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This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00:00The next time you feel like complaining about your neighborhood, remember that some folks live inside a volcano crater.
00:00:06You can see their village on Google Maps when you look at the most beautiful island of Madagascar.
00:00:12There's an almost perfectly round dark spot on the map. Roads are running on both sides of it,
00:00:17but don't cross it. When you zoom in enough, you'll see a village with houses sitting in the middle of a crater.
00:00:24The nearest marked town is five miles away from it.
00:00:28You could think it's some tribe that's lived there for centuries and wouldn't move no matter what.
00:00:33But as you look at the maps from previous years, you can see it's not shrinking, but growing.
00:00:39The first houses appeared here in 2008.
00:00:43So, why would someone living in the 21st century
00:00:47willingly relocate to such a well-hidden and isolated location?
00:00:52This question was bothering the team of Vox, an American news website.
00:00:57They decided to solve the mystery with zero data available on the unusual village.
00:01:02The first logical step was to find someone local and just ask them about what was going on behind the crater walls.
00:01:09It was tricky from the start, as some places marked on Google around the area turned out to be fake and inspired by manga.
00:01:17The real places didn't have any contact information.
00:01:21Then, they reached out to an organization that had some pictures on Instagram posted from the nearest town.
00:01:27They responded, but it didn't help at all as they had never been near the mountain in question.
00:01:33So, the journalists decided to try and reach out to experts in agriculture and
00:01:38biogeography work who might have connections in the region.
00:01:42It was obvious at that point that a simple Google search or a couple of messages wouldn't help.
00:01:48So, they decided to ask someone based in Madagascar to go and see the place.
00:01:52The mystery chasers got in touch with the head of a local video production company.
00:01:57She was surprised that someone would live in that area because of earthquakes,
00:02:00but agreed to get a crew and travel around 85 miles from the capital of Madagascar to the village.
00:02:07They set the expedition date for January, in the middle of the rainy season.
00:02:12The closer they got to the location, the worse the roads became.
00:02:16At some point, they had to change from the car to motorbikes and finally walk to their destination for an hour.
00:02:23A storm interrupted their plans. They had to go back before it would become impossible to pass on the slippery terrain.
00:02:31For safety reasons, they decided to postpone their expedition until the end of the rainy season in May.
00:02:37In the four months between the two expeditions, the Vox team decided to learn more about the mysterious location.
00:02:45It turned out that the mountain dated back to the Cretaceous period, and it was volcanic.
00:02:51An expert explained that the mountain we see today must be 90 million years old,
00:02:56older than Mount Everest and the Grand Canyon.
00:02:59So, the volcano that was sitting here was long extinct.
00:03:03The massive surrounding the crater is a huge alkaline ring complex.
00:03:07It was once a thriving village because of its elevated position and access to fresh water.
00:03:13The soil here is really fertile, thanks to the alkaline chemicals in it.
00:03:18As the rainy season was over, the local crew was ready for another attempt to solve the mystery of the village inside the crater.
00:03:25This time, the weather and the roads were perfect.
00:03:29But there was a new problem. As they reached the village, the locals weren't too thrilled to see them.
00:03:35Finally, the leader of the Big Island Village, that's how its name translates, agreed to show them around.
00:03:42It turned out there were about 50 houses in the village and 300 people, all belonging to the Betsilio ethnic group.
00:03:49When their hometown became overcrowded, they knew it was time to look for a new home.
00:03:54One of the village elders knew this could be the new location.
00:03:58He traded cattle in the area and remembered this wide-open, empty space.
00:04:03So, they traveled around 240 miles from their old home to their new crater village.
00:04:09They grow cash crops, mostly lemons and oranges, and sell them at the markets in neighboring cities.
00:04:15Transporting goods is challenging because the roads leading to and around the village aren't in the best condition.
00:04:22The volcanic mountain witnessed the separation of Madagascar from India around 88 million years ago.
00:04:29Ever since the island has been isolated from the rest of the world and the result of this loneliness is a unique flora and fauna.
00:04:36There are 40 species of lemurs you won't find anywhere else on earth.
00:04:42All hail King Julian, if you know what I mean. Plus, there are about 800 species of butterflies.
00:04:4892% of Madagascar's mammals, 89% of its plant life and 95% of its reptiles can only be found here.
00:04:57So, if you want to meet creatures like the giraffe weevil, the panther chameleon, the tomato frog, the adorable predator fossa,
00:05:05cute lemurs like the sifaka or the indri and many other cool animals, you have to travel here.
00:05:14Scientists have three major theories on how the beautiful diversity of land animals made it to the island.
00:05:20First up, some species might have been chilling on Madagascar before it even became an island.
00:05:26Second theory, they swam or rafted their way from mainland Africa when the currents were feeling generous.
00:05:32Lastly, there's the land bridge idea.
00:05:35The problem is that there is hardly any fossil record in Madagascar between the time of the dinosaurs and about
00:05:422,000 years ago. In a new study, researchers compared the genes of modern-day
00:05:47Madagascar species with their mainland African relatives, trying to figure out when each animal's
00:05:53ancestors hitched a ride to the island. It turned out that some species in Madagascar have been there for over 80 million years.
00:06:02And have seen the island split from the Indian subcontinent.
00:06:05It means that creatures like the big-headed turtle survived the dinosaur extinction event 66 million years ago.
00:06:12But most of the reptiles, mammals and amphibians opted for a more adventurous journey.
00:06:18They descended from smaller animals that likely rafted their way to Madagascar.
00:06:23Lemurs, for example, probably had tiny ancestors like the mouse lemurs.
00:06:29Tortoises might have just floated across the Mozambique Channel without needing a raft to get to their destination.
00:06:36The first humans settled here just around a thousand and three hundred years ago.
00:06:41The island's name is still a bit of a linguistic mystery.
00:06:45Legend has it that Marco Polo, the famous Venetian merchant, gave it the name after getting his geography a bit mixed up.
00:06:52He confused it with the kingdom of Mogadishu in East Africa, did some mispronunciation and
00:06:58voila, Madagascar was born.
00:07:01Despite the uncertainty in its name's origin, language and culture point straight to Indonesia.
00:07:07Some scholars argue that the first settlers came here straight from Indonesia, with African influences sprinkled in later through migration.
00:07:16Others think it was a mix of several voyages along the coasts of India, the Arabian Peninsula and Africa, creating a diverse melting pot.
