baby's coming up on the left. mum's poopin'! we'll discover secrets that are hidden in the bodies of these huge marine mammals... liquid gold! laughter. ..and why scientists need to be here to protect this vast icy wilderness. musical sting. today, the archive footage looks shocking. it shows our brutal history with antarctica's whales. file: very soon, the giant carcasses are made ready| to yield their store of sperm oil and other products so vital to our post—war needs. some were driven to the brink of extinction by commercial whaling during the 20th century. the small whalers bring their catches to the mother ship. through this slipway and a stern will be drawn the many monsters she hopes to catch. that was banned a0 years ago but research is now uncovering new threats to the future of these animals. that's why scientists make the long journey across the notoriously rough southern ocean to antarctica. woke up to my nightstand crashing across the room because we've hit apparently a 12m wave. i've never been in waves like that before. sarah is one of the wildlife biologists that we're travelling with. to reduce the impact and the expense of their research trip, she and the team are hitching a lift on a tourist ship. the scientists and the tourists want to go to the same places, where there are these hot spots of biodiversity and animals and so, we're going to the same places and get to do science at the same time. we can see our first iceberg. that means antarctica is getting very close now. when we reach the peninsula, the water's calm and antarctica reveals itself. the coldest continent on earth. a vast ice sheet that holds more than half the world's fresh water. hundreds of species depend on these cold, rich seas. for the scientists on board, this is where the hard work begins. the researchers we're following have special permits to study antarctic whales up close. let's do it! but natalia botero—acosta has spent more than a decade studying humpback whales. i think i saw it swimming — it was like lifting a pec. her work stretches from the tropical waters of colombia, where the whales breed, to the end of their 8,000km migration, antarctica. how is working in antarctica for somebody from the tropics? it's fascinating but i do get cold — a lot! 0h! when we spot a whale, natalia reaches for a surprising piece of scientific equipment. tell me about the crossbow. is that — is that a weapon? no, it's not a weapon, by any means. it's a tool. it's a scientific tool. we use them to collect, you know, blubber and skin samples. it goes with this bolt — modified, too. at the very end of this, we screw a tip — maybe 3cm tip — and then, inside is, like, three barbs that hold the tissue. but this — this barrier sort of like prevents the bolt from going inside further and then, bounces back into the water. and this is how you get a tissue biopsy from a wild humpback whale. the tube on the end of the arrow takes just a tiny nick out of the animal's body. the sample is, you know, 3cm, something like that for an animal, obviously, you know, 16m long, so it's essentially a mosquito bite. well, it clearly didn't bother them very much cos they're they're hanging around the boat. nat just got a sample from mum — is that right? we got a sample from mum, yeah. she's still - unintelligible thinks she's right here. you know, it's extremely important for us to get these samples. they're so informative, there's so much that we can do. in that tiny piece of tissue? in that tiny piece of tissue. it used to be that the only way to sort of, like, get information like that was with a dead animal. that's what we came for. one of the things the researchers can tell with this small nugget of tissue is if a female humpback is pregnant. so, the pregnancy is super valuable because it's sort of like a direct way for us to see if the population is actually growing and to tell the impacts of, for example, climate change. that information is critical to then develop, you know, conservation plans and actions. in years that we have low cis, then the following year, you have lower pregnancy rates. and that's as good as it gets in like, you know, getting to know the environment and getting to know the effects of all these conservation threats on the animals. natalia's got a precious sample, sojust going to pop that in the bag and that goes back to the ship. right? yes, and to the freezer and there you go, till we go back to california. working from a tourist boat means the team can reach and work in several sites around the antarctic peninsula, but it also means they have to improvise. this is a a tourist vessel, so it's not necessarily kitted out for scientific experiments. this isn't a lab — it's a store room. there's lots of stuff in here — kit bags and there's costumes, even, for some of the staff — but it has become a laboratory for processing of these very precious samples of whale tissue. blubber — the, like, pinky, whitish tissue — hormones accumulate there. and then, the skin which is, like, the black tissue. oh, that's a good one! that's a beautiful one. why is that a beautiful one? i mean, it looks great. it'sjust a good chunk of blubber, and that's very valuable. like, that means that you can probably do the hormone analysis maybe even a couple of times — like, get a couple extractions. analysing this blubber will reveal chemical clues about the health of the animal. the tiny piece of skin provides a genetic profile of each whale that the team studies. whatever isn't needed for analysis will be cryopreserved, kept in very cold storage indefinitely. so, then that's for — just for future analysis? huge projects and, like, collaborations, yeah. it's the more you do with those samples — it's so hard to get them, especially here in antarctica — that, you know, it's just better practice. and new technologies, too, as things develop, so samples can be used for things in the future for things we can't even predict. right, right. exactly. for now, the researchers have reserved space for their samples in an old freezer. good morning, folks. it's around 6:15 a.m. heading now 173. it's four degrees celsius or 39 degrees fahrenheit now with very low winds. every day working here is precious — an opportunity to gather data in one of the richest, most productive parts of the southern ocean... everybody good? ..and during this research trip, the team will have just four days in the peninsula. let's go. so, we are going to go that way. chris johnson is from the world wildlife fund. we were going to go this way. now, we're going to go that way. so, we're kind of mixed up right now. let's take a peek. we're going to go take a peek that way. he's the charity's global lead on whale conservation. as we search, the weather closes in. one of the best ways that we can find humpback whales in these conditions, when it's foggy and snowy, is actually listening. so, we'll turn off the zodiac engine, we'll close our eyes and just listen for the blows. whale blows. we'll hear big blows of humpback whales. and you can hear them for quite a far distance, so even though you'll hear them, it may take a while to find them. whale blows. ready? there's another piece of kit to help in the search. we're looking using the drone. it's kind of our eyes in the sky to help us look for whales. and we can get, basically, photos and videos of it from directly above it. using drones has transformed scientists' ability to observe these marine mammals. we have these ocean giants all around us. their pectoral fins are so white, it's really easy to follow them in this water. this is much more than a beautiful aerial view — the team uses the drone to work out the humpback�*s weight from the length and width of their bodies. we're measuring how fat it's becoming over the season, and that's really important because they're storing enough energy to make the long migration back to their breeding ground in the eastern tropical pacific, and that's over 8,5000km, so they've got to bulk up. some populations around the world are getting skinny because they're not getting enough to eat because of climate change impacts. one recent 20—year study of humpbacks in the north pacific showed the population had declined because of a shortage of food that was linked to rising temperatures. it's why scientists monitor the whales here. what's happening to these hungry marine mammals is a signal of what's happening in the whole ocean ecosystem. climate change from fisheries' bycatch to vessel strikes and underwater noise pollution — it's all adding up long term in terms of poor health, and that's what we're really concerned about. this is why the whales come here to feed — antarctic krill. each just a few centimetres long, collectively, there's an estimated 400 million tons of these crustaceans in the southern ocean — that's similar to the combined weight of every human on earth. well, we think they're feeding on about 1—1.5 tons per day of antarctic krill. per day? per day. and we've been underestimating that until the past few years when we've done this research. there is a krill fishery here. krill oil is used in some animal feed and supplements. there are strict catch to protect antarctic wildlife but conservationists are concerned about the extra pressure that fishing puts on the environment. this work is helping us to find where whales feed and why they're feeding and what are the most critical habitats for them on the antarctic peninsula, so we can make those no—fishing zones. these creatures are much more than whale food — they help keep the ocean healthy and our planet cool. krill eat microscopic plants that grow in sea ice — plants that suck carbon out of the atmosphere. so, these tiny animals, just by growing, eating and excreting send planet—warming carbon to the bottom of this cold ocean. but climate change is warming