1 00:00:02,125 --> 00:00:03,333 - Tonight on The Proof Is Out There, 2 00:00:03,417 --> 00:00:06,500 a strange sound from the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean. 3 00:00:06,583 --> 00:00:08,958 - We just had not heard this kind of thing before. 4 00:00:09,042 --> 00:00:12,500 - [Tony] Is it mechanical, animal, or alien? 5 00:00:14,042 --> 00:00:17,042 A mysterious object spotted near the Panama Canal. 6 00:00:17,167 --> 00:00:19,958 Is Central America the new UFO hotspot? 7 00:00:20,083 --> 00:00:22,083 - This made me do a double take. 8 00:00:23,333 --> 00:00:25,542 - [Tony] A case that puzzled experts for decades. 9 00:00:25,667 --> 00:00:27,750 What really happened to this group of hikers 10 00:00:27,875 --> 00:00:29,792 found dead in the Russian Mountains? 11 00:00:29,875 --> 00:00:32,958 - One theory suggests that it may have been a Russian Yeti 12 00:00:33,042 --> 00:00:36,167 that attacked and killed these nine hikers. 13 00:00:36,333 --> 00:00:38,333 - [Tony] And the ongoing story of a phantom plane 14 00:00:38,417 --> 00:00:41,625 that's seen on radar but nowhere else. 15 00:00:41,750 --> 00:00:44,333 - It's possible that what we are seeing in this image 16 00:00:44,417 --> 00:00:47,500 is a new technology that's not released to the public. 17 00:00:47,583 --> 00:00:50,250 (intense music) 18 00:00:52,333 --> 00:00:54,000 - [Tony] Around the globe are videos. 19 00:00:54,083 --> 00:00:55,708 - [Witness] What the heck is this? 20 00:00:55,875 --> 00:00:57,417 - [Witness] It's moving. 21 00:00:57,542 --> 00:01:00,500 - [Tony] Photos and sounds that defy explanations. 22 00:01:00,625 --> 00:01:03,208 (electric crackling) 23 00:01:06,125 --> 00:01:08,167 - [Marc] Is it some kind of unidentified object? 24 00:01:08,333 --> 00:01:10,292 What's exciting is nobody really knows. 25 00:01:11,333 --> 00:01:12,500 - [Tony] What are they? 26 00:01:12,583 --> 00:01:14,500 - [MJ] Some sort of bizarre mutation. 27 00:01:14,625 --> 00:01:17,667 - Extraordinary claims need extraordinary proof. 28 00:01:19,750 --> 00:01:20,958 - I'm Tony Harris, 29 00:01:21,042 --> 00:01:23,167 and as a journalist for more than 30 years, 30 00:01:23,292 --> 00:01:26,000 I've followed the facts where they take me. 31 00:01:26,167 --> 00:01:28,417 Now I'm bringing that spirit of investigation 32 00:01:28,542 --> 00:01:31,167 to the world's strangest sounds and images. 33 00:01:32,250 --> 00:01:35,000 We'll analyze each one with top experts. 34 00:01:35,167 --> 00:01:38,083 - It's a credible case, it's a credible video. 35 00:01:38,208 --> 00:01:40,833 - [Tony] And pass a verdict on what it is. 36 00:01:40,958 --> 00:01:42,958 - This video was clearly faked. 37 00:01:43,042 --> 00:01:45,500 - The proof starts now. 38 00:01:45,667 --> 00:01:48,167 (dramatic theme music) 39 00:01:53,292 --> 00:01:56,167 Good evening and welcome to The Proof Is Out There. 40 00:01:56,292 --> 00:01:59,542 We know the ocean is as mysterious as it is deep, 41 00:01:59,708 --> 00:02:02,083 but what we don't know is why there's been a spate 42 00:02:02,208 --> 00:02:03,625 of odd creatures from the depths 43 00:02:03,708 --> 00:02:07,333 washing up in the same area in California. 44 00:02:07,458 --> 00:02:09,083 See if you can figure it out. 45 00:02:10,417 --> 00:02:13,583 It's 2021 at scenic Crystal Cove, California, 46 00:02:13,708 --> 00:02:16,208 a seaside nature preserve in Orange County. 47 00:02:16,333 --> 00:02:18,333 While out for a refreshing surfside stroll, 48 00:02:18,500 --> 00:02:21,000 one beachcomber comes across a carcass 49 00:02:21,125 --> 00:02:23,625 that looks like something imagined by Jules Verne. 50 00:02:25,208 --> 00:02:27,667 The photo shows a bizarre, huge, round fish 51 00:02:27,792 --> 00:02:29,125 with a gaping toothed mouth 52 00:02:29,250 --> 00:02:31,125 and an odd, joystick-like appendage 53 00:02:31,208 --> 00:02:32,958 protruding from its body. 54 00:02:33,042 --> 00:02:35,625 It seems to lack eyes and fins, and its near black coloring 55 00:02:35,750 --> 00:02:39,917 only adds to its disturbing phantasmagoric appearance. 56 00:02:40,042 --> 00:02:41,583 And this incident was not a fluke. 57 00:02:41,708 --> 00:02:42,875 Pun intended. 58 00:02:44,042 --> 00:02:45,917 - [Witness] Yeah, it's a barracuda. 59 00:02:46,042 --> 00:02:47,375 It's a barracuda. 60 00:02:48,417 --> 00:02:50,542 - [Tony] No, a barracuda looks like this. 61 00:02:51,708 --> 00:02:53,500 What we see here is another bizarre, 62 00:02:53,667 --> 00:02:56,500 out-of-place sea creature that washed up in recent months. 63 00:02:57,375 --> 00:02:58,625 A few miles up the coast, 64 00:02:58,750 --> 00:03:01,625 a strange fish flailing about on the beach. 65 00:03:01,750 --> 00:03:04,167 Are these creatures natural, and if they are, 66 00:03:04,250 --> 00:03:07,458 what accounts for their appearance on these shores? 67 00:03:07,542 --> 00:03:10,500 Field researcher, Ken Gerhard goes fishing for an explanation. 68 00:03:10,667 --> 00:03:13,375 - Some UFO theorists talk about Sycamore Knoll, 69 00:03:13,542 --> 00:03:16,542 a strange, anomalous structure about 2,000 feet 70 00:03:16,667 --> 00:03:19,292 under the water off the coast of California. 71 00:03:19,417 --> 00:03:22,333 UFO enthusiasts have speculated that it might represent 72 00:03:22,458 --> 00:03:25,292 some type of underwater alien base. 73 00:03:26,458 --> 00:03:28,167 - [Tony] The Sycamore Knoll is three miles wide 74 00:03:28,250 --> 00:03:30,083 and 2,000 feet beneath the surface. 75 00:03:30,208 --> 00:03:32,792 That alien base theory stems from its oval shape 76 00:03:32,917 --> 00:03:34,833 and perfectly flat surface. 77 00:03:34,917 --> 00:03:37,708 One theory is that the Sycamore Knoll is emitting signals 78 00:03:37,833 --> 00:03:40,292 that are driving deep sea fish to the surface. 79 00:03:41,333 --> 00:03:43,667 Another theory is that we are. 80 00:03:43,792 --> 00:03:46,583 - Another possibility is that the U.S. military 81 00:03:46,708 --> 00:03:48,583 and other military forces around the world 82 00:03:48,708 --> 00:03:52,958 deploy new types of sonar and underwater experimentation, 83 00:03:53,083 --> 00:03:55,958 driving these strange-looking creatures to the surface. 84 00:03:58,208 --> 00:03:59,500 - Another note. 85 00:03:59,667 --> 00:04:02,667 22 miles off the coast of Southern California 86 00:04:02,792 --> 00:04:04,333 lies Catalina Island, 87 00:04:04,458 --> 00:04:06,333 a place where some of our own experts 88 00:04:06,500 --> 00:04:09,792 have recently been documenting anomalous activity in the skies. 89 00:04:09,917 --> 00:04:13,167 In other words, this area is a noted hotbed 90 00:04:13,250 --> 00:04:15,208 for unexplained phenomena. 91 00:04:15,333 --> 00:04:16,833 So what are these strange creatures, 92 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:20,500 and why are they washing up on shore with such frequency? 93 00:04:20,625 --> 00:04:22,167 Let's hear from the experts. 94 00:04:22,250 --> 00:04:24,542 (tense music) 95 00:04:26,125 --> 00:04:27,625 Marine biologist, Shea Conger 96 00:04:27,708 --> 00:04:30,583 says the strange fish in the photo can be identified. 97 00:04:30,708 --> 00:04:35,000 - This is a football fish, which is related to angler fish. 98 00:04:35,125 --> 00:04:37,958 Football fish have this large lure on top of their head 99 00:04:38,042 --> 00:04:39,667 to bring in prey to eat. 100 00:04:39,833 --> 00:04:42,083 This is not an animal that we would expect to see 101 00:04:42,208 --> 00:04:46,542 washed up on a beach, because it is a very deep sea animal. 102 00:04:46,667 --> 00:04:49,667 - [Tony] She also identifies the long skinny fish from the video, 103 00:04:49,750 --> 00:04:52,500 which is very unusual to find on dry land. 104 00:04:52,625 --> 00:04:54,583 - This is the lancet fish, 105 00:04:54,708 --> 00:04:57,750 and they're typically very deep-dwelling. 106 00:04:57,875 --> 00:05:01,000 A lot of benthic or abyssal fish are built like this, 107 00:05:01,125 --> 00:05:03,500 where they have really striking fins 108 00:05:03,625 --> 00:05:06,458 that help them stay upright in the water, 109 00:05:06,583 --> 00:05:08,500 and they have these long, sinuous bodies, 110 00:05:08,625 --> 00:05:11,792 because they live under a lot of pressure. 111 00:05:11,875 --> 00:05:14,208 - [Tony] By abyssal, she means the zone of the ocean 112 00:05:14,375 --> 00:05:16,833 roughly 10,000 to 20,000 feet below the surface, 113 00:05:16,958 --> 00:05:20,167 where no light reaches, resulting in perpetual darkness 114 00:05:20,333 --> 00:05:22,667 and an absence of oxygen-producing plant life. 115 00:05:23,542 --> 00:05:25,042 But the mystery remains. 