00:07:24Most people on the island speak Malagasy, the national language, which is based on the Latin alphabet.
00:07:32French is also widely spoken and is officially recognized.
00:07:36If you're using vanilla on a regular basis, chances are that it comes from Madagascar.
00:07:42The island supplies around 80% of the world's natural vanilla and it makes
00:07:4825% of the country's exports.
00:07:51They also sell clothing and textiles, cloves, fish and shellfish and various food products overseas.
00:07:58They use most of the land to let their cattle wander and enjoy the juicy green grass.
00:08:04Some of the oldest villages used to be built on hilltops surrounded by huge ditches for defense.
00:08:10But later they've been rebuilt on lower grounds.
00:08:13It's more handy to do agriculture down there.
00:08:16So imagine you're 15 and you get bored of playing video games.
00:08:21Instead, to pass the time, you decide to give some attention to an old hobby of yours,
00:08:26tracking down lost Mayan cities. You've heard that some ancient civilizations are said to have built entire cities based on
00:08:34constellations. So you decide to check out whether that was true for the Mayans. You find a book containing all the
00:08:42constellations the Mayan civilization believed to exist. You open good old Google Maps and map every ancient Mayan city discovered to date.
00:08:50You start seeing that this information actually matches. And truly, the biggest ancient Mayan cities
00:08:57correspond to the brightest and biggest stars of the Mayan constellations.
00:09:02Okay, this is getting interesting.
00:09:04You manage to map out over 100 ancient cities when you suddenly notice something strange.
00:09:10There's an area in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico where archaeologists have unearthed two Mayan cities.
00:09:17But on the constellation map, there are three stars.
00:09:21Could this mean there is a long-lost city waiting to be discovered nearby?
00:09:26You might think this sounds too daydreaming, but the story is actually true.
00:09:31The previous account happened to a Canadian teenager named William Gadery.
00:09:36The boy is known as a science genius and had even won an award for the constellation theory
00:09:41we presented just now. When he noticed that a third city was missing from the 23rd constellation
00:09:47he was examining, he began to scour the internet for satellite pictures that could help him solve this mystery.
00:09:53He looked into images from NASA, JAXA, a Japan-based satellite company, and Google Earth.
00:10:00These images were still insufficient to answer his questions,
00:10:04so he reached out to a friend inside the Canadian Space Agency.
00:10:08His friend provided him with state-of-the-art satellite imagery that gave him the answer he was looking for.
00:10:15According to the images, there is a large square area right on the border of Mexico and Belize,
00:10:20which looks like the remains of a city.
00:10:23William took the images to a remote sensing expert known as Dr.
00:10:27Armin LaRocque from the University of New Brunswick.
00:10:30They studied the images thoroughly and concluded that the area could be housing 30 buildings and even a large pyramid.
00:10:38The scientific and archaeological community went crazy with the 15-year-old's discovery.
00:10:44Could this really be true?
00:10:46Some background. Lost Mayan cities began to be unearthed in the mid-20th century.
00:10:52Since then, ruins from cities such as Tikal, Palenique, and Uxmal have been rediscovered.
00:10:58The Mayans were one of the biggest pre-Columbian civilizations living in the Americas.
00:11:03They began to settle in the area as early as 1500 BCE.
00:11:08Experts believe that, at its height, the Mayan civilization consisted of over 40 cities with a population of millions of people.
00:11:16That's a crowd.
00:11:18And their cities were pretty interesting.
00:11:20Their civilization spanned over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala, and Belize.
00:11:26They survived mainly on agriculture, so they developed a complex irrigation system in most of their cities.
00:11:32They built a series of ceremonial buildings, pyramids, plazas, and even courts for ball games.
00:11:39The Mayans were keen pyramid builders, but they also developed an advanced astronomical system.
00:11:45With whatever ancient technology they had, they were able to predict the exact location of planets, such as Venus and Mars,
00:11:53and they were able to predict the exact dates of eclipses.
00:11:57That's why the methodology William used to discover this long-lost Mayan city was unusual, but not completely surreal.
00:12:05The Mayans were keen astronomers, so it wouldn't be too strange that they built their major architectural feats in relation to the sky, would it?
00:12:14And they wouldn't be the first ones to be doing so.
00:12:17There is a famous fringe of Egyptology dedicated to studying how the Giza pyramids were built in perfect alignment with the Orion constellation,
00:12:26meaning that each pyramid was purposely built to align with one of the major stars of Orion's belt.
00:12:33According to William, he first had the idea to look at the Mayan constellations
00:12:38because he couldn't understand why the Mayans built their cities where they built them.
00:12:43Most major cities, such as Chichen Itza and Uxmal, aren't near any rivers or significant bodies of water.
00:12:50Instead, they're built on marginal lands and on top of mountains, which confused the 15-year-old.
00:12:56His next thought was that it might have something to do with astronomy.
00:13:00William named the new city he discovered Mouth of Fire, which is also my nickname, and he even won a Merit Award for his hard work.
00:13:07However, his theory was very much contested inside the archaeological community,
00:13:12and many Mayan experts worked to debunk William's findings.
00:13:16Some archaeologists say that constellation theories are too unscientific.
00:13:21Anthony Aveni, a renowned anthropologist and astronomer,
00:13:25referred to William's methodology as an act of creative imagination.
00:13:30He explained that there is no way to be sure what the Mayan constellations really were.
00:13:35It's all just hypothetical.
00:13:38Another debunking of William's findings came from Mayanist David Stewart,
00:13:43who said that the object identified on the satellite imagery is nothing but an old cornfield.
00:13:49His claim was supported by an expedition that took place near the area in 2021,
00:13:54when the archaeologists present reported there was nothing at all in this area.
00:13:59Still, a 15-year-old boy almost found a long-lost Mayan city,
00:14:04which is pretty exciting if you ask me.
00:14:07Similar techniques as those used by William are actually being used to unearth lost civilizations all over the world.
00:14:14According to space archaeologist Sarah Parquet,
00:14:17satellite imagery has been a key player in discovering ancient cities in Egypt and other places.
00:14:22Sarah herself spends most of her days scouring images for any sign
00:14:27of where there could have been cities long ago.
00:14:30What happens, she says, is that any time you have something buried,
00:14:34it's going to be covered either by vegetation, soil or sand,
00:14:38or some other modern construction on top of it,
00:14:41in order to assess whether there is something hidden under large canopies of vegetation or not.
