1 00:00:01,890 --> 00:00:03,870 NARRATOR: Sacred tattoos. 2 00:00:04,050 --> 00:00:07,020 These are primeval symbols that speak to something in us 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,900 that’s very deep-seated and very universal. 4 00:00:09,990 --> 00:00:12,870 NARRATOR: Severe body modifications. 5 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:13,860 BILL BIRNES: The tribespeople 6 00:00:13,950 --> 00:00:15,840 sharpen the edges of their teeth 7 00:00:15,930 --> 00:00:17,820 to look like serpents. 8 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,160 NARRATOR: Extreme adornments. 9 00:00:20,340 --> 00:00:22,230 JONATHAN YOUNG: Girls in the Kayan culture stretched out their necks 10 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:26,280 with brass rings to emulate their sacred ancestor. 11 00:00:26,460 --> 00:00:30,060 NARRATOR: Could these metamorphic alterations of the flesh 12 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:32,940 represent more than mere self-expression 13 00:00:33,030 --> 00:00:35,910 or even acts of religious tribute? 14 00:00:36,090 --> 00:00:38,880 Might they contain a message 15 00:00:38,970 --> 00:00:41,400 critical to the future of mankind? 16 00:00:41,580 --> 00:00:45,090 GIORGIO A. TSOUKALOS: The reason why they did this to their bodies 17 00:00:45,180 --> 00:00:49,050 is in order to gain the strength of the gods 18 00:00:49,140 --> 00:00:50,940 that they tried to imitate. 19 00:00:51,030 --> 00:00:52,830 WILLIAM HENRY: We now have technology 20 00:00:53,010 --> 00:00:55,170 that is equal to what we see 21 00:00:55,260 --> 00:00:57,420 the gods using in these ancient stories. 22 00:00:57,510 --> 00:01:01,110 Maybe now we’re gonna be able to turn ourselves into a species 23 00:01:01,290 --> 00:01:03,000 just like the gods. 24 00:01:05,340 --> 00:01:07,950 NARRATOR: There is a doorway 25 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:10,200 in the universe. 26 00:01:10,290 --> 00:01:13,080 Beyond it is the promise of truth. 27 00:01:15,150 --> 00:01:17,130 It demands we question everything 28 00:01:17,220 --> 00:01:19,920 we have ever been taught. 29 00:01:20,010 --> 00:01:23,250 The evidence is all around us. 30 00:01:23,340 --> 00:01:26,940 The future is right before our eyes. 31 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:29,910 We are not alone. 32 00:01:30,090 --> 00:01:33,150 We have never been alone. 33 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:48,000 Tattooed and pierced Italian fashion model 34 00:01:48,180 --> 00:01:51,330 Cristian Mignemi makes a bold and permanent decision 35 00:01:51,420 --> 00:01:54,840 to transform the sclera, or whites of his eyes, 36 00:01:55,020 --> 00:01:57,090 into black. 37 00:01:57,180 --> 00:02:02,040 He claims he wants to appear more otherworldly. 38 00:02:02,220 --> 00:02:04,200 Cristian Mignemi 39 00:02:04,290 --> 00:02:06,900 is a very forward-thinking person in fashion, 40 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:08,340 by choosing to go to the extreme 41 00:02:08,430 --> 00:02:10,950 of coloring his eyes completely black, 42 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:12,300 looking almost alien-like. 43 00:02:12,390 --> 00:02:15,090 This is a trend happening across the board. 44 00:02:15,180 --> 00:02:16,980 Body modifications, 45 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:19,140 tattooing, piercing, 46 00:02:19,230 --> 00:02:21,210 all types of adornments to change 47 00:02:21,390 --> 00:02:23,460 the physical appearance of our bodies. 48 00:02:23,550 --> 00:02:26,430 It’s almost as if humanity, in a fashion sense, 49 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:29,310 is gearing themselves to look more alien. 50 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:31,380 MITCH HOROWITZ: People feel liberated 51 00:02:31,470 --> 00:02:33,990 by the idea that they can appear 52 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:36,060 extrahuman in some way. 53 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:38,220 They can look like something extraterrestrial 54 00:02:38,310 --> 00:02:41,100 or they can look like something primeval. 55 00:02:41,190 --> 00:02:42,990 There’s something self-dramatizing 56 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,870 and empowering about it. 57 00:02:47,310 --> 00:02:49,380 NARRATOR: Today, tattoos and piercings 58 00:02:49,470 --> 00:02:52,890 account for a nearly $1 billion industry. 59 00:02:54,150 --> 00:02:56,220 Trending modification practices 60 00:02:56,310 --> 00:02:59,010 like ear elongation and branding the skin 61 00:02:59,100 --> 00:03:01,170 are all on the rise. 62 00:03:01,350 --> 00:03:04,050 But what could motivate someone to alter their body 63 00:03:04,140 --> 00:03:06,120 in such a way? 64 00:03:06,300 --> 00:03:08,280 The way we adorn our bodies 65 00:03:08,370 --> 00:03:11,970 is essentially telling a story and sending messages. 66 00:03:12,150 --> 00:03:14,130 The fact that more and more people 67 00:03:14,220 --> 00:03:16,380 are expressing themselves through body art, 68 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:20,160 it tells a bigger story on a cultural level. 69 00:03:20,250 --> 00:03:22,230 Now that we’re so connected through the Internet, 70 00:03:22,410 --> 00:03:24,300 it’s easy to find inspiration from others 71 00:03:24,390 --> 00:03:27,270 and what other people are doing in body art practices. 72 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:29,070 Symbols communicate things 73 00:03:29,250 --> 00:03:31,410 that we’re not quite able to put into words. 74 00:03:31,500 --> 00:03:34,200 It goes beyond just wanting to make a statement 75 00:03:34,290 --> 00:03:36,180 about one’s individuality. 76 00:03:36,270 --> 00:03:40,230 It demonstrates what you believe in. 77 00:03:41,580 --> 00:03:43,290 NARRATOR: While tattoos, piercings 78 00:03:43,380 --> 00:03:45,270 and body modification 79 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:48,150 are modern forms of personal expression, 80 00:03:48,330 --> 00:03:52,020 they also hearken back to humanity’s ancient past 81 00:03:52,110 --> 00:03:54,090 and mirror the practices 82 00:03:54,270 --> 00:03:56,250 of many so-called primitive tribes that exist 83 00:03:56,340 --> 00:03:59,310 around the world today. 84 00:03:59,490 --> 00:04:02,370 A lot of what we do finds inspiration 85 00:04:02,370 --> 00:04:05,070 in ancient roots from all over the world. 86 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:07,140 These are things that we’ve seen on, say, 87 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:08,400 like, National Geographic 88 00:04:08,580 --> 00:04:10,380 and books and on TV over the years. 89 00:04:10,470 --> 00:04:12,270 And they’ve inspired newer forms 90 00:04:12,450 --> 00:04:16,050 of body modification and body art expression. 91 00:04:16,140 --> 00:04:17,310 NARRATOR: Rites of passage, 92 00:04:17,490 --> 00:04:19,200 like skin stretching, 93 00:04:19,290 --> 00:04:20,370 have been seen throughout history 94 00:04:20,550 --> 00:04:23,250 in different parts of the world. 95 00:04:23,340 --> 00:04:25,230 The revered Buddha, 96 00:04:25,410 --> 00:04:27,300 the Dayak of Borneo, 97 00:04:27,390 --> 00:04:30,180 the ancient Rapa Nui of Easter Island 98 00:04:30,270 --> 00:04:33,330 and the modern Fulani tribe of West Africa 99 00:04:33,510 --> 00:04:37,380 all have colorful histories of ritual ear stretching. 100 00:04:37,470 --> 00:04:41,070 The contemporary Mursi women of Ethiopia, 101 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:43,230 tribes of the Amazon 102 00:04:43,410 --> 00:04:46,290 and the earlier Botocudo people of coastal Brazil 103 00:04:46,290 --> 00:04:48,180 all share a history of skin stretching 104 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:50,610 for decorative lip plates. 105 00:04:50,790 --> 00:04:54,480 But are these practices being adopted by mainstream society 106 00:04:54,570 --> 00:04:57,360 simply as a fashion trend, 107 00:04:57,450 --> 00:05:01,140 a bold form of self-expression? 108 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:03,300 Or could it be motivated by a profound link 109 00:05:03,390 --> 00:05:05,280 to our ancient past? 110 00:05:05,460 --> 00:05:07,260 TSOUKALOS: When people have tattoos, 111 00:05:07,350 --> 00:05:09,240 it’s something meaningful. 