horses, plows, and a lot of sweat.

5 Then in 1875, out of nowhere, a rare combination of air currents, drought, and basic biology produced the right conditions for an unthinkable event. It was the worst storm of its kind ever recorded: an enormous storm of locusts, the \swarm. This huge mass of hungry insects came over the horizon like a strange, dark cloud. The cloud consisted of not millions, not even billions, but trillions of insects, sweeping through the land like a living tornado. Those who saw the incredible event and survived never forgot what they witnessed.

6 The swarm of locusts came together over the state of Texas, and soon moved quickly across the frontier in a huge destructive cloud that was nearly 3,000 kilometers long. When people saw the cloud appear in the sky, they were completely amazed, and then quite naturally became frightened. The farmers had never seen anything like the swarm before, and immediately began to run from the fields to their houses for shelter and safety.

7 The storm of locusts kept moving and spread north from Texas to the areas now known as Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and South and North Dakota. The locusts eventually went as far west as the Rocky Mountains, leaving a path of devastation and destruction wherever they went. Thousands of farmers and pioneers were caught off guard as the swarm moved in, warned only moments before its arrival by the low, sickening drone of a seemingly infinite number of hungry insects.

8 An account from one person who observed the locust swarm described the event as if it were an actual storm. According to the observer, the locusts came downward heavily like hail, making loud noises as they fell to the earth. Frightened people ran screaming in terror into their homes as the locusts claws? dug into their skin and hung upon their clothing. As they ran, they left the fruits of hours of hard labor behind them to be eaten by the mass of eating machines, and the crops and fields were soon under attack.

9 While making their escape, the pioneers stepped on the locusts, hearing a sharp crack as the insects came underfoot. But no single group of people could diminish the unbelievable numbers of this insect invasion. The large insects were everywhere, looking with hungry eyes turning this way and that. Their bodies blocked the sun as they streamed through the Midwest, bringing darkness along with destruction. For the farmers, it was hopeless; hardly anything could be saved.

10 The crop damages resulting from this \swarm were absolutely astonishing, even by modern standards. If such destruction were to happen today it would cost an estimated $116 billion U.S., a sum that is even more than the most costly hurricane in American history. Several agricultural regions were devastated, both economically and emotionally. Agricultural commodities became scarce, crops were wiped out, and many of the pioneers simply packed up and left having lost everything to the swarm. And then, something remarkable happened: the Rocky Mountain locust simply vanished.

11 For over 100 years, the disappearance of the Rocky Mountain locust from the U.S. has been one of the biggest mysteries of the natural world. It's a highly unusual phenomenon for a species not to just diminish in numbers, but to actually vanish from

the earth. The question of what exactly happened to the Rocky Mountain locust has become the subject of several researchers, and one man in particular has spent years of his life trying to solve the puzzle.

12 At the University of Wyoming, entomologist Dr. Jeff Lockwood has spent over a decade investigating exactly why the Rocky Mountain locust disappeared in the late 1800s. He describes what the swarm of Rocky Mountain locusts was like and attempts to help the people visualize the huge numbers of locusts that made up the swarm.\the Milky Way trillions, he reports.

13 Lockwood goes on to pose the question of why the locust became extinct, commenting that the usual straightforward reasons for extinction don't seem to be present in this case. \gone, but it's gone within a few years, he says. He then points out that no unusual events coincided with the commencement of the disappearance. \tremendous series of earthquakes or tidal waves or forest fires. And so it doesn't make sense that it could've gone extinct. There's no reason for it to have done so. It's a great mystery. It's also a mystery that Lockwood is determined to solve.

14 Whatever wiped out the Rocky Mountain locust changed the course of American history. Exactly what could have triggered the disappearance of the locust, thereby destroying a plague nearly 3,000 kilometers long? Lockwood is studying the case very carefully. He realizes that he needs to start the investigation with the victim itself the locust. Unfortunately, very few locust specimens exist, and those that do exist are often in bad condition. The specimens that Lockwood has been able to locate have provided him with some evidence, albeit minimal, of what could have wiped out the species, but he still needs more information.

15 In his laboratory, Lockwood regularly inspects the locust specimens for any additional clues that might lead to the solution of the mystery. Even though he can see what the insect is like when it's dead, he still doesn't know what it was like when it was alive. \alright, he explains, \it was flourishing. Lockwood is in need of more clues about the life of the locust if he's going to unlock this mystery.

16 Eventually, Lockwood decides that a trip to the Rocky Mountains might help him to refine his theories. Since it is a region where Rocky Mountain locust specimens are likely to be preserved in ice, Lockwood feels that it might be the best place to find more information as to what brought about the demise of the species. \next opportunity we have for a major set of clues , the entomologist says, \in the ice of the glaciers of the Rocky Mountains.”

17 For Lockwood, the ice up in the Rockies might contain more than a few secrets and hopefully some answers. However, there's no guarantee that the mountains will provide any more information than what he already knows. It's a huge area to cover, and the average size of a locust specimen is just a few centimeters; the scientist may not even find any samples to examine, but he'll never know if he doesn't try.