00:14:47She uses infrared technology, for instance.
00:14:50A major recent discovery in Brazil was done in a similar way.
00:14:54Satellite imagery detected a network of trenches dating back to 200 to 1200 CE.
00:15:00These suggest settlements that could have supported around 60,000 people.
00:15:05But in this case, the satellite imagery did indeed correspond to what was on the ground.
00:15:11Researchers from the University of Florida found several mountains
00:15:15that were accompanied by ditches and geoglyphs.
00:15:18Archaeologists also found remnants of carefully designed walls,
00:15:23centered around plazas, much like the type of construction done by the ancient Mayans.
00:15:28Advances in satellite tech have also shed new light
00:15:31on long-discovered ancient Mayan cities, such as Tikal.
00:15:35Located in the heart of the Guatemalan jungle,
00:15:38Tikal is believed to have been the capital of the ancient Mayan empire.
00:15:42At its height, it was comparable in importance
00:15:45to cities such as London or New York in today's world.
00:15:49It was composed of a series of complex monuments,
00:15:52many of them believed to have been the resting places of kings and chiefs.
00:15:57Tikal is already known to have been big, but recent discoveries show
00:16:01it could have been even three times larger than what scientists originally believed.
00:16:06The main discovery revolves around a fortification on the outskirts of the city,
00:16:11indicating how far the original city stretched.
00:16:14And new discoveries still take place.
00:16:17In 2017, researchers also unearthed new clues
00:16:21regarding the potential causes of the decline of the Mayan civilization.
00:16:25Using data from a site in Cebul, located 62 miles southwest of Tikal,
00:16:31scientists analyzed radiocarbon data from ceramics and archaeological excavations
00:16:36to extract new information about the sudden demise of this great civilization.
00:16:41The information shows that, instead of a sudden collapse,
00:16:45the Mayans most likely collapsed in waves of social instability and political crises.
00:16:50These events are believed to have deteriorated Mayan city centers
00:16:54and began causing the dispersion of the Mayan population.
00:16:58Well, it seems like it's a prime time to uncover ancient ruins.
00:17:02You're entering the territory of an amazing but abandoned wildlife park.
00:17:08The animal cages are overgrown with grass.
00:17:11Small houses have been left for a long time
00:17:14and cobwebs and mold are everywhere.
00:17:17You walk into a dark building and see a green glow ahead.
00:17:22You approach and realize it's a large water tank.
00:17:26There's old green water in it,
00:17:29but you're attracted by the silhouette of a huge fish inside.
00:17:34You've just found a great white shark.
00:17:37Its body is in a formaldehyde solution,
00:17:40keeping it almost perfectly preserved.
00:17:43In 2012, wildlife wonderland in Australia ceased its operations.
00:17:49All the animals were moved from there,
00:17:52but the shark was forgotten.
00:17:56In 2018, urban explorer Luke McPherson visited this abandoned place
00:18:02and posted a video of the embalmed shark.
00:18:06The video got millions of views
00:18:09and the shark got a name, Rosie.
00:18:13Since then, the park has attracted many tourists.
00:18:17Unfortunately, vandals were among them.
00:18:20The fish tank was damaged and graffiti was painted on it.
00:18:24People demanded to save the unusual find
00:18:27and a few months later, when the shark tank was almost destroyed,
00:18:31it was moved to another working exhibition center.
00:18:35There, they restored the tank and renewed the liquid in it
00:18:39so the shark could retain its appearance.
00:18:42The next abandoned place is much scarier.
00:18:47Probably because of this, it attracts lots of visitors.
00:18:52We're in the Czech Republic, in the small village of Luková.
00:18:57It's very beautiful here,
00:18:59with small houses, cozy streets, and rich nature.
00:19:04Among the trees, you suddenly notice the silhouette of an old chapel.
00:19:09Before you go inside, you realize it's completely abandoned.
00:19:14You see old bricks with faded paint on the walls
00:19:18and a rusting metal roof.
00:19:20It looks a little creepy.
00:19:23You make a step inside.
00:19:26If some travelers discovered this place at night,
00:19:29they would run away screaming from what they saw inside.
00:19:34There are patrons in the chapel.
00:19:37Most of them are sitting on benches and some are standing.
00:19:42They don't move because they are plaster statues.
00:19:46But the most terrifying thing is
00:19:48that each statue is covered with a white sheet.
00:19:53In 1968, the chapel roof began to rot.
00:19:57Eventually, it collapsed and residents stopped coming here.
00:20:02In 2014, an artist made some plaster statues
00:20:07and placed them here to make it seem as if the building was haunted.
00:20:11This installation attracts tourists from all over the world,
00:20:15which helps gather the money to restore the chapel.
00:20:20We're in the US now, driving along Vashon Highway.
00:20:24There's a dense forest on both sides of the road.
00:20:28You get to the bus stop and get out of the car.
00:20:31To see the strange find you've heard about,
00:20:34you need to go into the forest.
00:20:37You wade through bushes, mud, trees, and...
00:20:41there you are.
00:20:43At first, you see nothing special.
00:20:46But then, you look up.
00:20:49There's a rusty red bicycle, literally inside a tree.
00:20:54It's become a part of the forest.
00:20:57The wheels and handlebars stick out
00:20:59and everything else is inside the trunk.
00:21:03It turns out that in 1954, a local boy was given a bicycle.
00:21:08But he was not very happy with his gift.
00:21:11The tires were very thin and hard
00:21:14and the handlebar looked like it came from a child's tricycle.
00:21:18One day, this boy was playing in the woods with his friends
00:21:22and only he had a bicycle.
00:21:25When everyone started to go home,
00:21:27the boy just left the bike by the tree.
00:21:30The tree continued to grow
00:21:32and the bike became part of it.
00:21:36Let's leave cold, dark places
00:21:39and come right to the center of the Southern California desert.
00:21:43The sun is very hot and there's no one around.
00:21:47Only sand, dry brush, and mountains are in the distance.
00:21:52A couple of hours have passed.
00:21:55You're thirsty, the sun burns your skin,
00:21:59and suddenly, you see water.
00:22:02Or is it a mirage?
00:22:04You approach in hopes it isn't.
00:22:08Yes, this is real water.
00:22:11But it's not an oasis.
00:22:13Here, in the middle of the desert,
00:22:15there's an unmarked swimming pool.
00:22:18What a pleasure it is to jump inside.
