WEBVTT 00:01.300 --> 00:08.240 >> We're at 1,150 feet and 250 feet off the bottom. 00:08.240 --> 00:12.270 >> NARRATOR: Unchanged for eons, the dark, 00:12.270 --> 00:15.870 alien depths and miles of unchartered territory 00:15.870 --> 00:18.630 of the deep sea tease the curious 00:18.630 --> 00:25.270 with their unexplored secrets. 00:25.270 --> 00:27.390 >> Every time you go down in the submersible, 00:27.390 --> 00:30.810 there's always something that's a surprise. 00:30.810 --> 00:34.840 Every submersible dive is a discovery. 00:34.840 --> 00:37.000 >> My favorite thing is seeing some things 00:37.000 --> 00:41.090 that I didn't know existed before. 00:41.090 --> 00:42.840 >> NARRATOR: Much of what lives in the deep 00:42.840 --> 00:44.720 is little known or understood. 00:44.720 --> 00:47.090 This includes a group of animals 00:47.090 --> 00:48.840 few people have ever heard of, 00:48.840 --> 00:53.570 some of which seem eerily like an outstretched hand 00:53.570 --> 00:56.300 reaching from the grave. 00:56.300 --> 00:59.840 While others look like a field of flowers. 00:59.840 --> 01:03.000 >> From the first moment I learned about crinoids, 01:03.000 --> 01:04.720 I've been enthralled with them. 01:04.720 --> 01:07.030 I just think they're beautiful organisms. 01:07.030 --> 01:10.750 >> Crinoids are the sea lilies and feather stars. 01:10.750 --> 01:13.300 They're one big group of the major branch 01:13.300 --> 01:15.660 of animal life called the echinoderms, 01:15.660 --> 01:18.180 which includes the sea stars, sea urchins 01:18.180 --> 01:19.750 and sea cucumbers. 01:19.750 --> 01:22.390 >> Crinoids are often referred to as living fossils 01:22.390 --> 01:25.870 because the forms that exist now are very similar 01:25.870 --> 01:29.720 to some forms that existed during the age of dinosaurs. 01:29.720 --> 01:31.390 They've been around for a very long time. 01:31.390 --> 01:33.720 >> Crinoids are found all over the world. 01:33.720 --> 01:36.630 There are Arctic and Antarctic, and tropical crinoids. 01:36.630 --> 01:38.570 There are some species that are found 01:38.570 --> 01:42.180 as shallow as just below the low-tide mark, 01:42.180 --> 01:45.360 and there are crinoids in the deepest ocean trenches. 01:45.360 --> 01:49.000 >> My belief is these guys don't have natural deaths. 01:49.000 --> 01:50.630 They die due to predation. 01:50.630 --> 01:52.810 In other words, they will live virtually forever 01:52.810 --> 01:57.479 if you let them. 01:57.479 --> 01:59.270 >> NARRATOR: What remains to be discovered 01:59.270 --> 02:01.720 about these living fossils? 02:01.720 --> 02:04.210 What can modern crinoids tell us 02:04.210 --> 02:31.870 about their ancient relatives? 02:31.870 --> 02:34.690 >> Major funding for this program was provided by: 02:34.690 --> 02:37.750 The Batchelor Foundation, encouraging people 02:37.750 --> 02:44.870 to preserve and protect America's underwater resources. 02:44.870 --> 02:47.780 And by Divers Direct Emocean Club, 02:47.780 --> 02:50.210 inspiring the pursuit of tropical adventures 02:50.210 --> 02:54.540 and scuba diving. 02:54.540 --> 03:03.480 # # 03:03.480 --> 03:05.630 >> NARRATOR: Roatan is one of the bay islands 03:05.630 --> 03:14.840 lining the Honduran Coast in Central America. 03:14.840 --> 03:18.060 It is on the southern tip of the Mesoamerican Reef, 03:18.060 --> 03:21.150 making it a popular vacation destination 03:21.150 --> 03:23.090 for scuba divers. 03:23.090 --> 03:29.210 # # 03:29.210 --> 03:31.480 Not far from the island's shore, 03:31.480 --> 03:34.510 a wall plunges into the depths, 03:34.510 --> 03:37.180 making the area a perfect place 03:37.180 --> 03:41.240 for deep sea exploration. 03:41.240 --> 03:43.180 >> In terms of the geographical set up, 03:43.180 --> 03:45.840 it's just absolutely ideal. 03:45.840 --> 03:53.360 # # 03:53.360 --> 03:55.420 >> NARRATOR: Submersible builder and pilot 03:55.420 --> 03:58.390 Karl Stanley, who runs the Roatan Institute 03:58.390 --> 04:01.240 of Deep Sea Exploration, set up shop 04:01.240 --> 04:04.300 on the island's west end, from where he motors 04:04.300 --> 04:08.150 his submersible "Idabel" across the bay 04:08.150 --> 04:11.330 and then drops down into the deep. 04:11.330 --> 04:14.840 >> The deepest I offer trips to the public is 2,000 feet, 04:14.840 --> 04:18.060 but I've been to 2,660. 