feat of nature.
446
00:22:39,091 --> 00:22:42,593
ROWE: Viruses played a major
part in human evolution.
447
00:22:42,694 --> 00:22:47,365
Around 8% of human DNA came
from ancient viral infections.
448
00:22:47,466 --> 00:22:49,734
In fact, without them,
449
00:22:49,835 --> 00:22:50,868
we wouldn't be human.
450
00:22:52,237 --> 00:22:56,207
BYWATERS: In our brains, we
actually have relic viral DNA.
451
00:22:56,308 --> 00:22:58,776
So DNA that came from a virus,
452
00:22:58,877 --> 00:23:00,611
but this helps us.
453
00:23:00,712 --> 00:23:04,215
Without this, we don't think
we would have consciousness.
454
00:23:05,717 --> 00:23:08,486
ROWE: We also think that viral
DNA helped us develop
455
00:23:08,587 --> 00:23:09,620
an immune system
456
00:23:09,721 --> 00:23:13,624
to fight off infection
and gave us the ability to
457
00:23:13,725 --> 00:23:15,326
digest starch.
458
00:23:16,895 --> 00:23:20,030
The microcosmos
has guided our evolution.
459
00:23:20,132 --> 00:23:22,700
It even created
the air we breathe.
460
00:23:22,801 --> 00:23:25,536
But in doing so,
it also triggered
461
00:23:25,637 --> 00:23:29,607
the largest mass extinction
the Earth has ever seen.
462
00:23:40,085 --> 00:23:44,588
ROWE: Planet Earth,
2.5 billion years ago.
463
00:23:44,689 --> 00:23:49,160
The microcosmos
colonizes Earth's oceans.
464
00:23:49,261 --> 00:23:52,830
This is not a world
we would recognize today.
465
00:23:52,931 --> 00:23:56,967
If you were to travel back in
time, just on Earth, to see what
466
00:23:57,068 --> 00:23:59,503
it was like 2.5 billion
years ago,
467
00:23:59,604 --> 00:24:02,907
it would look really different
in many ways.
468
00:24:03,008 --> 00:24:06,477
There were oceans, and they had
life in those oceans.
469
00:24:06,578 --> 00:24:10,548
But there weren't any land
plants or land animals.
470
00:24:10,649 --> 00:24:12,249
There was just bare rock.
471
00:24:12,350 --> 00:24:14,752
So to think about a human
going back in time to visit
472
00:24:14,853 --> 00:24:16,287
the really early Earth,
473
00:24:16,388 --> 00:24:19,190
they would find an utterly
inhospitable planet.
474
00:24:19,291 --> 00:24:22,059
LANZA: As a human, you'd be
out of luck because there was
475
00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:24,061
no oxygen in the atmosphere
at that time,
476
00:24:24,162 --> 00:24:25,629
so hopefully,
you brought a space suit.
477
00:24:27,098 --> 00:24:28,599
ROWE:
The atmosphere was fine for
478
00:24:28,700 --> 00:24:31,869
the billions of inhabitants
of the early microcosmos.
479
00:24:33,071 --> 00:24:35,406
They were very slow-paced,
and they did
480
00:24:35,507 --> 00:24:38,409
everything they did without
any oxygen in the air.
481
00:24:38,510 --> 00:24:42,613
ROWE: But this tranquil
existence was about to change.
482
00:24:42,714 --> 00:24:45,015
PLAIT: For a long time,
conditions on Earth were
483
00:24:45,116 --> 00:24:48,619
fairly static, but then,
about 2.5 billion years ago,
484
00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:52,456
an evolutionary glitch
changed everything.
485
00:24:52,557 --> 00:24:54,592
ROWE: A clue to that glitch
486
00:24:54,693 --> 00:24:58,128
rests in strange rocky mounds,
487
00:24:58,230 --> 00:24:59,430
stromatolites.
488
00:24:59,531 --> 00:25:05,369
DARTNELL: Stromatolites are
almost like microbial cities.