00:22:21It's called a social pool.
00:22:23An artist built it in the summer of 2014.
00:22:27Absolutely anyone can use this pool.
00:22:30But not everyone will be able to find it.
00:22:34Unfortunately, there's only a carcass left of it today.
00:22:39Abandoned places don't just hold creepy and weird things.
00:22:44Some finds can make the person who found them rich.
00:22:49We're going to the Pigalle Red Light District in Paris.
00:22:53This is a residential area and nothing looks abandoned.
00:22:57You go into one of these houses.
00:22:59You meet people at the entrance,
00:23:01who check their mail in the box.
00:23:03You go up the stairs and stop at the door
00:23:06to a certain apartment.
00:23:08It looks dilapidated.
00:23:10You open it and step inside.
00:23:13What you see here reminds you
00:23:15of a creepy scene from a haunted house movie.
00:23:18All the furniture and decorations
00:23:21are not from this century.
00:23:23The whole apartment looks like an antique.
00:23:27A thick layer of dust covers every inch of this place.
00:23:31Old creepy dolls and stuffed toys
00:23:34lie on the tables and the floor.
00:23:36Add a disturbing tune from a music box
00:23:39and you have a full horror set.
00:23:42You feel like you've traveled a century back in time.
00:23:45And in a sense, it's true.
00:23:50The owner of the apartment moved out in the 1940s.
00:23:54She left everything as it was.
00:23:57The apartment was left untouched for 70 years.
00:24:01It was discovered in 2010
00:24:04when people began to evaluate the property
00:24:06of the apartment's owner.
00:24:08She lived somewhere else
00:24:10and didn't tell anyone about the place.
00:24:13When appraisers opened the apartment,
00:24:15they found a painting
00:24:17by the Italian artist Giovanni Boldini
00:24:20which he created in the 19th century.
00:24:24This painting was sold for 2.5 million dollars.
00:24:29Now we go to another desert in Namibia.
00:24:33Here, among the dunes,
00:24:35not far from the ocean coast,
00:24:37you find a dried up lagoon
00:24:40and an old sunken ship
00:24:42half buried in the sand.
00:24:44Or rather, what's left of it.
00:24:47The age of this Portuguese vessel
00:24:49is about 500 years.
00:24:53It originally sailed from Lisbon in 1533
00:24:57and disappeared near a Namibian diamond mining city.
00:25:02Walking among the wreckage,
00:25:04you can find ship parts from those times.
00:25:07But the most interesting thing
00:25:09is a chest with gold coins.
00:25:12The net worth of the entire ship,
00:25:15along with the valuable treasure,
00:25:17is estimated at over 12 million dollars.
00:25:21The wreckage was discovered by geologists in 2008,
00:25:25but its full glory was only uncovered 8 years later.
00:25:30And now you're walking down New York streets
00:25:33passing a dark, deserted alley
00:25:36where you see some trash bins.
00:25:38You notice a painted canvas
00:25:40sticking out of one of them.
00:25:42You take it out of the trash
00:25:44and it turns out to be a painting.
00:25:46The image isn't very clear,
00:25:48but it looks beautiful.
00:25:50You decide a piece of art
00:25:52doesn't belong in the trash
00:25:54and take it home.
00:25:56For the next 4 years,
00:25:57you try to find out something about this painting
00:26:00and one day,
00:26:01on a website about antique stuff,
00:26:04you find out that this painting
00:26:06is a missing art masterpiece
00:26:09worth a million dollars.
00:26:12This is what happened to a woman
00:26:15from New York in 2003
00:26:17when she found the painting in the trash
00:26:20she immediately felt the power
00:26:22emanating from it.
00:26:24The woman learned
00:26:25the painting was stolen from its owner
00:26:27in 1989.
00:26:29She returned it
00:26:30and received 15,000 dollars as a reward.
00:26:34The painting,
00:26:35called Tres Personajes
00:26:37was drawn by the Mexican artist
00:26:39Rufino Tamayo in 1970.
00:26:43A collector bought this work of art
00:26:45as a gift for his wife,
00:26:47but a few years later,
00:26:49the painting was stolen
00:26:51while the couple was moving
00:26:52into a new home.
00:26:55Now let's finish our journey
00:26:57with the most grandiose
00:26:58and large-scale find.
00:27:02We're in Turkey.
00:27:04You've been living in an old house
00:27:06for a very long time
00:27:08and you want to redecorate the place.
00:27:10You throw out all of your obsolete stuff
00:27:13and then remember,
00:27:15you have an old basement.
00:27:17You never needed it before,
00:27:19but now you decide to turn it into a room.
00:27:22You break down a wall
00:27:24and discover a tunnel
00:27:26that leads underground.
00:27:28Excited,
00:27:29you go there
00:27:30and realize the tunnel
00:27:31doesn't just lead to a secret room,
00:27:34it leads to a colossal
00:27:36underground city.
00:27:39In 1963,
00:27:41a man from Turkey
00:27:42discovered an ancient city
00:27:44going down as deep as 18 floors.
00:27:48It could accommodate
00:27:49about 20,000 inhabitants,
00:27:51livestock,
00:27:52and food supplies.
00:27:54It's not just a maze of tunnels.
00:27:56There is a chapel,
00:27:57a school,
00:27:58stables,
00:27:59kitchens,
00:28:00and other attributes of civilization.
00:28:03The city was founded
00:28:05in the Byzantine era
00:28:06over a thousand years ago.
00:28:08It was likely built
00:28:10as a shelter from natural disasters
00:28:12and wars.
00:28:13The coolest detail though
00:28:15is that it's not the only
00:28:16underground town.
00:28:17It adjoins many other tunnels
00:28:20that stretch for several miles.
00:28:24On April 10th, 1912,
00:28:26the RMS Titanic
00:28:28set sail from England.
00:28:29But this wasn't the launch
00:28:31of a regular ship.
00:28:32The Titanic was the largest liner
00:28:34ever built at the time.
00:28:35It was 882 feet long.
00:28:37That's nearly the size
00:28:39of three soccer fields.
00:28:40And measured from the hull
00:28:41to the top of the smokestacks,
00:28:43the ship was an impressive
00:28:45175 feet tall.
00:28:46That's the size
00:28:47of a 17-story building.
00:28:49Deemed unsinkable,
00:28:50it took 3,000 workers
00:28:52almost three years to build.
