Life After People

en
00:00:01 What would happen?
00:00:02 If every human being on earth
00:00:05 Disappeared?
00:00:08 [music]
00:00:16 At some point in the future,
00:00:18 This could be the fate
00:00:20 Of our planet.
00:00:23 This isn't the story
00:00:25 Of how we might vanish.
00:00:29 It is the story of what happens
00:00:31 To the world we leave behind.
00:00:54 The disappearance of humans
00:00:56 May seem like science fiction,
00:01:01 But eventually,
00:01:02 There will come a day like this;
00:01:06 A day when people
00:01:07 No longer walk the earth.
00:01:16 it's no great stretch
00:01:16 To imagine humans disappearing
00:01:18 From the face of the earth.
00:01:20 Every generation has its tales
00:01:21 Of Armageddon or apocalypse.
00:01:25 We're the first generation
00:01:26 That could,
00:01:27 By deliberate actions,
00:01:28 Cause its own doom.
00:01:33 What will life be like?
00:01:35 After people?
00:01:40 We're tantalized by our myths
00:01:43 About our own destruction,
00:01:48 But also tantalized
00:01:49 By the notion,
00:01:50 "hey, maybe it's the turn
00:01:51 Of someone else."
00:01:54 What will they do?
00:01:55 If we're gone?
00:02:01 What will the earth do?
00:02:01 When I'm gone?
00:02:05 It's the most natural question
00:02:06 In the world.
00:02:14 [alarm buzzing]
00:02:19 Time has run out for man.
00:02:30 Our hold on the planet is over.
00:02:42 Welcome to earth,
00:02:44 Population zero.
00:02:57 Within hours after we're gone,
00:03:00 Lights start going out
00:03:01 Around the world.
00:03:08 More than 70 percent of power
00:03:10 In the United States
00:03:11 Is generated by the burning
00:03:12 Of fossil fuels.
00:03:17 the plant will only continue
00:03:19 To produce electricity
00:03:20 As long as the fuel
00:03:21 Takes to be consumed.
00:03:25 If there's no one around
00:03:26 To provide the new fuel
00:03:27 Into the generating plant,
00:03:29 Then it'll be quite quick
00:03:31 Before the lights
00:03:33 Start going out in cities
00:03:34 All over the world.
00:03:38 Nuclear power plants
00:03:39 Are unlikely to melt down.
00:03:42 The average reactor
00:03:43 Holds enough fuel
00:03:44 To keep running for two years.
00:03:47 But without humans
00:03:48 Consuming the power
00:03:49 Generated by the plant,
00:03:51 The reactors will automatically
00:03:53 Shut down into a safe mode
00:03:56 In as little as two days.
00:04:00 even wind generation
00:04:02 Can't last forever.
00:04:04 The turbines require bearings
00:04:06 And lubrication
00:04:07 Of those bearings
00:04:08 In order to keep operating.
00:04:11 If there's no one around
00:04:12 To maintain the turbines,
00:04:15 The electricity
00:04:16 Doesn't get produced.
00:04:20 as generating plants go down,
00:04:22 Outages on the power grid
00:04:24 Contribute to a cascade
00:04:25 Of failure worldwide.
00:04:29 After a few weeks,
00:04:31 The planet is plunged
00:04:32 Into a deep darkness.
00:04:33 It has not experienced
00:04:35 Since humans first huddled
00:04:37 Around campfires.
00:04:41 Perhaps, the last glow
00:04:42 Of artificial lights on earth
00:04:45 Will be seen
00:04:45 In the American southwest.
00:04:52 Here, the mighty hover dam
00:04:54 Hydropower plant
00:04:55 Takes little notice
00:04:56 Of the absence of humans.
00:05:00 Its source of fuel
00:05:01 Is virtually limitless.
00:05:03 at hover dam,
00:05:05 Our fuel supply
00:05:06 Is actually the water
00:05:07 In the reservoir in Lake Mead
00:05:09 Behind hover dam,
00:05:13 So as long as there's water
00:05:15 In the reservoir,
00:05:16 This power plant
00:05:17 Can keep running.
00:05:22 There's water in the reservoir
00:05:23 Keeps supplying the water
00:05:24 To the hydro turbine generators.
00:05:30 These generators
00:05:31 Are operating automatically
00:05:33 And that would continue
00:05:34 As long as all of the systems
00:05:36 Are functioning normally.
00:05:40 If I and my staff
00:05:43 Were to leave tonight
00:05:44 And not come back to hover dam,
00:05:48 Say just in the condition
00:05:49 Of the plant is in right now,
00:05:51 This would continue operating
00:05:52 Without us here.
00:05:55 That would still be true
00:05:56 After about a week,
00:06:00 Several weeks, several months,
00:06:04 Maybe even a couple of years,
00:06:05 Everything would still be
00:06:06 Running normally.
00:06:10 In a life after people,
00:06:11 It is possible that hover dam
00:06:13 Would be one
00:06:13 Of the last power plants
00:06:14 Still running.
00:06:21 as the power goes out
00:06:22 Around the world,
00:06:24 Other systems
00:06:25 Are quickly beginning to fail.
00:06:30 beneath all the major cities,
00:06:32 There's a complex network
00:06:33 Of underground tunnels,
00:06:35 And these are there
00:06:36 For drainage purposes
00:06:38 Or for cabling purposes,
00:06:39 And in the case
00:06:40 Of the big cities,
00:06:41 For transportation as well.
00:06:48 There are many of those
00:06:49 Sit below the level
00:06:50 Of the water table,
00:06:52 And in order to keep them dry,
00:06:54 We have to have
00:06:55 A system of pumps
00:06:56 That is switched on
00:06:57 When necessary
00:06:58 To drain the tunnels.
00:07:03 deep within new York
00:07:04 City subways,
00:07:05 More than 700 pumps
00:07:06 Constantly struggle to keep out
00:07:08 A flood of ground water,
00:07:11 An average of 13 million gallons
00:07:13 A day.
00:07:17 now, if all these people
00:07:18 Were not around,
00:07:19 There will be nobody
00:07:20 To switch the pumps on.
00:07:22 It's estimated,
00:07:23 That the tunnels will fill
00:07:24 With water in about 36 hours.
00:07:28 [music]
00:07:42 back above ground,
00:07:44 Food is rotting
00:07:44 On supermarket shelves.
00:07:57 Home refrigerators
00:07:58 Become nothing more
00:07:59 Than cabinets for decaying food,
00:08:02 But melt water
00:08:03 From defrosting freezers
00:08:05 May provide a temporary lifeline
00:08:07 For some of the creatures
00:08:09 We've left behind.
00:08:13 What will be the fate?
00:08:14 Of our family pets
00:08:15 Once there are no humans left
00:08:17 To care for them?
00:08:18 right from the get-go,
00:08:20 There's going to be a massive
00:08:22 Die off of dogs.
00:08:25 The instance that humans
00:08:26 Are gone,
00:08:27 They're not creating the debris
00:08:30 Or producing the food
00:08:32 That the dogs are living on.
00:08:41 He can't open cans,
00:08:42 He can't get
00:08:42 In the refrigerator.
00:08:45 They got to get
00:08:46 Out of the house.
00:08:49 The family dog
00:08:50 Has got to get out of the house
00:08:53 Or he's going to die there.
00:08:57 And once he gets out,
00:08:58 He's got to go
00:08:59 To some source of food.
00:09:08 The first thing that happens
00:09:09 Is that they all jump out
00:09:10 Of the windows
00:09:11 And they are now out there
00:09:12 In a new landscape.
00:09:14 And the first to whack at it
00:09:15 It is that they go back
00:09:18 To scavenging a whole bunch
00:09:20 Of dead things out there
00:09:20 In the world.
00:09:25 there are estimated to be
00:09:26 Four hundred million dogs
00:09:28 In the world
00:09:31 And 300 different breeds.
00:09:37 But very few of them are suited
00:09:39 To surviving in a life
00:09:40 After humans.
00:09:46 The smallest dogs
00:09:46 Probably won't last a week
00:09:48 Without us.
00:09:50 there's probably no niche
00:09:51 For the smaller dogs.
00:09:53 Dogs are very competitive
00:09:55 And when you have wolves,
00:09:56 They displace coyotes,
00:09:57 Coyotes displace foxes,
00:09:58 And we would assume
00:09:59 That hierarchy would prevail
00:10:02 Among domestic dogs.
00:10:05 in fact,
00:10:05 Many of the unique features
00:10:07 That has been bred into dogs
00:10:09 Over the years
00:10:10 Will now become major handicaps
00:10:12 In the fight for survival.
00:10:14 there are dog
00:10:15 For the really short legs,
00:10:17 I think the dogs
00:10:17 With the really short faces
00:10:19 Or long faces, I think,
00:10:22 That they're all doomed.
00:10:25 You know, they're not
00:10:25 Going to move well,
00:10:26 They're not going to be able
00:10:27 To search and explore.
00:10:32 I think that the kind of
00:10:33 The middle of the spectrum,
00:10:35 The kind of average dog,
00:10:38 Have the best chances in this.
00:10:42 I think that they will survive
00:10:44 In the long haul,
00:10:46 But it's not going to be pretty.
00:10:49 as the surviving dogs
00:10:51 Struggle to find
00:10:52 Their new niche,
00:10:53 Household pests
00:10:54 Are slowly beginning to notice
00:10:56 Our absence.
00:11:03 Little creatures,
00:11:04 Rats and house mice,
00:11:06 They would seem to be able
00:11:07 To exist without us
00:11:09 Are surprisingly quite dependent
00:11:10 On our food supplies.
00:11:13 rats and mice
00:11:14 Are usually termed
00:11:16 "commensally rodents," which means
00:11:18 That term means literally
00:11:19 Sharing the table.
00:11:20 They're very dependent
00:11:21 On people.
00:11:23 And the little house mouse
00:11:24 And Norway rat
00:11:26 Are great examples of animals?
00:11:28 That would do less well
00:11:30 In the absence of people.
00:11:35 in the initial weeks
00:11:36 After people are gone,
00:11:38 They will raid pantries
00:11:39 In homes, in grocery shelves
00:11:42 In stores.
