1 00:00:02,127 --> 00:00:03,707 - Tonight on The Proof Is Out There. 2 00:00:03,712 --> 00:00:06,922 We are watching the skies for UFOs camouflaged as clouds. 3 00:00:06,924 --> 00:00:10,302 - Could aliens have been hiding in plain sight this whole time? 4 00:00:10,302 --> 00:00:12,471 - [Tony] And maybe they’re not just hiding. 5 00:00:12,471 --> 00:00:14,389 Could they have negotiated an alliance 6 00:00:14,389 --> 00:00:16,016 with the US government? 7 00:00:16,016 --> 00:00:19,136 - Some think these aliens ended the Cold War. 8 00:00:19,144 --> 00:00:21,230 - [Tony] A haunting howl in the forest. 9 00:00:21,230 --> 00:00:23,690 (entity howling) 10 00:00:23,690 --> 00:00:26,690 - When this video hit the internet, everybody went nuts. 11 00:00:26,693 --> 00:00:29,071 - [Tony] Is a killer Bigfoot on the loose? 12 00:00:29,071 --> 00:00:31,531 And a mystery on a Florida beach, 13 00:00:31,532 --> 00:00:33,617 is the Bermuda Triangle responsible? 14 00:00:33,617 --> 00:00:35,827 - The Bermuda Triangle has claimed so many vessels 15 00:00:35,827 --> 00:00:38,907 through the years, this could be one of them. 16 00:00:38,914 --> 00:00:41,214 (dramatic music) 17 00:00:43,043 --> 00:00:44,836 - [Tony] Around the globe are videos. 18 00:00:44,836 --> 00:00:46,376 - [Witness] What are those things? 19 00:00:46,380 --> 00:00:47,920 - [Witness] It’s moving. 20 00:00:47,923 --> 00:00:51,343 - [Tony] Photos and sounds that defy explanation. 21 00:00:51,343 --> 00:00:53,553 (electric buzzing) 22 00:00:53,554 --> 00:00:55,854 (dramatic music) 23 00:00:56,807 --> 00:00:58,725 - [Kathy] We don’t know where they come from, 24 00:00:58,725 --> 00:01:00,135 who made them, or how they operate. 25 00:01:00,143 --> 00:01:01,643 - [Tony] What are they? 26 00:01:01,645 --> 00:01:03,355 - [MJ] Some sort of bizarre mutation. 27 00:01:03,355 --> 00:01:05,190 - [Marc] What’s exciting is nobody really knows. 28 00:01:05,190 --> 00:01:08,940 - Extraordinary claims need extraordinary proof. 29 00:01:10,195 --> 00:01:11,485 - I’m Tony Harris, 30 00:01:11,488 --> 00:01:13,778 and as a journalist for more than 30 years, 31 00:01:13,782 --> 00:01:16,702 I’ve followed the facts where they take me. 32 00:01:16,702 --> 00:01:19,037 Now I’m bringing that spirit of investigation 33 00:01:19,037 --> 00:01:21,747 to the world’s strangest sounds and images. 34 00:01:22,791 --> 00:01:25,711 We’ll analyze each one with top experts. 35 00:01:25,711 --> 00:01:28,711 - It’s a credible case, it’s a credible video. 36 00:01:28,714 --> 00:01:31,550 - [Tony] And pass a verdict on what it is. 37 00:01:31,550 --> 00:01:33,550 - This video was clearly faked. 38 00:01:33,552 --> 00:01:35,929 - The proof starts now. 39 00:01:35,929 --> 00:01:38,219 (dramatic music) 40 00:01:43,687 --> 00:01:46,937 Good evening and welcome to The Proof Is Out There. 41 00:01:46,940 --> 00:01:49,610 The media has been buzzing for the past few years 42 00:01:49,610 --> 00:01:51,236 over the government’s release of video 43 00:01:51,236 --> 00:01:54,066 showing unidentified craft filmed in the skies 44 00:01:54,072 --> 00:01:55,616 by our military. 45 00:01:55,616 --> 00:01:57,075 But many believe that UFOs 46 00:01:57,075 --> 00:01:59,825 have been observing our military bases for decades, 47 00:01:59,828 --> 00:02:02,498 and that this next photo proves it. 48 00:02:04,124 --> 00:02:06,668 It’s October 16th, 1957. 49 00:02:06,668 --> 00:02:08,208 Ella Louise Fortune, 50 00:02:08,211 --> 00:02:11,298 a nurse at the Mescalero Indian Reservation in New Mexico, 51 00:02:11,298 --> 00:02:13,418 is driving north on Highway 54 52 00:02:13,425 --> 00:02:15,594 when she sees something hovering in the sky 53 00:02:15,594 --> 00:02:18,597 over Holloman Air Force base in Alamogordo. 54 00:02:18,597 --> 00:02:20,597 She happens to have her camera with her, 55 00:02:20,599 --> 00:02:24,059 so she pulls the car over and photographs this. 56 00:02:24,061 --> 00:02:27,898 A glowing, white, elongated, oval-shaped object 57 00:02:27,898 --> 00:02:30,188 is floating above the desert landscape. 58 00:02:31,151 --> 00:02:33,737 You can see why this photo caused such a stir. 59 00:02:33,737 --> 00:02:37,197 Just look at how bright it is, even in broad daylight. 60 00:02:37,199 --> 00:02:41,239 Check out the sharpness of the edges here, there, 61 00:02:41,244 --> 00:02:44,581 and then you have this soft wisp. 62 00:02:44,581 --> 00:02:46,249 Is that exhaust? 63 00:02:46,249 --> 00:02:48,669 How would you fake that if you wanted to? 64 00:02:48,669 --> 00:02:51,169 - This photo is a classic in the UFO community 65 00:02:51,171 --> 00:02:54,171 that most people consider a genuine photograph 66 00:02:54,174 --> 00:02:56,093 that was not hoaxed. 67 00:02:56,093 --> 00:02:57,928 - [Tony] Not only has the photo earned a place 68 00:02:57,928 --> 00:03:01,098 in UFO history, it ties into one of the most astonishing 69 00:03:01,098 --> 00:03:03,558 and durable stories of the UFO cannon, 70 00:03:03,558 --> 00:03:05,686 allegations that Holloman Airbase 71 00:03:05,686 --> 00:03:07,846 was the site of an interstellar summit 72 00:03:07,854 --> 00:03:11,692 where aliens forged an alliance with the US government. 73 00:03:11,692 --> 00:03:14,528 - There’s a story that circulates within UFO circles 74 00:03:14,528 --> 00:03:16,988 that President Dwight D. Eisenhower 75 00:03:16,988 --> 00:03:18,778 secretly met with aliens, 76 00:03:18,782 --> 00:03:20,992 and this alien gets shuffled into a back room 77 00:03:20,992 --> 00:03:22,742 and the president has flown in 78 00:03:22,744 --> 00:03:24,913 to specifically meet with this creature. 79 00:03:24,913 --> 00:03:27,833 So we have a lot of strange stories out there 80 00:03:27,833 --> 00:03:30,293 of secret meetings between presidents 81 00:03:30,293 --> 00:03:32,133 and aliens from other planets. 82 00:03:34,381 --> 00:03:37,509 - Now, according to some, during these secret meetings, 83 00:03:37,509 --> 00:03:40,259 President Eisenhower brokered a deal 84 00:03:40,262 --> 00:03:42,431 to allow the aliens to abduct humans 85 00:03:42,431 --> 00:03:46,268 in exchange for extraterrestrial black technology 86 00:03:46,268 --> 00:03:50,188 that would lead to developments like the B-2 Stealth bomber. 87 00:03:50,188 --> 00:03:52,188 Is the photo we have here evidence 88 00:03:52,190 --> 00:03:54,480 of that advanced alien tech? 89 00:03:54,484 --> 00:03:56,903 We asked our experts to decide. 90 00:03:56,903 --> 00:03:59,203 (tense music) 91 00:04:00,782 --> 00:04:04,411 We begin with military aviation expert Tim McMillan. 92 00:04:04,411 --> 00:04:06,788 Is it possible that white color and shape 93 00:04:06,788 --> 00:04:10,078 match something you’d expect to see near an Air Force base, 94 00:04:10,083 --> 00:04:11,793 namely a parachute? 95 00:04:11,793 --> 00:04:14,421 - Nothing about it is consistent with a parachute, 96 00:04:14,421 --> 00:04:16,631 in particular, you don’t see a payload. 97 00:04:16,631 --> 00:04:20,051 The shape of it is inconsistent with what you would expect 98 00:04:20,051 --> 00:04:23,011 for a parachute that is being weighted down by a payload. 99 00:04:23,013 --> 00:04:24,556 - [Tony] Some have speculated 100 00:04:24,556 --> 00:04:27,556 it could be a balloon or blimp, but McMillan doesn’t see it. 101 00:04:27,559 --> 00:04:30,687 - It doesn’t resemble any obvious shape of a balloon. 102 00:04:30,687 --> 00:04:34,607 Also definitely appears to be extremely bright, 103 00:04:34,608 --> 00:04:36,898 and so it would have to have some type of light source, 104 00:04:36,902 --> 00:04:39,362 which wouldn’t make sense for a balloon. 105 00:04:39,362 --> 00:04:41,239 - [Tony] Next, we turn to Rich Hoffman 106 00:04:41,239 --> 00:04:43,909 from the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies. 107 00:04:43,909 --> 00:04:46,199 This thing is white and in the sky. 108 00:04:46,203 --> 00:04:47,746 Could it just be a cloud? 109 00:04:47,746 --> 00:04:49,206 - It takes very strong winds 110 00:04:49,206 --> 00:04:52,576 to create that kind of sharpness to the edges 111 00:04:52,584 --> 00:04:54,711 and creating the saucer-like look to it 112 00:04:54,711 --> 00:04:57,506 ’cause it doesn’t even match what you would expect 113 00:04:57,506 --> 00:04:59,506 with the upper-band cirrus clouds. 114 00:04:59,508 --> 00:05:02,218 So I don’t see this as a cloud whatsoever. 115 00:05:02,219 --> 00:05:05,259 - [Tony] Instead, Hoffman believes with some calculations 116 00:05:05,263 --> 00:05:07,265 he can narrow down the possibilities. 