1 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:08,400 [calm music playing] 2 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,600 [Freeman] Every year for just a few short months… 3 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:19,160 [birds squawking] 4 00:00:19,240 --> 00:00:23,160 …fresh water flows into the Okavango Delta… 5 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:29,280 creating the perfect home… 6 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:33,480 for a small family of elephants… 7 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:42,280 and a playground for their two young calves… 8 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:45,600 Bosigo… 9 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:47,600 [calf whines] 10 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:50,760 …and her baby cousin, Metsi. 11 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:51,920 [whining continues] 12 00:00:58,040 --> 00:00:59,360 [elephant trumpeting] 13 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,680 [Freeman] Bosigo and Metsi are only just beginning 14 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:05,400 their love affair with water. 15 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:07,520 [calm music swells] 16 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:10,320 But from now on, 17 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:13,720 their lives will be defined by it. 18 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:15,880 [whooshing, crackling] 19 00:01:15,960 --> 00:01:19,000 This one precious molecule… 20 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:21,320 [intense music playing] 21 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:22,720 …delivered to Earth… 22 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:25,320 [exploding] 23 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:29,640 …by the astonishing forces at work in our universe. 24 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:32,600 [rumbling] 25 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:38,560 It has transformed this planet… 26 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:39,960 [whooshing] 27 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:42,920 …into a haven… 28 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:43,880 [sizzling] 29 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:49,560 …for life. 30 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,280 [dramatic music playing] 31 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:14,280 [tense music playing] 32 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:27,720 Summer has arrived. 33 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:34,200 And what was paradise is no more. 34 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:39,840 The fresh water that flooded the delta… 35 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:44,760 only stays for a few months. 36 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:48,800 And water holes are now vanishing. 37 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:50,440 [crackling] 38 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:51,360 Fast. 39 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:00,320 This means only one thing 40 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,640 for the thousands of elephants who've been living here. 41 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:04,800 [elephant trumpeting] 42 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:08,080 It's time to move on. 43 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:10,520 [pensive music playing] 44 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:12,280 [elephant grumbling] 45 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:18,480 [elephant trumpeting] 46 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:26,120 This has been the only home Metsi and Bosigo have ever known. 47 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:27,200 [Metsi whines] 48 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,200 But in a few weeks, all the water will be gone. 49 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:33,400 [Metsi grunts] 50 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:40,000 So they must leave the delta with the rest of their family. 51 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:43,120 A herd of females, 52 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:46,200 sisters, aunts, and cousins, 53 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:49,680 led by their grandmother, 54 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:53,520 the great matriarch, Pula. 55 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,400 [pensive music continues] 56 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:02,440 They're embarking on a journey along with thousands of other families… 57 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:06,400 out into the desert… 58 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:11,600 in search of water. 59 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:15,280 [whooshing] 60 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:17,840 [intriguing music playing] 61 00:04:18,840 --> 00:04:20,480 For the next eight months, 62 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:24,840 they will migrate from water hole to water hole… 63 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:30,160 and navigate ancient elephant trails… 64 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:31,120 [elephant growls] 65 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:33,920 …using the matriarch Pula's knowledge, 66 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:37,640 handed down to her through generations. 67 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:40,400 [zebras yelping] 68 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:43,040 The trek will put all their lives at risk. 69 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:45,000 [calf whining] 70 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:48,720 And they'll need every one of their exceptional senses… 71 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,120 -[elephant trumpets] -…to endure the dangers. 72 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:53,080 [solemn music playing] 73 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:58,840 Making this journey is not a choice. 