00:11:50 After eating through
00:11:50 These food supplies,
00:11:51 They will struggle to survive
00:11:53 On things like cardboard, cloth,
00:11:55 Or glue.
00:11:59 I think that if a city
00:12:00 Was abandoned,
00:12:01 The rats would have to go back
00:12:02 To earning an honest living.
00:12:05 An honest living
00:12:06 Means to go back to the wild
00:12:09 And compete for resources there.
00:12:13 eventually, these rodents
00:12:14 Will abandon homes
00:12:15 And buildings,
00:12:18 Which will make them?
00:12:19 Easy pickings for predators.
00:12:25 Although, rats and mice
00:12:26 Will mostly likely survive
00:12:27 In the future,
00:12:28 Their numbers
00:12:28 Will be greatly diminished.
00:12:37 After six months
00:12:38 Into a life after people,
00:12:42 Urban areas
00:12:42 Are already taking a turn
00:12:44 For the wild.
00:12:47 the predators would return
00:12:48 Very quickly in the absence
00:12:49 Of humans
00:12:52 Because we suppress them,
00:12:53 We create conditions
00:12:55 That either work against them,
00:12:56 Or we deliberately go out,
00:12:58 And remove and destroy them.
00:13:00 They would come back
00:13:01 Very quickly.
00:13:04 smaller predators
00:13:05 Like coyotes and bobcats
00:13:07 Always survive on the fringe
00:13:08 Of human populations.
00:13:11 They are the first to colonize
00:13:12 Our abandoned neighborhoods.
00:13:17 Larger carnivores
00:13:18 Will have to wait longer
00:13:19 For the habitat
00:13:20 To recover enough
00:13:21 To support their appetites.
00:13:23 But soon enough, they, too,
00:13:25 Will hunt in what
00:13:26 Were once our backyards.
00:13:31 ]
00:13:40 One year into a life
00:13:41 After people,
00:13:43 Towns and cities
00:13:44 Are still recognizable.
00:13:46 But nature
00:13:47 Is beginning to reclaim
00:13:48 Her old turf.
00:13:52 one of the first
00:13:53 Great physical effects
00:13:55 In the absence of people
00:13:56 Would be the transition
00:13:58 Of the impervious surfaces:
00:14:00 The parking lots, the roads
00:14:01 Into places that supported
00:14:04 And then had an abundance
00:14:06 Of plant life.
00:14:09 any place
00:14:09 Where you have sunlight
00:14:11 That's hitting,
00:14:13 You're probably going to get
00:14:14 Some plant growth.
00:14:16 Little seeds
00:14:16 Are going to get stuck
00:14:17 In the cracks and so forth,
00:14:18 And these things
00:14:19 Are all going to start to creep?
00:14:23 Plants are wonderful that way.
00:14:25 They can destroy things
00:14:27 In matters of, you know,
00:14:29 A few years.
00:14:37 without humans
00:14:38 To remove them,
00:14:39 Weeds like dandelions
00:14:41 Infiltrate every crack
00:14:43 In the pavement.
00:14:46 As these weeds die,
00:14:47 Their remnants combine
00:14:49 With ever-spreading moss
00:14:50 And lichen
00:14:52 To create a layer of topsoil.
00:14:58 This sandy soil
00:14:59 Is poor in nutrients,
00:15:02 So only plants like clover
00:15:04 That can pull nitrogen
00:15:05 From the air
00:15:07 Flourish at first.
00:15:11 Formerly manicured yards
00:15:13 Morph into fields
00:15:16 For a white-tailed deer
00:15:17 Forage for food.
00:15:22 Wild animals have also begun
00:15:24 To find their way
00:15:24 Into abandoned cities.
00:15:33 Man's supposed domination
00:15:35 Over nature
00:15:36 Has proven to be quite tenuous.
00:15:40 The signs of our vulnerability
00:15:41 Have always been there.
00:15:45 this is an ailanthus tree.
00:15:48 It seems to enjoy rooting itself
00:15:50 In very inhospitable locations.
00:15:52 And it likes to attach itself
00:15:54 To crevices in buildings.
00:15:56 And when it does so,
00:15:57 It causes damage.
00:15:58 The roots expand,
00:15:59 And the expansive forces of that
00:16:02 Force out mortar
00:16:03 And stone and cause crumbling
00:16:05 Of a facade.
00:16:06 If you get a lot of this
00:16:07 On an entire building facade,
00:16:09 It could cause
00:16:10 Major, major damage.
00:16:17 as nature battles back,
00:16:20 Even manmade goliaths
00:16:21 Like hover dam
00:16:22 Aren't invincible.
00:16:26 To harness the power
00:16:27 Of this river
00:16:28 Took 21,000 men and five years
00:16:31 Of hard labor.
00:16:36 But one year after people,
00:16:38 Its 17 massive and seemingly
00:16:40 Indestructible generators
00:16:42 Are about to be brought down
00:16:43 By an organism
00:16:45 The size of a human thumbnail.
00:16:52 The lake above the dam
00:16:54 Is infested
00:16:55 With an invasive species
00:16:56 Of mollusk
00:16:57 Called the "quake mussel."
00:17:00 This stealthy invader
00:17:02 From Eastern Europe
00:17:03 Had no natural predators
00:17:04 In North America
00:17:06 Other than the humans tasked
00:17:07 With scraping it from the grates
00:17:09 And pipes it colonizes.
00:17:12 the mussels attach themselves
00:17:14 To the inside wall of pipes
00:17:18 And they're very prolific.
00:17:19 They colonize
00:17:20 And rapidly build up
00:17:22 And can grow
00:17:23 On top of each other,
00:17:25 And eventually completely block
00:17:28 The diameter of a pipe.
00:17:40 the small pipes
00:17:41 That brings cooling water
00:17:42 To hover dam's generators
00:17:44 Make perfect homes
00:17:45 For these creatures.
00:17:47 And with no people around
00:17:48 To remove them,
00:17:49 They spread like a cancer.
00:17:52 and in fact,
00:17:53 Those mussels could clog up
00:17:55 The cooling water pipes,
00:17:57 To the point
00:17:58 Where we couldn't keep
00:18:00 These generators cool anymore.
00:18:09 And it would cause
00:18:11 The high temperature alarm
00:18:12 In the automatic control system.
00:18:15 And that automatic
00:18:16 Control system
00:18:17 Would then start
00:18:18 The shutdown sequence
00:18:19 Of that generator.
00:18:23 Well, that would happen
00:18:24 One by one
00:18:24 For all of the generators
00:18:25 Of hover dam,
00:18:26 And eventually
00:18:27 The entire power plant
00:18:28 Would be shut down.
00:18:31 in lass Vegas,
00:18:33 The last glimmers
00:18:33 Of manmade light on earth
00:18:36 Relinquish the night
00:18:37 To its primeval blackness.
00:18:41 With the generators
00:18:42 No longer running,
00:18:43 No water at all
00:18:44 Is passing through hover dam.
00:18:51 And the Colorado River
00:18:52 Downstream begins to run dry.
00:18:58 On the other side of the dam,
00:19:00 The water has nowhere to go
00:19:02 And Lake Mead starts to rise.
00:19:06 it would just keep
00:19:07 Building up in Lake Mead.
00:19:10 And it would eventually
00:19:10 Gets to the point
00:19:11 Of spilling over
00:19:12 Through the spillways
00:19:13 On either side of the dam.
00:19:18 unchecked,
00:19:20 Nature's most powerful elements
00:19:22 Reclaim their supremacy
00:19:23 On earth.
00:19:27 Triggered by lightning strikes,
00:19:30 The wildfires
00:19:30 Those humans once battled
00:19:32 So valiantly
00:19:33 Now rage unchecked.
00:19:43 Cities and neighborhoods
00:19:44 Full of abandoned buildings,
00:19:46 Wild grasses, and debris
00:19:48 Is prime fuel for the flames?
00:19:59 Chicago burns.
00:20:04 San's
00:20:05 Stately wooden Victorians
00:20:07 Are now only useful as kindling.
00:20:14 And just as it did
00:20:15 In the time of the ancients,
00:20:17 Rome is burning again.
00:20:23 As structures
00:20:24 Burn to the ground,
00:20:26 Charred timbers
00:20:26 Release nutrients into the soil,
00:20:29 Providing the next wave
00:20:30 Of plant life,
00:20:31 With the nitrogen
00:20:32 It needs to grow
00:20:35 And thrive.
00:20:50 Five years after people,
00:20:52 The roads of the world
00:20:53 Are disappearing
00:20:54 Beneath a green map
00:20:55 That spreads
00:20:56 Like some relentless monster.
00:21:01 The advance of nature
00:21:02 Knows no boundaries.
00:21:05 The gates
00:21:06 Of London's Buckingham palace
00:21:08 Are easily breached by vines
00:21:09 And moss.
00:21:12 In Moscow, red square
00:21:14 Is becoming very green.
00:21:17 in reality,
00:21:18 Nature will reclaim earth
00:21:19 Very quickly.
00:21:22 These stairs were cleared
00:21:22 18 months ago.
00:21:25 If we came back
00:21:25 In another 18 months,
00:21:26 We'd have a hard time
00:21:27 Finding them.
00:21:29 If we came back in five years,
00:21:31 It would be almost impossible
00:21:32 To find.
00:21:34 man's mastery over nature
00:21:36 Has always been
00:21:37 Just an illusion.
00:21:42 When the Cambodian city
00:21:43 Of Angkor
00:21:44 And its temple complexes
00:21:45 Were abandoned in 15th century,
00:21:48 Jungle trees grew
00:21:49 Indiscriminately
00:21:50 Over its stone structures.
00:21:52 Entangling them in their roots.
00:22:00 Now, without armies of gardeners
00:22:03 And repairmen,
00:22:04 Modern cities are laid bare
00:22:06 To nature's revenge.
00:22:10 In New York's central park,
00:22:12 The great lawns, now untended,
00:22:14 Sprout with saplings.
00:22:18 Five years without humans
00:22:20 Leaves the park
00:22:21 Looking more like a forest.
