VIDEO scriptS

Unit 1: The Decoy Effect Do you think more people will buy a large?
Narrator: Pay attention! Here’s a decision for you. Man: I’ll take a medium-sized popcorn, please?
Imagine you’re in a movie theater and you just bought your Woman: Sweetie, it’s only 50 cents more for a large. Why don’t we
ticket. Now you head over to the concession stand to buy some get a large?
popcorn. You can get a small popcorn for $3 or a large for 7. So, Man: OK, let’s get a large.
which one would you choose? Woman: I think I’ll take a large.
We’ve all been there. You want a decent amount of popcorn. But Saleswoman: Sure.
$7? Feels like a rip-off.
Woman: Large? OK, we’ll have a large.
So if you chose small, you’re like most people.
Man: Definitely large.
We’ve set up cameras to see what will happen when we offer the
Saleswoman: OK.
same choice to real moviegoers.
Narrator: All we did was add a medium and the large has become
Saleswoman: Can I get you some popcorn?
irresistible.
Woman: Sure. Can I get the small one?
Woman: Just a medium popcorn, please.
Saleswoman: A small? Sure, or a large for $7?
Saleswoman: You can get the large for 50 cents more.
Woman: I’ll take the small.
Woman: OK, that’ll work.
Saleswoman: These are the sizes.
Narrator: Everyone is buying a large. So how did they explain it?
Man: You know what? I’ll have a small and some M&Ms.
Man: The large looks like such a better value than the medium.
Saleswoman: OK, sure.
Woman: Such a bargain, I have for you.
Narrator: They have no idea we’re running an experiment. And
Man: A bargain.
nearly everyone goes for the small.
Narrator: But the deal is you still spent more money in the net
Excuse me. Sorry to bother you but we’re doing a little experiment.
total of the night.
Do you think $7 is a lot of money for popcorn?
Woman: Fifty cents, dude!
Woman: Yeah.
Woman: I probably can’t eat more than the medium-sized
Man: Seven dollars was a little out of line for popcorn. anyway. But for some reason, just because it cost that, you know,
Narrator: But now, we’re going to see if we can influence your less than 10%, I just felt I needed to. I do think that I got a good
decision-making. deal with this. It was a great feeling, actually.
Here’s another decision for you. You can get the small for $3, a
medium for 6.50, or you can get the large for $7.
So, have you made your choice? Does the large look a bit more
appealing now?
We’ve made the same change at the movie theatre. And stepped
back to see what happens.

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Unit 2: Turtles under Threat
Narrator: The warm waters off the Gulf of Mexico are home to
many different kinds of endangered sea turtles. One species, the
Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, is still very much in danger of extinction.
But the population is making a gradual rebound, thanks in part to
a group of marine researchers in Texas.
Shanna Lynne Baker: Welcome to the National Fishery Sea Turtle
Facility.
Narrator: Marine biologist Shanna Lynne Baker says, as the
smallest species of sea turtle in the world, the Kemp’s ridley needs
all the help it can get.
Shanna Lynne Baker: They are an integral part of the ecosystem;
they’ve been around for millions and millions of years—ever since
the dinosaurs—and really it’s the humans’ fault why their numbers
are going down and we have sort of a responsibility to make up
for that.
Narrator: The turtle population along the Gulf Coast is making its
comeback thanks in part to the invention of a new technology for
fishing nets called the T.E.D, or turtle excluder device.
Shanna Lynne Baker: This is the actual turtle excluder device
right here. How this works is this funnel shape over here is called
an accelerator funnel and what it does is it passes a large quantity
of water through a small area and that causes the water to move
really fast and starts a current through here, so everything is being
pushed through this area up against these bars.
Anything smaller than the spaces between these bars like shrimp
and small fish go through the bars and on toward the back of the
net where they are caught in the back. Anything larger than the
spaces between these bars is designed for turtles, but it also works
for sharks and large fish because the current is pushing on them
and the bars are kind of slanted. It pushes them down towards this
opening here at the bottom. This flap right here will be held shut
by the water pressure, but as soon as anything gets down inside
there, it opens it up, and the turtle can escape and go up to the
top to breathe and the flap will close behind them.
Narrator: In the past turtles were often caught in a variety of
fishing nets. And while the problem still exists today, U.S. shrimp
fishermen are now required by law to use the new device. Some
fishermen who use the device complain that having holes in their
nets can cause them to lose a significant percentage of their catch.
But biologists say the new nets can also work in the fishermen’s
favor.
Shanna Lynne Baker: They generally will catch more shrimp
through the season because this doesn’t just exclude the
occasional turtle; it excludes anything large in the back of their
nets so they can pull their nets for a lot longer before they fill up,
and they get a higher percentage of actual shrimp that they can
keep each time.