00:28:57But a mere four days
00:28:58into its very first voyage,
00:29:00at 11.40 p.m.,
00:29:01the ship collided with an iceberg
00:29:03and was lost beneath the waves
00:29:05of the Atlantic Ocean.
00:29:06It took the liner
00:29:07only two hours and 40 minutes
00:29:09to sink.
00:29:10And of more than 2,200 passengers
00:29:13and crew members on board,
00:29:15only 706 survived.
00:29:19The wreck would remain lost
00:29:21for another 73 years,
00:29:23hiding its many secrets
00:29:24within the frigid Atlantic waters.
00:29:26And if it wasn't for a man
00:29:28whose whole life had been devoted
00:29:30to exploring the sea,
00:29:31the giant ship might have remained
00:29:33lost for a lot longer.
00:29:37That man was Robert Ballard.
00:29:39As a child, Ballard was obsessed
00:29:42with the ocean.
00:29:43This fascination started
00:29:45when he was just 12 years old.
00:29:47That's when he watched
00:29:48a film adaptation
00:29:49of Jules Verne's
00:29:50science fiction novel
00:29:5120,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
00:29:56It had everything to spark
00:29:57a young person's imagination,
00:29:59from adventure and strange creatures
00:30:01to a powerful underwater vehicle
00:30:03called the Nautilus.
00:30:04It could travel anywhere
00:30:06in the world you wanted to go.
00:30:11From that moment,
00:30:12life on dry land was no longer
00:30:14in Ballard's future.
00:30:15When he was 23,
00:30:17he was assigned
00:30:18to the Deep Submergence Group.
00:30:20There, he helped develop techniques
00:30:22to search the ocean floor.
00:30:24His biggest accomplishment
00:30:25was the creation of Alvin.
00:30:30It was a small,
00:30:31easy-to-maneuver submarine
00:30:32that could carry three people.
00:30:34It also featured
00:30:35an external mechanical arm
00:30:37designed to gather underwater samples
00:30:39while the crew remained safe
00:30:41and dry inside.
00:30:45Alvin the submarine
00:30:46quickly proved useful
00:30:47for a variety of tasks.
00:30:49For example,
00:30:50once he was used
00:30:51to track down an aircraft
00:30:52that had crashed into the sea.
00:30:56But the vessel experienced
00:30:57a series of setbacks.
00:30:59In one case,
00:31:00it was attacked by a swordfish,
00:31:02which caused the submarine
00:31:03to resurface quickly.
00:31:05The swordfish,
00:31:06still stuck in the outer skin
00:31:08of the submarine,
00:31:09became that night's dinner.
00:31:12And in October 1968,
00:31:15the submarine was being
00:31:16lowered into the water
00:31:17when the cables holding it snapped,
00:31:19sending it careening into the ocean
00:31:21along with three crew members on board.
00:31:24And because the small vessel
00:31:25was still open,
00:31:26it immediately filled with water
00:31:28and quickly began to sink.
00:31:32Luckily,
00:31:33the crew managed to escape,
00:31:34but Alvin was gone.
00:31:37Bad weather hampered
00:31:38multiple attempts
00:31:39to recover the vessel.
00:31:40It wasn't until the following year
00:31:42that it was finally returned
00:31:43to the surface.
00:31:47In time,
00:31:48Alvin would be improved.
00:31:49Its hull would be
00:31:50strengthened by titanium,
00:31:52giving it a higher depth rating,
00:31:54thus making it even better
00:31:55suited for ocean exploration.
00:31:57The specialized submarine
00:31:59would come in handy
00:32:00in many of Ballard's
00:32:01100-plus expeditions.
00:32:03The man was one of the first
00:32:04to explore an underwater
00:32:05mountain chain
00:32:06called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
00:32:08in the Atlantic Ocean.
00:32:11And when he found thermal vents
00:32:13in the Galapagos Rift
00:32:14in the late 70s,
00:32:15he also helped discover
00:32:17and document
00:32:18the process of chemosynthesis.
00:32:20That's a complicated
00:32:21chemical synthesis
00:32:22of food energy
00:32:23by bacteria.
00:32:26But his biggest discovery
00:32:28was still to come.
00:32:29Ballard claimed he'd never been
00:32:31a Titanic fanatic,
00:32:33but he eventually became obsessed
00:32:35with finding the ship
00:32:36after watching other explorers
00:32:38try and fail.
00:32:41As he said,
00:32:43Titanic was clearly
00:32:44the big Mount Everest
00:32:45at the time.
00:32:46Many others had tried,
00:32:47many that I thought
00:32:48would have succeeded
00:32:49or should have succeeded
00:32:50but didn't.
00:32:54Ballard began thinking
00:32:55about finding the ship
00:32:56as early as 1973.
00:32:58And four years later,
00:33:00he actually made an attempt.
00:33:02He used the deep-sea salvage vessel
00:33:04Sea Probe,
00:33:05which was a drill ship
00:33:06equipped with cameras and sonar.
00:33:08But he was forced to give up
00:33:10when the drilling pipe broke.
00:33:12It just wasn't his time.
00:33:16In the early 80s,
00:33:17a Texas oil man
00:33:18named Jack Grimm
00:33:20tried to find the wreck
00:33:21on three different occasions.
00:33:23Once,
00:33:24Grimm was actually
00:33:25right over the Titanic,
00:33:26but his equipment
00:33:27failed to detect it.
00:33:28That's what we call
00:33:29extreme bad luck.
00:33:33Ballard was just
00:33:34biding his time.
00:33:35He needed a plan
00:33:36and some help.
00:33:38The first issue
00:33:39was getting down
00:33:40to the bottom of the Atlantic.
00:33:42The furthest down
00:33:43he had ever traveled before
00:33:44was 20,000 feet.
00:33:46And this trip
00:33:47took him three hours.
00:33:48And that didn't include
00:33:49the way back up.
00:33:53Ballard knew
00:33:54he could use Alvin,
00:33:55already enhanced
00:33:56with a titanium hull,
00:33:57to withstand
00:33:58the pressure of the ocean.
00:33:59But he also needed something
00:34:01that didn't require him
00:34:02to actually go down with it.
00:34:04An unpiloted,
00:34:05remote-controlled submarine
00:34:06would be ideal.
00:34:08But first,
00:34:09he would have to create one.
00:34:13He reached out
00:34:14to the authorities,
00:34:15hoping they would provide
00:34:16funding for his project.