00:22:25 central park will go bananas.
00:22:29 So all of a sudden
00:22:30 You'll get trees,
00:22:30 You'll get growth.
00:22:33 All the animals and plants
00:22:35 That is there now will go up
00:22:38 In population levels
00:22:39 And they'll start to spread out
00:22:40 Into the city.
00:22:45 the story is the same
00:22:46 In Washington o.k.
00:22:50 The great monuments
00:22:51 Have been swallowed by greenery.
00:22:57 And on what used to be
00:22:58 The national mall,
00:23:01 The sounds of the jungle
00:23:02 Are echoing.
00:23:04 zoo animals
00:23:04 Are really the great unknown.
00:23:10 Depending on whether or not
00:23:11 They could escape
00:23:12 From their confinement,
00:23:13 Then things change dramatically
00:23:15 Because you might have lions,
00:23:17 You might have tigers;
00:23:18 Both of which
00:23:19 Would be perfectly capable
00:23:21 Of surviving
00:23:22 In a post-human period.
00:23:27 They'd do better further south
00:23:29 Than they would do
00:23:30 in Washington o.k.
00:23:32 But these are animals
00:23:33 That is perfectly capable
00:23:34 Of figuring out how to do it
00:23:36 And how to survive.
00:23:38 zoo animals
00:23:39 May be the great unknown
00:23:41 But there are things
00:23:41 We can know for sure
00:23:43 About life 20 years
00:23:44 After people are gone
00:23:50 Because there's one spot
00:23:51 On the globe
00:23:53 Where it's already happened.
00:23:58 [music]
00:24:19 it's 20 years
00:24:20 Into a life after people.
00:24:26 Without humans
00:24:27 To apply fresh paint
00:24:28 And fill in cracks,
00:24:30 Even concrete buildings
00:24:31 Have already begun to crumble.
00:24:36 Lack of maintenance turns cities
00:24:37 Into eerie ghost towns.
00:24:45 Animals that have long avoided
00:24:46 Human population centers
00:24:48 Now return to make new homes
00:24:50 Among the decaying walls.
00:24:57 How do we know this?
00:24:59 Because there's one place
00:25:00 In the world
00:25:01 Where it's already happened.
00:25:08 we're standing
00:25:08 In the central square
00:25:10 Of prepay, Ukraine,
00:25:12 The city that was once
00:25:13 The most modern city
00:25:15 In the former Soviet Union.
00:25:22 For 20 years now,
00:25:24 This city
00:25:25 Has been sitting abandoned,
00:25:26 And it really gives you
00:25:28 A picture of what would happen
00:25:31 If people are removed
00:25:32 From a place
00:25:33 Of normal civilization.
00:25:42 evacuated after
00:25:43 The Chernobyl nuclear disaster,
00:25:46 Prepay went
00:25:47 From a city of 50,000
00:25:52 To ghost town overnight.
00:26:07 Dust-covered school rooms remain
00:26:09 As students left them
00:26:10 Just over 20 years ago.
00:26:23 Vegetation pries apart masonry
00:26:25 As it crawls over buildings.
00:26:34 An amusement park
00:26:35 Scheduled to open
00:26:36 Four days after the date
00:26:38 Of the accident
00:26:39 Remains never used.
00:26:47 The park's ferries wheel
00:26:48 Accumulates rust
00:26:50 Rather than riders.
00:27:06 The bumper cars sit in a state
00:27:08 Of motionless decay.
00:27:16 Prepay has provided an amazing
00:27:17 And rare opportunity
00:27:19 To see what happens
00:27:20 To a manmade city
00:27:22 When humans disappear.
00:27:29 I can see
00:27:30 From my Geiger counter
00:27:31 That it's really quite safe
00:27:32 To be here,
00:27:33 Radiation levels
00:27:34 Were not very high.
00:27:37 But you can see
00:27:38 That we've really hit
00:27:39 A point of no return
00:27:40 In recapturing these facilities.
00:27:48 We're in what was
00:27:49 The cultural center
00:27:51 Of the city of prepay.
00:27:53 And indeed, this was a place
00:27:54 Where friends gathered,
00:27:56 Where there would be
00:27:58 Celebrations,
00:27:59 There would be balls,
00:28:01 There would be music,
00:28:02 There would be dancing,
00:28:03 There would be performing
00:28:05 On the stage here behind me.
00:28:10 But after 20 years,
00:28:12 The forces of nature
00:28:14 Have started to decay
00:28:14 This facility.
00:28:18 this concrete soviet facade
00:28:20 May look imposing
00:28:22 But it's no match
00:28:23 For the frigid Ukrainian winters.
00:28:26 As the temperature drops
00:28:27 Below freezing,
00:28:28 Water that has accumulated
00:28:30 In cracks, expands,
00:28:32 Exerting bursting pressure
00:28:33 That pulls apart
00:28:35 The masonry.
00:28:37 As vegetation grows unchecked,
00:28:39 The roots spread
00:28:40 Through foundations and stairs.
00:28:43 These roots suck in moisture
00:28:45 That makes them expand and grow.
00:28:48 Like miniature hydraulic jacks,
00:28:51 Over time,
00:28:52 They slowly push apart
00:28:54 The concrete.
00:29:00 this is only 20 years.
00:29:03 Can you imagine?
00:29:03 What this facility
00:29:04 Will look like after 200 years?
00:29:13 after the accident,
00:29:14 Scientists expected the worst
00:29:16 For the wildlife in the region.
00:29:19 Most of the trees
00:29:19 In a 1 1/2 square mile area
00:29:22 Around the nuclear plant
00:29:23 Were killed off by radiation.
00:29:26 Many animals died.
00:29:29 But incredibly, the effect
00:29:31 Of the absence of humans
00:29:33 For 20 years has outweighed
00:29:36 The initial damage
00:29:37 Caused by the nuclear nightmare.
00:29:44 this is the red forest,
00:29:46 An area
00:29:46 That was horribly impacted
00:29:48 By radioactivity
00:29:51 Due to the Chernobyl explosion.
00:29:55 And the trees that you see
00:29:56 Around me were killed
00:29:57 By the radioactivity.
00:30:02 The original amounts
00:30:03 Of radioactivity were sufficient
00:30:05 To kill all of the wildlife
00:30:06 In the region as well.
00:30:12 But now we see resurgence
00:30:13 Of the wildlife.
00:30:22 As an example of how wildlife
00:30:24 Has prospered here,
00:30:26 We see, here, we have an antler
00:30:28 From a red deer and, obviously,
00:30:30 A fairly large
00:30:31 And healthy red deer.
00:30:35 Red deer are hardly found
00:30:36 In any other areas
00:30:38 In this region
00:30:39 And the Chernobyl zone
00:30:41 Is the only place
00:30:42 That you'll find populations
00:30:44 Of red deer.
00:30:47 We also find Russian wild boars
00:30:49 That the populations in the zone
00:30:51 Are 10 to 15 times higher
00:30:53 Than they are outside
00:30:55 Of the zone.
00:31:04 [speaking Russian]
00:31:05 we're now at the kindergarten
00:31:06 Of Karachi village, not far
00:31:08 From the Chernobyl station.
00:31:10 Children were living here
00:31:11 While their parents worked.
00:31:13 But after that night
00:31:14 In April 1986,
00:31:16 They never returned.
00:31:23 We are in what was formerly
00:31:24 A bedroom in this kindergarten
00:31:26 Where children used to sleep
00:31:27 And rest.
00:31:30 Now, there's
00:31:31 Certain emptiness here.
00:31:34 All these windows are broken.
00:31:36 But the room continues
00:31:37 To live on.
00:31:42 Birds fly in here
00:31:42 And sit on these bars.
00:31:45 We even found evidence
00:31:46 That an owl comes here.
00:31:48 An owl, it regurgitates food,
00:31:50 Fur, bones, and feathers.
00:31:54 Evidently, it likes to sit here
00:31:55 On this window pane.
00:31:57 So this room continues
00:31:58 To maintain life.
00:32:12 Even trees which had proven
00:32:14 Especially vulnerable
00:32:15 To radioactive fallout.
00:32:17 Are finding new homes
00:32:19 In the evacuation zone.
00:32:26 I'm sitting
00:32:26 In the pipit soccer stadium
00:32:28 Where, 20 years ago,
00:32:30 Hundreds of people would come
00:32:31 And cheer
00:32:31 On their favorite team.
00:32:38 You can imagine the laughter
00:32:39 Of the sounds
00:32:40 Of the crowds here.
00:32:43 The activity on the field
00:32:45 Which, 20 years later,
00:32:47 Is barely discernable.
00:32:58 The soccer field now is going
00:33:00 Through succession
00:33:01 As you would expect in returning
00:33:02 To what it was originally
00:33:05 Hundreds of years ago
00:33:06 Which was a mixed?
00:33:07 Deciduous forest.
00:33:15 I grew up in a town
00:33:16 About like this
00:33:18 And I used to enjoy
00:33:19 Riding bumper cars like these
00:33:22 About a half a world away.
00:33:24 And it seems pretty sad
00:33:26 When you look now
00:33:27 And you see what's become
00:33:28 Of this beautiful city
00:33:29 Of pipit and that people
00:33:31 Will never live here again.
00:33:41 But there's another side
00:33:42 To this story,
00:33:43 A very encouraging side;
00:33:45 One that says that life
00:33:47 Is much more resilient
00:33:49 Than what we thought possible.
00:33:51 That in the absence of man,
00:33:54 That life will continue
00:33:55 And that life will thrive
00:33:57 And that the legacy of life
00:34:01 Will always be here,
00:34:03 Because we are a part of life.
00:34:06 Even if we disappear,
00:34:08 Our legacy of life
00:34:09 Will continue.
00:34:10 [music]
00:34:45 Through decaying neighborhoods
00:34:47 In search of their next meal.
00:34:53 In some of the great cities
00:34:54 Of the world,
00:34:56 Solid ground is getting harder
00:34:57 To find.