116 00:05:25,208 --> 00:05:26,750 Why are these deep sea creatures 117 00:05:26,875 --> 00:05:29,208 turning up on the beaches of California? 118 00:05:29,375 --> 00:05:31,458 Conger considers the Sycamore Knoll theory, 119 00:05:31,583 --> 00:05:33,583 but she says it's not an alien base. 120 00:05:33,708 --> 00:05:36,792 It's a natural geological formation called a seamount. 121 00:05:36,875 --> 00:05:40,125 - This is probably just a normal ocean feature, 122 00:05:40,208 --> 00:05:41,625 and seamounts like this 123 00:05:41,708 --> 00:05:44,333 are actually really important for ocean life. 124 00:05:44,500 --> 00:05:45,875 - [Tony] But what could cause the creatures 125 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:48,958 congregating around the Sycamore Knoll to wash ashore? 126 00:05:49,042 --> 00:05:51,833 Conger moves on to the top secret experiment theory. 127 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:54,750 - Military testing is definitely an explanation 128 00:05:54,875 --> 00:05:57,417 of why we might find deep sea fish 129 00:05:57,542 --> 00:05:59,625 abnormally washed up on shore. 130 00:05:59,750 --> 00:06:02,583 Sonar testing is incredibly powerful. 131 00:06:02,708 --> 00:06:06,375 Being hit with that high impact of sound and pressure 132 00:06:06,542 --> 00:06:10,917 can be very injurious or even deadly for marine animals. 133 00:06:11,042 --> 00:06:14,083 - [Tony] Conger also suggests a natural cause: 134 00:06:14,208 --> 00:06:16,125 underwater seismic activity. 135 00:06:16,250 --> 00:06:17,917 - Many of the Earth's fault lines 136 00:06:18,042 --> 00:06:21,042 are actually off the coast of our continents, 137 00:06:21,167 --> 00:06:22,833 so there could be earthquakes, 138 00:06:22,958 --> 00:06:25,542 and that's why we have tsunamis, for example. 139 00:06:25,667 --> 00:06:27,750 There's a lot of volcanic activity 140 00:06:27,875 --> 00:06:29,333 under the ocean as well, 141 00:06:29,417 --> 00:06:32,875 and it's not unfeasible that this would cause animals 142 00:06:33,042 --> 00:06:34,667 to wash up on shore. 143 00:06:34,750 --> 00:06:35,792 - [Tony] But at the end of the day, 144 00:06:35,917 --> 00:06:38,458 she thinks the real culprit is us, 145 00:06:38,542 --> 00:06:40,875 specifically the global fishing industry. 146 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:42,292 - Within the last decade, 147 00:06:42,375 --> 00:06:45,833 there's been an uptick of species washing up 148 00:06:45,958 --> 00:06:48,583 that are traditionally deep water species. 149 00:06:48,708 --> 00:06:50,958 The reason for this may have to do with 150 00:06:51,083 --> 00:06:53,000 when humans are out fishing, 151 00:06:53,167 --> 00:06:57,750 we catch a whole variety of species in those fishing nets, 152 00:06:57,875 --> 00:07:01,542 and the animals that aren't marketable are discarded, 153 00:07:01,667 --> 00:07:03,917 and eventually they float to shore. 154 00:07:04,042 --> 00:07:06,167 (tense music) 155 00:07:08,083 --> 00:07:09,375 - Our verdict? 156 00:07:09,542 --> 00:07:12,125 We're looking at a football fish and a lancet fish, 157 00:07:12,250 --> 00:07:14,333 both deep water creatures. 158 00:07:14,458 --> 00:07:17,375 As to why they washed up, that remains a mystery. 159 00:07:17,500 --> 00:07:19,167 I'm drawn to the fishing theory, 160 00:07:19,292 --> 00:07:20,792 but you can pick your favorite. 161 00:07:22,583 --> 00:07:24,500 We're gonna stay with the Pacific Ocean now, 162 00:07:24,583 --> 00:07:27,333 but we are going much deeper, literally. 163 00:07:27,458 --> 00:07:29,417 The Mariana Trench of the Pacific Ocean 164 00:07:29,542 --> 00:07:32,333 is nearly 36,000 feet deep. 165 00:07:32,458 --> 00:07:34,042 To put that in perspective, 166 00:07:34,208 --> 00:07:37,583 you could pick up Mount Everest and drop it in the trench, 167 00:07:37,708 --> 00:07:39,333 and the mountain would still be a mile 168 00:07:39,458 --> 00:07:41,500 below the water's surface. 169 00:07:41,625 --> 00:07:43,625 Due to such enormous depths, 170 00:07:43,750 --> 00:07:46,458 the trench still has not been widely explored, 171 00:07:46,542 --> 00:07:49,583 so when a monstrous sound was detected there, 172 00:07:49,708 --> 00:07:51,542 it was a mystery for us all. 173 00:07:52,375 --> 00:07:54,750 It's November 16th, 2014. 174 00:07:54,875 --> 00:07:57,333 Dave Mellinger and his team of marine researchers 175 00:07:57,500 --> 00:07:59,333 drop a passive acoustic ocean glider 176 00:07:59,500 --> 00:08:01,542 into the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, 177 00:08:01,708 --> 00:08:03,417 the Mariana Trench. 178 00:08:03,542 --> 00:08:04,958 There, they record this. 179 00:08:07,292 --> 00:08:10,000 (deep, resonant droning) 180 00:08:16,292 --> 00:08:17,583 The five-part sounds, 181 00:08:17,708 --> 00:08:19,958 which last no longer than 3.5 seconds each, 182 00:08:20,042 --> 00:08:23,333 include deep moans at frequencies as low as 30 hertz, 183 00:08:23,458 --> 00:08:25,500 low rumbles, high pitched screeching, 184 00:08:25,625 --> 00:08:27,542 and a strangely metallic finale 185 00:08:27,708 --> 00:08:28,917 that reaches frequencies 186 00:08:29,042 --> 00:08:30,625 as high as 8,000 hertz. 187 00:08:30,708 --> 00:08:32,083 The noises return. 188 00:08:32,208 --> 00:08:33,458 Let's turn up the volume. 189 00:08:35,208 --> 00:08:37,875 (deep, resonant droning) 190 00:08:39,208 --> 00:08:40,500 A weird auditory mixture 191 00:08:40,625 --> 00:08:42,083 of the biological and the mechanical, 192 00:08:42,208 --> 00:08:44,583 leading to confusion over the likely cause. 193 00:08:44,708 --> 00:08:47,833 - We ran across this very strange, unusual sound, 194 00:08:47,958 --> 00:08:50,458 which we later called the Western Pacific Biotwang. 195 00:08:50,542 --> 00:08:51,708 We started hearing it, and we were like, 196 00:08:51,833 --> 00:08:53,042 what the heck is that sound? 197 00:08:53,167 --> 00:08:55,000 But we really didn't know what this sound was. 198 00:08:55,125 --> 00:08:57,500 We just had not heard this kind of thing before. 199 00:08:57,625 --> 00:09:00,250 (deep, resonant droning) 200 00:09:01,583 --> 00:09:03,333 - [Tony] Journalist Erin McCarthy says the biotwang 201 00:09:03,458 --> 00:09:04,833 emanates from a place so remote, 202 00:09:04,958 --> 00:09:06,792 it might as well be another planet. 203 00:09:06,875 --> 00:09:10,167 - Up until recently, more people had been to the moon, 204 00:09:11,583 --> 00:09:13,833 so you're looking at an area of the planet 205 00:09:13,917 --> 00:09:16,833 that is basically like an alien world. 206 00:09:16,917 --> 00:09:18,833 I think it's fair to say that this sound 207 00:09:18,917 --> 00:09:23,000 is fairly alien-like, which has led some people to speculate 208 00:09:23,083 --> 00:09:25,667 that aliens have set up underwater bases 209 00:09:25,792 --> 00:09:27,208 in the Mariana Trench, 210 00:09:27,333 --> 00:09:31,167 because it's more like their world than it is ours. 211 00:09:31,292 --> 00:09:33,417 - [Tony] But that isn't the only possible explanation 212 00:09:33,542 --> 00:09:34,708 for the mechanical sound. 213 00:09:34,833 --> 00:09:36,167 - A potential explanation 214 00:09:36,292 --> 00:09:39,167 is some kind of top-secret military transmission. 215 00:09:40,750 --> 00:09:42,583 - [Tony] The U.S Navy has conducted underwater experiments 216 00:09:42,708 --> 00:09:44,583 for decades; some of the most famous 217 00:09:44,708 --> 00:09:47,083 include the Sealab underwater habitats. 218 00:09:47,208 --> 00:09:49,833 There was an underwater nuclear bomb test, 219 00:09:49,958 --> 00:09:51,833 and, more recently, they've started testing bullets 220 00:09:51,958 --> 00:09:53,542 that can shoot from underwater. 221 00:09:55,833 --> 00:09:57,792 Until recently, scientists assumed 222 00:09:57,917 --> 00:10:01,042 that the murky depths of the Mariana Trench were quiet, 223 00:10:01,167 --> 00:10:02,833 but research teams have since discovered 224 00:10:02,958 --> 00:10:05,458 that it is actually abuzz with sound. 225 00:10:05,542 --> 00:10:07,833 A NOAA research oceanographer has even said 226 00:10:07,917 --> 00:10:09,708 that there is almost constant noise 227 00:10:09,875 --> 00:10:13,292 from both natural and man-made sources. 228 00:10:13,375 --> 00:10:14,667 So the question remains: 229 00:10:14,792 --> 00:10:17,375 what created these mysterious sounds? 