117 00:05:07,265 --> 00:05:09,345 - It was roughly around 10,000 feet, 118 00:05:09,351 --> 00:05:13,351 and roughly they assumed it was 15 miles away. 119 00:05:13,355 --> 00:05:15,816 You do trigonometry, you’re able to determine 120 00:05:15,816 --> 00:05:18,816 that it’s roughly just over a mile long. 121 00:05:18,819 --> 00:05:20,569 - [Tony] If Hoffman’s numbers are correct, 122 00:05:20,570 --> 00:05:23,949 he says we can eliminate several other possibilities. 123 00:05:23,949 --> 00:05:25,659 - I would never go to the point of saying that 124 00:05:25,659 --> 00:05:26,779 this is a plane. 125 00:05:26,785 --> 00:05:28,870 The size makes no sense, it’s a mile wide, 126 00:05:28,870 --> 00:05:30,620 and it’s not a UFO. 127 00:05:30,622 --> 00:05:34,251 No objects, especially one a mile long, 128 00:05:34,251 --> 00:05:37,629 would not have gone undetected by the people 129 00:05:37,629 --> 00:05:40,879 that are positioned there monitoring that part of the sky. 130 00:05:42,008 --> 00:05:43,298 - [Tony] So what could it be? 131 00:05:43,301 --> 00:05:46,388 Hoffman says location is the key. 132 00:05:46,388 --> 00:05:48,306 - There’s one important thing that you need to know. 133 00:05:48,306 --> 00:05:50,926 Holloman Air Force Base was to the position 134 00:05:50,934 --> 00:05:52,769 of the witnesses left. 135 00:05:52,769 --> 00:05:54,849 The vast majority of this area you’re looking at 136 00:05:54,855 --> 00:05:56,606 is White Sands Missile Range. 137 00:05:56,606 --> 00:05:58,606 The fact that this is conveniently positioned 138 00:05:58,608 --> 00:06:01,898 right at 10,000 feet would probably make it very likely 139 00:06:01,903 --> 00:06:04,447 that it’s a missile test of some sort. 140 00:06:04,447 --> 00:06:05,987 - [Tony] McMillan agrees, 141 00:06:05,991 --> 00:06:08,531 and believes the photo reveals an important clue. 142 00:06:08,535 --> 00:06:09,995 - [Tim] There appears to be a contrail 143 00:06:09,995 --> 00:06:11,288 behind the object, 144 00:06:11,288 --> 00:06:13,118 which suggests that the object is moving 145 00:06:13,123 --> 00:06:15,542 and leaving a vapor trail 146 00:06:15,542 --> 00:06:18,587 that would be consistent with solid fuel burning. 147 00:06:18,587 --> 00:06:20,837 - [Tony] A large vapor trail could also explain 148 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:23,049 why this object looks a mile long 149 00:06:23,049 --> 00:06:24,879 when in fact, it’s much shorter. 150 00:06:24,885 --> 00:06:26,303 - [Tim] The US at the time 151 00:06:26,303 --> 00:06:29,055 was engaged in significant rocket testing 152 00:06:29,055 --> 00:06:31,805 and especially were in the height of the space race 153 00:06:31,808 --> 00:06:34,348 between the United States and the Soviet Union. 154 00:06:34,352 --> 00:06:36,102 - [Rich] There were a whole variety of missiles 155 00:06:36,104 --> 00:06:37,272 that were being tested. 156 00:06:37,272 --> 00:06:38,815 It could have been fired from an aircraft 157 00:06:38,815 --> 00:06:40,015 or something that would’ve created 158 00:06:40,025 --> 00:06:42,360 a kind of plume of smoke like this. 159 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:43,945 - [Tony] But if this mile-long object 160 00:06:43,945 --> 00:06:46,405 is really just a trail of missile exhaust, 161 00:06:46,406 --> 00:06:48,196 we continue to ask ourselves, 162 00:06:48,199 --> 00:06:50,869 why do the edges look so distinct? 163 00:06:50,869 --> 00:06:52,409 Not to mention, 164 00:06:52,412 --> 00:06:54,581 a speeding missile doesn’t match the eyewitness’s story. 165 00:06:54,581 --> 00:06:56,541 This thing had to hang in the air long enough 166 00:06:56,541 --> 00:07:00,337 for Ella to see it, park her car, get out, and take a photo. 167 00:07:00,337 --> 00:07:01,627 We can’t help but feel 168 00:07:01,630 --> 00:07:04,466 we’re still missing a piece of this puzzle. 169 00:07:04,466 --> 00:07:06,756 (tense music) 170 00:07:08,386 --> 00:07:11,926 Our verdict, still an unidentified object. 171 00:07:11,932 --> 00:07:13,850 Our experts bring up great points, 172 00:07:13,850 --> 00:07:17,687 but even if the contrail points to a chemical fuel burn 173 00:07:17,687 --> 00:07:20,147 and the missile range was a short 30 miles away, 174 00:07:20,148 --> 00:07:23,438 the image itself just doesn’t give us enough info 175 00:07:23,443 --> 00:07:27,155 to definitively call it a missile or anything else. 176 00:07:27,155 --> 00:07:30,735 That keeps it a UFO in our book, for now. 177 00:07:32,285 --> 00:07:34,825 We’re gonna stay in the southwest for this next story, 178 00:07:34,829 --> 00:07:37,829 and fast-forward from the ’50s to the present day. 179 00:07:37,832 --> 00:07:39,751 We often look up at clouds 180 00:07:39,751 --> 00:07:42,211 and try to interpret the strange shapes. 181 00:07:42,212 --> 00:07:46,049 We might see horses, sharks, maybe even strange faces, 182 00:07:46,049 --> 00:07:49,299 but our next sighting involves a cloud shaped so bizarre, 183 00:07:49,302 --> 00:07:52,597 the video footage set social media ablaze. 184 00:07:52,597 --> 00:07:53,757 Take a look. 185 00:07:54,724 --> 00:07:58,269 July 15th, 2022, it’s a clear summer afternoon 186 00:07:58,269 --> 00:08:00,897 as Nisha Higgins is traveling down the highway 187 00:08:00,897 --> 00:08:02,357 in Tempe, Arizona. 188 00:08:02,357 --> 00:08:04,107 But as she drives past the airport, 189 00:08:04,109 --> 00:08:06,277 she catches something floating in the distance 190 00:08:06,277 --> 00:08:07,817 from the corner of her eye. 191 00:08:07,821 --> 00:08:10,621 So she pulls out her phone and captures this. 192 00:08:16,329 --> 00:08:17,749 - [Tony] Let’s zoom in. 193 00:08:19,249 --> 00:08:22,335 A mysterious-looking, dark, oblong object 194 00:08:22,335 --> 00:08:24,795 appears to be stationary in front of the clouds. 195 00:08:24,796 --> 00:08:26,706 Honestly, it looks a little like 196 00:08:26,715 --> 00:08:30,305 that 1957 Holloman Air Force base UFO. 197 00:08:31,469 --> 00:08:33,009 Author Jason Martell agrees 198 00:08:33,013 --> 00:08:35,103 that something here doesn’t seem right. 199 00:08:36,099 --> 00:08:38,476 - We can see other clouds in the vicinity 200 00:08:38,476 --> 00:08:40,936 that are much more fluffy in nature. 201 00:08:40,937 --> 00:08:43,687 This one seems almost out of place. 202 00:08:43,690 --> 00:08:46,067 The object raises enough of a concern 203 00:08:46,067 --> 00:08:48,777 to wonder what exactly it could be, 204 00:08:48,778 --> 00:08:52,528 but just in general, looks very UFO-like. 205 00:08:52,532 --> 00:08:54,617 - [Tony] A UFO in the shape of a cloud? 206 00:08:54,617 --> 00:08:56,617 It may be a possibility. 207 00:08:56,619 --> 00:08:59,289 - If we think about ufology in general, 208 00:08:59,289 --> 00:09:03,126 there’s many aspects where UFOs have used clouds 209 00:09:03,126 --> 00:09:05,376 or meteorological events 210 00:09:05,378 --> 00:09:07,838 to obfuscate what’s really happening. 211 00:09:07,839 --> 00:09:09,758 - [Tony] Social media sites are littered 212 00:09:09,758 --> 00:09:11,548 with UFO cloud sightings. 213 00:09:11,551 --> 00:09:14,801 In California, Mount Shasta is frequently blanketed 214 00:09:14,804 --> 00:09:17,057 by strange oblong clouds, 215 00:09:17,057 --> 00:09:19,137 which has prompted some speculation 216 00:09:19,142 --> 00:09:21,892 that these clouds act as a UFO cloaking device 217 00:09:21,895 --> 00:09:24,898 hiding alien visitation in plain sight. 218 00:09:24,898 --> 00:09:27,108 But others argue these strange shapes 219 00:09:27,108 --> 00:09:30,028 are proof of government weather manipulation. 220 00:09:30,028 --> 00:09:31,818 - The phenomenon of cloud seeding 221 00:09:31,821 --> 00:09:34,031 is basically using certain chemicals 222 00:09:34,032 --> 00:09:36,868 that increase condensation inside the cloud, 223 00:09:36,868 --> 00:09:39,868 that way, also increasing precipitation. 224 00:09:39,871 --> 00:09:41,706 This combination of chemicals 225 00:09:41,706 --> 00:09:45,706 has been known to cause rain clouds to form. 226 00:09:45,710 --> 00:09:48,880 We know that no less than eight states across the US, 227 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:50,256 Arizona being one of them, 228 00:09:50,256 --> 00:09:52,836 actually use cloud seeding to mitigate drought. 229 00:09:52,842 --> 00:09:55,386 - [Tony] Hidden aliens, government weather manipulation 230 00:09:55,386 --> 00:09:58,886 or something else, UFO clouds are having a moment. 231 00:10:00,558 --> 00:10:03,228 For millennia, oracles looked to the heavens 232 00:10:03,228 --> 00:10:06,606 and judged the significance of strange shapes in the sky. 233 00:10:06,606 --> 00:10:09,776 But in this modern space age, some are asking, 234 00:10:09,776 --> 00:10:13,816 could many of these strange shapes have been UFOs all along? 