A Minute Of Your Time: "Sea Change"

To look at the Aral Sea today, one might think it misnamed: it's barely more than a couple of connected lakes. But look at a picture from 1975, and you'll see one of the world's major inland bodies of water. Over the last few decades, environmental neglect and a couple of badly placed dams have all but drained the once-thriving sea, which straddles the arid Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan border, crippling the region's economy. But there's still some water left, and recent efforts may mean a second chance for the Aral.