WEBVTT 00:00.533 --> 00:01.901 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% (peaceful music) 00:01.901 --> 00:04.437 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - Welcome to the beautiful island of Kauai. 00:04.437 --> 00:09.509 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% White sand beaches, tropical flowers, magnificent birds. 00:10.610 --> 00:12.045 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% You can't tell me this isn't paradise on Earth. 00:12.045 --> 00:13.580 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% Just look at it. 00:13.580 --> 00:14.414 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% (ominous music) 00:14.414 --> 00:15.715 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% But for over a century, 00:15.715 --> 00:18.151 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% this island has been a battleground, 00:18.151 --> 00:19.686 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% a frontline in the war 00:19.686 --> 00:22.655 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% against the deadliest animal in the world. 00:22.655 --> 00:23.590 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% (mosquitoes buzzing) 00:23.590 --> 00:25.125 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% Mosquitoes. 00:25.125 --> 00:26.393 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% (dramatic music) 00:26.393 --> 00:28.395 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Narrator] DDT is the most powerful of weapons 00:28.395 --> 00:31.064 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% against the mosquitoes that carry malaria. 00:31.064 --> 00:34.768 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - Mosquitoes are killing up to a million people a year. 00:34.768 --> 00:36.403 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - It's a battle we've been losing, 00:36.403 --> 00:39.339 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% but the tide, it may be about to turn. 00:39.339 --> 00:42.075 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% (dramatic music) 00:44.978 --> 00:47.680 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% To understand exactly what's going on, 00:47.680 --> 00:50.984 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% we're joining two scientists who've made it their mission 00:50.984 --> 00:55.121 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% to stop the mosquito from devastating this island ecosystem: 00:55.121 --> 00:57.657 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Cali Crampton and Cynthia King. 00:57.657 --> 00:59.059 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - So down this way maybe. 00:59.059 --> 01:01.194 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We're looking for pools of standing water 01:01.194 --> 01:03.329 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that might have mosquito larvae in them. 01:03.329 --> 01:05.932 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] At an altitude of around 4,000 feet, 01:05.932 --> 01:10.070 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% the Alaka'i Plateau used to be too cold for mosquitoes. 01:10.070 --> 01:13.339 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - This species particularly loves to have water 01:13.339 --> 01:16.042 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% with decomposing plant material in it, 01:16.042 --> 01:17.243 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] But with temperatures rising 01:17.243 --> 01:18.878 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% thanks to climate change, 01:18.878 --> 01:22.348 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% they're slowly making their way into higher altitudes. 01:22.348 --> 01:23.383 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - What's that? - Oh, no, there's one. 01:23.383 --> 01:24.918 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Yeah, we got some. - Yes. 01:24.918 --> 01:27.487 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - I don't usually have to describe what a mosquito is, 01:27.487 --> 01:29.756 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% because almost everybody knows what a mosquito is. 01:29.756 --> 01:33.860 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% It's arguably one of the most hated species in the world. 01:33.860 --> 01:35.462 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - Now, to be fair to mosquitoes, 01:35.462 --> 01:37.464 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% there are thousands of species, 01:37.464 --> 01:40.300 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and only a few bite us humans. 01:40.300 --> 01:43.136 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% But those few can cause a lot of misery, 01:43.136 --> 01:44.637 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% especially when they move to places 01:44.637 --> 01:46.306 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% where they don't normally belong. 01:46.306 --> 01:48.007 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - It's really important to remember 01:48.007 --> 01:50.543 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% mosquitoes are not native to Hawaii. 01:50.543 --> 01:52.045 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - [Baratunde] That's right, 01:52.045 --> 01:55.248 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% these little blood suckers are invasive species. 01:55.248 --> 01:57.450 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% And ever since they made themselves at home 01:57.450 --> 02:01.054 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% in the Hawaiian Islands, they've wreaked some serious havoc. 02:01.855 --> 02:04.791 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% So how did this tiny mosquito 02:04.791 --> 02:07.794 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% journey across vast oceans to get here? 02:07.794 --> 02:10.063 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - All right, let's see if this will work. 02:10.063 --> 02:11.798 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] We asked Matthew Kurano, 02:11.798 --> 02:15.268 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% a public health official who knows his mosquitoes. 