the ocean and since 2017, there's been a worrying decline in sea ice here. that's why scientists need to come here to figure out what impact that's having on some of the biggest animals in these oceans. one way to do that is to examine what's coming out of the animals that depend on krill. baby's coming up on the left. mum's poopin'! liquid gold! laughter. is that — is that what i think it is? it is exactly what you think it is and it smells exactly like you think it would. it's whale poo. whale poo, yeah. and why — i mean, the glamour never stops in this science game, does it? why do you need a sample of whale poo? diet. right. it'll give us information on what they're eating. it's amazing. it's so hard to get. right. liquid, smelly gold. back aboard the ship, that precious specimen can be stored safely. it is ripe! it's very ripe. but you can actually see little chunks floating in it, which was a surprise to me — i mean, i've never held whale poo before. you could also do all sorts of cool things, like get hormones from poo, you can look at dna. wow. and, i mean, isuppose, it's difficult — it's really difficult to find, right? because you have to be next to a whale while it's...? right, and it's in the water and it usually can just disperse really quickly. this one was a little bit harder and stayed clumped together in a way i wasn't expecting. i love how you describe this. isn't it magical? and i was able to just take handfuls and smush it into the jar. well done. thank you! laughter. this continent is unique. there's never been a war here. it's a land dedicated to science. we can look at the data in colombia, compare it with the antarctic peninsula and be able to monitor the population the whole way. the antarctic treaty is a global agreement drawn up more than 60 years ago that now has 56 signatories. it states that antarctica will be used for peaceful purposes and scientific cooperation. one of those permitted peaceful purposes is tourism, and that's growing. before the 1980s, just a few hundred people came here each year. in the summer season between 2022 and �*23, more than 100,000 people visited. and the kind of little boat shed on the shore there, that's now staff quarters. steffi is an expedition leader for a tour operator. it's herjob to plan an antarctic itinerary for the 200 people on board the ship that we're travelling on. weather, ice, changing dynamics. and the industry was designed when 100 passenger vessels were the the larger ships, okay? and now, 100 passenger vessels are the smaller ships. the international association of antarctic tour operators sets out guidelines for the industry, including restrictions on the numbers of people that can go ashore and keeping a safe distance from wildlife. the plan was that we'd land here today but it's not possible because there are too many penguins. the rules for the tourism are that everybody has to keep 5m away from the wildlife and, as you can see here, it's not actually possible to get out of a boat and be 5m away from a penguin. hello! but you can't regulate how animals will respond to tourists, as we found out during an encounter with some leopard seals. the leopard seals have discovered they like to play with the boats. they are really curious. so, whenever we have some leopard seals around, we have to be careful because they're being curious and play and they can try to chew the ends off — like this — so we can take some pictures and we slowly go away. two leopard seals popped up and followed the boat for about five minutes. we were moving slowly away, keeping our distance — and we don't want to get nibbled — but that was absolutely amazing! they're just — they're not scared at all. they're just really curious. even with all the rules, tourism can leave its mark. anyone visiting could unwittingly bring in seeds or microbes that don't belong here on their boots and clothes. there's even evidence of soot left on snow from ship exhaust. but according to the international union for the conservation of nature, when people experience antarctica in person, it can inspire them to protect it. my favourite colour is blue and every time i see the deep blue inside the ice, it's like looking into the soul of something. it's so nice. it's really beautiful. everywhere you look, there's wildlife and it's beautiful. have you had any favourite encounters? leopard seal. i love leopard seals — they're my favourite. ijust adore them. they are the perfect combination of deadly, beautiful and slightly ugly. and we love it. we love it. what did you think about the cruise ship going by? that was kind of a strange sight. oh, i did wave at them and i went, "hello, - fellow unwanted species! laughter. and while the scientists are here to gather data, they're also sharing their findings and conservation messages with the passengers. and we're going to talk a lot about good news — this is not going to be a bad news talk. you're