04:18.060 --> 04:21.839 I actually designed this for 3,000 feet. 04:21.839 --> 04:23.630 >> NARRATOR : While the majority of Karl's customers 04:23.630 --> 04:27.510 are tourists with an adventurous spirit, 04:27.510 --> 04:30.060 his operation has also drawn the attention 04:30.060 --> 04:36.000 of marine scientists interested in exploring the area. 04:36.000 --> 04:38.330 >> I came to Roatan based on a photograph 04:38.330 --> 04:41.450 that Karl Stanley, the submersible pilot, 04:41.450 --> 04:45.750 took and posted on his website. 04:45.750 --> 04:48.240 >> NARRATOR: Dr. Charles Messing is a professor 04:48.240 --> 04:50.300 of Nova Southeastern University's 04:50.300 --> 04:56.180 Oceanographic Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. 04:56.180 --> 04:59.480 >> We've just passed 1,000 feet. 04:59.480 --> 05:02.270 No photosynthesis down here. 05:02.270 --> 05:04.540 >> NARRATOR: He has spent the majority 05:04.540 --> 05:07.060 of his scientific career studying 05:07.060 --> 05:11.180 a little known group of animals called crinoids, 05:11.180 --> 05:15.300 some of which occur only in the deep sea. 05:15.300 --> 05:19.600 >> No one doubts that crinoids are very obscure organisms. 05:19.600 --> 05:22.210 The vast majority of people have never heard of a crinoid. 05:22.210 --> 05:23.420 Well, maybe they've heard of the fossils, 05:23.420 --> 05:24.870 but a sea lily? 05:24.870 --> 05:25.870 What's a sea lily? 05:25.870 --> 05:26.870 Is it some kind of flower? 05:26.870 --> 05:27.870 Who knows? 05:27.870 --> 05:30.330 >> NARRATOR: The photo he saw online 05:30.330 --> 05:34.659 featured one of the species he studies. 05:34.659 --> 05:37.840 >> What we know about the biology of crinoids 05:37.840 --> 05:42.510 is still pretty limited. 05:42.510 --> 05:44.659 Well, we can certainly motor along at that depth 05:44.659 --> 05:47.180 and see if you can find them. 05:47.180 --> 05:49.420 >> NARRATOR: So, together with his collaborators, 05:49.420 --> 05:54.120 he began conducting research from Karl's sub in 2012. 05:54.120 --> 05:57.810 Their goal is to answer some basic questions 05:57.810 --> 05:59.060 about the animals, 05:59.060 --> 06:00.870 such as how long they might live, 06:00.870 --> 06:04.150 how fast they grow and so forth. 06:04.150 --> 06:07.150 >> I am particularly interested in sort of aspects 06:07.150 --> 06:10.240 of the function of organisms. 06:10.240 --> 06:11.390 How do they work? 06:11.390 --> 06:17.120 Sort of an engineering perspective to biology. 06:17.120 --> 06:18.420 >> About 185? 06:18.420 --> 06:19.720 >> 185! 06:19.720 --> 06:21.360 >> Famous last words? 06:21.360 --> 06:22.840 See you later. 06:22.840 --> 06:24.060 >> Water? 06:24.060 --> 06:25.360 >> Water. 06:25.360 --> 06:26.360 >> Still camera? 06:26.360 --> 06:27.810 >> Still camera. 06:27.810 --> 06:28.810 >> Snuggie blanket? 06:28.810 --> 06:30.630 >> Snuggie blanket. 06:30.630 --> 06:51.390 I feel like a professional. 06:51.390 --> 06:53.060 >> Any time here we're going to be going through 06:53.060 --> 06:55.420 the thermocline, which I also like to call 06:55.420 --> 06:57.750 the free air conditioning zone. 06:57.750 --> 07:01.000 Now, we just need to go straight down, 07:01.000 --> 07:28.600 get neutrally buoyant and start exploring. 07:28.600 --> 07:30.660 >> Okay, we are on the bottom, 07:30.660 --> 07:33.390 a big, yellow feather star hanging down. 07:33.390 --> 07:36.659 >> NARRATOR: Of the about 640 species of crinoids 07:36.659 --> 07:39.090 found in modern seas, 07:39.090 --> 07:42.870 at least 17 occur in the waters off Roatan. 07:42.870 --> 07:46.510 They include the flowerlike sea lilies, 07:46.510 --> 07:48.570 feather stars, 07:48.570 --> 07:51.750 and the rather strange-looking holopus. 07:51.750 --> 07:53.240 >> There are three species of holopus-- 07:53.240 --> 07:55.300 two here in the Caribbean and one in the Pacific-- 07:55.300 --> 07:57.030 and they all look pretty much alike. 