02:15.268 --> 02:17.904 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Matthew] Hawaii is very much a paradise, 02:17.904 --> 02:21.141 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and pre Western contact, there was no mosquitoes, 02:21.141 --> 02:22.642 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - [Baratunde] But in the 1800s, 02:22.642 --> 02:26.412 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% the whaling industry brought tons of ships to Hawaii. 02:26.412 --> 02:29.149 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% It just took a few mosquitoes to hitch a ride, 02:29.149 --> 02:30.650 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% and here we are. 02:30.650 --> 02:32.886 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - The mosquitoes established pretty rapidly in Hawaii, 02:32.886 --> 02:35.955 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% particularly because we're a very tropical, beautiful, 02:35.955 --> 02:38.258 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% sadly mosquito-friendly area. 02:39.392 --> 02:41.294 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Once the populations of mosquitoes established, 02:41.294 --> 02:44.330 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% then all it took was people to bring the disease. 02:44.330 --> 02:46.599 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] As if those mosquitoes weren't enough, 02:46.599 --> 02:48.601 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% people also brought pathogens. 02:48.601 --> 02:51.704 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Mosquitoes bit them and then bit other people, 02:51.704 --> 02:55.842 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% a perfect recipe for spreading disease across the islands. 02:55.842 --> 02:57.577 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Mosquitoes are the most deadly animal 02:57.577 --> 02:59.078 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% in the world to humans. 02:59.078 --> 03:01.814 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% One of the most significant risks they pose 03:01.814 --> 03:04.817 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% is as vectors of human diseases. 03:04.817 --> 03:07.587 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Hawaii has had historic outbreaks. 03:07.587 --> 03:09.289 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% One of the more notable ones in history 03:09.289 --> 03:10.990 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% occurred right around 1900, 03:10.990 --> 03:15.295 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and we did have a larger outbreak of dengue. 03:15.295 --> 03:17.363 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Chemical controls are the most common ways 03:17.363 --> 03:20.166 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that humans typically deal with mosquitoes. 03:20.166 --> 03:21.634 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Narrator] The answer to the quest 03:21.634 --> 03:26.239 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% for a poison to eradicate the insects was found in DDT. 03:27.340 --> 03:28.274 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] It's hard to imagine now, 03:28.274 --> 03:29.842 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% but there was a time when DDT 03:29.842 --> 03:33.613 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% was considered a miracle pesticide, and it was everywhere. 03:33.613 --> 03:35.782 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% We considered it a vital weapon 03:35.782 --> 03:37.817 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% in the war against mosquitoes. 03:37.817 --> 03:40.153 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Narrator] If the worker stands to windward, 03:40.153 --> 03:44.357 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% it is not necessary to wear a mask when dispensing DDT dust. 03:44.357 --> 03:45.592 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - Now, I don't know about you, 03:45.592 --> 03:47.493 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% but when there's poison in the air, 03:47.493 --> 03:50.763 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% simply standing upwind isn't gonna cut it for me. 03:50.763 --> 03:53.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Several agricultural chemicals, such as DDT, 03:53.666 --> 03:55.301 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% have been banned from general use 03:55.301 --> 03:58.137 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% because of potential hazards to man and animals. 03:58.137 --> 04:00.673 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] At high doses, the pesticide was linked 04:00.673 --> 04:04.344 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to vomiting, tremors, even seizures. 04:04.344 --> 04:06.012 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Matthew] My parents always talk about 04:06.012 --> 04:10.483 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% that there'd be DDT trucks leaving a cloud, a fog behind it. 04:10.483 --> 04:14.254 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And we don't wanna see children playing in pesticide clouds. 04:14.254 --> 04:15.989 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% I think we can all agree that that 04:15.989 --> 04:18.224 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% is not in the interest of public health. 04:18.224 --> 04:20.994 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - That's all well and good, but without DDT, 04:20.994 --> 04:24.464 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% we've lost our most effective weapon against mosquitoes. 04:24.464 --> 04:26.332 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% We need something new. 04:26.332 --> 04:28.134 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% (record scratching) 04:28.134 --> 04:32.405 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Flash forward to a lab in Lexington, Kentucky. 