489
00:25:05,470 --> 00:25:10,574
If you zoom down onto their
scale, you'll see layer
490
00:25:10,675 --> 00:25:13,010
upon layer of bacteria,
491
00:25:13,111 --> 00:25:16,580
almost like the high-rise
skyscrapers in one of
492
00:25:16,681 --> 00:25:18,649
our cities.
493
00:25:18,750 --> 00:25:23,220
ROWE: The microcosmic high rises
are full of cyanobacteria.
494
00:25:23,321 --> 00:25:26,891
These bacteria
can photosynthesize.
495
00:25:26,992 --> 00:25:29,593
Photosynthesis is
a chemical reaction that
496
00:25:29,694 --> 00:25:33,998
takes place inside
a plant, producing food.
497
00:25:34,099 --> 00:25:37,868
Today, it's an important part
of our planet's existence.
498
00:25:37,969 --> 00:25:42,039
2.5 billion years ago,
it was revolutionary.
499
00:25:43,475 --> 00:25:47,411
And it happened when ancient
cyanobacteria similar to those
500
00:25:47,512 --> 00:25:49,213
in the stromatolites mutated.
501
00:25:49,314 --> 00:25:53,450
This mutation
allowed cyanobacteria
502
00:25:53,552 --> 00:25:56,487
to take the energy from
sunlight and use it to make
503
00:25:56,588 --> 00:25:59,924
sugars out of water
and carbon dioxide.
504
00:26:00,025 --> 00:26:04,929
ROWE: This gave cyanobacteria
a huge evolutionary edge.
505
00:26:05,030 --> 00:26:06,497
They could now make more
energy for
506
00:26:06,598 --> 00:26:10,100
themselves so they could grow
and reproduce faster.
507
00:26:11,403 --> 00:26:14,038
For everything else,
it was a catastrophe.
508
00:26:14,139 --> 00:26:18,075
It produced oxygen
as a waste product.
509
00:26:18,176 --> 00:26:21,045
Oxygen was no use to them,
so they released it into
510
00:26:21,146 --> 00:26:23,847
the air,
transforming Earth's atmosphere
511
00:26:23,949 --> 00:26:26,483
over millions of years.
512
00:26:26,585 --> 00:26:29,720
ROWE: This by-product, oxygen,
is extremely toxic.
513
00:26:30,922 --> 00:26:33,524
THALLER: The reason oxygen is
so dangerous is that
514
00:26:33,625 --> 00:26:34,692
it's very reactive.
515
00:26:34,793 --> 00:26:37,094
It loves to combine
with everything,
516
00:26:37,228 --> 00:26:40,397
so think about something
rusting... iron rusts because
517
00:26:40,498 --> 00:26:43,033
oxygen is actually combining
with the molecules.
518
00:26:43,134 --> 00:26:45,069
It's called oxidation.
519
00:26:45,170 --> 00:26:47,037
So when oxygen was
first released,
520
00:26:47,138 --> 00:26:49,473
it was tremendously dangerous.
521
00:26:49,574 --> 00:26:52,376
ROWE: The new oxygen built up
in the atmosphere,
522
00:26:52,477 --> 00:26:56,313
killing off species of microbes
everywhere on the planet.
523
00:26:56,414 --> 00:26:59,516
Right when this happened,
you would have had
524
00:26:59,618 --> 00:27:01,285
a mass extinction.
525
00:27:01,386 --> 00:27:04,955
This would have been a global
mass extinction event.
526
00:27:05,056 --> 00:27:08,592
This was an unprecedented
environmental disaster,
527
00:27:08,693 --> 00:27:11,629
probably in the entire history
of the Earth up to that point.
528
00:27:11,730 --> 00:27:13,230
And I'm not even sure
it's been paralleled,
529
00:27:13,331 --> 00:27:14,732
even up to today.
530
00:27:14,799 --> 00:27:15,699
This may have been the single
531
00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:18,602
biggest catastrophe
in our planet's history.
532
00:27:18,703 --> 00:27:22,006
This was the Great Oxidation
Event, and it changed
533
00:27:22,107 --> 00:27:24,508
our atmosphere,
it changed our planet,
534
00:27:24,609 --> 00:27:26,877
and it didn't just end there.
535
00:27:26,978 --> 00:27:28,579
Something changed again.