Narrator: Biologists at this facility are putting a lot of hope in the
success of the turtle excluder device, but they’ve also developed
other research efforts that have boosted the ridley population,
like captive breeding. With every healthy turtle, the species is one
small step farther from extinction.
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Unit 3: What Ellis Island Means Today
David Luchsinger: I don’t know if that’s something to be proud
of, but I have the dubious distinction of being the last resident of
Liberty Island, yes.
Walking around the island at night and looking up at the Statue of
Liberty, it’s quite an experience, seeing all the different ways she
changes.
Some nights she’s actually a little bit of blue, as opposed to green.
I had two sets of grandparents. They came through Ellis Island.
I wonder what they would think if they found that their great-
grandson was going to be the steward of the Statue of Liberty in
Ellis Island.
Man: Welcome, to the Statue of Liberty.
David Luchsinger: Think about going to a different country, you
may not speak the language. And they show up. Everything that
means the world to them is in these one or two bags that they’re
carrying. And they’re told to drop those bags and go upstairs to be
processed and they never even know if they’re ever going to see
that picture of their parents or their children that they left behind.
They’re relying on their faith that everything’s going to be OK
because this is the country that they want to come to.
It’s been reported that we’ve never lost a bag on Ellis Island. I
guess the folks today could learn a thing or two about keeping
tabs on bags.
Woman: Everybody came from some place in America, except the
Native Americans. And it’s important to keep that alive I think.
Judith Leavell: I don’t know that our generation would be as
gutsy as they were to come. My grandmother was 20, and she
never went back to Italy.
Pablo Chacon: I don’t know why, but I got emotional when I
saw it for the first time I was crossing. And I think it was just part
of history it being there and it was just – it was an emotional
moment. I mean, even me being born here, I guess I put myself
in the emotion of all the people that came by boat, and the first
thing they saw was the statue in a sense welcoming them to a
new, a new world, to freedom.
Peter Wong: Right here at Ellis Island, this is where my family
became American.
My parents emigrated here from Hong Kong in China to be able
to tell their story by using the site as a focus. I just love it. I mean,
there’s just no way around it.
Raea Hillebrant: Our ancestors came over in 1914 from Lithuania.
When we walked up the steps, it gave you the chills down your
spine, kind of what they went through when they came on the
boat and came up here.
David Luchsinger: During our peak immigration period at Ellis
Island, we would average between 8,000 and 10,000 people a day.
In our biggest visitation, we processed over 12,000 people.
Today, our visitation during the summer is between 18,000 and
22,000 people a day. So we welcome quite a few more people. Of
course, we don’t process these people other than putting them
through security.
Unit 4: I Am Red
Narrator: I have run these canyons for 6 million years.
I have traveled from the Rocky Mountains to the deserts, through
scorching heat and freezing cold.
From the land of the dinosaurs to fields of food.
I lend my hand to seven states, two countries, nine national parks.
And 36 million people across an arid west.
I am not the strongest or the largest, but I am the hardest working.
People love me.
My playfulness.
My beauty.
My power.
My life.
But I don’t think I can offer any more.
I’m tired.
Tapped.
And tied.
Of the hundreds of major rivers in the world, I am one of the few
who no longer kisses the sea.
Battles to harness my soul have been won and lost.
Use me wisely, and I will sustain you.
Use me like you have, and I will break.
My name …
… is Red.
The Grand River Red, the American Nile.
The Canyon Maker. I am the Colorado River.
And I am the most endangered river in America.
Unit 5: Light for India’s Villages
Brian Shaad: My name is Brian Shaad. I’m one of the co-founders
of Mera Gao Power.
Sandeep Pandey: My name is Sandeep Pandey. I’m one of the
co-founders of Mera Gao Power.
Nikhil Jaisinghani: My name’s Nikhil Jaisinghani. I’m a co-founder
of Mera Gao Power, which won a $125,000 grant from National
Geographic’s Terra Watt Prize. So our project will help us extend
solar-powered microgrids to 140 villages of Laharpur District of
Uttar Pradesh, India. Uttar Pradesh is a state of 200 million people,
just to the east of New Delhi, more than 60% off-grid.
Brian Shaad: Over 20 million homes lack energy services. It’s
those 20 million homes that Mera Gao Power aims to provide
basic energy services to.
Nikhil Jaisinghani: Off-grid households usually rely on kerosene
for lighting at night. And the problem with kerosene is that not
only is it dim and very difficult to do anything with, it’s also very
dirty. It produces a lot of soot.
