1 00:00:02,083 --> 00:00:03,333 - Tonight, on The Proof Is Out There, 2 00:00:03,458 --> 00:00:05,333 one of our own scientists captures an anomaly on camera. 3 00:00:05,417 --> 00:00:07,875 What's the truth behind this hole in the sky? 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:11,125 - A lot of people believe UFOs open up portals. 5 00:00:11,208 --> 00:00:13,583 - [Tony] What in the world is this serpentlike creature 6 00:00:13,708 --> 00:00:14,708 with green hair? 7 00:00:14,833 --> 00:00:16,833 - Snakes don't have fur. 8 00:00:16,958 --> 00:00:18,208 - [Tony] These rocks have been moved. 9 00:00:18,375 --> 00:00:20,500 You can see the tracks, but there are no footprints. 10 00:00:20,667 --> 00:00:23,250 What's the force behind the sailing stones of Death Valley? 11 00:00:23,375 --> 00:00:26,083 - They appear to have moved themselves. 12 00:00:26,208 --> 00:00:28,000 - [Tony] And grab the dust pan. 13 00:00:28,083 --> 00:00:30,542 What is this strange life form on the kitchen floor? 14 00:00:30,667 --> 00:00:33,792 - Anybody finding something like this would be freaked out. 15 00:00:33,875 --> 00:00:36,458 (dramatic music) 16 00:00:38,333 --> 00:00:39,875 - [Tony] Around the globe are videos. 17 00:00:40,042 --> 00:00:41,708 - [Witness] What the heck is this? 18 00:00:41,833 --> 00:00:43,417 - [Witness] It's moving. 19 00:00:43,542 --> 00:00:46,500 - Photos and sounds that defy explanation. 20 00:00:46,583 --> 00:00:48,417 (static squeaking) 21 00:00:52,167 --> 00:00:54,333 - [Marc] Is it some kind of unidentified object? 22 00:00:54,458 --> 00:00:56,500 What's exciting is nobody really knows. 23 00:00:56,625 --> 00:00:57,500 (engine whirring) 24 00:00:57,583 --> 00:00:58,417 - [Tony] What are they? 25 00:00:58,542 --> 00:01:00,500 - [MJ] Some sort of bizarre mutation. 26 00:01:00,583 --> 00:01:03,625 - Extraordinary claims need extraordinary proof. 27 00:01:05,708 --> 00:01:06,667 - I'm Tony Harris. 28 00:01:06,750 --> 00:01:09,167 And as a journalist for more than 30 years, 29 00:01:09,292 --> 00:01:11,542 I've followed the facts where they take me. 30 00:01:11,708 --> 00:01:14,917 Now I'm bringing that spirit of investigation to the world's 31 00:01:15,042 --> 00:01:16,750 strangest sounds and images. 32 00:01:18,208 --> 00:01:20,667 We'll analyze each one with top experts. 33 00:01:20,750 --> 00:01:24,000 - It's a credible case. It's a credible video. 34 00:01:24,125 --> 00:01:26,667 - [Tony] And pass a verdict on what it is. 35 00:01:26,750 --> 00:01:28,750 - This video is clearly faked. 36 00:01:28,875 --> 00:01:31,167 - The proof starts now. 37 00:01:31,292 --> 00:01:34,042 (dramatic theme music) 38 00:01:39,333 --> 00:01:42,417 Good evening, and welcome to The Proof Is Out There. 39 00:01:42,542 --> 00:01:45,250 The launch of the brand-new James Webb Telescope 40 00:01:45,375 --> 00:01:47,917 is a giant step forward as we try to determine 41 00:01:48,042 --> 00:01:50,167 if we're not alone in the universe. 42 00:01:50,292 --> 00:01:53,167 But it's not just big government organizations, like NASA, 43 00:01:53,333 --> 00:01:55,000 that are scanning the skies. 44 00:01:55,167 --> 00:01:57,542 Our next video is from a small team of researchers 45 00:01:57,708 --> 00:02:01,167 who have banded together to try and answer that question. 46 00:02:01,292 --> 00:02:03,833 And they were shocked by what they found. 47 00:02:04,875 --> 00:02:07,292 Friday, July 16th, 2021. 48 00:02:07,417 --> 00:02:09,333 It's a foggy night, and a team of scientists 49 00:02:09,458 --> 00:02:12,292 from the research group, UAPx, is on a week-long expedition 50 00:02:12,417 --> 00:02:15,292 near Catalina Island off the coast of California. 51 00:02:15,417 --> 00:02:17,125 Then shortly before 4:00 a.m., 52 00:02:17,250 --> 00:02:18,542 one of their motion detector cameras 53 00:02:18,708 --> 00:02:20,833 in night vision mode captures this. 54 00:02:20,917 --> 00:02:23,167 (suspenseful music) 55 00:02:23,250 --> 00:02:24,958 In the upper right-hand corner of the frame, 56 00:02:25,042 --> 00:02:27,625 a black hole suddenly appears in the sky. 57 00:02:27,708 --> 00:02:29,042 But take a closer look. 58 00:02:29,167 --> 00:02:30,500 Do you see that? 59 00:02:30,625 --> 00:02:32,708 A cluster of small dots begins to materialize inside 60 00:02:32,875 --> 00:02:35,083 and researchers don't think they're mere stars. 61 00:02:35,208 --> 00:02:36,667 Physicist, Dr. Matthew Szydagis, 62 00:02:36,750 --> 00:02:38,500 is one of the researchers with the project. 63 00:02:38,625 --> 00:02:43,458 - This is very strange because this timestamp of this video 64 00:02:43,583 --> 00:02:47,333 does match with one of our most anomalous, 65 00:02:47,417 --> 00:02:49,833 highest energy events that we recorded 66 00:02:49,958 --> 00:02:51,750 in our radiation sensor. 67 00:02:51,875 --> 00:02:52,958 - [Tony] Because UFO cases 68 00:02:53,083 --> 00:02:54,458 have historically involved radiation, 69 00:02:54,583 --> 00:02:57,208 the team came prepared with a radiation sensor. 70 00:02:57,375 --> 00:02:59,250 In normal circumstances, the average reading 71 00:02:59,375 --> 00:03:01,417 is about one to two megaelectron-volts, 72 00:03:01,542 --> 00:03:02,917 but at the time of the anomaly, 73 00:03:03,042 --> 00:03:04,708 it jumped to 43. (sensor crackling) 74 00:03:04,875 --> 00:03:07,458 According to writer, MJ Banias, we shouldn't be surprised 75 00:03:07,583 --> 00:03:08,917 that something mysterious appears 76 00:03:09,042 --> 00:03:10,500 to be happening over Catalina Island. 77 00:03:10,667 --> 00:03:14,167 - Catalina Island is home to a very long history 78 00:03:14,333 --> 00:03:17,125 of strange and anomalous phenomena. 79 00:03:17,208 --> 00:03:18,708 - [Tony] In fact, what may be one 80 00:03:18,833 --> 00:03:20,625 of the most important UFO sightings in history 81 00:03:20,750 --> 00:03:23,667 was documented only miles away in 2004. 82 00:03:23,792 --> 00:03:26,458 - So as the story goes, on board the USS Princeton, 83 00:03:26,542 --> 00:03:29,125 on their radar, they encountered some sort 84 00:03:29,250 --> 00:03:31,250 of anomalous object between Catalina Island 85 00:03:31,375 --> 00:03:34,125 and several other islands in the channel. 86 00:03:34,208 --> 00:03:35,667 - [Tony] Two fighter jets are dispatched 87 00:03:35,792 --> 00:03:38,500 from the aircraft carrier, USS Nimitz, to investigate. 88 00:03:38,583 --> 00:03:41,042 - They approached what looked like 89 00:03:41,167 --> 00:03:45,750 to be a 40-foot-long-shaped Tic Tac hovering, 90 00:03:45,875 --> 00:03:46,875 making erratic maneuvers 91 00:03:47,042 --> 00:03:48,750 just above the surface of the water. 92 00:03:48,875 --> 00:03:52,167 Then the pilots played chase with this object back and forth 93 00:03:52,250 --> 00:03:54,042 for several minutes before being ordered 94 00:03:54,167 --> 00:03:56,833 to return back to their aircraft carrier. 95 00:03:56,958 --> 00:03:58,667 - [Tony] But how did it get here? 96 00:03:58,750 --> 00:04:00,333 Banias lays out one popular theory. 97 00:04:00,458 --> 00:04:02,083 - There's a lot of people who believe 98 00:04:02,208 --> 00:04:04,875 that UFOs open up wormholes or portals 99 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:07,625 between their world and travel through dimensions, 100 00:04:07,708 --> 00:04:11,625 this idea that we can open a gateway between place X 101 00:04:11,708 --> 00:04:14,167 and place Y and move between them. 102 00:04:14,292 --> 00:04:16,667 The Catalina Islands would be a sort of entry point 103 00:04:16,750 --> 00:04:18,625 for UFOs to use. 104 00:04:19,875 --> 00:04:22,708 - When the scientists from UAPx filed a Freedom 105 00:04:22,875 --> 00:04:26,250 of Information request to get either satellite imagery 106 00:04:26,375 --> 00:04:29,833 or logs from any Navy ships in the area that night, 107 00:04:29,958 --> 00:04:32,667 they were told those files either don't exist, 108 00:04:32,750 --> 00:04:35,458 or if they do, they're classified. 109 00:04:35,542 --> 00:04:37,500 That's only added to the mystery. 110 00:04:37,625 --> 00:04:39,708 What exactly did they witness? 111 00:04:39,833 --> 00:04:41,917 We take that question to our experts. 112 00:04:42,042 --> 00:04:44,500 (tense music) 113 00:04:45,875 --> 00:04:48,833 We begin with Rich Hoffman of the Coalition for UAP Studies. 114 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:51,333 - I've spent a lot of time looking at everything 115 00:04:51,458 --> 00:04:54,000 from aircraft to clouds to helicopters 116 00:04:54,125 --> 00:04:57,625 to birds to kites to you name it, 117 00:04:57,708 --> 00:05:01,000 and it doesn't match anything like that. 118 00:05:01,167 --> 00:05:03,708 - [Tony] But Hoffman does offer a possible explanation. 119 00:05:03,875 --> 00:05:06,333 - It's within reason that it's a camera artifact. 