74 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:07,080 Without water, they will die. 75 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:13,880 Even on our blue planet, 76 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:16,960 fresh liquid water is scarce. 77 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:23,400 And if we search beyond the shores of our own planet… 78 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:27,000 it's rarer still. 79 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:32,880 Even the most arid desert on Earth 80 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:38,240 is nothing compared to the rest of our solar system. 81 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:40,760 [pensive music playing] 82 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:44,080 In the cold outer reaches… 83 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:46,360 [whooshing] 84 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:52,720 …the only surface water is ice. 85 00:05:56,880 --> 00:05:59,320 Like Saturn's frozen moons… 86 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:03,280 where fountains of ice 87 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:07,400 shoot kilometers into space. 88 00:06:09,280 --> 00:06:11,520 [whooshing] 89 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:13,440 [ethereal tinkling] 90 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:17,800 Closer to the Sun on Mars, 91 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:21,840 water is stripped away by savage solar winds. 92 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:23,880 [wind gusting] 93 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:29,600 [whooshing] 94 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:32,120 [rumbling] 95 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:34,240 And on Venus, 96 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:36,040 it simply boils away. 97 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,320 There's only one world we know of 98 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:51,800 that has the gift of liquid water on its surface. 99 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:54,480 [majestic music playing] 100 00:06:57,120 --> 00:06:59,280 A pale blue dot. 101 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:02,000 Our home… 102 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:09,960 where right now, 103 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:14,280 water is driving one particular family 104 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:16,840 on a quest for survival. 105 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:18,760 [majestic music crescendos] 106 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:26,840 Just a month after leaving the delta, 107 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:30,720 only a scattering of muddy pools remain. 108 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:34,120 [solemn music playing] 109 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:40,120 And they're getting fewer and farther apart each day. 110 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:48,480 Pula is using her highly tuned memory to lead her family to a water hole. 111 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:52,400 [Pula screeching] 112 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:57,120 She can remember the exact route, 113 00:07:57,880 --> 00:07:59,480 even decades later. 114 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:03,600 [elephant grumbling] 115 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:05,760 It's been a long day's march, 116 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:09,640 and all of them are desperate for a drink. 117 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:11,320 [calf whining] 118 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:13,720 [elephant trumpeting] 119 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:17,920 But so are the other 130,000 elephants 120 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:19,600 that live in Botswana. 121 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:22,000 [playful music playing] 122 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:23,360 [elephant trumpeting] 123 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:25,080 [calf purring] 124 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:29,160 [elephant grumbling] 125 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:34,800 The dry season has drawn herds from far and wide… 126 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:36,520 [elephants roaring, trumpeting] 127 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:42,000 …to this water hole. 128 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:46,920 [calf roars softly] 129 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:56,360 All competing for the same shrinking resource. 130 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:03,520 [elephants breathing heavily] 131 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:07,240 [elephant growling] 132 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:08,840 [trumpets] 133 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:10,880 [calm music playing] 134 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:11,880 [Metsi trumpeting] 135 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:19,240 The adults teach the young ones clever survival tricks, 136 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:23,920 like how to skim a muddy pool to get the freshest water. 137 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:34,000 And how to use some muddy water as refreshing sunscreen. 138 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:40,800 Their wrinkly skin is perfect for trapping water and keeping cool. 139 00:09:48,560 --> 00:09:49,400 [Metsi trumpets] 140 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:53,080 But Metsi and Bosigo are also learning… 141 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:58,440 mud pools aren't just a place to drink. 142 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:01,640 They're water parks too. 143 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:04,600 [calm music continues] 144 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:08,680 [Bosigo purring] 145 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:16,960 With so many thirsty elephants, 146 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:19,720 the water hole has been drained. 