04:32.405 --> 04:35.275 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% This is medical entomologist Steven Dobson, 04:35.275 --> 04:38.044 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% who's working on a new approach to mosquito control. 04:38.044 --> 04:40.046 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - I like to tell people that we manufacture 04:40.046 --> 04:43.149 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and sell mosquitoes and just see what their reaction is. 04:43.149 --> 04:47.320 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Usually they'll nod, and then you'll see them double take. 04:47.320 --> 04:49.289 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - At first, it doesn't seem like much 04:49.289 --> 04:51.891 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% when you see Stephen dropping by people's backyards, 04:51.891 --> 04:54.761 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% tapping on small cardboard tubes, 04:54.761 --> 04:58.464 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% until you realize that what Steven is really doing 04:58.464 --> 05:01.200 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% is releasing thousands of mosquitoes. 05:01.200 --> 05:02.201 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% (mosquitoes buzzing) 05:02.201 --> 05:03.603 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% Now, I know what you're thinking. 05:03.603 --> 05:04.871 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Why would you do that, 05:04.871 --> 05:07.407 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% release more of these things into the wild? 05:07.407 --> 05:10.543 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% But these are no ordinary mosquitoes. 05:10.543 --> 05:13.012 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% These insects have been deliberately infected 05:13.012 --> 05:16.582 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% with a naturally occurring bacteria called wolbachia. 05:19.419 --> 05:20.687 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% (zipper zips) 05:20.687 --> 05:24.123 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - We are using wolbachia as a way to cause 05:24.123 --> 05:26.959 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% a form of sterility in mosquitoes. 05:26.959 --> 05:29.929 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] Okay, this all sounds a little strange, 05:29.929 --> 05:31.331 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% but bear with me. 05:31.331 --> 05:33.166 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Stephen is breeding mosquitoes 05:33.166 --> 05:35.835 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that carry the wolbachia bacteria. 05:35.835 --> 05:39.939 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Then he releases a bunch of them, but only the males. 05:39.939 --> 05:41.474 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% - We release the males, 05:41.474 --> 05:43.676 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% who are now mating with the females, 05:43.676 --> 05:45.411 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and effectively sterilizing them. 05:45.411 --> 05:46.679 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% By continuing to release, 05:46.679 --> 05:49.482 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% the population just goes down with every release 05:49.482 --> 05:52.285 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% until we don't have that species anymore. 05:52.285 --> 05:53.786 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% - [Baratunde] Got that? 05:53.786 --> 05:56.956 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% The lab grown-males with the artificially inserted bacteria 05:56.956 --> 06:00.526 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% mate with the wild females that don't have the bacteria, 06:00.526 --> 06:03.663 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% basically interfering with their reproductive process, 06:03.663 --> 06:05.765 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% stopping their eggs from hatching, 06:05.765 --> 06:08.067 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and the results speak for themselves. 06:08.868 --> 06:10.236 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% - In the laboratory, 06:10.236 --> 06:12.739 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% we can completely eliminate caged populations. 06:12.739 --> 06:14.107 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% In the real world, 06:14.107 --> 06:16.008 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% we're still seeing reductions in the population 06:16.008 --> 06:18.077 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% that exceed 95%. 06:18.077 --> 06:21.013 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] Plus, unlike the old DDT days, 06:21.013 --> 06:23.383 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% which wiped out tons of wildlife, 06:23.383 --> 06:26.386 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% this method is highly targeted. 06:26.386 --> 06:29.622 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - These males we release, they only mate with one species. 06:29.622 --> 06:31.090 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% You'll never find a male mosquito 06:31.090 --> 06:33.292 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% trying to mate with a butterfly or a bee. 06:33.292 --> 06:36.229 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Of the 3,000-plus known mosquito species, 06:36.229 --> 06:38.865 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% only 6% bite human, 06:38.865 --> 06:42.835 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and only 2% are responsible for mosquito-borne illnesses. 06:42.835 --> 06:46.172 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% The goal is to target only those mosquitoes. 