they come here to breed before returning to antarctica to feed. but it is the sheer numbers that are astonishing conservationist. >> there is another one. they say in fact the numbers are up 17% compared to the previous year. they have not seen numbers like that in these waters in 50 years. in june alone, 1000 whales were spotted along this aquatics highway. >> they are so big. you cannot believe how big they are. >> the numbers are up. >> it's brilliant. we are finally respect nature. >> commercial hunting drove some whales to the point of near extension. it was banned of the australian coast in 1962. by then the numbers had plummeted from their peak of 200,000. decades of protection has been the key to their recovery. only 2000-3000 survive. it is not the end of the story, unfortunately. >> we will never get back to the pre-whaling days. the modern hazards are also expanding. we have modern ships carrying containers and oil tankers. we have nets and ocean pollution. they are causing problems. >> it is hard not to get excited by these grateful, p

. >>> coming up, how antarctica may be taking on a new shape. nasa is tracking a monster piece of ice that is coming apart from continent. we are talking as big as new york city. details ahead. >>> a continental divide may be playing out before our eyes. nasa is tracking a gargantuan peace of ice, that is cracking off the continent. that story first. but first we will go globe trekking to hajj, the pilgrimage that millions of muslims take. we are joined to the hear what the hajj is and those amazing pictures we see every year. >> it's the largest gathering of muslims around the world, as you know. and this year they are estimating 2.5 million are making this pilgrimage and mecca, saudi arabia is the birthplace of the prophet mohammad and the holiest city of islam. now i want to point something out. -- >> can we see pictures of the hajj as we are talking about this. >> beautiful. >> one of the concerns going in to this leading out of the unrest in the middle east in north africa is there going to be continued violence going in to the hajj. fortun

. >>> in october, one of nasa's missions, the operation ice bridge travelled to west antarctica and made an amazing discovery. >> we noticed a fairly large crack in the ice shelf. >> you're seeing a massive crack in the pine island glacier in antarctica and it just happened sometime between september and october of this year. >> wow. >> if this crack continues to propagate it's going to create a massive iceberg that is going to separate from the glacier itself. >> it measures 18 miles long, 50 meters deep. >> wow. >> and it would be an 800-square-kilometer iceberg. that's huge. >> is it global warming-related? >> it is part of the melting process of the glaciers. >> this mission, the operation ice bridge, is a six-year nasa mission and their goal is to capture the movement of this glacier and as you can see now, this iceberg that's potentially going to break off. >> what are they worried that this thing could like run into? >> they're not worried that it's going to run into. they're worried about the bigger consequences of what that means. it's raising sea levels and they're concerned ab

>> there's an extensive rehearsal period in antarctica. >> stephen: you have to clutch an egg between your legs? >> there was also huddle... when the penguins have to... they have to huddle against the cold during the harsh winter, there was huddle training. huddling together. >> that will come in handy for those occupy wall street people. >> absolutely. winter is coming. >> stephen: winter is coming. absolutely. now, listen, i resisted as long as i can. (laughter) but i'm about to break. i'm a fan of "lord of the rings" movies. >> i've heard this. >> stephen: now you have... you have something here. you have something down there. what do you have here? >> i have sting. >> stephen: all right. >> from the films. >> stephen: damn. (applause) now this is the one that you... that you... that you... may i? >> please. >> stephen: it's got edge on it there. >> a little sharp. they make them for real. >> stephen: is this the one you carried throughout the movie? >> yes, that's one of them. we had a couple. that was hero sword if it were ever to be shot in closeup. >> stephen: either that one

they come here to breed before returning to antarctica. >> there is another one and this is a beautiful sight. the numbers are up 17% compared to the previous year. you have not seen that in numbers like this in 50 years. >> protection has been the key to their recovery. other hazards have taken the place of the whalers. >> people say, the whale population is expanding. it is but also the modern has as are also expanding like modern ships, a huge ships carrying containers and oil tankers. there is a lot of ocean pollution. >> it is hard not to get excited by these playful giants. especially when all of the species have staged a comeback. >> one family is already calling it a miracle and many others are given hope from a new medical procedure. doctors in london have steered a baby of a life-threatening disease which was destroying its liver. -- doctors in london have cured a baby. the breakthrough could have far- reaching consequences. our medical correspondent has this exclusive report. >> meet a medical marvel, it is hard to imagine now but six months ago, this child was close to death

