[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.79,0:00:05.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I've got something that I'm\Nslightly embarrassed to admit to.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.79,0:00:07.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the age of 17,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:07.38,0:00:09.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as a creationist,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.21,0:00:12.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I decided to go to university\Nto study evolution
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.83,0:00:14.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so that I could destroy it.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.46,0:00:16.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.17,0:00:17.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I failed.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:17.46,0:00:21.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I failed so spectacularly\Nthat I'm now an evolutionary biologist.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.33,0:00:24.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.17,0:00:27.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I'm a paleoanthropologist,\NI'm a National Geographic Explorer
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.50,0:00:30.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,specializing in fossil hunting in caves
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.17,0:00:32.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in unstable, hostile\Nand disputed territories.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.96,0:00:37.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we all know that\Nif I was a guy and not a girl,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:37.50,0:00:40.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that wouldn't be a job description,\Nthat would be a pick-up line.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.71,0:00:42.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.92,0:00:45.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, here's the thing.\NI do not have a death wish.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.38,0:00:47.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm not an adrenaline junkie.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.54,0:00:50.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I just looked at a map.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.08,0:00:54.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,See, frontline exploratory science\Ndoes not happen as much
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.33,0:00:56.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in politically unstable territories.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.54,0:01:01.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is a map of all the places\Nwhich the British Foreign Office
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.33,0:01:04.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have declared contain\Nred zones, orange zones
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.54,0:01:07.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or have raised some kind\Nof a threat warning about.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.83,0:01:11.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now I'm going to go out on a limb here\Nand say that it is a tragedy
Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.04,0:01:16.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if we're not doing frontline exploratory\Nscience in a huge portion of the planet.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.04,0:01:19.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so science has a geography problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.75,0:01:23.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Also, as a paleoanthropologist,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:23.42,0:01:26.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,guys, this is basically a map\Nof some of the most important places
Dialogue: 0,0:01:26.62,0:01:28.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the human journey.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.42,0:01:32.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are almost definitely\Nfascinating fossils to be found here.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.62,0:01:35.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But are we looking for them?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.42,0:01:38.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so as an undergraduate,\NI was repeatedly told
Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.96,0:01:43.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that humans, be they ourselves,\Nhomo sapiens, or earlier species,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.54,0:01:47.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we left Africa\Nvia the Sinai of Egypt.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.25,0:01:51.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm English, as you can\Nprobably tell from my accent,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.50,0:01:53.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I am actually of Arab heritage,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.54,0:01:56.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I always say that I'm\Nvery, very Arab on the outside.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.25,0:01:58.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know, I can really be passionate.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.08,0:01:59.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Like, "You're amazing! I love you!"
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.00,0:02:03.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But on the inside, I'm really English,\Nso everybody irritates me.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.25,0:02:05.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.21,0:02:09.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's true.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.50,0:02:13.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the thing is,\Nmy family are Arab from Yemen,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.04,0:02:16.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I knew that that channel,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.67,0:02:18.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Bab-el-Mandeb,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.08,0:02:20.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is not that much of a feat to cross.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.83,0:02:24.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I kept asking myself\Nthis really simple question:
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.62,0:02:30.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if the ancestors to New World monkeys\Ncould somehow cross the Atlantic Ocean,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.08,0:02:33.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,why couldn't humans cross\Nthat tiny stretch of water?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.71,0:02:36.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the thing is, Yemen,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.38,0:02:38.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,compared to, let's say, Europe,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.38,0:02:40.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was so understudied
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.46,0:02:43.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that it was something akin\Nto near virgin territory.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.92,0:02:51.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But that, along with its location,\Nmade the sheer potential for discovery
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.38,0:02:53.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so exciting,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.50,0:02:56.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I had so many questions.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.38,0:02:59.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When did we first\Nstart using Bab-el-Mandeb?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.46,0:03:04.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But also, which species of human\Nbesides ourselves made it to Yemen?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.25,0:03:08.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Might we find a species\Nas yet unknown to science?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.12,0:03:12.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it turned out, I wasn't the only one\Nwho had noticed Yemen's potential.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:12.67,0:03:15.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was actually\Na few other academics out there.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:15.33,0:03:20.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But sadly, due to political instability,\Nthey moved out, and so I moved in.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.38,0:03:23.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I was looking for caves:
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.58,0:03:28.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,caves because caves\Nare the original prime real estate.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.67,0:03:32.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But also because if you're looking\Nfor fossils in that kind of heat,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.67,0:03:36.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,your best bet for fossil preservation\Nis always going to be caves.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.75,0:03:41.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But then, Yemen took\Na really sad turn for the worse,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.50,0:03:45.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and just a few days\Nbefore I was due to fly out to Yemen,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.42,0:03:49.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the civil war escalated\Ninto a regional conflict,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.17,0:03:51.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the capital's airport was bombed
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.29,0:03:53.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Yemen became a no-fly zone.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.00,0:04:00.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, my parents made this decision\Nbefore I was born:
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.71,0:04:02.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I would be born British.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.00,0:04:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had nothing to do\Nwith the best decision of my life.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.83,0:04:11.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And now ...
