>> this is the crate that ling ling was shipped in in 1972. >> the first panda. >> yes. >> reporter: u.s. scientists have helped the panda along ever since the first bears were sent here from their native china following a visit by president nixon. researchers in the national zoo are now among the top authorities in the world for breeding them. yet births like this remain rare. >> every year you kind of hope for it. and every year it's been a disappointment since 2005. >> reporter: habitat loss has left only 1600 pandas in the wild, some 300 in captivity. small wonder, then, that this new arrival, this rare bear, is being treated with such care. tom foreman, cnn, washington. >> very cute rare bear. coming up do we really need our toothbrushes to communicate with our phones? somebody apparently thinks so. "the ridiculist" is next. ♪ love love is strange ♪