. >>> nasa will discuss new campaigns on antarctica glacier where a crack was discovered in the ice. the expedition plans to peek beneath the ice to see how the ocean is melting the glacier. >>> on this day in 1967 first issue of "rolling stone" magazine was published. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and other as they break on msnbc. tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." >>> here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. the latest on the sexual harassment scandal surrounding republican presidential hopeful herman cain as another woman goes public. and find out, where in the world is matt? as his week-long globe trotting adventure continues. >>> now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

>> scientists say global warming is probably not the cause of a giant crack that has appeared in an antarctica glacier. seen in video, the crack is 18 miles long and 260 feet long and growing every day. scientists say an iceberg the size of new york city could break off from the glacier by the end of the year. >>> scientists also say they found new clues to staying young. i like the sound of that. researchers at the mayo clinic managed to slow the aging process in mice. these two mice are actually the same age. the one on the left appears past its prime. the one on the right remains plump and healthy after researchers removed cells that appeared to contribute to aging. >>> and new research has now linked a lack of exercise to cancer. the study found the connection between nearly 100,000 cases of cancer each year and reduced physical activity. bigad shaban reports. >> reporter: attorney linda worthhime works long hours sitting behind a desk. exercise wasn't a priority, until she found out she had breast cancer. >> the diagnosis was a wake-up call. >> reporter: new research suggests getting more

perform a military installation for scientific purposes and you're going with her feet on first ever antarctica view of the bands river and the entire reserve and the marshes believe. the result of visitors and tourists are welcome to see all that and take pictures most of the reserve territory is covered with marsh it's their ideal for bird rookeries in spring and autumn when thousands of migrating birds stop over to rest as it turns out studying the composition of the bugs helps retrace the biological history of the region russian scientists take peat samples for tests. deposits are the best sources of information studying their layers makes it possible to estimate the rate of peat accumulation but this is also important if we are to understand the dynamic development of the natural environment because these settlements are chronicle of nature. the unique feature of the reserve is that it covers the territory of three countries. a natural environment is uniform on both sides of the river russia is on the eastern bank norway in finland and the west russian and finnish scientists spend most of

crude protein then there's krill this little shrimp like creature abounds in the frigid waters off antarctica with millions of tons of bailable every year it could soon become a new source of protein and that's certainly not bad news especially if you're a shrimp fan like me another possibility is based carrots in it's currently most associated with shampoo that may change chicken feathers have an extremely high protein content and russian scientists have. to turn this product into a nutritious meal. as a helping nations become richer their populations will consume more and more meat that means that traditional lifestyle. and especially strong shot in the arm they keep up with rising world demand. for millennia we've drawn on the principles of natural selection and nature genes mutate well naturally with the most successful alterations to spread it so following generations or disinter easy humans have employed selection to create plants with greater yields as well as more productive animals in this so called artificial selection the only difference is that we've decided which traits are benef

i mean, going south of south america, you're almost into antarctica, and there were some terrible storms. >> what's most amazing is, many of the sailors on board were not much older than me. >> german sailors would have been teenagers. the crew would have numbered no more than 20 to 25, maximum, during these journeys. plenty of work to keep them busy. they would work in shifts. basically, there was always someone on deck, 24 hours a day, doing some type of work. >> the work was difficult and dangerous. currents around cape horn, for instance, are among the most treacherous in the world. [ thunder crashing ] >> a huge storm that this ship had to sail through and crew were flying all over the decks and they're climbing up on the masts 150 feet up in the air to try to secure the sails before the wind actually would blow. with the pressure of the wind on the sails, it could actually de-mast the entire ship. so, it was quite an ordeal. >> i tried to imagine what working on this ship must have been like. what are these big wheels for? >> this is the wheel that is going to steer the ship. it's