230 00:10:17,542 --> 00:10:19,625 Our experts go on a deep dive. 231 00:10:19,708 --> 00:10:22,125 (tense music) 232 00:10:23,917 --> 00:10:26,667 First, could the sound be seismic activity? 233 00:10:26,792 --> 00:10:28,792 The Mariana Trench is a hotbed for earthquakes, 234 00:10:28,917 --> 00:10:30,458 thought to be due to the high pressure 235 00:10:30,583 --> 00:10:31,667 at the bottom of the trench. 236 00:10:31,833 --> 00:10:33,542 Compared to the nearly 15 pounds 237 00:10:33,708 --> 00:10:35,875 per square inch of pressure we feel on land, 238 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:39,667 the ocean floor has a pressure of over 16,000 PSI, 239 00:10:39,792 --> 00:10:41,917 and scientists theorize that this pressure, 240 00:10:42,042 --> 00:10:45,042 alongside the seawater, lubricates the fault lines 241 00:10:45,208 --> 00:10:47,625 enough to create frequent sudden slippage 242 00:10:47,708 --> 00:10:49,833 in the tectonic plates. 243 00:10:49,917 --> 00:10:52,833 Soundscape ecologist, Dr. Ben Gottesman has his doubts. 244 00:10:52,958 --> 00:10:55,208 - There's hundreds of thousands of earthquakes 245 00:10:55,375 --> 00:10:56,500 happening each year. 246 00:10:56,667 --> 00:10:59,458 It's one of the more common acoustic signals 247 00:10:59,542 --> 00:11:01,333 we have in our oceans. 248 00:11:01,458 --> 00:11:04,333 (low-pitched rumbling) 249 00:11:04,500 --> 00:11:05,958 This is super low frequency, 250 00:11:06,083 --> 00:11:08,792 and it's this continuous rumble, 251 00:11:08,875 --> 00:11:13,042 which is way different than the biotwang. 252 00:11:13,208 --> 00:11:15,292 (deep, resonant droning) 253 00:11:17,500 --> 00:11:19,750 (low-pitched rumbling) 254 00:11:20,667 --> 00:11:21,875 We could say definitively 255 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:25,417 it's not caused by seismic activity. 256 00:11:25,542 --> 00:11:26,750 - [Tony] Next, Gottesman explores 257 00:11:26,875 --> 00:11:28,833 whether the noise might be manmade. 258 00:11:28,958 --> 00:11:32,500 - We can compare it with sonar of a submarine. 259 00:11:32,625 --> 00:11:35,292 (sonar pinging) 260 00:11:37,875 --> 00:11:40,833 So you have this repetitive, simple pinging. 261 00:11:40,958 --> 00:11:43,125 Contrast that with this biotwang, 262 00:11:43,208 --> 00:11:47,208 which is extremely complex, five parts. 263 00:11:47,375 --> 00:11:49,333 (deep, resonant droning) 264 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:54,667 So this biotwang is not a sonar. 265 00:11:55,875 --> 00:11:57,583 - [Tony] Marine biologist Dr. Shea Conger 266 00:11:57,708 --> 00:11:59,750 focuses on the bio in the biotwang. 267 00:11:59,875 --> 00:12:02,292 She thinks it could be an animal, but what? 268 00:12:02,417 --> 00:12:05,833 - This sound was similar in pattern and frequency 269 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:08,292 to marine mammals that use sound 270 00:12:08,417 --> 00:12:10,583 either to inform or locate 271 00:12:10,708 --> 00:12:12,958 other individuals of their species, 272 00:12:13,083 --> 00:12:15,542 or they might use echolocation 273 00:12:15,667 --> 00:12:18,000 to navigate their environment. 274 00:12:18,125 --> 00:12:19,625 - [Tony] So if it is biological, 275 00:12:19,708 --> 00:12:21,208 Conger wonders if it could be something 276 00:12:21,333 --> 00:12:24,792 from an undiscovered or presumed extinct species. 277 00:12:24,917 --> 00:12:29,000 - In recent years, there have been sightings or biopsies 278 00:12:29,125 --> 00:12:32,500 of whales that we thought were extinct 279 00:12:32,583 --> 00:12:34,458 and in fact, they weren't. 280 00:12:34,542 --> 00:12:37,458 We're only getting small glimpses of what's going on 281 00:12:37,542 --> 00:12:40,000 in places like the Mariana Trench. 282 00:12:40,167 --> 00:12:41,625 - [Tony] Conger believes the biotwang 283 00:12:41,750 --> 00:12:43,333 was made by one such species, 284 00:12:43,458 --> 00:12:47,000 not one believed extinct, but one that's rarely seen. 285 00:12:47,083 --> 00:12:49,833 - The researchers that study these types of animals 286 00:12:49,958 --> 00:12:53,083 were able to determine that this is probably a Bryde's whale. 287 00:12:53,208 --> 00:12:54,750 They spend a lot of time at the surface, 288 00:12:54,875 --> 00:12:56,625 but they're very elusive, 289 00:12:56,750 --> 00:12:59,250 and we don't know a lot about them. 290 00:13:00,708 --> 00:13:02,875 (deep, resonant droning) 291 00:13:03,875 --> 00:13:04,833 - [Tony] But hang on. 292 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:06,167 As Dr. Conger mentioned, 293 00:13:06,333 --> 00:13:08,250 the Bryde's whale spends the majority of its time 294 00:13:08,375 --> 00:13:10,458 in the top 10 meters of the water column, 295 00:13:10,542 --> 00:13:13,750 not the bowels of the planet's deepest ocean trench. 296 00:13:13,875 --> 00:13:15,000 And there's another problem here 297 00:13:15,125 --> 00:13:17,000 with the persistence of the sound. 298 00:13:17,083 --> 00:13:20,542 - These whales primarily use these sounds for mating, 299 00:13:20,708 --> 00:13:23,542 which happens mostly in late winter, 300 00:13:23,708 --> 00:13:25,750 but this sound, they've recorded it 301 00:13:25,875 --> 00:13:28,375 all year round at this location. 302 00:13:28,500 --> 00:13:30,750 (tense music) 303 00:13:32,500 --> 00:13:34,333 - Okay, so the ocean scientists 304 00:13:34,417 --> 00:13:37,500 say the Bryde's whale theory is possible, 305 00:13:37,625 --> 00:13:40,375 but as we just saw, it doesn't really fit all the facts. 306 00:13:40,542 --> 00:13:43,000 The sound is similar enough to other whale calls 307 00:13:43,167 --> 00:13:45,375 to rule out anything mechanical. 308 00:13:45,500 --> 00:13:46,583 But our verdict? 309 00:13:46,708 --> 00:13:48,667 This is an unidentified ocean animal, 310 00:13:48,833 --> 00:13:51,875 quite possibly a species we've never seen before. 311 00:13:55,542 --> 00:13:58,083 - Many religions share a belief in doomsday prophecies 312 00:13:58,208 --> 00:14:00,500 that describe the end of the world. 313 00:14:00,583 --> 00:14:02,917 Until now, the most terrifying images of these end times 314 00:14:03,042 --> 00:14:05,417 have appeared only in our imaginations. 315 00:14:05,542 --> 00:14:07,417 But could a recent incident in the holy land 316 00:14:07,542 --> 00:14:10,958 be seen as an omen, heralding the day of judgment? 317 00:14:12,375 --> 00:14:15,125 It's September 2021 near the shores of the Dead Sea 318 00:14:15,208 --> 00:14:19,167 in Ghor Al-Haditha, Jordan, when scientists get wind 319 00:14:19,292 --> 00:14:22,000 of a positively biblical event taking place. 320 00:14:22,083 --> 00:14:24,000 They head to the site to check it out. 321 00:14:24,125 --> 00:14:26,667 There they film a scene straight out of a horror film. 322 00:14:26,833 --> 00:14:28,250 (eerie music) 323 00:14:28,375 --> 00:14:30,792 The water in a small pool by the side of the Dead Sea 324 00:14:30,875 --> 00:14:33,333 has turned blood red overnight. 325 00:14:33,458 --> 00:14:36,250 The Dead Sea and other nearby pools are still deep blue, 326 00:14:36,375 --> 00:14:41,083 but this one spot is unmistakably crimson. 327 00:14:41,208 --> 00:14:43,958 Journalist Eric Grundhauser says the location of this event 328 00:14:44,042 --> 00:14:46,833 naturally brings up biblical connotations. 329 00:14:46,917 --> 00:14:49,458 - The site sits on what is believed by some 330 00:14:49,583 --> 00:14:52,500 to be the location of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah, 331 00:14:52,625 --> 00:14:57,292 famously destroyed by God for their sin and iniquity. 332 00:14:57,375 --> 00:15:01,000 This could be a signal of a modern plague 333 00:15:01,125 --> 00:15:06,250 that we are being punished for our modern sinfulness. 334 00:15:07,542 --> 00:15:09,250 - [Tony] Catholic miracle researcher Michael O'Neill 335 00:15:09,375 --> 00:15:11,125 says it hearkens backs the book of Exodus, 336 00:15:11,208 --> 00:15:13,667 when God unleashed plagues to punish Egypt 337 00:15:13,792 --> 00:15:15,333 for enslaving the Israelites. 338 00:15:15,417 --> 00:15:17,458 - It's one of the first of 10 plagues. 339 00:15:17,542 --> 00:15:21,250 God commands Aaron to stick his staff in the water, 340 00:15:21,375 --> 00:15:23,875 and when he does so, it turns to blood. 341 00:15:24,750 --> 00:15:26,833 All the fish die. 342 00:15:26,958 --> 00:15:29,708 The Egyptians are unable to drink from that water 343 00:15:29,833 --> 00:15:31,958 or any of the nearby springs. 