147 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:26,080 [elephant moaning] 148 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:28,000 Pula's family must press on… 149 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:37,600 and try to make it to the next water hole before the blazing sun sucks it dry. 150 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:40,640 [solemn music playing] 151 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:44,080 This battle between sun and scorched earth 152 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:47,280 has raged ever since our world was born… 153 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:56,000 when our blue planet was anything but blue. 154 00:10:57,960 --> 00:11:00,280 [tense music playing] 155 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:06,840 Four and a half billion years ago… 156 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,160 Earth was in its infancy. 157 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:18,920 A fireball of molten rock… 158 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:22,400 [rumbling] 159 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:27,360 …destined to become a dry, barren world. 160 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:30,280 [tense music continues] 161 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:34,560 But millions of kilometers out in the coldest reaches 162 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:35,880 of the solar system… 163 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:42,720 water crystals were forming 164 00:11:43,680 --> 00:11:46,760 on the surface of dust particles. 165 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:48,480 [crackling] 166 00:11:48,560 --> 00:11:50,880 [pensive music playing] 167 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:59,760 Over time, these grains of dust clumped together into asteroids. 168 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:03,920 Millions and millions of them. 169 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:09,600 And these became the asteroid belt. 170 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:14,440 A vast expanse of icy rocks. 171 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:21,880 Yet they've laid tantalizingly out of Earth's reach. 172 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:27,680 As luck would have it, however, 173 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:30,160 a giant was on the move. 174 00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:34,080 [tense music playing] 175 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:40,160 Young Jupiter. 176 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:43,120 A monster of a planet. 177 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:50,920 Forces within the turbulent inner solar system 178 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:55,520 were slowly pulling it in toward the Sun. 179 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:03,880 A flight path that brought it into a collision course 180 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:06,440 with the asteroid belt. 181 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:09,480 [crashing] 182 00:13:13,680 --> 00:13:16,080 [tense music continues] 183 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:24,560 As it thundered through the asteroids… 184 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:28,400 [crashing, rumbling] 185 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:30,800 …its massive gravitational force 186 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:34,000 flung rocks in every direction. 187 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:36,800 [tense music continues] 188 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:46,160 And yet, from all this chaos and destruction 189 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:49,040 came the ultimate cosmic gift. 190 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:50,880 [tense music crescendos] 191 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:55,040 [ethereal music playing] 192 00:13:55,120 --> 00:14:00,760 Icy, water-rich rocks were hurled towards the Earth… 193 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:06,280 [elephants trumpeting] 194 00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:11,360 …bringing the promise of life one step closer. 195 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:17,280 Over billions of years, 196 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:21,480 asteroids were woven into the fabric of Earth as it formed. 197 00:14:25,680 --> 00:14:29,240 Caught in the turmoil wrought by Jupiter… 198 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:30,840 [dramatic music playing] 199 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:34,120 …driven deep into the Earth by asteroids, 200 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:39,800 water molecules did not have an easy journey getting here. 201 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:42,680 [exploding] 202 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:45,160 And they still had a long way to go, 203 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:49,320 imprisoned for millions of years, 204 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,640 locked within Earth's molten core… 205 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:57,400 waiting for another miracle… 206 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:01,960 to set them free. 207 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:15,960 Today, much of Earth's water is still trapped underground. 208 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:21,080 [intriguing music playing] 209 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:22,800 [elephants trumpeting] 210 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:28,120 So elephants have evolved special skills 211 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:29,240 to find it. 212 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:31,000 [elephant moaning] 213 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:34,680 [snorting] 214 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:41,960 Even the muddy pools are empty. 215 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:46,120 This dry season has become a full-on drought. 