112 00:05:09,420 --> 00:05:12,300 And so my question is not, today, 113 00:05:12,390 --> 00:05:14,280 why do we tattoo ourselves? 114 00:05:14,370 --> 00:05:16,350 I ask the question, 115 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:20,220 when did we first tattoo ourselves, and then why? 116 00:05:22,470 --> 00:05:26,250 NARRATOR: September 9, 1991. 117 00:05:26,340 --> 00:05:30,570 11,000 feet high in the Otztal Alps. 118 00:05:30,660 --> 00:05:34,440 Two German climbers near the Austrian-Italian border 119 00:05:34,620 --> 00:05:37,500 happen upon a frozen corpse. 120 00:05:37,590 --> 00:05:42,270 Scientists call him the Tyrolean Iceman, or Otzi, 121 00:05:42,450 --> 00:05:44,340 and place his time of death 122 00:05:44,430 --> 00:05:48,480 between 3400 and 3100 BC. 123 00:05:48,660 --> 00:05:51,180 What we find so amazing about Otzi, 124 00:05:51,270 --> 00:05:53,070 he’s very well preserved. 125 00:05:53,250 --> 00:05:54,690 So well preserved 126 00:05:54,780 --> 00:05:56,580 that scientists and anthropologists can even tell 127 00:05:56,670 --> 00:05:59,460 that he had a lot of medical conditions. 128 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:02,160 And that leads us to Otzi’s tattoos. 129 00:06:02,250 --> 00:06:04,320 NARRATOR: In 2015, 130 00:06:04,410 --> 00:06:07,380 more than two decades after the initial discovery, 131 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:10,260 scientists were able to make a more detailed scan 132 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:12,420 of the Iceman’s epidermis. 133 00:06:12,510 --> 00:06:16,200 The results were extraordinary. 134 00:06:16,290 --> 00:06:18,180 ANDREW COLLINS: Under examination, 135 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:22,320 it was found that Otzi the Iceman 136 00:06:22,500 --> 00:06:27,450 had, in fact, 61 different tattoos over his body, 137 00:06:27,540 --> 00:06:31,230 and almost all of these took the form of parallel lines, 138 00:06:31,410 --> 00:06:33,570 either two together, three together. 139 00:06:33,660 --> 00:06:36,450 In one case, seven together. 140 00:06:36,540 --> 00:06:38,520 BARRETTA: These tattoos, it’s amazing. 141 00:06:38,610 --> 00:06:42,300 They are actually located on acupuncture points 142 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:43,740 throughout the body. 143 00:06:43,830 --> 00:06:46,260 Most of them are on the joints, the lower back, 144 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:49,410 the thoracic area, the chest. 145 00:06:49,500 --> 00:06:53,280 And what that tells us is he had some knowledge of healing. 146 00:06:55,620 --> 00:06:59,490 NARRATOR: Acupuncture is a traditional form of Chinese medicine 147 00:06:59,580 --> 00:07:01,470 involving the pricking of the skin with needles 148 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,350 along the body’s neurohormonal meridians 149 00:07:04,530 --> 00:07:08,760 to alleviate pain and treat various medical conditions. 150 00:07:08,850 --> 00:07:13,260 Traditional historians place the origin of acupuncture in China 151 00:07:13,350 --> 00:07:16,320 at approximately 100 BC. 152 00:07:16,410 --> 00:07:19,290 Acupuncture did not exist as a formal system 153 00:07:19,470 --> 00:07:22,350 of therapeutic treatment in China, uh, 154 00:07:22,530 --> 00:07:25,590 at the time that Otzi received his tattoos 155 00:07:25,770 --> 00:07:28,380 on the other side of the globe. 156 00:07:28,470 --> 00:07:31,350 HENRY: So, where did Otzi get these tattoos 157 00:07:31,530 --> 00:07:32,610 that were made with the knowledge 158 00:07:32,700 --> 00:07:35,400 of acupuncture points on the body? 159 00:07:35,580 --> 00:07:38,550 DAVID CHILDRESS: We think acupuncture’s from China, 160 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:41,520 but here’s something even older and from the Alps. 161 00:07:41,700 --> 00:07:44,490 CAROLINE CORY: The fact that we find these tattoos 162 00:07:44,670 --> 00:07:47,550 at specific meridian points tells us 163 00:07:47,550 --> 00:07:50,430 that this civilization knew 164 00:07:50,610 --> 00:07:52,680 of the meridians in the body, 165 00:07:52,770 --> 00:07:55,650 understood how energy runs in the body, 166 00:07:55,830 --> 00:07:59,520 which is quite an advanced process for that time. 167 00:07:59,700 --> 00:08:01,410 So, where did this knowledge come from? 168 00:08:01,590 --> 00:08:03,570 Is it possible that it came 169 00:08:03,660 --> 00:08:06,540 from some kind of higher source, 170 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:11,310 downloaded into the healers of the time? 171 00:08:11,490 --> 00:08:13,560 Is it possible that acupuncture 172 00:08:13,650 --> 00:08:16,260 is really coming from extraterrestrials? 173 00:08:17,610 --> 00:08:19,680 NARRATOR: Could the Tyrolean Iceman 174 00:08:19,770 --> 00:08:23,460 point to the possibility that tattooing originated 175 00:08:23,550 --> 00:08:26,700 as a result of contact with extraterrestrial visitors? 176 00:08:26,790 --> 00:08:29,670 While it may sound far-fetched, 177 00:08:29,850 --> 00:08:32,460 ancient astronaut theorists suggest 178 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:34,620 that some of the most popular tattoos 179 00:08:34,710 --> 00:08:36,780 found in both the ancient and modern world 180 00:08:36,870 --> 00:08:40,380 contain symbolism connected to the cosmos. 181 00:08:41,730 --> 00:08:44,340 HOROWITZ: Some of the earliest yearnings 182 00:08:44,430 --> 00:08:46,500 of our ancient ancestors 183 00:08:46,680 --> 00:08:49,470 was to recognize and connect themselves 184 00:08:49,560 --> 00:08:52,530 to the cosmos, to the movement of celestial objects, 185 00:08:52,620 --> 00:08:55,320 to the cycles of the seasons. 186 00:08:55,410 --> 00:08:56,670 In modern tattoo art, 187 00:08:56,850 --> 00:08:59,640 we’re not only seeing a proliferation 188 00:08:59,730 --> 00:09:01,620 of celestial images, 189 00:09:01,710 --> 00:09:04,410 whether the Sun, the stars, 190 00:09:04,590 --> 00:09:07,560 the phases of the Moon, astrological symbols, 191 00:09:07,650 --> 00:09:11,610 but we’re also starting to see E.T. images. 192 00:09:11,790 --> 00:09:15,750 These are primeval symbols that speak to something in us 193 00:09:15,930 --> 00:09:18,720 that’s very deep-seated and very universal. 194 00:09:18,810 --> 00:09:22,770 Tattooing or body modification can be a way 195 00:09:22,860 --> 00:09:26,460 of remembering one’s ancestors, 196 00:09:26,550 --> 00:09:29,790 remembering one’s connection with the cosmos. 197 00:09:29,970 --> 00:09:32,670 NARRATOR: A yearning to connect with the cosmos 198 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:36,540 is perhaps as old as civilization itself. 199 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:38,790 And ancient astronaut theorists suggest 200 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:42,390 that tattoos represent far more than merely 201 00:09:42,570 --> 00:09:45,450 a symbolic representation of this. 202 00:09:45,630 --> 00:09:48,600 They believe that the desire to alter the flesh 203 00:09:48,690 --> 00:09:50,580 through tattooing and other means 204 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:54,810 may be embedded deep in the subconscious mind 205 00:09:54,900 --> 00:09:57,690 and that perhaps the origin of this human need 206 00:09:57,870 --> 00:10:01,650 can be found encoded in the well-preserved skin 207 00:10:01,740 --> 00:10:05,520 of Egypt’s mummies. 208 00:10:09,570 --> 00:10:12,360 NARRATOR: Deir El-Medina, Egypt. 209 00:10:12,450 --> 00:10:15,420 2014. 210 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:17,850 Using modern imaging equipment, 211 00:10:18,030 --> 00:10:21,630 Dr. Anne Austin scans the body of a female mummy 212 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:25,500 dating back as far as 1300 BC. 213 00:10:25,590 --> 00:10:28,560 What she finds is unexpected 214 00:10:28,740 --> 00:10:30,810 and contradicts long-held beliefs 215 00:10:30,990 --> 00:10:34,860 regarding female roles in ancient Egyptian society. 