536
00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:33,450
Another mutation allowed some
of these bacteria to use that
537
00:27:33,551 --> 00:27:36,053
oxygen in their own metabolism,
538
00:27:36,154 --> 00:27:39,223
and that was a huge change.
539
00:27:41,159 --> 00:27:44,328
ROWE: The ability to use oxygen
was an incredible leap forward.
540
00:27:45,597 --> 00:27:48,532
The beauty of oxygen
is that it allows
541
00:27:48,633 --> 00:27:53,037
the metabolism to process
nutrients much more rapidly.
542
00:27:53,138 --> 00:27:57,307
It basically helps bodies burn
these materials so that
543
00:27:57,409 --> 00:28:00,177
they can generate a lot more
energy a lot more quickly.
544
00:28:00,278 --> 00:28:04,348
Organisms that figured out how
to use oxygen for respiration
545
00:28:04,449 --> 00:28:06,150
ended up getting
a huge kick-start
546
00:28:06,251 --> 00:28:08,052
of energy
and gave them a huge advantage
547
00:28:08,153 --> 00:28:09,453
over other organisms.
548
00:28:09,554 --> 00:28:13,757
It supplied enough energy that
organisms could become
549
00:28:13,858 --> 00:28:14,958
more complex,
550
00:28:15,060 --> 00:28:19,863
larger, multicellular,
really the tapping into
551
00:28:19,964 --> 00:28:25,369
oxygen and being able to use
oxygen in our metabolism meant
552
00:28:25,470 --> 00:28:26,870
that it was a game changer,
553
00:28:26,971 --> 00:28:29,440
that we could evolve
in ways that never would
554
00:28:29,541 --> 00:28:33,444
have been possible
without cyanobacteria.
555
00:28:33,545 --> 00:28:36,613
ROWE: Simple organisms
became more complex.
556
00:28:36,715 --> 00:28:40,317
Single-celled creatures
became multicellular.
557
00:28:40,418 --> 00:28:43,387
SHIELDS: This gradual
accumulation of oxygen
558
00:28:43,488 --> 00:28:44,955
into the atmosphere of the Earth
559
00:28:45,056 --> 00:28:48,859
was huge for the multicellular
animal and life explosion,
560
00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:51,261
um, that occurred
as a result and was
561
00:28:51,362 --> 00:28:54,098
one of the most important
events in Earth's history.
562
00:28:54,199 --> 00:28:56,767
BYWATERS: This would have been
a complete transformation
563
00:28:56,868 --> 00:28:59,636
of the Earth's atmosphere
and physical setting.
564
00:28:59,738 --> 00:29:03,574
This is when the green Earth
started to evolve.
565
00:29:03,675 --> 00:29:07,945
ROWE: The Great Oxidation Event
changed the course of evolution,
566
00:29:08,046 --> 00:29:11,849
leading to our complex world.
567
00:29:11,950 --> 00:29:13,784
It is really hard
to overemphasize
568
00:29:13,885 --> 00:29:15,652
the importance
of the microcosmos.
569
00:29:15,754 --> 00:29:17,454
Just the fact that
I'm speaking to you,
570
00:29:17,555 --> 00:29:18,989
I'm breathing in and out,
571
00:29:19,090 --> 00:29:20,624
I wouldn't be doing that without
572
00:29:20,725 --> 00:29:23,827
the tiniest organisms
on the planet.
573
00:29:23,928 --> 00:29:26,563
ROWE:
The microcosmos gave us life.
574
00:29:26,664 --> 00:29:29,700
Now, it could wipe us out.
575
00:29:29,801 --> 00:29:31,168
Global warming is releasing
576
00:29:31,269 --> 00:29:34,138
potentially lethal bacteria
and viruses.
577
00:29:35,907 --> 00:29:39,710
Are we facing a microcosmic
zombie apocalypse?
578
00:29:47,919 --> 00:29:50,754
ROWE: Siberia, present day.
579
00:29:50,855 --> 00:29:54,892
Rising temperatures are melting
the Arctic permafrost,
580
00:29:54,993 --> 00:29:58,395
revealing land sealed under
ice for tens
581
00:29:58,496 --> 00:30:00,597
of thousands of years.