going to be inspired by the end of it. is it strange, in some ways, to be on a tourist ship? what's that like for you? because tourism is a pressure on this place, too, isn't it? it is. tourism is something that we need to regulate closely, so we tend to work with operators where we can talk about conservation messages to the public. and one of the new things we're discovering are that whales are critical to ocean health. and so, that type of partnership is really special and it really helps us try to protect this incredible place that we have. coming here repeatedly means scientists can monitor this environment. it also means they capture some fascinating wildlife behaviour up close. in krill hot spots, these social, intelligent animals work together to gorge themselves... oh, this is fantastic! ..trapping their prey inside a net of bubbles. they're blowing bubbles in a circle and they're coming up right through the centre of the bubble net to feed. it's absolutely spectacular. wow! look at that! that's such a cool — hello! waving with a pectoral fin. this animal is using its fins to feed. it kind of looks like play. yeah, it does. but it's using its pectoral fin as a tool. to sweep the krill. to sweep the krill in. like, just wild! these playful giants seem to be engaged in an interspecies dance with a seal. the researchers want to identify and do what they can to protect wildlife hotspots around the peninsula. that is pretty amazing, to be able to see them under the water. hello, beautiful! my new favourite colour is the blue of a humpback whale under the water. it's a very specific colour. nice! oh, watch out! sorry. i'm going to ask crayola to make that colour for me. we can even see evidence of close family bonds. there's two animals. humpbacks need their mums to care for them, you know, i and navigate thisl kind of wild place. while the researchers are curious about the whales, the whales seem curious about us, too. they raise their heads above the water... oh, my god! ..spy hopping to see what's going on. hi, mum! hi, beautiful! mum looks like she's going to come under us. she's right under us. she's going to come up. just hold on to the boat in case she touches the boat. whoa, she's huge! giggles. oh my word. i never seen a whale that close before in my life. i'm a little bit scared! they are gigantic! how did you feel when it went under the boat? little bit apprehensive! this is so beautiful. this is so beaut — this is so beautiful. this might be the most beautiful thing i've ever seen. the team makes the most of every minute they have here. so, so far, we have 67 samples between this trip in the previous one. an amazing, amazing success. last year in the same situation — two trips — we got a0. today is their last day. the more samples they can get, the more detailed picture they'll have of what's happening in this environment. you've got to be patient, you've got to give the animals some space and understand their behaviour and, you know, every now and then, you actually get a result. is that a female? it's hard to say. it didn't react, it didn't make a big deal, so maybe a female. laughter. yeah. that's natalia's test. yeah, the males are like, you know, we're — we're a little bit more more anxious. laughter. you know, it's all right. we are sensitive. we got a whale up at your 12 o'clock. occasionally, a whale will show its irritation. so, phil, sometimes, we get a reaction like that and it's like a little mosquito bite for whales and it's really temporary so, sometimes, we'll see a fluke slap or a pec slap and it's something that's very temporary and doesn't — it's not long—lasting. you want to try one more? why not? and then call it? ok, this will be our last whale so i'm going to put the drone up and let's do it. let's do it. vic, i can see him in the water now, over by the edge of the rocks. but sometimes, after all the feeding, whales are too tired to participate. natalia can only take a biopsy from a moving whale that's arching its body out of the water. nat, can you just tell me what you're going to do? i'm going to hit the water to try to, like, wake her up a little bit. because they're and you can't...? oh, yeah. they're very sleepy. natalia can't get access to the right part of the body because these two humpbacks are really sleepy. she's tried to wake them up by putting just a dart in the water to make a splash but it didn't work. what happened? i shot in the water and it didn't move. no reaction whatsoever. just nothing. it wasjust like... they are resting well. yeah, they are just... they'rejust napping. hello. slowly waking up. when the humpbacks finally wake up, natalia can take her last shot — one final precious tissue sample. it's gonna will do one big breath. it's gonna go. the end of an antarctic expedition is a time for reflection. just grateful for the opportunity to, like, just do what we do in a place like this and just