216 00:10:34,950 --> 00:10:37,830 One particular torso was a human female 217 00:10:38,010 --> 00:10:42,690 who had the image of Hathor tattooed onto her body. 218 00:10:42,780 --> 00:10:44,670 In ancient Egypt, 219 00:10:44,850 --> 00:10:46,920 having the tattoo of Hathor on your body 220 00:10:47,010 --> 00:10:48,900 would clearly be an indication 221 00:10:48,990 --> 00:10:52,590 of your status as a priestess of Hathor 222 00:10:52,770 --> 00:10:55,650 and as a person who’s not just a representative of Hathor 223 00:10:55,740 --> 00:10:58,620 but maybe in direct contact with the goddess, as well. 224 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:01,680 BARRETTA: Prior to finding these mummies, 225 00:11:01,860 --> 00:11:03,840 it was believed that women in Egypt 226 00:11:03,930 --> 00:11:07,530 were only tattooed if they were prostitutes or dancers. 227 00:11:07,710 --> 00:11:08,970 We see that, no, 228 00:11:09,060 --> 00:11:12,480 these were most likely, you know, priestesses. 229 00:11:12,660 --> 00:11:16,620 The tattoos relate to a deity, 230 00:11:16,710 --> 00:11:19,680 to a sky god, Hathor. 231 00:11:19,770 --> 00:11:22,740 The symbol for Hathor would sometimes be 232 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:27,600 the head of a cow, horns, a disc in the center. 233 00:11:27,690 --> 00:11:29,940 The Egyptian tattoos are very symbolic 234 00:11:30,030 --> 00:11:33,720 of their close association with the cosmos. 235 00:11:33,900 --> 00:11:36,780 They were very in tune with their gods. 236 00:11:36,780 --> 00:11:37,860 They felt, through these symbols, 237 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:39,480 they were communicating with the gods. 238 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:42,540 NARRATOR: The Egyptian goddess Hathor 239 00:11:42,630 --> 00:11:44,790 is an earlier incarnation of Isis, 240 00:11:44,970 --> 00:11:46,860 considered the primeval goddess 241 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:49,470 from whom all others were derived. 242 00:11:50,910 --> 00:11:52,980 In the Temple of Hathor in Dendera, 243 00:11:53,070 --> 00:11:56,760 the goddess is depicted sailing in a ship of eternity 244 00:11:56,940 --> 00:11:58,740 along the night waters... 245 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:01,800 not of the Nile but of the Milky Way. 246 00:12:01,890 --> 00:12:04,680 TSOUKALOS: Dendera is one of the most important 247 00:12:04,770 --> 00:12:06,570 ancient Egyptian sites. 248 00:12:06,750 --> 00:12:10,710 It clearly depicts travel through the sky 249 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:12,960 with the so-called sun barges. 250 00:12:13,140 --> 00:12:18,630 And our ancestors knew that ships do not fly 251 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:20,880 across the sky or across the Sun. 252 00:12:20,970 --> 00:12:24,570 So why would they describe barges 253 00:12:24,660 --> 00:12:26,640 that came down from the sky? 254 00:12:26,820 --> 00:12:30,780 What is depicted in Dendera are the extraterrestrials 255 00:12:30,870 --> 00:12:33,660 as they’re traveling across the sky. 256 00:12:35,730 --> 00:12:37,170 NARRATOR: Is it possible 257 00:12:37,260 --> 00:12:39,870 that the mummy found at Deir El-Medina was tattooed 258 00:12:40,050 --> 00:12:42,750 with symbols representing extraterrestrial visitors 259 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:43,920 to Earth? 260 00:12:45,990 --> 00:12:47,970 TSOUKALOS: My idea is 261 00:12:48,150 --> 00:12:52,020 that the ancient Egyptians worshipped those symbols 262 00:12:52,110 --> 00:12:55,710 because not only did they have to illustrate 263 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:57,780 that they were of the ruling class 264 00:12:57,870 --> 00:13:00,840 but also that they had a direct connection, 265 00:13:01,020 --> 00:13:02,730 or so they thought, 266 00:13:02,820 --> 00:13:04,800 to Hathor. 267 00:13:04,980 --> 00:13:07,860 The reason why they put that on their bodies 268 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:10,110 is in order to gain 269 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:14,610 the strength of the gods that they tried to imitate. 270 00:13:14,790 --> 00:13:16,680 And these gods were 271 00:13:16,770 --> 00:13:19,650 flesh-and-blood extraterrestrials. 272 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:22,890 NARRATOR: Do the tattoos 273 00:13:22,980 --> 00:13:25,050 found on the mummies at Deir El-Medina 274 00:13:25,140 --> 00:13:28,560 reveal attempts to connect with the power of a god 275 00:13:28,740 --> 00:13:31,080 or an extraterrestrial being? 276 00:13:31,260 --> 00:13:35,760 And did the ancient Egyptians permanently mark their flesh 277 00:13:35,850 --> 00:13:37,920 in order to honor divine beings 278 00:13:38,010 --> 00:13:39,990 or leave a lasting commemoration 279 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:42,960 of contact with otherworldly visitors? 280 00:13:43,140 --> 00:13:45,840 HOROWITZ: Humanity has always used 281 00:13:45,930 --> 00:13:49,710 symbols and sigils and cryptography 282 00:13:49,890 --> 00:13:52,590 to convey messages. 283 00:13:53,940 --> 00:13:55,020 BARRETTA: The Egyptians realized 284 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:58,080 there was a lot of power in symbols, 285 00:13:58,170 --> 00:14:01,050 and they knew how to use these symbols 286 00:14:01,050 --> 00:14:03,930 when they would tattoo. 287 00:14:04,110 --> 00:14:06,810 We have to wonder, was it to communicate 288 00:14:06,990 --> 00:14:08,790 with the gods through their tattoos? 289 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:09,960 To emulate the gods? 290 00:14:10,050 --> 00:14:12,930 To embody the gods? 291 00:14:14,910 --> 00:14:17,790 NARRATOR: The cow and disc representing Hathor 292 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:19,950 was not the only tattoo discovered on the mummies 293 00:14:20,130 --> 00:14:22,110 at Deir El-Medina. 294 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:25,800 One of the bodies also bore another powerful symbol. 295 00:14:27,150 --> 00:14:29,940 BARRETTA: She had the Eye of Horus. 296 00:14:30,030 --> 00:14:33,720 And they say the Eye of Horus is composed of six parts 297 00:14:33,810 --> 00:14:36,060 which relate to our six senses. 298 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:38,850 Not the five we think we have. We have six. 299 00:14:38,940 --> 00:14:41,820 Sight, hearing, smell, 300 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:44,880 taste, touch and thought. 301 00:14:44,970 --> 00:14:47,220 But what is thought? Is that extrasensory thought? 302 00:14:47,220 --> 00:14:50,910 Is that the way we communicate nonverbally? 303 00:14:52,170 --> 00:14:54,060 So, the Eye of Horus 304 00:14:54,150 --> 00:14:58,740 also has a very magical type of element to it. 305 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:04,050 HOROWITZ: The all-seeing eye or the Eye of Horus 306 00:15:04,230 --> 00:15:07,020 as it was depicted in ancient Egypt 307 00:15:07,110 --> 00:15:09,900 was one of the holiest of symbols. 308 00:15:09,990 --> 00:15:11,970 It served to remind the individual 309 00:15:12,060 --> 00:15:14,760 that human life is incomplete 310 00:15:14,940 --> 00:15:17,010 without some sort of higher vision 311 00:15:17,100 --> 00:15:22,950 or without the awareness of providence of a higher world. 312 00:15:23,130 --> 00:15:26,010 That was a central idea, uh, to the ancient Egyptians. 313 00:15:27,180 --> 00:15:29,790 CHILDRESS: The Eye of Horus 314 00:15:29,970 --> 00:15:33,030 is the eye of God that sees everything. 315 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:37,980 We’re talking about an Egyptian god 316 00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:40,950 who’s quite possibly an extraterrestrial. 317 00:15:42,210 --> 00:15:43,920 NARRATOR: Many of the symbols found 318 00:15:44,100 --> 00:15:46,980 on ancient mummies, like the Eye of Horus, 319 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:50,850 have been used as tattoo designs for centuries 320 00:15:51,030 --> 00:15:54,090 and are still popular with tattoo enthusiasts today. 321 00:15:54,180 --> 00:15:56,970 But why do they endure? 