235 00:10:13,822 --> 00:10:15,615 Let’s see if our experts can figure out 236 00:10:15,615 --> 00:10:18,985 if this cloud could be more than a cloud. 237 00:10:18,993 --> 00:10:21,253 (tense music) 238 00:10:23,289 --> 00:10:26,499 First, could there be a spacecraft hiding in that cloud? 239 00:10:26,501 --> 00:10:28,920 We asked video analyst Marc D’Antonio. 240 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:31,130 - The ATC, or air traffic control, 241 00:10:31,131 --> 00:10:33,466 has pretty sophisticated radars, 242 00:10:33,466 --> 00:10:36,966 and right now, there’s virtually no objects 243 00:10:36,970 --> 00:10:39,347 that can go undetected by airport radars. 244 00:10:39,347 --> 00:10:42,597 - [Tony] A check of FAA records shows no near misses 245 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:43,977 in the area that day, 246 00:10:43,977 --> 00:10:46,267 nor were there any nearby rocket launches. 247 00:10:46,271 --> 00:10:47,730 And while some argue UFOs 248 00:10:47,730 --> 00:10:50,020 might well have radar cloaking technology, 249 00:10:50,024 --> 00:10:51,860 D’Antonio points out the FAA 250 00:10:51,860 --> 00:10:54,860 isn’t the only one monitoring the skies above Tempe. 251 00:10:54,863 --> 00:10:57,113 - If this was an actual craft, 252 00:10:57,115 --> 00:11:00,493 you can bet the folks from Williams Gateway 253 00:11:00,493 --> 00:11:01,953 or Luke Air Force Base, 254 00:11:01,953 --> 00:11:04,956 where there’s lots of military presence, 255 00:11:04,956 --> 00:11:07,536 would’ve scrambled to go check it out. 256 00:11:07,542 --> 00:11:09,502 - [Tony] So if it’s not a secret alien ship, 257 00:11:09,502 --> 00:11:12,338 is it a government weather manipulation program? 258 00:11:12,338 --> 00:11:14,257 - Is this a cloud seeding project? 259 00:11:14,257 --> 00:11:16,377 The problem with that for me 260 00:11:16,384 --> 00:11:20,096 is that this is an extremely small, localized cloud. 261 00:11:20,096 --> 00:11:23,556 But a cloud seeding operation is a vast operation, 262 00:11:23,558 --> 00:11:26,227 you’re not gonna cloud-seed right in this one little spot. 263 00:11:26,227 --> 00:11:27,687 I don’t see any way 264 00:11:27,687 --> 00:11:29,937 in which this could be weather manipulation actually. 265 00:11:29,939 --> 00:11:32,149 - [Tony] Okay, so if it’s not artificial weather, 266 00:11:32,150 --> 00:11:33,690 could it be natural? 267 00:11:33,693 --> 00:11:35,778 According to meteorologist Juan Hernandez, 268 00:11:35,778 --> 00:11:39,238 the clue in the video is the surrounding Arizona terrain. 269 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:41,530 - If we take a closer look down towards the ground, 270 00:11:41,534 --> 00:11:43,661 we notice that there is some terrain. 271 00:11:43,661 --> 00:11:45,201 So this is the Tempe area, 272 00:11:45,205 --> 00:11:48,541 which is surrounded by mountains on the north side 273 00:11:48,541 --> 00:11:50,291 and the eastern side. 274 00:11:50,293 --> 00:11:51,502 - [Tony] These mountains, 275 00:11:51,502 --> 00:11:53,588 or specifically the cold gusts of wind 276 00:11:53,588 --> 00:11:56,758 that run up into them, collide with the moist atmosphere, 277 00:11:56,758 --> 00:11:58,718 creating lenticular clouds 278 00:11:59,677 --> 00:12:01,507 that could look a little or a lot 279 00:12:01,512 --> 00:12:03,348 like hovering flying saucers. 280 00:12:03,348 --> 00:12:05,516 - The wind cannot flow through the mountain, 281 00:12:05,516 --> 00:12:07,886 it must either flow around the mountain 282 00:12:07,894 --> 00:12:09,395 or on top of the mountain. 283 00:12:09,395 --> 00:12:12,895 - [Tony] That upcurrent creates a standing wave of cold air 284 00:12:12,899 --> 00:12:14,899 which then collides with moisture 285 00:12:14,901 --> 00:12:17,820 and forms this unique, saucer-shaped cloud. 286 00:12:17,820 --> 00:12:20,030 But why does it appear to stay stationary 287 00:12:20,031 --> 00:12:22,200 like an ominous hovering spacecraft? 288 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:24,327 - Although the wind is quickly moving, 289 00:12:24,327 --> 00:12:28,157 lenticular clouds oftentimes look stationary 290 00:12:28,164 --> 00:12:30,541 because that’s the right condition 291 00:12:30,541 --> 00:12:33,541 for the atmosphere to condensate. 292 00:12:33,544 --> 00:12:36,172 - [Tony] After all, the perfect lenticular cloud conditions 293 00:12:36,172 --> 00:12:38,258 are created by unmoving terrain, 294 00:12:38,258 --> 00:12:40,548 so these clouds tend to form and dissipate 295 00:12:40,551 --> 00:12:43,011 in those perfect, stationary spots. 296 00:12:43,012 --> 00:12:46,472 - And they oftentimes look fairly ominous 297 00:12:46,474 --> 00:12:51,104 so I can see why someone would mistake this for a UFO. 298 00:12:51,104 --> 00:12:53,364 (tense music) 299 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:58,150 - Our verdict, lenticular cloud. 300 00:12:58,152 --> 00:12:59,737 We agree with Juan Hernandez 301 00:12:59,737 --> 00:13:03,366 that this is an extraordinary looking natural phenomenon, 302 00:13:03,366 --> 00:13:05,276 but if you happen to have your camera 303 00:13:05,285 --> 00:13:09,205 and get footage of a massive UFO drifting over your town, 304 00:13:09,205 --> 00:13:10,575 be sure to send it our way. 305 00:13:14,419 --> 00:13:16,499 - We’ve all seen psychic mediums on talk shows 306 00:13:16,504 --> 00:13:18,798 claiming to communicate with the dead. 307 00:13:18,798 --> 00:13:20,925 But what if instead of on TV, 308 00:13:20,925 --> 00:13:23,635 it was happening live right before your very eyes, 309 00:13:23,636 --> 00:13:26,506 and what if the medium was an infant? 310 00:13:26,514 --> 00:13:29,144 Strap on your Pampers and check this out. 311 00:13:30,143 --> 00:13:33,773 It’s December 2021 in the suburbs of Akron, Ohio. 312 00:13:34,689 --> 00:13:37,775 22-month old Evelyn Witt, known as Evie, 313 00:13:37,775 --> 00:13:40,185 is in her highchair when her mom, Tana, 314 00:13:40,194 --> 00:13:42,613 hears something odd and starts filming. 315 00:13:42,613 --> 00:13:44,449 - [Tana] Who are you talking to? 316 00:13:44,449 --> 00:13:46,779 - [Tony] The video shows that no one else is in the room 317 00:13:46,784 --> 00:13:49,996 with little Evie, but she seems to be having a chat- 318 00:13:49,996 --> 00:13:51,286 (Evie exclaims) 319 00:13:52,457 --> 00:13:54,537 - [Tony] With an invisible uncle. 320 00:13:56,544 --> 00:13:57,884 - [Tana] Who are you talking to? 321 00:14:04,969 --> 00:14:06,137 - [Tony] Tana wonders 322 00:14:06,137 --> 00:14:08,217 if the toddler is saying the word, uncle. 323 00:14:08,222 --> 00:14:10,350 - [Tana] Who are you talking to? 324 00:14:10,350 --> 00:14:12,810 Evelyn, who are you talking to? 325 00:14:12,810 --> 00:14:15,060 - Shh, shh, shh. 326 00:14:15,063 --> 00:14:17,648 - [Tony] That would make sense since Tana’s brother, 327 00:14:17,648 --> 00:14:19,188 Evie’s Uncle, Tim, 328 00:14:19,192 --> 00:14:21,736 lived at home with Evie’s grandmother, Debra Henley. 329 00:14:21,736 --> 00:14:23,896 She watches the little girl during the day. 330 00:14:23,905 --> 00:14:25,490 - When I would go to the park, 331 00:14:25,490 --> 00:14:27,200 he’d come with me so he’d help me. 332 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:29,910 He would take her on the swings and down the slide 333 00:14:29,911 --> 00:14:34,581 and he was just a big part of her life. 334 00:14:34,582 --> 00:14:36,542 What do you think? (laughing) 335 00:14:37,502 --> 00:14:38,836 - [Tony] Tragically, 336 00:14:38,836 --> 00:14:41,336 one month before Tana filmed her mysterious video, 337 00:14:41,339 --> 00:14:44,549 Uncle Tim died of an accidental drug overdose. 338 00:14:45,593 --> 00:14:47,220 So that begs the question, 339 00:14:47,220 --> 00:14:50,720 are we watching little Evie talking to Uncle Tim’s ghost? 340 00:14:52,100 --> 00:14:54,227 - She talked a lot about Tim, 341 00:14:54,227 --> 00:14:58,227 and she would say things that I don’t think that she knew 342 00:14:58,231 --> 00:15:00,231 as a young child. 343 00:15:00,233 --> 00:15:01,903 - [Tana] Who else is happy? 344 00:15:03,778 --> 00:15:05,947 - [Tana] Tim’s happy? - Yeah. 345 00:15:05,947 --> 00:15:11,285 - She was talking to him, I’m almost sure of it. 346 00:15:11,285 --> 00:15:13,445 - [Tony] Author Alexis Brooks suggests 347 00:15:13,454 --> 00:15:16,207 that young children potentially have a sixth sense 348 00:15:16,207 --> 00:15:19,127 and are actually able to see things that others aren’t. 349 00:15:19,127 --> 00:15:20,957 - There are some theorists that say 350 00:15:20,962 --> 00:15:23,631 that babies can actually see beyond 351 00:15:23,631 --> 00:15:26,801 the visible spectrum of light, and it is said that 352 00:15:26,801 --> 00:15:29,470 the spirit world essentially lives outside 353 00:15:29,470 --> 00:15:30,970 of that visible spectrum. 