120 00:05:06,458 --> 00:05:08,167 You can have all kinds of interference 121 00:05:08,250 --> 00:05:10,542 when you're working with electronics of any kind. 122 00:05:10,667 --> 00:05:12,000 - [Tony] But physicist, Michio Kaku, 123 00:05:12,167 --> 00:05:16,167 acknowledges another possibility exists, at least in theory. 124 00:05:16,250 --> 00:05:17,708 We know these aren't known stars. 125 00:05:17,875 --> 00:05:19,708 There's no constellation that matches, 126 00:05:19,833 --> 00:05:22,458 but might they be stars from another universe? 127 00:05:22,583 --> 00:05:24,500 Is it possible this is a wormhole? 128 00:05:24,583 --> 00:05:26,208 - Think of a universe here 129 00:05:26,375 --> 00:05:29,625 with another parallel universe right next to it. 130 00:05:29,750 --> 00:05:32,500 You might be able to create a gateway 131 00:05:32,625 --> 00:05:35,167 that connects two universes. 132 00:05:35,292 --> 00:05:38,208 But the energy necessary to open a stable gateway 133 00:05:38,375 --> 00:05:42,000 between universes is that of a black hole. 134 00:05:42,167 --> 00:05:44,583 But there should be side effects, 135 00:05:44,708 --> 00:05:48,333 and that would be the force of intense gravitational fields. 136 00:05:48,458 --> 00:05:50,042 However, in this videotape, 137 00:05:50,167 --> 00:05:52,083 we don't see any examples of that. 138 00:05:52,208 --> 00:05:53,333 - [Tony] However, 139 00:05:53,500 --> 00:05:55,500 Kaku notes there is a scientific phenomenon 140 00:05:55,625 --> 00:05:57,750 which may explain what we're seeing. 141 00:05:57,875 --> 00:06:01,667 - Fallstreak is when you have a mass of super cold air 142 00:06:01,792 --> 00:06:05,333 in the sky and there's a sudden influx of ice crystals. 143 00:06:05,417 --> 00:06:07,542 - [Tony] These ice crystals cause the water droplets 144 00:06:07,667 --> 00:06:10,083 that compose clouds to freeze and fall. 145 00:06:10,208 --> 00:06:11,792 - Which creates a hole. 146 00:06:11,875 --> 00:06:15,292 In fact, many of the fallstreaks were created by airplanes 147 00:06:15,375 --> 00:06:18,667 that went right by this mass of super cold air, 148 00:06:18,750 --> 00:06:22,000 causing literally a hole in space. 149 00:06:22,083 --> 00:06:24,667 - [Tony] Is this the result of a fallstreak hole? 150 00:06:24,833 --> 00:06:27,417 Matthew Szydagis confirms it was one possibility 151 00:06:27,542 --> 00:06:30,125 among many explored by the UAPx researchers. 152 00:06:30,250 --> 00:06:32,625 - We considered fallstreak hole. 153 00:06:32,708 --> 00:06:38,167 However, we checked the FAA records of this day and time. 154 00:06:38,292 --> 00:06:41,417 There was no airplane at that location. 155 00:06:41,542 --> 00:06:43,833 - [Tony] And the idea that it's a camera glitch, 156 00:06:43,958 --> 00:06:45,542 Szydagis says no way. 157 00:06:45,708 --> 00:06:49,375 - We find no evidence of a camera glitch in the entire week 158 00:06:49,542 --> 00:06:51,833 of the expedition that looks like this. 159 00:06:51,958 --> 00:06:54,667 How likely is it that this was a camera glitch 160 00:06:54,750 --> 00:06:57,667 that by coincidence happens to align 161 00:06:57,792 --> 00:07:00,917 with one of our most anomalous detections also 162 00:07:01,042 --> 00:07:02,667 in our radiation sensor? 163 00:07:03,667 --> 00:07:06,000 Is it alien? Is it extraterrestrial? 164 00:07:06,125 --> 00:07:08,667 As a scientist, I've gotta see the evidence 165 00:07:08,792 --> 00:07:10,333 or the proof of something. 166 00:07:10,458 --> 00:07:13,542 But the flip side of that is I'm not so skeptical 167 00:07:13,667 --> 00:07:18,292 that I refuse to listen to a crazy idea 168 00:07:18,375 --> 00:07:21,417 just because there's no evidence for it yet. 169 00:07:21,542 --> 00:07:23,917 (tense music) 170 00:07:25,750 --> 00:07:28,417 - Our verdict, until we get more definitive evidence, 171 00:07:28,542 --> 00:07:31,500 we have to go with unexplained phenomenon. 172 00:07:31,625 --> 00:07:33,167 While our experts were able to come up 173 00:07:33,292 --> 00:07:36,167 with some interesting theories, none can be confirmed. 174 00:07:36,292 --> 00:07:38,667 And if the team of scientists at UAPx 175 00:07:38,833 --> 00:07:40,625 isn't sure what's going on, 176 00:07:40,750 --> 00:07:44,000 it's clear there is more work to be done. 177 00:07:44,167 --> 00:07:45,625 When they do figure it out, 178 00:07:45,708 --> 00:07:47,542 we'll be the first to bring it to you. 179 00:07:48,667 --> 00:07:51,083 Now we move from physics to folklore. 180 00:07:51,208 --> 00:07:54,625 Dragons have been prevalent in mythology for ages, 181 00:07:54,750 --> 00:07:57,500 but many myths have roots in natural history. 182 00:07:57,583 --> 00:08:00,875 For instance, it's now thought stories of giants derived 183 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:03,667 from the discovery of woolly mammoth fossils. 184 00:08:03,750 --> 00:08:05,667 Could it be possible that dragons 185 00:08:05,792 --> 00:08:08,042 also have roots in reality? 186 00:08:08,208 --> 00:08:11,500 Watch this next clip and decide for yourself. 187 00:08:12,708 --> 00:08:16,167 February 2022, Sakon Nakhon, Thailand. 188 00:08:16,333 --> 00:08:18,667 A local man is on a Saturday stroll in his neighborhood 189 00:08:18,792 --> 00:08:20,458 when he sees something strange moving slowly 190 00:08:20,542 --> 00:08:22,042 in some dirty runoff. 191 00:08:22,167 --> 00:08:24,167 Knowing no one would believe him without proof, 192 00:08:24,250 --> 00:08:27,500 he reaches out to the creature with a jar and captures this. 193 00:08:27,625 --> 00:08:29,083 (suspenseful music) 194 00:08:29,208 --> 00:08:31,750 A long tubular creature sits in some shallow water 195 00:08:31,875 --> 00:08:33,292 at the bottom of a barrel. 196 00:08:33,417 --> 00:08:36,125 It's about two feet long and it sure appears serpentine, 197 00:08:36,250 --> 00:08:39,125 but it's covered in what looks like an odd greenish fur. 198 00:08:40,375 --> 00:08:41,708 Let's watch that again. 199 00:08:42,875 --> 00:08:44,833 It rears its head and pokes a pair of tiny nostrils 200 00:08:44,958 --> 00:08:47,750 above the surface and a tongue flicks out suddenly. 201 00:08:49,083 --> 00:08:51,083 Field researcher, Ken Gerhard, fills us in 202 00:08:51,208 --> 00:08:53,542 on what the internet made of this fuzzy creature. 203 00:08:54,750 --> 00:08:56,500 - One theory is that we may be looking 204 00:08:56,667 --> 00:09:01,583 at an example of a real genuine dragon. 205 00:09:03,417 --> 00:09:05,083 Many of our dragons in mythologies 206 00:09:05,208 --> 00:09:07,458 around the world are Chimeras. 207 00:09:07,542 --> 00:09:09,500 That is, they combine different features 208 00:09:09,625 --> 00:09:11,000 from different types of animals. 209 00:09:11,125 --> 00:09:15,875 For example, a serpentine or reptilian body shape 210 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:18,375 but often adorned with mammal-like features, 211 00:09:18,542 --> 00:09:20,667 like claws or hair, 212 00:09:20,750 --> 00:09:24,000 a beard, sometimes wings. 213 00:09:24,125 --> 00:09:26,000 - [Tony] But aren't dragons usually bigger? 214 00:09:26,083 --> 00:09:27,875 This creature looks relatively small. 215 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:30,917 - We have a type of dragon known as the basilisk, 216 00:09:31,042 --> 00:09:34,542 or the little king, which is a very tiny type of dragon 217 00:09:34,667 --> 00:09:36,625 that comes out of the Middle East. 218 00:09:36,750 --> 00:09:39,417 One could make an argument that this is representative 219 00:09:39,542 --> 00:09:42,750 of one of these small dragon stories. 220 00:09:45,292 --> 00:09:47,542 - One of the most compelling things about dragons 221 00:09:47,667 --> 00:09:50,000 is that they've been documented in mythologies 222 00:09:50,125 --> 00:09:51,250 around the world. 223 00:09:51,375 --> 00:09:53,292 It's hypothesized this may be 224 00:09:53,375 --> 00:09:56,167 because all cultures feared snakes. 225 00:09:56,292 --> 00:09:58,875 But some say this collective consciousness about dragons 226 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:02,333 indicates our ancestors all actually encountered 227 00:10:02,417 --> 00:10:04,625 the same fantastic creatures. 228 00:10:04,750 --> 00:10:07,000 Let's turn to our experts for their thoughts 229 00:10:07,167 --> 00:10:10,083 on the reality of this serpentine beast. 230 00:10:10,208 --> 00:10:12,292 (tense music) 231 00:10:14,625 --> 00:10:16,292 First, we turn to our veteran forensic analyst, 232 00:10:16,375 --> 00:10:18,875 Michael Primeau, to determine whether this creature is real 233 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:20,875 or just a clever digital mock-up. 234 00:10:21,042 --> 00:10:23,542 - Through physical aspects of the scene analysis, 235 00:10:23,708 --> 00:10:25,958 lens flaring from the camera, as well as lighting 236 00:10:26,042 --> 00:10:28,792 that was produced from behind the camera, 237 00:10:28,917 --> 00:10:31,625 the verdict is that this is an authentic video. 