00:35:02 In the time of humans,
00:35:04 London was protected
00:35:05 From tidal surges
00:35:06 By 10 retractable steel gates
00:35:09 That could be raised
00:35:09 During storms to seal off
00:35:11 The Thames River
00:35:12 From the North Sea.
00:35:16 Without humans
00:35:17 To operate the barrier,
00:35:20 London is defenseless.
00:35:28 Another low-lying city,
00:35:30 Amsterdam,
00:35:31 Meets the same watery fate.
00:35:46 In a New York City high rise,
00:35:49 Some windows have already
00:35:50 Cracked and slipped loose
00:35:53 From their frames and many more
00:35:56 Are on the verge of destruction.
00:36:01 After a quarter century
00:36:02 Of exposure to moisture
00:36:03 And heat without maintenance,
00:36:06 The normally flexible window
00:36:07 Sealant has become rigid,
00:36:09 Locking this window
00:36:10 To its frame.
00:36:13 As the metal frame expands
00:36:14 And contracts with changes
00:36:16 In temperature,
00:36:18 It induces stresses
00:36:19 On the glass.
00:36:21 It cracks and plummets
00:36:23 To the sidewalk below.
00:36:28 after a few of the windows
00:36:29 Fall out of a building
00:36:31 Like this,
00:36:32 Then the wind pressure effect
00:36:33 Changes dramatically.
00:36:35 As well as external pressure
00:36:36 Coming on to the building,
00:36:37 You also get suction.
00:36:39 And that aggravates the problem
00:36:40 So more of the panels
00:36:42 Are likely to fall out.
00:36:47 through these gaping holes,
00:36:48 The building fills
00:36:49 With windswept debris.
00:36:57 A summer storm rolls in.
00:37:02 On top of the structure,
00:37:04 The copper-lightning deterrent
00:37:05 System that once protected
00:37:07 Thousands of office workers
00:37:09 Is now corroded and useless.
00:37:17 A lightning bolt turns the tower
00:37:19 Into a raging inferno.
00:37:34 The gutted building makes
00:37:35 The perfect home
00:37:36 For a surprising survivor.
00:37:44 Although pigeons once relied
00:37:45 On the handouts of humans,
00:37:48 They have done just fine
00:37:50 In 25 years without us.
00:37:55 pigeons are survivors.
00:37:57 They can live in the wild;
00:37:58 They do live in the wild still.
00:38:00 And in a period
00:38:02 Where there were no people
00:38:03 But there still were edifices
00:38:05 And artifacts, our buildings,
00:38:07 They would do very well
00:38:08 Because they would adopt these
00:38:10 As kind of
00:38:10 Artificial cliff faces,
00:38:12 Which is what they really are?
00:38:13 Adapted to.
00:38:17 like the pigeon,
00:38:22 The disappearance of humans
00:38:23 Forced a change in the habits
00:38:24 Of the lowly cockroach.
00:38:28 think of the poor cockroach
00:38:30 After they gorge
00:38:30 Upon our surplus
00:38:32 When we're gone,
00:38:35 They'll mourn us.
00:38:37 They'll be sorry.
00:38:38 but the morning won't last
00:38:40 For long.
00:38:42 While cockroaches thrived
00:38:43 On our scraps,
00:38:45 They can also eat bookbinding's,
00:38:47 And cardboard,
00:38:49 And any rotting organic matter
00:38:51 Including dead leaves and roots.
00:38:55 While food isn't a problem,
00:38:57 Roaches also need warmth;
00:39:00 The kind that humans
00:39:00 Had always supplied
00:39:02 Through artificial heat.
00:39:06 Cockroaches started
00:39:07 As a tropical species
00:39:10 And some experts say
00:39:11 They couldn't survive the winter
00:39:12 In colder cities.
00:39:16 But it's hard to bet
00:39:17 Against a creature that has seen
00:39:18 The dinosaurs come and go.
00:39:22 cockroaches are
00:39:23 Extremely adaptable.
00:39:25 They've been around
00:39:25 For 300 million years.
00:39:26 If I have to bet,
00:39:27 I'd put my money on them
00:39:28 Being able to survive
00:39:29 In one form or another.
00:39:35 the first winter
00:39:36 After humans did witness
00:39:38 The die-off of some cockroaches,
00:39:41 But many more moved underground
00:39:43 To find warmth until
00:39:44 Milder temperatures returned.
00:39:49 In an abandoned downtown
00:39:51 Devoid of insecticides,
00:39:53 Overrun by vegetation
00:39:55 And with a rising water table,
00:39:58 This former pest is now enjoying
00:40:00 A golden age.
00:40:11 Cockroaches were only a nuisance
00:40:13 To humans,
00:40:16 But wolves were a terror.
00:40:23 So man hunted them mercilessly.
00:40:25 When the first European settlers
00:40:27 Arrived in what is now
00:40:28 The United States,
00:40:30 It's believed nearly half
00:40:31 A million wolves roamed
00:40:32 The country side.
00:40:35 By the 20th century,
00:40:36 These predators
00:40:37 Were nearly extinct
00:40:38 In the lower 48 states.
00:40:42 Now, with no humans left
00:40:44 To battle them,
00:40:45 Wolf populations multiply
00:40:47 By as much six times each year.
00:40:50 Within 25 years
00:40:51 Of our disappearance,
00:40:53 There could easily be half
00:40:54 A million of them roaming
00:40:56 The united states again.
00:41:02 This amazing comeback
00:41:04 Has been seen
00:41:05 On a small scale before.
00:41:08 In 1995, biologists released
00:41:11 A few dozen wolves
00:41:13 Within the boundaries
00:41:14 Of yellow stone national park;
00:41:18 A place
00:41:18 Where they would be protected
00:41:19 From persecution by humans.
00:41:32 Within a decade,
00:41:33 A few dozen had multiplied
00:41:34 Into 1,500
00:41:37 And the wolves
00:41:38 Quickly spread out
00:41:39 From their release point
00:41:40 To occupy territory
00:41:41 Throughout the states
00:41:42 Of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.
00:41:50 it would be fast
00:41:51 If you can start
00:41:52 With just a few dozen wolves
00:41:53 And in the course of one decade,
00:41:55 Have a population of 1,500
00:41:57 And you could have
00:41:58 A geographic expansion
00:41:59 Where they filled up a big chunk
00:42:01 Of a three-state area.
00:42:02 And these are
00:42:03 Big western states.
00:42:04 Yeah, when the conditions
00:42:05 Are right,
00:42:06 They can re-colonize
00:42:07 Pretty rapidly.
00:42:10 Could we see them in Manhattan?
00:42:12 Or Chicago?
00:42:15 As soon as the deer get there,
00:42:16 The wolves will be right
00:42:17 Behind them.
00:42:25 animals haven't
00:42:26 Just been hunted by humans;
00:42:28 They've also been hemmed in.
00:42:38 There are roughly three million
00:42:39 Miles of paved road
00:42:41 In the united states alone.
00:42:46 And it's no coincidence
00:42:47 That many of them cut
00:42:48 Right through the paths
00:42:50 Animals use to get from place
00:42:51 To place.
00:42:54 the things that make
00:42:55 A landscape good
00:42:56 For animal movement
00:42:58 Also make it easy to engineer
00:43:00 A road in that location.
00:43:04 So, we've cut off pretty much
00:43:05 All major migrations
00:43:07 In North America.
00:43:12 asphalt and automobiles
00:43:14 Wreaked particular havoc
00:43:15 On the grizzly bear.
00:43:24 Their habitat
00:43:24 Was so carved up by roads
00:43:27 That they're confined
00:43:28 To isolated pockets,
00:43:30 Cutting them off
00:43:31 From food sources
00:43:32 And potential mates.
00:43:41 In a life after humans,
00:43:43 Roads are no longer barriers
00:43:45 For the grizzly.
00:43:47 Instead they are pathways;
00:43:50 Trails that lead them back
00:43:51 Into the heart
00:43:52 Of their former range.
00:44:04 forty years after people.
00:44:08 While cities of steel
00:44:09 And concrete
00:44:10 Are still standing tall,
00:44:13 The suburbs are under attack.
00:44:18 Roughly 90 percent of all homes
00:44:20 In the United States
00:44:21 Have wood frames.
00:44:24 While some have burned,
00:44:30 Others are now being devoured.
00:44:39 Without paint and preservatives,
00:44:41 The lumber of homes
00:44:42 Is defenseless against termites.
00:44:46 Termites feast on cellulose,
00:44:49 The basic building block
00:44:50 Of wood.
00:44:52 And their appetites
00:44:53 Are relentless.
00:44:56 Some colonies can eat
00:44:57 As much as 1,000 pounds of wood
00:44:59 Per year.
00:45:04 In this destructive advance,
00:45:06 The termites
00:45:07 Aren't working alone.
00:45:09 the process we know
00:45:09 As rotting will occur
00:45:11 When the wood gets exposed
00:45:12 To the elements.
00:45:15 And this rotting, actually,
00:45:16 Is a more complicated process.
00:45:18 It's a process by which microbes
00:45:20 Attack the wood
00:45:21 And release carbon dioxide
00:45:22 And methane to the atmosphere.
00:45:24 If humans were to leave,
00:45:26 It'd be a matter of decades
00:45:27 Before most structures
00:45:28 That had significant
00:45:28 Wood components
00:45:29 Would start to decay.
00:45:32 faced with
00:45:33 A two pronged attack
00:45:34 From termites and rot,
00:45:36 The beams that hold up the roof
00:45:38 Give way.
00:45:41 And the boundary
00:45:42 Between inside and out,
00:45:43 That had once been so important
00:45:45 To the humans
00:45:46 Who called this building home?
00:45:49 Is forever erased.
00:45:53 other substances
00:45:54 Like this mortar and rock
00:45:55 Are going to last longer
00:45:56 Than several decades,
00:45:58 But they'll still crumble
00:45:59 After natural, chemical,
00:46:00 And physical weathering
00:46:01 Processes,
00:46:02 And eventually these walls
00:46:03 Will fall down as well,
00:46:05 And there'll be no remnants.
00:46:10 now, nature will act quickly
00:46:12 To swallow up these ruins.