354 00:15:31,973 --> 00:15:35,143 - [Tony] In July 2021, another child went viral 355 00:15:35,143 --> 00:15:37,979 after he began talking to an invisible presence 356 00:15:37,979 --> 00:15:39,439 while his family was driving 357 00:15:39,439 --> 00:15:42,269 through California’s Sierra National Forest. 358 00:15:42,275 --> 00:15:45,278 This apparent ghost sighting took place in an area 359 00:15:45,278 --> 00:15:48,488 where a woman named Sandra Johnson Hughes went missing 360 00:15:48,489 --> 00:15:50,158 a year earlier, 361 00:15:50,158 --> 00:15:53,288 and she looks just like how the boy described. 362 00:15:55,121 --> 00:15:56,831 There is another potential source 363 00:15:56,831 --> 00:15:58,416 of supernatural connection 364 00:15:58,416 --> 00:16:02,086 between children and the spirit world, the pineal gland, 365 00:16:02,086 --> 00:16:04,626 a little understood gland in the center of the brain 366 00:16:04,630 --> 00:16:06,257 that produces melatonin. 367 00:16:06,257 --> 00:16:07,675 It’s been connected 368 00:16:07,675 --> 00:16:11,005 to the mystical third eye, chakra, of Eastern religions. 369 00:16:11,012 --> 00:16:14,932 Some claim children’s pineal glands have not yet atrophied, 370 00:16:14,932 --> 00:16:16,767 which give them visibility 371 00:16:16,767 --> 00:16:19,187 into a broader spectrum of reality. 372 00:16:19,187 --> 00:16:22,017 But what is our experts’ sense? 373 00:16:22,023 --> 00:16:24,193 (tense music) 374 00:16:25,693 --> 00:16:28,613 First, we ask forensic video analyst Michael Primeau 375 00:16:28,613 --> 00:16:30,031 to authenticate the footage, 376 00:16:30,031 --> 00:16:31,991 - The recording’s structure was analyzed, 377 00:16:31,991 --> 00:16:34,827 and there is specific metadata in the file 378 00:16:34,827 --> 00:16:38,617 which would have been produced from the original version. 379 00:16:38,623 --> 00:16:40,623 So there is no evidence to suggest 380 00:16:40,625 --> 00:16:44,712 that any kind of fabrication occurred with this interaction. 381 00:16:44,712 --> 00:16:46,130 - [Tana] Who are you talking to? 382 00:16:46,130 --> 00:16:47,670 - [Tony] So the video is authentic, 383 00:16:47,673 --> 00:16:50,718 but is Evie’s apparent encounter with Uncle Tim? 384 00:16:50,718 --> 00:16:53,298 Can children really see things adults can’t? 385 00:16:53,304 --> 00:16:56,224 Can children see outside the visible spectrum of light 386 00:16:56,224 --> 00:16:57,808 as some have claimed? 387 00:16:57,808 --> 00:17:00,808 One 2018 study published by the University of Georgia 388 00:17:00,811 --> 00:17:03,648 showed young people can detect ultraviolet light 389 00:17:03,648 --> 00:17:06,648 down to a wavelength of 315 nanometers, 390 00:17:06,651 --> 00:17:09,820 much lower than the average middle-aged adult. 391 00:17:09,820 --> 00:17:12,740 Still Dr. Ed Hope doubts this study explains 392 00:17:12,740 --> 00:17:14,070 what we’re seeing here. 393 00:17:14,075 --> 00:17:15,910 - In general, children’s vision 394 00:17:15,910 --> 00:17:17,870 is actually worse than our vision. 395 00:17:17,870 --> 00:17:20,410 In fact, when you’re born, you only see black and white 396 00:17:20,414 --> 00:17:22,500 and have very limited vision, 397 00:17:22,500 --> 00:17:24,877 and this increases rapidly in the first six months. 398 00:17:24,877 --> 00:17:26,917 So there will still be some development 399 00:17:26,921 --> 00:17:29,590 with the eyes and vision at this age. 400 00:17:29,590 --> 00:17:32,009 - [Tony] Theoretical physicist Dr. Michio Kaku 401 00:17:32,009 --> 00:17:35,429 adds that Evie is also still developing her social skills 402 00:17:35,429 --> 00:17:37,765 and her understanding of object permanence. 403 00:17:37,765 --> 00:17:40,925 So could she be chatting with an imaginary friend? 404 00:17:43,020 --> 00:17:45,020 - Sometimes, their imaginary friends 405 00:17:45,022 --> 00:17:47,232 are confused with real ones. 406 00:17:47,233 --> 00:17:49,693 It won’t be ’til around age three 407 00:17:49,694 --> 00:17:52,697 that a sense of what is real and not real 408 00:17:52,697 --> 00:17:55,777 becomes solidified in their mind. 409 00:17:55,783 --> 00:17:58,619 And realize that she’s only 22 months old. 410 00:17:58,619 --> 00:17:59,869 - [Tana] Who are you talking to? 411 00:17:59,870 --> 00:18:01,580 - [Tony] Then what do our experts think 412 00:18:01,581 --> 00:18:03,958 is the cause of Evie’s inexplicable interactions 413 00:18:03,958 --> 00:18:05,376 with Uncle Tim? 414 00:18:05,376 --> 00:18:07,536 - I think the most likely situation here 415 00:18:07,545 --> 00:18:10,631 is that Evelyn is mimicking behaviors 416 00:18:10,631 --> 00:18:12,421 of the family members around her 417 00:18:12,425 --> 00:18:13,968 going through a bereavement. 418 00:18:13,968 --> 00:18:15,468 Kids are like sponges, 419 00:18:15,469 --> 00:18:18,469 and this is a way of Evelyn dealing with that situation. 420 00:18:18,472 --> 00:18:21,142 - [Tony] Still, Evie continuously turns back 421 00:18:21,142 --> 00:18:23,978 and addresses the same exact spot in the room. 422 00:18:23,978 --> 00:18:27,308 Even Dr. Kaku cautions against jumping to conclusions. 423 00:18:27,315 --> 00:18:30,151 - Obviously, she has an emotional connection, 424 00:18:30,151 --> 00:18:32,945 but the key question is to what? 425 00:18:32,945 --> 00:18:36,565 The danger is that we impose our understanding 426 00:18:36,574 --> 00:18:39,118 of life and death to children. 427 00:18:39,118 --> 00:18:40,988 Their understanding of life and death 428 00:18:40,995 --> 00:18:43,831 could be quite different from those of an adult. 429 00:18:43,831 --> 00:18:46,626 Maybe children can see another aspect of reality 430 00:18:46,626 --> 00:18:48,666 that we cannot see. 431 00:18:51,797 --> 00:18:54,007 (tense music) 432 00:18:55,926 --> 00:18:58,095 - So this is a tough one, because we witnessed 433 00:18:58,095 --> 00:19:00,465 in real time Evelyn having conversations 434 00:19:00,473 --> 00:19:03,851 with an invisible or imaginary entity. 435 00:19:03,851 --> 00:19:07,521 For now, we’re saying these interactions are unexplained. 436 00:19:07,521 --> 00:19:08,811 It’s certainly possible 437 00:19:08,814 --> 00:19:11,192 Evie was just imagining her uncle was there, 438 00:19:11,192 --> 00:19:13,192 but we can’t say that for sure, 439 00:19:13,194 --> 00:19:14,862 and the family is convinced 440 00:19:14,862 --> 00:19:17,198 that something more was going on. 441 00:19:17,198 --> 00:19:18,698 In the meantime, 442 00:19:18,699 --> 00:19:20,779 they urge anyone affected by substance abuse in Ohio 443 00:19:20,785 --> 00:19:22,375 to contact Hope United. 444 00:19:26,207 --> 00:19:27,367 - When you are all alone in nature, 445 00:19:27,625 --> 00:19:29,543 the most innocuous animal noises can be unsettling. 446 00:19:29,543 --> 00:19:32,380 Even the sound of a tiny chipmunk scurrying 447 00:19:32,380 --> 00:19:34,715 through the leaves can feel like a potential threat. 448 00:19:34,715 --> 00:19:37,375 So imagine being alone and hearing the shrieks 449 00:19:37,385 --> 00:19:40,680 of what could potentially be a Sasquatch. 450 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:43,057 Don’t watch this next story alone. 451 00:19:43,057 --> 00:19:47,137 December 2017, Witset, British Columbia, Canada. 452 00:19:47,144 --> 00:19:49,730 It’s a snowy, overcast day in this remote village. 453 00:19:49,730 --> 00:19:52,730 Upon hearing something eerie in the woods behind his home, 454 00:19:52,733 --> 00:19:56,737 a man pulls out his camera and records this. 455 00:19:56,737 --> 00:19:59,317 (entity howls) 456 00:20:00,241 --> 00:20:01,741 Take another listen, 457 00:20:01,742 --> 00:20:03,742 it’s a guttural howl eliminating from the forest. 458 00:20:03,744 --> 00:20:05,413 The witness pans the camera around, 459 00:20:05,413 --> 00:20:08,040 trying to find where exactly it’s coming from. 460 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:10,500 (entity howls) 461 00:20:10,501 --> 00:20:13,087 Field researcher Cliff Barackman draws a comparison 462 00:20:13,087 --> 00:20:15,707 with these noises and the famous Sierra Sounds 463 00:20:15,715 --> 00:20:19,093 recorded in Northern California in the ’70s. 464 00:20:19,093 --> 00:20:21,893 (entity whooping) 465 00:20:24,724 --> 00:20:27,768 - The Sierra Sounds are singularly important 466 00:20:27,768 --> 00:20:29,558 in the study of Sasquatches. 