238 00:10:31,750 --> 00:10:33,500 - [Tony] An authentic furry serpent? 239 00:10:33,667 --> 00:10:36,625 If we're gonna go there, let's talk about chimeras. 240 00:10:36,708 --> 00:10:38,083 They don't all have to be dragons. 241 00:10:38,208 --> 00:10:41,208 And in fact, there are some examples of chimeras in nature. 242 00:10:41,375 --> 00:10:44,500 We have the narwhal, the famed sea unicorn, 243 00:10:44,667 --> 00:10:45,833 a whale with a tusk 244 00:10:45,917 --> 00:10:47,667 reaching up to 10 feet in length. 245 00:10:47,750 --> 00:10:49,083 Some of these creatures are so unbelievable 246 00:10:49,208 --> 00:10:51,833 that even scientists doubted their existence. 247 00:10:51,958 --> 00:10:53,917 Take the duck-billed platypus, for example. 248 00:10:54,042 --> 00:10:56,500 Initially, 19th-century naturalists were sure 249 00:10:56,583 --> 00:10:57,792 that specimens sent from Australia 250 00:10:57,917 --> 00:11:00,458 to Great Britain were hoaxed. 251 00:11:00,542 --> 00:11:02,167 Could this be, like the platypus, 252 00:11:02,250 --> 00:11:04,208 something entirely new? 253 00:11:04,333 --> 00:11:06,917 Marine biologist, Shea Conger, weighs in. 254 00:11:07,042 --> 00:11:09,708 - To me, this looks like a type of snake. 255 00:11:09,875 --> 00:11:12,500 You can see that it's flicking its tongue in and out, 256 00:11:12,667 --> 00:11:13,958 and that's one of the main ways 257 00:11:14,083 --> 00:11:15,542 that snakes sense their environment 258 00:11:15,708 --> 00:11:18,250 is by essentially tasting the air 259 00:11:18,375 --> 00:11:21,542 or testing the chemicals in the water around it 260 00:11:21,708 --> 00:11:23,458 to see if there's food or danger. 261 00:11:23,583 --> 00:11:25,667 But there's something unusual going on 262 00:11:25,750 --> 00:11:29,250 to where it's coated in this green fibrous material. 263 00:11:29,375 --> 00:11:32,875 Snakes, because they're reptiles, don't have fur. 264 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:35,500 - [Tony] Conger says mammals need fur to keep them warm, 265 00:11:35,667 --> 00:11:37,083 but reptiles don't. 266 00:11:37,208 --> 00:11:39,750 - Reptiles actually use the heat of the environment 267 00:11:39,875 --> 00:11:42,125 around them to warm their bodies. 268 00:11:42,208 --> 00:11:43,167 - [Tony] We turn next 269 00:11:43,292 --> 00:11:44,917 to wildlife biologist, Stephanie Schuttler. 270 00:11:45,042 --> 00:11:46,708 If it's not fur, what is it? 271 00:11:46,833 --> 00:11:49,833 - It really looks, to me, to be more plantlike. 272 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,500 - [Tony] Sounds wild, but animals with vegetation growing 273 00:11:52,625 --> 00:11:54,125 on them are more common than you think. 274 00:11:54,250 --> 00:11:56,250 - There are turtles that get algae on them 275 00:11:56,375 --> 00:11:59,000 and other snake species that get algae on them. 276 00:11:59,125 --> 00:12:02,458 Sloths have algae throughout their fur. 277 00:12:02,583 --> 00:12:04,292 Polar bears, when it's warmer, 278 00:12:04,417 --> 00:12:07,833 their fur will also turn a greenish color from the algae. 279 00:12:07,958 --> 00:12:09,833 But the really remarkable thing 280 00:12:09,917 --> 00:12:14,625 is that this snake is pretty much entirely covered. 281 00:12:14,750 --> 00:12:16,292 - [Tony] So how, and more importantly, 282 00:12:16,417 --> 00:12:17,708 why did this happen? 283 00:12:17,833 --> 00:12:19,792 - The snake had to be moving very slowly 284 00:12:19,917 --> 00:12:22,833 because the plant spores need to embed themselves 285 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:26,083 into the skin to grow onto it. 286 00:12:26,208 --> 00:12:28,458 It protects them. Predators can't see them. 287 00:12:28,583 --> 00:12:30,500 And it helps them catch more prey 288 00:12:30,625 --> 00:12:32,792 because the prey can't see them as well. 289 00:12:32,917 --> 00:12:36,000 It also makes them smell like the environment. 290 00:12:36,083 --> 00:12:39,333 They're essentially carrying the environment on them. 291 00:12:39,500 --> 00:12:43,000 It could be that this snake intentionally let the algae grow 292 00:12:43,167 --> 00:12:46,208 on it as a survival strategy. 293 00:12:46,333 --> 00:12:48,458 (tense music) 294 00:12:50,125 --> 00:12:52,917 - Our verdict, algal growth. 295 00:12:53,042 --> 00:12:55,500 This is one of those rare stories where the truth 296 00:12:55,625 --> 00:12:57,958 is just as fascinating as any legend. 297 00:12:58,083 --> 00:13:01,917 According to locals, this is a puffed-faced water snake. 298 00:13:02,042 --> 00:13:04,833 The next time it sheds, the algae will go with it 299 00:13:04,958 --> 00:13:07,375 and a new bloom will need to take root on his body. 300 00:13:11,250 --> 00:13:13,042 - Now, when you and I picture Antarctica, 301 00:13:13,167 --> 00:13:15,625 below-zero temperatures, lots of ice, 302 00:13:15,708 --> 00:13:17,625 and penguins are probably the first things 303 00:13:17,750 --> 00:13:19,667 that come to mind, right? 304 00:13:19,750 --> 00:13:21,875 Well, if you didn't think of Nazis, 305 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:24,125 secret bases, and aliens, 306 00:13:24,208 --> 00:13:27,542 well, our next story might just change that. 307 00:13:27,708 --> 00:13:31,250 It's August 1964, the naval research vessel, Eltanin, 308 00:13:31,375 --> 00:13:34,083 is on a scientific mission near the Antarctic coast, 309 00:13:34,208 --> 00:13:36,375 conducting a survey of the ocean floor. 310 00:13:36,500 --> 00:13:40,000 Then 13,000 feet below along the bleak and barren bottom, 311 00:13:40,083 --> 00:13:42,917 scientists are stunned when their cameras capture this. 312 00:13:44,208 --> 00:13:47,417 A strange object stands upright and alone on the seabed. 313 00:13:47,542 --> 00:13:48,667 Take a closer look. 314 00:13:48,792 --> 00:13:50,667 It has symmetrical nodules, spokes, 315 00:13:50,750 --> 00:13:53,208 and protrusions ending in a spherical top. 316 00:13:53,333 --> 00:13:55,250 According to field researcher, Ken Gerhard, 317 00:13:55,375 --> 00:13:56,625 scientists were baffled. 318 00:13:56,750 --> 00:14:00,583 - And this was about two feet long with a rod-like base, 319 00:14:00,708 --> 00:14:02,417 and none of the researchers or scientists 320 00:14:02,542 --> 00:14:05,042 at that time had any idea what they were looking at. 321 00:14:05,167 --> 00:14:08,250 And this particular image has subsequently become known 322 00:14:08,375 --> 00:14:10,167 as the Eltanin Antenna. 323 00:14:10,292 --> 00:14:12,000 - [Tony] An antenna at the bottom of the ocean, 324 00:14:12,083 --> 00:14:13,667 at the bottom of the world? 325 00:14:13,750 --> 00:14:15,083 How did it get here? 326 00:14:15,208 --> 00:14:17,000 Believe it or not, some wonder if this artifact 327 00:14:17,167 --> 00:14:18,750 could be a remnant from a secret mission 328 00:14:18,875 --> 00:14:20,500 of Hitler's Third Reich. 329 00:14:20,625 --> 00:14:22,833 - There are claims that, in 1938, 330 00:14:22,917 --> 00:14:26,333 the Nazis drove U-boats down to Antarctica 331 00:14:26,458 --> 00:14:32,000 and formed a secret Nazi base known as New Berchtesgaden. 332 00:14:32,083 --> 00:14:33,792 - [Tony] Were the Nazis trying to build a base 333 00:14:33,875 --> 00:14:35,333 for Hitler in Antarctica? 334 00:14:35,458 --> 00:14:37,458 Most historians are cold on the idea. 335 00:14:37,542 --> 00:14:39,917 But Hitler wasn't the only one interested. 336 00:14:40,042 --> 00:14:43,500 In 1946, the US military initiated Operation HIGHJUMP 337 00:14:43,625 --> 00:14:47,042 with an armada of naval ships, including the USS Brownson, 338 00:14:47,167 --> 00:14:50,208 deployed to establish their own Antarctic research base. 339 00:14:50,333 --> 00:14:51,708 They didn't run into any Nazis, 340 00:14:51,833 --> 00:14:53,667 but some say they found something else. 341 00:14:53,750 --> 00:14:59,208 - Rumors are that the USS Brownson was approached by a UFO 342 00:14:59,375 --> 00:15:02,083 that actually came very, very close to the ship's masthead 343 00:15:02,208 --> 00:15:05,042 and created an electromagnetic disruption. 344 00:15:05,208 --> 00:15:07,125 Is it possible that, in some way, 345 00:15:07,208 --> 00:15:09,500 this antenna-like structure may be connected 346 00:15:09,667 --> 00:15:13,208 to one of these stories that involve Operation HIGHJUMP, 347 00:15:13,333 --> 00:15:18,250 secret Nazi bases, alien attacks, and so forth? 