582
00:30:00,698 --> 00:30:03,167
DARTNELL: As that permafrost
begins thawing out
583
00:30:03,268 --> 00:30:05,202
and melting with climate change,
584
00:30:05,303 --> 00:30:08,739
maybe that will release
pathogens that have
585
00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:12,476
been locked up for potentially
thousands of years.
586
00:30:12,577 --> 00:30:14,278
ROWE: In 2014,
587
00:30:14,379 --> 00:30:19,216
researchers investigated
melting Siberian tundra,
588
00:30:19,317 --> 00:30:22,052
a region larger than the USA.
589
00:30:22,153 --> 00:30:24,922
I've seen a lot of science
fiction movies where scientists
590
00:30:25,023 --> 00:30:26,990
are digging around in the ice
and find something bad
591
00:30:27,091 --> 00:30:28,158
from a long time ago.
592
00:30:28,259 --> 00:30:30,427
ROWE: Scientists took samples of
593
00:30:30,528 --> 00:30:33,630
tundra soil to the lab
and examined the contents.
594
00:30:33,731 --> 00:30:38,035
They found a frozen
ancient virus.
595
00:30:38,136 --> 00:30:44,708
A virus locked in ice
from over 30,000 years ago.
596
00:30:44,809 --> 00:30:46,710
Isn't this the start of,
597
00:30:46,811 --> 00:30:50,747
like, every horror movie?
A scientist uncovers some deep
598
00:30:50,849 --> 00:30:52,850
secret of nature and then just
599
00:30:52,951 --> 00:30:56,320
open it up and unleash it
on the world?
600
00:30:56,421 --> 00:30:58,388
ROWE: Just like in a B movie,
601
00:30:58,489 --> 00:31:00,290
The team fed the virus to
602
00:31:00,391 --> 00:31:04,394
living single-celled creatures
called amoebas
603
00:31:04,495 --> 00:31:06,597
to see if the virus
still functioned
604
00:31:06,698 --> 00:31:09,967
after being frozen for
thousands of years.
605
00:31:10,068 --> 00:31:15,272
The virus woke up, attacked
the amoebas, and replicated.
606
00:31:15,373 --> 00:31:18,542
BYWATERS: Bringing this ancient
virus back to life
607
00:31:18,643 --> 00:31:21,778
was sort of waking up
the undead.
608
00:31:23,414 --> 00:31:27,551
ROWE: Scientists had no idea how
this zombie virus would behave.
609
00:31:30,421 --> 00:31:33,857
Something about it was
very, very different.
610
00:31:33,958 --> 00:31:37,394
It was huge compared
to normal viruses.
611
00:31:37,528 --> 00:31:41,465
It was substantially
larger than any
612
00:31:41,566 --> 00:31:43,800
virus that we had seen before.
613
00:31:43,902 --> 00:31:48,572
This is the Goliath of
Goliaths among viruses.
614
00:31:48,673 --> 00:31:52,509
ROWE: So large it looks more
like bacteria than a virus.
615
00:31:52,610 --> 00:31:58,015
We call these kinds of
giant viruses mimiviruses,
616
00:31:58,116 --> 00:32:02,419
because they mimic
other creatures, like bacteria.
617
00:32:03,688 --> 00:32:06,290
ROWE: One way the virus
mimics bacteria is
618
00:32:06,391 --> 00:32:08,725
in the amount of
its genetic material.
619
00:32:08,826 --> 00:32:14,064
It has 900 genes, eight times
as many as a regular virus.
620
00:32:14,165 --> 00:32:17,234
SUTTER: Viruses are very simple.
621
00:32:17,335 --> 00:32:19,770
They don't require a lot of
genes to function,
622
00:32:19,871 --> 00:32:25,542
but this virus has more genes
than necessary.
623
00:32:25,643 --> 00:32:30,180
What is it doing with
all these extra genes?
624
00:32:30,281 --> 00:32:33,383
ROWE: We have now found
other mimiviruses.
625
00:32:33,484 --> 00:32:35,752
20 years ago, we had no idea
626
00:32:35,853 --> 00:32:39,156
that this complex type of
virus even existed.