467 00:20:29,562 --> 00:20:31,939 The sounds represent a wide variety 468 00:20:31,939 --> 00:20:34,608 of very strange vocalizations 469 00:20:34,608 --> 00:20:38,237 that were emitted from unseen entities in the woods. 470 00:20:38,237 --> 00:20:42,447 It sounds like people actually speaking an unknown language. 471 00:20:42,450 --> 00:20:47,037 (entity calling indistinctly) 472 00:20:47,037 --> 00:20:48,577 - [Tony] Important to note, 473 00:20:48,581 --> 00:20:51,375 whatever made the Sierra Sounds has never been identified. 474 00:20:51,375 --> 00:20:53,455 As with the recent sounds in British Columbia, 475 00:20:53,461 --> 00:20:55,461 Barackman thinks they could be the sounds 476 00:20:55,463 --> 00:20:57,757 of Sasquatch communicating. 477 00:20:57,757 --> 00:21:01,297 (entity howling) 478 00:21:01,302 --> 00:21:05,306 - We believe that Sasquatches are probably moving about 479 00:21:05,306 --> 00:21:07,426 in kind of loose groups. 480 00:21:07,433 --> 00:21:10,436 - [Tony] Even if they move in small groups like gorillas do, 481 00:21:10,436 --> 00:21:12,976 Barackman says they often spread out. 482 00:21:12,980 --> 00:21:15,900 - So in the kind of habitat they like to live in, 483 00:21:15,900 --> 00:21:18,569 they wouldn’t be able to see the other individuals 484 00:21:18,569 --> 00:21:21,319 in their family groups, they would have to call for them, 485 00:21:21,322 --> 00:21:23,449 whether it’s mating or socialization 486 00:21:23,449 --> 00:21:25,779 or feeding or whatever. 487 00:21:25,785 --> 00:21:29,246 (entity howls) 488 00:21:29,246 --> 00:21:30,496 - [Tony] However, some wonder 489 00:21:30,498 --> 00:21:31,788 if these sounds could be connected 490 00:21:31,791 --> 00:21:34,251 to another recent horror story from the region. 491 00:21:34,251 --> 00:21:38,631 Between 2007 and 2019 in the nearby Salish Sea, 492 00:21:38,631 --> 00:21:42,468 20 disembodied human feet encased in shoes and sneakers 493 00:21:42,468 --> 00:21:44,637 washed up onto the shore. 494 00:21:44,637 --> 00:21:46,637 Some suggest that this could be evidence 495 00:21:46,639 --> 00:21:48,929 of a killer Sasquatch, while others think 496 00:21:48,933 --> 00:21:51,643 this could be a serial killer running amok. 497 00:21:51,644 --> 00:21:55,022 Is this a deranged human screaming in the wild? 498 00:21:55,022 --> 00:21:58,025 - Canada is a vast, wild wilderness. 499 00:21:58,025 --> 00:22:01,025 Could a serial killer be loose in the woods of Canada? 500 00:22:01,028 --> 00:22:02,696 It’s possible. 501 00:22:02,696 --> 00:22:05,526 (entity howling) 502 00:22:08,869 --> 00:22:11,829 - The Harrison River Valley located to the southwest 503 00:22:11,831 --> 00:22:13,371 of British Columbia 504 00:22:13,374 --> 00:22:17,127 is home to the Indigenous nation known as the Chehalis. 505 00:22:17,127 --> 00:22:20,547 They consider the Sasquatch as sacred caretaker of the land, 506 00:22:20,548 --> 00:22:23,508 they even use him as a totem of their nation. 507 00:22:23,509 --> 00:22:27,509 Let’s see what our experts think about this Canadian creature. 508 00:22:27,513 --> 00:22:29,853 (tense music) 509 00:22:31,392 --> 00:22:33,352 Biologist Floyd Hayes fills us in 510 00:22:33,352 --> 00:22:35,187 on what we would normally find 511 00:22:35,187 --> 00:22:37,397 or hear lurking in these woods. 512 00:22:37,398 --> 00:22:39,148 - There are many species of animals 513 00:22:39,149 --> 00:22:41,569 that communicate by vocalizing. 514 00:22:41,569 --> 00:22:44,488 In general, the sounds are somewhat correlated 515 00:22:44,488 --> 00:22:46,198 with the body size of the animal, 516 00:22:46,198 --> 00:22:49,738 with larger animals producing louder sounds. 517 00:22:49,743 --> 00:22:51,745 (wolf howling) 518 00:22:51,745 --> 00:22:54,915 The British Columbia wolf is a subspecies of the gray wolf, 519 00:22:54,915 --> 00:22:57,705 and it lives in this area and it grows rather large. 520 00:22:57,710 --> 00:23:00,250 It makes very loud howling sounds. 521 00:23:00,254 --> 00:23:02,548 (wolf howling) 522 00:23:02,548 --> 00:23:04,717 - [Tony] That leads us to forensic audio analyst 523 00:23:04,717 --> 00:23:07,386 Dr. Rob Maher, who first compares this audio 524 00:23:07,386 --> 00:23:09,256 to that of a large wolf. 525 00:23:09,263 --> 00:23:11,932 - So we can compare the sound of a wolf. 526 00:23:11,932 --> 00:23:14,602 (wolf howling) 527 00:23:18,689 --> 00:23:21,359 (entity howling) 528 00:23:22,610 --> 00:23:26,530 So this is a spectrogram of the wolf howl. 529 00:23:26,530 --> 00:23:28,949 If we look at the Witset howl sound, 530 00:23:28,949 --> 00:23:31,535 we see more high frequency information 531 00:23:31,535 --> 00:23:34,615 and the contour is different than the wolf. 532 00:23:34,622 --> 00:23:37,622 - [Tony] So no exact match for the local fauna. 533 00:23:37,625 --> 00:23:39,209 But what about a Bigfoot? 534 00:23:39,209 --> 00:23:42,919 Maher brings up the famous Sierra Sounds for comparison. 535 00:23:42,922 --> 00:23:45,466 - The Bigfoot recording has more energy 536 00:23:45,466 --> 00:23:47,296 in the lower frequency range, 537 00:23:47,301 --> 00:23:51,051 and it’s more of a whoop rather than a shriek sound. 538 00:23:51,055 --> 00:23:53,815 (entity whoops) 539 00:23:56,894 --> 00:23:59,774 (entity howling) 540 00:24:01,148 --> 00:24:03,817 They seem to be two distinctive types of sounds. 541 00:24:03,817 --> 00:24:05,147 - [Tony] So no Bigfoot. 542 00:24:05,152 --> 00:24:07,652 But what about the idea that the sounds are connected 543 00:24:07,655 --> 00:24:10,824 to some disturbed serial killer haunting the Canadian woods? 544 00:24:10,824 --> 00:24:12,493 Maher says no. 545 00:24:12,493 --> 00:24:13,786 - Trying to make the sounds 546 00:24:13,786 --> 00:24:15,656 that are up in the higher range up here 547 00:24:15,663 --> 00:24:17,163 in several thousand hertz, 548 00:24:17,164 --> 00:24:20,417 I’m a little skeptical that a human could make that sound. 549 00:24:20,417 --> 00:24:23,796 (entity howling) 550 00:24:23,796 --> 00:24:26,666 - [Tony] So what could be making this horrific noise? 551 00:24:26,674 --> 00:24:30,803 Turns out, maybe nothing, or nothing real, at least. 552 00:24:30,803 --> 00:24:34,181 - In the spectrogram, we can see these vertical dark areas 553 00:24:34,181 --> 00:24:37,518 where the sound disappears during the recording. 554 00:24:37,518 --> 00:24:40,268 (entity howls) 555 00:24:43,607 --> 00:24:46,147 One of the reasons you might have these dropouts 556 00:24:46,151 --> 00:24:49,530 would be that the audio had been edited or changed. 557 00:24:49,530 --> 00:24:51,030 It raises a lot of questions 558 00:24:51,031 --> 00:24:53,158 about the integrity of that recording 559 00:24:53,158 --> 00:24:56,036 and whether it’s really authentic. 560 00:24:56,036 --> 00:24:58,786 (entity howls) 561 00:24:59,957 --> 00:25:02,207 (tense music) 562 00:25:03,877 --> 00:25:06,837 - Our verdict, with no exact audio matches 563 00:25:06,839 --> 00:25:09,717 and some questionable evidence about the recording, 564 00:25:09,717 --> 00:25:12,047 we’re going with potential hoax. 565 00:25:12,052 --> 00:25:14,052 And while we didn’t find a Bigfoot this time, 566 00:25:14,054 --> 00:25:16,140 British Columbia’s forests cover an area 567 00:25:16,140 --> 00:25:19,059 of 149 million acres, 568 00:25:19,059 --> 00:25:21,389 the size of France and Germany combined, 569 00:25:21,395 --> 00:25:23,405 so there’s plenty left to explore. 570 00:25:27,234 --> 00:25:28,318 - Coastal erosion has been a concern 571 00:25:28,318 --> 00:25:29,898 for parts of Florida for decades, 572 00:25:29,903 --> 00:25:32,156 especially when big storms strike. 573 00:25:32,156 --> 00:25:34,406 But one Florida town has recently discovered 574 00:25:34,408 --> 00:25:38,698 that with the disappearance of sand comes the reappearance 575 00:25:38,704 --> 00:25:41,248 of strange objects from the past. 576 00:25:41,248 --> 00:25:45,418 It’s December 2022 in Volusia County, Florida. 577 00:25:45,419 --> 00:25:47,087 As the area recovers 578 00:25:47,087 --> 00:25:50,215 from the recent onslaught of hurricanes Ian and Nicole, 579 00:25:50,215 --> 00:25:52,085 beachgoers near Daytona Beach 580 00:25:52,092 --> 00:25:55,429 stumble upon an anomaly on the foreshore. 581 00:25:55,429 --> 00:25:57,679 Photos taken from the air by the county 582 00:25:57,681 --> 00:25:59,431 show two parallel rows 583 00:25:59,433 --> 00:26:02,436 of jagged wooden posts sticking out of the sand. 584 00:26:02,436 --> 00:26:05,896 A couple of the boards lie lengthwise connecting the posts, 585 00:26:05,898 --> 00:26:07,768 while others are strewn nearby. 