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.29,0:04:16.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now the lucky ones\Nin my family have escaped,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.46,0:04:19.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the others, the others\Nare being been bombed
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.38,0:04:23.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and send you WhatsApp messages\Nthat make you detest your very existence.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.50,0:04:30.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This war's been going on for four years.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.33,0:04:35.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's been going on for over four years,\Nand it has led to a humanitarian crisis.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:36.62,0:04:38.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There is a famine there,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.54,0:04:40.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a man-made famine.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.75,0:04:43.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's a man-made famine,\Nso not a natural famine,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.46,0:04:47.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an entirely man-made famine\Nthat the UN has warned
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.04,0:04:51.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,could be the worst famine\Nthe world has seen in a hundred years.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.42,0:04:55.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This war has made it\Nclear to me more than ever
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.42,0:04:59.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that no place, no people\Ndeserve to get left behind.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.08,0:05:04.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so I was joining these other teams,\Nand I was forming new collaborations
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.75,0:05:06.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in other unstable places.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.96,0:05:10.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I was desperate\Nto get back into Yemen,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.08,0:05:13.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because for me, Yemen's really personal.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.08,0:05:20.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so I kept trying to think\Nof a project I could do in Yemen
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.17,0:05:22.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that would help highlight\Nwhat was going on there.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:23.88,0:05:27.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And every idea I had just kept failing,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.12,0:05:30.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or it was just too high-risk,\Nbecause let's be honest,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.75,0:05:34.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,most of Yemen is just too dangerous\Nfor a Western team.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.88,0:05:41.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But then I was told that Socotra,\Na Yemeni island,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.58,0:05:44.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was safe once you got there.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:44.83,0:05:49.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, it turned out there was a few\Nlocal and international academics
Dialogue: 0,0:05:49.12,0:05:50.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that were still working there.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:51.42,0:05:53.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that got me really excited,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.67,0:05:58.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because look at Socotra's\Nproximity to Africa.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.12,0:06:05.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And yet we have no idea\Nwhen humans arrived on that island.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.75,0:06:09.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But Socotra, for those of you who know it,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.50,0:06:13.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,well, let's just say you probably know it\Nfor a completely different reason.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:13.12,0:06:16.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You probably know it\Nas the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:16.17,0:06:20.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because it is one of the most\Nbiodiverse places on this earth.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.33,0:06:23.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But we were also getting information
Dialogue: 0,0:06:23.79,0:06:27.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that this incredibly delicate\Nenvironment and its people
Dialogue: 0,0:06:27.33,0:06:28.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were under threat
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.75,0:06:32.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because they were at the frontline\Nof both Middle Eastern politics
Dialogue: 0,0:06:32.54,0:06:34.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and climate change.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.75,0:06:40.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it slowly dawned on me\Nthat Socotra was my Yemen project.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:40.04,0:06:45.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so I wanted to put together\Na huge multidisciplinary team.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:45.08,0:06:49.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We wanted to cross the archipelago\Non foot, camel and dhow boat