348 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:22,667 - Antarctica might look like one huge ice sheet, 349 00:15:22,833 --> 00:15:25,333 but under that ice lie hundreds of lakes 350 00:15:25,458 --> 00:15:28,167 and a huge canyon system that is as deep 351 00:15:28,292 --> 00:15:31,000 as the Grand Canyon but longer. 352 00:15:31,083 --> 00:15:34,000 So what is this strange underwater object? 353 00:15:34,125 --> 00:15:36,708 Let's see what signals our experts pick up. 354 00:15:36,875 --> 00:15:39,042 (tense music) 355 00:15:40,292 --> 00:15:42,083 We begin with physicist, Michio Kaku, 356 00:15:42,208 --> 00:15:45,042 who has some doubts about the Nazi antenna theory. 357 00:15:45,167 --> 00:15:48,208 - It does really look like an antenna of some sort, 358 00:15:48,375 --> 00:15:52,083 but the size of an antenna is roughly equivalent 359 00:15:52,208 --> 00:15:56,167 to the wavelength of the energy being transmitted. 360 00:15:56,250 --> 00:15:58,500 - [Tony] An antenna is a device made of metallic material 361 00:15:58,625 --> 00:16:02,000 and used to transmit or absorb electromagnetic waves, 362 00:16:02,125 --> 00:16:04,167 most typically, radio wave signals. 363 00:16:04,292 --> 00:16:06,708 But Kaku notes that, with World War II technology, 364 00:16:06,833 --> 00:16:08,000 there's a catch. 365 00:16:08,125 --> 00:16:10,458 - However, if these objects can communicate 366 00:16:10,583 --> 00:16:14,833 with headquarters, they would be quite large, I suspect, 367 00:16:14,917 --> 00:16:16,500 'cause you're gonna be communicating 368 00:16:16,625 --> 00:16:18,125 over vast distances. 369 00:16:18,208 --> 00:16:21,667 Yet this object is only just about two feet across. 370 00:16:21,792 --> 00:16:24,167 - [Tony] But could it just be a piece that's broken off? 371 00:16:24,292 --> 00:16:26,667 Kaku says a clue with the picture speaks volumes. 372 00:16:26,833 --> 00:16:28,292 - Usually, when you see metal, 373 00:16:28,375 --> 00:16:29,958 objects that have been at the bottom 374 00:16:30,083 --> 00:16:31,542 of the ocean for decades, 375 00:16:31,667 --> 00:16:35,333 they're totally encrusted with different life forms. 376 00:16:35,417 --> 00:16:38,708 Here, you see these objects pretty much bare 377 00:16:38,875 --> 00:16:40,250 without the kinds of sea life 378 00:16:40,375 --> 00:16:42,500 that you would normally expect to see. 379 00:16:42,625 --> 00:16:45,292 And so this is unusual, it sticks out. 380 00:16:45,375 --> 00:16:47,500 - [Tony] Next we go to NASA geologist, Bob Anderson. 381 00:16:47,583 --> 00:16:49,833 He rules out that this object is artificial 382 00:16:49,917 --> 00:16:52,500 or, despite its strange looks, even alien, 383 00:16:52,625 --> 00:16:55,042 because Anderson says it's what he sees at the bottom 384 00:16:55,208 --> 00:16:57,625 of the object that makes it clear this is natural. 385 00:16:57,750 --> 00:17:00,083 - When I looked at the images and saw the attachment 386 00:17:00,208 --> 00:17:03,792 to the soils to the ground, it does seem to represent roots, 387 00:17:03,917 --> 00:17:06,917 which gave me the idea that this is definitely an animal 388 00:17:07,042 --> 00:17:09,417 that's living down in these deep waters. 389 00:17:09,542 --> 00:17:11,167 - [Tony] An animal? Shaped like that? 390 00:17:11,292 --> 00:17:12,625 Sitting at the bottom of the ocean? 391 00:17:12,708 --> 00:17:14,917 Believe it or not, marine biologist, Shea Conger, 392 00:17:15,042 --> 00:17:16,208 says it's possible. 393 00:17:16,333 --> 00:17:18,333 - It seems to be stuck in the bottom substrate, 394 00:17:18,417 --> 00:17:22,083 which is really common for an underwater invertebrate. 395 00:17:22,208 --> 00:17:26,292 And I believe this is a type of carnivorous sponge, 396 00:17:26,375 --> 00:17:29,542 which is known as Cladorhiza concrescens. 397 00:17:29,667 --> 00:17:32,167 And these carnivorous sponges evolved 398 00:17:32,292 --> 00:17:34,375 in deep sea marine environments 399 00:17:34,500 --> 00:17:36,500 where there isn't a lot of food. 400 00:17:36,667 --> 00:17:41,125 Carnivorous sponges actually developed a really amazing way 401 00:17:41,208 --> 00:17:44,792 to feed on larger prey, like fish 402 00:17:44,875 --> 00:17:47,000 and crustaceans, that might swim by. 403 00:17:47,125 --> 00:17:48,542 - [Tony] Conger says that those knobs 404 00:17:48,667 --> 00:17:51,667 and protrusions that look so much like an antenna array 405 00:17:51,750 --> 00:17:53,208 are actually a feeding mechanism 406 00:17:53,333 --> 00:17:54,958 that evolved over millions of years. 407 00:17:55,042 --> 00:17:57,750 - It developed barbed appendages. 408 00:17:57,875 --> 00:18:01,792 They often have these really unique geometric designs 409 00:18:01,875 --> 00:18:04,333 and they can look like antennas 410 00:18:04,458 --> 00:18:06,958 or musical instruments, like harps. 411 00:18:07,042 --> 00:18:09,167 And for that reason, they were mysterious 412 00:18:09,250 --> 00:18:11,000 for quite a long while. 413 00:18:11,167 --> 00:18:13,458 (tense music) 414 00:18:15,208 --> 00:18:18,583 - Our verdict, we're going with carnivorous sponge. 415 00:18:19,958 --> 00:18:21,208 This is another one of those stories 416 00:18:21,375 --> 00:18:22,833 where the natural explanation 417 00:18:22,958 --> 00:18:25,375 is even weirder than the wild theories. 418 00:18:25,542 --> 00:18:28,500 Folks, we're talking about a sponge that eats meat, 419 00:18:28,625 --> 00:18:30,333 and it's only been about 30 years 420 00:18:30,417 --> 00:18:32,750 since scientists even discovered this ability. 421 00:18:36,792 --> 00:18:38,000 - There is very little known 422 00:18:38,125 --> 00:18:40,292 about the lost Olmec civilization, 423 00:18:40,375 --> 00:18:42,542 though it's considered the mother culture 424 00:18:42,708 --> 00:18:44,000 of Central America. 425 00:18:44,083 --> 00:18:46,958 But a massive new discovery could change everything we know 426 00:18:47,042 --> 00:18:49,500 or it might just deepen the mystery. 427 00:18:50,833 --> 00:18:54,167 Summer 2020, in the state of Tabasco in Southern Mexico, 428 00:18:54,292 --> 00:18:56,458 archeologists are surveying the land from above, 429 00:18:56,583 --> 00:18:59,333 armed with a new technology called LiDAR. 430 00:18:59,458 --> 00:19:02,083 It stands for light image detection and ranging. 431 00:19:02,208 --> 00:19:04,375 Laser beam are sent to the ground and bounce back, 432 00:19:04,500 --> 00:19:06,958 creating a digital map of areas hidden for centuries 433 00:19:07,083 --> 00:19:09,167 by thick, dense vegetation. 434 00:19:09,292 --> 00:19:10,875 The team is working in the remote jungles 435 00:19:11,042 --> 00:19:13,500 when their LiDAR detectors uncover this. 436 00:19:15,208 --> 00:19:17,208 It's a series of images which appear to be a city 437 00:19:17,375 --> 00:19:19,375 containing rectangular plazas and platforms 438 00:19:19,542 --> 00:19:21,833 with distinct lines and edges. 439 00:19:21,958 --> 00:19:23,708 So remember, this isn't a photo. 440 00:19:23,833 --> 00:19:26,833 It's a laser image of the jungle from above, 441 00:19:26,917 --> 00:19:28,708 enabling us to see what's covered 442 00:19:28,833 --> 00:19:30,333 by the canopy and underbrush. 443 00:19:30,500 --> 00:19:35,167 So take a look at these rectangles here, here, 444 00:19:35,292 --> 00:19:37,375 and then we've got a large one here. 445 00:19:37,500 --> 00:19:40,958 Some of them are nearly a half-mile long. 446 00:19:41,042 --> 00:19:44,583 And then take a look at these lines here. 447 00:19:44,708 --> 00:19:47,708 I'm just wondering, I could be wrong about this, 448 00:19:47,833 --> 00:19:49,375 could they be roads? 449 00:19:49,542 --> 00:19:52,875 Dr. Takeshi Inomata led the team that made the discovery. 450 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:54,333 - It was really great, 451 00:19:54,500 --> 00:19:59,000 particularly those perfect rectangular-shaped site. 452 00:19:59,083 --> 00:20:01,500 That's something we were not expecting. 453 00:20:01,625 --> 00:20:03,250 - [Tony] Writer, Eric Grundhauser, says some 454 00:20:03,375 --> 00:20:06,667 have speculated it's a famous, legendary lost city. 455 00:20:06,792 --> 00:20:08,917 - These structures and the mystery surrounding them 456 00:20:09,042 --> 00:20:13,083 really harken back to some older legends of lost cities, 457 00:20:13,208 --> 00:20:14,833 of the idea of El Dorado. 458 00:20:14,958 --> 00:20:17,667 - [Tony] El Dorado was a legendary city filled with gold 459 00:20:17,792 --> 00:20:20,250 that the Spanish conquistadors heard rumors about 460 00:20:20,375 --> 00:20:22,375 while exploring the new world in the 1500s. 461 00:20:22,500 --> 00:20:24,750 Many died in their unending quest to find it, 462 00:20:24,875 --> 00:20:28,000 including the English Courtier, Sir Walter Raleigh, 463 00:20:28,125 --> 00:20:30,292 who was beheaded for battling the Spaniards 464 00:20:30,375 --> 00:20:31,833 during the fruitless search. 