percent crude protein and there's krill this little shrimp like creature abounds in the frigid waters off antarctica with millions of tons of bailable every year it could soon become a new abundant source of protein and that's certainly not bad news especially if you're a shrimp fan like me. another possibility is further based keratin it's currently most associated with shampoo but that may change chicken feathers have an extremely high carrot in protein content and russian scientists have paired with to turn this fluffy byproduct into a nutritious meal. as a helping nations become richer their populations will consume more and more meat that means that traditional wife stock arming and especially in the our thinking with rising world demand. for millennia we've drawn on the principles of natural selection and nature genes mutate well naturally with the most successful alterations spread its following generations over the centuries humans have employed selection to create plants with greater yields as well as more productive animals in this so called artificial selection the only difference is that

called social withdrawal or social narrowing if you spend a long time in a very isolated place such as antarctica antarctic bases have seen this is well you can withdraw a little bit from from society from social interaction and they were scared that the these six men may exhibit those those signs also there may be tensions a lot of irritability between the crew having to spend such a long time together we haven't actually seen that in an experiment a shorter version of this in two thousand it went badly wrong when there was a fight between two crew members and another crew member forcibly kissed another but now it seems that as you can see everyone's very happy here they've come out without any major glitches in their interpersonal relationships and i think they've coped quite well peter well we heard one of the. just come out saying that these are the best people he's ever worked with also some very smiley faces that we're seeing behind you also you notice on the screen you baby of the look over his shoulder and see everybody seems to be glancing or puts to try to say they would have seen. a hi

called social withdrawal or social narrowing if you spent a long time in a very isolated place such as antarctica a long time to graces of seen this is well you can withdraw a little bit from from society from social interaction and they were scared. but these six men may exhibit those those signs also there may be tensions a lot of irritability between the crew of interests to spend such a long time together we haven't actually seen that in an experiment a shorter version of this in two thousand it went badly wrong when there was a fight between two crew members and another crew member forcibly kissed another but now it seems that as you can see everyone's very happy here they've come out without any major glitches in the interpersonal relationships and i think they've coped quite well peter well we heard one of the gentleman just come out saying these are the best people he's ever worked with also some very smiley faces that we're seeing behind you also you notice on the screen you baby of the look of your shoulder and see everybody seems to be glancing all puts to try it it would have seeing.

>> hinojosa: he travels around the world, from antarctica to tanzania, from alaska to australia, to assess the impact of global warming and to promote conservation. environmentalist and lead scientist for the nature conservancm. sanyan. i'm maria hinijosa. this is one on one. sanjayan, you are the lead scientist for the nature conservancy. you are born in sri lanka, raised in sierra leone, you spend a lot of your time traveling around the world tually looking at the impact of global warming. >> right. >> hinojosa: so when you hear people say, in this country, "well, i don't really feel it, it doesn't feel like a crisis," you say what? >> so the way i approach global warming is that i think of it as an insurance question. it's like if you were driving down the street and someone told you that your house was on fire, and then someone said, "oh, no, it's not really your house, it's the house next door, don't worry about it," what would you do? you'd probably turn around and go back. you have insurance not because you actually think your place is going to burn. you have insurance because, you

. >> they hatch their eggs in antarctica and they were able to simulate that and breed. this is a huge dealing for japan. that's why you hear so many in the crowd. this is the only park to successfully breed one of these penguins. >> sounds like he's on the red carpet with all the flash bulbs. >> i'm just getting happy feet looking at limb. >> a little messy, like dribble on his cheek. he needs a napkin. >> typical baby. a little messy. >> trying to sling it off. you saw him shake his head. >> yeah. ♪ >>> by now you've heard about the sex scandal allegations that have rocked penn state's campus of a former penn state university football coach allegedly sexually abusing a number of victims. joe paterno, a long-time coach of the penn state nittany lions football team, 84 years old, most winningest coach ever has been quiet thus far in the investigation. avoided the media but last night after practice about 300 penn state students were at his home there to greet him in support. we're getting this video from the daily collegian penn state newspaper. joe came up to the wind

. >> asia, north america, south america, africa, antarctica and the north pole. no. >> actually, i'm kind of impressed that he got antarctica. he named six of the seven. he just forgot europe, which seemed like a slip more than anything else. letterman gave him a hint to help him with the final answer. i thought that was pretty good. >>> a severe drought dries up a texas lake. underneath a tiny town is revealed and that's not all archeologists found lurking 20 feet under water. that story is next. >>> also, the holiday hiring surge. retailers are expected to have brought on an extra 500,000 workers this holiday season and does sound great, but are they leading to full-time work or are we becoming a part-time economy? that and more on cnn. so you earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? woah! [ giggles ] it's like having portable