627
00:32:39,257 --> 00:32:42,192
We still don't know what
all the extra genes do.
628
00:32:43,561 --> 00:32:46,396
This type of virus might even
be able to generate
629
00:32:46,497 --> 00:32:47,798
its own energy,
630
00:32:47,899 --> 00:32:52,135
making it closer to bacteria
than other viruses.
631
00:32:52,236 --> 00:32:55,739
Because it has
so many extra genes,
632
00:32:55,840 --> 00:33:00,143
this is a virus that is not
acting like a virus.
633
00:33:00,244 --> 00:33:01,778
ROWE: We can't be sure how
634
00:33:01,879 --> 00:33:05,882
the Siberian mimivirus will
behave if released,
635
00:33:05,984 --> 00:33:09,653
and even if it only attacks
amoebas, there could be
636
00:33:09,754 --> 00:33:13,056
other large, complex viruses
buried in the ice.
637
00:33:14,492 --> 00:33:16,526
They may not be so safe.
638
00:33:16,627 --> 00:33:19,963
We know that there are large
regions of
639
00:33:20,064 --> 00:33:22,599
the Earth that are locked
in ice right now.
640
00:33:22,700 --> 00:33:28,205
There could be viruses that
live inside that ice that if
641
00:33:28,306 --> 00:33:32,075
the Earth gets too warm,
could reactivate.
642
00:33:32,176 --> 00:33:35,879
And these viruses could
potentially be a threat to us.
643
00:33:37,382 --> 00:33:40,584
ROWE: Recently, other
dangerous frozen zombies
644
00:33:40,685 --> 00:33:44,554
have reanimated,
hidden in the dead.
645
00:33:44,655 --> 00:33:46,156
We tend to think of people
who died in
646
00:33:46,257 --> 00:33:49,326
the past as not being able to
affect us all, right?
647
00:33:49,427 --> 00:33:51,194
They're gone,
their germs are gone.
648
00:33:51,295 --> 00:33:53,497
Unfortunately,
this isn't exactly true.
649
00:33:53,598 --> 00:33:57,801
So for people who are buried
in tundra that's been frozen,
650
00:33:57,902 --> 00:33:59,369
they never really disappeared.
651
00:33:59,470 --> 00:34:02,372
And now, unfortunately,
as the climate warms,
652
00:34:02,473 --> 00:34:08,011
these tundra environments are
releasing frozen people
653
00:34:08,112 --> 00:34:12,716
and animals who died thousands
of years ago.
654
00:34:12,817 --> 00:34:14,718
ROWE: But it's not
the dead people and animals
655
00:34:14,819 --> 00:34:18,021
that threaten us...
It's the microbes inside them.
656
00:34:19,824 --> 00:34:22,826
In 2016, that threat became real
657
00:34:22,927 --> 00:34:25,328
when another area of
Siberia thawed.
658
00:34:26,597 --> 00:34:28,432
A 12-year-old boy died,
659
00:34:28,533 --> 00:34:31,768
and dozens of people
needed medical treatment.
660
00:34:31,869 --> 00:34:35,539
2,000 reindeer also perished.
661
00:34:35,640 --> 00:34:39,276
The culprit?
Reanimated bacteria called
662
00:34:39,377 --> 00:34:42,813
anthrax inside
a melting reindeer.
663
00:34:42,914 --> 00:34:47,417
Anthrax is a common microbe
found in soil.
664
00:34:47,518 --> 00:34:49,753
In medieval times,
665
00:34:49,854 --> 00:34:53,390
sometimes farmers would come
back to find entire fields
666
00:34:53,491 --> 00:34:55,292
of dead animals.
667
00:34:55,393 --> 00:34:57,461
They didn't understand at
the time what was going on.
668
00:34:57,562 --> 00:35:00,864
They attribute it
to cursed fields.
669
00:35:00,965 --> 00:35:05,268
But we now know these
are outbreaks of anthrax.
670
00:35:05,369 --> 00:35:09,306
ROWE: The defrosted reindeer
died nearly a century ago.