18 Lockwood and a few of his colleagues head to the western state of Wyoming and

ride on horseback to Knife Point Glacier, which is located not far from Yellowstone National Park. The scenery on the route up is magnificent; they're surrounded by rolling hills leading up to incredibly beautiful snow-covered peaks. But the group is not there to admire the landscape. The reason for their trip is a scientific one: it's their chance to hunt for frozen locusts.

19 For centuries, even before the \swarm of 1875, year after year strong winds would sweep swarms of locusts high into the mountains, where they would freeze to death. As a result, the glacier is full of locusts that have been frozen in time. Lockwood explains, \Rocky Mountain locust. He then goes on to pose the key question to solving the mystery and what he wants to know: \we looking at a sudden demise? By extracting DNA samples from specimens frozen over a period of time, Lockwood may be able to identify exactly what caused the extinction of the insects. Through this analysis he may be able to compile enough data to prove what wiped out the species, but first he has to find some of these mysterious frozen insects.

20 Lockwood and the team's route take them high into the mountains; eventually, the incline becomes too steep for the horses and they can no longer be ridden. Their journey must continue on foot. The entomologist and his colleague start to walk up into the high mountains, hiking slowly through the ice and snow until they get out onto the glacier. As they walk, the two men search for any signs of the locusts.

21 The good news for the expedition is that there could be locust specimens anywhere. The bad news is that \ includes thousands of square meters covered with snow and ice. Walking up on the glacier is beautiful, the air is clear and the sun is shining. However, the trip is extremely exhausting in the thinning mountain air and the men begin to become tired from their efforts. They continue walking for a long time with no luck at finding locusts. The beautiful day turns to one of disappointment as the men's visions of finding a field of locust specimens begin to fade.

22 Then, suddenly, on one of the steepest parts of the mountain, Lockwood finally sees the perfect spot in which locusts might be found. He uses a pick ax to break into the ice and is rewarded handsomely for his efforts. As he breaks away the last stubborn piece of ice cover, he finds himself looking at an entire layer of ice filled with specimens and they're in nearly perfect condition. As he reaches in to carefully pull out one of the small, dark objects, Lockwood's colleague wants to confirm what the object appears to be. \ he asks cautiously. To this Lockwood responds with a sigh of relief, \ as he continues examining the small age-darkened insect.

23 The locust specimen that Lockwood found is complete. The head, thorax, abdomen, and even the wings have been preserved. \ says Lockwood's colleague, as Lockwood puts the locust into a special container. He'll take the locust back to his laboratory to examine it more carefully under a microscope, in the hope that it will provide clues.

24 Before he returns to camp, though, Lockwood searches in the ice more carefully,

eventually uncovering more insects using a small instrument. The two men are amazed at what they find. There are hundreds and hundreds of the locusts in this one place. It soon becomes clear that, in the shadow of the melting glacier, they've made an important find: piles of frozen locusts. This could be just what Lockwood has been hoping for. If the locusts that Lockwood has found in the glacier are the right species of insect, the entomologist hopes he can solve one of the greatest extinction \mysteries of our time. He explains, \murder mystery, was critically important.”

25 Back at the base camp of the expedition, the scientist uses a microscope to take a closer look at the insect found in the glacier. He realizes excitedly that he's found what he's been looking for. It's an exact match to his specimens of the Rocky Mountain locust. They are the same species of locusts that once devastated the American plains. Later, Lockwood describes the experience, \that we had the Rocky Mountain locust. The mystery of the disappearance of the Rocky Mountain locust may be well on its way to being solved.

26 Lockwood's study of the Rocky Mountain locust has told him more and more about this odd insect. Locusts seem to have \ he says. On the one hand, as members of the scientific family of the grasshopper, they are like all grasshoppers, which means they have a tendency to be shy and remain alone. On the other hand, when annoyed in just the right way, the once gentle locust changes completely into some kind of destructive monster. They change color and their wings and legs grow longer. Eventually, they become more aggressive and swarm, whereby they become a kind of living, breathing weapon of mass destruction. Members of the swarm behave as if they were one body with no leader. \in charge, explains Lockwood. \ While swarming, the trillions of locusts function as one individual unit.

27 Back in the laboratory, the locust specimens that Lockwood found on the Knife Point Glacier are slowly revealing their secrets. The DNA test results are back and they've indicated one certain fact: the Rocky Mountain locust did not decline over a long period of time. In fact, the disappearance was very sudden. \death by old age, says Lockwood. \sort of 'bolt out of the blue disappearance. Having finally had the chance to examine the species health over a period of time, Lockwood's evidence leads to this conclusion: \believe that it was in its last days. If it wasn't a gradual extinction or some inherent imperfection within the species, some other force must have been responsible for destroying it, and Lockwood is determined to find out what it was.

28 As Lockwood works to solve the problem of exactly what caused the extinction of the Rocky Mountain locust, he comes to an important realization. In order to discover the truth about what happened to the locust, he will have to look at what was happening to it when it was at its weakest, or most at risk, not when it was flourishing. \ he says. \to find out perhaps what eliminated the Rocky Mountain locust, what we should be looking for is what was happening to the species at the time of its weakest link. Now,