216 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:51,880 But Pula has a superpower. 217 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:53,440 [Pula roaring] 218 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:55,720 Her incredible trunk, 219 00:15:57,240 --> 00:15:59,880 packed with millions of sense receptors… 220 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:04,440 can smell water from kilometers away… 221 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:12,880 and pinpoint its sources deep underground. 222 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:15,680 [Pula snorting] 223 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:25,080 But you have to dig for it. 224 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:26,160 [Pula snorts] 225 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:28,320 [grumbles] 226 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:35,640 Metsi isn't a big digger. 227 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:37,080 [Metsi trumpets] 228 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:43,080 But Bosigo is a natural. 229 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:54,680 And Metsi is offered a seat at the bar. 230 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:02,640 These few sips won't last them long. 231 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:05,240 [mysterious music playing] 232 00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:06,400 [Metsi whining] 233 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:09,880 But if water had stayed trapped in the Earth, 234 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:13,240 there would be none to drink. 235 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:19,680 There would be no elephants. 236 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:25,280 No life at all. 237 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:29,400 [whooshing] 238 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:34,000 [mysterious music continues] 239 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:37,720 [crashing, rumbling] 240 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:41,160 After water was delivered here by asteroids 241 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:43,480 and consumed by the Earth… 242 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:48,280 it was locked into the rock as crystals 243 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:51,800 deep inside the planet. 244 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:54,840 [tense music playing] 245 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:00,160 It stayed buried for millions of years, 246 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:04,360 beneath a vast sea of magma. 247 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:07,280 [crackling] 248 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:12,840 [sizzling] 249 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:17,880 Until slowly but surely, Earth cooled. 250 00:18:21,360 --> 00:18:25,880 And its surface hardened to a thick crust. 251 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:28,520 [whooshing] 252 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:34,240 Then, finally, the boiling interior broke through. 253 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:37,600 [explosion rumbles] 254 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:42,640 [thunder crashing] 255 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:45,600 Enormous volcanoes 256 00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:50,880 blasted gas and vapor kilometers into the sky. 257 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:54,600 [exploding] 258 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:01,520 At last, water molecules… 259 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:02,920 [exploding] 260 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:04,200 …were set free… 261 00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:07,080 [exploding] 262 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:13,800 …and formed the first clouds. 263 00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:16,920 [energetic music playing] 264 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:21,080 Growing and building for millions of years, 265 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:23,400 becoming laden with water… 266 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:25,880 [wind howling] 267 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:27,120 [thunder crashes] 268 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:31,120 …until the temperature dropped just enough… 269 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:34,080 [thunder crashing] 270 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:41,480 …for the very first raindrop… 271 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:44,520 [ethereal tinkling] 272 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:50,560 …to form and fall. 273 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:53,400 [ethereal music playing] 274 00:19:57,320 --> 00:19:59,600 [sizzling] 275 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:03,600 [raindrops pattering, sizzling] 276 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:06,440 [dramatic music playing] 277 00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:11,000 What followed was a deluge… 278 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:18,640 that lasted thousands of years. 279 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:32,080 Puddles turned into rivers. 280 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:41,440 [wind whistling] 281 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:42,720 Lakes… 282 00:20:42,800 --> 00:20:44,320 [thunder rumbles] 283 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:45,760 …became seas. 284 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:49,240 [dramatic music continues] 285 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:57,560 And great oceans flooded Earth's surface. 286 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:20,120 And here, water gave rise to something magical. 287 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:22,680 -[gurgles] -[ethereal tinkling] 288 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:26,840 The first life. 289 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:31,000 [ethereal tinkling continues] 290 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:33,680 From these first cells 291 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:38,040 sprang every living thing. 