344 00:15:32,042 --> 00:15:34,083 - Several books of the Bible prophecy that the moon 345 00:15:34,208 --> 00:15:37,083 will turn into blood at the end of days. 346 00:15:37,208 --> 00:15:39,167 As a result, some believe it's a bad omen 347 00:15:39,250 --> 00:15:41,833 to have four consecutive total lunar eclipses 348 00:15:41,958 --> 00:15:44,167 where the moon briefly turns a reddish hue, 349 00:15:44,292 --> 00:15:45,917 what is known as a blood moon. 350 00:15:46,792 --> 00:15:49,042 So is this red pool also a sign? 351 00:15:50,875 --> 00:15:52,583 It's no secret that the Dead Sea 352 00:15:52,708 --> 00:15:55,292 is one of the world's saltiest bodies of water, 353 00:15:55,417 --> 00:15:59,458 and the area around it is famed for its geological oddities. 354 00:15:59,542 --> 00:16:03,708 So is this an act of God, a unique natural phenomenon, 355 00:16:03,875 --> 00:16:05,875 or perhaps some combination of the two? 356 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:08,333 (tense music) 357 00:16:09,875 --> 00:16:13,333 O'Neill first investigates if it could be divine retribution. 358 00:16:13,458 --> 00:16:17,625 - In 1981, in those Marian apparitions in Kibeho, Rwanda, 359 00:16:17,708 --> 00:16:20,292 that were approved by the Vatican as being authentic, 360 00:16:20,375 --> 00:16:22,833 several children saw visions of the Virgin Mary, 361 00:16:22,958 --> 00:16:25,375 and they saw rivers of blood 362 00:16:25,500 --> 00:16:29,333 that were a foreshadowing of the Rwandan genocide. 363 00:16:30,458 --> 00:16:32,042 - [Tony] In this case, they tested the water, 364 00:16:32,208 --> 00:16:33,500 and it's not blood. 365 00:16:33,625 --> 00:16:35,833 But a similar recent incident at the Alexander River 366 00:16:35,917 --> 00:16:38,000 in nearby Israel was the blood of animals 367 00:16:38,083 --> 00:16:40,083 dumped from a local slaughterhouse. 368 00:16:41,208 --> 00:16:44,000 So could illegal waste disposal, just not blood, 369 00:16:44,125 --> 00:16:46,000 also be to blame at the Dead Sea? 370 00:16:46,125 --> 00:16:48,667 - Typically that would be in a moving body of water 371 00:16:48,792 --> 00:16:50,500 that can flush away pollutants 372 00:16:50,583 --> 00:16:53,958 or in a larger body of water, like the sea. 373 00:16:54,042 --> 00:16:57,417 This is a really isolated pool of water. 374 00:16:57,542 --> 00:16:59,833 - [Tony] Then if it's not human dumping, 375 00:16:59,958 --> 00:17:02,083 archeologist Dr. Ed Barnhart considers 376 00:17:02,208 --> 00:17:04,250 that the reddish hue could be plant-based. 377 00:17:04,375 --> 00:17:07,250 - There's a lot of salt content here. 378 00:17:07,375 --> 00:17:10,208 That is an environment in which 379 00:17:10,333 --> 00:17:15,333 a particular kind of red algae can really thrive. 380 00:17:15,458 --> 00:17:19,333 So when the water becomes more salty, 381 00:17:19,417 --> 00:17:22,667 the sort of things that eat the algae die off, 382 00:17:22,792 --> 00:17:27,000 and only the algae can proliferate, 383 00:17:27,167 --> 00:17:29,667 and that turns the water red. 384 00:17:29,750 --> 00:17:31,333 - [Tony] But Conger is somewhat skeptical 385 00:17:31,500 --> 00:17:33,458 that algae is the answer in this case, 386 00:17:33,542 --> 00:17:36,125 since this is the only red pool in the area. 387 00:17:36,208 --> 00:17:38,542 - If this is actually an algal bloom, 388 00:17:38,667 --> 00:17:40,667 we would probably expect to see this happening 389 00:17:40,792 --> 00:17:44,667 in other bodies of water around it, but we're just not, 390 00:17:44,792 --> 00:17:47,167 so I don't think that's what's happening here. 391 00:17:48,375 --> 00:17:50,000 - [Tony] So if it's not animal or plant, 392 00:17:50,083 --> 00:17:51,167 could it be mineral? 393 00:17:52,708 --> 00:17:55,000 Geologist Dr. Bob Anderson says a natural occurring element 394 00:17:55,125 --> 00:17:56,375 is likely the cause. 395 00:17:56,542 --> 00:17:58,000 - From the scientists who have done soil 396 00:17:58,167 --> 00:18:00,000 and water samples in that area, 397 00:18:00,167 --> 00:18:02,375 they're seeing higher concentrations of manganese, 398 00:18:02,500 --> 00:18:04,833 most likely in the form of manganese oxide. 399 00:18:04,917 --> 00:18:08,875 Manganese oxide would act very similar to iron oxides, 400 00:18:09,042 --> 00:18:11,042 causing this water to turn red. 401 00:18:12,417 --> 00:18:14,625 - [Tony] Manganese is usually a brown-black substance, 402 00:18:14,708 --> 00:18:17,292 but in some rare cases, manganese oxide can take on 403 00:18:17,375 --> 00:18:20,208 the same rusty orange red color as iron oxide. 404 00:18:21,667 --> 00:18:23,708 (tense music) 405 00:18:25,375 --> 00:18:27,208 That seems to solve this mystery. 406 00:18:27,375 --> 00:18:30,000 Our verdict? Manganese oxide. 407 00:18:30,125 --> 00:18:32,083 Scientists say the mineral could have entered 408 00:18:32,208 --> 00:18:33,792 the stagnant pool through fissures 409 00:18:33,875 --> 00:18:37,167 that allow fresh water to bubble up from the seabed. 410 00:18:37,292 --> 00:18:39,167 But does that natural explanation 411 00:18:39,292 --> 00:18:41,542 mean it's not the hand of God? 412 00:18:41,708 --> 00:18:44,667 Or is the natural world, as many believe, 413 00:18:44,792 --> 00:18:47,875 just another of his tools to communicate? 414 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:49,625 That is a matter of opinion. 415 00:18:53,542 --> 00:18:55,417 - There are more objects flying in our skies 416 00:18:55,542 --> 00:18:57,167 and orbiting in space than ever before. 417 00:18:57,250 --> 00:18:58,375 At any given moment, 418 00:18:58,542 --> 00:19:00,333 there are as many as 20,000 planes 419 00:19:00,458 --> 00:19:03,542 and nearly 5,000 satellites above our heads, 420 00:19:03,708 --> 00:19:05,833 and that's not even counting the drones. 421 00:19:05,958 --> 00:19:09,042 So it takes something pretty unusual to grab our attention, 422 00:19:09,167 --> 00:19:10,500 and this next sighting 423 00:19:10,625 --> 00:19:14,792 recorded near the Panama Canal, no less, did just that. 424 00:19:14,917 --> 00:19:16,333 (dramatic music) 425 00:19:16,417 --> 00:19:20,167 It's October 9th, 2019 in Panama City, Panama. 426 00:19:20,250 --> 00:19:23,250 Jose Angel Castro is strolling on a pedestrian bridge 427 00:19:23,375 --> 00:19:25,000 when he suddenly notices something strange 428 00:19:25,125 --> 00:19:26,125 floating in the sky. 429 00:19:32,250 --> 00:19:34,125 - [Tony] Take a closer look. 430 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:39,250 A thin, smooth, white disc is simply floating in the sky. 431 00:19:39,375 --> 00:19:40,750 Now, if you've watched us before, 432 00:19:40,875 --> 00:19:43,083 you may think this is just another case of reflection 433 00:19:43,208 --> 00:19:44,833 or optical illusion, 434 00:19:44,958 --> 00:19:47,667 but there's no doubt in Jose's mind what he's seeing. 435 00:20:02,583 --> 00:20:03,833 - [Tony] Journalist Erin McCarthy 436 00:20:03,958 --> 00:20:05,667 isn't surprised by Jose's reaction. 437 00:20:05,792 --> 00:20:08,333 - There are UFO sightings in Central America 438 00:20:08,417 --> 00:20:09,625 pretty frequently, 439 00:20:09,708 --> 00:20:11,750 usually around volcanoes and things like that, 440 00:20:11,875 --> 00:20:13,167 so it doesn't surprise me 441 00:20:13,292 --> 00:20:15,500 that someone would think this is a UFO. 442 00:20:15,625 --> 00:20:17,125 - [Tony] In fact, just this year, 443 00:20:17,250 --> 00:20:19,625 a recently resurfaced photo of this flying saucer 444 00:20:19,708 --> 00:20:22,167 in neighboring Costa Rica has been making headlines, 445 00:20:22,292 --> 00:20:25,167 some calling it the best UFO photo ever taken. 446 00:20:25,292 --> 00:20:27,542 The image was captured in September 1971 447 00:20:27,667 --> 00:20:30,375 during a survey for a hydroelectric project 448 00:20:30,500 --> 00:20:34,667 and estimated to be between 120 and 220 feet in diameter. 449 00:20:34,792 --> 00:20:37,417 The photograph was analyzed in France and the United States 450 00:20:37,542 --> 00:20:40,542 by different organizations and confirmed to not be faked, 451 00:20:40,667 --> 00:20:43,208 but what it is remains a mystery to this day. 452 00:20:45,875 --> 00:20:49,750 So we have a 50-year-old UFO seen over Costa Rica. 453 00:20:49,875 --> 00:20:53,875 Now this mysterious white disc seen near the Panama Canal? 454 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:55,333 What's going on here? 455 00:20:55,417 --> 00:20:57,333 Is there something drawing extra terrestrials 456 00:20:57,458 --> 00:20:58,750 to Latin America? 