07:57.030 --> 07:59.240 When they're expanded, they look like a little hand 07:59.240 --> 08:01.390 with a very stout wrist. 08:01.390 --> 08:04.720 And, basically, the wrist is cemented on to the substrate. 08:04.720 --> 08:06.090 There's no stalk. 08:06.090 --> 08:09.840 And, of course, it's a complete ring of ten arms, 08:09.840 --> 08:13.750 but they look like fingers, and they look like a gauntlet. 08:13.750 --> 08:15.360 Like armored gloves. 08:15.360 --> 08:17.090 And when they close, 08:17.090 --> 08:19.780 they close up completely and tightly, 08:19.780 --> 08:21.630 so they look like a fist. 08:21.630 --> 08:25.510 >> NARRATOR: The arms allow crinoids to feed. 08:25.510 --> 08:27.540 >> All crinoids are suspension feeders. 08:27.540 --> 08:31.300 They rely on small plankton that drift by. 08:31.300 --> 08:34.240 And they all have at least five feathery arms, 08:34.240 --> 08:35.750 and the side branches of the arms 08:35.750 --> 08:37.570 are called pinnules, like a feather. 08:37.570 --> 08:39.299 And along those pinnules 08:39.299 --> 08:41.780 are tiny, little finger-like structures. 08:41.780 --> 08:45.420 And as the plankton drifts by, these little fingerlike feet 08:45.420 --> 08:50.030 just flick passing particles of plankton into a groove 08:50.030 --> 08:51.690 with microscopic hairs. 08:51.690 --> 08:54.630 And that carries the particles, like a conveyor belt, 08:54.630 --> 08:56.720 down to the mouth in the middle. 08:56.720 --> 08:58.300 And the mouth is right down in the base 08:58.300 --> 09:01.240 of what would be the center of the flower. 09:01.240 --> 09:03.180 They have a complete gut, with the mouth and the anus, 09:03.180 --> 09:04.330 down in the middle. 09:04.330 --> 09:06.240 They have a nervous system, but no brain. 09:06.240 --> 09:10.720 And they produce eggs and sperm just like other animals. 09:10.720 --> 09:13.120 (groans) 09:13.120 --> 09:14.510 (laughs) 09:14.510 --> 09:16.180 >> NARRATOR: While diving in the sub, 09:16.180 --> 09:19.420 the experts collect specimens for further study. 09:19.420 --> 09:23.510 >> Our sampling apparatus is very, very simple. 09:23.510 --> 09:26.120 It's basically a net on the end of a stick 09:26.120 --> 09:28.270 that we can scrape along the substrate 09:28.270 --> 09:30.690 and pop a couple of these holopus off. 09:30.690 --> 09:40.660 Bingo! 09:40.660 --> 09:42.870 Wonderful. 09:42.870 --> 09:44.180 >> NARRATOR: Once back at the surface, 09:44.180 --> 09:47.420 the specimens are preserved. 09:47.420 --> 09:48.840 >> This is a holopus. 09:48.840 --> 09:51.720 It gives you an idea of how large the animal is. 09:51.720 --> 09:53.240 It's about as big as they get, 09:53.240 --> 09:57.300 and, of course, its arms are all folded together. 09:57.300 --> 10:00.120 You can see where it cements onto the rock face 10:00.120 --> 10:01.540 by its stump. 10:01.540 --> 10:05.000 We are going to use a series of preservatives 10:05.000 --> 10:08.210 on some of the smaller pieces for molecular work. 10:08.210 --> 10:12.840 We're going to subject the tissue to DNA analysis, 10:12.840 --> 10:15.750 to try to understand the evolutionary history, 10:15.750 --> 10:17.120 who's related to who, 10:17.120 --> 10:20.690 and develop an overall family tree of crinoids. 10:20.690 --> 10:22.690 The first family tree of crinoids 10:22.690 --> 10:26.450 using DNA sequences was published about ten years ago, 10:26.450 --> 10:30.090 but it only had a handful of species. 10:30.090 --> 10:31.660 So, we're continuing to collect. 10:31.660 --> 10:34.870 Now we're also looking at RNA. 10:34.870 --> 10:36.750 We can take little pieces of the pinnules, 10:36.750 --> 10:39.150 put them into a particular solution 10:39.150 --> 10:40.780 that will preserve the RNA. 10:40.780 --> 10:45.270 And that we can use to look at which genes are active. 10:45.270 --> 10:47.330 >> NARRATOR: Active genes reveal 10:47.330 --> 10:50.540 how an animal is responding to its environment. 10:50.540 --> 10:53.570 For example, they may indicate which genes are involved 10:53.570 --> 10:57.270 in digestion, and the DNA sequences of these genes 10:57.270 --> 11:00.390 will help unravel the evolutionary relationships 11:00.390 --> 11:09.690 among different species. 