465 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,833 Yet another theory about this site is that it's evidence 466 00:20:34,958 --> 00:20:38,167 of the oldest civilization known to Mesoamerica. 467 00:20:38,292 --> 00:20:40,417 - These structures could possibly have been created 468 00:20:40,542 --> 00:20:41,958 by the Olmec civilization. 469 00:20:42,083 --> 00:20:43,500 There are only two other major sites 470 00:20:43,625 --> 00:20:46,833 where we know the Olmec to have lived. 471 00:20:46,917 --> 00:20:50,167 - [Tony] The Olmec date between 1600 and 350 BC, 472 00:20:50,333 --> 00:20:52,333 hundreds of years before the more well-documented, 473 00:20:52,500 --> 00:20:55,000 Inca, Mayan, and Aztec empires. 474 00:20:55,125 --> 00:20:58,375 It's still unclear how and why their civilization vanished. 475 00:20:58,542 --> 00:21:00,833 - [Takeshi] We thought we already knew 476 00:21:00,917 --> 00:21:03,958 about many of those big sites. 477 00:21:04,083 --> 00:21:07,375 Some of them are almost kilometer long, 478 00:21:07,500 --> 00:21:10,667 and then they have perfect rectangular shape, 479 00:21:10,792 --> 00:21:12,500 which was surprising. 480 00:21:12,625 --> 00:21:15,458 - [Tony] So, who really made this large site, and why? 481 00:21:15,542 --> 00:21:18,042 Based on the images and Olmec-style rock carvings 482 00:21:18,167 --> 00:21:20,250 found recently in Morelos, Mexico, 483 00:21:20,375 --> 00:21:21,833 some speculate this could've been used 484 00:21:21,958 --> 00:21:24,458 for religious rituals, like human sacrifice. 485 00:21:24,542 --> 00:21:27,167 These and similar artworks suggest Olmec leaders 486 00:21:27,292 --> 00:21:29,542 ritually killed captives of war and other elites 487 00:21:29,708 --> 00:21:31,792 to gain the favor of the gods. 488 00:21:33,583 --> 00:21:35,833 Although the fate of the Olmec is unknown, 489 00:21:35,958 --> 00:21:37,667 one thing is definitely clear, 490 00:21:37,833 --> 00:21:40,458 LiDAR is the future of archeology. 491 00:21:40,542 --> 00:21:42,750 In fact, another recent LiDAR find 492 00:21:42,875 --> 00:21:46,583 uncovered this 1500-year-old urban settlement 493 00:21:46,708 --> 00:21:49,417 in the Bolivian Amazon, more evidence 494 00:21:49,542 --> 00:21:53,292 that cultures we've always thought of as undeveloped 495 00:21:53,375 --> 00:21:56,292 were actually more sophisticated than we ever imagined. 496 00:21:56,375 --> 00:21:58,500 But are these ruins in Mexico the remains 497 00:21:58,625 --> 00:22:02,208 of the Olmec civilization or something else? 498 00:22:02,333 --> 00:22:04,833 Let's see what our experts can dig up. 499 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,292 (tense music) 500 00:22:08,375 --> 00:22:10,000 Archeologist, Dr. Ed Barnhart, 501 00:22:10,083 --> 00:22:12,333 says it's unlikely this could be the ancient lost city 502 00:22:12,500 --> 00:22:14,458 of El Dorado, as some have speculated, 503 00:22:14,542 --> 00:22:16,917 since the Mexican state of Tabasco, where it's located, 504 00:22:17,042 --> 00:22:19,000 is not known for gold deposits. 505 00:22:19,125 --> 00:22:21,708 But maybe instead it has something to do with the search 506 00:22:21,875 --> 00:22:23,375 for liquid gold. 507 00:22:23,542 --> 00:22:27,042 - Mexico's national oil company, Pemex, 508 00:22:27,167 --> 00:22:29,583 has been intensively working in there. 509 00:22:29,708 --> 00:22:33,625 So it's possible that some of those things 510 00:22:33,708 --> 00:22:39,208 that look ancient might be overgrown Pemex platforms. 511 00:22:39,375 --> 00:22:41,333 - [Tony] But as he looks more closely, 512 00:22:41,458 --> 00:22:43,125 Barnhart recognizes the pattern of these structures 513 00:22:43,208 --> 00:22:45,417 as something familiar to archeologists. 514 00:22:45,542 --> 00:22:49,792 - This entire thing was once a big platform with buildings 515 00:22:49,875 --> 00:22:52,542 and probably big sculptures as well. 516 00:22:52,667 --> 00:22:55,333 And we're talking about huge areas 517 00:22:55,458 --> 00:22:58,333 upon which the Olmec put their cities. 518 00:22:58,417 --> 00:23:00,083 - [Tony] Anthropologist, Kathy Strain, points 519 00:23:00,208 --> 00:23:01,583 to another important clue. 520 00:23:01,708 --> 00:23:04,292 - It looks like mounds that we already know about 521 00:23:04,417 --> 00:23:06,833 that are at the two other complexes 522 00:23:06,917 --> 00:23:09,333 that we know are associated with the Olmec. 523 00:23:09,458 --> 00:23:11,333 The Mayans came along later 524 00:23:11,458 --> 00:23:14,500 and they occupied a different place in that jungle. 525 00:23:14,583 --> 00:23:17,500 And so we know this was exclusively Olmec 526 00:23:17,667 --> 00:23:19,708 because of where it's located. 527 00:23:20,583 --> 00:23:22,000 - [Tony] So we think it's Olmec, 528 00:23:22,125 --> 00:23:23,583 but we still don't know exactly what we're looking at 529 00:23:23,708 --> 00:23:25,042 or what purpose it served. 530 00:23:25,208 --> 00:23:26,542 - [Kathy] It is possible 531 00:23:26,667 --> 00:23:29,167 that this could represent a burial ground, 532 00:23:29,292 --> 00:23:31,833 but burial mounds tend to be small. 533 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:36,500 What this could be is a platform for religious purposes. 534 00:23:36,583 --> 00:23:38,500 You would have the ruler at one end 535 00:23:38,583 --> 00:23:40,958 and a parade going up the middle. 536 00:23:41,042 --> 00:23:43,250 Spectators on the sides. 537 00:23:43,375 --> 00:23:44,583 - [Tony] A rendering of what this platform 538 00:23:44,708 --> 00:23:46,833 may have looked like demonstrates that the Olmec 539 00:23:46,958 --> 00:23:49,167 were likely the first Mesoamerican civilization 540 00:23:49,292 --> 00:23:50,250 with the engineering know-how 541 00:23:50,375 --> 00:23:53,667 to build such monumental stone structures. 542 00:23:53,750 --> 00:23:55,417 - But we won't know that information 543 00:23:55,542 --> 00:23:58,000 until we see what it looks like physically. 544 00:23:58,167 --> 00:24:00,167 - [Tony] Now of course, it's long been suggested 545 00:24:00,250 --> 00:24:01,667 that various Mesoamerican sites, 546 00:24:01,792 --> 00:24:03,667 like the Nazca Lines in Peru, 547 00:24:03,833 --> 00:24:05,375 were designed to communicate with 548 00:24:05,500 --> 00:24:07,917 or even guide extraterrestrial visitors. 549 00:24:08,042 --> 00:24:10,792 Mainstream archeologists usually dismiss these theories, 550 00:24:10,917 --> 00:24:13,792 but even they remain mystified about this latest find. 551 00:24:13,875 --> 00:24:16,083 - Honestly, we don't know what they are. 552 00:24:16,208 --> 00:24:21,167 We don't know why they built this and what they mean. 553 00:24:21,250 --> 00:24:23,500 (tense music) 554 00:24:25,667 --> 00:24:28,708 - Our verdict, Olmec archeological site. 555 00:24:28,875 --> 00:24:31,458 But what it's for and why this civilization collapsed 556 00:24:31,542 --> 00:24:32,917 is still unknown. 557 00:24:33,042 --> 00:24:36,167 We do know that the Olmec invented calendars, 558 00:24:36,250 --> 00:24:37,708 created the system of mathematics, 559 00:24:37,875 --> 00:24:40,000 and they even had toothpaste. 560 00:24:40,167 --> 00:24:42,500 But the exact extent of their sophistication 561 00:24:42,583 --> 00:24:44,917 remains a secret covered by the jungle. 562 00:24:48,875 --> 00:24:52,125 Pet rocks were all the rage in 1975. 563 00:24:52,208 --> 00:24:53,792 They were cute, silly, 564 00:24:53,917 --> 00:24:55,958 and they didn't need to go for walks. 565 00:24:56,083 --> 00:24:57,958 They couldn't die because they were never alive 566 00:24:58,083 --> 00:24:59,500 in the first place. 567 00:24:59,667 --> 00:25:03,000 But is there actually such a thing as living rocks? 568 00:25:03,125 --> 00:25:05,458 Before you answer, take a look at this. 569 00:25:06,708 --> 00:25:09,667 It's January 2014 in the hottest place in the entire world 570 00:25:09,750 --> 00:25:12,042 in the driest desert in North America, 571 00:25:12,208 --> 00:25:13,833 Death Valley, California. 572 00:25:13,917 --> 00:25:16,000 Jim Norris is part of a scientific research team 573 00:25:16,125 --> 00:25:17,667 that's investigating a particular patch 574 00:25:17,792 --> 00:25:20,458 of wasteland known as Racetrack Playa, 575 00:25:20,542 --> 00:25:23,458 which shows few signs of life except for this. 576 00:25:23,583 --> 00:25:25,042 (pensive music) 577 00:25:25,167 --> 00:25:27,792 The photos from Jim's team show side-by-side trails 578 00:25:27,917 --> 00:25:30,083 of sand stretching for hundreds of feet, 579 00:25:30,208 --> 00:25:32,792 all leading to a field of rocks? 