00:46:16 This crumbling house
00:46:17 In Baltimore's druid hill park
00:46:19 Was once home to the caretaker?
00:46:21 Of the city zoo.
00:46:23 it looks like this building
00:46:24 Has been abandoned
00:46:25 For more than a hundred years.
00:46:26 But in reality,
00:46:27 People have been living here
00:46:28 Up till 40 years ago.
00:46:31 It's amazing how quickly
00:46:32 The vegetation has reclaimed
00:46:33 The area.
00:46:34 The vines have started to climb
00:46:36 Up the walls.
00:46:37 The trees are growing
00:46:38 Into the structure,
00:46:40 And they're both physically
00:46:41 Pulling the structure apart,
00:46:42 And chemically dissolving it.
00:46:46 structures built entirely
00:46:48 Of stone or masonry
00:46:49 Will far outlive
00:46:50 Anything made of wood.
00:46:54 Exactly how fast
00:46:55 They will crumble depends
00:46:56 On their environment.
00:47:03 the coast of Maine, really,
00:47:04 Isn't very kind to buildings.
00:47:07 Structures out here
00:47:08 Don't so much decay
00:47:09 When you live them alone;
00:47:10 They melt.
00:47:12 these structures
00:47:13 On black island, Maine
00:47:15 Used to be part
00:47:16 Of granite quarry whose stone
00:47:18 Was used to build and decorate
00:47:19 Cities like Boston, New York,
00:47:22 And Philadelphia.
00:47:25 It was abandoned around 1920.
00:47:29 here, the buildings
00:47:30 Have all vanished
00:47:31 Within the space
00:47:31 Of 80 and 90 years.
00:47:33 There's almost nothing left.
00:47:39 in the right conditions
00:47:41 And with human maintenance,
00:47:43 Stone construction can last
00:47:45 For thousands of years.
00:47:49 In some places in Europe,
00:47:51 Ancient roman aqueducts
00:47:52 Are still in use.
00:47:54 But without maintenance,
00:47:56 Stone can fall victim
00:47:58 To a very stealthy enemy.
00:48:01 one of the great enemies
00:48:02 Of stone are actually salts
00:48:03 And salt crystals.
00:48:04 Even thousands of years ago,
00:48:06 People notice the effect
00:48:07 That salts had on deteriorating
00:48:09 The ancient pyramids.
00:48:13 there are many ways
00:48:14 Salts infiltrate stone buildings
00:48:17 And monuments:
00:48:18 Polluted air, seawater,
00:48:21 And even bird droppings.
00:48:24 soluble salts dissolve
00:48:25 In water,
00:48:25 And as the water evaporates,
00:48:27 It will rise up inside
00:48:28 Of porous building materials;
00:48:30 Things like brick and stone
00:48:32 And even concrete.
00:48:33 And what happen are the salts
00:48:35 Will continue to grow
00:48:36 Inside the pores of the stone
00:48:38 Until they come up
00:48:40 Against the side of the wall,
00:48:42 And they'll actually push
00:48:43 The stone apart.
00:48:48 what we're seeing
00:48:48 In this time-lapse video
00:48:49 Really shows the rapid decay
00:48:51 Of the stone in response
00:48:52 To this deterioration by salts.
00:48:57 In this experiment,
00:48:58 It took about three weeks to go
00:49:00 From this piece of stone
00:49:05 To this piece of stone,
00:49:07 Which is completely deteriorated?
00:49:09 By sodium sulfate
00:49:10 Crystallization.
00:49:12 three weeks in this
00:49:13 Accelerated aging chamber
00:49:16 Are equivalent to a few years
00:49:17 In the harshest of environments,
00:49:20 Or a few decades in a more
00:49:22 Benign desert climate.
00:49:24 if we could see
00:49:25 Microscopically what's going on?
00:49:26 Inside the pyramids,
00:49:28 This is what
00:49:29 Would be taking place.
00:49:30 You can actually see the salts
00:49:31 Deteriorate the stone.
00:49:36 although not immune to decay,
00:49:38 The pyramids have survived
00:49:39 For nearly 5,000 years
00:49:42 Because of their sheer volume
00:49:44 And their hot,
00:49:45 Dry desert environment.
00:49:48 Too massive to be destroyed
00:49:49 By either man or nature,
00:49:52 The pyramids of Giza
00:49:54 Were the only one
00:49:55 Of the seven wonders
00:49:56 Of the ancient world to survive
00:49:58 Into the modern era.
00:50:01 Many ancient monuments
00:50:02 Have survived only
00:50:03 Because of human maintenance
00:50:05 Throughout the centuries.
00:50:10 The sphinx was uncovered
00:50:11 And restored for the first time
00:50:13 Back in 1400 back.
00:50:16 Modern experts who have studied
00:50:18 The sphinx, predict
00:50:20 That without human intervention,
00:50:22 Deterioration from salts
00:50:24 And wind erosion could render it
00:50:26 A pile of dust
00:50:27 Within 500 to 1,000 years.
00:50:36 The largest concrete structures
00:50:38 Like hover dam, will last
00:50:40 Even longer than that.
00:50:48 Hover is so thick
00:50:49 That over 70 years
00:50:50 After it was constructed
00:50:52 The concrete deep inside
00:50:54 Was still curing.
00:50:59 But of the 15 tallest dams
00:51:01 In the United States,
00:51:03 Only 10 are concrete.
00:51:05 The others are made of compacted
00:51:07 Rock or earth,
00:51:09 Like northern California's
00:51:10 Trinity dam.
00:51:14 If there were humans around,
00:51:16 This leak in the dam would get
00:51:18 An emergency fix.
00:51:21 But those days are long gone.
00:51:25 some of these dams
00:51:26 Are absolutely enormous.
00:51:29 And if they fail,
00:51:30 As they will in time,
00:51:31 Then the surge of water
00:51:33 That falls in behind them
00:51:35 And cascades
00:51:36 Down a valley below
00:51:38 Would have a huge force,
00:51:40 Big enough to sweep away
00:51:41 Everything on its path.
00:51:55 fifty years after humans,
00:51:58 The strain of neglect
00:51:59 Is beginning to show
00:52:00 On even the best design
00:52:02 Of manmade structures.
00:52:12 everything that man designs
00:52:14 Carries within it, the seeds
00:52:16 Of its own destruction;
00:52:18 That includes bridges
00:52:19 And buildings.
00:52:21 The Brooklyn Bridge,
00:52:22 One of the most famous bridges
00:52:24 In the world for over 125 years.
00:52:30 The reason
00:52:30 Those bridges last so long
00:52:32 Is because engineers
00:52:34 Look after them.
00:52:35 They inspect them regularly,
00:52:36 They maintain them,
00:52:37 They paint them,
00:52:38 They replace pieces that need
00:52:39 To be replaced.
00:52:41 Without people,
00:52:42 Without engineers,
00:52:43 The deterioration process
00:52:45 Will accelerate dramatically.
00:52:50 the most vulnerable parts
00:52:52 Of a suspension bridge
00:52:53 Are the steel vertical hanger
00:52:55 Cables.
00:53:00 these have been tested
00:53:01 In the laboratory,
00:53:02 Unfortunately not on the bridge,
00:53:04 But what you see
00:53:05 Is a classic kind of a failure?
00:53:08 That occurs in these wires.
00:53:11 These are the individual wires,
00:53:13 All right?
00:53:13 That's an individual wire.
00:53:15 That probably has
00:53:15 A tensile strength
00:53:16 That's maybe 200,000 pounds
00:53:18 Per square inch.
00:53:18 That's a very high strength
00:53:19 Steel.
00:53:21 as strong as they are,
00:53:23 These cables have a fatal flaw:
00:53:26 It's the stuff they're made of.
00:53:32 steel is a mineral
00:53:32 That comes from the earth
00:53:34 That's mostly iron,
00:53:36 So it's probably
00:53:37 95, 98 percent iron.
00:53:42 exposed to moisture
00:53:43 In the environment,
00:53:44 Iron will start to revert
00:53:46 Back to the minerals
00:53:47 It came from.
00:53:49 Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
00:53:53 it's going to go back home.
00:53:55 It came from the earth
00:53:55 As iron oxide of some form,
00:53:58 And it's going to go back.
00:54:01 this is the process we know
00:54:02 As corrosion,
00:54:04 And you see it wherever steel
00:54:06 Is exposed to moisture.
00:54:09 the enemy of steel
00:54:11 Is corrosion.
00:54:12 The problem
00:54:13 Is keeping the water out.
00:54:16 Part of that is maintenance.
00:54:17 If you don't maintain them,
00:54:19 You will get corrosion.
00:54:23 completed in 1883,
00:54:26 The Brooklyn bridge cost
00:54:27 $15 million to build.
00:54:31 Over the last two decades,
00:54:33 $3 billion have been spent
00:54:35 Maintaining it
00:54:37 And the other bridges
00:54:38 Over the east river.
00:54:40 In the time of humans,
00:54:43 The Brooklyn Bridge
00:54:43 Was continually maintained
00:54:45 And fully repainted,
00:54:47 Roughly, every dozen years.
00:54:49 While across the country
00:54:51 In San Francisco,
00:54:55 The golden gate bridge
00:54:56 Was protected at all times
00:54:59 By a vigilant brigade
00:55:00 Of 17 iron workers
00:55:02 And 38 painters.
00:55:07 what do they do all the time?
00:55:08 They will tell you, "We paint
00:55:09 This bridge continuously."
00:55:12 What happens when that stops?
00:55:14 I can tell you what happens
00:55:15 When that stops.
00:55:16 The cables begin to rust,
00:55:18 The paint peels off,
00:55:19 The wires begin to break,
00:55:21 And they'll come to a point
00:55:23 When the bridge
00:55:24 Is going to come down.
00:55:34 seventy-five years
00:55:35 After people.
00:55:38 Most of the 600 million cars
00:55:41 That once traveled the roads
00:55:42 Of the world
00:55:44 Are now just rusted remnants
00:55:46 Of the human past.
00:55:52 abandoned cars will behave
00:55:53 Differently depending
00:55:54 On the environment
00:55:55 That they're in.