Sandeep Pandey: Negative impact of the kerosene is that there
was high fumes, which is not good for their health. So respiratory
diseases they were having. So, and their house was getting black,
and sometimes it happens in the villages that they all are having
the thatch houses so it could burn after that.
Brian Shaad: Mera Gao Power has a very simple goal: we replace
kerosene. So our systems are installed in rural villages where we
replace kerosene in households and provide them with clean
solar-powered light.
Nikhil Jaisinghani: Lighting is the fundamental energy service that
these communities require. By providing them nighttime lighting,
they’re able to engage in new businesses. There are shops that are
able to stay open later. There is women’s groups that are able to
make sarees and embroidery for sale in the market. People are even
able to prepare their agricultural goods for sale the next day.
Woman: (Foreign language) Light will bring change; work can be
done later at night. Children can study, play, and will feel good.
Brian Shaad: When you walk into one of our villages at night, the
first thing you notice is there’s kids studying. It’s better working
conditions for the women in the household.
Sandeep Pandey: Big impact has come under education.
Children are studying more. Another impact is their household
income has been increased because they were spending a lot of
money on the kerosene oil and phone charging.
Man: (Foreign language) Now that I have light, I can work at night
and children can study at night!
Brian Shaad: In order to provide services to 30 homes, our
technology is very simple. We rely on two batteries, two panels,
charge controller, and four distribution lines. That’s very simple.
Nikhil Jaisinghani: We don’t require any new land to be
allocated for our work. Our model, it takes advantage of existing
infrastructure which means it’s very low impact on the village and
on the agricultural land and the environment. Each one of our
microgrids costs us about $1000 to provide service to a typical
off-grid hamlet.
Brian Shaad: Mera Gao Power is currently the lowest cost
microgrid solution in the world.
Nikhil Jaisinghani: When Mera Gao Power completes the
project under the Terra Watt Prize, we will have connected 3,500
households in 140 villages. There will be 17,500 people impacted
in those 3,500 households, receiving quality, dependable, priority
energy services, lighting, and phone charging services each night
as a result of the work that we do under the Terra Watt Prize.
Unit 6: Designing the Future
Skylar Tibbits: Often people think of this as IKEA, where you build
your own furniture. What we’re talking about is that the furniture
should be able to build itself.
We’re trying to remove components and trying to remove
complexity to bring on elegance, all looking at how these
products can be smarter, responding to the environment or
responding to the user.
In natural systems, there is only one way to put things together.
There is no screwdrivers, robot arms, or assembly lines. So self-
assembly is the only way.
One of the scenarios in aviation is single sheets of carbon fiber
that can morph based on the fluctuation and temperature, or
moisture, or pressure.
So if you take shoes for example, we each have a different pair of
shoes for everything we do. We have running shoes, or dancing
shoes, or tennis shoes. How can a one shoe morph to different
scenarios and perform better?
Most people tend to look at robotics as the future. We look at
materials as a future of robotics.
So we try to have this really tight collaboration between the
creativity of the human, the active nature of the materials, and the
precision of the robot. The goal of the lab is to show that every
industry could use these.
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Unit 7: Three Seconds
Prince Ea: Fun fact: planet Earth is 4.5 billion years old. Mankind?
About 140,000 years old. Let me put that in perspective. If you
condense the Earth’s lifespan into 24 hours, that’s one full day,
then we have been here on this planet for – drumroll, please--
three seconds. Three seconds. And look what we’ve done. We have
modestly named ourselves “Homo sapiens,” meaning “wise man.”
But is man really so wise? Smart, yes. And it’s good to be smart but
not too smart for your own good. Yes, we have split the atom. Yes, we
build clever machines that navigate the universe in search of new
homes. But at the same time, those atoms we split created nuclear
warfare. And our quest to explore the galaxy rejects and neglects the
home that we have here now, so no, that cannot be wisdom.
Wisdom is different. While intelligence speaks, wisdom listens. And
we willingly covered our ears to Mother Nature’s screams and closed
our eyes to all of her “Help Wanted” signs. Wisdom knows that every
action has an equal and opposite reaction. So if we were wise we
would not be shocked when we see storms that are stronger than
ever before. Or more drought, hurricanes and wildfire than ever
before. Because there’s more pollution than ever before. More
carbon, more trees cut down than ever before at a record pace.
We have increased the extinction of animals by 1000 times the
normal rate. What a feat. In the next 10 to 100 years, every beloved
animal character in every children’s book is predicted to go extinct.
Lions, gone. Rhinos, gone. Tiger, gorilla, elephant, polar bear, gone.
In three seconds. Species that have been here longer than us will
be gone because of us in this three seconds.