292 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:43,960 Water is the fundamental ingredient 293 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:48,000 of every cell of every creature on Earth. 294 00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:51,240 [dramatic music continues] 295 00:21:57,360 --> 00:21:58,440 And today… 296 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:06,400 the herd still carries this ancient water within them. 297 00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:07,800 [elephant snorts] 298 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:10,200 [intriguing music playing] 299 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:13,480 [elephant grumbles] 300 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:16,480 [ethereal tinkling, whooshing] 301 00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:20,240 It transports nutrients and oxygen. 302 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:22,680 [intriguing music continues] 303 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:24,640 -[whooshing] -[elephant trumpets] 304 00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:27,080 [grumbling] 305 00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:29,400 [whooshing] 306 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:32,000 It powers every heartbeat. 307 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:34,280 [heartbeat thumping] 308 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:37,000 [elephant roars] 309 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:38,840 [whooshing] 310 00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:41,160 And drives every breath. 311 00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:43,000 [breathing heavily] 312 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:49,240 Life evolved because of water, 313 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:54,960 which is why no life can survive without it. 314 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:58,280 [wind gusting] 315 00:22:58,360 --> 00:23:00,760 [solemn music playing] 316 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:05,480 In Botswana, the drought is only getting worse. 317 00:23:06,360 --> 00:23:08,080 [fire crackling] 318 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:13,880 The elephants' world is on fire. 319 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:17,160 [elephant grumbles] 320 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:20,560 [trumpets] 321 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:25,520 The herd manages to escape the burning forest… 322 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:31,320 but walks straight into a new threat. 323 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:32,560 [elephant huffs] 324 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:36,000 [lion growling] 325 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:40,360 In this drought, everyone is suffering… 326 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:41,720 [lion continues growling] 327 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:46,160 …from thirst and hunger. 328 00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:52,520 [elephant grumbling] 329 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:56,960 And for lions, baby elephants would satisfy both. 330 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:02,400 [ominous music playing] 331 00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:06,480 [Metsi trumpeting softly] 332 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:12,640 [lion growls] 333 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:17,320 The adults rally around Metsi and Bosigo. 334 00:24:23,360 --> 00:24:24,640 [lion growling] 335 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:26,960 It's enough to keep the threat at bay. 336 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:29,480 [growling continues] 337 00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:32,880 But lions are patient creatures. 338 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:40,400 And the herd still has to cross an unforgiving wasteland… 339 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:44,280 before the next water hole. 340 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:48,440 [wind gusting] 341 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:50,680 They need a lifeline. 342 00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:52,840 [calm music playing] 343 00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:56,040 And the Earth provides it 344 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:00,120 in the most unexpected of places. 345 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:05,240 [birds chirping] 346 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:08,000 The acacia tree is a beacon of hope. 347 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:16,800 And a haven for creatures of all kinds. 348 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:21,000 [calm music continues] 349 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:28,320 Its long roots reach much deeper underground 350 00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:30,400 than an elephant could ever dig… 351 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:32,680 [crackling softly] 352 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:43,360 …drawing water up to its branches… 353 00:25:47,360 --> 00:25:48,520 and leaves. 354 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:00,920 [elephant trumpeting] 355 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:04,480 It's just enough water to keep them going. 356 00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:08,200 [elephant grumbling] 357 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:10,840 Especially vital for Metsi's mother, 358 00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:14,320 still nursing her baby. 359 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:21,800 But this is so much more than just a local oasis. 360 00:26:25,360 --> 00:26:28,480 It's the vital link in water's eternal cycle. 