00:55:57 A car left in the Mojave Desert,
00:55:58 For example,
00:55:59 Is going to last a long time.
00:56:01 A car abandoned
00:56:02 In my native Scotland
00:56:03 Is going to have
00:56:04 A very different fate.
00:56:06 Any cars
00:56:07 In a coastal environment
00:56:08 With salt in the atmosphere,
00:56:11 They might not last
00:56:11 More than 20, 30 years.
00:56:16 tires deflate
00:56:17 Within a few years,
00:56:19 Although the rubber
00:56:20 And synthetics they're made of
00:56:22 Will remain intact
00:56:22 For centuries.
00:56:25 Paint deteriorates quickly.
00:56:28 And once it flakes away,
00:56:30 Rust corrodes the car's body
00:56:32 At a rate of 5,000ths
00:56:34 Of an inch per year.
00:56:37 Seventy-five years after humans,
00:56:40 Most cars,
00:56:41 Even in the most forgiving
00:56:43 Of environments,
00:56:44 Will be reduced to skeletons.
00:56:48 After a century, the family car
00:56:50 Is a barely recognizable heap
00:56:53 Of metal.
00:57:06 It's now 100 years into a life
00:57:09 After people.
00:57:13 The Brooklyn Bridge,
00:57:15 Which had stood?
00:57:15 For over 125 years with people,
00:57:19 Can't survive even a century
00:57:21 Without them.
00:57:24 As the cables fail,
00:57:26 The deck and railings begin
00:57:27 To warp and sway.
00:57:35 The deck pulls free,
00:57:38 And the roadway spills
00:57:40 Into the east river.
00:57:49 as an engineer,
00:57:51 It's very sad to contemplate
00:57:53 That this beautiful iconic
00:57:55 Structure has got an end
00:57:56 To its life.
00:57:58 But without maintenance,
00:57:59 An end to its life
00:58:00 It certainly has.
00:58:07 how exactly do bridges fail?
00:58:10 Once corrosion starts,
00:58:12 The wires begin to crack.
00:58:15 and the wire
00:58:16 Doesn't have to have
00:58:16 A very big crack
00:58:17 Before it breaks.
00:58:18 Maybe a third
00:58:20 Of the way through.
00:58:22 You may wonder what happens
00:58:23 When they fail.
00:58:24 How do they fail?
00:58:25 Do they just break?
00:58:26 And what do they do?
00:58:27 And the answer
00:58:27 Is they tend to shred and fail,
00:58:30 With individual strands
00:58:31 Starting to fail
00:58:32 And then, kind of, cascading,
00:58:34 And a whole series of wires
00:58:35 Then begin to break.
00:58:39 a suspension bridge
00:58:40 Like the golden gate can survive
00:58:42 The weakening of one
00:58:44 Of its vertical cables.
00:58:46 But once two or three
00:58:47 Start to go,
00:58:49 The whole bridge is in jeopardy.
00:58:52 Twisted steel crashes
00:58:54 Into the waters below.
00:58:58 it's going to be gone.
00:59:01 Two hundred years?
00:59:02 I doubt it will last 200 years.
00:59:05 The bridge is going to be
00:59:06 In the drink.
00:59:08 [music]
00:59:09 if some
00:59:10 Of our largest structures
00:59:11 Have already failed
00:59:13 After 100 years,
00:59:16 Can there be any hope
00:59:17 That our civilization
00:59:18 Will leave a permanent mark
00:59:20 After we're gone?
00:59:24 What will remain of the records?
00:59:26 Of our history and culture
00:59:28 A hundred years after people?
00:59:33 our vaults contain
00:59:34 Our most precious materials,
00:59:37 And their biggest enemies
00:59:38 Are temperature and humidity.
00:59:43 As long
00:59:44 As their long-term storage
00:59:46 Is kept at these
00:59:47 Very controlled settings,
00:59:50 We feel assured
00:59:51 That the materials
00:59:52 Will be lasting a long time.
00:59:59 stored
01:00:00 Under ideal conditions,
01:00:01 Paper and film both have
01:00:03 An estimated shelf life
01:00:05 Of 200 to 300 years.
01:00:09 But expose them to the rigors
01:00:10 Of an uncontrolled environment
01:00:13 And that lifespan is cut
01:00:15 At least in half.
01:00:19 if all the power went off,
01:00:23 Probably within a week,
01:00:24 We'd see very big spikes
01:00:27 In the temperature and humidity.
01:00:32 in this hostile environment,
01:00:35 Cellulose acetate,
01:00:37 The most common material
01:00:38 Used for films and photographs
01:00:40 Throughout the 20th century
01:00:43 Begins to bubble and warp.
01:00:47 All of that culture and history,
01:00:49 From the landings on d-day
01:00:51 To Hollywood films
01:00:53 And even your cherished
01:00:54 Home movies and photographs,
01:00:56 Won't last a century
01:00:58 Without the care of humans.
01:01:01 so, those precious images,
01:01:04 Given time,
01:01:06 Are going to end up like this.
01:01:09 All of these are examples
01:01:10 Of various stages in the decay
01:01:13 Of cellulose acetate-based film
01:01:16 Exposed to very high amounts
01:01:18 Of humidity.
01:01:19 Essentially,
01:01:20 These materials are finished.
01:01:27 in libraries,
01:01:29 The great repositories
01:01:30 Of our collective knowledge,
01:01:32 The damage comes
01:01:33 From microscopic invaders.
01:01:39 Although we can't see them,
01:01:41 Mold spores
01:01:42 Are on all the surfaces
01:01:44 Around us, lying dormant,
01:01:46 Biding their time
01:01:48 For the right conditions
01:01:49 To strike.
01:01:54 High humidity
01:01:55 Creates the right conditions.
01:01:59 and so,
01:02:00 The situation is set up
01:02:02 For the mold to really boom.
01:02:11 some books and documents
01:02:12 Will avoid this fate.
01:02:16 The Dead Sea scrolls
01:02:17 Survived 2,000 years in caves
01:02:19 In the Judean desert,
01:02:21 Owing their longevity
01:02:22 To the arid climate
01:02:24 And lack of damaging sunlight.
01:02:28 But these are rare exceptions.
01:02:32 so without
01:02:33 Human intervention,
01:02:34 A book like this might last,
01:02:36 At best, another hundred years.
01:02:42 [music]
01:02:48 even our digital media
01:02:50 Won't last forever.
01:02:53 Estimates for the lifespan
01:02:55 Of cads and DVDs range
01:02:57 From a few decades
01:02:59 To a few centuries
01:03:00 Under ideal conditions.
01:03:04 we know
01:03:04 About the ancient Egyptians
01:03:06 Because what they left behind
01:03:08 Was engraved in stones.
01:03:09 [music]
01:03:14 Our form of capturing knowledge,
01:03:16 Information, our history,
01:03:18 Our advancement is typically
01:03:20 Either in a computerized form,
01:03:21 In a cod, or in a printed paper
01:03:23 Like this.
01:03:25 What we have here is something
01:03:26 That will degrade over time.
01:03:28 It will not last
01:03:29 For thousands of years
01:03:30 Like what
01:03:31 The ancient Egyptians
01:03:32 Left behind.
01:03:34 it seems pretty ironic
01:03:37 That with all of our advances,
01:03:40 We still have not come up
01:03:42 With anything as durable
01:03:44 As clay tablets and stone tools.
01:03:49 [music]
01:03:57 150 years after humans,
01:04:01 The subways
01:04:02 That had started to flood
01:04:03 In the first 36 hours
01:04:06 Are now flowing
01:04:07 Subterranean streams.
01:04:11 The beams and archways
01:04:12 That holds up the roofs
01:04:13 Of these tunnels
01:04:15 Are on the verge of collapse.
01:04:19 now, these tunnels
01:04:19 Are not far below street level.
01:04:21 These columns are supporting
01:04:23 Not just the roof of the tunnel,
01:04:25 But the street above.
01:04:27 And in time that these tunnels
01:04:28 Are inundated,
01:04:30 Flooded with water,
01:04:31 Corrosion will start
01:04:32 To take hold and we'll start
01:04:33 To see collapses.
01:04:37 the tunnels echo
01:04:38 With the sound
01:04:39 Of cracking steel and cement
01:04:42 As the streets above
01:04:47 Are sucked into the underground.
01:04:50 [music]
01:04:58 Above ground, life in the city
01:05:01 Is once again bustling.
01:05:06 Vines have grown up the sides
01:05:08 Of abandoned skyscrapers,
01:05:10 Adapting to feed off rainwater
01:05:13 That pools in crevices
01:05:15 And on ledges.
01:05:19 these vines all start up.
01:05:21 And the vines
01:05:22 Have little branches.
01:05:23 It'd be nice
01:05:23 If they produce a fruit
01:05:25 Or something that was edible.
01:05:27 You got to have a plant
01:05:28 With some fruit or, you know,
01:05:30 Some source of energy
01:05:31 For animals.
01:05:34 And then you would get
01:05:34 This vertical ecosystem
01:05:37 Out there, and you would get
01:05:38 Birds nesting in there.
01:05:41 You get things
01:05:41 Hunting in through there.
01:05:42 You could have snakes there.
01:05:44 You could have
01:05:45 All kinds of things.
01:05:53 as insects
01:05:54 And smaller animals
01:05:55 Get established,
01:06:00 Cats move in.
01:06:05 and there's some
01:06:06 Interesting examples of that
01:06:07 Around the world.
01:06:09 If you go to the coliseum--
01:06:10 You just look in it--
01:06:11 It's just loaded with cats.
01:06:14 And the old tombs
01:06:15 And old catacombs and so on
01:06:17 Get loaded with cats
01:06:18 That uses this as a living space
01:06:20 From which, then,
01:06:20 They radiate out during the day.
01:06:25 these felines
01:06:26 Are the descendants
01:06:27 Of our former house cats.
01:06:30 Immediately after people
01:06:31 Were gone, they replaced
01:06:33 Their human-supplied diets
01:06:35 With field mice and small birds.
01:06:38 Hunting out in the open
01:06:40 Was hard work.