322 00:15:57,060 --> 00:16:00,030 Is it possible that a simple but iconic image 323 00:16:00,210 --> 00:16:03,180 of an eye devised more than 3,000 years ago 324 00:16:03,270 --> 00:16:05,250 still speaks to humans today 325 00:16:05,340 --> 00:16:09,840 because we intuitively understand the power behind it? 326 00:16:09,930 --> 00:16:11,820 HOROWITZ: People adorn themselves 327 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:15,150 with bodily art, tattoos or body modification 328 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:18,030 without knowing why that pentagram 329 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:20,100 or why that obelisk or why that pyramid 330 00:16:20,190 --> 00:16:22,890 speaks so deeply to them. 331 00:16:22,980 --> 00:16:25,050 If you ask them, 332 00:16:25,230 --> 00:16:28,110 they might not be able to give you a very clear answer, 333 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:31,890 but their experience of that symbol is answer enough. 334 00:16:33,060 --> 00:16:35,130 It inspires awe. 335 00:16:35,220 --> 00:16:38,010 It tells us that we come from something larger. 336 00:16:38,100 --> 00:16:40,980 NARRATOR: Could the tattoos of our ancestors 337 00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:44,040 contain a record of humanity’s past 338 00:16:44,130 --> 00:16:47,280 and messages meant for us to decode today? 339 00:16:47,460 --> 00:16:52,230 Perhaps the answer can be found by examining not just tattoos 340 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:55,830 but far more extreme body modifications. 341 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:05,010 NARRATOR: Tanna Island. 342 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:10,050 Every year on February 15, 343 00:17:10,230 --> 00:17:13,920 residents of the Pacific island chain of Vanuatu 344 00:17:14,010 --> 00:17:16,800 gather together here for a military-style parade 345 00:17:16,980 --> 00:17:18,870 with "U.S.A." painted 346 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:22,110 and sometimes even tattooed on their chests. 347 00:17:22,290 --> 00:17:25,890 It is a tradition that began more than 60 years ago 348 00:17:25,980 --> 00:17:28,050 and is inspired by events 349 00:17:28,140 --> 00:17:31,020 that took place during World War II, 350 00:17:31,110 --> 00:17:34,890 when American forces descended upon the remote island chain 351 00:17:34,980 --> 00:17:37,950 with modern machinery and supplies. 352 00:17:41,010 --> 00:17:43,080 During the Second World War, 353 00:17:43,170 --> 00:17:45,870 when the Americans reached the Pacific, 354 00:17:46,050 --> 00:17:48,930 um, and took over many of the islands, 355 00:17:49,110 --> 00:17:52,080 supplies would be dropped from aircraft 356 00:17:52,170 --> 00:17:55,950 or brought in on landing strips. 357 00:17:57,120 --> 00:18:00,000 And this brought many new things 358 00:18:00,090 --> 00:18:02,790 to these local populations, 359 00:18:02,970 --> 00:18:04,050 everything from canned foods 360 00:18:04,140 --> 00:18:07,110 to manufactured clothing 361 00:18:07,290 --> 00:18:10,170 to other items they’d never seen before. 362 00:18:10,260 --> 00:18:12,960 NARRATOR: The native people, who had never encountered 363 00:18:13,140 --> 00:18:15,210 this type of modern civilization, 364 00:18:15,300 --> 00:18:17,820 were awed by these visitors from the sky, 365 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:20,880 who brang with them food and gifts. 366 00:18:21,060 --> 00:18:22,950 All the aboriginals were fascinated. 367 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:24,300 They’d light up a cigarette. 368 00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:27,000 Hold out a voice recorder, record their voice. 369 00:18:27,090 --> 00:18:28,980 The aboriginals thought this was all magic. 370 00:18:30,420 --> 00:18:33,120 YOUNG: They had never seen great ships 371 00:18:33,210 --> 00:18:35,280 and the goods, the-the weapons. 372 00:18:35,370 --> 00:18:38,250 Arthur C. Clarke’s third law is: 373 00:18:38,430 --> 00:18:41,040 "Any sufficiently advanced technology 374 00:18:41,130 --> 00:18:43,920 is indistinguishable from magic." 375 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:49,950 NARRATOR: After the war in the Pacific concluded, 376 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:53,100 the U.S. soldiers left the islands, and overnight, 377 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:56,790 the bounty of technology and modern luxuries was gone. 378 00:19:00,120 --> 00:19:02,190 In memory of the American soldiers 379 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:05,160 and in the hope that it would bring about their return, 380 00:19:05,340 --> 00:19:08,310 the natives formed a cult devoted to the people 381 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:11,910 who had visited them from the sky. 382 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:14,160 The people would try and recreate 383 00:19:14,340 --> 00:19:19,020 the circumstances that brought this cargo to them. 384 00:19:19,110 --> 00:19:22,080 They started to create replica items 385 00:19:22,170 --> 00:19:25,860 associated with the Americans and their presence, 386 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:28,020 even rifles. 387 00:19:28,110 --> 00:19:30,180 MARTELL: They would scrape away runways 388 00:19:30,360 --> 00:19:32,970 and make straw models of the planes that landed 389 00:19:33,060 --> 00:19:35,130 to try and lure the soldiers 390 00:19:35,220 --> 00:19:38,010 to once again land and bring all their amazing technology. 391 00:19:41,340 --> 00:19:45,840 Every religious experience begins with the miraculous. 392 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:49,980 Some individual or group 393 00:19:50,070 --> 00:19:52,320 will have an experience where they feel 394 00:19:52,410 --> 00:19:55,200 they have witnessed something or undergone something 395 00:19:55,290 --> 00:19:57,270 that is outside of the ordinary. 396 00:19:57,450 --> 00:19:59,340 And they will create 397 00:19:59,430 --> 00:20:02,940 monuments to that experience, 398 00:20:03,120 --> 00:20:05,280 whether it is the statue of a deity, 399 00:20:05,370 --> 00:20:09,960 whether it is a pyramid, whether it is a cathedral. 400 00:20:10,050 --> 00:20:12,120 We see this across history 401 00:20:12,210 --> 00:20:14,910 and all over the world to this very day. 402 00:20:16,350 --> 00:20:18,240 NARRATOR: Is it possible that, 403 00:20:18,330 --> 00:20:20,040 much like the so-called cargo cults 404 00:20:20,130 --> 00:20:21,300 in the South Pacific, 405 00:20:21,390 --> 00:20:24,180 ancient people also constructed monuments 406 00:20:24,270 --> 00:20:26,250 and even entire religions 407 00:20:26,430 --> 00:20:30,300 based on interactions with visitors from the sky? 408 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:33,180 MARTELL: The term "cargo cult" is very interesting 409 00:20:33,270 --> 00:20:35,250 when applied to the ancient astronaut theory, 410 00:20:35,430 --> 00:20:38,400 because we can see that even in modern times 411 00:20:38,490 --> 00:20:42,270 how man has interacted with things coming from the sky 412 00:20:42,360 --> 00:20:45,150 or other technology they didn’t understand. 413 00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:47,220 This has been playing out for thousands of years 414 00:20:47,310 --> 00:20:49,200 here on Earth. 415 00:20:51,540 --> 00:20:54,060 NARRATOR: If extraterrestrial visitation 416 00:20:54,150 --> 00:20:56,040 inspired the ancient people 417 00:20:56,220 --> 00:20:58,290 to build temples in a certain fashion 418 00:20:58,380 --> 00:21:01,350 and attempt to reproduce misunderstood technology, 419 00:21:01,530 --> 00:21:03,330 could it also have motivated them 420 00:21:03,510 --> 00:21:07,380 to tattoo and otherwise modify their bodies 421 00:21:07,470 --> 00:21:11,340 similar to how the people of Vanuatu adorn their chests 422 00:21:11,430 --> 00:21:14,310 with the letters "U.S.A.," 423 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:17,100 continuing to imitate the soldiers who visited 424 00:21:17,190 --> 00:21:20,160 before most of the islanders were even born? 425 00:21:22,140 --> 00:21:24,210 Ancient astronaut theorists suggest 426 00:21:24,300 --> 00:21:27,000 additional evidence that cargo cult practices 427 00:21:27,180 --> 00:21:29,340 include body modifications 428 00:21:29,430 --> 00:21:32,130 can be found by examining numerous other cultures 429 00:21:32,220 --> 00:21:33,390 throughout the world that also undergo 430 00:21:33,570 --> 00:21:36,360 extreme body alterations. 