Life from Above

NARRATOR: FROM HIGH IN SPACE, WE CAN SEE THE FAMILIAR SHAPES OF COUNTRIES AND CONTINENTS.

BUT LOOK CLOSER, AND OUR PLANET BECOMES A PATCHWORK OF EXTRAORDINARY PATTERNS AND SHAPES.

SOME HAVE BEEN CARVED INTO THE EARTH BY POWERFUL NATURAL FORCES, SCULPTED BY WEATHER AND GEOLOGY.

OTHER PATTERNS ARE BEING CREATED EVERY DAY BY REMARKABLE ANIMALS AS THEY BUILD THEIR HOMES AND FIND FOOD.

AND NOW WE ARE ADDING SHAPES OF OUR VERY OWN.

BEHIND EVERY PATTERN, THERE'S A STORY.

SATELLITES ORBITING THE EARTH CAN NOW LOOK DOWN AT OUR HOME IN EXTRAORDINARY DETAIL.

THIS NEW PERSPECTIVE IS TRANSFORMING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURAL WORLD.

AT A TIME WHEN EARTH'S SURFACE IS CHANGING FASTER THAN AT ANY POINT IN HUMAN HISTORY, THESE CAMERAS ARE REVEALING OUR PLANET IN A WHOLE NEW WAY.

[STUDENTS CHANTING] NARRATOR: THIS IS OUR HOME AS WE'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE.

NARRATOR: FROM ABOVE, EARTH'S SURFACE IS COVERED IN ASTONISHING SHAPES... AND INTRICATE PATTERNS...

SOME SPANNING HUNDREDS OF MILES...

CAUSED BY POWERFUL GEOLOGICAL SHIFTS...

WHILE OTHERS ARE FLEETING-- THE RESULT OF THE CHANGING SEASONS.

IN A FEW SPECIAL PLACES, THERE ARE EVEN SHAPES THAT HAVE BEEN CREATED BY ANIMALS.

THE CONGO JUNGLE IN CENTRAL AFRICA.

AT FIRST, IT APPEARS AS LITTLE MORE THAN A BLANKET OF GREEN.

BUT LOOK DOWN ON ONE REMOTE CORNER... AND THERE'S A TEAR IN THE FOREST CANOPY... A CLEARING... WITH DOZENS OF TRAILS LEADING IN FROM THE SURROUNDING FOREST.

THIS SHAPE WAS CREATED BY THE CONGO'S MIGHTIEST RESIDENTS.

THEY SPEND MOST OF THEIR LIVES HIDDEN IN THE THICK JUNGLE...

BUT TRAVEL HUNDREDS OF MILES TO GATHER HERE.

[ELEPHANTS TRUMPETING] FOREST ELEPHANTS.

LOCALS CALL THIS PLACE DZANGA BAI...

THE VILLAGE OF ELEPHANTS.

FOREST ELEPHANTS SPEND MOST OF THEIR LIVES IN SMALL FAMILY GROUPS.

BUT EVERY DAY, UP TO 150 INDIVIDUALS ARE DRAWN TOGETHER IN THIS CLEARING.

THEIR DIET OF TOUGH LEAVES AND JUNGLE FRUIT IS LACKING IN VITAL MINERALS AND SALTS.

TO KEEP THEMSELVES HEALTHY, GENERATIONS OF ELEPHANTS HAVE COME TO THIS ONE SPOT IN THE FOREST... WHERE A QUIRK OF GEOLOGY MEANS RICH MINERAL DEPOSITS LIE CLOSE TO THE SURFACE.

USING THEIR TUSKS TO DIG AT THE SOIL AND THEIR TRUNKS TO BLOW INTO THE WATER...

THE ELEPHANTS HERE HAVE EXCAVATED A NETWORK OF BORE-HOLES...

ALLOWING THEM TO EXTRACT MINERALS FROM UNDERGROUND.

OVER HUNDREDS OF YEARS, THE CONSTANT DIGGING AND MOVEMENT OF ELEPHANTS HERE HAS MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR PLANTS TO TAKE ROOT...

CAUSING THE CLEARING TO GROW.

IT'S NOW MORE THAN 1,500 FEET LONG... MAKING IT CLEARLY VISIBLE FROM SPACE.

FOR A YOUNG FOREST ELEPHANT, A FIRST VISIT TO THE CLEARING IS FULL OF NEW EXPERIENCES.