00:34:17And though officials
00:34:18had no interest
00:34:19in the Titanic,
00:34:20they were willing to help.
00:34:24Ah, but there was a catch.
00:34:26Ballard had to first focus
00:34:27on tracking down
00:34:28two submarines,
00:34:29the Thresher
00:34:30and the Scorpion,
00:34:31which had sunk
00:34:32to the bottom
00:34:33of the Atlantic Ocean
00:34:34in the 1960s.
00:34:35The authorities
00:34:36were hoping to study them
00:34:37to find out
00:34:38why they had sunk
00:34:39in the first place.
00:34:40They also wanted to know
00:34:41if they could be recovered
00:34:43or if it was safe
00:34:44to leave them
00:34:45on the ocean floor.
00:34:48Only when he had
00:34:49successfully completed this task
00:34:51would he be free
00:34:52to use any remaining time
00:34:53on his contract
00:34:54to find the Titanic.
00:34:56With no other options
00:34:57for funding,
00:34:58Ballard took the offer.
00:35:02He got to work.
00:35:03First,
00:35:04he created two new devices,
00:35:06Argo was an unpiloted
00:35:08deep-towed undersea
00:35:09video camera sled.
00:35:11It was designed
00:35:12to take photos
00:35:13and record videos
00:35:14from a series of cameras
00:35:15mounted on it.
00:35:16It could work
00:35:17at depths
00:35:18of up to 20,000 feet
00:35:19and it could also explore
00:35:21nearly 98%
00:35:22of the ocean floor.
00:35:26Argo was supposed
00:35:27to be tethered to a boat.
00:35:28As the boat moved,
00:35:29Argo would be pulled behind,
00:35:31floating just above
00:35:32the ocean floor.
00:35:34The camera would then
00:35:35transmit images
00:35:36to the surface.
00:35:39The second device
00:35:40was a small robotic vehicle
00:35:42called Jason Junior.
00:35:44It was also controlled remotely,
00:35:46which allowed the crew
00:35:47inside a submarine,
00:35:48like Alvin,
00:35:49to get closer to
00:35:50and photograph
00:35:51underwater objects.
00:35:54Ballard was now ready.
00:35:56He knew he had to find
00:35:57those submarines quickly
00:35:59and it didn't take him long.
00:36:01Much to his relief,
00:36:02the search was relatively simple
00:36:04and he was able
00:36:05to fulfill his obligations
00:36:06with 12 days to spare.
00:36:10With almost two weeks
00:36:12to devote to finding
00:36:13the Titanic,
00:36:14he set out
00:36:15to explore the ocean.
00:36:16He focused the search
00:36:17close to Newfoundland, Canada,
00:36:19pulling Argo
00:36:20along the ocean floor
00:36:21and reviewing
00:36:22the images it collected.
00:36:25And after a few days of nothing,
00:36:27they eventually found
00:36:28riveted hull plates
00:36:29and a boiler.
00:36:30Could this be it?
00:36:32The next day,
00:36:33a ship's large bow
00:36:34was revealed.
00:36:35On September 1st, 1985,
00:36:38Ballard and his fellow
00:36:39crew members realized
00:36:40they had finally found
00:36:41the infamous ship.
00:36:44The discovery resulted
00:36:46in a mix of emotions.
00:36:48Ballard was excited
00:36:49to be the first
00:36:50to find the Titanic's
00:36:51final resting place.
00:36:52But he was also overwhelmed
00:36:54by the sense of grief
00:36:55for those who had suffered
00:36:57when the ship had gone down.
00:37:00Over the next four days,
00:37:02the crew explored the wreck
00:37:04They found the crow's nest
00:37:05from where the iceberg
00:37:06had first been spotted.
00:37:08Plus,
00:37:09there was finally evidence
00:37:10of how the massive ship
00:37:11had split in two
00:37:12before sinking,
00:37:13with both halves
00:37:14of the ship found.
00:37:17There was furniture
00:37:19and dinnerware.
00:37:20And sadly,
00:37:21several leather shoes
00:37:22of those who hadn't
00:37:23made it to safety
00:37:24were scattered
00:37:25about the ocean floor.
00:37:27Ballard succeeded
00:37:29where others had failed
00:37:30and became an instant
00:37:31celebrity around the world.
00:37:34You'd think that locating
00:37:35the Titanic would be enough
00:37:36for one man,
00:37:37but not for Ballard.
00:37:40In 2019,
00:37:42he took on the challenge
00:37:43of solving another mystery,
00:37:45the disappearance
00:37:46of Amelia Earhart.
00:37:48Earhart had attempted
00:37:49to be the first woman
00:37:50to fly around the world.
00:37:52Unfortunately,
00:37:53she disappeared somewhere
00:37:54over the Pacific Ocean
00:37:55in 1937.
00:37:58She and her plane
00:38:00were never found.
00:38:01Ballard hoped
00:38:02that his luck with the Titanic
00:38:04would help with finding
00:38:05where Earhart had gone down.
00:38:07But his expedition
00:38:08failed to find anything.
00:38:11And though Robert Ballard
00:38:13has found more shipwrecks
00:38:14than anybody else,
00:38:15it's only the tip
00:38:16of the iceberg.
00:38:17It's estimated
00:38:18that there are over
00:38:193 million shipwrecks
00:38:20in the ocean,
00:38:21and Ballard
00:38:22has only located
00:38:23100 of them.
00:38:25Now, in his late 70s,
00:38:28the man is hoping
00:38:29to encourage young people
00:38:30to continue his work
00:38:31of exploring the ocean
00:38:32and its many mysteries.
00:38:34In 1989,
00:38:35he started
00:38:36the Jason Learning Project
00:38:38to inspire grade school students
00:38:39to pursue science, technology,
00:38:41engineering, and math.
00:38:44He has his own research vessel
00:38:47called the E.V. Nautilus,
00:38:49after the name of the submarine
00:38:50in Jules Verne's novel,
00:38:52a fitting tribute
00:38:53to the story
00:38:54that inspired his career.
00:38:56So in the early 2000s,
00:38:57a geology major
00:38:59went on a field trip
00:39:00to the world's largest
00:39:01open-pit coal mine
00:39:03in Colombia.
00:39:04He picked up a piece of rock
00:39:06and noticed impressions
00:39:07of some prehistoric leaves on it.
00:39:09Then he found more rocks,
00:39:11and each of them
00:39:12had the same pattern.