671
00:35:10,508 --> 00:35:13,844
The anthrax that killed it
was safely locked away in
672
00:35:13,945 --> 00:35:15,312
the ice.
673
00:35:15,413 --> 00:35:17,948
DARTNELL: The thawing out
of regions
674
00:35:18,049 --> 00:35:20,617
like the Siberian permafrost
675
00:35:20,718 --> 00:35:24,321
could be almost like
the inadvertent opening of
676
00:35:24,422 --> 00:35:25,989
Pandora's box.
677
00:35:26,090 --> 00:35:28,792
Once you open it, you don't
know what's gonna come out.
678
00:35:28,893 --> 00:35:33,563
DARTNELL: It could be releasing
ancient preserved microbes,
679
00:35:33,664 --> 00:35:36,166
bacteria, or viruses
680
00:35:36,267 --> 00:35:39,302
that have been laying dormant
for hundreds,
681
00:35:39,403 --> 00:35:41,671
if not thousands of years.
682
00:35:41,772 --> 00:35:45,008
LANZA: If these microbes
are actually very different
683
00:35:45,109 --> 00:35:47,144
from what we have
on Earth today,
684
00:35:47,245 --> 00:35:50,447
if we encountered these
microbes, it's not really clear
685
00:35:50,548 --> 00:35:52,849
what would happen
with our immune systems.
686
00:35:52,950 --> 00:35:55,452
You know, it could be
totally fine,
687
00:35:55,553 --> 00:35:58,588
but it could also wreak
complete havoc on us.
688
00:35:58,689 --> 00:36:02,259
ROWE: It's also not clear
if modern drugs would
689
00:36:02,360 --> 00:36:05,929
help us beat any ancient
microbes we unleash.
690
00:36:07,632 --> 00:36:11,735
Now, as humanity expands
beyond Earth to new worlds,
691
00:36:11,836 --> 00:36:15,772
will we carry our microcosmos
with us into space?
692
00:36:15,873 --> 00:36:18,775
Or have we already infected
693
00:36:18,876 --> 00:36:20,310
our cosmic neighborhood?
694
00:36:30,588 --> 00:36:35,192
ROWE: Space is no longer the
final frontier of the future.
695
00:36:35,293 --> 00:36:37,394
We're already exploring
the solar system.
696
00:36:38,896 --> 00:36:40,997
We've sent probes to the planets
697
00:36:41,098 --> 00:36:42,332
and put boots on the moon.
698
00:36:43,868 --> 00:36:47,237
Now, NASA plans to land
astronauts on Mars
699
00:36:47,338 --> 00:36:48,872
by the 2030s.
700
00:36:50,441 --> 00:36:53,944
As a science fiction nerd
myself, without even breaking
701
00:36:54,045 --> 00:36:55,879
a sweat, I could name 10 movies
702
00:36:55,980 --> 00:36:58,949
where people go to another
planet, and some disease,
703
00:36:59,050 --> 00:37:01,251
some alien life form, is
unleashed on humans
704
00:37:01,352 --> 00:37:03,220
and kills us all.
705
00:37:03,321 --> 00:37:05,288
I think that has it
exactly backwards.
706
00:37:05,389 --> 00:37:09,059
If we try to settle on other
planets, we have to be really,
707
00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:11,528
really careful and really,
really think about
708
00:37:11,629 --> 00:37:14,164
how we are affecting them.
709
00:37:14,265 --> 00:37:17,701
ROWE: As we launch more and more
missions into space, we risk
710
00:37:17,802 --> 00:37:21,538
sending Earth's microcosmos
with them, endangering
711
00:37:21,639 --> 00:37:23,106
the health of the solar system.
712
00:37:24,375 --> 00:37:26,643
LANZA: And if we find
a planet that actually has
713
00:37:26,744 --> 00:37:29,746
its own biosphere,
that has life of its own,
714
00:37:29,847 --> 00:37:32,148
we need to be very careful
about how we introduce
715
00:37:32,250 --> 00:37:34,217
our microbes to their microbes,
716
00:37:34,318 --> 00:37:36,353
because it could really be
catastrophic for them.