457 00:20:58,875 --> 00:21:00,958 We asked our experts to take a look. 458 00:21:01,042 --> 00:21:03,333 (tense music) 459 00:21:04,875 --> 00:21:07,375 We begin with aviation expert Tim McMillan. 460 00:21:07,500 --> 00:21:09,833 In this footage, the object is so flat and long, 461 00:21:09,958 --> 00:21:12,375 it sure doesn't look like a plane or a drone, 462 00:21:12,500 --> 00:21:14,292 and McMillan says it doesn't look or move 463 00:21:14,375 --> 00:21:15,875 like a balloon either. 464 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:17,167 - If it was a balloon, 465 00:21:17,292 --> 00:21:20,708 we should be seeing more of a larger, oval shape. 466 00:21:20,833 --> 00:21:23,333 The lighter-than-air gases that are inside of that 467 00:21:23,458 --> 00:21:25,917 that would be causing it to fly 468 00:21:26,042 --> 00:21:27,833 would be distributed in a manner 469 00:21:27,958 --> 00:21:31,708 where it wouldn't stay level, and we don't see that here. 470 00:21:31,875 --> 00:21:33,208 - [Tony] But McMillan does observe that, 471 00:21:33,333 --> 00:21:34,625 whatever this craft is, 472 00:21:34,750 --> 00:21:37,417 not everyone in the video is as excited as Jose. 473 00:21:37,542 --> 00:21:40,000 - We can see the gentlemen that are in the cherry picker, 474 00:21:40,125 --> 00:21:41,500 but we can't help but notice 475 00:21:41,583 --> 00:21:44,333 that they seem unaffected by whatever this is, 476 00:21:44,458 --> 00:21:47,500 so that's kind of a red flag there to me. 477 00:21:47,583 --> 00:21:49,125 - [Tony] Next, we ask science writer 478 00:21:49,250 --> 00:21:50,625 Mick West to take a look. 479 00:21:50,708 --> 00:21:52,667 Could this footage simply be a hoax? 480 00:21:52,792 --> 00:21:56,708 - Quite often you can see people use a Gaussian blur, 481 00:21:56,875 --> 00:22:00,333 de-focusing technique when they make fake videos, 482 00:22:00,417 --> 00:22:03,792 but this looks more like a proper out-of-focus video. 483 00:22:03,917 --> 00:22:06,958 I can't see anything that really stands out as fake. 484 00:22:08,250 --> 00:22:11,458 - [Tony] So then is Jose right? Could this be an actual UFO? 485 00:22:11,583 --> 00:22:13,125 - The thing about it being a UFO 486 00:22:13,208 --> 00:22:16,125 is that it doesn't do anything particularly interesting. 487 00:22:16,208 --> 00:22:17,833 It doesn't change direction. 488 00:22:17,958 --> 00:22:21,250 It doesn't appear to hover without any means of propulsion. 489 00:22:21,375 --> 00:22:22,667 It doesn't really meet any 490 00:22:22,792 --> 00:22:27,292 of the interesting criteria of a UFO. 491 00:22:27,375 --> 00:22:29,000 - [Tony] However, West does have a clue 492 00:22:29,125 --> 00:22:31,417 that meets his criteria to solve the mystery. 493 00:22:31,542 --> 00:22:34,208 - We know it's a real video, shot in a real place. 494 00:22:34,333 --> 00:22:35,708 We can look it up. 495 00:22:35,833 --> 00:22:39,500 So here we've got Panama City, and we can zoom in, 496 00:22:39,625 --> 00:22:44,583 and find the Albrook Mall right here. 497 00:22:45,792 --> 00:22:50,292 And this is where the video was filmed. 498 00:22:50,375 --> 00:22:52,292 He's on this bridge here, I believe, 499 00:22:52,375 --> 00:22:54,833 and he is taking the video in this direction. 500 00:22:54,958 --> 00:22:58,167 - [Tony] West says that Jose's location is the key. 501 00:22:58,292 --> 00:23:00,208 - Right behind, there is an airport. 502 00:23:00,333 --> 00:23:01,667 Now, there'd be these buildings here, 503 00:23:01,792 --> 00:23:03,625 which are obscuring the view of the airport. 504 00:23:03,708 --> 00:23:05,958 We can see the plane would've started 505 00:23:06,042 --> 00:23:07,458 down at this end of the runway. 506 00:23:08,708 --> 00:23:10,000 - [Tony] Mick says the brightness is caused 507 00:23:10,125 --> 00:23:12,542 by the angle of the sun reflecting off the wing. 508 00:23:12,667 --> 00:23:14,000 It's the intense light rays 509 00:23:14,125 --> 00:23:16,375 that obscure the rest of the plane. 510 00:23:16,500 --> 00:23:19,125 - And it's pretty consistent 511 00:23:19,208 --> 00:23:21,500 with something like a Cessna 512 00:23:21,583 --> 00:23:25,458 with a high wing and the fuselage underneath. 513 00:23:25,583 --> 00:23:28,458 Some friends of mine on my website, Metabunk, 514 00:23:28,542 --> 00:23:31,458 actually tracked down an actual plane 515 00:23:31,542 --> 00:23:34,000 that was taking off at that time. 516 00:23:34,125 --> 00:23:35,833 It's a Cessna 182, 517 00:23:35,917 --> 00:23:38,083 which would be white and illuminated by the sun, 518 00:23:38,208 --> 00:23:41,333 and that would give the appearance of a saucer. 519 00:23:41,500 --> 00:23:43,792 (tense music) 520 00:23:45,708 --> 00:23:48,125 - Our verdict? Airplane. 521 00:23:48,208 --> 00:23:50,500 The angle and the reflected sunlight 522 00:23:50,583 --> 00:23:52,583 made it look like a flying saucer. 523 00:23:52,708 --> 00:23:55,500 But as of now, the good people of Panama 524 00:23:55,625 --> 00:23:58,375 and that crucial canal remain safe from alien invasion. 525 00:24:02,250 --> 00:24:04,708 - [Tony] Planes are tracked almost everywhere by radar. 526 00:24:04,875 --> 00:24:07,333 Sometimes, though, the signal disappears 527 00:24:07,417 --> 00:24:09,333 and the plane keeps going. 528 00:24:09,458 --> 00:24:11,542 But what does it mean if the signal keeps going 529 00:24:11,708 --> 00:24:14,083 and the plane disappears? 530 00:24:14,208 --> 00:24:15,750 Follow closely now. 531 00:24:15,875 --> 00:24:18,125 This story takes place in November 2021, 532 00:24:18,250 --> 00:24:19,833 off the coast of Russia 533 00:24:21,542 --> 00:24:24,417 and in the deserts of Arizona. 534 00:24:26,167 --> 00:24:27,958 People are monitoring a flight tracking site 535 00:24:28,083 --> 00:24:31,417 called Flight Radar 24 that tracks planes in real time, 536 00:24:31,542 --> 00:24:33,875 when they start noticing something strange going on. 537 00:24:34,042 --> 00:24:35,708 They share screenshots from the site, 538 00:24:35,833 --> 00:24:38,833 showing a plane identified as Avrora. 539 00:24:38,917 --> 00:24:41,375 It looks like it's on a standard trans-Pacific flight path 540 00:24:41,542 --> 00:24:44,750 from Arizona to Russia, but it's actually not. 541 00:24:44,875 --> 00:24:48,167 Its callsign is seen flying over Arizona's Sonoran Desert, 542 00:24:48,292 --> 00:24:50,333 when it suddenly disappears. 543 00:24:50,500 --> 00:24:53,208 It's gone for almost 22 hours. 544 00:24:53,333 --> 00:24:55,208 Then it reappears off the coast 545 00:24:55,375 --> 00:24:59,083 of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, over 4,000 miles away, 546 00:24:59,208 --> 00:25:01,958 where it is spotted for the next three days. 547 00:25:02,083 --> 00:25:04,792 It's a flight that should only take 8 to 10 hours, 548 00:25:04,875 --> 00:25:07,458 and there's no data showing a path between the two points, 549 00:25:07,542 --> 00:25:09,792 so it's just an interpolated great circle, 550 00:25:09,875 --> 00:25:12,542 a perfect arc between the two points, 551 00:25:12,708 --> 00:25:14,417 which likely doesn't accurately represent 552 00:25:14,542 --> 00:25:15,958 a real flight path. 553 00:25:16,083 --> 00:25:18,750 And when the radar tracking is examined more closely, 554 00:25:18,875 --> 00:25:21,208 it appears that when the aircraft was over Arizona, 555 00:25:21,375 --> 00:25:23,500 it was just doing tight circles. 556 00:25:24,500 --> 00:25:25,958 Science journalist Amy Teitel says 557 00:25:26,042 --> 00:25:28,417 that's not the only odd thing about these images. 558 00:25:28,542 --> 00:25:32,167 - This plane with this callsign has never been seen in person. 559 00:25:32,292 --> 00:25:34,708 It is only visible on this website. 560 00:25:34,833 --> 00:25:37,750 This is not the normal type of call sign. 561 00:25:37,875 --> 00:25:39,833 They usually have a flight number 562 00:25:39,958 --> 00:25:42,625 and the aircraft or the airline identifier. 563 00:25:44,083 --> 00:25:45,542 - [Tony] There's a military testing site 564 00:25:45,667 --> 00:25:47,000 in the Sonoran Desert, 565 00:25:47,125 --> 00:25:49,583 near where the call sign was spotted over Arizona, 566 00:25:49,708 --> 00:25:52,167 so perhaps this was a secret government experiment 567 00:25:52,250 --> 00:25:53,667 or an attempt to get intel. 568 00:25:53,792 --> 00:25:54,833 - The fact that it's flying 569 00:25:54,958 --> 00:25:56,500 between the United States and Russia 570 00:25:56,625 --> 00:25:59,083 does suggest we're going back to Cold War days, 571 00:25:59,208 --> 00:26:02,625 that it could be some kind of new spy technology. 