00:39:14Back then,
00:39:15the student could hardly know
00:39:16that his discovery
00:39:17would help describe
00:39:18the largest snake
00:39:19that has ever lived on Earth.
00:39:21The student took his findings
00:39:23to a local scientist
00:39:24who called up
00:39:25the Smithsonian Institute
00:39:26and invited them
00:39:27for a fossil hunt.
00:39:29He wasn't that surprised,
00:39:30as he knew
00:39:31there were fossils
00:39:32in the pits of Sarajan.
00:39:34Back in 1990,
00:39:35another geologist
00:39:36found a fossil there
00:39:37and brought it to his office.
00:39:39He wasn't sure
00:39:40of what it was
00:39:41and called it
00:39:42a petrified branch.
00:39:44Years later,
00:39:45a paleontologist
00:39:46saw an image of this branch.
00:39:48He knew it wasn't
00:39:49a branch at all,
00:39:50but a fossilized jawbone
00:39:52of an animal.
00:39:53The scientist
00:39:54got so excited about the find
00:39:56that he flew
00:39:57all the way to Colombia.
00:39:58He wanted to examine the fossil,
00:40:00but no one had the key
00:40:02to its glass display case.
00:40:04The scientist couldn't wait,
00:40:05so they broke the glass
00:40:07and confirmed
00:40:08that it was a fossil
00:40:09of an animal
00:40:10that lived millions
00:40:11of years ago.
00:40:12After Herrera's finding,
00:40:14they knew exactly
00:40:15there were more fossils
00:40:16in the area.
00:40:17It took the team of scientists
00:40:19about two years
00:40:20to figure out
00:40:21they were all a part
00:40:22of a giant snake
00:40:23and not a crocodile,
00:40:25as they thought
00:40:26because of the size.
00:40:27They managed to establish it
00:40:29by looking at the vertebrae
00:40:31and ribs
00:40:32of around 30 giant snakes.
00:40:34Now, you might think
00:40:35that fossils would get
00:40:36easily destroyed
00:40:37in an open pit coal mine,
00:40:39but in fact,
00:40:40they were found
00:40:41under the coal
00:40:42that served as a protective layer
00:40:44for them.
00:40:45Sadly,
00:40:46the scientists couldn't find
00:40:47the Titanoboa's skull.
00:40:49Unlike jaws,
00:40:50which are extremely powerful
00:40:51thanks to their muscles,
00:40:53snake bones are pretty fragile.
00:40:55That's why they usually crumble
00:40:57long before the sediment
00:40:58can appear over them.
00:41:00But still,
00:41:01the researchers managed
00:41:02to find three skull fragments.
00:41:04Thanks to this discovery,
00:41:05they've made a full-scale replica
00:41:07of the snake's head,
00:41:09which supported the theory
00:41:10that it used to be
00:41:11one of the largest predators
00:41:12of its time.
00:41:14If you're starting to freak out,
00:41:15don't worry.
00:41:16So am I.
00:41:17They also established
00:41:18it was related
00:41:19to modern boas
00:41:20and anacondas.
00:41:22That's how Titanoboa
00:41:23got its name.
00:41:24It's basically
00:41:25a titanic boa.
00:41:27The huge snake
00:41:28was officially described
00:41:29in 2009.
00:41:31Titanoboa was thriving
00:41:33around 60 million years ago,
00:41:356 million years
00:41:36after the Tyrannosaurus rex
00:41:38roamed the planet.
00:41:39Back then,
00:41:40it enjoyed the climate
00:41:41of the area in South America,
00:41:43which is now Colombia and Peru.
00:41:45It got almost as long
00:41:47as a bowling lane,
00:41:4850 feet,
00:41:49or twice as long
00:41:50as the biggest snake
00:41:51living today.
00:41:52It was as heavy
00:41:53as four giant anacondas.
00:41:55It got this long
00:41:57and this heavy
00:41:58thanks to a lucky coincidence.
00:42:00Snakes are cold-blooded animals,
00:42:02so they need a warm client
00:42:03to live and grow in.
00:42:05Northeastern Colombia
00:42:06was perfect.
00:42:07It was about 90 degrees Fahrenheit
00:42:09when Titanoboa was alive.
00:42:11Titanoboa wasn't that fast,
00:42:13especially on land,
00:42:15but it most likely
00:42:16spent much time
00:42:17in or near the water.
00:42:19Our hero could swim
00:42:20at a speed
00:42:21of up to 12 miles per hour.
00:42:23Like present-day snakes,
00:42:24it could wriggle around
00:42:26and change direction
00:42:27really quickly.
00:42:28Scientists still aren't sure
00:42:29if it could climb trees.
00:42:31Paleontologists believe
00:42:33that Titanoboa
00:42:34had brownish or grayish skin.
00:42:36It was the perfect color
00:42:38for the serpent to hide
00:42:39in the muddy rivers
00:42:40of the tropical rainforests.
00:42:42But then again,
00:42:43I don't see why
00:42:44it would have to hide
00:42:45from anyone,
00:42:46given its size.
00:42:47The largest snake ever
00:42:49wasn't venomous,
00:42:50but it didn't stop it
00:42:51from hunting
00:42:52any animal it wanted.
00:42:54And although it could choose
00:42:55pretty much anything,
00:42:57its favorite meal
00:42:58was most likely fish.
00:43:00Scientists decided so
00:43:02based on the snake's palate
00:43:04and the number
00:43:05and type of its teeth.
00:43:06You can't recreate
00:43:07the giant's diet today
00:43:09as all of those fish types
00:43:10are also extinct.
00:43:12When it wanted to
00:43:13spice up its menu,
00:43:15Titanoboa dined
00:43:16on other reptiles.
00:43:17It sneaked up on its prey
00:43:19and got them down
00:43:20with one quick strike.
00:43:22Its bite had a very
00:43:23special design.
00:43:24The structure of its jaws
00:43:26let Titanoboa clamp down
00:43:28on the body of its prey,
00:43:29so there was no escape.
00:43:31Titanoboa also had
00:43:33a mean set of thin
00:43:34and pointed teeth.
00:43:35They bent inwards
00:43:37in the snake's jaw
00:43:38like fishing hooks.
00:43:39This little feature
00:43:40helped Titanoboa
00:43:41get a grip on its prey
00:43:43and prevent the slightest chance
00:43:44of its running
00:43:45or swimming away.