361 00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:30,520 [elephant grumbling] 362 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:36,800 The acacia tree connects ground and sky… 363 00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:39,520 [whooshing softly] 364 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:41,320 [intriguing music playing] 365 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:46,080 …breathing oxygen and vapor into the air. 366 00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:50,920 [whooshing softly] 367 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:54,920 [thunder crashes] 368 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:56,480 Feeding clouds 369 00:26:56,560 --> 00:26:59,320 and powering water's journey around the planet. 370 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:01,040 [wind gusting] 371 00:27:01,120 --> 00:27:03,480 [ethereal tinkling] 372 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:06,480 [sizzling] 373 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:08,880 Ever since rain 374 00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:12,400 fed the first green shoots… 375 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:18,840 and gave life to the first tree… 376 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:24,040 [birds chirping] 377 00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:27,720 …plants have made our planet habitable… 378 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:31,200 [majestic music playing] 379 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:37,680 …bringing a once barren ball of rock 380 00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:40,280 to life. 381 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:48,760 But the gifts our universe bestows 382 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:52,760 can also be taken away. 383 00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:55,400 [solemn music playing] 384 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:02,760 A long time ago, 385 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:05,680 there was another planet 386 00:28:06,680 --> 00:28:09,480 whose surface was covered in liquid water. 387 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:20,600 A water world just like ours. 388 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:25,040 [solemn music continues] 389 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:28,440 The same forces that delivered water to Earth 390 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:32,000 also gave it to Mars. 391 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:37,440 With an atmosphere in place, 392 00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:38,640 clouds formed, 393 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:41,480 rain fell, 394 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:44,440 rivers flowed. 395 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:47,480 [calm music playing] 396 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:52,160 And an ocean surged across its surface. 397 00:28:57,240 --> 00:28:59,520 It was a world of possibility. 398 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:02,320 It had the potential for life. 399 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:08,080 But it didn't last. 400 00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:19,080 Because not far away was a raging nuclear inferno. 401 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:20,960 [fire roaring] 402 00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:22,040 Our Sun. 403 00:29:24,120 --> 00:29:27,520 It unleashes torrents of high-energy particles 404 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:29,800 so powerful and deadly… 405 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:32,400 [fire continues roaring] 406 00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:34,480 …they can devastate planets. 407 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:38,400 [solemn music playing] 408 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:43,880 [wind gusting] 409 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:47,840 This solar wind streams through space… 410 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:55,640 at 400 kilometers per second. 411 00:29:57,680 --> 00:29:58,880 [whooshing loudly] 412 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:03,160 And it ripped through the Martian atmosphere, 413 00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:06,800 tearing water molecules apart. 414 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:16,520 Bit by bit, 415 00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:18,160 over millions of years, 416 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:24,480 the planet's protective layer was stripped away by the Sun's fury… 417 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:26,680 [solemn music playing] 418 00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:31,640 …until its ocean evaporated… 419 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:41,040 and its water was lost to space. 420 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:46,000 [solemn music continues] 421 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:52,400 Mars became a desolate, frozen shadow 422 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:54,280 of its former self. 423 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:00,480 [thunder crashes] 424 00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:02,680 [wind gusting] 425 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:05,920 Consumed by dust storms. 426 00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:14,480 Any chance of complex life… 427 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:18,280 gone forever. 428 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:22,280 [wind continues gusting] 429 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:29,640 This could have been our story too. 430 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:32,080 [solemn music continues] 431 00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:35,680 [elephant grumbling] 432 00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:38,440 [trumpeting] 433 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:46,640 But somehow, on Earth, 434 00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:51,280 water and life have found a way to cling on. 435 00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:52,600 [elephant moaning] 436 00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:07,960 In Botswana, 437 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:10,640 after 200 days in the burning sun… 438 00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:12,760 [wind gusting] 439 00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:15,000 …there is no water to be found. 