3D-Printed Egg Could Help Save Endangered Birds

[Narrator] This is a majestic vulture,

and its kind is in serious trouble.

But this 3D printed egg could help save it.

Yeah, alright, it doesn't look like much,

but it's packed with sensors that may

unravel the mysteries of incubation

and help save endangered species.

You see, incubating an egg isn't just about sitting on it.

The bird actually rolls the thing around

and keeps its temperature and humidity just right.

With the electronic vulture egg,

researchers can better understand those ideal conditions.

Think of it as a baby monitor for birds.

And the scientists need that data bad,

because vultures are in serious trouble,

especially in Africa where they

fall victim to man-made poisons.

To save them, researchers need to breed

vultures in captivity, and to replicate those nests

in a controlled environment.

But this electronic egg isn't just about saving vultures.

It's part of a revolution in

data-driven wildlife conservation.

Today, researchers are using drones

to count populations of birds,

and satellites track movements

of bigger animals like elephants.

It's the beginning of a massive monitoring network

that will help scientists keep tabs on the natural world.

So which came first?

The global network of conservation sensors or the egg?

That'd be the egg, a humble little electronic egg.