572 00:26:03,583 --> 00:26:05,000 - [Tony] Some also believe this could be 573 00:26:05,083 --> 00:26:07,583 an extra terrestrial craft with stealth capabilities 574 00:26:07,708 --> 00:26:09,917 creeping along to secretly observe Earth. 575 00:26:11,708 --> 00:26:13,750 Another possibility for how a spacecraft 576 00:26:13,875 --> 00:26:16,917 could disappear and reappear over 4,000 miles away 577 00:26:17,042 --> 00:26:18,875 is that it could be using hidden portals 578 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:20,667 that travel from one point to the other 579 00:26:20,792 --> 00:26:22,917 without being detected by prying eyes. 580 00:26:24,333 --> 00:26:26,667 This fits with a UFO theory known as Dark Forest, 581 00:26:26,750 --> 00:26:29,542 which suggests alien species purposely hide from us 582 00:26:29,667 --> 00:26:31,417 because they are not sure yet 583 00:26:31,542 --> 00:26:33,833 if we're a threat to them or will become one. 584 00:26:35,750 --> 00:26:38,500 This theory stems from the Fermi Paradox, 585 00:26:38,625 --> 00:26:40,167 which suggests there's a disconnect 586 00:26:40,292 --> 00:26:43,000 between the number of advanced civilizations 587 00:26:43,167 --> 00:26:44,167 that should be in space 588 00:26:44,333 --> 00:26:47,667 and the lack of hard evidence for any of them. 589 00:26:47,792 --> 00:26:51,042 The term Dark Forest comes from a novel of the same name 590 00:26:51,208 --> 00:26:53,625 that compares the universe to a dark forest 591 00:26:53,750 --> 00:26:56,333 where every species stalks through the woods 592 00:26:56,458 --> 00:26:58,375 as stealthy hunters. 593 00:26:58,542 --> 00:27:00,833 Scientists believe this dark forest idea 594 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:04,208 could potentially explain why we haven't been picking up 595 00:27:04,375 --> 00:27:06,500 extraterrestrial radio activity. 596 00:27:06,625 --> 00:27:08,333 It's because they are hiding 597 00:27:08,458 --> 00:27:11,500 as they scan the universe for threats. 598 00:27:11,625 --> 00:27:13,792 So could this be a stealth UFO? 599 00:27:13,875 --> 00:27:15,333 Let's turn to our experts. 600 00:27:15,417 --> 00:27:17,708 (tense music) 601 00:27:19,375 --> 00:27:21,833 Aviation expert Tim McMillan examines the data 602 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:24,667 to see if it could have an extra terrestrial origin. 603 00:27:24,792 --> 00:27:27,375 - These particular devices are only picking up 604 00:27:27,542 --> 00:27:30,833 the transponders that are coming off of the aircraft, 605 00:27:30,958 --> 00:27:33,583 and so I would be inclined to say it's not a UFO, 606 00:27:33,708 --> 00:27:36,125 because it has a transponder. 607 00:27:36,250 --> 00:27:38,208 - [Tony] But video analyst Mick West says there's something 608 00:27:38,375 --> 00:27:40,458 about how the transponder is transmitting its code 609 00:27:40,542 --> 00:27:42,708 that still seems off. 610 00:27:42,833 --> 00:27:44,333 Could it be a glitch in the system? 611 00:27:44,417 --> 00:27:48,542 - The transponder codes that we see here are the ICAO, 612 00:27:48,708 --> 00:27:50,958 the International Civil Aviation Authority Codes. 613 00:27:51,042 --> 00:27:54,000 They are a six-digit, hexadecimal code, 614 00:27:54,083 --> 00:27:56,583 which means it uses the digits zero through nine 615 00:27:56,708 --> 00:27:58,417 and A through F. 616 00:27:58,542 --> 00:28:00,333 But in this case we don't have a code, 617 00:28:00,458 --> 00:28:04,125 we just have all fives, which is an invalid code. 618 00:28:04,208 --> 00:28:05,917 - [Tony] Then could it be a plane 619 00:28:06,042 --> 00:28:08,500 that's relaying a false code to trick a potential adversary 620 00:28:08,625 --> 00:28:10,542 into thinking it's there when it's not, 621 00:28:10,708 --> 00:28:12,333 a practice known as spoofing? 622 00:28:13,542 --> 00:28:16,750 - Explain why you would spoof that particular image, 623 00:28:16,875 --> 00:28:18,958 because nothing about the data that's being provided 624 00:28:19,042 --> 00:28:21,000 resembles a real aircraft. 625 00:28:21,125 --> 00:28:23,042 - [Tony] McMillan says the data makes it hard to believe 626 00:28:23,167 --> 00:28:25,667 this could be a real plane, nevermind a fake one. 627 00:28:25,750 --> 00:28:27,083 - It's moving extremely slow. 628 00:28:27,208 --> 00:28:29,125 It's going around three knots an hour, 629 00:28:29,250 --> 00:28:31,667 slower than even a balloon might travel, 630 00:28:31,792 --> 00:28:35,292 and it's only at about 3,300 feet in altitude. 631 00:28:35,417 --> 00:28:38,333 None of that matches with a known airplane. 632 00:28:38,458 --> 00:28:41,042 - [Tony] So West comes up with only one possible answer. 633 00:28:41,167 --> 00:28:44,208 - I think what we have here is two separate incidents. 634 00:28:44,375 --> 00:28:47,208 An aircraft in Arizona, possibly an aircraft in Russia, 635 00:28:47,333 --> 00:28:50,542 that just happen to have the same invalid transponder code. 636 00:28:50,708 --> 00:28:51,833 - [Tony] West says the planes 637 00:28:51,958 --> 00:28:53,333 likely don't have a transponder code, 638 00:28:53,458 --> 00:28:56,250 so they're being assigned the same default code: 639 00:28:56,375 --> 00:28:59,042 555555. 640 00:28:59,167 --> 00:29:01,958 So while the Russian plane's call sign may be Avrora, 641 00:29:02,042 --> 00:29:03,833 the tracking system is accidentally identifying 642 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:05,250 a different plane in Arizona 643 00:29:05,375 --> 00:29:09,500 that's using the same default 555555 code 644 00:29:09,625 --> 00:29:11,833 as the Russian plane Avrora. 645 00:29:11,958 --> 00:29:16,125 - Avrora is simply the Russian spelling of the word aurora, 646 00:29:16,250 --> 00:29:19,833 and Aurora is actually the name of a Russian battleship, 647 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:23,833 so it kind of hints at some kind of Russian military origin 648 00:29:23,958 --> 00:29:25,167 for the callsign. 649 00:29:25,292 --> 00:29:27,000 We don't know what the aircraft is, 650 00:29:27,125 --> 00:29:30,208 we don't know what was hovering over the ocean in Russia, 651 00:29:30,375 --> 00:29:33,333 and we don't know what was making circles in Arizona, 652 00:29:33,417 --> 00:29:35,083 so it's a mystery. 653 00:29:35,208 --> 00:29:37,250 (tense music) 654 00:29:39,042 --> 00:29:41,000 - We think West's guess that these 655 00:29:41,083 --> 00:29:43,667 are two separate aircraft is the most likely, 656 00:29:43,792 --> 00:29:45,500 but even that theory requires 657 00:29:45,625 --> 00:29:48,000 a series of coincidences to line up. 658 00:29:48,125 --> 00:29:49,875 So for now, we're going to consider this 659 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:52,542 an unsolved aviation mystery 660 00:29:52,667 --> 00:29:56,000 until we get more information about this unusual callsign. 661 00:30:00,042 --> 00:30:03,042 - Last season, we showed you a rectangular object 662 00:30:03,167 --> 00:30:05,500 flying over Wichita, Kansas 663 00:30:05,625 --> 00:30:07,917 that was not identifiable as a plane 664 00:30:08,042 --> 00:30:11,083 nor any other easily recognizable aircraft. 665 00:30:11,208 --> 00:30:14,208 Now, rectangular UFOs are strange, even by UFO standards, 666 00:30:14,333 --> 00:30:16,875 so when another one appeared on this next video, 667 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:18,458 we knew we had to investigate. 668 00:30:19,708 --> 00:30:21,083 On a clear December day, 669 00:30:21,208 --> 00:30:24,083 a father and daughter are driving south on Route 347, 670 00:30:24,208 --> 00:30:27,750 near Phoenix, Arizona, when they spot something unusual. 671 00:30:27,875 --> 00:30:29,500 They pull over to the side of the road 672 00:30:29,583 --> 00:30:32,000 and begin recording this. 673 00:30:32,083 --> 00:30:34,167 - [Father] Here we go guys. What is this right here? 674 00:30:34,333 --> 00:30:36,042 - [Tony] Flying through the air above South Mountain 675 00:30:36,208 --> 00:30:39,208 is what appears to be a black, rectangular-shaped object. 676 00:30:39,333 --> 00:30:42,000 - [Father] It's definitely not a plane. 677 00:30:42,083 --> 00:30:44,792 - [Tony] You see that? Let's zoom in for a closer look. 678 00:30:47,333 --> 00:30:49,167 Four solid corners are clearly visible 679 00:30:49,292 --> 00:30:51,708 as the object glides over the mountain range. 