. >> nasa scientist keeping a close eye on a chunk of ice about to split off in antarctica. the scan show an ice berg actually being born. the crack about 18 miles long and 260 feet wide is growing 6 feat wider each day. it is happening at the pine island glacier. this type of cracking happens naturally and not related to global warming say scientist. new ice berg could break away by theen of the yea year. maybe early next year. ice berg being born. there it is. >> there are some new additions to the san francisco zoo tonight. penguin rescued from brazil. they would like that ice berg. new resident part of group of hundreds of young l menegas win found starving in 2008. other birds were relowested to a better food source but these 6 were just unable to survive in the wild. so they are now settling in with 45 other penguin at the san francisco zoo. if you want to check them out the 6 new birds can be identified by the bright green tag. identify the new arrivals. let's go back to talk to spencer about the forecast. >> all right. we have a little bit of a spritz of rainfall ear

eisenhower -- all of those acres up there, and he demilitarized antarctica. we have eisenhower to thank for creating our largest wildlife refuge in the united states. it's the biggest thing, the arctic refuge, and this election cycle you're going to hear a lot about drill or sell into economic prosperity. the truth of the matter is, we don't want to start mortgaging and -- our great heirlooms, things that have been saved. the arctic refuge does not need to become a platform for shell oil to, um, drill for, get a little bit of gas for a few years and ruin a treasured landscape. >> so you take a point of view in this book? >> very much so. i feel myself part of the people i write about only because i love america so much, and i grew up going to the smoky mountains and the everglades and yellowstone. and people that say there's nothing up there are lying to the american people. it is a wonderland of nature and wildlife. this is my son johnny. >> here's some young brinklies here too. [laughter] well, we've been talking with him, but what i wanted to tell the kids

. >>> plenty of people have crossed the entire continent of antarctica but one woman is looking to travel the frozen tundra on her own two legs. she quoted earlier today, quote at the base camp on union glacier in my tent, first night on the ice, great to be here. she is trying to set the record for the longest solo polar expedition by a woman more than 1,000 miles. she is expected to cross the continent in about 70 days. >> the 65th night. >> that's all well and good. >> oh, man. >> that would be cold. >> yeah. >> yikes. >> how do you train for something like that? >> you just sit in your freezer. no doubt. good luck to her. that is quite an ambitious undertaking. she is tougher than me. no doubt about that. >> i'd be scared of polar bears. >> ooh. >> well, there's that too. >> oh, that. >> the polar bear factor. yes. >> they're pretty but not nice. >> oh, no. they are not friendly at all. >>> for us, a little bit of a chill on our saturday morning. right now not quite as cold as a polar expedition, no doubt about that. a little bit of a bundle up on you first thing this morning. a hat o

next is number 7--some very hardy birds that have adapted to the coldest continent on earth, antarctica, and they actually seem to like it down there. not me, though. it took me years to warm up after that trip, just like it would him. man, i'm still cold thinking about it. ooh! way, way down in the south shetland islands, i met the chinstrap penguins with my daughter, kathaleen. kathaleen, i don't see how anything survives out here! penguins expert rob yordi was already waiting for us at half moon bay. >> hey, rob. >> hey, jack and kathaleen. you get a little cold? >> yeah, i'm telling you something! how do these animals survive out here? >> they have an actually very unique insulation system. they have a very thick layer of blubber, and then a layer of down feathers like you see on the little chicks, and then a layer of outer feathers that are real tight together and they actually insulate them very well. they love weather like this. >> as the chicks lose their fuzzy down, it's replaced by their waterproof adult feathers. when they're old enough to swim in the frigid ocean, these bird