11:09.690 --> 11:12.510 Not all specimens can be collected with a net. 11:12.510 --> 11:15.570 >> We have a suction tube that is powered 11:15.570 --> 11:17.870 by one of the submersible's thrusters, 11:17.870 --> 11:20.480 and we can suck crinoids in. 11:20.480 --> 11:22.630 >> NARRATOR: With this suction tube, 11:22.630 --> 11:24.360 the scientists collect sea lilies, 11:24.360 --> 11:28.180 feather stars, as well as a potential predator. 11:28.180 --> 11:29.690 >> In deep water, we've discovered 11:29.690 --> 11:33.330 that there's this sea urchin that will prey on crinoids. 11:33.330 --> 11:35.480 We know it does because one of my colleagues 11:35.480 --> 11:38.600 has found the skeletal pieces of the crinoids 11:38.600 --> 11:41.540 in the guts of the sea urchins. 11:41.540 --> 11:44.060 >> NARRATOR: The scientists are particularly interested 11:44.060 --> 11:48.360 in what is eating and attacking crinoids. 11:48.360 --> 11:51.210 >> Primarily, what we're doing in the sub 11:51.210 --> 11:53.690 is trying to look at populations of crinoids 11:53.690 --> 11:55.780 at different depths, and we're looking 11:55.780 --> 11:57.810 at the frequency of regenerating arms 11:57.810 --> 12:00.210 in each one of those populations. 12:00.210 --> 12:02.090 So, essentially, the idea is that 12:02.090 --> 12:03.570 in shallow water environments 12:03.570 --> 12:06.150 where they're better illuminated, 12:06.150 --> 12:08.510 you would expect to see more crinoids 12:08.510 --> 12:10.180 with regenerating arms 12:10.180 --> 12:12.090 because they're being attacked more often 12:12.090 --> 12:14.660 than you would in deep water, where there is less light. 12:14.660 --> 12:15.810 There, you would expect 12:15.810 --> 12:17.630 much lower rates of encounters with predators, 12:17.630 --> 12:20.180 and you would expect to see fewer regenerated arms 12:20.180 --> 12:21.570 as a consequence. 12:21.570 --> 12:25.720 >> Sea stars can regenerate an arm that they've lost. 12:25.720 --> 12:28.570 Crinoids are masters of regeneration also. 12:28.570 --> 12:32.570 They all start out with five unbranched arms 12:32.570 --> 12:34.480 when they're really, really small. 12:34.480 --> 12:36.060 But what happens then for the ones 12:36.060 --> 12:39.090 that grow more arms is, they will drop an arm 12:39.090 --> 12:42.330 and regrow two or four. 12:42.330 --> 12:46.300 And they'll also drop an arm in response to predation. 12:46.300 --> 12:48.360 >> They've developed places in the arms 12:48.360 --> 12:50.750 that are analogous to a lizard's tail. 12:50.750 --> 12:53.360 So, a lizard's tail is thought to function 12:53.360 --> 12:55.210 as an escape strategy. 12:55.210 --> 12:58.630 During a predatory attack, it'll give up its tail 12:58.630 --> 13:00.420 in order to escape. 13:00.420 --> 13:02.480 Crinoids do something similar, 13:02.480 --> 13:06.000 both in their arms and in their stalks. 13:06.000 --> 13:07.870 >> They can also regenerate the lump of tissue 13:07.870 --> 13:09.780 in the middle that has the gut. 13:09.780 --> 13:12.840 And so, if there's stress or predation, 13:12.840 --> 13:14.240 they can regenerate the whole thing, 13:14.240 --> 13:16.300 lock, stock and barrel. 13:16.300 --> 13:17.540 >> There is no evidence that they will 13:17.540 --> 13:20.330 just sort of naturally die. 13:20.330 --> 13:22.780 >> I may not be able to get it because of the slope, huh? 13:22.780 --> 13:25.870 >> We'll see. 13:25.870 --> 13:27.750 >> NARRATOR: While some species of crinoids 13:27.750 --> 13:30.240 are permanently attached to the bottom, 13:30.240 --> 13:33.750 others have developed the ability to move around, 13:33.750 --> 13:37.180 likely as a response to predators. 13:37.180 --> 13:39.570 >> The majority of fossil crinoids 13:39.570 --> 13:42.780 and a number of living crinoids have a stalk 13:42.780 --> 13:44.720 that cements to hard substrates, 13:44.720 --> 13:47.630 and a few of them have a root-like structure 13:47.630 --> 13:50.540 at the base of the stalk so they don't move around. 