440 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:20,240 [solemn music continues] 441 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:23,600 [elephants howling] 442 00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:26,040 Violent winds whip the scorched earth 443 00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:27,600 into a dust bowl. 444 00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:35,520 [wind continues gusting] 445 00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:43,280 [elephant huffs] 446 00:32:45,320 --> 00:32:49,440 And the elephants' struggle hasn't gone unnoticed. 447 00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:52,200 [ominous music playing] 448 00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:06,800 In daylight, adults can usually protect their young. 449 00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:15,720 [elephants moaning] 450 00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:19,800 But when night falls… 451 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:21,080 [sniffing] 452 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:25,400 [elephant grumbles, huffs] 453 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:26,920 …it's a different story. 454 00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:33,560 [lion breathing heavily] 455 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:37,440 [elephants trumpeting] 456 00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:40,400 Lions are masters of chaos and confusion. 457 00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:42,240 [elephant trumpeting] 458 00:33:44,560 --> 00:33:47,200 [elephant roaring] 459 00:33:47,280 --> 00:33:49,760 [trumpeting] 460 00:33:52,280 --> 00:33:53,360 [Bosigo squeals] 461 00:33:53,440 --> 00:33:55,880 They pick the most vulnerable target… 462 00:33:59,080 --> 00:34:00,720 [Bosigo trumpeting] 463 00:34:00,800 --> 00:34:02,120 …working as a pack… 464 00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:05,040 [Bosigo continues trumpeting] 465 00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:10,280 …until there's nowhere left to run. 466 00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:12,480 [Bosigo squealing] 467 00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:14,960 [moans] 468 00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:19,520 [lions growling] 469 00:34:27,240 --> 00:34:29,600 Without the entire herd as protection, 470 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:34,080 the lions overwhelm their prey. 471 00:34:34,160 --> 00:34:36,800 [lions continue growling] 472 00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:40,600 The drought and endless search for food and water 473 00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:44,880 have taken their ultimate toll on Bosigo. 474 00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:49,600 [somber music playing] 475 00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:50,680 [elephant cries out] 476 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:53,680 [grumbles] 477 00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:58,240 Elephants form deep emotional bonds. 478 00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:00,040 [elephant grumbles, huffs] 479 00:35:09,920 --> 00:35:13,080 All the family mourn Bosigo's loss. 480 00:35:14,360 --> 00:35:16,640 [elephant moaning] 481 00:35:23,600 --> 00:35:25,680 [Metsi cries out] 482 00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:28,080 [somber music continues] 483 00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:32,840 The herd gathers to comfort Metsi, 484 00:35:34,680 --> 00:35:36,960 who feels it hardest of all. 485 00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:50,720 The never-ending fight to survive 486 00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:52,480 plays out every year, 487 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:55,720 across the Okavango… 488 00:35:58,000 --> 00:35:59,280 across our planet… 489 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:03,040 and beyond. 490 00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:09,560 But in this battle for survival, 491 00:36:10,440 --> 00:36:12,000 Earth got truly lucky… 492 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:17,440 with a secret guardian that protects it. 493 00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:19,200 [whooshing] 494 00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:25,480 Deep within… 495 00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:27,440 [whooshing continues] 496 00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:32,280 …the planet's raging molten furnace burns 497 00:36:32,920 --> 00:36:33,920 and churns… 498 00:36:34,440 --> 00:36:36,600 [ethereal music playing] 499 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:40,240 …generating a powerful magnetic field 500 00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:44,360 that extends from the heart of the planet… 501 00:36:44,440 --> 00:36:46,080 [ethereal humming] 502 00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:50,680 …65,000 kilometers out towards the Sun. 503 00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:55,880 A vital force field defending Earth… 504 00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:58,240 [fire hissing] 505 00:36:58,320 --> 00:37:01,040 …from the same savage solar winds 506 00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:04,040 that stripped water from Mars. 507 00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:09,160 [ethereal music continues] 508 00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:13,920 Defeating them before they hit our atmosphere. 509 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:28,760 Safeguarding our essential water. 510 00:37:30,520 --> 00:37:34,160 Hugging every drop close to our planet. 511 00:37:34,240 --> 00:37:36,760 [ethereal whooshing] 512 00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:43,960 This is what makes our pale blue dot 513 00:37:44,480 --> 00:37:46,160 unlike anywhere else. 514 00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:52,920 A place where life can thrive. 515 00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:55,480 [majestic music playing] 516 00:37:56,960 --> 00:37:59,080 Bringing relief to the elephants. 