680 00:30:51,833 --> 00:30:53,958 At first blush, we thought advertising banner, 681 00:30:54,083 --> 00:30:56,167 but where's the plane pulling it? 682 00:30:56,292 --> 00:30:59,458 - You can understand why the man filming this 683 00:30:59,583 --> 00:31:01,875 would be a little bit freaked out. 684 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:04,167 There are no wings, there's nothing that says 685 00:31:04,250 --> 00:31:06,458 this object should be able to fly. 686 00:31:06,542 --> 00:31:08,958 - [Father] I don't know what that is, guys. 687 00:31:09,042 --> 00:31:11,000 My daughter, who is with me, 688 00:31:11,125 --> 00:31:14,958 we are convinced that this is possibly a UFO. 689 00:31:15,958 --> 00:31:17,417 - [Tony] Could he be right? 690 00:31:17,542 --> 00:31:19,333 Well, it wouldn't be surprising. 691 00:31:19,458 --> 00:31:21,542 Teitel says Phoenix's South Mountain 692 00:31:21,667 --> 00:31:23,000 is known for its UFO sightings. 693 00:31:23,125 --> 00:31:25,500 But a UFO in the form of a rectangle? 694 00:31:25,625 --> 00:31:27,000 Now that's unusual. 695 00:31:27,167 --> 00:31:29,417 - People who believe they've seen UFOs 696 00:31:29,542 --> 00:31:33,333 don't typically report rectangular or square shapes. 697 00:31:33,458 --> 00:31:36,167 They're usually discs or circles or balls, 698 00:31:36,250 --> 00:31:38,083 but there seems to be a rise 699 00:31:38,208 --> 00:31:42,458 in non-traditional flying saucer-type UFO sightings. 700 00:31:42,542 --> 00:31:44,458 - [Tony] But why is this rectangular object 701 00:31:44,583 --> 00:31:46,125 in the skies over Phoenix? 702 00:31:47,208 --> 00:31:49,833 - Luke Air Force Base is near Phoenix. 703 00:31:49,917 --> 00:31:53,417 Arizona's National Guard in Papago Park is there. 704 00:31:53,542 --> 00:31:56,042 Because there's so much military activity 705 00:31:56,167 --> 00:31:58,375 and there has been historically 706 00:31:58,500 --> 00:32:02,042 a lot of advanced military technology tested in the area, 707 00:32:02,167 --> 00:32:04,000 this might actually be a correlation 708 00:32:04,167 --> 00:32:07,167 with the high volume of UFO sightings in the southwest. 709 00:32:09,042 --> 00:32:10,333 - Phoenix is also the site 710 00:32:10,417 --> 00:32:13,958 of the famous Phoenix Lights incident in 1997, 711 00:32:14,083 --> 00:32:16,333 a widely reported series of UFO sightings 712 00:32:16,500 --> 00:32:19,000 that remain unexplained to this day. 713 00:32:19,125 --> 00:32:21,500 But the question is, do we have yet another 714 00:32:21,667 --> 00:32:23,667 true UFO sighting here, 715 00:32:23,833 --> 00:32:26,458 or is there a more obvious explanation? 716 00:32:26,583 --> 00:32:28,667 (tense music) 717 00:32:30,208 --> 00:32:31,917 First, we take the video to astronomer 718 00:32:32,042 --> 00:32:34,333 and video effects designer Marc D'Antonio. 719 00:32:34,458 --> 00:32:37,167 - This guy pulled over and thought it was UFO, 720 00:32:37,333 --> 00:32:39,167 but could it be an aircraft? 721 00:32:40,125 --> 00:32:42,042 Well, what about the Super Guppy? 722 00:32:42,167 --> 00:32:44,750 NASA makes a Super Guppy aircraft, 723 00:32:44,875 --> 00:32:47,333 and because it's so oddly shaped, 724 00:32:47,417 --> 00:32:50,667 it will indeed be mistaken as a UFO. 725 00:32:50,833 --> 00:32:53,250 - [Tony] The Super Guppy is a large, wide-bodied aircraft 726 00:32:53,375 --> 00:32:56,083 that can carry loads up to 54,000 pounds. 727 00:32:57,458 --> 00:32:59,667 - [Marc] The skin of the Guppy is very reflective, 728 00:32:59,833 --> 00:33:01,458 and it's a bright, clear day, 729 00:33:01,542 --> 00:33:04,083 but nowhere in the video do you actually see 730 00:33:04,208 --> 00:33:07,167 any kind of reflection off of this object. 731 00:33:07,292 --> 00:33:09,125 And they can track where the Guppy is at all times, 732 00:33:09,208 --> 00:33:11,000 and for this date and time, 733 00:33:11,083 --> 00:33:13,125 you can look up and see if the Guppy was in the area, 734 00:33:13,250 --> 00:33:15,875 and you'll find that it was not. 735 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:17,833 - [Tony] Instead, D'Antonio has an explanation 736 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:20,333 that appears to match the visual facts. 737 00:33:20,500 --> 00:33:23,375 - You'll notice that the shape sort of subtly changes 738 00:33:23,500 --> 00:33:25,042 as if it's flapping. 739 00:33:25,208 --> 00:33:28,167 I would basically say that, based on the shape, 740 00:33:28,250 --> 00:33:32,708 based on the speed, it looks very much like an object 741 00:33:32,875 --> 00:33:35,125 that is an advertising banner. 742 00:33:36,458 --> 00:33:38,917 - [Tony] But advertising banners can't fly by themselves. 743 00:33:39,042 --> 00:33:40,167 Plus, they're usually low enough 744 00:33:40,333 --> 00:33:42,375 and close enough to read the ad, right? 745 00:33:43,583 --> 00:33:45,625 A check of real time flight radar data 746 00:33:45,750 --> 00:33:49,625 does show daily small aircraft activity near South Mountain. 747 00:33:49,708 --> 00:33:51,625 So where's the plane? 748 00:33:51,750 --> 00:33:53,417 Physicists Michio Kaku explains. 749 00:33:53,542 --> 00:33:56,375 - There should be an airplane pulling the whole thing, 750 00:33:56,500 --> 00:34:00,583 but you don't see it, but that could be an optical illusion. 751 00:34:00,708 --> 00:34:02,167 - [Tony] Kaku says that the long distance 752 00:34:02,292 --> 00:34:03,875 between the camera and the object, 753 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:05,792 combined with atmospheric conditions, 754 00:34:05,875 --> 00:34:07,833 could be important factors. 755 00:34:07,958 --> 00:34:09,833 - Notice that this videotape was done 756 00:34:09,917 --> 00:34:12,000 from a distance of several miles. 757 00:34:12,083 --> 00:34:14,792 Because of that, you can have mirage effects 758 00:34:14,917 --> 00:34:16,917 that would hide the airplane. 759 00:34:17,042 --> 00:34:19,458 Hot air rises and expands. 760 00:34:19,542 --> 00:34:23,208 When light goes through air that is less dense, 761 00:34:23,333 --> 00:34:26,708 it starts to bend, and there could be air currents here 762 00:34:26,875 --> 00:34:28,833 which distort the light, 763 00:34:30,042 --> 00:34:33,708 and that's probably the reason why you don't see the airplane. 764 00:34:35,917 --> 00:34:38,167 (tense music) 765 00:34:39,833 --> 00:34:41,167 - Our verdict? 766 00:34:41,292 --> 00:34:43,667 The fluttering is the key. 767 00:34:43,792 --> 00:34:47,542 We're going with our first instinct: advertising banner. 768 00:34:47,667 --> 00:34:50,500 But the absence of the plane in the footage is strange, 769 00:34:50,625 --> 00:34:53,167 and it certainly had people online talking. 770 00:34:53,292 --> 00:34:55,125 These mysterious rectangular objects 771 00:34:55,208 --> 00:34:57,208 are a definite phenomenon, 772 00:34:57,333 --> 00:34:59,500 and as you continue to document them, 773 00:34:59,667 --> 00:35:00,708 we'll keep investigating. 774 00:35:04,875 --> 00:35:07,125 - UFO sightings, hallucinations, 775 00:35:07,208 --> 00:35:09,458 and malfunctioning compasses are all features 776 00:35:09,542 --> 00:35:11,917 of one anomalous zone in the wilds of Russia 777 00:35:12,042 --> 00:35:15,458 and part of the 62-year-old mystery that is our next story. 778 00:35:16,750 --> 00:35:20,167 January 23rd, 1959, in the mountains of western Russia. 779 00:35:20,292 --> 00:35:22,333 Nine members of the Ural Polytechnic Institute 780 00:35:22,500 --> 00:35:23,958 head into the frigid wilderness 781 00:35:24,042 --> 00:35:26,500 on a skiing expedition led by Igor Dyatlov. 782 00:35:27,667 --> 00:35:30,417 The team makes camp on February 1st. 783 00:35:30,542 --> 00:35:33,375 Those seven men and two women are never heard from again. 784 00:35:35,042 --> 00:35:37,000 A search team arrives on February 26th 785 00:35:37,167 --> 00:35:39,542 to find the tent half torn open, covered in snow, 786 00:35:39,667 --> 00:35:42,917 and cut open from inside, as if the campers were trying 787 00:35:43,042 --> 00:35:45,000 to escape something in a hurry. 788 00:35:45,167 --> 00:35:46,625 The group's shoes and other belongings 789 00:35:46,708 --> 00:35:47,750 have been left behind. 790 00:35:47,875 --> 00:35:49,917 Footprints lead to the team's dead bodies, 791 00:35:50,042 --> 00:35:51,667 dressed only in underwear. 792 00:35:51,792 --> 00:35:54,750 Three hikers have skull damage and major chest fractures. 793 00:35:54,875 --> 00:35:57,167 Notably, the corpses have no external wounds 794 00:35:57,292 --> 00:35:59,125 associated with those fractures. 795 00:36:00,208 --> 00:36:01,667 The diaries and cameras left behind 796 00:36:01,750 --> 00:36:03,917 offer the only clue as to what happened. 