06:46.172 --> 06:48.808 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% So, in theory, the wolbachia technique 06:48.808 --> 06:51.911 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% leaves the vast majority of mosquitoes alone. 06:52.678 --> 06:54.180 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% This is a good thing, 06:54.180 --> 06:57.016 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% since mosquitoes can be great sources of food for animals 06:57.016 --> 06:59.018 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and incredible pollinators. 06:59.018 --> 07:01.721 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Of course, this system is in its infancy, 07:01.721 --> 07:02.955 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% and scientists caution 07:02.955 --> 07:04.991 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that it needs to be rolled out with care. 07:04.991 --> 07:09.195 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% But if it works, the potential benefits are massive. 07:09.195 --> 07:13.833 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% So, can wolbachia make a difference in a place like Kauai? 07:13.833 --> 07:15.468 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% Let's hope so, 07:15.468 --> 07:18.538 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% because mosquitoes, they're not just deadly to humans; 07:18.538 --> 07:22.141 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% they're also decimating some of Earth's rarest birds. 07:24.544 --> 07:27.013 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% (soft music) 07:28.114 --> 07:29.982 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Cali] There are birds here on Kauai 07:29.982 --> 07:32.151 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% that are found nowhere else in the Hawaii world. 07:32.151 --> 07:34.253 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% There are six different species. 07:34.253 --> 07:36.088 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] Cali is the project leader 07:36.088 --> 07:39.392 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% of the Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project. 07:39.392 --> 07:42.128 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - These six species are very, very susceptible 07:42.128 --> 07:44.163 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to the mosquito-borne avian malaria. 07:44.163 --> 07:45.331 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% They evolved without mosquitoes 07:45.331 --> 07:46.732 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and they evolved without avian malaria, 07:46.732 --> 07:50.536 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% so they have no resistance to avian malaria, 07:50.536 --> 07:52.672 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] And it's not just Kauai. 07:52.672 --> 07:54.574 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Native birds on other islands 07:54.574 --> 07:57.944 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% are also endangered by this mosquito invasion. 07:57.944 --> 08:00.780 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - One of the species, for example, the 'i'iwi, 08:00.780 --> 08:02.281 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% in cage trials, we have documented 08:02.281 --> 08:04.817 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% that nine of 10 of them will die 08:04.817 --> 08:07.220 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% after being bitten just once 08:07.220 --> 08:09.522 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% by a mosquito carrying avian malaria. 08:09.522 --> 08:11.190 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% The tremendous amount of harm 08:11.190 --> 08:13.359 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% mosquitoes are doing to those ecosystems 08:13.359 --> 08:16.996 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% by killing off all these birds is staggering. 08:16.996 --> 08:18.531 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] That's why Hawaii is planning 08:18.531 --> 08:20.867 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% to release wolbachia-infected mosquitoes 08:20.867 --> 08:22.401 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% on some of their islands, 08:22.401 --> 08:24.670 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% targeting the specific species of mosquito 08:24.670 --> 08:26.839 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% that transmit malaria in birds 08:26.839 --> 08:28.808 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and West Nile virus in people. 08:28.808 --> 08:31.077 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% (dramatic music) 08:31.077 --> 08:32.912 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% - [Cali] Here on Kauai, 08:32.912 --> 08:36.182 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% the plan is to do some of the preliminary research 08:36.182 --> 08:37.617 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to understand the movement patterns 08:37.617 --> 08:40.286 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and the survival patterns of males this fall. 08:40.286 --> 08:43.723 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] Large-scale releases are planned for 2024. 08:43.723 --> 08:47.627 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Sadly, for some of the birds this will be too late. 08:47.627 --> 08:51.297 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% - In 2012, we estimated 08:51.297 --> 08:53.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that there were 500 'akikiki left here, 08:53.666 --> 08:57.303 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% which is already a frighteningly low number. 08:57.303 --> 08:58.571 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% By the end of this year, 08:58.571 --> 09:00.540 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% we expect that they will be extinct in the wild. 09:01.474 --> 09:02.808 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% - As a mainlander, 09:02.808 --> 09:06.779 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% this is a painful reality just to witness, 09:06.779 --> 09:08.314 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% but for native communities, 09:08.314 --> 09:11.317 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% the loss is almost inconceivable. 