517 00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:04,880 Ensuring rains return each year without fail. 518 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:08,320 [thunder crashing] 519 00:38:09,680 --> 00:38:14,000 In the distance, storm clouds are building. 520 00:38:14,080 --> 00:38:15,880 [Metsi grunts, moans] 521 00:38:21,680 --> 00:38:22,600 [moans] 522 00:38:26,600 --> 00:38:29,120 [elephant huffing] 523 00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:33,800 Elephants can detect the low-frequency rumble of thunder 524 00:38:33,880 --> 00:38:36,480 from 240 kilometers away. 525 00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:37,480 [thunder rumbling] 526 00:38:37,560 --> 00:38:38,920 [elephant grumbles] 527 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:40,120 [trumpets] 528 00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:47,880 And it's telling them it's time to return to the Okavango. 529 00:38:48,440 --> 00:38:51,400 [ethereal music playing] 530 00:38:56,600 --> 00:38:58,440 From the highlands of Angola, 531 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:03,080 water is weaving its way through Botswana… 532 00:39:09,280 --> 00:39:10,800 [whooshing] 533 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,280 …to rejuvenate the delta… 534 00:39:22,640 --> 00:39:24,720 with the kiss of life. 535 00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:31,600 [dramatic music playing] 536 00:39:34,480 --> 00:39:37,480 Every step that brings the herd closer to home… 537 00:39:40,760 --> 00:39:45,280 is a continuation of a much larger cosmic odyssey. 538 00:39:51,640 --> 00:39:57,280 From tiny molecules hitching a ride on dust beyond Jupiter… 539 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:05,800 to surviving the crushing heat of early Earth. 540 00:40:05,880 --> 00:40:07,560 [rumbling] 541 00:40:09,280 --> 00:40:12,280 [whooshing] 542 00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:16,160 Imprisoned in the planet's core… 543 00:40:16,240 --> 00:40:18,120 [dramatic music swells] 544 00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:19,880 …then set free… 545 00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:21,160 [thunder crashes] 546 00:40:21,240 --> 00:40:23,080 …to sow the seeds of life… 547 00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:25,440 [elephant moaning] 548 00:40:25,520 --> 00:40:27,280 -[exploding] -[thunder crashes] 549 00:40:27,360 --> 00:40:31,880 …every drop of water has an amazing tale to tell. 550 00:40:34,640 --> 00:40:36,000 Every molecule… 551 00:40:36,080 --> 00:40:39,120 -[water gurgling] -…a link in an unbroken chain… 552 00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:40,360 [elephant trumpets] 553 00:40:40,440 --> 00:40:43,400 …cycling over tens of thousands of years… 554 00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:44,960 [dramatic music continues] 555 00:40:46,480 --> 00:40:47,800 …through air… 556 00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:51,800 oceans… 557 00:40:55,680 --> 00:40:56,560 rocks… 558 00:41:01,880 --> 00:41:03,440 [dramatic music crescendos] 559 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:05,960 …and elephants. 560 00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:08,880 [pensive music playing] 561 00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:16,040 After eight months and hundreds of kilometers, 562 00:41:17,720 --> 00:41:21,520 Metsi and her family have finally reached 563 00:41:21,600 --> 00:41:24,960 the life-giving waters of the delta. 564 00:41:25,040 --> 00:41:27,200 [majestic music playing] 565 00:41:33,280 --> 00:41:34,480 [elephant trumpeting] 566 00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:41,640 It's well past time to drink… 567 00:41:43,880 --> 00:41:45,080 and play. 568 00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:47,360 [elephant trumpets] 569 00:41:47,440 --> 00:41:50,160 And then, drink some more. 570 00:41:50,720 --> 00:41:52,200 [elephant grumbles] 571 00:41:55,240 --> 00:41:58,000 [elephants trumpeting] 572 00:41:59,560 --> 00:42:02,040 And show the newest member of the family… 573 00:42:02,120 --> 00:42:03,800 [elephants continue trumpeting] 574 00:42:06,360 --> 00:42:09,200 …how they do things in the delta. 575 00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:12,280 [elephant trumpets] 576 00:42:15,640 --> 00:42:18,080 [elephant grumbling] 577 00:42:19,480 --> 00:42:22,280 [calm music playing] 578 00:42:22,360 --> 00:42:25,360 Metsi and her new baby cousin 579 00:42:25,440 --> 00:42:28,240 are the latest in a long line 580 00:42:28,320 --> 00:42:31,560 to benefit from water's miraculous arrival 581 00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:33,720 on this planet. 582 00:42:33,800 --> 00:42:34,680 [calf whines] 583 00:42:37,720 --> 00:42:40,240 [calm music continues] 584 00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:46,440 They will forever be connected 585 00:42:46,520 --> 00:42:47,880 to the universe 586 00:42:48,800 --> 00:42:52,280 that gave our planet this magic ingredient 587 00:42:54,040 --> 00:42:59,920 and gave us the ability to preserve and treasure it. 588 00:43:08,440 --> 00:43:10,760 [intense music playing] 589 00:43:10,840 --> 00:43:15,120 Next, the story of our universe concludes… 590 00:43:15,200 --> 00:43:16,200 [rumbling] 591 00:43:16,280 --> 00:43:22,160 …with the force that brings everything we've seen so far together. 592 00:43:23,560 --> 00:43:26,320 The great sculptor of the cosmos, 593 00:43:26,960 --> 00:43:27,800 gravity. 594 00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:32,520 It's a force of attraction that built our planet. 595 00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:33,960 [intense music crescendos] 596 00:43:34,560 --> 00:43:35,480 [penguin squawks] 597 00:43:35,560 --> 00:43:39,160 And we'll bring two penguins together at Earth's southern pole. 598 00:43:39,240 --> 00:43:40,960 [majestic music playing] 599 00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:44,120 But when did gravity start exerting its influence? 600 00:43:45,680 --> 00:43:50,080 How does it create both order and chaos? 601 00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:57,640 And why does it make ours the perfect planet for life… 602 00:43:57,720 --> 00:43:59,840 [chick chirping] 603 00:43:59,920 --> 00:44:00,920 …and love? 604 00:44:01,800 --> 00:44:03,080 [penguin moaning] 605 00:44:06,280 --> 00:44:08,920 [dramatic music playing]