586 00:26:08,901 --> 00:26:11,901 It appears to be a long buried structure. 587 00:26:11,904 --> 00:26:13,739 Archeologist Chuck Meide, 588 00:26:13,739 --> 00:26:17,199 director of the Lighthouse Archeological Maritime Program, 589 00:26:17,201 --> 00:26:19,451 heads to the scene to try to uncover more 590 00:26:19,453 --> 00:26:21,080 of the mysterious object. 591 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:22,706 - We kind of assess the scene, 592 00:26:22,706 --> 00:26:24,706 and it becomes almost like a crime scene investigation, 593 00:26:24,708 --> 00:26:26,788 we’re trying to understand what’s going on. 594 00:26:26,794 --> 00:26:28,420 - [Tony] Chuck and his team start digging 595 00:26:28,420 --> 00:26:31,420 and discover what looks like wooden timbers. 596 00:26:31,423 --> 00:26:34,133 - We could really begin to see kind of patterns 597 00:26:34,134 --> 00:26:36,470 in how these timbers were laid out. 598 00:26:36,470 --> 00:26:41,308 We could definitely tell that we had frames of a vessel. 599 00:26:41,308 --> 00:26:44,098 - [Tony] So it seems Chuck is on the scene of a shipwreck, 600 00:26:44,103 --> 00:26:47,106 but what ship is this, and where is it from? 601 00:26:47,106 --> 00:26:50,396 Journalist Eric Grundhauser says there are several ideas. 602 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:52,820 - One theory is that it is the result 603 00:26:52,820 --> 00:26:54,650 of the Bermuda Triangle, 604 00:26:54,655 --> 00:26:59,660 a fabled triangle of destruction and mystery 605 00:26:59,660 --> 00:27:04,289 that has claimed countless ships over the years. 606 00:27:04,289 --> 00:27:06,329 - [Tony] Could this ship have been a victim 607 00:27:06,333 --> 00:27:08,669 of some unexplained force in the Triangle? 608 00:27:08,669 --> 00:27:12,256 Or is it just an old ship beached during a long ago storm? 609 00:27:12,256 --> 00:27:13,506 - A number of fleets 610 00:27:13,507 --> 00:27:15,507 have been sunk off the coast of Florida, 611 00:27:15,509 --> 00:27:19,009 vessels carrying huge amounts of wealth and treasure. 612 00:27:19,012 --> 00:27:20,681 The so-called Shipwreck Trail 613 00:27:20,681 --> 00:27:23,681 that exists in the waters off the coast of the Florida Keys 614 00:27:23,684 --> 00:27:27,354 contains the remains of ships like the San Pedro 615 00:27:27,354 --> 00:27:31,692 that sunk in 1733 that contained a huge amount of wealth. 616 00:27:31,692 --> 00:27:33,442 - [Tony] But maybe this wrecked ship 617 00:27:33,443 --> 00:27:35,533 was hauling booty that was looted. 618 00:27:36,530 --> 00:27:40,280 - Famous pirates like Black Beard and Calico Jack 619 00:27:40,284 --> 00:27:43,370 were known to have visited the Florida coastline, 620 00:27:43,370 --> 00:27:45,497 and a number of pirate ships 621 00:27:45,497 --> 00:27:49,626 also were sunk off the coast of Florida. 622 00:27:49,626 --> 00:27:51,876 Some were sunk by natural causes, 623 00:27:51,879 --> 00:27:55,879 others were purposely sunk so that they wouldn’t be taken. 624 00:27:55,883 --> 00:27:57,883 Could the remains that we’re seeing here 625 00:27:57,885 --> 00:28:00,515 be the remains of one of those pirate ships? 626 00:28:02,848 --> 00:28:04,888 - Beyond speculation about piracy 627 00:28:04,892 --> 00:28:06,392 and the Bermuda Triangle, 628 00:28:06,393 --> 00:28:08,896 rough waters off Florida’s coast can be dangerous 629 00:28:08,896 --> 00:28:10,856 to wooden boats of any kind. 630 00:28:10,856 --> 00:28:13,856 Though wood naturally floats, leaks between hull planks 631 00:28:13,859 --> 00:28:15,986 can lead to the loss of buoyancy 632 00:28:15,986 --> 00:28:18,856 and even the sinking of ships in storms. 633 00:28:18,864 --> 00:28:21,574 So what was it that brought this vessel down? 634 00:28:21,575 --> 00:28:24,077 Let’s let our experts take the helm. 635 00:28:24,077 --> 00:28:26,407 (tense music) 636 00:28:27,748 --> 00:28:30,578 Meteorologist Juan Hernandez says the amount of sand 637 00:28:30,584 --> 00:28:34,546 that’s been displaced suggests this ship is very old. 638 00:28:34,546 --> 00:28:40,586 - Looks like we’ve lost 10, 15 feet of sand fairly quickly. 639 00:28:40,594 --> 00:28:42,095 Given the potent storm systems 640 00:28:42,095 --> 00:28:44,345 that plague the Bermuda Triangle, 641 00:28:44,348 --> 00:28:48,435 it’s possible that a storm system led to this shipwreck 642 00:28:48,435 --> 00:28:50,725 and then buried it for centuries. 643 00:28:50,729 --> 00:28:53,269 It wouldn’t be until another storm came through 644 00:28:53,273 --> 00:28:54,523 that it would be uncovered. 645 00:28:54,524 --> 00:28:56,902 - [Tony] So even if the ship came from the area 646 00:28:56,902 --> 00:28:58,445 of the Bermuda Triangle, 647 00:28:58,445 --> 00:29:02,275 it likely just ran aground long ago in a bad storm. 648 00:29:03,742 --> 00:29:06,411 So could this actually be a real-life pirate ship? 649 00:29:06,411 --> 00:29:09,790 Archeologist Kathy Strain says it’s possible. 650 00:29:09,790 --> 00:29:13,126 - Piracy is really well-known off the coast of Florida. 651 00:29:13,126 --> 00:29:15,876 In it’s heyday in 1700s, 652 00:29:15,879 --> 00:29:20,129 there was up to 5,000 different pirates operating 653 00:29:20,133 --> 00:29:21,633 in those waters. 654 00:29:21,635 --> 00:29:23,303 So it’s very possible 655 00:29:23,303 --> 00:29:26,139 that we don’t know anything about this boat 656 00:29:26,139 --> 00:29:28,308 because it was stolen. 657 00:29:28,308 --> 00:29:30,138 - [Tony] Chuck agrees, the fact that 658 00:29:30,143 --> 00:29:32,646 there don’t seem to be any ships reported missing 659 00:29:32,646 --> 00:29:34,476 or stolen in this area 660 00:29:34,481 --> 00:29:37,150 calls into question the piracy theory. 661 00:29:37,150 --> 00:29:39,650 And here’s the thing, his further research reveals 662 00:29:39,653 --> 00:29:42,613 this wrecked ship likely sailed after 1800, 663 00:29:42,614 --> 00:29:45,074 the age of piracy had largely ended by then. 664 00:29:45,075 --> 00:29:47,661 - The size of the timbers, how they were shaped, 665 00:29:47,661 --> 00:29:49,496 how they were joined together, 666 00:29:49,496 --> 00:29:51,915 what types of fasteners were used, 667 00:29:51,915 --> 00:29:54,075 all of these things really point 668 00:29:54,084 --> 00:29:57,337 to this dating to the 1800s. 669 00:29:57,337 --> 00:29:59,917 By the 1800s, there’s a lot of shipping, 670 00:29:59,923 --> 00:30:04,761 so it’s most likely to be a cargo ship, a merchant vessel. 671 00:30:04,761 --> 00:30:07,011 - [Tony] Chuck says the continuous tides on the beach 672 00:30:07,014 --> 00:30:09,266 have made it impossible to uncover much more 673 00:30:09,266 --> 00:30:13,476 than the top of the boat, and so far, no sign of treasure. 674 00:30:17,524 --> 00:30:21,820 Our verdict, this is likely a 19th century merchant ship. 675 00:30:21,820 --> 00:30:25,657 Piracy had mostly died down in the Atlantic by the 1800s 676 00:30:25,657 --> 00:30:28,027 so it’s unlikely this ship was purloined 677 00:30:28,035 --> 00:30:31,121 by the likes of Black Beard before it went down. 678 00:30:31,121 --> 00:30:33,871 Still, the lack of any records documenting the loss 679 00:30:33,874 --> 00:30:36,501 of a ship in that area at that time 680 00:30:36,501 --> 00:30:38,501 means this vessel remains part 681 00:30:38,503 --> 00:30:42,133 of the broader Bermuda Triangle mystery, at least for now. 682 00:30:45,761 --> 00:30:47,261 - Prehistoric Native Americans left records 683 00:30:47,262 --> 00:30:50,265 of their ancestral traditions in their rock art. 684 00:30:50,265 --> 00:30:52,805 One symbol found among their stone carvings 685 00:30:52,809 --> 00:30:54,889 is said to be connected to a powerful 686 00:30:54,895 --> 00:30:56,980 and mystical ancient being. 687 00:30:56,980 --> 00:31:00,020 Could this rock provide a bridge to another world? 688 00:31:01,735 --> 00:31:03,737 It’s January 2021, 689 00:31:03,737 --> 00:31:06,865 deep in the mountains of Jackson County, North Carolina. 690 00:31:06,865 --> 00:31:09,275 YouTubers Shane Simmons and Melody West 691 00:31:09,284 --> 00:31:10,952 have traveled to a mysterious site 692 00:31:10,952 --> 00:31:12,702 famed throughout the state. 693 00:31:13,705 --> 00:31:15,075 - [Shane] Let’s get out and take a look. 694 00:31:15,082 --> 00:31:16,541 - [Melody] Let’s do it. 695 00:31:16,541 --> 00:31:17,626 - [Shane] You ready for this? - [Melody] I’m ready. 