580 00:25:32,875 --> 00:25:35,292 That's right, the stones are completely motionless, 581 00:25:35,375 --> 00:25:36,667 but the trail behind them suggests 582 00:25:36,750 --> 00:25:38,500 they were moving at one time. 583 00:25:38,625 --> 00:25:39,750 What's even more mysterious 584 00:25:39,875 --> 00:25:42,042 is that these trails often appear overnight. 585 00:25:42,167 --> 00:25:45,750 - No one had ever actually observed them moving. 586 00:25:45,875 --> 00:25:48,292 It was a mystery that had yet to be solved 587 00:25:48,375 --> 00:25:50,833 in the geologic circles. 588 00:25:50,958 --> 00:25:55,042 And it seemed to me and some of my friends 589 00:25:55,167 --> 00:25:57,625 to be an interesting problem to look at 590 00:25:57,750 --> 00:26:00,042 to see if we can figure out how to solve it. 591 00:26:00,167 --> 00:26:02,167 - And what's really interesting about these stones 592 00:26:02,250 --> 00:26:06,083 is that they appeared to have moved themselves. 593 00:26:06,208 --> 00:26:09,042 No one, as far as we know, has been down on the floor 594 00:26:09,167 --> 00:26:12,500 of the playa moving these stones around. 595 00:26:12,625 --> 00:26:14,667 - [Tony] In fact, these so-called sailing stones 596 00:26:14,833 --> 00:26:16,500 have been studied for almost a century. 597 00:26:16,583 --> 00:26:17,833 And some believe they might be proof 598 00:26:17,958 --> 00:26:19,667 of something called animism. 599 00:26:19,792 --> 00:26:23,167 - Animism is this concept that everything, 600 00:26:23,292 --> 00:26:27,167 animate, inanimate, rocks, plants, animals, has a soul. 601 00:26:27,292 --> 00:26:29,458 Some have wondered if this could actually mean 602 00:26:29,542 --> 00:26:31,833 that these rocks are alive. 603 00:26:31,917 --> 00:26:36,000 Have they evolved to actually be able to move on their own? 604 00:26:36,125 --> 00:26:37,833 - [Tony] Other popular examples of animism 605 00:26:37,958 --> 00:26:41,958 include this Mimosa pudica plant responding to human touch, 606 00:26:42,042 --> 00:26:44,333 or this Venus flytrap, which is almost human, 607 00:26:44,458 --> 00:26:46,208 the way its mouth opens and closes. 608 00:26:46,333 --> 00:26:49,042 McCarthy also notes these sailing stones in Death Valley 609 00:26:49,167 --> 00:26:52,500 aren't the only rocks said to rock and roll on their own. 610 00:26:52,625 --> 00:26:53,875 - There are stones in Romania 611 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:56,000 called the living stones of Romania, 612 00:26:56,083 --> 00:26:58,167 which are more officially known as trovants, 613 00:26:58,333 --> 00:27:00,000 and they actually grow. 614 00:27:00,083 --> 00:27:02,292 And some people even believe that they walk 615 00:27:02,375 --> 00:27:03,833 and move on their own. 616 00:27:05,208 --> 00:27:08,708 - Scientists say trovants grow after heavy rains 617 00:27:08,833 --> 00:27:11,208 when the stones actually secrete cement. 618 00:27:11,375 --> 00:27:13,958 This is because of a chemical reaction that happens 619 00:27:14,042 --> 00:27:16,792 when the minerals in the stones come into contact 620 00:27:16,875 --> 00:27:18,792 with large amounts of water. 621 00:27:18,917 --> 00:27:21,667 But could our rocks actually be alive 622 00:27:21,792 --> 00:27:23,958 and out for an evening stroll? 623 00:27:24,042 --> 00:27:27,000 Or is there something more mysterious at play here? 624 00:27:27,125 --> 00:27:29,417 Let's turn to our experts to find out. 625 00:27:29,542 --> 00:27:31,750 (tense music) 626 00:27:33,208 --> 00:27:35,583 First, NASA geologist, Dr. Bob Anderson, 627 00:27:35,708 --> 00:27:37,375 analyzes whether the sailing stones 628 00:27:37,542 --> 00:27:40,167 could be living rocks, like in Romania. 629 00:27:40,250 --> 00:27:43,750 - Living rocks means the rock itself has life in it, 630 00:27:43,875 --> 00:27:47,292 that it has bacteria or it has plant-like creatures, 631 00:27:47,417 --> 00:27:48,958 and their sheer act of growing 632 00:27:49,083 --> 00:27:51,083 and moving are moving the rocks. 633 00:27:51,208 --> 00:27:53,583 But I do not believe that these rocks are living rocks 634 00:27:53,708 --> 00:27:55,167 because it is in a desert area. 635 00:27:55,250 --> 00:27:58,292 If these rocks are in a very hot area most of the time, 636 00:27:58,417 --> 00:28:00,875 the bacteria would have a hard time to live. 637 00:28:01,958 --> 00:28:03,208 - [Tony] But if these stones are not alive, 638 00:28:03,375 --> 00:28:05,625 could someone or something just be dragging them 639 00:28:05,750 --> 00:28:07,875 across the sand overnight? 640 00:28:08,042 --> 00:28:10,000 - For a long time, people thought that they're aliens 641 00:28:10,125 --> 00:28:12,458 because you don't see any footprints, 642 00:28:12,542 --> 00:28:14,042 so they can't be man-made. 643 00:28:14,208 --> 00:28:17,500 Also, some of these rocks that are moving are very large. 644 00:28:17,583 --> 00:28:21,417 They're seven, 800-pound blocks that people could not move. 645 00:28:22,625 --> 00:28:23,917 - [Tony] So if the rocks aren't living beings 646 00:28:24,042 --> 00:28:25,875 and they're too heavy for humans to move, 647 00:28:26,042 --> 00:28:28,875 then could their tracks be caused by extreme weather? 648 00:28:29,042 --> 00:28:31,125 We turn to meteorologist, Juan Hernandez. 649 00:28:31,250 --> 00:28:32,833 - We don't see any movement in the summer. 650 00:28:32,958 --> 00:28:35,083 It's too hot. It's too dry. 651 00:28:35,208 --> 00:28:37,458 The movement that we see with these stones 652 00:28:37,583 --> 00:28:41,292 actually occurs mainly in the late winter 653 00:28:41,417 --> 00:28:43,000 and into the early spring. 654 00:28:43,125 --> 00:28:44,500 - [Tony] Hernandez thinks that observation 655 00:28:44,625 --> 00:28:46,167 provides a key clue. 656 00:28:46,292 --> 00:28:48,083 He suspects that under certain conditions, 657 00:28:48,208 --> 00:28:50,833 the Racetrack Playa could turn into a slippery shallow pond 658 00:28:50,958 --> 00:28:52,875 with moving sheets of ice. 659 00:28:53,042 --> 00:28:55,458 - You've got four conditions that need to be met 660 00:28:55,542 --> 00:28:56,958 for this to actually occur. 661 00:28:57,083 --> 00:28:59,875 The first of which is the surface has to be wet, 662 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:02,042 so it had to have rained. 663 00:29:02,208 --> 00:29:03,875 The second condition, it has to be cold, 664 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:05,417 cold enough to freeze. 665 00:29:05,542 --> 00:29:08,667 The third condition, there has to be partial melting. 666 00:29:08,833 --> 00:29:12,042 It has to warm up to maybe the upper 30s, lower 40s. 667 00:29:12,167 --> 00:29:14,833 That's when the movement starts to happen. 668 00:29:14,958 --> 00:29:18,333 And then it has to be windy to push the rocks 669 00:29:18,500 --> 00:29:21,250 across that semi-frozen surface. 670 00:29:21,375 --> 00:29:24,708 - [Tony] But can a breeze really move a 700-pound rock? 671 00:29:24,833 --> 00:29:26,667 Hernandez explains that the uniqueness 672 00:29:26,750 --> 00:29:29,125 of this location may have something to do with it. 673 00:29:29,250 --> 00:29:32,333 - Death Valley is known for its extreme weather conditions, 674 00:29:32,458 --> 00:29:35,375 so it's likely gonna take potentially 30, 40, 675 00:29:35,500 --> 00:29:39,167 even 50-mile-an-hour winds to blow across Racetrack Playa. 676 00:29:39,292 --> 00:29:40,667 - [Tony] It's an interesting theory, 677 00:29:40,792 --> 00:29:42,500 but is there data to back it up? 678 00:29:42,583 --> 00:29:43,917 That's what Jim's team is for. 679 00:29:44,042 --> 00:29:45,125 They developed a cool way 680 00:29:45,208 --> 00:29:47,625 to measure the sailing stones sailing. 681 00:29:47,708 --> 00:29:51,125 - We figured out how to design a GPS system 682 00:29:51,208 --> 00:29:54,000 that we could embed in a rock that would just sit 683 00:29:54,125 --> 00:29:56,542 and wait for the rock to move. 684 00:29:56,667 --> 00:29:58,833 And when the rock started to move, 685 00:29:58,917 --> 00:30:01,875 it would start recording the change in position. 686 00:30:02,042 --> 00:30:03,333 - The GPS data lined up 687 00:30:03,458 --> 00:30:05,667 with the weather conditions Hernandez described. 688 00:30:05,792 --> 00:30:08,417 And further proof, Morris' team even caught one 689 00:30:08,542 --> 00:30:12,292 of the rocks moving over time in this time-lapse footage. 690 00:30:12,375 --> 00:30:14,417 (tense music) 691 00:30:20,542 --> 00:30:23,250 Our verdict, the sailing stones aren't moved 692 00:30:23,375 --> 00:30:26,667 by ghosts, aliens, or animist spirits. 693 00:30:26,792 --> 00:30:28,542 This is a rare natural phenomenon 694 00:30:28,708 --> 00:30:30,833 caused by extreme weather conditions. 695 00:30:30,958 --> 00:30:34,000 Death Valley is home to a menagerie of wildlife. 