01:06:42 But up here,
01:06:44 The pickings are easy.
01:06:48 Now, they live
01:06:49 Their whole lives
01:06:50 High above the city,
01:06:52 Finding all that they need
01:06:54 To survive without ever having
01:06:56 To touch the ground.
01:06:59 They are the kings
01:07:00 Of the new high altitude
01:07:01 Food chain,
01:07:03 With million-dollar views
01:07:05 Of a bizarrely
01:07:05 Altered cityscape.
01:07:15 I could picture new York city
01:07:17 With all the buildings
01:07:19 Covered with vines, you know?
01:07:21 Hawks sailing around.
01:07:25 It'd be lovely.
01:07:26 It would be absolutely lovely.
01:07:28 [music]
01:07:31 for cats,
01:07:33 Life in this new environment
01:07:35 Could eventually lead
01:07:36 To some strange adaptations.
01:07:41 I suppose, if you wanted
01:07:42 To be really imaginative
01:07:43 About it, you could say that,
01:07:45 Eventually, they could be
01:07:46 Like flying squirrels and so on.
01:07:48 They could glide from places.
01:07:52 The possibility is always there
01:07:55 For some imaginative responses
01:07:59 To this unusual environment.
01:08:05 while some cats
01:08:06 Have made a great leap forward,
01:08:11 Many dogs have reverted
01:08:13 To the ways of their ancestors.
01:08:16 Some that have interbred
01:08:19 With wolves now fall in packs
01:08:22 To bring down larger prey.
01:08:25 [music]
01:08:33 I think our dogs,
01:08:35 As placid as they may seem
01:08:37 When they're in our homes
01:08:38 Lying on the living room floor,
01:08:40 Still posses the instinct
01:08:42 To survive,
01:08:44 Enough that they would be able
01:08:45 To do whatever it took
01:08:48 In bringing down prey
01:08:49 In order to live.
01:08:51 [music]
01:09:03 150 years after people,
01:09:10 The oceans are teeming
01:09:11 With life.
01:09:16 The creatures of the sea
01:09:17 Have welcomed
01:09:18 The disappearance of mankind.
01:09:22 historically,
01:09:23 We've treated the oceans
01:09:24 In two strange ways
01:09:26 At the same time:
01:09:27 A pantry and a toilet.
01:09:31 And over time,
01:09:33 Our ability to damage the ocean
01:09:36 Has grown and grown and grown.
01:09:42 with humans no longer fishing
01:09:43 And polluting the sea,
01:09:45 The path was cleared
01:09:46 For this astonishing recovery.
01:09:49 It has happened before.
01:09:52 During World War II,
01:09:54 Allied fishing trawlers
01:09:55 Avoided the north Atlantic,
01:09:58 And populations of fish there
01:10:00 Skyrocketed.
01:10:04 in here, the basic biology
01:10:06 Of these kinds of animals
01:10:07 Is working in our favor
01:10:08 Because animals
01:10:10 Like this sunfish
01:10:10 Can produce millions
01:10:11 Of offspring in a year,
01:10:14 Much more
01:10:14 Than an equivalent-sized
01:10:15 Terrestrial animal like a cow.
01:10:18 And because of that
01:10:19 Prodigious potential
01:10:20 To reproduce,
01:10:22 The oceans could come back
01:10:23 Pretty quickly
01:10:25 If the human population
01:10:27 Were suddenly to disappear.
01:10:33 research has shown
01:10:34 That in the 18th century,
01:10:36 Before the havoc
01:10:37 Caused by humans,
01:10:38 The oceans were capable
01:10:39 Of sustaining
01:10:40 Massive amounts of life.
01:10:45 so many whales
01:10:45 That they stink up the air;
01:10:48 So many tunas
01:10:50 That they froth the ocean;
01:10:52 So many turtles
01:10:52 That you could walk
01:10:53 Across the sea on their backs.
01:10:55 So, if people were to vanish
01:10:58 Off the face of the earth,
01:10:59 Then that's the kind of ocean
01:11:00 It could be.
01:11:06 [music]
01:11:10 seagulls are also
01:11:11 Flourishing, but it has been
01:11:13 A treacherous flight.
01:11:15 The abundance of food
01:11:17 From humans
01:11:17 Had allowed gull populations
01:11:19 To explode beyond what nature
01:11:21 Could normally support.
01:11:25 we humans
01:11:26 Are pretty messy species.
01:11:28 And for a very long time,
01:11:29 We had open landfill dumps
01:11:31 Where, as far
01:11:32 As we were concerned,
01:11:33 All the stuff
01:11:34 That wasn't fit to eat
01:11:35 Was just thrown out.
01:11:36 But from the gulls'
01:11:37 Point of view,
01:11:38 This was an amazing
01:11:39 Free lunch counter.
01:11:41 So, you had a lot of birds
01:11:42 That probably
01:11:42 Wouldn't have made it through
01:11:43 Their first winter
01:11:44 If they've had to feed
01:11:45 For themselves.
01:11:46 Suddenly, they had
01:11:46 All these free food
01:11:47 Available to them.
01:11:50 An immediate consequence
01:11:51 Of a world without people
01:11:52 Would be some very hungry gulls
01:11:54 Who would be very voraciously?
01:11:55 Looking for other things to eat.
01:12:00 after an initial die-off,
01:12:03 The remaining gulls
01:12:04 Took advantage
01:12:05 Of the recovering oceans,
01:12:07 Where plentiful schools of fish
01:12:09 Erased any memories
01:12:11 Of the human-manufactured feasts
01:12:13 They used to enjoy.
01:12:21 Two hundred years after people,
01:12:25 From New York to Chicago,
01:12:27 Seattle and Paris,
01:12:30 Our iron and steel icons
01:12:32 Are on the verge of collapse.
01:12:37 While it has outlived
01:12:39 Our great suspension bridges,
01:12:41 The Eiffel tower
01:12:42 Is not invincible.
01:12:44 In the time of humans,
01:12:46 Its iron superstructure
01:12:47 Was painted
01:12:48 Once every seven years
01:12:50 To protect it from corrosion.
01:12:54 In both age and structure,
01:12:57 The Eiffel tower
01:12:58 Has a lot in common
01:12:59 With the 300-foot high
01:13:00 Kinsman railroad viaduct
01:13:02 In Pennsylvania.
01:13:04 was a bridge
01:13:05 That was wrought iron
01:13:05 Originally.
01:13:06 It was reconstructed
01:13:07 About the turn of the century
01:13:08 In steel.
01:13:11 And what happens here of course
01:13:12 Is that unless it's maintained,
01:13:14 Corrosion occurs.
01:13:16 And what happens
01:13:16 With the corrosion?
01:13:18 The connection points freeze up.
01:13:22 They are not allowed to move.
01:13:25 And here are some pieces
01:13:25 From that viaduct.
01:13:27 You can see
01:13:27 That there's corrosion
01:13:28 All over the place.
01:13:29 That's no longer steel.
01:13:33 a structure
01:13:34 With frozen connection points
01:13:36 Can't absorb the stress
01:13:37 Of high winds.
01:13:40 eventually,
01:13:41 In this strong wind storm,
01:13:43 It literally fell over.
01:13:49 Section by section,
01:13:51 Piece by piece,
01:13:52 It fell over into the valley
01:13:54 Where it had spanned the valley
01:13:56 For over a hundred years.
01:14:02 Just not maintained.
01:14:06 You can think of many structures
01:14:07 That is coming
01:14:08 From that same era
01:14:09 Like the Eiffel tower,
01:14:10 Its iconic structure.
01:14:11 That doesn't shield it
01:14:12 From the fact that's it
01:14:14 In a corrosive environment.
01:14:17 And so in time
01:14:19 If you do not do anything
01:14:20 For that structure,
01:14:22 It will fail.
01:14:26 And it will come down.
01:14:51 the time between one
01:14:53 And 300 years after people
01:14:56 Will likely be the era?
01:14:57 Of the great collapses
01:14:59 Worldwide.
01:15:01 In Seattle,
01:15:03 The iconic space needle
01:15:04 Was designed to sway
01:15:05 One inch for every 10 miles
01:15:07 Per hour of wind,
01:15:09 But with its steel
01:15:10 Weakened by corrosion,
01:15:12 It takes little more
01:15:13 Than a strong breeze
01:15:14 For the symbol
01:15:15 Of the 1962 world's fair
01:15:18 To crash down from the skyline.
01:15:38 When humans disappeared,
01:15:40 Sea levels were already
01:15:41 On the rise.
01:15:45 In Manhattan,
01:15:46 Over the centuries,
01:15:48 Saturated soil
01:15:49 Around the empire state
01:15:50 Building's foundation pilings
01:15:52 Have allowed the building
01:15:53 To lean.
01:15:55 once a building strays
01:15:56 From the vertical,
01:15:57 Then gravity forces
01:15:58 Are also acting
01:16:00 Against the structure,
01:16:01 Increasing the stresses
01:16:02 At the base of the building,
01:16:04 Now we're unlikely to see
01:16:05 A skyscraper fall
01:16:06 Like a tree in the forest.
01:16:09 Once it does start to incline,
01:16:11 Gravitational force will cause
01:16:13 The top of the building
01:16:15 To collapse downward
01:16:16 On top of itself.
01:16:21 decay has also overtaken
01:16:23 The city of Chicago,
01:16:25 The birthplace
01:16:26 Of the skyscraper.
01:16:31 The sears tower,
01:16:32 The tallest man-made structure
01:16:34 In North America,
01:16:35 Has reached
01:16:36 The end of its reign.
01:17:00 The first 500 years
01:17:02 After people has been an era
01:17:04 Of decay and destruction.
01:17:13 Our concrete structures
01:17:14 Have lasted the longest.
01:17:17 The ancient Romans
01:17:18 Invented the first form
01:17:20 Of concrete.
01:17:22 And some of their structures
01:17:24 Remained intact
01:17:25 For over 2,000 years.
01:17:29 But modern concrete
01:17:30 Isn't nearly as durable.
01:17:32 It has higher water content
01:17:34 And is more loosely packed,
01:17:36 Which leads to more?