WHILE THE ADULTS EFFORTLESSLY DRINK... SHE'S STILL LEARNING TO USE HER TRUNK.

INFANTS SPEND UP TO FOUR YEARS BEING RAISED BY THEIR MOTHERS.

AND LEARNING HOW TO DRINK FROM THESE WELLS IS A VITAL LIFE LESSON.

FOR A YOUNGSTER WHO SPENDS MOST OF HER TIME WITH MOM... [ELEPHANTS TRUMPETING] THIS GATHERING PROVIDES A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO SOCIALIZE.

SHE MAY NEVER HAVE MET AN ELEPHANT HER OWN AGE BEFORE.

RELATIONSHIPS FORMED AT THIS YOUNG AGE MAY LAST A LIFETIME.

BUT WHILE THEY PLAY, MOTHER MUST KEEP A CLOSE WATCH.

MALE FOREST ELEPHANTS ARE ALSO DRAWN HERE.

THIS MASS GATHERING IS THE IDEAL PLACE TO SEARCH FOR FERTILE FEMALES.

TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR SIZE AND STRENGTH... BULL ELEPHANTS CHARGE AROUND THE CLEARING.

IF MORE THAN ONE MALE APPEARS, TENSIONS RUN HIGH, AND FIGHTS CAN EASILY BREAK OUT.

CHARGED WITH TESTOSTERONE, THEY LET NOTHING GET IN THEIR WAY.

YOUNG FOREST ELEPHANTS HAVE BEEN KILLED HERE BY CHARGING MALES.

MOM DECIDES IT'S BEST TO HEAD BACK TO THE SAFETY OF THE FOREST.

HER BABY SHOULD BE ABLE TO RETURN TO THE CLEARING THROUGHOUT ITS LIFETIME.

BUT FOREST ELEPHANTS FACE AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE.

IN THE LAST 20 YEARS, MORE THAN HALF OF ALL THE FOREST ELEPHANTS IN THE WORLD HAVE BEEN KILLED BY POACHERS FOR THEIR IVORY.

BUT CAMERAS IN SPACE MAY BE ABLE TO HELP.

USING SATELLITE IMAGES, SCIENTISTS CAN NOW IDENTIFY OTHER CLEARINGS USED BY FOREST ELEPHANTS SO THEY CAN BE PROTECTED BEFORE POACHERS ARRIVE.

BUT YOU DON'T NEED TO BE AS BIG AS AN ELEPHANT TO MAKE A PATTERN VISIBLE FROM SPACE.

AROUND THE WORLD, TROPICAL COASTLINES ARE FRINGED WITH CORAL REEFS.

AT FIRST GLANCE THEIR PATTERNS APPEAR TO BE RANDOM.

BUT A CLOSER LOOK REVEALS MORE ORDERED, CIRCULAR SHAPES-- PALE RINGS SURROUNDING PATCHES OF DARK CORAL.

THESE PATTERNS WERE FIRST SPOTTED IN THE CARIBBEAN DURING THE 1960S.

BUT USING SATELLITE IMAGES, SCIENTISTS HAVE NOW FOUND THEM ON CORAL REEFS AROUND THE WORLD.

UNDERSTANDING HOW THEY ARE FORMED OFFERS AN INSIGHT INTO THE HEALTH OF OUR OCEANS... AND THE ANIMALS THAT CALL THEM HOME.

FOR FISH THAT LIVE ON CORAL REEFS, THERE ARE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES FOR FINDING FOOD.

SOME STAY CLOSE TO THE REEF, FEEDING FROM THE CORAL ITSELF.

OTHERS VENTURE OUT TO FEED ON THE SURROUNDING SEABED.

BUT FEEDING IN THE OPEN CAN BE DANGEROUS.

PREDATORS LIKE CORAL GROUPERS AND SHARKS PATROL THE REEF PERIMETER...

SO SMALL FISH ONLY FEED AS FAR FROM THE CORAL AS IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY...

STAYING WITHIN EASY REACH OF SAFETY.

OVER TIME, THE SEABED CLOSEST TO THE CORAL IS STRIPPED OF FOOD...

CREATING RINGS OF BARE SAND THAT SCIENTISTS CALL GRAZING HALOS.

THE VIEW OF THESE HALOS FROM SPACE SHOWS THAT LIFE ON THE REEF IS IN BALANCE.