696 00:30:34,083 --> 00:30:36,875 Slithering rocks are not among them. 697 00:30:37,042 --> 00:30:39,125 But that doesn't mean there's not something hiding 698 00:30:39,250 --> 00:30:42,042 under a rock still waiting to be discovered. 699 00:30:45,958 --> 00:30:48,625 UFOs over Italy have been a thing for centuries. 700 00:30:48,708 --> 00:30:50,750 with appearances in Roman myth, 701 00:30:50,875 --> 00:30:52,708 Renaissance art, and present day. 702 00:30:52,833 --> 00:30:54,542 It's no wonder the Italian Air Force 703 00:30:54,667 --> 00:30:56,542 accepts civilian reports on UFOs 704 00:30:56,667 --> 00:30:59,292 to be investigated by their general security department. 705 00:30:59,375 --> 00:31:01,333 And while we appreciate their efforts, 706 00:31:01,458 --> 00:31:04,958 we couldn't help but take on this next video for ourselves. 707 00:31:05,917 --> 00:31:07,292 December 2018, 708 00:31:07,375 --> 00:31:09,208 two German tourists are walking to the beach 709 00:31:09,333 --> 00:31:11,333 in the Italian port city of Catania. 710 00:31:11,500 --> 00:31:13,875 They're coming from a party, but it's what they see next 711 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:16,083 that makes this a night to remember. 712 00:31:17,167 --> 00:31:19,167 The video starts with a large glowing diamond 713 00:31:19,292 --> 00:31:20,833 in the middle of a black sky. 714 00:31:20,958 --> 00:31:22,667 It then zooms out to reveal 715 00:31:22,750 --> 00:31:25,042 what looks like two diamond-shaped UFOs. 716 00:31:25,167 --> 00:31:27,208 Despite their apparent lack of flight features, 717 00:31:27,333 --> 00:31:29,958 like wings, propellers, or means or propulsion, 718 00:31:30,042 --> 00:31:32,500 these diamonds seem to hang steadily in the sky 719 00:31:32,625 --> 00:31:36,125 as the video continues on for a whopping six minutes. 720 00:31:37,375 --> 00:31:39,625 Investigative journalist, MJ Banias, says Italy 721 00:31:39,708 --> 00:31:41,958 is no stranger to alien visitations. 722 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:45,042 - In 1978, a security guard 723 00:31:45,208 --> 00:31:48,167 by the name of Pier Fortunato Zanfretta claimed 724 00:31:48,250 --> 00:31:51,792 that he saw a strange UFO object 725 00:31:51,917 --> 00:31:55,167 and was subsequently abducted by aliens. 726 00:31:55,250 --> 00:31:57,542 He agreed to go on television 727 00:31:57,667 --> 00:32:01,667 and to be hypnotized live in front of an audience. 728 00:32:01,750 --> 00:32:03,167 (hypnotist speaking Italian) 729 00:32:11,500 --> 00:32:13,667 - Zanfretta even offered to take Pentothal, 730 00:32:13,792 --> 00:32:15,458 which is known as truth serum. 731 00:32:15,542 --> 00:32:19,667 And he described strange encounters with triangular UFOs, 732 00:32:19,792 --> 00:32:22,333 and alien abductions, and a whole array 733 00:32:22,417 --> 00:32:24,917 of different strange alien encounters. 734 00:32:28,333 --> 00:32:30,542 - Now the truth about truth serums 735 00:32:30,708 --> 00:32:33,542 is they've never been officially proven effective, 736 00:32:33,667 --> 00:32:35,250 much less ethical. 737 00:32:35,375 --> 00:32:38,208 But can this video of inexplicable flying objects 738 00:32:38,333 --> 00:32:40,833 over Italy finally prove the reality 739 00:32:40,917 --> 00:32:43,167 of Zanfretta's experiences? 740 00:32:43,333 --> 00:32:45,625 Our experts take a closer look. 741 00:32:45,750 --> 00:32:48,042 (tense music) 742 00:32:50,333 --> 00:32:52,333 First, we turn to our video forensic analyst, 743 00:32:52,458 --> 00:32:55,167 Michael Primeau, to determine if the footage is even real. 744 00:32:55,250 --> 00:32:57,833 - No evidence of digital alteration was detected, 745 00:32:57,958 --> 00:33:00,167 no CGI was detected, and the operator 746 00:33:00,250 --> 00:33:02,042 was essentially trying to record something 747 00:33:02,167 --> 00:33:05,333 that didn't get recorded accurately, in my opinion. 748 00:33:05,417 --> 00:33:07,708 So the result is inconclusive at this point. 749 00:33:07,833 --> 00:33:10,125 (suspenseful music) 750 00:33:10,250 --> 00:33:12,000 - [Tony] Next, we take them to astronomer 751 00:33:12,125 --> 00:33:14,333 and visual effects designer, Marc D'Antonio, 752 00:33:14,417 --> 00:33:16,208 to determine if we could be looking at a UFO 753 00:33:16,375 --> 00:33:18,083 or some other flying vehicle. 754 00:33:18,208 --> 00:33:21,500 - If this was an aircraft, then we would expect the aircraft 755 00:33:21,625 --> 00:33:24,917 to change its position relative to the camera, 756 00:33:25,042 --> 00:33:26,125 and most importantly, relative 757 00:33:26,250 --> 00:33:28,542 to the other objects in the view. 758 00:33:28,667 --> 00:33:30,167 They don't change. 759 00:33:30,250 --> 00:33:32,500 They are stationary relative to each other. 760 00:33:32,625 --> 00:33:33,625 So they're not aircraft. 761 00:33:33,708 --> 00:33:35,042 They're not drones. They're not balloons. 762 00:33:35,208 --> 00:33:37,667 They're not other strange military craft. 763 00:33:37,750 --> 00:33:39,042 And we know these aren't satellites 764 00:33:39,167 --> 00:33:40,792 because satellites move across the sky. 765 00:33:40,875 --> 00:33:44,250 These are just locked stationary. 766 00:33:44,375 --> 00:33:45,750 - [Tony] Under closer investigation, 767 00:33:45,875 --> 00:33:48,500 D'Antonio determines that the diamond-shaped lights seen 768 00:33:48,625 --> 00:33:51,625 in the video may not be what they appear to be at all. 769 00:33:51,708 --> 00:33:53,917 - The diamond shape has to do with the shape 770 00:33:54,042 --> 00:33:56,000 of the iris of the camera, 771 00:33:56,125 --> 00:33:58,667 which is the actual shape inside the camera 772 00:33:58,792 --> 00:34:02,583 of the little leaves that make the shutters stop down 773 00:34:02,708 --> 00:34:04,792 or get smaller and get wider. 774 00:34:04,917 --> 00:34:06,208 And when you go out of focus, 775 00:34:06,333 --> 00:34:10,167 the light is spread across the entire sensor, 776 00:34:10,292 --> 00:34:16,000 but it's eclipsed by the edges of that iris shape. 777 00:34:16,125 --> 00:34:18,208 - [Tony] The effect is known as bokeh. 778 00:34:18,333 --> 00:34:21,292 - And if the iris shape is a diamond, you'll see a diamond. 779 00:34:21,417 --> 00:34:23,708 If it's a different shape, you'll see a different shape. 780 00:34:23,833 --> 00:34:25,417 In this case, it's a diamond. 781 00:34:26,750 --> 00:34:28,542 - [Tony] So if this alleged diamond-shaped UFO 782 00:34:28,667 --> 00:34:31,250 isn't even diamond-shaped, what is it? 783 00:34:31,375 --> 00:34:32,875 D'Antonio thinks he spotted a clue. 784 00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:34,208 - So in this particular frame, 785 00:34:34,375 --> 00:34:35,875 here are the lights in question here, 786 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:37,167 but if you look down further, 787 00:34:37,292 --> 00:34:39,292 there's more lights going all the way down. 788 00:34:39,375 --> 00:34:42,083 If you draw a line between them logically, 789 00:34:42,208 --> 00:34:43,958 there is a slope here. 790 00:34:44,083 --> 00:34:47,042 And I believe what we're looking at 791 00:34:47,208 --> 00:34:49,042 are lights on the ground. 792 00:34:49,167 --> 00:34:53,250 But the person taking the image doesn't understand 793 00:34:53,375 --> 00:34:56,750 where the horizon is and where the local horizon is. 794 00:34:56,875 --> 00:34:59,500 They don't realize that maybe there's a hill here 795 00:34:59,625 --> 00:35:02,458 and that their lights are a little bit elevated on the hill. 796 00:35:02,542 --> 00:35:04,500 They may think they're in the sky, 797 00:35:04,625 --> 00:35:06,625 but they're actually ground lights. 798 00:35:06,750 --> 00:35:09,083 (tense music) 799 00:35:10,542 --> 00:35:13,708 - Our verdict, unidentified ground lights. 800 00:35:13,875 --> 00:35:17,125 We looked but were unable to determine exactly where 801 00:35:17,250 --> 00:35:19,500 in Catania, Italy, this footage was taken 802 00:35:19,625 --> 00:35:22,458 to compare it to the landscape in the daytime. 803 00:35:22,542 --> 00:35:26,292 But D'Antonio's analysis appears to fit the facts in our mind. 804 00:35:26,417 --> 00:35:30,083 Most likely, we're looking at cars or street lights. 805 00:35:30,208 --> 00:35:32,625 As for Zanfretta's experiences, 806 00:35:32,708 --> 00:35:35,500 we're leaving that case open for further investigation. 807 00:35:39,500 --> 00:35:42,500 In the movie "The Blob" Steve Mcqueen's character 808 00:35:42,625 --> 00:35:44,708 warns authorities there's an alien mass 809 00:35:44,833 --> 00:35:47,417 engulfing people alive, but no one listens. 810 00:35:47,542 --> 00:35:49,542 As a result, a town is nearly destroyed 811 00:35:49,667 --> 00:35:52,042 when the Blob becomes too big to handle. 