13:50.540 --> 13:53.450 Other stalked crinoids, a whole family of them, 13:53.450 --> 13:56.330 have hooks along the stalk, and they use them 13:56.330 --> 13:59.690 as grapnels to attach to hard substrates. 13:59.690 --> 14:03.240 But they can actually release them and lie down 14:03.240 --> 14:05.000 and crawl around with their arms. 14:05.000 --> 14:08.630 And the feather stars retain a little circle of hooks 14:08.630 --> 14:12.150 with which they attach to hard substrates. 14:12.150 --> 14:13.840 And they can release them and crawl with their arms, 14:13.840 --> 14:17.720 and some of them can actually swim. 14:17.720 --> 14:20.360 The sea lilies that we find here in Roatan, 14:20.360 --> 14:22.270 we've got two species of them so far 14:22.270 --> 14:24.150 that have hooks along the stalk. 14:24.150 --> 14:30.720 Both of them can lie down, detach and crawl away. 14:30.720 --> 14:34.480 Let me get a shot in the distance. 14:34.480 --> 14:38.060 >> NARRATOR: To see how crinoids grow and regenerate, 14:38.060 --> 14:41.810 the experts take lots of photos and record video, 14:41.810 --> 14:45.450 which they compare from year to year. 14:45.450 --> 14:47.420 >> So, what we've established are some locations 14:47.420 --> 14:51.210 where we go and we'll return to those over time. 14:51.210 --> 14:53.120 And for these deep-water organisms, 14:53.120 --> 14:54.360 that's rarely done. 14:54.360 --> 14:57.630 And so we hope to get a lot of information about recruitment, 14:57.630 --> 14:59.690 you know, the sort of birth-death rates, 14:59.690 --> 15:02.390 growth rates, and a variety of other things-- 15:02.390 --> 15:04.510 interactions with other organisms, predators; 15:04.510 --> 15:06.570 fatalities due to predation. 15:06.570 --> 15:09.780 So, we are pretty much set on at least a five, six year 15:09.780 --> 15:16.540 time frame at this point. 15:16.540 --> 15:18.090 >> So when you look up, you're seeing the edge 15:18.090 --> 15:19.870 of the second wall, 15:19.870 --> 15:23.600 and right now that's 250 feet above us. 15:23.600 --> 15:25.720 >> Karl's knowledge of the local area 15:25.720 --> 15:27.450 is quite amazing. 15:27.450 --> 15:29.150 I mean, he's been here for years, 15:29.150 --> 15:32.360 and what he does is he'll drop down to a certain depth. 15:32.360 --> 15:34.840 You tell him, "Well, these crinoids we're looking for 15:34.840 --> 15:37.240 are in 1,100 feet." 15:37.240 --> 15:39.600 So he drops down to 1,100 feet in a certain area 15:39.600 --> 15:41.720 and just motors along. 15:41.720 --> 15:43.330 There you are. 15:43.330 --> 15:46.210 >> My biggest navigational aids are a compass, 15:46.210 --> 15:48.480 which basically allows me to know if I'm going 15:48.480 --> 15:50.660 away from the wall or towards the wall, 15:50.660 --> 15:52.690 and then I have a fish finder that tells me 15:52.690 --> 15:54.120 how far off the bottom I am 15:54.120 --> 15:56.840 and everything else is based off of my memory 15:56.840 --> 15:57.840 of the area. 15:57.840 --> 15:59.870 >> How far is it to the fan? 15:59.870 --> 16:06.090 >> We're halfway there. 16:06.090 --> 16:08.270 >> NARRATOR: Pilot Karl has been fascinated 16:08.270 --> 16:11.630 with submersibles from a young age. 16:11.630 --> 16:14.660 >> I got started when I was nine years old, 16:14.660 --> 16:16.330 reading a short story. 16:16.330 --> 16:20.000 And at that age, I said I was going to build a sub, 16:20.000 --> 16:22.030 started making drawings that I still have. 16:22.030 --> 16:25.840 >> NARRATOR: At age 15, Karl started building 16:25.840 --> 16:28.450 his first submersible, which he completed 16:28.450 --> 16:31.240 during his senior year of college. 16:31.240 --> 16:36.210 He operated that submersible in Roatan for two years 16:36.210 --> 16:39.210 before designing his current sub. 16:39.210 --> 16:48.780 >> "Idabel" is a completely original design. 16:48.780 --> 16:52.120 She's made of three spheres of three different sizes. 