Dialogue: 0,0:06:49.42,0:06:51.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to conduct a health check of this place.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:52.00,0:06:55.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This has only been attempted\Nonce before, and it was in 1999.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.88,0:07:00.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the thing is, that is not\Nan easy thing to pull off.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:00.08,0:07:02.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so we desperately needed a recce,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:02.54,0:07:05.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and for those of you who aren't\Nfamiliar with British English,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.50,0:07:07.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a recce is like a scouting expedition.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:07.38,0:07:08.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's like a reconnaissance.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:08.92,0:07:15.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I often say that a really big\Nexpedition without a recce
Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.04,0:07:19.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is a bit like a first date\Nwithout a Facebook stalk.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:19.21,0:07:20.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.83,0:07:23.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Like, it's doable, but is it wise?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.25,0:07:27.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:07:27.83,0:07:30.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's a few too many\Nknowing laughs in this room.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.29,0:07:36.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Anyway, so then our recce team thankfully\Nwere no strangers to unstable places,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.83,0:07:38.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which, let's be honest,\Nis kind of important
Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.96,0:07:42.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because we were trying to get\Nto a place between Yemen and Somalia,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:42.21,0:07:46.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And after calling in\Nwhat felt like a million favors,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:46.92,0:07:49.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,including to the deputy governor,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.04,0:07:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we finally found ourselves on the move,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:53.38,0:07:56.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,albeit on a wooden cement cargo ship
Dialogue: 0,0:07:56.92,0:08:00.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sailing through pirate waters\Nin the Indian Ocean
Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.21,0:08:02.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with this as a toilet.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:02.04,0:08:03.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:08:03.50,0:08:05.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Can you guys see this?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.12,0:08:10.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know how everybody has\Ntheir worst toilet story?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.88,0:08:14.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, I've never swam\Nwith dolphins before.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:16.33,0:08:18.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I just went straight to pooping on them.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:18.54,0:08:20.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.38,0:08:30.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And also, I genuinely discovered\Nthat I am genuinely less stressed
Dialogue: 0,0:08:30.12,0:08:31.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by pirate waters
Dialogue: 0,0:08:31.75,0:08:35.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than I am with a cockroach infestation
Dialogue: 0,0:08:35.33,0:08:37.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that was so intense
Dialogue: 0,0:08:37.29,0:08:39.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that at one point I went belowdeck,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:39.62,0:08:42.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the floor was black and it was moving.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:42.33,0:08:43.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Audience moans)
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.79,0:08:48.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Yeah, and at night there was\Nthree raised platforms to sleep on,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:48.08,0:08:51.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but there was only --\Nlet's say there was four team members,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:51.50,0:08:54.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the thing is, if you got\Na raised platform to sleep on,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:54.33,0:08:57.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you only had to contend\Nwith a few cockroaches during the night,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:57.62,0:08:59.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whereas if you got the floor,\Ngood luck to you.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.88,0:09:04.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so I was the only girl in the team\Nand the whole ship,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:04.54,0:09:07.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I got away without\Nsleeping on the floor.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:07.58,0:09:09.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then, on, like,\Nthe fourth or fifth night,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:10.00,0:09:14.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Martin Edström looks at me and goes,\N"Ella, Ella I really believe in equality."