812 00:35:52,208 --> 00:35:54,500 Keep that in mind when viewing our next video. 813 00:35:55,583 --> 00:35:58,292 2021, in an indiscernible location, 814 00:35:58,375 --> 00:36:01,292 an anonymous TikTok user is sweeping up a tiled floor 815 00:36:01,375 --> 00:36:03,500 when he comes across something unusual. 816 00:36:03,583 --> 00:36:05,167 (ominous music) 817 00:36:05,292 --> 00:36:07,167 A broomstick prods at an amorphous, 818 00:36:07,292 --> 00:36:08,875 transparent blob on the ground. 819 00:36:09,042 --> 00:36:10,292 It seems to slide across the floor 820 00:36:10,417 --> 00:36:11,667 with little to no resistance, 821 00:36:11,792 --> 00:36:14,167 fluid and dappled like the surface of a puddle. 822 00:36:14,292 --> 00:36:15,500 - It's pretty weird. 823 00:36:15,583 --> 00:36:18,333 I mean, anybody finding something like this 824 00:36:18,417 --> 00:36:21,042 in their kitchen would be pretty freaked out. 825 00:36:21,208 --> 00:36:22,417 - [Tony] Field researcher, Ken Gerhard, 826 00:36:22,542 --> 00:36:24,042 points out there might be truth 827 00:36:24,208 --> 00:36:26,708 behind the famous Blob so ingrained in pop culture. 828 00:36:26,833 --> 00:36:30,125 - The iconic sci-fi movie, "The Blob," was actually based 829 00:36:30,250 --> 00:36:33,500 on a real incident that occurred back in 1950. 830 00:36:33,583 --> 00:36:35,708 Four Philadelphia police officers 831 00:36:35,833 --> 00:36:39,333 encountered this weird blob-like creature 832 00:36:39,458 --> 00:36:42,667 that was about six feet in diameter, about a foot thick. 833 00:36:42,792 --> 00:36:44,375 It appeared to be alive. 834 00:36:44,542 --> 00:36:47,167 And I'm wondering if this could be somehow related 835 00:36:47,292 --> 00:36:48,833 to this weird thing that we're seeing 836 00:36:48,917 --> 00:36:50,208 on this kitchen floor here. 837 00:36:50,375 --> 00:36:51,667 - [Tony] Or perhaps this strange anomaly 838 00:36:51,792 --> 00:36:54,167 is another more mythical substance. 839 00:36:54,292 --> 00:36:57,083 - Star jelly is a clear gelatinous goo 840 00:36:57,208 --> 00:36:59,417 that has been found on grass and plants. 841 00:36:59,542 --> 00:37:01,500 And according to some mythology, 842 00:37:01,667 --> 00:37:04,833 it's deposited on Earth following meteor showers. 843 00:37:04,958 --> 00:37:08,417 Typically, the star jelly substance just disintegrates 844 00:37:08,542 --> 00:37:11,458 and leaves behind no trace or residue. 845 00:37:12,500 --> 00:37:13,667 - [Tony] Even if this gooey figure 846 00:37:13,750 --> 00:37:15,250 is in no way related to star jelly, 847 00:37:15,375 --> 00:37:17,125 Gerhard still thinks we might be looking 848 00:37:17,250 --> 00:37:19,458 at something extraterrestrial in nature. 849 00:37:19,542 --> 00:37:21,792 - Some alien theorists think that, 850 00:37:21,875 --> 00:37:24,333 if we do find life elsewhere in the universe, 851 00:37:24,458 --> 00:37:26,500 it would not have evolved on our planet. 852 00:37:26,625 --> 00:37:29,375 So it might not even be carbon-based like we are. 853 00:37:29,500 --> 00:37:32,542 It could be made out of silicon or some other substance. 854 00:37:32,708 --> 00:37:36,083 There's a strong chance that it's gonna look more like this 855 00:37:36,208 --> 00:37:37,792 as opposed to anything that we know of 856 00:37:37,875 --> 00:37:39,458 from the fossil record. 857 00:37:40,708 --> 00:37:44,083 - Some scientists believe the first aliens we encounter 858 00:37:44,208 --> 00:37:47,333 will be simpler life forms or microorganisms. 859 00:37:47,458 --> 00:37:50,167 That's because of the discovery of some bacteria here 860 00:37:50,333 --> 00:37:53,333 on Earth that can survive in acidic lakes 861 00:37:53,458 --> 00:37:57,292 or boiling hot springs, like this one in Yellowstone Park. 862 00:37:57,375 --> 00:38:00,625 These so-called extremophile organisms might be found 863 00:38:00,750 --> 00:38:03,708 on planets with harsher environments than Earth, 864 00:38:03,875 --> 00:38:07,167 but was one found on this kitchen floor? 865 00:38:07,292 --> 00:38:08,708 Let's ask the experts. 866 00:38:08,833 --> 00:38:10,792 (tense music) 867 00:38:12,958 --> 00:38:14,708 First, video analyst, Mick West, examines 868 00:38:14,875 --> 00:38:16,500 whether this footage could've been faked. 869 00:38:16,625 --> 00:38:18,750 - If we zoom in on bits of this, 870 00:38:18,875 --> 00:38:21,875 we can see there's these kind of ridges in the object. 871 00:38:22,042 --> 00:38:24,792 And when it goes over lines, like it does here, 872 00:38:24,875 --> 00:38:27,042 you can see it's actually refracting the light 873 00:38:27,167 --> 00:38:28,792 and causing these lines to break up. 874 00:38:28,917 --> 00:38:31,500 And we see it interacting with the environment. 875 00:38:31,625 --> 00:38:34,417 Like right here, we see it go up against these pipes. 876 00:38:34,542 --> 00:38:37,500 There's a little wave where it goes over the pipes. 877 00:38:37,625 --> 00:38:40,000 I think that this is actually a real object 878 00:38:40,125 --> 00:38:41,500 that we're looking at. 879 00:38:41,667 --> 00:38:43,500 - [Tony] Next, West points out that the substance, 880 00:38:43,625 --> 00:38:46,292 star jelly, may be less mythical than it seems. 881 00:38:46,375 --> 00:38:47,833 - One of the explanations for star jelly 882 00:38:47,917 --> 00:38:51,708 is that it's animals vomiting frogs' born. 883 00:38:51,833 --> 00:38:54,042 They eat the jelly with the frog eggs in it, 884 00:38:54,208 --> 00:38:57,125 they partially digest it, and then they throw it up again. 885 00:38:57,250 --> 00:38:58,833 - [Tony] Birds presumably eat frogs, 886 00:38:58,958 --> 00:39:00,875 the mucus jelly expands in the bird's stomach 887 00:39:01,042 --> 00:39:03,792 in contact with water, and the bird vomits it up. 888 00:39:03,875 --> 00:39:05,250 But in this case, 889 00:39:05,375 --> 00:39:07,000 he's not sure the star jelly theory holds together. 890 00:39:07,083 --> 00:39:10,167 - Star jelly typically falls apart when you pick it up, 891 00:39:10,250 --> 00:39:11,667 and this holds together very well 892 00:39:11,750 --> 00:39:13,333 when he's pushing it around with the broom, 893 00:39:13,458 --> 00:39:15,292 so I don't think it's star jelly. 894 00:39:16,417 --> 00:39:18,042 - [Tony] Next, marine biologist, Shea Conger, 895 00:39:18,167 --> 00:39:19,708 considers the alien theory. 896 00:39:19,833 --> 00:39:21,542 She agrees the first aliens we meet 897 00:39:21,667 --> 00:39:23,667 might be simpler life forms, 898 00:39:23,750 --> 00:39:26,000 but she thinks that would mean us going to them, 899 00:39:26,125 --> 00:39:27,667 not them coming to us. 900 00:39:27,750 --> 00:39:31,250 - The technology needed to travel to earth from millions 901 00:39:31,375 --> 00:39:34,458 of light-years away would be incredibly complex. 902 00:39:34,542 --> 00:39:39,000 I don't see any evidence of anything like a complex brain 903 00:39:39,083 --> 00:39:41,208 or a central nervous system. 904 00:39:41,375 --> 00:39:43,417 So the idea that this is some kind 905 00:39:43,542 --> 00:39:47,667 of advanced extraterrestrial life is pretty unlikely. 906 00:39:47,750 --> 00:39:51,208 It would probably be a little more technologically 907 00:39:51,375 --> 00:39:53,792 and anatomically defined. 908 00:39:53,917 --> 00:39:55,417 - [Tony] We don't know where it happened, 909 00:39:55,542 --> 00:39:57,958 but Conger thinks there's a clue to that and what this is. 910 00:39:58,083 --> 00:40:01,375 - This object looks like a lot of decaying jellyfish 911 00:40:01,500 --> 00:40:03,417 that I've seen on the shore. 912 00:40:03,542 --> 00:40:04,792 And what we're seeing here 913 00:40:04,875 --> 00:40:07,333 is part of the natural decomposition process 914 00:40:07,458 --> 00:40:10,500 when a marine invertebrate ends up 915 00:40:10,625 --> 00:40:12,667 in a dry environment, like the beach. 916 00:40:12,750 --> 00:40:14,833 It's possible there could've been some sort 917 00:40:14,958 --> 00:40:16,500 of high tide or a flood, 918 00:40:16,625 --> 00:40:20,167 and this animal ended up in these people's house. 919 00:40:20,292 --> 00:40:23,917 But either way, it somehow made its way from the ocean 920 00:40:24,042 --> 00:40:26,375 into a populated area. 921 00:40:27,875 --> 00:40:29,917 (tense music) 922 00:40:31,667 --> 00:40:34,083 - Our verdict, this is a jellyfish, 923 00:40:34,208 --> 00:40:37,625 a dead one who's in the process of decomposing. 924 00:40:37,708 --> 00:40:39,958 How it made its way to this person's kitchen 925 00:40:40,042 --> 00:40:42,000 is anyone's guess. 926 00:40:42,125 --> 00:40:43,500 And that's our show for tonight. 927 00:40:43,625 --> 00:40:45,500 Thank you so much for watching. 928 00:40:45,625 --> 00:40:50,000 As always, we need you to keep those cameras rolling. 929 00:40:50,125 --> 00:40:52,667 (dramatic theme music)