it's a big one in antarctica. this glacier is breaking off into an iceberg. but this is no small matter. the iceberg, ten-times the size of manhattan. and this is probably the farthest back this glacier will be cut. want to show you that. one or two things going on this morning. the deep freeze to the deep south. houston this morning, dallas, this morning. our favorite place, oklahoma city. san angelo. you have chill in the air. look at new orleans, at 64. even orlando will be cooler. that cold front gets into central florida. you do dry out in atlanta and the carolinas. it becomes a very nice weekend here is a look at radar early this morning and you can the showers coming to an and force out of the metro area. they hung on from french -- fredericksburg east toward the northern neck. there is cloud cover across the region and 51 in the district and 46 in gaithersburg. mild start today because of the cloud cover. into this afternoon, partly cloudy, breezy. >> right here in the house. >> long beach, texas. >> lara? >> sam, thank you. >>> here's a look at what'

take refuge 50 years ago, but he also is the person in charge at demilitarizing and not having the antarctica developed. why do we want to call it the eisenhower national monument in the coastal plain is the country finally do some name for eisenhower instead of just highway signs at berkeley science review sitting monument. i go to anchorage and there is an eisenhower statute and the meulen mayor, but throughout the u.s. army's leading alaska's history in world war ii and in the current u.s. troops there and credible role the federal government played in alaska, our countries under eisenhower the way north dakota on the theater was about what theodore roosevelt national park, we should have an eisenhower national monument in the arctic. >> thank you very much for the testimony. next i am pleased to recognize their agnes, board chair of the steering committee. mr. james, your recognized for five minutes. >> i am honored to speak behalf of this committee form a nation and i feel real honor to be here. english is my second language, though i will address she review and translate it in my back t

it's a big one in antarctica. this glacier is breaking off into an iceberg. but this is no small matter. the iceberg, ten-times the size of manhattan. and this is probably the farthest back this glacier will be cut. want to show you that. one or two things going on this morning. the deep freeze to the deep south. houston this morning, dallas, this morning. our favorite place, oklahoma city. san angelo. you have chill in the air. look at new orleans, at 64. even orlando will be cooler. that cold front gets into central florida. you do dry out in atlanta and the carolinas. it becomes a very nice weekend and quiet around the nation. >> right here in the house. >> long beach, texas. >> lara? >> sam, thank you. >>> here's a look at what's coming up on our "gma morning menu." robin's revealing interview with sports legend, pat summitt. taking her biggest challenge yet. it's a conversation you don't want to miss. we check in with our favorite "dancing with the stars" couples. nancy grace, tristan macmanus. can't wait for all the scoop behind the scenes. >>> and brad

. >> looking at your background and wearing a lightweight shirt i was guessing antarctica, the ghost mountains but i'm completely wrong. >> okay, matt, where are you? >> here we go. let me break down the clue for you. the conjuring up thoughts of a child's worst fright refers to skeletons, all kids are afraid of skeleton so we're on the skeleton coast of africa. the part about no people to scare, it's because we are also in the middle of the nabib desert and if you translate nabib in the traditional language of koi koi, it means language of no people. instead of telling you about, why don't i show it to you. if you're ready, look out below. >> sand skiing. >> oh, wow. >> wow. >> oh my gosh. >> all right! that's fun. >> this is namibia? is that where they are? because they have the beautiful dunes. >> beautiful. >> nice form, matt. >> so here in the southern hemisphere, that is what we call spring skiing and they, ann, on the way down i heard you say it, is that in namibia. you're right. we're at one of the most amazing countries i've been doing in the ten years of this series. the du

she was airlifted out of antarctica last month after she suffered a stroke. the u.s. engineer is now on her way back home to vermont. >>> doctors say they may have a new way to screen for melanoma which is the deadliest form of skin cancer. doctors hope this new method will help detect abnormalities sooner and that will allow for earlier treatment of the disease. >>> heavy snow fall causing several highway closures and a blizzard warning in october. what is going on here, folks? not even thanksgiving. denver seeing up to 11 inches of snow. bill: means there is 22 in the mountains. there you go. a senseless prank horribly wrong. marion hedges is fighting for her own life after being hit in the head by a falling shopping cart. the victim of a sick stunt allegedly pulled by the same kind of children the new york mother reportedly went out of her way to help. eric shawn piece this is together in our newsroom in new york. walk us through what happened, eric. >> reporter: bill, she is wealthy manhattan real estate agent that helped underprivileged kids. her life hangs in th