Dialogue: 0,0:09:15.17,0:09:18.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:09:19.75,0:09:24.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we were sailing on that\Ncement cargo ship for three days,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:24.83,0:09:28.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then we slowly started seeing land.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.46,0:09:32.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And after three years of failing,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:32.04,0:09:33.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was finally seeing Yemen.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:34.79,0:09:39.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And there is no feeling on earth\Nlike that start of an expedition.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:39.54,0:09:42.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's this moment where\Nyou jump out of a jeep
Dialogue: 0,0:09:42.79,0:09:45.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or you look up from a boat
Dialogue: 0,0:09:45.12,0:09:47.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you know that\Nthere's this possibility,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:47.96,0:09:50.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's small but it's still there,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:50.04,0:09:52.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that you're about to find something
Dialogue: 0,0:09:52.25,0:09:57.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that could add to or change our knowledge\Nof who we are and where we come from.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:57.50,0:10:00.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There is no feeling like it on earth,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:00.71,0:10:04.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it's a feeling\Nthat so many scientists have
Dialogue: 0,0:10:04.29,0:10:08.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but rarely in politically unstable places.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:08.50,0:10:13.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because Western scientists\Nare discouraged or all-out barred
Dialogue: 0,0:10:13.33,0:10:15.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from working in unstable places.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:16.88,0:10:18.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But here's the thing:
Dialogue: 0,0:10:18.17,0:10:21.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,scientists specialize in the jungle.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:21.96,0:10:25.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Scientists work in deep cave systems.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:25.75,0:10:30.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Scientists attach themselves to rockets\Nand blow themselves into outer space.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:30.38,0:10:32.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But apparently,\Nworking in an unstable place
Dialogue: 0,0:10:32.67,0:10:35.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is deemed too high-risk.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:35.08,0:10:37.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is completely arbitrary.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:37.79,0:10:42.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Who here in this room\Nwasn't brought up on adventure stories?
Dialogue: 0,0:10:43.17,0:10:47.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And most of our heroes\Nwere actually scientists and academics.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:48.75,0:10:51.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Science was about going out\Ninto the unknown.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:51.92,0:10:57.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was about truly global exploration,\Neven if there were risks.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:57.21,0:11:02.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so when did it become acceptable\Nto make it difficult for science to happen
Dialogue: 0,0:11:02.62,0:11:04.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in unstable places?
Dialogue: 0,0:11:05.83,0:11:08.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And look, I'm not saying\Nthat all scientists should go off
Dialogue: 0,0:11:08.79,0:11:10.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and start working in unstable places.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:10.62,0:11:12.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This isn't some gung-ho call.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:12.71,0:11:14.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But here's the thing:
Dialogue: 0,0:11:15.79,0:11:19.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for those who have done the research,\Nunderstand security protocol
Dialogue: 0,0:11:20.92,0:11:22.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and are trained,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:22.21,0:11:24.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,stop stopping those who want to.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:25.08,0:11:26.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Plus,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:27.42,0:11:31.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just because one part of a country\Nis an active war zone
Dialogue: 0,0:11:31.58,0:11:33.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,doesn't mean the whole country is.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:33.50,0:11:36.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm not saying we should go\Ninto active war zones.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:36.54,0:11:40.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But Iraqi Kurdistan looks\Nvery different from Fallujah.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.92,0:11:44.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And actually, a few months\Nafter I couldn't get into Yemen,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.96,0:11:46.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,another team adopted me.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:46.62,0:11:51.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So Professor Graeme Barker's team\Nwere actually working in Iraqi Kurdistan,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:52.46,0:11:55.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they were digging up Shanidar Cave.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:55.38,0:11:58.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, Shanidar Cave a few decades earlier
Dialogue: 0,0:11:58.46,0:12:02.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had unveiled a Neanderthal\Nknown as Shanidar 1.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:04.04,0:12:08.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, for a BBC/PBS TV series\Nwe actually brought Shanidar 1 to life,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:08.42,0:12:11.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I want you guys to meet Ned,\NNed the Neanderthal.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:13.62,0:12:16.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now here's the coolest thing about Ned.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:16.25,0:12:18.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ned, this guy,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:18.38,0:12:21.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you're meeting him before his injuries.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:21.71,0:12:25.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,See, it turned out\Nthat Ned was severely disabled.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:26.00,0:12:30.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He was in fact so disabled that\Nthere is no way he could have survived
Dialogue: 0,0:12:30.62,0:12:33.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without the help of other Neanderthals.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:33.25,0:12:35.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so this was proof that,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:35.04,0:12:38.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at least for this population\Nof Neanderthals at this time,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:39.00,0:12:40.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Neanderthals were like us,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:40.88,0:12:44.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they sometimes looked after\Nthose who couldn't look after themselves.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:46.04,0:12:49.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ned's an Iraqi Neanderthal.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:49.33,0:12:51.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what else are we missing?