431 00:21:38,070 --> 00:21:40,320 ♪ ♪ 432 00:21:40,410 --> 00:21:45,180 In Brazil, the Kayapo worship a god they call Bep Kororoti, 433 00:21:45,270 --> 00:21:48,240 who they depict in ceremonies with a straw suit 434 00:21:48,420 --> 00:21:53,280 that is eerily reminiscent of a modern-day spacesuit. 435 00:21:53,460 --> 00:21:57,330 Their traditions include intricate body painting, 436 00:21:57,420 --> 00:22:01,290 face tattooing, lip stretching and peculiar haircuts, 437 00:22:01,380 --> 00:22:05,340 all to harness the power of this otherworldly being. 438 00:22:07,410 --> 00:22:10,200 And perhaps the most extreme body modification of all 439 00:22:10,290 --> 00:22:13,260 is practiced by the Kayan people of Burma. 440 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:15,150 COLLINS: There is a tradition 441 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:18,210 amongst the Kayan people 442 00:22:18,390 --> 00:22:20,460 of the women wearing 443 00:22:20,550 --> 00:22:26,310 these spiraling brass rings in their neck. 444 00:22:26,490 --> 00:22:30,180 And they wear these throughout their life, 445 00:22:30,270 --> 00:22:32,340 and it can take many, many hours 446 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:36,390 to actually put these coils in place. 447 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:39,450 There is a tradition that this female dragon 448 00:22:39,630 --> 00:22:43,320 had begun the dynasty of the Kayan people, 449 00:22:43,410 --> 00:22:47,370 and that the reason they do this is to resemble this dragon. 450 00:22:47,550 --> 00:22:50,520 STEAVU: In Kayan foundational mythology, 451 00:22:50,610 --> 00:22:53,400 dragons play a very prominent role, 452 00:22:53,490 --> 00:22:55,380 that act as messengers between the world 453 00:22:55,470 --> 00:22:57,270 of the divine and the world of humans. 454 00:22:57,450 --> 00:23:00,420 They are very powerful, magical creatures as well, 455 00:23:00,510 --> 00:23:04,110 and they’re associated with ultimate knowledge. 456 00:23:04,290 --> 00:23:06,360 Is it possible that this creature 457 00:23:06,450 --> 00:23:08,520 actually came from the sky world 458 00:23:08,610 --> 00:23:12,390 and was seen to be the influence 459 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:15,180 behind the foundation of these people, 460 00:23:15,270 --> 00:23:18,060 a memory which they never forgot? 461 00:23:24,450 --> 00:23:26,340 NARRATOR: Could it be that there are cultures 462 00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:28,230 around the world today 463 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:30,210 keeping alive an ancient story 464 00:23:30,300 --> 00:23:33,630 of alien visitation by altering their flesh? 465 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:35,610 And is it possible that the growing trend 466 00:23:35,790 --> 00:23:38,400 of body modification in the modern world 467 00:23:38,490 --> 00:23:40,380 is due to a deep-seated memory 468 00:23:40,470 --> 00:23:43,080 of our extraterrestrial origins? 469 00:23:44,790 --> 00:23:47,490 Perhaps further clues can be found by examining 470 00:23:47,580 --> 00:23:50,280 one of the most peculiar practices 471 00:23:50,370 --> 00:23:54,150 of the ancient world: head binding. 472 00:23:59,010 --> 00:24:00,900 NARRATOR: Viacha, Bolivia. 473 00:24:02,070 --> 00:24:05,130 November 2018. 474 00:24:05,310 --> 00:24:07,290 Just 30 miles east 475 00:24:07,470 --> 00:24:10,980 of the mysterious ancient site of Puma Punku, 476 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:15,120 archeologists uncover 500-year-old tombs 477 00:24:15,210 --> 00:24:18,000 believed to have been built by a pre-Incan civilization 478 00:24:18,090 --> 00:24:21,060 called the Pacajes. 479 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:25,290 The remains of more than 100 people are discovered within, 480 00:24:25,380 --> 00:24:27,270 and a number of the skulls 481 00:24:27,450 --> 00:24:30,960 are found to have a very bizarre abnormality. 482 00:24:31,140 --> 00:24:34,110 They appear dramatically elongated. 483 00:24:36,090 --> 00:24:37,170 According to archeologists, 484 00:24:37,350 --> 00:24:39,330 these specimens display evidence 485 00:24:39,420 --> 00:24:44,280 of a body modification practice called head binding. 486 00:24:44,370 --> 00:24:47,970 The head can be changed in its shape. 487 00:24:48,150 --> 00:24:50,310 Generally, it’s elongated. 488 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:54,000 And this is done when a child is perhaps six months old 489 00:24:54,180 --> 00:24:56,250 through to the age of three. 490 00:24:56,340 --> 00:24:58,320 And their heads are bound up, 491 00:24:58,500 --> 00:25:01,290 and this pushes the skull upwards 492 00:25:01,290 --> 00:25:03,900 and creates these bizarre shapes. 493 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:05,970 Just by gazing upon them, 494 00:25:06,150 --> 00:25:08,310 you can’t help think alien, 495 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:11,010 because that’s what they truly look like. 496 00:25:14,430 --> 00:25:18,300 NARRATOR: Curiously, this extreme form of body modification 497 00:25:18,390 --> 00:25:21,270 was widespread throughout the ancient world, 498 00:25:21,360 --> 00:25:24,150 occurring on nearly every continent 499 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:27,120 and practiced by many cultures that are believed to have had 500 00:25:27,300 --> 00:25:29,190 no contact with one another. 501 00:25:31,530 --> 00:25:34,140 This is a process that has been going on 502 00:25:34,230 --> 00:25:37,200 at least for the last 10,000 years 503 00:25:37,380 --> 00:25:40,080 and is found in every part of the world, 504 00:25:40,170 --> 00:25:44,130 from the Pacific islands to Australia, 505 00:25:44,310 --> 00:25:47,460 to the Near East, to the Americas. 506 00:25:47,550 --> 00:25:53,220 And the strangest are those of Paracas in Peru. 507 00:25:53,310 --> 00:25:56,190 Everywhere, we find this same process. 508 00:25:56,370 --> 00:25:59,070 It seems as if it was mimicking people 509 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:00,420 who originally existed 510 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:03,390 that had long heads in the first place. 511 00:26:05,460 --> 00:26:08,520 CHILDRESS: In Vanuatu, anthropologists asked 512 00:26:08,610 --> 00:26:12,480 the people who were still doing head binding up until the 1960s, 513 00:26:12,570 --> 00:26:15,360 and they asked them why they did that, and they said, 514 00:26:15,540 --> 00:26:18,420 "This is what the gods look like with these elongated heads." 515 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:21,300 And if that is the explanation for head binding 516 00:26:21,390 --> 00:26:24,180 around the world, then who are these gods? 517 00:26:24,270 --> 00:26:26,250 They’re apparently extraterrestrials 518 00:26:26,340 --> 00:26:29,220 who have a naturally elongated head 519 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:32,190 that’s just part of their DNA, 520 00:26:32,280 --> 00:26:34,350 and humans want to look like them. 521 00:26:36,690 --> 00:26:40,200 NARRATOR: If ancient people did encounter extraterrestrials 522 00:26:40,290 --> 00:26:44,250 and perhaps even coexisted with them, 523 00:26:44,340 --> 00:26:46,320 might there have been something more profound at play 524 00:26:46,500 --> 00:26:49,200 than mere deification and imitation? 525 00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:53,250 Some ancient astronaut theorists believe 526 00:26:53,340 --> 00:26:57,300 that it may, in fact, be programmed into human DNA 527 00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:00,270 to want to become more like our alien ancestors. 528 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:03,150 And that ancient traditions 529 00:27:03,330 --> 00:27:05,490 of body modification and tattooing 530 00:27:05,580 --> 00:27:08,460 represent practice runs, 531 00:27:08,460 --> 00:27:12,240 preparing for the day when we could alter ourselves 532 00:27:12,420 --> 00:27:15,390 to actually become like the aliens. 533 00:27:17,460 --> 00:27:19,260 Vancouver, British Columbia. 534 00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:24,570 August 13, 2019. 