scientists are exploring perma frost. >> how deep are we new?> we are 60 feet below the surface. >> through frozen ground, tunnelled back in time to where the earth warmed up. the ceiling bristles and along the walls the bones of bison. once this part of alaska was a fertile plain before the glaziers rolled in, tens of thousands of years ago. >> we have a big ice sludge on the left and over here. >> other scientists see fossil, soil and ice. kevin studies engineering issues with the united states military and how to plan for the effects of the perma frost. >> what was temperature prior to the ice placement. we'd have good information for the climate modellers working on it. >> work on a larger tunnel has begun. research aimed at helping alaskan communities hep with something they have noticed, how melting perma frost caused areas to sag. >> the idea is not to scare anyone, or set out the notion that everything is fine and we need to stop burning gasso leap. we are talking about anticipating changes. >> there's real alarm amongst scientists, perm

more on the future of perma frost. >> how deep are we now?w the surface. >> through frozen ground, a tunnel in time to when the either last warmed up and ice melted. the sealings have ancient plants and bones of extinction mastodon and bison. this was a plain before the englishes rolled in tens of thousands of years ago. >> we've got a very big ice ledge. right here on the left and over here. >> while other scientists come to see fossils, soil and ice formed long ago with temperatures fluctuated, kevin studies engineering issues for the united states military and how to plan for the effects of melting perma frost. >> if we can tease out that information that says what was the temperature prior to one of these climate horizons that we see, either vegetation or ice, we would have good information for the climate modelers working on that issue now. >> work on a larger tunnel has begun, research aimed at helping lass dozen people in communities cope with somebody they've already noticed, how melting perma frost causes homes and roads to sag. >> t

including the perma-smile off our own gio benitez. >> oh, boy, gio. thank you. you can even see his lips were freezing. >> reporter: and with a third of the nation still covered in snow, and so many yearning for spring, it's actually good news that almost everyone east of the rockies will be colder than average the next few weeks. that gradual warming will help avoid flooded scenes like this. so, after all the records, that brutal winter, now, we have the official numbers. 22 states spent their winter below average. from minnesota, down to texas. alabama, even new york state and washington state. but there were seven states that were above average this past winter. and that includes florida, most of the southwest, and california, with its warmest winter on record. either way, we're all looking forward to at least what the calendar says. spring begins tomorrow, diane. >> the calendar says so. thank you so much, ginger. >>> up next here, tonight, a break in the case of little madeleine mccann. do they finally have a suspect in their sights? we're back in two minut

that will melt more perma profit. >> when the trans-alaska opened in 1977, no one expected a changing climate. but it was put on stilts, to protect the tundra and forest. that prevents permafrost melting locally. it's the crude oil inside the pipe and consumption. the impact of that on the ground - that's what the scientists have to consider. >> coming up, deadly force - was it justified in the police killing of a mentally ill homeless man. anatomy of a disaster. what you don't know about mudslides ahead in our special report. >> the video is disturbing and graphic of the the controversy is growing. this is the story we brought you last night, the albuquerque shooting death of a mentally ill homeless man. james boyd, the victim, was illegally camping and refused orders to surrender by police officers. the standoff lasted three hours, until the moment he was shot. >> get on the ground. get on the ground. >> boyd died soon after. the justice department is negotiating. the mayor calls the incident horrific and protesters took to the streets there saying excessive force was used. heidi zh

a group of french scientists found it frozen and buried under a deep player of the siberian perma frostaid the last time it infected people was 30 millenia ago. shorthand tal is the director of research. chantal was an integral member. thank you indeed for joining us. just explain, first of all, how you discovered it. >> everything started with an article that came in that we published our work. it is the revival of the plant out of a seed that was buried. then we contacted them to find out if we could collaborate them. we used it to try to see if it was possible to have a virus at all. >> were you worried when you did the revive it? >> we actually are using a very safe way to try to revive a virus without feeding on bacteria. those virus >> that is reassuring. presumably, as we humans dig deeper and with climate change there is the potential for more discovers, possibly viruses that could be risky to us? >> the point is we want to give to people who are actually awaiting those arctic regions. but the point is that we will have to find out. this is all the next step. meaning that now we

profound polar chill from minneapolis to chicago, freezing everything, including that perma smile offo benitez. >> oh boy, gio, you can even see his lips are freezing a little bit. >> reporter: and with a third of the nation still covered in snow and so many yearning for spring, it's actually good news that almost everyone east of the rockies will be colder than average the next few weeks. that gradual warming will help avoid flooded scenes like this. so after all the records that brutal winter, now we have the official numbers. 22 states spent their winter below average from minnesota, yes, down to texas, alabama, new york state and washington state. but there were seven states that were above average this past winter, and that includes florida, most of the southwest and california with its warmest winter on record. ginger zee, abc news, new york. >> it's almost going to be warm enough, we're almost there. here's a look at your weather now. it will be rainy in the northeast, not quite the weather you need for that, john, sorry. the mountains will see the snow and the upper plains may