BUT WHERE THEY DISAPPEAR, IT COULD BE A SIGN THAT MARINE LIFE IS IN TROUBLE.

THE PATTERNS MADE BY WILDLIFE GIVE SCIENTISTS A POWERFUL NEW WAY TO MONITOR ANIMAL POPULATIONS.

IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA, THE OUTBACK IS SPECKLED WITH MYSTERIOUS LIGHT PATCHES... INTERLINKED WITH NARROW TRAILS... [FLIES BUZZING] THE WORK OF AN UNLIKELY ARCHITECT.

BUT EVEN FOR THE MOST INDUSTRIOUS OF CREATURES, THE HOTTEST PART OF THE DAY IS STRICTLY RESERVED FOR SLEEPING.

HE'S A SOUTHERN HAIRY-NOSED WOMBAT-- A MARSUPIAL FOUND ONLY IN THIS PART OF AUSTRALIA.

EXPOSING THE THINNER FUR OF HIS BELLY HELPS TO KEEP HIM COOL... AS HE WAITS FOR THE WORST OF THE HEAT TO PASS.

THEN THERE'S WORK TO BE DONE.

IT'S SPRINGTIME.

AND WITH EACH PASSING DAY, TEMPERATURES ARE STEADILY RISING.

IN JUST A FEW WEEKS, IT'LL BE CLOSE TO 120 DEGREES.

FOR A WOMBAT WRAPPED IN A THICK FUR COAT, THE COMING HEAT COULD BE DEADLY.

BUT HE HAS A SOLUTION.

WITH SHARP CLAWS AND SHORT, POWERFUL LIMBS, HE'S BUILT FOR DIGGING.

IT'S MUCH COOLER BELOW GROUND-- A HIDING PLACE FROM THE WORST OF THE SUMMER SUN.

BUT HIGH TEMPERATURES AREN'T THE ONLY THREAT WOMBATS FACE.

HABITAT LOSS AND THE IMPACT OF INVASIVE SPECIES CAUSED WOMBAT NUMBERS TO PLUMMET IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY.

BUT BY USING SATELLITE IMAGES TO COUNT THEIR BURROWS... SCIENTISTS NOW BELIEVE THEY'RE BOUNCING BACK... WITH AROUND ONE MILLION SOUTHERN HAIRY-NOSED WOMBATS IN THIS CORNER OF SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA.

A FEW EXTRAORDINARY SPECIES ARE CAPABLE OF MAKING SHAPES THAT CAN BE SEEN FROM SPACE, BUT THESE ARE DWARFED BY MUCH LARGER PATTERNS.

LONG BEFORE ANIMALS APPEARED, POWERFUL NATURAL FORCES WERE SHAPING THE SURFACE OF OUR PLANET.

AND THEY'RE STILL ACTIVE TODAY...

CREATING SOME OF EARTH'S MOST ICONIC LANDSCAPES.

IN THE NAMIB DESERT, THE WIND HAS BLOWN SAND INTO A MESMERIZING FIELD OF DUNES, COVERING 30,000 SQUARE MILES...

WHILE IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, TECTONIC FORCES HAVE DRIVEN UP FROZEN PEAKS 14,000 FEET INTO THE AIR.

IN NORTHEAST BRAZIL, AN UNEXPECTED PATTERN REACHES IN FROM THE COAST.

TROPICAL VEGETATION IS BEING SWALLOWED UP BY SAND...

WASHED UP BY THE OCEAN AND BLOWN INLAND OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

KNOWN AS THE LENCOIS MARANHENSES, THIS FIELD OF SAND DUNES NOW COVERS 500 SQUARE MILES.

THE SURFACE OF THE SAND CAN REACH 170 DEGREES.

TO SURVIVE HERE, YOU HAVE TO BE MADE FROM TOUGH STUFF.

A PANINGA TURTLE.

SHE'S LEFT THE SURROUNDING FOREST BEHIND... AND IS MAKING HER WAY INTO THE HEART OF THIS DESERT.

SHE'LL WALK FOR DAYS BENEATH THE BURNING SUN... EACH STEP ON THE SOFT SAND SAPPING AWAY HER PRECIOUS ENERGY.

WITHOUT FOOD AND WATER, SHE WON'T SURVIVE FOR LONG.

BUT SHE'S MAKING THIS JOURNEY FOR A REASON.