16:52.120 --> 16:54.420 The largest sphere is four and a half feet, 16:54.420 --> 16:55.750 and that's where the passengers sit. 16:55.750 --> 16:58.570 And that used to be part of another submarine 16:58.570 --> 17:03.810 that had been built in the '70s for North Sea oil work. 17:03.810 --> 17:06.119 I have fully redundant propulsion systems, 17:06.119 --> 17:09.300 separate battery banks, four motors in the back 17:09.300 --> 17:11.000 and separate switching systems 17:11.000 --> 17:14.180 so that I can lose any component 17:14.180 --> 17:17.390 of my propulsion system, battery, wiring, motor-- 17:17.390 --> 17:20.359 and it happens, couple times a year probably-- 17:20.359 --> 17:22.240 and my passengers never even know 17:22.240 --> 17:26.270 because everything is completely redundant. 17:26.270 --> 17:28.480 That's one safety aspect right there. 17:28.480 --> 17:30.120 The other is, if you flood 17:30.120 --> 17:32.690 the two ballast compartments with air, 17:32.690 --> 17:35.120 you're going to have over 1,500 pounds 17:35.120 --> 17:36.600 of positive buoyancy. 17:36.600 --> 17:40.390 And then, you also have a 450-pound lead weight 17:40.390 --> 17:42.810 under the sub that you can turn one bolt 17:42.810 --> 17:45.060 from the inside and release. 17:45.060 --> 17:46.240 So, then, basically, you can have 17:46.240 --> 17:47.690 a ton of positive buoyancy, 17:47.690 --> 17:49.630 and you also have vertical thrusters 17:49.630 --> 17:51.750 that give you another couple hundred pounds. 17:51.750 --> 17:54.780 And then, I also carry three days of air on board. 17:54.780 --> 17:57.750 >> NARRATOR: As of July 2013, 17:57.750 --> 18:02.360 Karl had made more than 1,150 dives in "Idabel," 18:02.360 --> 18:08.300 including those with Chuck, Tom and Forest. 18:08.300 --> 18:10.870 >> I've been studying stalked crinoids since high school 18:10.870 --> 18:15.450 and yesterday was the first time I was able to see one alive 18:15.450 --> 18:17.450 and in its natural environment. 18:17.450 --> 18:21.240 So, here you are studying fossils for 20 years, 18:21.240 --> 18:22.630 and you never see the living form. 18:22.630 --> 18:25.000 It would almost be like someone who studied dinosaurs 18:25.000 --> 18:28.030 since they were a kid and then just happen to have 18:28.030 --> 18:29.450 the opportunity to see one. 18:29.450 --> 18:31.480 And so that's essentially what happened for me 18:31.480 --> 18:35.270 is I got to see my dinosaur, my living fossil. 18:35.270 --> 18:37.360 One of the reasons that I love the fossil record 18:37.360 --> 18:40.120 is because it gives you a deep time perspective 18:40.120 --> 18:42.030 that you can get really in no other way. 18:42.030 --> 18:44.090 It gives you an opportunity to really study 18:44.090 --> 18:46.240 how the oceans have changed 18:46.240 --> 18:49.690 and how predator-prey dynamics have changed. 18:49.690 --> 18:52.390 >> NARRATOR: Studying modern crinoids 18:52.390 --> 18:56.870 can help answer questions about their ancient ancestors. 18:56.870 --> 18:59.000 >> Crinoids first appear in the rocks 18:59.000 --> 19:00.750 about 500 millions years ago, 19:00.750 --> 19:05.480 and they have existed in the oceans since that time. 19:05.480 --> 19:08.330 There are at least 6,000 species 19:08.330 --> 19:11.450 preserved in the rocks that have been described. 19:11.450 --> 19:15.330 Crinoids were most abundant during the Paleozoic era, 19:15.330 --> 19:19.030 which is the era that precedes the age of dinosaurs. 19:19.030 --> 19:21.240 >> The time we refer to as the Mississippian-- 19:21.240 --> 19:23.630 340 million years ago-- 19:23.630 --> 19:27.390 was a time of great diversity and abundance, 19:27.390 --> 19:29.330 so it's thought to be the peak 19:29.330 --> 19:33.000 of their sort of evolutionary success. 19:33.000 --> 19:36.750 And during that time, we had many, many crinoids 19:36.750 --> 19:39.420 living in shallow seas as well as deeper seas. 19:39.420 --> 19:41.810 >> They were the dominant organisms 19:41.810 --> 19:45.690 in some of the ecosystems back then. 19:45.690 --> 19:49.630 Just miles and miles of crinoid meadows. 19:49.630 --> 19:51.450 >> At the very end of the Paleozoic, 19:51.450 --> 19:53.870 just before the age of dinosaurs began, 19:53.870 --> 19:55.630 there was a mass extinction event, 19:55.630 --> 19:58.240 >> What's called the "granddaddy of all extinctions": 19:58.240 --> 20:01.750 the Permo-Triassic extinctions 250 million years ago. 20:01.750 --> 20:04.240 It's been estimated that 95% of all species 20:04.240 --> 20:07.210 that have lived became extinct at that time. 20:07.210 --> 20:08.540 Crinoids suffered heavily. 