535 00:27:24,660 --> 00:27:27,540 Ancient astronaut theorist William Henry 536 00:27:27,630 --> 00:27:31,500 visits self-described transhumanist Russ Foxx... 537 00:27:31,590 --> 00:27:33,480 -Yeah, he’s in his room right there. -Oh, thank you. 538 00:27:33,660 --> 00:27:35,370 NARRATOR: ...to get a firsthand look at technology 539 00:27:35,460 --> 00:27:38,340 that proposes to transform the human race. 540 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:40,230 -FOXX: Hi, William. -Hi. How are you? 541 00:27:40,410 --> 00:27:41,220 I’m William Henry. Pleasure to meet you. 542 00:27:41,310 --> 00:27:42,390 Good to meet you. Grab a seat. 543 00:27:42,570 --> 00:27:44,280 -Thank you very much. -This is Eric. 544 00:27:44,370 --> 00:27:45,450 -Hi, Eric. How are you? -Hi. Nice to meet you. 545 00:27:45,540 --> 00:27:46,350 Pleasure to meet you as well. 546 00:27:48,420 --> 00:27:50,310 NARRATOR: In his 2015 book, 547 00:27:50,490 --> 00:27:52,380 The Skingularity Is Near, 548 00:27:52,470 --> 00:27:54,450 William Henry proposed 549 00:27:54,540 --> 00:27:56,430 that humankind is reaching a point 550 00:27:56,610 --> 00:27:59,490 where the body will be radically transformed. 551 00:27:59,580 --> 00:28:01,200 Well, you came at a perfect time... Eric is going to 552 00:28:01,290 --> 00:28:02,100 have an NFC chip installed today. 553 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:03,360 Fantastic. 554 00:28:03,450 --> 00:28:06,330 I will begin by cleaning your hand. 555 00:28:06,510 --> 00:28:07,590 NARRATOR: He is eager to investigate 556 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:11,190 how this is already beginning to happen. 557 00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:12,450 Russ prepares to implant Eric 558 00:28:12,630 --> 00:28:15,330 with a biocompatible glass tube... 559 00:28:15,420 --> 00:28:16,590 FOXX: So we are ready to install the chip. 560 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:19,380 NARRATOR: ...containing an NFC microchip. 561 00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:21,450 FOXX: So the implant itself was pre-sterilized 562 00:28:21,540 --> 00:28:23,430 and loaded into a syringe, so it will be 563 00:28:23,610 --> 00:28:25,320 literally injected under the skin. 564 00:28:28,290 --> 00:28:29,460 You now have a chip. 565 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:35,580 NARRATOR: NFC stands for "near-field communication," 566 00:28:35,670 --> 00:28:40,440 and it allows phones, tablets, laptops and other devices 567 00:28:40,620 --> 00:28:44,670 to easily share data with other NFC-equipped devices. 568 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:49,440 So, Russ, what-what technologies have you got implanted? 569 00:28:49,620 --> 00:28:51,690 I personally have a number of different chips 570 00:28:51,780 --> 00:28:56,370 in both of my hands, as well as a magnetic vision implant, 571 00:28:56,460 --> 00:28:58,350 an RFID and an NFC in either side 572 00:28:58,530 --> 00:28:59,880 -with different purposes. -Mm-hmm. 573 00:28:59,970 --> 00:29:04,290 This NFC chip has all of my business links and web URLs. 574 00:29:04,470 --> 00:29:06,450 And this is a built-in business card. 575 00:29:06,540 --> 00:29:07,620 So I can actually scan it with your phone 576 00:29:07,710 --> 00:29:09,150 and give you my contact info. 577 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:13,380 Just like that, and it brings up my contact info 578 00:29:13,470 --> 00:29:15,360 -and saves it in your phone. -Wow. 579 00:29:15,540 --> 00:29:17,340 Look at that. So I’ve got your phone number. 580 00:29:17,430 --> 00:29:18,600 I’ve got your contact details. 581 00:29:18,690 --> 00:29:20,400 So, all of these things, 582 00:29:20,490 --> 00:29:22,290 you use it to start your motorcycle, 583 00:29:22,380 --> 00:29:23,550 get in your home... 584 00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:25,440 I replaced my keys with these chips, 585 00:29:25,530 --> 00:29:27,240 so that way, I don’t have to deal 586 00:29:27,420 --> 00:29:28,410 with losing or having keys stolen. 587 00:29:28,500 --> 00:29:29,400 So these chips interact with a lot 588 00:29:29,580 --> 00:29:31,470 of different devices in my life. 589 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:32,640 I could bring you to my house and show you some of them. 590 00:29:32,730 --> 00:29:34,350 -I’d love that. -Let’s go for a trip. 591 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:36,330 -Right on. -Okay. 592 00:29:36,510 --> 00:29:39,750 HENRY: Humanity has a long history of interaction 593 00:29:39,930 --> 00:29:43,620 with extraterrestrial beings who came here with technology. 594 00:29:43,710 --> 00:29:46,590 And humans have long tried 595 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:49,560 to imitate or be like the gods. 596 00:29:49,650 --> 00:29:52,530 So I will wake up the bike with my RFID chip. 597 00:29:52,710 --> 00:29:54,330 -I introduce it to the sensor. -HENRY: Okay. 598 00:29:54,420 --> 00:29:56,310 FOXX: And the bike is awake. 599 00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:57,390 -Awesome. Okay. -Just like that. 600 00:29:57,570 --> 00:29:58,650 HENRY: And now today, 601 00:29:58,740 --> 00:30:00,450 we have transhuman technology 602 00:30:00,630 --> 00:30:03,420 where we’re augmenting the physical body 603 00:30:03,510 --> 00:30:05,670 in an effort to duplicate many of the capacities 604 00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:08,190 that we attribute to the ancient gods. 605 00:30:08,280 --> 00:30:09,540 ♪ ♪ 606 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:12,600 So, to access my home, 607 00:30:12,690 --> 00:30:14,760 -I scan my chip... -Ah. 608 00:30:14,940 --> 00:30:16,650 -...and the door’s unlocked. We can enter. -Very nice. 609 00:30:16,740 --> 00:30:18,450 -After you. -Thank you. 610 00:30:18,630 --> 00:30:19,800 HENRY: What I’m hoping to see here 611 00:30:19,980 --> 00:30:22,410 by coming to Russ’s home is to see the future. 612 00:30:22,500 --> 00:30:24,390 Where is Russ going to go with this? 613 00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:26,550 What has he got access to in his own home, 614 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:28,350 and-and how is that gonna change him? 615 00:30:28,530 --> 00:30:29,700 -So this is my dining room table. -Okay. 616 00:30:29,790 --> 00:30:32,490 Which doubles as an RFID-operated safe. 617 00:30:32,580 --> 00:30:34,290 -Ah. -What I do is I scan 618 00:30:34,380 --> 00:30:35,550 my RFID chip on top. 619 00:30:37,530 --> 00:30:39,510 A slip hinge... and there’s my drawer. 620 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:41,400 Ah, very nice. Beautiful. 621 00:30:41,580 --> 00:30:42,930 So these devices in here 622 00:30:43,020 --> 00:30:45,630 -are implantable technology pieces I have. -Mm-hmm. 623 00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:48,240 -And I will show you what they are. -Fantastic. 624 00:30:50,850 --> 00:30:54,630 So, this first device, this is called a North Sense. 625 00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:58,320 This device is mounted to the body with piercings. 626 00:30:58,410 --> 00:30:59,580 This device will vibrate 627 00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:01,560 whenever it faces magnetic north, 628 00:31:01,740 --> 00:31:03,720 essentially turning you into a human compass. 629 00:31:03,810 --> 00:31:08,490 And here we have some magnet implants. 630 00:31:08,580 --> 00:31:11,640 So, this is a small chip that encases tritium gas, 631 00:31:11,820 --> 00:31:14,610 and it will glow right through your skin. 632 00:31:14,790 --> 00:31:17,400 And because it is, uh, radioactive material, 633 00:31:17,490 --> 00:31:19,470 it’s not, um, battery powered. 634 00:31:19,650 --> 00:31:21,720 It will constantly glow, and it has 635 00:31:21,810 --> 00:31:24,600 -a 12-year half-life. -Wow. 636 00:31:24,690 --> 00:31:26,490 At what point do we become more than human 637 00:31:26,670 --> 00:31:28,380 in the transhuman process? 638 00:31:28,470 --> 00:31:29,820 I think that we’re-we’re always 639 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:32,520 going to be building on to our existing humanity, 640 00:31:32,610 --> 00:31:35,490 but it’s important to appreciate our existing humanity. 