[THUNDER] IT'S JANUARY.

THE WET SEASON HAS ARRIVED.

AND IN THESE DUNES, THE RAIN CHANGES EVERYTHING.

ONLY FROM SPACE CAN WE SEE THE SCALE OF THE TRANSFORMATION.

ONCE A YEAR, THE DESERT IS FLOODED.

AS RAINWATER GATHERS BETWEEN THE DUNES, FORMING THOUSANDS OF FRESHWATER LAGOONS... JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE, A LAYER OF SOLID ROCK STOPS RAINWATER FROM ESCAPING...

CREATING A LANDSCAPE LIKE NOWHERE ELSE ON EARTH.

AND THAT'S JUST WHAT SHE CAME FOR.

FISH HAVE MADE THEIR WAY INTO THE LAGOON SYSTEM FROM SURROUNDING RIVERS.

THEY'LL PROVIDE ENOUGH FOOD TO KEEP HER FED FOR WEEKS.

BUT THE WATER WON'T LAST FOREVER.

IN THE TROPICAL SUN, THESE SHALLOW POOLS WILL SOON EVAPORATE.

SO DOZENS OF DESERT SPECIES RACE TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE LIFE-GIVING WATER.

BEFORE THE RAINS EASE, THE LAGOONS DISAPPEAR AND SAND ONCE AGAIN RECLAIMS THIS CORNER OF BRAZIL.

[WIND BLOWING] THE PASSING SEASONS ARE A POWERFUL NATURAL FORCE...

CAUSING THE PATTERNS OF EARTH'S SURFACE TO CHANGE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

AND AS THEY CHANGE, THEY CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WILDLIFE.

IN CENTRAL ASIA, THE SHAPES OF SNOWCAPPED MOUNTAINS STRETCH FROM PAKISTAN TO CHINA.

THE HIMALAYA.

WHEN WINTER ARRIVES, THE HENGDUAN RANGE IN THE EAST OF THE HIMALAYA BECOMES LOCKED IN ICE.

MOST ANIMALS HAVE LEFT THESE MOUNTAINS, CHOOSING LOWER VALLEYS TO ESCAPE THE EXTREME COLD...

BUT NOT ALL.

LIVING 13,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL, BLACK SNUB-NOSED MONKEYS.

WITH DENSE SIX-INCH-LONG FUR AND NO NOSE TO GET FROSTBITTEN, THEY'RE WELL-ADAPTED TO THE COLD.

BUT IN WINTER, FOOD IS LIMITED TO HANDFULS OF DRY LICHEN.

IT'S NOT MUCH, BUT IT WILL KEEP THEM ALIVE.

THESE MONKEYS ENDURE WINTER ON THESE PEAKS FOR A GOOD REASON, WHICH BECOMES CLEAR WHEN YOU LOOK DOWN FROM SPACE.

MOST OF THE HIMALAYA RUN WEST TO EAST, FORMING A BARRIER TO TROPICAL AIR MOVING NORTH, BUT THE VALLEYS OF THE HENGDUANS RUN NORTH TO SOUTH...

ALLOWING WARM, MOIST AIR TO FUNNEL UP THE DEEP VALLEYS.

BY COMBINING SATELLITE IMAGES... WE CAN SEE THE PATTERN OF THE MOUNTAINS TRANSFORM AS SPRING ARRIVES.

THE TROPICAL AIR INCREASES PLANT GROWTH...

BRINGING LIFE BACK TO THE VALLEYS.

AMONGST THE LUSH GREEN, BURSTS OF COLOR.

[BIRD CALLING] RHODODENDRONS BLOOM IN THEIR THOUSANDS.

BY TOUGHING IT OUT UP HERE THROUGH THE WINTER...

THE MONKEYS ARE FIRST ON THE SCENE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BOUNTY OF FOOD.

SWEET RHODODENDRON NECTAR IS A REAL TREAT.

FOR MONKEY FAMILIES, THE INCREASE IN FOOD MAKES THIS THE PERFECT TIME FOR A NEW ARRIVAL.

EVERY YEAR OF THIS YOUNGSTER'S LIFE WILL BE GOVERNED BY THE CHANGING SEASONS... AND THE SHAPE OF HER MOUNTAIN HOME.