In an existence shorter than a Vine video, we turn the circle of life
into our own personal conveyor belt. Somebody, anybody, help!
We were given so much. The only planet in this solar system with
life. I mean, we are one in a million. No, actually, scientifically, we
are one in a billion, trillion, trillion. That’s a one followed by 33
zeros. And I don’t want to get too spiritual, but how are we not a
miracle? We are perfectly positioned to the sun so we don’t burn,
but not too distant so we don’t turn to ice.
Goldilocks said it best: “We are just right.” This paradise where we
are given medicine from trees, not coincidentally. But because like
the song says, “We are family.” Literally, everything, every species is
connected genetically from the sunflower to the sunfish.
And this is what we must recognize before it’s too late because the
real crisis is not global warming, environmental destruction or animal
agriculture. It is us. These problems are symptoms of us, by-products of us.
Our inner reflection, loss of connection has created this
misdirection. We have forgotten that everything contributes to
the perfection of Mother Nature. Corporations keep us unaware
and disconnected, but they have underestimated our strength.
Contrary to popular belief, millions are waking up out of their
sleep. Seeing our home being taken right up under our feet.
We cannot allow our history to be written by the wicked, greedy,
and loony. It is our duty to protect Mother Nature from those
who refuse to see her beauty. Call me crazy, but I believe we
should have the right to eat food that’s safe, with ingredients we
can pronounce. Drink water that is clean. Marvel at trees. Breathe
air free of toxins. These are natural rights. Not things that can be
bargained for in Congress. See, they want you to feel powerless.
But it has been said that something as small as the flutter of a
butterfly’s wing can cause a typhoon halfway around the world.
Well, when enough people come together, we too will make
waves and wash the world into a new era filled with love and
connection. Freedom for all without oppression.
But it is up to you. Yes, you, watching this behind this screen to
make the effort. Because time is of the essence. And only together
can we make it to the fourth second.
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Unit 8: Wild Health
Narrator: Have the sniffles? Feeling under the weather? Have an
ache or a pain? Then generally, our first stop is the drugstore.
But this luxury is only allowed to humans.
It may not surprise you to learn that the rest of the species that
inhabit the planet come up with some very interesting ways of
self-medication.
Deep in the English countryside, animal behaviorist Cindy Engel
studies a new form of biology called zoopharmacognosy, or
animal self-medication. Cindy’s dedicated the last few years of her
life into compiling all of her research into a new book.
Cindy Engel: I often have people asking me whether it’s just
instinct, and the answer is no. I mean, the ability to seek out a well-
balanced diet is incredibly complicated, and they are adjusting it
moment to moment.
Narrator: Engel suggests there may be examples where humans,
having studied animals self-medicating, have come across benefits
ourselves in drugs or chemical uses.
Cindy Engel: Early medicine was based on observing the
behavior of sick animals. It’s relatively recently that we’ve stopped
looking. Chimpanzees have already shown six or seven new
compounds previously unknown to science, many of which are
incredibly important for human medicine.
Narrator: Engel’s book has received enormous interest in scientific
communities across Europe and North America.
She’s concentrated on three main areas of animal self-medication.
First are curative measures, whereby animals have the ability to
cure contracted ailments.
Second are preventative measures, whereby animals take positive
action to protect themselves from illness or parasites.
And lastly are avoidance measures, where animals have the
knowledge or insight to avoid toxic plants, and select the right
food to keep themselves on a healthy diet.
Cows, for instance, have certain ways of improving their self-health.
Cindy Engel: Cattle have got a special type of stomach. They
have to ferment the tough fibrous material in the grass. And
fermentation requires a really very carefully balanced level of
acidity, and clay will, being alkaline, will help balance acidity for
the fermentation process.
Narrator: And this is not an unconsidered part of the cow’s
ecology and behavior. Some species will travel long distances just
to get to the right type of dirt.
Cindy Engel: Wildebeests, in Africa, are probably the best
example. They will migrate to the volcanic ash floor. It contains
these essential minerals for lactation.
Narrator: Observing wild animals self medicating is something
that’s very rarely seen, but during Engel’s research, she came
across some groundbreaking video footage.
Cindy Engel: This snow leopard was being treated for a bladder
infection. She lives in San Francisco Zoo, and she had to go on a course
of antibiotics, and antibiotics can cause nausea, and all the while she
was suffering from nausea, she was eating grass continuously. And of
course, when the antibiotics stopped, so did the grass eating.
Narrator: So, in an attempt to combat the effects of this man-
made antibiotic, this wild animal has resorted to self-medication
by way of a good dose of grass.
