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Crash: A Tale of Two Species: Introduction

admin — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:03:52 +0000

With its armored shell, ancient anatomy, and 350-million-year lineage, the horseshoe crab almost seems too inconspicuous to stir up controversy. Yet this humble creature is at the very center of a collision between three completely different species.

For many decades, humans have harvested the horseshoe crab for use as fishing bait. Since the 1970s, we have also used horseshoe crab blood for medical purposes. But we may have gone too far. Horseshoe crab numbers have declined significantly since the early 1990’s. And, naturally, so did their egg numbers.

This is especially important to a small shorebird that is a global traveler of the most impressive kind. The red knot makes one of the longest migrations of any animal — a journey that takes it from one end of the earth to the other. To accomplish this feat, it relies on the eggs of the horseshoe crab. Without these eggs, the red knot is in danger.

In the film Crash: A Tale of Two Species, filmmaker Allison Argo tells the story of nature’s amazing ability to create fragile connections among the most unexpected creatures, and of our potential as humans to destroy those connections — or restore them.

To order a copy of Crash: A Tale of Two Species, visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Crash: A Tale of Two Species was originally posted February 2008.

Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History: Video: Ron and Thoto

tanner vea — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:08:03 +0000

Several months ago, Ron began retaining water — for chimpanzees, a symptom of heart disease. Because of his poor health, he’s being sent to a sanctuary in Florida, and his friend Thoto is going to keep him company.

Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History: Video: Billy Jo

tanner vea — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:45:25 +0000

After being put to work in show business, 37-year-old Billy Jo was sent to the lab for use in medical research. There, he endured months of punch biopsies and other tests. He also chewed off several of his own digits after coming out of anaesthesia. Now, it’s sometimes difficult for his current caretakers to understand his needs.

Frogs: The Thin Green Line: Introduction

tanner vea — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 22:25:20 +0000

Frogs have been living on this planet for more than 250 million years, and over the centuries, evolved into some of the most wondrous and diverse creatures on earth. Today, however, all their remarkable adaptations and survival tactics are failing them. Recent discoveries are startling: more than a third of all amphibians – most of which are frogs and toads – have already been lost, and more are disappearing every day. It is an environmental crisis unfolding around the globe, traveling from Australia to North and South America. Where the calls of frogs once filled the air, scientists now hear only silence. Ecosystems are beginning to unravel, and the potential to discover important medical cures may be lost forever. Habitat loss, pollution and a human population that has doubled in the past 50 years have set the stage for their diminished numbers. But now, a fungus called chytrid has been identified as the major culprit, and so far the spread of the fungus can’t be stopped.

Chytrid continues to move quickly, extinguishing entire frog populations in a matter of months. Scientists have taken drastic measures to counteract it, such as evacuating frogs from the wild and sheltering them in a sterile environment. The El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center in Central Panama, for example, houses 58 species of frogs in their facility, including the rare golden frog, which no longer exists in the wild. To date, the only chytrid-free area left in Panama is the Burbayar Forest, a thriving environment still full of healthy, unaffected frogs.

Frogs may seem small and insignificant, but their bodies may hold the key to important new discoveries in medical research. Scientists are finding that chemical compounds found in frogs’ skins can be used to treat pain and block infections, and are even being explored as HIV treatments. Our chances for the discovery of future medical miracles may be slipping away with the disappearance of these tiny creatures in our midst.

Their impact on the world’s ecosystems is great. Frogs sit right in the middle of the food chain, and without them, other creatures are disappearing, too. We are only just beginning to understand what life may be like without them. The race is on to stem the tide – before the next frog crosses the thin, green line.

Frogs: The Thin Green Line premieres Sunday, April 5 at 8pm ET on PBS (check local listings).