641 00:31:35,670 --> 00:31:37,470 We don’t want to lose touch with that. 642 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:39,720 HENRY: When I look at Russ, I see someone 643 00:31:39,900 --> 00:31:41,610 who’s on the cutting edge of our technology, 644 00:31:41,700 --> 00:31:43,500 but he’s just the beginning 645 00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:45,660 of where we potentially can go with this. 646 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:48,720 We’re talking about transforming humans into super beings. 647 00:31:48,900 --> 00:31:51,600 NARRATOR: With the emergence of technology 648 00:31:51,690 --> 00:31:53,670 that can be implanted within the flesh, 649 00:31:53,850 --> 00:31:57,450 is humankind on the brink of possessing abilities 650 00:31:57,540 --> 00:31:59,700 similar to those described by ancient people 651 00:31:59,880 --> 00:32:02,490 in reference to their gods? 652 00:32:03,570 --> 00:32:05,640 Has body modification 653 00:32:05,730 --> 00:32:07,710 all been a preparation for this evolution? 654 00:32:09,600 --> 00:32:11,670 Perhaps further clues can be found 655 00:32:11,850 --> 00:32:16,710 by examining plans to merge tattoos with technology. 656 00:32:21,390 --> 00:32:23,280 NARRATOR: Boulder, Colorado. 657 00:32:25,350 --> 00:32:27,420 2018. 658 00:32:29,490 --> 00:32:31,380 At the University of Colorado, 659 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:34,440 Dr. Carson Bruns and a team of scientists 660 00:32:34,620 --> 00:32:37,590 begins work on developing a new technology 661 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:41,370 that promises to transform what it means to get ink... 662 00:32:41,550 --> 00:32:44,520 "smart tattoos." 663 00:32:44,700 --> 00:32:46,680 BRUNS: We’re trying to engineer new tattoo inks 664 00:32:46,770 --> 00:32:49,470 that will add new function to your skin. 665 00:32:49,560 --> 00:32:52,620 The first one that we invented is a UV-sensitive tattoo ink. 666 00:32:52,710 --> 00:32:56,400 It’s basically invisible under normal lighting conditions, 667 00:32:56,580 --> 00:32:59,370 but when you go outside in intense sunshine 668 00:32:59,460 --> 00:33:02,340 and it gets exposed to the UV lights... 669 00:33:02,430 --> 00:33:03,510 that high-energy part of sunshine 670 00:33:03,690 --> 00:33:06,390 that causes skin cancer and sunburn... 671 00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:08,550 it turns blue and acts like an indicator 672 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:11,520 that shows you that your skin is dangerously exposed 673 00:33:11,700 --> 00:33:14,400 to high levels of dangerous radiation. 674 00:33:16,740 --> 00:33:19,530 NARRATOR: Dr. Bruns has also created tattoo inks 675 00:33:19,620 --> 00:33:22,500 that change color as the body’s temperature changes, 676 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:26,370 essentially creating a human onboard thermometer 677 00:33:26,550 --> 00:33:29,340 accessible at any time. 678 00:33:29,430 --> 00:33:30,600 BRUNS: We can use nanotechnology 679 00:33:30,780 --> 00:33:33,390 to engineer tattoo particles 680 00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:35,460 so that they have special properties, 681 00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:37,800 like a thermal battery 682 00:33:37,890 --> 00:33:40,680 or a thermal storage type of mechanism. 683 00:33:40,770 --> 00:33:43,380 And so one thing that you can imagine doing with a tattoo 684 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:45,540 would be covering your entire body 685 00:33:45,630 --> 00:33:48,510 with a sort of thermal storage material 686 00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:52,380 that would keep your body at a comfortable temperature 687 00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:54,270 when you went out into the extreme heat 688 00:33:54,450 --> 00:33:56,250 or the extreme cold. 689 00:33:58,590 --> 00:34:00,570 NARRATOR: Smart tattoos are even being engineered 690 00:34:00,750 --> 00:34:03,630 to monitor and treat health conditions. 691 00:34:03,630 --> 00:34:05,610 BRUNS: If we have a chronic condition 692 00:34:05,790 --> 00:34:08,580 that needs drugs, we can envision a tattoo ink 693 00:34:08,670 --> 00:34:11,550 that slowly releases a drug or a hormone 694 00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:13,710 into your body that helps regulate 695 00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:16,680 either your blood chemistry or your mood. 696 00:34:16,770 --> 00:34:21,360 I also envision tattoos that can really strengthen our skin, 697 00:34:21,540 --> 00:34:25,590 make our skin stronger to forces and-and damage. 698 00:34:25,770 --> 00:34:30,450 The military may have a lot of use for full-body tattoos 699 00:34:30,540 --> 00:34:32,700 that can help protect soldiers, for example, 700 00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:36,480 from certain types of skin damage. 701 00:34:36,660 --> 00:34:39,630 HENRY: Carson Bruns is doing fascinating work 702 00:34:39,720 --> 00:34:41,700 on the human skin. 703 00:34:41,790 --> 00:34:44,670 He believes that we can change the nature of skin altogether, 704 00:34:44,850 --> 00:34:49,440 using skin as a new platform for technological development. 705 00:34:49,530 --> 00:34:52,410 Humans have always tried to imitate the gods, 706 00:34:52,590 --> 00:34:55,380 and perhaps tattoos are a reflection of this. 707 00:34:55,470 --> 00:34:57,540 In ancient times, 708 00:34:57,630 --> 00:35:00,420 they might have seen the gods wearing something like tattoos, 709 00:35:00,600 --> 00:35:02,490 and they started tattooing their own bodies 710 00:35:02,580 --> 00:35:04,740 in imitation of what the gods were wearing. 711 00:35:04,830 --> 00:35:08,700 But today, we now have technology that is equal 712 00:35:08,790 --> 00:35:12,570 to what we see the gods using in these ancient stories. 713 00:35:12,660 --> 00:35:16,350 Maybe now we’re going to be able to turn ourselves into 714 00:35:16,530 --> 00:35:18,510 a species just like the gods. 715 00:35:18,600 --> 00:35:21,480 NARRATOR: Is it possible that ancient people 716 00:35:21,660 --> 00:35:24,450 came into contact with more advanced beings 717 00:35:24,540 --> 00:35:26,520 that had smart tattoos 718 00:35:26,700 --> 00:35:29,670 much like those that are being developed today? 719 00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:31,830 Could these otherworldly visitors 720 00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:34,710 have had technology hidden within their skin, 721 00:35:34,890 --> 00:35:37,770 appearing as artwork? 722 00:35:37,860 --> 00:35:40,740 Conducting tattoos that we’re working on are black right now, 723 00:35:40,920 --> 00:35:43,800 so it looks like an ordinary black tattoo pigment. 724 00:35:43,890 --> 00:35:46,410 But you could even merge the technology 725 00:35:46,590 --> 00:35:47,940 with the art so that you could have 726 00:35:48,030 --> 00:35:50,550 a tattoo that looks like a normal artistic tattoo 727 00:35:50,730 --> 00:35:52,710 but has this hidden function 728 00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:55,770 as some kind of electronic or detecting device. 729 00:35:55,860 --> 00:35:59,550 NARRATOR: As far as ancient astronaut theorists are concerned, 730 00:35:59,730 --> 00:36:01,530 with such technology, 731 00:36:01,620 --> 00:36:03,600 extraterrestrials could truly have appeared 732 00:36:03,780 --> 00:36:05,670 to be gods to ancient people. 733 00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:09,540 And they believe humanity is very close 734 00:36:09,720 --> 00:36:12,510 to becoming like these alien ancestors. 735 00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:17,550 Silicon Valley. 736 00:36:18,720 --> 00:36:21,600 2018. 737 00:36:21,780 --> 00:36:25,920 Futurist Elon Musk introduces a new technology venture 738 00:36:26,010 --> 00:36:29,430 aimed at what is known as "self-directed evolution." 739 00:36:29,610 --> 00:36:32,760 He calls it "Neuralink." 740 00:36:32,940 --> 00:36:35,820 By means of a special hypodermic needle, 741 00:36:35,910 --> 00:36:38,700 the company intends to inject an ultra thin mesh, 742 00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:42,480 called a "neuro lace," within the neocortex, 743 00:36:42,660 --> 00:36:43,920 forming a body of electrodes 744 00:36:44,010 --> 00:36:46,350 that are able to monitor brain function. 