MOUNTAIN SUMMERS MAY BE SHORT, BUT THEY TRIGGER ANOTHER NATURAL FORCE THAT CREATES SOME OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY PATTERNS ON THE PLANET.

AROUND THE WORLD, THE SUN'S WARMTH MELTS MOUNTAIN SNOW.

FROM SPACE, THE RESULTING WATER CAN BE SEEN FLOWING OUT FROM EARTH'S GREAT MOUNTAIN RANGES.

AT THE FOOT OF THE ANDES, MULTIPLE STREAMS COMBINE TO FORM THE HEADWATERS OF THE MIGHTY AMAZON RIVER.

AS THEY WORK THEIR WAY INTO THE JUNGLE, THESE AMAZON TRIBUTARIES ARE SURROUNDED BY STRANGE ARCS AND HORSESHOE SHAPES.

SATELLITE IMAGES TAKEN OVER 30 YEARS REVEAL JUST HOW THIS PATTERN WAS FORMED.

RAINFOREST RIVERS ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGING COURSE...

THE FORCE OF THEIR WATER CARVING NEW ROUTES THROUGH THE SOFT JUNGLE SOIL.

OVER TIME, ENTIRE SECTIONS ARE CUT OFF... AND LEFT BEHIND...

CREATING ISOLATED OXBOW LAKES... LIKE EL DORADO IN NORTHERN PERU... A HAVEN FOR WILDLIFE... AND MUCH LOVED BY THE LOCAL HUMAN POPULATION.

[CONVERSATION IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE] NARRATOR: ELVIRA REATEGUI IS NINE YEARS OLD.

SHE AND HER FRIENDS LIVE IN A SMALL VILLAGE CLOSE TO THE OXBOW LAKE.

THEY'RE FASCINATED BY ANIMALS.

AND THEIR FAVORITE IS THE AMAZONIAN MANATEE.

MANATEES LIVE THEIR ENTIRE LIVES HIDDEN IN THE MURKY WATER OF JUNGLE RIVERS...

SURFACING ONLY BRIEFLY TO TAKE A BREATH OR FEED ON FLOATING PLANTS.

BUT THEIR SEDENTARY PACE MAKES THEM AN EASY TARGET FOR HUNTERS.

AND THEIR NUMBERS ARE DECLINING IN MANY PARTS OF THE AMAZON.

ELVIRA HAS NEVER LAID EYES ON ONE OF THESE ELUSIVE CREATURES...

GIRL: VAMOS, CHICAS.

NARRATOR: BUT THAT'S ALL ABOUT TO CHANGE.

[LAUGHTER] THE OXBOW LAKE HAS ALL THE BENEFITS OF A RIVER...

BUT ITS ISOLATION MAKES IT A SAFE HAVEN...

PERFECT FOR MANATEES IN NEED OF A SECOND CHANCE.

NARRATOR: FOR ELVIRA, IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO FINALLY COME FACE TO FACE WITH HER FAVORITE ANIMAL.

NARRATOR: THIS MANATEE IS ONE OF A LUCKY FEW.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER] WOMAN: READY?

NARRATOR: THEY WERE RESCUED FROM ILLEGAL CAPTIVITY AND REHABILITATED BY AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM OF EXPERTS.

THEY'RE NOW FIT AND WELL ENOUGH TO BE RELEASED.

A RADIO TAG WILL ALLOW THEIR PROGRESS TO BE MONITORED... ELVIRA: WOW!

[APPLAUSE] NARRATOR: AS THEY START THEIR NEW LIFE IN THE SAFETY OF THE OXBOW LAKE.

NARRATOR: FROM ABOVE, EARTH'S GREATEST NATURAL FORCES AND SOME REMARKABLE SPECIES OF ANIMALS SHAPE THE LANDSCAPE, CREATING PATTERNS THAT HAVE EVOLVED OVER MILLENNIA OR THAT COME AND GO WITH THE SEASONS.

BUT SOME PATTERNS ARE MORE UNEXPECTED AND HAVE LED TO NEW SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES.

IN A REMOTE PART OF CANADA... A STRANGE ARCED SHAPE... HALF A MILE LONG IN THE MIDDLE OF A FOREST.

THIS IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST BEAVER DAM, BUILT BY MULTIPLE GENERATIONS OF BEAVERS OVER MORE THAN 30 YEARS.

NO ONE KNEW THAT THE SPECIES WAS CAPABLE OF CONSTRUCTION ON SUCH A SCALE.