717
00:37:36,454 --> 00:37:38,888
PLAIT: It's serious, because
we're looking at places
718
00:37:38,990 --> 00:37:40,991
like Mars, like Titan,
719
00:37:41,092 --> 00:37:44,794
Saturn's moon, like comets
where life or at least
720
00:37:44,895 --> 00:37:46,563
prebiotic life
could have existed.
721
00:37:46,664 --> 00:37:48,231
Or, in the past, there could
722
00:37:48,332 --> 00:37:51,534
have been a much more
habitable environment.
723
00:37:51,636 --> 00:37:55,138
So it's entirely possible
that we are polluting,
724
00:37:55,239 --> 00:38:00,543
we are infecting these other
objects with our own bacteria.
725
00:38:00,645 --> 00:38:03,413
ROWE: If we contaminate
a pristine world,
726
00:38:03,514 --> 00:38:06,216
we won't know which microbes
were there first.
727
00:38:07,518 --> 00:38:10,186
Our bugs could even kill off
the native ones.
728
00:38:11,689 --> 00:38:13,023
It may have already happened.
729
00:38:15,726 --> 00:38:17,227
OVER RADIO: You're looking good.
730
00:38:17,328 --> 00:38:20,397
ROWE: The Apollo 12 mission
brought back bits of the lunar
731
00:38:20,498 --> 00:38:24,567
robotic probe Surveyor 3
it found on the moon.
732
00:38:24,669 --> 00:38:29,072
Analysis of the probe found
a bacterial contamination.
733
00:38:29,173 --> 00:38:31,374
We don't know
where it came from.
734
00:38:31,475 --> 00:38:33,677
PLAIT: If that thing was
infected before we sent it
735
00:38:33,778 --> 00:38:35,378
to the moon, and it sat
on the moon's surface
736
00:38:35,479 --> 00:38:38,782
for two years in
a vacuum, changing temperatures,
737
00:38:38,883 --> 00:38:42,085
radiation from space,
that really is telling us that
738
00:38:42,186 --> 00:38:44,888
we can infect other planets
and we should
739
00:38:44,989 --> 00:38:47,190
take this very seriously.
740
00:38:47,291 --> 00:38:49,959
SUTTER: We're ramping up
our space missions,
741
00:38:50,061 --> 00:38:52,061
we're sending probe after probe
742
00:38:52,129 --> 00:38:55,365
to planets all
throughout the solar system.
743
00:38:55,466 --> 00:39:00,437
Taking care to not send
our own diseases out onto
744
00:39:00,538 --> 00:39:03,039
other planets is something
we actually have to care about.
745
00:39:03,140 --> 00:39:06,009
ROWE: NASA does care.
746
00:39:06,110 --> 00:39:09,479
Before launching a new probe,
a planetary protection team
747
00:39:09,580 --> 00:39:11,514
deep cleans every inch.
748
00:39:12,917 --> 00:39:15,385
You try to bake the spacecraft,
you try to disinfect things.
749
00:39:15,486 --> 00:39:19,356
You build everything and keep
everything within a clean room,
750
00:39:19,457 --> 00:39:23,693
which has a pressure
that blows dust out.
751
00:39:23,794 --> 00:39:25,929
Everybody wears what are
called bunny suits,
752
00:39:26,030 --> 00:39:27,897
so nobody touches
anything directly.
753
00:39:27,998 --> 00:39:29,666
But then,
that's still not enough,
754
00:39:29,767 --> 00:39:32,669
because microbes are
incredibly hardy.
755
00:39:32,770 --> 00:39:35,605
ROWE: It's even more difficult
to kill microcosmic
756
00:39:35,706 --> 00:39:38,675
stowaways if they're traveling
inside an astronaut.
757
00:39:40,144 --> 00:39:42,379
DARTNELL:
In the not too distant future,
758
00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:47,183
we'll start sending not robot
explorers, not probes to Mars,
759
00:39:47,284 --> 00:39:52,222
but people, an inherently
dirty, mucky organism
760
00:39:52,323 --> 00:39:53,923
like myself.
761
00:39:54,024 --> 00:39:55,458
You can't sterilize a human.
762
00:39:55,559 --> 00:39:57,961
You can't remove all bacteria.