745 00:36:47,790 --> 00:36:50,670 A neural lace uses microelectrodes 746 00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:52,560 they place inside of the brain 747 00:36:52,740 --> 00:36:55,710 that can actually read and write onto neurons. 748 00:36:55,800 --> 00:36:57,870 It’s a bidirectional informational exchange. 749 00:36:57,960 --> 00:37:00,570 And it eventually will allow you 750 00:37:00,660 --> 00:37:02,910 to receive information from the Internet. 751 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:05,700 FOXX: Through the use of Neuralinking, 752 00:37:05,790 --> 00:37:07,860 we can connect brains 753 00:37:07,950 --> 00:37:11,730 through the Internet or through technology. 754 00:37:11,820 --> 00:37:14,700 When this is the case, we can send thoughts to one another. 755 00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:16,950 BRUNS: Another thing you could do, 756 00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:20,640 if you were able to read brain activity, 757 00:37:20,820 --> 00:37:24,600 would be to control devices remotely with your mind. 758 00:37:24,780 --> 00:37:27,840 So, it would give us telekinesis in principle, as well. 759 00:37:28,920 --> 00:37:30,630 NARRATOR: The technology 760 00:37:30,720 --> 00:37:32,790 that Elon Musk is developing 761 00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:34,590 could potentially also be applied to the human body 762 00:37:34,680 --> 00:37:37,650 in the form of tattoos. 763 00:37:37,830 --> 00:37:40,710 Nanotechnology is allowing us to make electronics small enough 764 00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:45,750 so when tattooable electronics come online, 765 00:37:45,930 --> 00:37:49,980 you can do things like a scalp tattoo. 766 00:37:50,070 --> 00:37:53,760 If we’re able to read brain activity 767 00:37:53,850 --> 00:37:57,630 from this sort of seamless and permanent interface in our skin, 768 00:37:57,810 --> 00:38:00,780 you could imagine a new form of communication, 769 00:38:00,870 --> 00:38:03,480 almost sort of a technological telepathy. 770 00:38:05,730 --> 00:38:07,620 NARRATOR: Is humanity nearing a time 771 00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:09,960 when we will no longer be a cargo cult... 772 00:38:10,050 --> 00:38:13,560 unknowingly mimicking a far more advanced civilization 773 00:38:13,740 --> 00:38:16,800 that once visited Earth... but will, in fact, 774 00:38:16,980 --> 00:38:20,850 become just like these extraterrestrial visitors? 775 00:38:20,940 --> 00:38:24,900 Have we evolved from imitation to replication? 776 00:38:24,990 --> 00:38:28,680 Perhaps further clues can be found 777 00:38:28,770 --> 00:38:30,660 by examining new developments in body modification 778 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:33,720 designed to facilitate space travel. 779 00:38:38,850 --> 00:38:40,830 ATOR: In the 21st century, 780 00:38:41,010 --> 00:38:44,520 tattoos and body modifications are no longer fringe 781 00:38:44,700 --> 00:38:46,860 and no longer merely decorative. 782 00:38:46,950 --> 00:38:49,740 Technology implanted within the flesh 783 00:38:49,830 --> 00:38:53,520 can facilitate superhuman abilities. 784 00:38:53,700 --> 00:38:56,760 But of greatest interest to ancient astronaut theorists 785 00:38:56,940 --> 00:38:59,820 is the role that smart tattoos could potentially play 786 00:38:59,910 --> 00:39:01,800 in space travel. 787 00:39:01,980 --> 00:39:04,770 BRUNS: The next generation of space suits 788 00:39:04,860 --> 00:39:07,830 are gonna be embedded with a lot more technologies, 789 00:39:08,010 --> 00:39:09,990 and it’s possible to make tattoos 790 00:39:10,080 --> 00:39:11,880 that can interact with the space suit. 791 00:39:11,970 --> 00:39:14,580 You can imagine even a space suit 792 00:39:14,670 --> 00:39:16,740 that would be able to read out information 793 00:39:16,830 --> 00:39:17,910 that those tattoos are providing 794 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:21,690 and send them back to mission control. 795 00:39:21,870 --> 00:39:25,740 NARRATOR: Scientists are even beginning to develop technology 796 00:39:25,830 --> 00:39:28,710 that could make space suits obsolete. 797 00:39:28,890 --> 00:39:32,760 We can use nanotechnology to engineer tattoo particles 798 00:39:32,940 --> 00:39:34,830 so that they have special properties 799 00:39:34,920 --> 00:39:36,810 covering your entire body. 800 00:39:36,990 --> 00:39:41,670 Super skin, E-skin, I-skin is 801 00:39:41,760 --> 00:39:44,820 skin that is enhanced or laced with technology. 802 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:48,960 Since 2002, the U.S. military has been very interested 803 00:39:49,050 --> 00:39:51,840 in creating a new skin for the military. 804 00:39:51,930 --> 00:39:55,710 This augmentation will transform us from humans 805 00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:58,590 into the next level of evolution, 806 00:39:58,680 --> 00:40:00,660 augmenting the body 807 00:40:00,750 --> 00:40:02,820 to make us smarter, to make us stronger. 808 00:40:02,910 --> 00:40:04,890 BRUNS: We’re gonna keep improving the technologies, 809 00:40:05,070 --> 00:40:07,680 and we’re gonna keep embedding them 810 00:40:07,770 --> 00:40:10,560 more and more intimately with our bodies 811 00:40:10,740 --> 00:40:13,710 to improve our abilities as humans 812 00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:16,950 and ultimately give us more power. 813 00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:20,640 NARRATOR: But if the first humans to apply tattoos to their flesh 814 00:40:20,820 --> 00:40:22,980 and perform other body modifications, 815 00:40:23,070 --> 00:40:25,680 such as head binding, were attempting 816 00:40:25,770 --> 00:40:27,660 to imitate extraterrestrials, 817 00:40:27,840 --> 00:40:29,910 are the technological enhancements 818 00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:33,600 we’re making to our bodies today part of our destiny? 819 00:40:33,690 --> 00:40:36,570 And if so, where does it lead? 820 00:40:37,920 --> 00:40:39,810 HENRY: Through nanotechnology, 821 00:40:39,900 --> 00:40:43,770 we can augment the skin to make it more adaptable 822 00:40:43,860 --> 00:40:45,750 to living in space. 823 00:40:45,930 --> 00:40:47,910 To make us smarter, to make us stronger, 824 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:50,790 to make us more resilient. 825 00:40:50,970 --> 00:40:53,850 We’re able to become like the gods 826 00:40:53,940 --> 00:40:55,920 through the implantation of this technology. 827 00:40:56,010 --> 00:40:58,800 BARRETTA: When you take it right back to its roots, 828 00:40:58,890 --> 00:41:01,050 tattooing is very transformative 829 00:41:01,140 --> 00:41:05,730 and has a lot of roots in what we would call magic. 830 00:41:05,910 --> 00:41:08,610 And our ancient ancestors were very much 831 00:41:08,790 --> 00:41:10,770 in tune with the cosmos. 832 00:41:10,860 --> 00:41:13,020 And what we’re doing right now, we’re bringing this back 833 00:41:13,200 --> 00:41:15,990 to the magical modality that it is. 834 00:41:16,080 --> 00:41:18,060 This adornment now... 835 00:41:18,150 --> 00:41:21,570 is this making us more extraterrestrial-like? 836 00:41:22,920 --> 00:41:24,810 SCOTT: Any advanced alien species 837 00:41:24,900 --> 00:41:27,060 that makes it across the galaxy 838 00:41:27,150 --> 00:41:30,660 is going to have learned how to self-direct their evolution. 839 00:41:30,840 --> 00:41:32,910 We are augmenting our bodies 840 00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:35,790 and moving forward with our evolution. 841 00:41:35,880 --> 00:41:38,760 NARRATOR: Is there a message about humanity’s future 842 00:41:38,940 --> 00:41:43,710 encoded in our very flesh and our attempts to alter it? 843 00:41:43,800 --> 00:41:46,770 Could it be that tattoos, piercings 844 00:41:46,860 --> 00:41:49,740 and body modifications are inspired 845 00:41:49,830 --> 00:41:52,890 by extraterrestrial visitors from the past? 846 00:41:53,070 --> 00:41:56,850 Perhaps we are just now arriving at a destiny 847 00:41:56,940 --> 00:42:00,900 that has been foretold through human hieroglyphs. 848 00:42:00,990 --> 00:42:03,870 One in which we will become the equals 849 00:42:03,960 --> 00:42:05,850 of our alien ancestors.