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Italy`s Volcano Erupts; NASA Says DART Mission Successful; A Look At Rewilding. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired October 12, 2022 - 04:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Welcome to CNN 10. I`m Coy. Happy to be right here with you this glorious Friday eve.
We`re almost to the weekend so let`s keep it going.
We have talked Russia`s war against Ukraine this week. We`ve explored the issue of immigration.
Today, we`re headed to Italy to one of the most active volcanoes in the world and it erupted again this week. It`s called the Stromboli volcano
because it`s located on Stromboli Island off the north coast of Sicily. The last major eruption took place in 2019. Explosions inside the volcano
unleash smoke and 2,200 degree lava flow that rapidly reached the Tyrrhenian Sea.
But why do volcanoes erupt? Well, more than 80 percent of the earth`s surface above and below sea level is volcanic. And deep below the earth`s
surface tectonic plates are always moving most volcanic activity occurs where these plates collide. Deep within the earth, it`s so hot that rocks
slowly melt and become magma and because this flow glowing substance is lighter than the rocks around it, it rises.
When some of the tectonic plates shift the magma rises even higher some of the magma pushes through the cracks in the earth`s crust at vents and
fissures until it reaches the surface where it`s then called lava.
All right. Lava-ly people, an update now on our continued coverage on NASA`s DART mission also known as Double Asteroid Redirection Test. As it
turns out, when the DART mission slammed into the asteroid dimorphos on September 26th, it actually changed the space rock`s trajectory, shortening
its orbit. The mission was groundbreaking and the technology marks the first time humanity was able to move the trajectory of a celestial body.
But there may be a catch. We`ll hear more now from CNN`s space and defense correspondent Kristen Fisher.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: And what we`ve learned is that this mission has exceeded even NASA`s wildest dreams. We
already knew that the DART spacecraft had successfully hit this asteroid dimorphos about two weeks ago. But what we didn`t know was if NASA had
succeeded in its primary objective which was to actually move this asteroid a little bit closer to a bigger asteroid which it was orbiting called
didymos.
So, NASA just wanted to move dimorphos a little bit closer to didymos. They weren`t sure if they were going to be able to do it, but yesterday, NASA
confirmed it that yes, they had done it, marking the first time ever in history that humanity had actually been able to move a celestial body
somewhere out there in the universe.
You know, for millions of years, earthlings have just had to take whatever comets or asteroids were headed our way, now humanity really proving for
the first time that they can strike back. And so, what NASA announced at this press conference yesterday is that they were able to shorten the orbit
dimorphos` orbit around that bigger asteroid didymos by 32 minutes.
And so, the reason this is important is it proved that this technology actually works. And so someday if there is ever a potentially killer
asteroid headed to wipe out Planet Earth, the idea is that you could employ this type of technology and push it off course. The key though is you would
have to get there many years in advance because you can only move in orbit just a little bit.
So, NASA proving this technology is possible, you just got to find this asteroid many years in advance in order for it to work.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Kangaroos are known for their powerful legs which propel them forward with ginormous jumps. But did you know kangaroos can`t go back. A
kangaroo`s hopping motion is called saltation which is the action of leaping or dancing did you know. They can bounce forward with ease using
those strong legs, but their muscular tail tendons and long feet keep them from being able to move in reverse.
Now that`s random.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Now I want to introduce you to Isabelle Tompkins. She and her family are answering the call of the wild at Samara Private Game Reserve, a vast
67,000 acres in South Africa where they`re facilitating rewilding, a type of conservation where people step back and get out of the way of nature.
Rewilding is considered controversial and the benefits for both animals and humans are debated.
But for Tompkins and her team, they`re hoping this approach will revitalize both the topography and ecosystem there in the Great Karoo Region. Let`s go
there now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISABELLE TOMPKINS, SAMARA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE: The word conservation means to keep things the way they are. It means to prevent things from
getting worse.
But rewilding has a much more ambitious remit and I think the planet deserves a more ambitious remit at this point in time.
REPORTER: Located in South Africa`s Great Karoo Region, the Samara Private Game Reserve was established by Isabelle Tompkins`s parents Sarah and Mark
Tompkins in 1997.
TOMPKINS: What rewilding seems to do is to restore ecosystem health by reintroducing all the component parts of that system, essentially
reintroducing all the pieces of the puzzle.
REPORTER: Spanning 67,000 acres, the park is home to five of South Africa`s nine vegetation bios and the team says it has over 60 different
species of mammals.
TOMPKINS: We`re located in a global by diversity hotspot. So, despite being a semi-arid region, there`s actually a remarkable amount of
biodiversity particularly endemic plants and also certain endangered species like the Cape Mountain zebra, the cheetah, the black rhinoceros.
REPORTER: In 2019, the Tompkins family reintroduced lions to the reserve after an absence of almost two centuries.
TOMPKINS: When you think of Africa, you think of a lion. There`s no feeling more primal than walking in the bush knowing there are lions
around. You feel all your ecological senses tingling. It`s s almost like a rewilding of itself.
We`re seeing our founders` (ph) pride of lions at the moment, an incredible sighting, one of the best sightings I`ve ever had actually and seeing our
new little cub for the first time which is really, really exciting.
And in terms of rewilding, it`s not just about the about bringing back a species that existed maybe 300 or 400 years ago, as wonderful it is to see
them back in their natural habitat.
Rewilding, as I said, about bringing back the ecosystem and for lions being an apex predator quite clearly one of the main roles is the role of
predation. And if you look around us and you will see a lot -- a lot of skulls from some rather unfortunate wildebeests that have -- I guess lion
food over the past few years, but -- but it`s a key role really that they play in controlling herbivore numbers and enabling the filth (ph) itself
and the red grass go palatable and grasses to actually regenerate themselves as well.
REPORTER: From the mighty lion to each and every blade of grass, it`s all connected.
TOMPKINS: So human beings tend to want to compartmentalize nature. We want to divide it up into cells and units that we can understand, but nature
doesn`t really function like that. Nature works as a whole system and various elements can impact on each other in ways that we don`t even
understand yet. One of the central principles of rewilding is actually to manage an ecosystem less.
It`s to -- to give nature back to nature. Give nature back to itself. We need to take a step back and sort of realize that we`re a part of nature
rather from apart from it. I think that if human beings can focus on their own sphere of influence and on making a difference in their own little
backyard. Our backyard just happens to be 27,000 hectares of Great Karoo landscape and -- and what a privilege for us to actually be able to spend
our time improving this landscape and making it work for -- for both people and planet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIR: Okay. For today`s "10 out of 10", I`ve seen a bedazzled shirt, a bedazzled notebook, a bedazzled water bottle. But I never seen this, this
vintage pickup truck got a fancy-schmancy makeover, including 300,000 glass crystals, hand glued one by one. Must have been exhausting.
Auto shop owner Cleveland Shinn took this 1978 Chevy Sierra from drab to fab in nearly three months for the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
If your favorite color is sparkle, this ride is for you.
All right. Time`s almost up everyone. But before, I go I want to give a special shout out to Monticello Middle School in Monticello, Minnesota,
wishing you and everyone watching around the world a happy Friday Eve.
I`m Coy. This is CNN 10, and I`ll see you tomorrow.
END