AND IN MOZAMBIQUE, AFRICA, SCIENTISTS, SCANNING THROUGH SATELLITE IMAGES, FOUND A LOST WORLD... AN ISOLATED RAINFOREST ON TOP OF CLIFFS 2,000 FEET HIGH...

COMPLETELY UNTOUCHED AND UNEXPLORED.

EXPEDITIONS HAVE NOW BEEN LAUNCHED IN THE HOPE OF DISCOVERING ENTIRELY NEW SPECIES.

BUT OTHER IMAGES ARE HARDER TO EXPLAIN.

IN RUSSIA, LAKE BAIKAL STRETCHES ALMOST 400 MILES ACROSS SIBERIA, THE LARGEST BODY OF FRESHWATER ON THE PLANET.

ITS SURFACE IS FROZEN SOLID FOR 5 MONTHS OF THE YEAR... MILE UPON MILE OF ICY WILDERNESS.

BUT SATELLITE IMAGES HAVE REVEALED SOMETHING UNEXPECTED IN THE ICE... A HUGE DARK RING SO BIG, IT CAN ONLY BE SEEN FROM SPACE.

BROKEN ICE AND MELTWATER IN A CIRCLE NEARLY THREE MILES WIDE.

ONE OR TWO OF THESE RINGS APPEAR ALMOST EVERY YEAR... AND IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE LAKE... EACH ONE TRIGGERING VAST AREAS OF ICE TO BREAK APART... EXPOSING OPEN WATER.

IT'S A POTENTIAL DISASTER FOR AN ANIMAL WHO DEPENDS ON THE ICE.

THE BAIKAL SEAL.

THIS PUP WAS BORN IN THE DEPTHS OF WINTER AND SPENT THE FIRST WEEKS OF HER LIFE IN AND AROUND AN ICY DEN.

IN THE SPRING, THE ICE AROUND HER WILL MELT AWAY COMPLETELY.

SHE HAS JUST 2 MONTHS TO PREPARE FOR LIFE IN THE WATER.

MOVING AROUND ON THE FROZEN LAKE HELPS SEAL PUPS TO SHED THEIR SOFT BABY COAT.

WITH CLAWS LIKE ICE PICKS, PUPS HAUL THEMSELVES ACROSS THE FROZEN SURFACE.

SHE'S DEVELOPING THE MUSCLES NEEDED TO SWIM AND TO HUNT.

EACH DAY SHE GROWS STRONGER, BUT SHE MAY BE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

WITHOUT HER ADULT COAT OR FULL SWIMMING STRENGTH IF AN ICE RING APPEARS, SHE COULD BECOME STRANDED ON AN ICE FLOE... OR DROWN IN THE OPEN WATER.

THESE RINGS OF MELTING ICE INTRIGUED SCIENTISTS WHEN THEY WERE FIRST SPOTTED.

THEY STARTED TO LOOK FOR ANSWERS.

BY STUDYING SATELLITE IMAGES AND TAKING MEASUREMENTS FROM BENEATH THE ICE, EVENTUALLY THEIR TRUE CAUSE WAS UNCOVERED.

EACH YEAR, POWERFUL WARM WATER CURRENTS RISE UP FROM THE DEPTHS OF LAKE BAIKAL... [CREAKING] CAUSING WARMER WATER TO SWIRL IN CIRCLES BENEATH THE ICE...

WEARING AWAY AT THE FROZEN SURFACE UNTIL IT BEGINS TO CRACK AND BREAK APART TO FORM A RING.

FOR NOW, THE ICE UNDER THE PUPS' DEN HAS HELD SOLID.

SHE HAS TIME TO PREPARE... FOR A LIFE IN THE DEEPEST LAKE IN THE WORLD.

NATURAL FORCES HAVE CREATED PATTERNS ON EARTH'S SURFACE SINCE ITS VERY BEGINNING.

AS LIFE EVOLVED, IT, TOO, BEGAN TO LEAVE ITS MARK.

AND 10,000 YEARS AGO, NEW SHAPES BEGAN TO APPEAR.

AS HUMANS SPREAD ACROSS THE PLANET, WE HAVE CREATED SHAPES AND PATTERNS OF OUR VERY OWN.

IN STARK CONTRAST TO NATURE'S CHAOTIC CURVES, OUR PATTERNS ARE ORDERED...