Dialogue: 0,0:12:51.08,0:12:53.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What incredible scientific discoveries
Dialogue: 0,0:12:53.71,0:12:56.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are we not making\Nbecause we're not looking?
Dialogue: 0,0:12:58.04,0:13:01.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And by the way, these places,\Nthey deserve narratives of hope,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:01.88,0:13:05.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and science and exploration\Ncan be a part of that.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:05.33,0:13:08.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, I would argue\Nthat it can tangibly aid development,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:08.67,0:13:13.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and these discoveries\Nbecome a huge source of local pride.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:13.83,0:13:17.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that brings me to the second reason\Nwhy science has a geography problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:19.83,0:13:23.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,See, we don't empower\Nlocal academics, do we?
Dialogue: 0,0:13:23.88,0:13:25.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Like, it's not lost on me
Dialogue: 0,0:13:25.88,0:13:28.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that in my particular field\Nof paleoanthropology
Dialogue: 0,0:13:30.00,0:13:31.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we study human origins,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:31.92,0:13:35.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but we have so few diverse scientists.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:36.46,0:13:40.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the thing is, these places\Nare full of students and academics
Dialogue: 0,0:13:40.12,0:13:42.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who are desperate to collaborate,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:42.54,0:13:44.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the truth is
Dialogue: 0,0:13:44.21,0:13:45.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that for them,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:45.96,0:13:48.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they have fewer security issues than us.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:50.46,0:13:54.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think we constantly forget that for them\Nit's not a hostile environment;
Dialogue: 0,0:13:54.38,0:13:55.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for them it's home.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:57.00,0:13:59.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm telling you,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:59.08,0:14:03.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,research done in unstable places\Nwith local collaborators
Dialogue: 0,0:14:03.58,0:14:06.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can lead to incredible discoveries,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:06.96,0:14:11.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that is what we are\Nhoping upon hope to do in Socotra.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:12.88,0:14:14.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They call Socotra
Dialogue: 0,0:14:15.33,0:14:18.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the most alien-looking place on earth,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:18.38,0:14:24.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and myself, Leon McCarron, Martin Edström\Nand Rhys Thwaites-Jones could see why.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:24.04,0:14:25.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, look at this place.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:25.75,0:14:29.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These places, they're not hellholes,\Nthey're not write-offs,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:29.04,0:14:32.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they're the future frontline\Nof science and exploration.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:34.04,0:14:36.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,90 percent of the reptiles on this island,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:37.71,0:14:43.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,37 percent of the plant species\Nexist here and nowhere else on earth,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:43.33,0:14:45.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that includes this species\Nof dragon's blood tree,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:45.92,0:14:48.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which actually bleeds this red resin.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:49.00,0:14:50.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And there's something else.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:50.75,0:14:55.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People on Socotra,\Nsome of them still live in caves,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:55.54,0:14:57.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that is really exciting,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:57.25,0:15:00.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because it means if a cave\Nis prime real estate this century,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:00.33,0:15:02.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,maybe it was a few thousand years ago.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:02.62,0:15:06.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But we need the data to prove it,\Nthe fossils, the stone tools,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:06.58,0:15:10.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so our scouting team\Nhave teamed up with other scientists,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:10.12,0:15:12.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,anthropologists and storytellers,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:12.42,0:15:15.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,international as well as local,\Nlike Ahmed Alarqbi,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:15.75,0:15:18.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we are desperate\Nto shed a light on this place
Dialogue: 0,0:15:18.96,0:15:20.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,before it's too late.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:22.67,0:15:26.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And now, now we just somehow\Nneed to get back
Dialogue: 0,0:15:26.12,0:15:28.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for that really big expedition,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:28.46,0:15:30.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because science,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:30.17,0:15:32.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,science has a geography problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:33.62,0:15:35.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You guys have been\Na really lovely audience.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:35.75,0:15:37.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:37.04,0:15:40.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)