20:08.540 --> 20:11.180 And, in fact, there is a gap in the record of crinoids. 20:11.180 --> 20:13.420 We see fossil crinoids below it, 20:13.420 --> 20:15.090 certain number of millions of years, 20:15.090 --> 20:17.270 and above it we see just one. 20:17.270 --> 20:19.450 We start off with just a single taxa, 20:19.450 --> 20:21.450 and it is believed to be the ancestor 20:21.450 --> 20:23.390 of all modern crinoids. 20:23.390 --> 20:26.150 So, out of a group that was incredibly diverse, 20:26.150 --> 20:28.120 a single one squeezes through. 20:28.120 --> 20:31.420 And then it gives rise to this modern-day diversity. 20:31.420 --> 20:33.690 >> NARRATOR: Crinoid fossils can be found 20:33.690 --> 20:35.270 all over the world. 20:35.270 --> 20:37.690 In the U.S., they are particularly common 20:37.690 --> 20:39.630 in the Midwest. 20:39.630 --> 20:42.060 >> I actually grew up in Burlington, Iowa, 20:42.060 --> 20:43.360 which is often referred to 20:43.360 --> 20:45.600 as "the crinoid capital of the world." 20:45.600 --> 20:46.780 It preserves the remains 20:46.780 --> 20:49.870 of about 350 species of fossil crinoids. 20:49.870 --> 20:52.720 >> Because about 300 million years ago, 20:52.720 --> 20:55.870 that area was a vast inland sea. 20:55.870 --> 20:59.750 And there are tens of thousands of square kilometers 20:59.750 --> 21:02.690 of what we call crinoidal limestone, 21:02.690 --> 21:04.840 which is limestone made primarily 21:04.840 --> 21:11.420 out of the fossil remains, sometimes tens of meters thick. 21:11.420 --> 21:13.630 >> NARRATOR: And the discovery of living crinoids 21:13.630 --> 21:15.480 even played a part in the beginnings 21:15.480 --> 21:18.690 of modern oceanography. 21:18.690 --> 21:20.690 >> Back in the middle of the 19th century, 21:20.690 --> 21:24.420 the general consensus was that no life could exist 21:24.420 --> 21:25.780 in the deep ocean. 21:25.780 --> 21:30.720 >> NARRATOR: Then, in 1864, a young fisheries officer 21:30.720 --> 21:33.840 named Georg Sars dredged up a sea lily off 21:33.840 --> 21:35.720 the coast of Norway. 21:35.720 --> 21:38.870 His father, the zoologist Michael Sars, 21:38.870 --> 21:41.240 realized it looked very similar 21:41.240 --> 21:44.510 to an ancient fossil crinoid. 21:44.510 --> 21:46.570 >> This excited a lot of people, 21:46.570 --> 21:49.840 because this suggested that ancient forms of life 21:49.840 --> 21:51.510 could exist in the deep sea. 21:51.510 --> 21:53.720 Now, Charles Darwin had just published 21:53.720 --> 21:56.600 "The Origin of Species" a couple of years before that, 21:56.600 --> 21:59.510 which suggested that organisms evolved 21:59.510 --> 22:02.120 in response to a changing environment. 22:02.120 --> 22:03.330 If the environment doesn't change, 22:03.330 --> 22:05.180 they're not going to evolve as fast. 22:05.180 --> 22:07.840 There's no natural selection pressure for them to do so. 22:07.840 --> 22:09.690 >> NARRATOR: After the discovery 22:09.690 --> 22:11.750 of the ancient-looking sea lily, 22:11.750 --> 22:14.390 scientists petitioned the British Admiralty 22:14.390 --> 22:17.660 for a ship to conduct further research. 22:17.660 --> 22:21.600 Eventually, that led to the HMS "Challenger" expedition 22:21.600 --> 22:24.630 in the 1870s. 22:24.630 --> 22:26.810 >> Which was the first round-the-world, 22:26.810 --> 22:30.030 oceanographic expedition. 22:30.030 --> 22:31.330 >> Karl? >> Yeah? 22:31.330 --> 22:33.750 >> If you can move the sub up so the lasers 22:33.750 --> 22:36.120 flank that specimen, and I will try 22:36.120 --> 22:39.210 to get a photo with the lasers in there. 22:39.210 --> 22:41.420 There is generation, I can see that. 22:41.420 --> 22:43.600 That is very cool. 22:43.600 --> 22:48.360 We are looking at a holopus I photographed last year, 22:48.360 --> 22:52.150 and it was missing a couple of its five rays. 22:52.150 --> 22:55.390 And I can see regeneration there. 