696 00:31:17,626 --> 00:31:19,416 - [Tony] At the bottom of a small hill, 697 00:31:19,419 --> 00:31:21,797 a large, gray, soapstone boulder emerges, 698 00:31:21,797 --> 00:31:23,457 nestled in the grass. 699 00:31:23,465 --> 00:31:25,258 - [Shane] A lot of interesting carvings on here. 700 00:31:25,258 --> 00:31:28,088 - [Tony] But up close, it’s clear the curves and cuts 701 00:31:28,095 --> 00:31:30,680 combine to tell an ancient story. 702 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:32,015 - And when you get down there, 703 00:31:32,015 --> 00:31:33,175 the first thing you wanna look for 704 00:31:33,183 --> 00:31:35,769 is the seven fingers of Judaculla. 705 00:31:35,769 --> 00:31:37,849 - [Tony] The legend claims the seven fingers 706 00:31:37,854 --> 00:31:39,147 are the actual hand print 707 00:31:39,147 --> 00:31:41,937 of an ancient seven-fingered giant. 708 00:31:41,942 --> 00:31:44,402 Author Alexis Brooks says the Cherokee people 709 00:31:44,403 --> 00:31:47,322 consider Judaculla to be a psychopomp, 710 00:31:47,322 --> 00:31:50,450 a being that guided souls between the material world 711 00:31:50,450 --> 00:31:52,240 and the spiritual one. 712 00:31:52,244 --> 00:31:53,745 - The Judaculla giant 713 00:31:53,745 --> 00:31:57,455 is said to be one who comes from the mountaintop, 714 00:31:57,457 --> 00:32:01,586 has landed on this rock, but he did so with a purpose. 715 00:32:01,586 --> 00:32:03,496 He was there to chase off intruders. 716 00:32:03,505 --> 00:32:06,675 - [Tony] But perhaps Judaculla isn’t simply a mystical giant 717 00:32:06,675 --> 00:32:08,301 coming down from the mountains, 718 00:32:08,301 --> 00:32:10,887 but rather an ancient astronaut visitor 719 00:32:10,887 --> 00:32:12,967 coming from outer space. 720 00:32:12,973 --> 00:32:15,600 Author Jason Martell says the story goes 721 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:18,140 that when Judaculla crashed into the rock, 722 00:32:18,145 --> 00:32:21,064 he may have opened a portal to other worlds, 723 00:32:21,064 --> 00:32:23,191 perhaps to where he originated. 724 00:32:23,191 --> 00:32:25,569 - We know that there’s been a lot of UFO activity 725 00:32:25,569 --> 00:32:27,109 in the area. 726 00:32:27,112 --> 00:32:29,362 It’s very possible that this is some type of a beacon 727 00:32:29,364 --> 00:32:30,824 or a lighthouse, 728 00:32:30,824 --> 00:32:33,743 perhaps opening some type of lost energy field. 729 00:32:33,743 --> 00:32:35,203 It has even been suggested 730 00:32:35,203 --> 00:32:39,332 that Judaculla, the giant himself, used this as a gateway 731 00:32:39,332 --> 00:32:41,710 that would allow for communication even today. 732 00:32:41,710 --> 00:32:43,628 - [Tony] Shane says this force of energy 733 00:32:43,628 --> 00:32:45,505 is something he felt firsthand. 734 00:32:45,505 --> 00:32:47,795 - Touching the rock itself, it gave a little bit 735 00:32:47,799 --> 00:32:50,385 of a charge, for lack of a better word, 736 00:32:50,385 --> 00:32:52,925 you just feel something from the rock. 737 00:32:56,016 --> 00:32:57,556 - Stories of powerful giants 738 00:32:57,559 --> 00:33:00,309 can be found in numerous ancient texts. 739 00:33:00,312 --> 00:33:03,690 From the Greek Gigantes to the Hebrew Nephilim, 740 00:33:03,690 --> 00:33:06,230 some believe these giants really walk the earth. 741 00:33:06,234 --> 00:33:09,738 So could Judaculla be a similar supersized being? 742 00:33:09,738 --> 00:33:12,158 Let’s see how our experts measure up. 743 00:33:13,116 --> 00:33:15,446 (tense music) 744 00:33:16,703 --> 00:33:19,998 Archeologist Dr. Ed Barnhart considers if this mark 745 00:33:19,998 --> 00:33:22,828 was truly left by Judaculla, the giant. 746 00:33:22,834 --> 00:33:25,670 - Many people believe that print there 747 00:33:25,670 --> 00:33:27,920 was his actual hand print. 748 00:33:27,923 --> 00:33:30,509 But in actuality, we can see 749 00:33:30,509 --> 00:33:33,299 that it is carved into the stone. 750 00:33:33,303 --> 00:33:36,306 - [Tony] Barnhart says the well-defined edges and grooves 751 00:33:36,306 --> 00:33:38,516 that seem to curl up toward the rock face 752 00:33:38,517 --> 00:33:40,347 prove that it’s been chiseled out 753 00:33:40,352 --> 00:33:43,146 since a hand print impression like this one made in clay 754 00:33:43,146 --> 00:33:45,726 would be less delineated and more diffused. 755 00:33:45,732 --> 00:33:48,360 - This stone was probably carved hundreds 756 00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:50,110 and hundreds of years ago. 757 00:33:50,111 --> 00:33:52,656 - [Tony] What’s more, Barnhart doesn’t believe the stone 758 00:33:52,656 --> 00:33:56,026 is telling us just one story, but instead, many. 759 00:33:56,034 --> 00:34:00,247 - At 1,500 different carvings, 760 00:34:00,247 --> 00:34:04,417 that’s the most on any stone in all of North America. 761 00:34:04,417 --> 00:34:06,417 The initial carvings on this stone 762 00:34:06,419 --> 00:34:10,089 could be reaching back thousands of years ago. 763 00:34:10,090 --> 00:34:16,220 In my experience, rocks that have this much carving on them 764 00:34:16,221 --> 00:34:18,261 are not done in a single episode, 765 00:34:18,265 --> 00:34:21,184 they’re done repeatedly over generations. 766 00:34:21,184 --> 00:34:23,311 - [Tony] And NASA geologist Dr. Bob Anderson 767 00:34:23,311 --> 00:34:24,938 adds that the type of rock 768 00:34:24,938 --> 00:34:28,018 has made it particularly convenient for petroglyphs. 769 00:34:28,024 --> 00:34:29,776 - The rock is made up of soapstone, 770 00:34:29,776 --> 00:34:32,776 which is a metamorphic rock, a rock that has been changed, 771 00:34:32,779 --> 00:34:35,865 it’s been heated by pressure and/or temperature. 772 00:34:35,865 --> 00:34:39,695 It actually makes it very soft and as easy to carve into. 773 00:34:39,703 --> 00:34:41,997 - [Tony] Barnhart says, given the location of the rock, 774 00:34:41,997 --> 00:34:44,537 it was likely carved during the Mississippian period, 775 00:34:44,541 --> 00:34:48,920 which lasted from about 800 AD to around 1600 AD, 776 00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:50,210 and saw the development 777 00:34:50,213 --> 00:34:51,840 of some of the most complex societies 778 00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:54,300 that had ever existed in North America. 779 00:34:54,301 --> 00:34:59,848 - Big, unique pieces of geology, topography like this 780 00:34:59,848 --> 00:35:04,436 were oftentimes landmarks along protected trade routes. 781 00:35:04,436 --> 00:35:06,976 Of course, the Mississippian civilization 782 00:35:06,980 --> 00:35:10,358 were a bunch of independent city states, 783 00:35:10,358 --> 00:35:12,358 and you didn’t want to accidentally, 784 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:13,820 without permission, 785 00:35:13,820 --> 00:35:16,280 cross from one territory to another 786 00:35:16,281 --> 00:35:19,117 because you would be in big trouble. 787 00:35:19,117 --> 00:35:20,737 - [Tony] So maybe there’s some truth 788 00:35:20,744 --> 00:35:22,120 to the legend of Judaculla, 789 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:24,120 at least the part about the rock being used 790 00:35:24,122 --> 00:35:27,876 to scare away intruders and mark the tribe’s turf. 791 00:35:27,876 --> 00:35:29,416 - This was a marker 792 00:35:29,419 --> 00:35:31,499 that showed the extent of what their tribe was 793 00:35:31,504 --> 00:35:32,714 so that people would understand 794 00:35:32,714 --> 00:35:34,466 that they would be protecting this land. 795 00:35:34,466 --> 00:35:37,926 Before smartphones, before the internet, before computers, 796 00:35:37,927 --> 00:35:39,387 this is the way that the people 797 00:35:39,387 --> 00:35:41,007 were actually talking tribe to tribe. 798 00:35:41,014 --> 00:35:42,474 It’s just like using Google Maps 799 00:35:42,474 --> 00:35:45,184 that you have on your cars nowadays. 800 00:35:45,185 --> 00:35:47,405 (tense music) 801 00:35:49,230 --> 00:35:51,399 - Our verdict, these complex markings 802 00:35:51,399 --> 00:35:55,695 were engraved by Indigenous peoples as a sophisticated map. 803 00:35:55,695 --> 00:35:58,315 While the story of Judaculla is compelling, 804 00:35:58,323 --> 00:36:00,992 we have no evidence the markings on this boulder 805 00:36:00,992 --> 00:36:03,912 belong on his list of accomplishments, 806 00:36:03,912 --> 00:36:06,289 though we still have no idea why visitors say 807 00:36:06,289 --> 00:36:09,379 the rock seems to have an other-worldly energy. 808 00:36:13,296 --> 00:36:15,006 - We all know they do things differently in California. 