797 00:36:04,042 --> 00:36:07,042 Amongst the dozens of photos taken during the ill-fated trek 798 00:36:07,208 --> 00:36:09,167 is an alarming image of a darkened figure 799 00:36:09,250 --> 00:36:12,000 that seems to be approaching from not far off. 800 00:36:12,125 --> 00:36:13,500 Field researcher Ken Gerhard 801 00:36:13,583 --> 00:36:15,708 explores one of the most popular hypotheses 802 00:36:15,833 --> 00:36:17,250 about the group's demise. 803 00:36:17,375 --> 00:36:20,042 - One theory suggests that it may have been a Russian yeti 804 00:36:20,167 --> 00:36:22,583 that attacked and killed these nine hikers. 805 00:36:22,708 --> 00:36:24,875 - [Tony] Yetis are said to have razor-sharp teeth 806 00:36:25,042 --> 00:36:26,708 and be closely related to bears, 807 00:36:26,833 --> 00:36:29,583 as opposed to the ape-like nature of a Sasquatch. 808 00:36:29,708 --> 00:36:32,333 In 2019, the Indian Army posted a photo 809 00:36:32,458 --> 00:36:36,458 of a 32x15-inch footprint found near the Makalu base camp 810 00:36:36,583 --> 00:36:38,708 they suspect was made by a yeti. 811 00:36:38,833 --> 00:36:40,500 The terrain here is similar. 812 00:36:40,583 --> 00:36:43,417 - We are talking about a fairly remote, mountainous area, 813 00:36:43,542 --> 00:36:45,208 and this is the type of habitat 814 00:36:45,375 --> 00:36:48,667 where yeti-type creatures have been said to roam. 815 00:36:48,792 --> 00:36:50,833 - [Tony] It's also been suggested the bright lights 816 00:36:50,958 --> 00:36:52,292 emanating from orbs in the sky 817 00:36:52,417 --> 00:36:54,125 that were captured in the group's photographs 818 00:36:54,208 --> 00:36:56,208 could imply some otherworldly force 819 00:36:56,333 --> 00:36:57,625 was behind the tragedy. 820 00:36:57,708 --> 00:36:59,750 - UFO theorists have speculated that there could be 821 00:36:59,875 --> 00:37:02,083 some type of extraterrestrial involvement 822 00:37:02,208 --> 00:37:04,333 in these mysterious deaths. 823 00:37:04,458 --> 00:37:06,375 - [Tony] Another theory is that a local native tribe, 824 00:37:06,500 --> 00:37:08,417 the Mansi people, may have killed the hikers 825 00:37:08,542 --> 00:37:10,667 after they trespassed on sacred lands. 826 00:37:10,792 --> 00:37:12,417 In fact, at one point during their journey, 827 00:37:12,542 --> 00:37:14,000 the group is believed to have been following 828 00:37:14,125 --> 00:37:15,708 the tracks of a Mansi hunter. 829 00:37:18,083 --> 00:37:21,208 Soviet investigators concluded that, during the night, 830 00:37:21,333 --> 00:37:24,542 an unknown compelling force killed the hikers. 831 00:37:24,708 --> 00:37:27,167 They immediately classified the case files, 832 00:37:27,292 --> 00:37:29,792 but bowing to public pressure, Russia opened 833 00:37:29,875 --> 00:37:33,667 a new investigation into the incident in 2019. 834 00:37:33,833 --> 00:37:37,625 So what will our experts say when they investigate? 835 00:37:37,750 --> 00:37:39,875 (tense music) 836 00:37:41,458 --> 00:37:43,458 Professor of anatomy Dr. Jeff Meldrum 837 00:37:43,542 --> 00:37:46,292 weighs the possibility that these hikers encountered a yeti 838 00:37:46,375 --> 00:37:48,292 and whether that could account for the ripped tent 839 00:37:48,417 --> 00:37:50,000 and the figure captured in the photo. 840 00:37:50,125 --> 00:37:52,583 - There's a line of ski tracks 841 00:37:52,708 --> 00:37:55,333 that lead right straight to the figure. 842 00:37:55,417 --> 00:37:58,042 Looking more closely at the photos 843 00:37:58,167 --> 00:38:01,667 for hints from the garb worn, 844 00:38:01,833 --> 00:38:05,833 anoraks and gaiters, gloves, hoods, and so forth, 845 00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:07,542 it's one of the trekkers. 846 00:38:07,667 --> 00:38:09,375 There's no question left in my mind, 847 00:38:09,542 --> 00:38:11,875 based on that comparison. 848 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:14,542 - [Tony] Next, astrophotography expert Andrew McCarthy 849 00:38:14,667 --> 00:38:17,208 examines the photos for clues of the UFO theory, 850 00:38:17,333 --> 00:38:18,792 and he offers an explanation. 851 00:38:18,875 --> 00:38:22,708 - A common subject for photographers is the full moon. 852 00:38:22,833 --> 00:38:24,833 It's a beautiful sight to your eyes. 853 00:38:24,917 --> 00:38:26,958 However, it can be difficult to photograph. 854 00:38:27,042 --> 00:38:29,833 Sometimes it can look great through your eye piece, 855 00:38:29,958 --> 00:38:32,333 but unless you really dial in your camera settings, 856 00:38:32,417 --> 00:38:34,333 the photo's not going to turn out very good. 857 00:38:34,458 --> 00:38:35,833 - [Tony] McCarthy says this image 858 00:38:35,958 --> 00:38:38,458 is likely an attempted handheld shot of the moon, 859 00:38:38,542 --> 00:38:41,667 overexposed and blurred by the motion of the camera. 860 00:38:41,792 --> 00:38:44,542 And those strange lights and shapes seem to be the results 861 00:38:44,708 --> 00:38:47,167 of the photographer's attempt to capture photos of stars 862 00:38:47,333 --> 00:38:49,375 and planets in the night sky. 863 00:38:49,542 --> 00:38:51,500 As for the Mansi people, this theory was abandoned 864 00:38:51,583 --> 00:38:53,000 due to a lack of motive 865 00:38:53,083 --> 00:38:55,667 and any concrete evidence of their involvement. 866 00:38:55,750 --> 00:38:58,250 So what could prompt the crew to cut through their tents 867 00:38:58,375 --> 00:39:00,792 and face the Russian winter in a state of undress? 868 00:39:00,875 --> 00:39:02,958 Meteorologist Juan Hernandez has a theory. 869 00:39:03,042 --> 00:39:05,667 - There's something called a slab avalanche 870 00:39:05,792 --> 00:39:08,833 where you have a slab of snow 871 00:39:08,958 --> 00:39:12,500 that is moving down the slope of the mountain. 872 00:39:12,583 --> 00:39:15,708 The slant has to be around 30 to 45 degrees 873 00:39:15,833 --> 00:39:18,917 for it to be able to go down the slope. 874 00:39:19,042 --> 00:39:21,750 There was a significant wind, there was significant cold. 875 00:39:21,875 --> 00:39:27,208 That would likely be the cause of a slab avalanche. 876 00:39:27,333 --> 00:39:28,958 - [Tony] Hernandez beliefs it was a mixture 877 00:39:29,083 --> 00:39:31,083 of the avalanche itself and the extreme cold 878 00:39:31,208 --> 00:39:32,833 that killed the hikers. 879 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:35,458 This explanation would help explain the fascinating mystery 880 00:39:35,542 --> 00:39:37,333 of why their bodies were brutally pummeled 881 00:39:37,458 --> 00:39:38,500 and broken inside, 882 00:39:38,667 --> 00:39:41,000 but strangely unharmed on the outside 883 00:39:41,125 --> 00:39:43,333 with no visible external wounds. 884 00:39:43,458 --> 00:39:45,542 - So here we have a windshield chart 885 00:39:45,667 --> 00:39:48,292 which, unfortunately, the hikers 886 00:39:48,375 --> 00:39:50,500 were in the extreme end over here 887 00:39:50,667 --> 00:39:53,292 where winds were around 60 miles an hour 888 00:39:53,375 --> 00:39:55,208 with a temperature of -40. 889 00:39:55,375 --> 00:39:58,458 So, given the wind chill of -91, 890 00:39:58,583 --> 00:40:00,583 they would likely have less than five minutes 891 00:40:00,708 --> 00:40:03,000 before the frostbite setting in. 892 00:40:03,125 --> 00:40:04,958 - [Tony] And Jeff Meldrum believes this theory 893 00:40:05,042 --> 00:40:07,875 explains the grizzly state in which the bodies were found. 894 00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:10,333 - The avalanche explanation makes clear 895 00:40:10,458 --> 00:40:12,167 why they were buried in their tents 896 00:40:12,292 --> 00:40:13,667 and had to dig their way out. 897 00:40:13,833 --> 00:40:16,542 When a slab avalanche like that goes whipping by, 898 00:40:16,667 --> 00:40:20,792 it grinds things to a pulp, it's like crumbled concrete. 899 00:40:20,917 --> 00:40:23,042 (tense music) 900 00:40:24,708 --> 00:40:27,000 - Our verdict? An avalanche and frostbite 901 00:40:27,083 --> 00:40:30,500 caused by freezing conditions killed these hikers. 902 00:40:30,625 --> 00:40:32,917 The area has been named Dyatlov Pass 903 00:40:33,042 --> 00:40:35,542 in memory of Igor and the rest of the group. 904 00:40:35,708 --> 00:40:37,083 And that's our show for tonight. 905 00:40:37,208 --> 00:40:38,625 Thank you so much for watching, 906 00:40:38,708 --> 00:40:42,333 and, as ever, keep those cameras rolling! 907 00:40:42,458 --> 00:40:45,083 (dramatic theme music)