connecting data that is so important and so critical for humpbacks and for the ecosystem. this trip was a chance to gather clues about this remote wilderness — clues the researchers will use to build a picture of the health of this fragile place. i'm at peace in this environment. i feel more connected to nature. we're getting this important data to bring to policymakers to make really important changes in international policy and protect this area for antarctic krill, for humpbacks, for penguins. you know, this place is not only important for nature but it's also important to us. just as marine wildlife depends on this place, so do we. this icy ocean cools our planet. so, scientists will keep a check on its largest inhabitants, the whales, whose bodies hold clues about the effect we have on this precious environment. i can't believe it's over! it seems like yesterday, you know, we met. what an epic place. i mean, we have got perfect weather, amazing whales around us. i think it's time to go home. so, let's hit the road. yeah, there we go. that's it. let's do it. okay. let's go! oh, and a hug for angie. it's so awesome. no tears on the boat! no. it's been awesome. awesome to have you. what a beautiful place. hello, there. desired ingredients to make the perfect summer solstice is obviously plenty of sunshine and plenty of warmth — and we had just that on thursday. the question is, will it continue into the weekend? and the answer is, on the whole, yes. warm for many of us with sunny spells, but there will be some rain around in the far west. let's take a look at that. arriving in the next few hours, this weather front here, tied into this area of low pressure, will bring a little bit more of a breeze and some showery outbreaks of rain into the north—west, albeit slowly. light winds elsewhere, maybe a little bit of early morning mist, but that will clear away very quickly indeed. a lot of sunshine for east wales, central, southern, and eastern england, along with eastern scotland throughout the day. we will start to gradually see some rain pushing into the isles of scilly and the far tip of cornwall, maybe into south wales, too — but ahead of it with the sunshine, we'll see 23—24 celsius once again. cloudy with some showers, perhaps, moving to the isle of man, rain into northern ireland and to north—west scotland by the end of the day. a few showers ahead of it, but parts of eastern scotland, aberdeenshire in particular, may well see 19—20 celsius, if you keep the sunshine. now, as we move out of friday into the early hours of saturday morning, that frontal system continues to sink its way steadily eastwards. it will weaken off substantially, but a band of showery rain moving its way across the pennines and down into south—east england, perhaps lingering across the essex and kent coast, first thing on saturday morning. with the cloud around, those temperatures will hold up, perhaps into double digits for many. we start off on saturday with much of central and eastern england cloudy. still the odd spot or two of showery rain, but that should tend to break up, sunny spells come through, the risk of a few showers to the north—west of scotland, but on the whole, not a bad afternoon for many, and temperatures again still responding, ranging from 15—22 celsius. moving out of saturday, into sunday, on the whole, we could chase a little more in the way of cloud around, but this high pressure continues to build in for the early half of next week, and with that south—westerly flow, it will turn increasingly warm and potentially a little more humid, as well. so a good deal of dry, fine weather to start off the week. a little bit of a question mark, really, from wednesday into thursday. it might turn a little bit more unsettled. live from washington, this is bbc news. the us ambassador to china tells the bbc that two countries are talking regularly to avoid conflict in the south china sea. extreme weather across the globe, front health safety concerns after heat —related deaths rises. protest erupted in kenya as lawmakers move forward with a controversial bill containing tax hikes. hello. you're very welcome. the united states ambassador in beijing says china support for russia's invasion of ukraine will not be tolerated by the west. in an interview with the bbc, nicholas burns says he is doing all these can to avoid a potential conflict with china amid what he called a competitive relationship. ambassador burns said the two sides are talking regularly to try to avoid misunderstanding. especially in the south china sea and the taiwan strait. he was speaking to our china correspondent and she began by asking him how chinese officials are reacting to this message on taiwan. they can test the facts. we have the right facts. we know exactly what's happening. we know what's being shipped by chinese companies. we know the impact it's having on the ability of russia to conduct this war.