763
00:39:58,062 --> 00:40:00,497
We have to realize that we are
bringing the microcosmos
764
00:40:00,598 --> 00:40:03,533
with us, and we may change
worlds entirely
765
00:40:03,634 --> 00:40:05,034
without even noticing it.
766
00:40:05,136 --> 00:40:07,904
Potentially, our impact could
be absolutely devastating on...
767
00:40:08,005 --> 00:40:10,907
On worlds that are either have
life or emerging life,
768
00:40:11,008 --> 00:40:14,077
and so we just need to take
that responsibility seriously
769
00:40:14,178 --> 00:40:16,780
and be careful with the way
in which we explore them.
770
00:40:18,048 --> 00:40:19,783
ROWE: Humans
bear a responsibility
771
00:40:19,884 --> 00:40:21,418
for the safety of the cosmos.
772
00:40:21,519 --> 00:40:24,053
Our track record
on Earth isn't good.
773
00:40:25,623 --> 00:40:28,124
RADEBAUGH: When we look at
the pattern of exploration
774
00:40:28,225 --> 00:40:32,395
or colonization that we use as
humans, we are really invasive.
775
00:40:32,496 --> 00:40:34,631
We see a lot of destruction
in our path,
776
00:40:34,732 --> 00:40:37,400
and we have to wonder if that's
what we're going to do
777
00:40:37,501 --> 00:40:39,502
when we start to really
explore and colonize
778
00:40:39,603 --> 00:40:41,805
outside of Earth.
779
00:40:41,906 --> 00:40:44,207
Like viruses,
we also insist on spreading.
780
00:40:44,308 --> 00:40:45,708
We insist on spreading around
781
00:40:45,810 --> 00:40:47,877
our world,
around our solar system.
782
00:40:47,978 --> 00:40:49,913
There is a great chance
783
00:40:50,014 --> 00:40:52,715
that we will cause utter
destruction wherever we go.
784
00:40:54,018 --> 00:40:58,388
ROWE: Our relationship with
the microcosmos is complicated.
785
00:40:58,489 --> 00:41:01,124
It's killed millions of people,
786
00:41:01,225 --> 00:41:03,493
but without it,
we wouldn't be here.
787
00:41:04,762 --> 00:41:07,197
RADEBAUGH: This time we're
living in is really causing us
788
00:41:07,264 --> 00:41:09,332
to reflect on
the microcosmos, and the better
789
00:41:09,433 --> 00:41:11,201
we understand
these microorganisms,
790
00:41:11,302 --> 00:41:14,604
the better able we are to deal
with what's happening today.
791
00:41:14,705 --> 00:41:16,840
ROWE: The coronavirus crisis
reminds us
792
00:41:16,941 --> 00:41:19,609
we need to respect the world
we cannot see
793
00:41:19,710 --> 00:41:22,712
and recognize
that the microcosmos is
794
00:41:22,813 --> 00:41:25,949
every bit as important to us
as the greater universe.
795
00:41:27,251 --> 00:41:29,552
It's so easy, especially
right now in history,
796
00:41:29,653 --> 00:41:31,754
to hear the word virus
and think about how harmful they
797
00:41:31,856 --> 00:41:33,156
are, how dangerous they are.
798
00:41:33,257 --> 00:41:35,692
But remember that you are
actually a creature built
799
00:41:35,793 --> 00:41:37,126
of viruses yourself.
800
00:41:37,228 --> 00:41:40,597
As far as we know, we've never
been without the microcosmos.
801
00:41:40,698 --> 00:41:42,332
Microbes were here before us.
802
00:41:42,433 --> 00:41:46,402
They'll probably be here after
us, and we need them to live.
803
00:41:47,905 --> 00:41:50,807
BYWATERS: The microcosmos...
It's absolutely essential.
804
00:41:50,908 --> 00:41:52,909
We couldn't function.
We wouldn't survive.
805
00:41:53,010 --> 00:41:55,512
We wouldn't be here without it.
806
00:41:55,613 --> 00:41:58,181
But it's also our greatest ally,
807
00:41:58,282 --> 00:42:00,783
and it's also
our greatest enemy.
65294
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