the earth take refuge 50 years ago, but also as the person in charge of demilitarizing and not having antarctica developed. why do we want to call the eisenhower national monument in the coastal plain is the country finally do something for eisenhower and sunday just highway signs and parkway center would be a fitting monument. i could anchor a generous and eisenhower sat to, but the role of the u.s. army played in alaska's history of world war ii and the current u.s. troops and their incredible role the federal government played in alaska, our countries with theodore roosevelt in the badlands. we should have an eisenhower monument in the arctic. >> thank you for your testimony. next time please to recognize their agnes james. you're recognized for five minutes. >> i'm honored to think on behalf of this committee from this nation, which is gwich'in nation and i feel honored to be here. and this is my second language so addressed to you back to english. i speak gwich'in in english as a separate language. [speaking in native tongue] [speaking in native tongue] i said we came a long ways. we still

the earth take refuge 50 years ago, but also as the person in charge of demilitarizing and not having antarctica developed. why do we want to call the eisenhower national monument in the coastal plain is the country finally do something for eisenhower and sunday just highway signs and parkway center would be a fitting monument. i could anchor a generous and eisenhower sat to, but the role of the u.s. army played in alaska's history of world war ii and the current u.s. troops and their incredible role the federal government played in alaska, our countries with theodore roosevelt in the badlands. we should have an eisenhower monument in the arctic. >> thank you for your testimony. next time please to recognize their agnes james. you're recognized for five minutes. >> i'm honored to think on behalf of this committee from this nation, which is gwich'in nation and i feel honored to be here. and this is my second language so addressed to you back to english. i speak gwich'in in english as a separate language. [speaking in native tongue] [speaking in native tongue] i said we came a long ways. we still

it's a big one in antarctica. and this is actually the cabbing going on where this glacier is breaking off into an iceberg. but this is no small matter. this iceberg, ten times the size of manhattan. and this is probably the farthest back this glacier will be cut. since theyived it in the '40s. wanted to get to the boards. just wanted to show you that. one or two things going on this morning. the deep freeze to the deep south. houston this morning, dallas, this morning. our favorite place, oklahoma city this morning. san angelo. you've got some chill in the air, and it's going to stay with you for awhile today. look at new orleans, at 64. even orlando will be cooler. that cold front gets into central florida. you do dry out in atlanta, jacksonville, and the coastline of the carolinas. it becomes a very nice weekend >> texas, right here in the house. >> long beach, texas. >> all right. >> lara? >> all right. sam, thank you. >>> here's a look at what's coming up on our "gma morning menu." robin's revealing interview

the earth take refuge 50 years ago, but also as the person in charge of demilitarizing and not having antarctica developed. why do we want to call the eisenhower national monument in the coastal plain is the country finally do something for eisenhower and sunday just highway signs and parkway center would be a fitting monument. i could anchor a generous and eisenhower sat to, but the role of the u.s. army played in alaska's history of world war ii and the current u.s. troops and their incredible role the federal government played in alaska, our countries with theodore roosevelt in the badlands. we should have an eisenhower monument in the arctic. >> thank you for your testimony. next time please to recognize their agnes james. you're recognized for five minutes. >> i'm honored to think on behalf of this committee from this nation, which is gwich'in nation and i feel honored to be here. and this is my second language so addressed to you back to english. i speak gwich'in in english as a separate language. [speaking in native tongue] [speaking in native tongue] i said we came a long ways. we still

totally wrong as well because looking at your background and wearing a light weight shirt, i would guess antarctica, the ghost mountains, but i am completely wrong. >> okay, matt, where are you? >> here we go. let me break down the clue for you. the conjuring up thoughts of a child's worst fright refers to skeletons. all kids are afraid of skeleton so we're on the skeleton coast of africa. the part about no people to scare, it's because we are also in the middle of the namib desert, and if you translate namib in the traditional language of koi, koi, as you know, it means land of no people. that was the most fun part. instead of telling you about, why don't i show it to you. all right? so if you're ready, look out below. >> sand skiing. >> oh, wow. >> wow. >> oh my gosh. >> all right! >> look at that. >> that's fun. >> this is namibia? is that where we are? because they have the beautiful dunes. >> beautiful. >> nice form, matt. ♪ >> so here in the southern hemisphere, that is what we call spring skiing and yes, ann, on the way down i heard you say it, does that mean he niece namibia? you're right