Whether it is buffalo eating mud to combat parasites or primates
using plants to eliminate stomach infections, animal self-
medication, or zoopharmacognosy is an area of biology that’s sure
to attract much more attention in years to come.
Unit 9: How Trajan’s Column Was Built
Narrator: In the heart of Rome lies a mystery. Trajan’s Column is
one of the most impressive monuments to survive the fall of the
Roman Empire. And researchers are still trying to understand how
it was actually built.
If only we could go back in time, we could watch this amazing feat
of engineering come together.
The column was dedicated by the Roman Senate in 113 AD to
honor the Emperor Trajan, who had just conquered the Dacians, all
but wiping them from the face of Europe.
The architect was thought to be Apollodorus of Damascus, who
had already designed Trajan’s forum.
At 126 feet tall, the column would require 29 blocks of solid
marble, each weighing from 25 to 77 tons.
These were brought from a quarry north of Rome and floated up
the Tiber River to the work site.
Within each drum was carved windows and a staircase allowing
access to the top.
A current theory says the drums were rolled into the base of a
lifting tower, a sophisticated scaffolding and pulley system for
lifting the drums high into the air.
To grip the drums, slots were carved into the marble for Lewis
irons, which held the marble form the inside.
Then ropes were attached to each Lewis.
Providing the power for lifting the drums was a series of capstans
working in concert, each pushed by perhaps a dozen men as well
as horses.
These were connected to ropes that wound through pulley blocks,
up and down the lifting tower.
In this way, a marble drum could be raised high above the streets
below.
To see what’s happening inside the lifting tower, let’s take away
one of the outer walls of this model.
A drum is lifted and then lowered onto a trundling platform.
Ropes are disconnected and the drum is moved horizontally. Then
new ropes are attached. The platform is removed and the drum is
lowered and secured into place.
Once the drums are set, craftsmen smooth the surface and begin
work on the 656-foot-long frieze which tells the story of Emperor
Trajan’s war victory.
The frieze spirals up the column like a giant comic strip in 155
different scenes and was probably painted with bright colors. No
evidence remains as to what the colors actually were.
A bronze statue of Trajan was placed on top. But in 1588, a pope
installed a statue of Saint Peter instead. The statue of Trajan has
been lost to history.
Meanwhile, the pedestal is made out of eight marble blocks and
contains the tomb of Trajan.
Trajan’s Column has stood for more than 1900 years and was
deeply influential.
Over the centuries, as the city’s landmarks crumbled, the column
has continued to fascinate and inspire.
Unit 10: A Tribute to Discomfort
Cory Richards: My education came from observing what was
happening around me and observing that richness that comes
with struggle.
I was always looking for a way to translate what I was seeing
around me, and photography became my voice in this big, very
confusing world. And that was … that was the beginning.
I think adventure is anything that puts us outside our comfort
zone. In my world, that has always been going into the mountains.
In 2010, 2011, I went to Pakistan to climb in the Himalayan winter.
We did the first ascent of Gasherbrum II, an 8,000-meter peak in
the Karakorum Himalaya. And that trip changed my life forever.
On the descent, we were hit by an avalanche that nearly killed all
three of us. When I realized that I had not died, I turned the camera
on myself and took an image, and that image ended up being put
on the cover of National Geographic.
There was no way of knowing at the time that that image, that
was really just my way of dealing with stress, was going to push
my life in such a dramatic direction towards telling that larger
story of what it means to hurt, and what it means to triumph, and
what it means to be human.
I’ve never been comfortable in the place that I’m in. I can’t stop
and sit. It’s a constant engine that just keeps driving me towards
the things that are unknown to me. It doesn’t matter if I can’t
feel my fingers; it doesn’t matter how my face stings and literally
feels like it’s getting sandblasted. What matters is that somebody
else can feel that by looking at a picture. I’ve been to all seven
continents.
I’ve witnessed sunrise over the highest mountains in the world,
polar bears standing on the last piece of ice on the farthest north
piece of land in the Eurasian continent, and faces—I’ve seen faces
that are just years and years of history all wrapped into one single
expression.
The most important tool for connecting with anybody that you’re
photographing is being able to make somebody laugh.
Cory Richards: You’re not that much older.
Man: Yeah.
Cory Richards: No.
Man: Yeah.
Cory Richards: Just give them that moment—all of a sudden,
you have a friend for life. And the whole world opens up.
My job is to communicate a real, raw, visceral experience. And
despite the seriousness of all of this, and despite the fact that
we are facing massive problems as a human family, we’re still
experiencing each other and loving and having a ton of fun. I
mean life is fun.
This started as a way for me to communicate what I was
experiencing. And what it’s become is a way for me to
communicate what we are experiencing.
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