809 00:36:15,006 --> 00:36:17,046 The Golden State has its own laws on everything 810 00:36:17,050 --> 00:36:19,219 from fuel efficiency to marijuana, 811 00:36:19,219 --> 00:36:22,305 but does it have its own laws of gravity? 812 00:36:22,305 --> 00:36:25,305 Follow us into the Redwood Forest to find out. 813 00:36:25,308 --> 00:36:27,348 It’s January 2023 814 00:36:27,352 --> 00:36:29,896 in the beach town of Santa Cruz, California, 815 00:36:29,896 --> 00:36:32,565 known for its great surfing and long wharf. 816 00:36:32,565 --> 00:36:34,645 But local YouTuber Ryan Sonneville 817 00:36:34,651 --> 00:36:38,905 is interested in documenting a more unusual area attraction, 818 00:36:38,905 --> 00:36:41,025 a strange cabin in the Redwood Forest 819 00:36:41,032 --> 00:36:42,242 where gravity itself 820 00:36:42,242 --> 00:36:44,869 seems to have joined the counterculture. 821 00:36:44,869 --> 00:36:46,746 - If you live around Santa Cruz 822 00:36:46,746 --> 00:36:47,906 or anywhere in Northern California, 823 00:36:47,914 --> 00:36:50,083 you probably see people with the very iconic 824 00:36:50,083 --> 00:36:52,419 Mystery Spot bumper stickers driving around. 825 00:36:52,419 --> 00:36:54,587 - [Tony] The Mystery Spot is a small structure 826 00:36:54,587 --> 00:36:58,167 where everything seems just a little off-kilter, 827 00:36:58,174 --> 00:37:00,552 and where a tour guide is effortlessly able 828 00:37:00,552 --> 00:37:02,178 to walk up a wall. 829 00:37:02,178 --> 00:37:04,718 Ryan says it feels very disorienting. 830 00:37:04,723 --> 00:37:07,100 - It’s pretty immediate the minute you go into it 831 00:37:07,100 --> 00:37:09,600 that it doesn’t feel right, 832 00:37:09,602 --> 00:37:11,396 like you’re able to stand on a bench 833 00:37:11,396 --> 00:37:12,936 and be leaning forward in a way 834 00:37:12,939 --> 00:37:15,399 that you would generally feel like I’m gonna fall forward. 835 00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:18,110 - [Tony] The Mystery Spot opened to the public in 1940, 836 00:37:18,111 --> 00:37:20,861 and has perplexed hundreds of thousands of visitors 837 00:37:20,864 --> 00:37:22,532 from all over the world. 838 00:37:22,532 --> 00:37:23,950 Journalist Eric Grundhauser 839 00:37:23,950 --> 00:37:25,785 says that this anomaly has resulted 840 00:37:25,785 --> 00:37:29,455 in decades of speculation about why it is the way it is. 841 00:37:29,456 --> 00:37:31,286 - So there are a number of theories 842 00:37:31,291 --> 00:37:34,377 about why the laws of gravity and physics 843 00:37:34,377 --> 00:37:36,917 seem to no longer apply around the vicinity 844 00:37:36,921 --> 00:37:38,921 of the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot. 845 00:37:38,923 --> 00:37:41,801 One theory goes that aliens came to our planet 846 00:37:41,801 --> 00:37:44,637 and one of their spacecraft crashed there in the forest, 847 00:37:44,637 --> 00:37:46,137 and that the remains 848 00:37:46,139 --> 00:37:49,429 are somehow causing gravitational distortions. 849 00:37:49,434 --> 00:37:51,144 - [Tony] Or maybe the layer of rock 850 00:37:51,144 --> 00:37:54,439 between the earth’s crust and its core is to blame. 851 00:37:54,439 --> 00:37:56,065 - Another theory goes, 852 00:37:56,065 --> 00:38:00,945 the Mystery Spot actually sits on some kind of magma chamber 853 00:38:00,945 --> 00:38:05,655 that is producing a lower density of mass 854 00:38:05,658 --> 00:38:09,287 so that the gravity above it in the Mystery Spot 855 00:38:09,287 --> 00:38:11,157 doesn’t have the same qualities 856 00:38:11,164 --> 00:38:13,174 that it does elsewhere on the planet. 857 00:38:15,418 --> 00:38:17,337 - With thousands of visitors each year, 858 00:38:17,337 --> 00:38:19,957 the Mystery Spot calls to mind PT Barnum’s 859 00:38:19,964 --> 00:38:21,841 popular American Museum. 860 00:38:21,841 --> 00:38:23,676 In order to keep the crowds moving, 861 00:38:23,676 --> 00:38:27,636 Barnum put a sign saying, "This way to the egress." 862 00:38:27,639 --> 00:38:29,929 Not knowing egress meant exit, 863 00:38:29,933 --> 00:38:32,685 many people followed the sign in search of a new attraction, 864 00:38:32,685 --> 00:38:36,185 not realizing they were literally being shown the door. 865 00:38:36,189 --> 00:38:39,108 So what do our experts think of this crowd-pleasing sight 866 00:38:39,108 --> 00:38:41,027 in Santa Cruz? 867 00:38:41,027 --> 00:38:43,317 (tense music) 868 00:38:44,864 --> 00:38:46,866 Physicist Dr. Matthew Szydagis says 869 00:38:46,866 --> 00:38:49,946 that electromagnetic effects from an alien spacecraft 870 00:38:49,953 --> 00:38:51,703 probably wouldn’t be strong enough 871 00:38:51,704 --> 00:38:53,456 to distort gravity like this. 872 00:38:53,456 --> 00:38:56,666 - Gravity, when it’s distorted, 873 00:38:56,668 --> 00:39:01,458 needs to be distorted due to extremely strong fields, 874 00:39:01,464 --> 00:39:05,468 so things like a black hole singularity. 875 00:39:05,468 --> 00:39:08,137 - [Tony] In a black hole, the pull of gravity is so strong 876 00:39:08,137 --> 00:39:10,217 that even light can’t escape. 877 00:39:10,223 --> 00:39:11,391 - I can assure you 878 00:39:11,391 --> 00:39:13,681 that if something like that was in California, 879 00:39:13,685 --> 00:39:16,062 it would’ve destroyed the state, 880 00:39:16,062 --> 00:39:18,062 if not the entire planet by now. 881 00:39:18,064 --> 00:39:21,359 - [Tony] But what about the effects of a magma chamber? 882 00:39:21,359 --> 00:39:23,736 Science writer Mick West investigates. 883 00:39:23,736 --> 00:39:25,905 - The idea is that the movement, the different density 884 00:39:25,905 --> 00:39:28,315 of the magma causes gravity to be different. 885 00:39:28,324 --> 00:39:32,871 The issue is, the Mystery Spot lies on the San Andrea’s fault 886 00:39:32,871 --> 00:39:36,040 which is between two continental plates. 887 00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:38,250 That wouldn’t allow buildup of magma, 888 00:39:38,251 --> 00:39:40,336 it would escape between the plates, 889 00:39:40,336 --> 00:39:42,246 that would only actually work in the middle 890 00:39:42,255 --> 00:39:44,257 of a continental plate. 891 00:39:44,257 --> 00:39:47,427 - [Tony] So West has a more even-plained explanation. 892 00:39:47,427 --> 00:39:50,007 - This is essentially an artificial gravity hill. 893 00:39:50,013 --> 00:39:53,391 We don’t see any true verticals anywhere in this spot. 894 00:39:53,391 --> 00:39:55,935 The trees themselves are more or less vertical, 895 00:39:55,935 --> 00:39:57,765 sometimes trees lean over, 896 00:39:57,770 --> 00:39:59,770 the fences are all at strange angles, 897 00:39:59,772 --> 00:40:01,566 the floor is always at an angle, 898 00:40:01,566 --> 00:40:03,396 there’s no flat ground anywhere. 899 00:40:03,401 --> 00:40:06,279 And so your brain never knows which way is up. 900 00:40:06,279 --> 00:40:08,779 - [Tony] But Szydagis has the data to prove 901 00:40:08,781 --> 00:40:10,617 this is just a fun illusion. 902 00:40:10,617 --> 00:40:13,536 - I’ve actually been to the Mystery Spot myself, 903 00:40:13,536 --> 00:40:17,366 and I was able to measure the tilt effect 904 00:40:17,373 --> 00:40:19,751 with the digital leveler app. 905 00:40:19,751 --> 00:40:23,751 Has an approximate average tilt of 17 degrees. 906 00:40:23,755 --> 00:40:25,757 A 17-degree grade, 907 00:40:25,757 --> 00:40:29,297 especially when you disguise it by clever construction, 908 00:40:29,302 --> 00:40:32,430 can be very hard for the human eye to perceive. 909 00:40:32,430 --> 00:40:37,640 While it may not be aliens or gravitational anomalies, 910 00:40:37,644 --> 00:40:41,481 I highly recommend the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot 911 00:40:41,481 --> 00:40:44,151 as a wonderful place to go. 912 00:40:45,318 --> 00:40:47,648 (tense music) 913 00:40:49,113 --> 00:40:50,323 - Our verdict, 914 00:40:50,323 --> 00:40:52,575 we’re going to defer to Professor Szydagis here, 915 00:40:52,575 --> 00:40:57,155 and say this is a well-situated, tilted optical illusion. 916 00:40:57,163 --> 00:40:58,790 In fact, in the mid 1900s, 917 00:40:58,790 --> 00:41:01,250 so-called anti-gravity spots like this 918 00:41:01,250 --> 00:41:04,337 became tourist destinations all across America, 919 00:41:04,337 --> 00:41:07,256 but most of them just didn’t have the pull 920 00:41:07,256 --> 00:41:08,666 to keep folks coming back. 921 00:41:08,675 --> 00:41:10,176 And that’s our show for tonight. 922 00:41:10,176 --> 00:41:12,676 Please keep questioning, keep exploring, 923 00:41:12,679 --> 00:41:14,969 and keep those cameras rolling. 924 00:41:14,973 --> 00:41:17,273 (dramatic music)