22:55.390 --> 22:58.600 Here, you can see our scaling lasers. 22:58.600 --> 23:01.570 Our scaling lasers are ten centimeters apart. 23:01.570 --> 23:03.390 That's about four inches. 23:03.390 --> 23:06.000 And so, we can get an absolute measurement 23:06.000 --> 23:09.480 of how much growth has actually taken place, 23:09.480 --> 23:11.120 and that's a step. 23:11.120 --> 23:13.690 And next year, we'll absolutely know 23:13.690 --> 23:16.840 what the exact rate of growth is. 23:16.840 --> 23:18.270 And it's really interesting because we know 23:18.270 --> 23:20.660 almost nothing about these animals 23:20.660 --> 23:23.060 apart from what depth range they growth in 23:23.060 --> 23:24.600 and where they're found. 23:24.600 --> 23:27.600 So, this is the first little piece of biology 23:27.600 --> 23:29.450 that we've been able to discover 23:29.450 --> 23:32.330 about these animals. 23:32.330 --> 23:33.450 >> NARRATOR: Once back in the lab 23:33.450 --> 23:36.540 in Ft. Lauderdale, Chuck creates drawings 23:36.540 --> 23:39.150 of the specimens collected in the field. 23:39.150 --> 23:42.450 Together with the DNA analysis, 23:42.450 --> 23:44.780 this will help to better identify species 23:44.780 --> 23:49.150 and understand their basic biology. 23:49.150 --> 23:52.450 >> For example, this is the stalked crinoid, 23:52.450 --> 23:54.840 one of the stalked crinoids we collected in Roatan. 23:54.840 --> 23:56.270 And it turns out 23:56.270 --> 23:59.180 that there are three or four different names of species 23:59.180 --> 24:01.600 for crinoids that look like this all around the Caribbean. 24:01.600 --> 24:03.540 And it's not clear where one species ends 24:03.540 --> 24:05.090 and another one begins. 24:05.090 --> 24:08.540 So, we're going to try to do some detailed illustrations 24:08.540 --> 24:11.180 and measurements and try to figure out 24:11.180 --> 24:13.090 what species it actually is. 24:13.090 --> 24:16.120 We'll also have to compare it to some museum specimens. 24:16.120 --> 24:17.750 When I look in the microscope, 24:17.750 --> 24:20.690 I see the image of the critter 24:20.690 --> 24:23.630 and my pencil and the paper, 24:23.630 --> 24:27.270 and I can make an extremely accurate tracing 24:27.270 --> 24:29.570 of this species. 24:29.570 --> 24:33.570 And the reason I do this, there are structures here 24:33.570 --> 24:36.600 that don't show up terribly well in a photograph. 24:36.600 --> 24:40.810 For example, the details of the sutures 24:40.810 --> 24:44.000 between some of the skeletal pieces 24:44.000 --> 24:48.660 are almost invisible in a photograph. 24:48.660 --> 24:51.330 I might publish both a photograph 24:51.330 --> 24:54.090 and an illustration like this 24:54.090 --> 24:56.780 to show the important parts. 24:56.780 --> 25:04.600 And there you go. 25:04.600 --> 25:05.600 >> You ready to go? 25:05.600 --> 25:14.120 >> We're ready to go. 25:14.120 --> 25:16.030 >> NARRATOR: Much remains to be discovered 25:16.030 --> 25:19.720 about the seemingly strange and astonishing life forms 25:19.720 --> 25:21.870 of the deep sea. 25:21.870 --> 25:23.480 >> Look at that. 25:23.480 --> 25:25.420 This is the first time, <font color = #FFFFFF>as far as I know,</font> 25:25.420 --> 25:28.270 that this has been observed. 25:28.270 --> 25:31.360 >> NARRATOR: These little-changed organisms 25:31.360 --> 25:36.360 provide a window into the earth's past. 25:36.360 --> 25:39.180 >> Crinoids are survivors. 25:39.180 --> 25:43.780 They are beautiful organisms that outlived the dinosaurs. 25:43.780 --> 25:47.870 And there's much to be learned by using both the rock record 25:47.870 --> 25:51.300 and the living record together 25:51.300 --> 25:53.540 to try to understand the evolution and ecology 25:53.540 --> 26:18.060 and history of a group of animals. 26:18.060 --> 26:22.390 >> Major funding for this program was provided by: 26:22.390 --> 26:25.750 Encouraging people to preserve and protect 26:25.750 --> 26:33.810 America's underwater resources. 26:33.810 --> 26:36.300 Inspiring the pursuit of tropical adventures 26:36.300 --> 26:38.720 and scuba diving. 26:38.720 --> 26:43.720 And by the Do Unto Others Trust.