01:17:37 Air pockets and cracks.
01:17:40 Modern concrete structures
01:17:42 Have another fatal flaw.
01:17:45 below the surface
01:17:45 Of reinforced
01:17:46 Concrete structures,
01:17:47 There is a mesh
01:17:48 Of steel reinforcing bars
01:17:50 And they don't corrode
01:17:52 Because the concrete maintains
01:17:54 An alkaline environment
01:17:55 Around them.
01:17:56 Now, when that alkalinity
01:17:58 Breaks down,
01:17:59 As it will in time,
01:18:00 Then the steel
01:18:01 Will start to corrode.
01:18:05 as the steel rebar rusts,
01:18:07 It expands to three times
01:18:09 Its original volume
01:18:11 Creating an outward pressure
01:18:13 That causes the concrete
01:18:14 To crumble.
01:18:22 in very broad terms,
01:18:23 After 50 years
01:18:24 We'd start to see
01:18:25 Surface cracking on concrete.
01:18:27 After a hundred years,
01:18:29 Flaking of the concrete surface.
01:18:31 After maybe 500 years,
01:18:32 Most reinforced
01:18:33 Concrete structures
01:18:34 Will be gone.
01:18:38 we look at these images
01:18:40 Of our fallen civilization,
01:18:46 It helps us to identify
01:18:47 With the past,
01:18:48 With the Greeks and the Romans,
01:18:50 With the crumbled
01:18:52 Mud brick cities of urn.
01:18:54 Each of us knows
01:18:55 That our bodies
01:18:56 Are going to fall apart;
01:18:59 Why not our cities too?
01:19:08 a thousand years ago,
01:19:10 6 1/2 billion people
01:19:12 Called this planet home.
01:19:16 At the early 21st century,
01:19:19 More than half of them
01:19:20 Lived in cities.
01:19:26 Now those cities
01:19:28 Are unrecognizable.
01:19:32 after maybe a thousand years
01:19:34 Or so, the scene behind me
01:19:35 Would be very, very different.
01:19:38 There'll be very little evidence
01:19:39 Of buildings,
01:19:41 Very little evidence
01:19:42 Of the activities of man.
01:19:44 What we would see
01:19:45 Would be a jungle of vegetation.
01:19:49 the future of cities
01:19:50 In a life after people
01:19:52 Can be best imagined
01:19:53 By looking to the past.
01:19:57 this is minute street
01:19:58 In Greenwich Village.
01:20:00 Most new Yorkers might come here
01:20:01 And wonder why it curves
01:20:02 Like this.
01:20:04 It curves
01:20:04 Because once upon a time
01:20:05 There was a stream here,
01:20:06 And then a brook.
01:20:08 There were more than 40 streams
01:20:09 On Manhattan island.
01:20:22 All flowing down
01:20:23 And carrying the rainwater
01:20:24 Down to the sea.
01:20:27 So what happens today?
01:20:28 The rain falls, the snow melts,
01:20:30 But it flows
01:20:31 Right along the street
01:20:32 And down into that storm drain
01:20:34 There.
01:20:35 If there weren't people here
01:20:36 Anymore, there'll be no one here
01:20:37 To maintain the sidewalks
01:20:38 And maintain the streets.
01:20:40 They'd start to crumble up.
01:20:41 They'd start to break apart.
01:20:43 Trees would come back,
01:20:44 Vegetation would come back,
01:20:45 And eventually
01:20:46 The hydrological cycle
01:20:47 Would reestablish itself.
01:20:48 And who knows,
01:20:49 Maybe Minute Street
01:20:51 Might once again
01:20:52 Become minute brook.
01:20:55 using historic maps
01:20:57 And computer modeling,
01:20:58 Scientists
01:20:59 With the Manhattan project
01:21:01 Are rediscovering
01:21:02 What Manhattan Island
01:21:04 Looked like when explorer
01:21:05 Henry Hudson first sailed
01:21:07 Around its shores in 1609.
01:21:14 here we are in Foley square,
01:21:15 The administrative center
01:21:16 Of New York City
01:21:17 And location to the famous
01:21:18 Courthouses you see on TV.
01:21:22 This place hasn't always had
01:21:23 Such colossal buildings
01:21:24 And stony streets.
01:21:26 Once upon a time, 400 years ago,
01:21:28 The collect pond was here,
01:21:29 The freshwater source
01:21:30 For New York City.
01:21:31 Right behind me,
01:21:33 There was a stream that drained
01:21:34 Down to the Hudson River shore,
01:21:36 Another stream
01:21:37 To the east river.
01:21:38 And there was
01:21:39 This beautiful pond
01:21:40 That was nestled
01:21:40 In an amphitheater of hills.
01:21:43 So what would happen?
01:21:44 If all the people
01:21:44 Were to disappear?
01:21:49 The buildings,
01:21:50 They would tumble down.
01:21:51 The soil would start to reform.
01:21:52 Trees would start to grow
01:21:53 Out of them.
01:21:54 They would become the new hills,
01:21:56 The new amphitheater
01:21:57 Around this place.
01:22:00 Nature would reestablish itself
01:22:02 And slowly bring this place
01:22:03 Back into the green heart
01:22:05 Of what it means to be here
01:22:07 On planet earth.
01:22:17 new York city,
01:22:19 Like the rest of the planet,
01:22:20 Has changed radically.
01:22:34 The transformation
01:22:36 Is most shocking in Times Square?
01:22:39 As the once beating
01:22:40 Heart of the city is silenced
01:22:43 By nature's onslaught.
01:23:17 It's 10,000 years after people.
01:23:24 Could it be possible?
01:23:25 After only 10 millennia
01:23:28 That humanity has vanished
01:23:29 Without a trace?
01:23:40 Human scientists once predicted
01:23:42 That our history and culture
01:23:44 Would live on through our radio
01:23:46 And television broadcasts,
01:23:48 Which carry on?
01:23:49 Through the universe
01:23:50 Toward the infinite,
01:23:53 Perhaps to be tuned in
01:23:55 By an intelligent species
01:23:57 On a distant planet.
01:23:59 some people think
01:24:00 That there's an expanding shell
01:24:01 Of radio and television
01:24:03 From earth, expanding outward
01:24:06 Alerting the universe,
01:24:09 "here we are
01:24:10 And this is our culture."
01:24:17 Unfortunately,
01:24:17 Recent calculations
01:24:18 By of all people, the seta,
01:24:21 Search for extraterrestrial
01:24:22 Intelligence group,
01:24:25 Has shown that all
01:24:26 Of this dissipates
01:24:27 Within one and two light-years
01:24:29 Into noise.
01:24:32 if this is true,
01:24:34 Our signals won't even make it
01:24:35 Out to the newest star
01:24:37 Beyond the sun.
01:24:45 So what will remain 10,000 years?
01:24:47 After people to tell the story
01:24:50 Of the once great civilizations
01:24:52 That walked the earth?
01:24:54 Iron corrodes,
01:24:57 Concrete crumbles,
01:24:59 Wood and paper decay.
01:25:03 Still, some of what man
01:25:05 Built on earth remains.
01:25:10 The most colossal
01:25:11 Of our stone structures
01:25:13 Like the Great Wall of China
01:25:15 Have aged like mountains,
01:25:17 Subject to erosion,
01:25:19 But at such slow time scales,
01:25:21 They will still be recognizable
01:25:23 In some form for eons.
01:25:27 The great pyramid at Giza
01:25:29 Is so massive that it lasts
01:25:31 Long enough to be swallowed up
01:25:33 By the desert sands.
01:25:39 The hover dam
01:25:41 Built to be as tough
01:25:42 As the canyon walls around it
01:25:45 Is one of the last?
01:25:46 Man-made structures
01:25:47 Still standing.
01:25:50 But now thousands of years
01:25:53 In the future,
01:25:54 Earth is about to be visited
01:25:56 By the last
01:25:57 Of the great collapses.
01:26:04 it's the environment
01:26:05 That eventually wins.
01:26:07 Earthquakes, sandstorms, rain.
01:26:18 But there are a few exceptions.
01:26:21 I would have to say
01:26:22 That mounts Rushmore,
01:26:24 Carved out of solid granite
01:26:26 In an ecologically stable place,
01:26:30 The only enemy it has
01:26:32 Are wind-driven pellets of rain?
01:26:35 I think that mount Rushmore
01:26:36 May be around
01:26:38 A hundred thousand years,
01:26:39 Possibly 200.
01:26:41 Possibly even in time
01:26:42 To be looked at in awe
01:26:45 By the earliest
01:26:46 Of our replacements.
01:26:53 and who or what might
01:26:55 Those replacements are?
01:26:59 Perhaps chimpanzees
01:27:02 Might somehow make the leap.
01:27:06 but we have to consider this:
01:27:08 Some scientists believe
01:27:10 That it's easy for nature
01:27:12 To bring animals
01:27:13 Up to a clever level
01:27:15 Where they might use tools,
01:27:17 They might become masters
01:27:18 Of their environment.
01:27:21 But the leap to being able
01:27:23 To stare at the sky
01:27:24 And imagine a cosmos,
01:27:27 To be able
01:27:28 To contemplate yourself,
01:27:30 To be able to contemplate
01:27:31 Your own role in the earth,
01:27:35 This may be a leap
01:27:37 That was a sheer accident
01:27:38 For humanity.
01:27:40 In which case,
01:27:41 You're not talking
01:27:42 About a complete recovery.
01:27:45 You're talking about a planet
01:27:46 That may continue,
01:27:49 But nobody to talk about it,
01:27:51 Nobody to think about it.
01:27:56 if earth's
01:27:57 4 1/2 billion years of existence
01:28:00 Were condensed into 24 hours,
01:28:03 The passage of 10,000 years
01:28:06 Would be a fraction of a second.
01:28:09 Man's time on the planet so far
01:28:11 Would be
01:28:12 About half a minute long.
01:28:17 So, like an abandoned village
01:28:19 On a global scale,
01:28:21 The earth will move on
01:28:22 Without us.
01:28:24 There was life before people.
01:28:26 There will be life after people.