DESIGNED WITH GREAT PRECISION... TO HELP US FEED OURSELVES.

AT FIRST, THE SHAPES OF OUR FARMING COULD ONLY BE FOUND WHERE THERE WAS ENOUGH WATER.

BUT NOW, EVEN IN THE DRIEST DESERT, CROPS CAN BE GROWN.

AND ONE SHAPE HAS COME TO DOMINATE-- CIRCLES.

BY USING ROTATING SPRINKLERS, FARMERS CAN WATER A CIRCULAR FIELD MORE EASILY THAN ANY OTHER SHAPE.

IN THE MIDWEST, THESE IRRIGATION CIRCLES STRETCH FOR HUNDREDS OF MILES.

INTENSIVE FARMING LIKE THIS CAN FORCE OUT WILDLIFE.

BUT NO MATTER HOW TIGHTLY CIRCLES ARE PACKED TOGETHER, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE GAPS BETWEEN THEM.

IN MISSOURI, FARMERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO KEEP THESE SPACES WILD, CREATING POCKETS OF HABITAT FOR ANIMALS... LIKE THE BOBWHITE QUAIL.

ON THE EDGE OF THIS CIRCLE, JUST ENOUGH SPACE HAS BEEN LEFT FOR QUAIL TO RAISE THEIR CHICKS.

WITH HUNGRY NEW MOUTHS TO FEED, FAMILIES ARE ALWAYS ON THE MOVE IN SEARCH OF FOOD.

YOUNG CHICKS ARE INQUISITIVE, EAGER TO EXPLORE THEIR NEW WORLD.

BUT IN THE THICK UNDERGROWTH, PARENTS CAN FIND IT DIFFICULT TO KEEP AN EYE ON ALL OF THEIR YOUNGSTERS.

AN ADVENTUROUS CHICK CAN EASILY BECOME LOST.

[CHIRPING] AND THERE ARE OTHERS HERE LOOKING FOR A MEAL.

KESTRELS HAVE THEIR OWN YOUNG TO FEED, AND A QUAIL CHICK MAKES AN EASY MEAL.

WITH A PARENT TO GUIDE THEM, MOST CHICKS FIND SAFETY TOGETHER.

MOTHERS KNOW THAT THE BEST THING TO DO IS HUNKER DOWN AND STAY STILL.

BUT A LONE CHICK'S INSTINCT IS TO KEEP RUNNING.

SHE'S INSIDE THE CIRCLE OF CROPS.

FOR A QUAIL CHICK, THIS IS AN ALIEN WORLD-- ROW AFTER ROW OF SOYBEANS...

ARRANGED IN A CIRCLE HALF A MILE WIDE.

THERE'S NOTHING SHE CAN EAT.

AND IN THE HEIGHT OF SUMMER, NOTHING TO DRINK.

THE DRY CONDITIONS ARE BAD FOR THE CROPS, TOO.

BUT HERE IN MISSOURI, THEY HAVE A SOLUTION FOR THAT.

[POWERING UP] MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER PUMPED FROM DEEP UNDERGROUND AND PIPED ALONG A ROTATING ARM A QUARTER OF A MILE LONG-- A LIFE-SAVER FOR THE CROPS BUT POTENTIALLY DEADLY FOR A QUAIL CHICK.

LIFE BESIDE INDUSTRIAL FARMING COMES WITH DANGERS...

BUT EACH SMALL PATCH OF WILD HABITAT IS AN IMPORTANT OASIS FOR ANIMALS.

HUMAN AGRICULTURE NOW COVERS MORE THAN 1/3 OF THE EARTH'S LAND SURFACE.

ADD TO THAT THE SPACE TAKEN UP BY OUR HOMES AND OUR INDUSTRY... AND HUMANITY'S IMPACT CAN NOW BE SEEN ON MORE THAN HALF OF THE PLANET'S LAND.

THE SHAPES AND PATTERNS OF EARTH HAVE CHANGED OVER BILLIONS OF YEARS.

AT FIRST, NATURAL FORCES SHAPED ITS SURFACE...

BUT AS LIFE HAS EVOLVED, THESE PATTERNS HAVE BECOME MORE DIVERSE AND COMPLEX.

AND NOW, IT'S UNDOUBTEDLY US WHO WILL DECIDE WHAT OUR HOME WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE.

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