09:12.285 --> 09:14.520 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% (delicate music) 09:14.520 --> 09:17.590 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - So we're in a traditional house. 09:17.590 --> 09:18.824 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% We call them hale. 09:19.926 --> 09:21.294 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] Lei Wann is the Director 09:21.294 --> 09:24.363 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% of Limahuli Garden and Preserve in Kauai, 09:24.363 --> 09:26.032 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% in a biodiverse valley that's home 09:26.032 --> 09:29.435 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to dozens of endangered plants and birds. 09:29.435 --> 09:31.804 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - My ancestors come from this valley, 09:31.804 --> 09:34.840 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and many of them come from this land. 09:34.840 --> 09:36.175 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Because our culture, 09:36.175 --> 09:39.946 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% there are really lines between us and birds. 09:39.946 --> 09:43.249 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We see them as part of our family. 09:43.249 --> 09:45.851 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% To think that our children 09:45.851 --> 09:50.323 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% won't have those connections with family members, 09:50.323 --> 09:52.024 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% it's devastating 09:52.024 --> 09:53.626 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] To prevent their extinction. 09:53.626 --> 09:56.629 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% The 'akikiki are being moved to the island of Maui 09:56.629 --> 09:59.732 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% until the Kauai mosquito problem is fixed. 09:59.732 --> 10:01.334 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - It was super emotional, 10:01.334 --> 10:03.736 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% because now we have to ask Maui 10:03.736 --> 10:06.372 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% to carry on that responsibility. 10:06.372 --> 10:09.775 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% We're talking a lot about 'akikiki and 'akeke, 10:09.775 --> 10:12.545 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% but I hear 'i'iwi are next, 10:12.545 --> 10:14.947 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and the next species is near 10:14.947 --> 10:18.250 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% very threatening levels of extinction. 10:18.250 --> 10:21.120 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% The time to respond, to act is now. 10:21.120 --> 10:23.723 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% It was yesterday. It was a month ago. 10:24.690 --> 10:26.826 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - Mosquitoes are so small, 10:26.826 --> 10:29.729 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% we don't notice them until they leave a bite behind, 10:29.729 --> 10:33.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% yet the impact they have on the world is hard to ignore. 10:33.766 --> 10:35.534 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Without human activity, 10:35.534 --> 10:37.870 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% like globalization and climate change, 10:37.870 --> 10:40.740 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% this little pest wouldn't have such a lasting effect 10:40.740 --> 10:42.475 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% on our lives and environment. 10:42.475 --> 10:45.411 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% The reality is we are responsible 10:45.411 --> 10:48.447 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% for our complicated relationship with mosquitoes. 10:48.447 --> 10:51.117 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% It's up to us to call a truce. 10:51.117 --> 10:55.588 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - I believe that wolbachia is the best chance that we have 10:55.588 --> 10:58.357 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to save the remaining species on Kauai. 10:58.357 --> 11:00.693 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% But beyond that, there's great hopes 11:00.693 --> 11:05.197 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% that this tool will be useful to benefit human health. 11:05.197 --> 11:08.034 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Because sometimes the best way to win 11:08.034 --> 11:10.603 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% isn't to wage an all-out war. 11:10.603 --> 11:12.071 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% The best way to win 11:12.071 --> 11:15.608 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% is to recruit some lab-grown mosquitoes to our side. 11:17.043 --> 11:18.844 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Thanks so much for watching. 11:18.844 --> 11:21.547 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% For more great tales from the great outdoors, 11:21.547 --> 11:24.083 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% check out season two of "America Outdoors" 11:24.083 --> 11:25.918 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% with Baratunde Thurston. 11:25.918 --> 11:29.622 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% You can find us in the PBS app or your local PBS station. 11:29.622 --> 11:31.691 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Check the link in the description below 11:31.691 --> 11:34.126 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to watch a full episode and find out more.