00:43:46It could most likely
00:43:48easily swallow
00:43:49even large turtles
00:43:50and crocodiles.
00:43:51Now, all that sounds
00:43:53pretty scary,
00:43:54but we have nothing
00:43:55to worry about
00:43:56as Titanoboas
00:43:57are long extinct, right?
00:43:59Well, technically,
00:44:01as the temperatures
00:44:02on Earth are going up,
00:44:03it's quite possible
00:44:05that snakes might
00:44:06also grow in size.
00:44:08They love heat
00:44:09more than anything,
00:44:10so they should feel
00:44:11comfortable here.
00:44:12Of course,
00:44:13that would be a completely
00:44:14different snake,
00:44:15but it's not impossible
00:44:17that we'll see something
00:44:18similar to Titanoboa.
00:44:20But before you think
00:44:21of escaping to another
00:44:23planet,
00:44:24remember that huge snakes
00:44:26would need something huge
00:44:27to eat.
00:44:28Such giants prefer
00:44:29to wrap around something huge
00:44:31and swallow it.
00:44:32Most people would be
00:44:33simply too small for them,
00:44:35so unless the huge snake
00:44:36was starving,
00:44:37I don't think it'd waste
00:44:39its energy on attacking
00:44:40anything too little.
00:44:42Plus, like any other snake,
00:44:44Titanoboa had a sharp
00:44:45and delicate sense of smell,
00:44:47needing exceptional conditions
00:44:49and was sensitive to vibrations.
00:44:51A little too smelly
00:44:53would be too noisy,
00:44:54too cold,
00:44:55too dry or too wet,
00:44:57and the snake wouldn't go
00:44:58near this place
00:44:59unless absolutely desperate.
00:45:01So if you live in a big city,
00:45:03your chances of meeting
00:45:04a huge snake like Titanoboa
00:45:06are about zero.
00:45:08Rural areas are
00:45:09something different,
00:45:10but the only place
00:45:11where the giant serpent
00:45:12would consider living
00:45:13would be near the equator.
00:45:15We already have
00:45:16some pretty giant snakes
00:45:17in the warmest regions
00:45:18of the world.
00:45:19Amethystine python
00:45:21or, less poetically,
00:45:22scrub python,
00:45:24is a gentle giant.
00:45:26It's the largest snake
00:45:27in Papua New Guinea
00:45:28in Australia.
00:45:29It can grow to the enormous
00:45:31size of 28 feet
00:45:33and weigh up to 77 pounds,
00:45:35which is about as heavy
00:45:36as a Dalmatian.
00:45:38Scrub pythons are pretty curious,
00:45:40sometimes slithering
00:45:41inside people's homes
00:45:42in Australia,
00:45:44but they're mostly
00:45:45harmless to humans.
00:45:46Their favorite food
00:45:47is rodents,
00:45:48bats,
00:45:49and birds
00:45:50that come to streams for water.
00:45:52Until then,
00:45:53pythons quietly lie in wait.
00:45:55They have heat centers
00:45:56in the pit of their muzzles.
00:45:58They help the pythons
00:45:59better see warm-blooded animals
00:46:01they can have for dinner.
00:46:03The African rock python
00:46:05is one of only 11
00:46:06living species of its kind.
00:46:08It's currently
00:46:09the second largest snake
00:46:10on the planet.
00:46:11This huge brown snake
00:46:13reaches lengths up to 20 feet
00:46:15and weighs about half as much
00:46:17as the giant panda.
00:46:18It's very serious
00:46:20about its meals
00:46:21as it can catch an antelope
00:46:23and eat it whole.
00:46:24Even the cold-blooded crocodiles
00:46:26are afraid of this beast
00:46:28because it can easily
00:46:29eat one of their kind, too.
00:46:31In 1958,
00:46:32a zoologist found
00:46:33a 4-foot-long young Nile crocodile
00:46:36inside an African python's stomach.
00:46:39According to the scientist,
00:46:40the python said,
00:46:41Well, I don't know about you,
00:46:43but I find this whole thing
00:46:44hard to swallow.
00:46:46Actually, that's not true.
00:46:48Pythons can't talk,
00:46:49as far as we know.
00:46:51The reticulated python
00:46:53holds the record
00:46:54as the longest
00:46:55of all the living snakes
00:46:56in the world.
00:46:57The largest of these guys
00:46:58made it into the Guinness World Records
00:47:00in 2011
00:47:01with a length of 25.2 feet.
00:47:04Its name is Medusa
00:47:06and it lives in a zoo
00:47:07in Kansas City, Missouri.
00:47:09An adult reticulated python
00:47:11is large enough
00:47:12to swallow a human whole
00:47:14or a whole human,
00:47:15either way.
00:47:16But these snakes
00:47:17are mostly quite peaceful
00:47:19and prefer to lie down
00:47:20without much movement.
00:47:22Although many pythons
00:47:23have dwarf forms
00:47:24that are much smaller
00:47:25than their full-grown cousins,
00:47:27reticulated pythons
00:47:28also have super dwarf forms.
00:47:31You can keep one of those
00:47:32as an 8-foot-long pet.
00:47:34Yes, it's considered
00:47:35a dwarf form,
00:47:36although it's longer
00:47:37than the average human is tall.
00:47:40You know, somehow
00:47:41I still don't find
00:47:42that comforting.
00:47:44Whenever you hear
00:47:45about ancient ruins,
00:47:46you almost never picture
00:47:47them being suspended somewhere
00:47:48or just randomly hanging
00:47:50on the branch of a tree, right?
00:47:52In fact,
00:47:53for most of the ancient artifacts
00:47:54we have exposed
00:47:55in museums all over the world,
00:47:57archaeologists did quite
00:47:58an impressive amount of digging.
00:48:01You see,
00:48:02buildings have this funny way
00:48:03of fading away over time
00:48:04if not properly taken care of.
00:48:07Sometimes we need
00:48:08to reuse some building materials
00:48:10so an older construction
00:48:11may be sacrificed
00:48:12in the process.
00:48:14Other times,
00:48:15houses are abandoned
00:48:16and once they are exposed
00:48:17to the elements on the surface,
00:48:18like rain or sunlight,
00:48:20they don't really stand a chance.
00:48:22Some just simply crumble away
00:48:24due to good old erosion.
00:48:26So the only way
00:48:27a piece of architecture
00:48:28can survive the test of time
00:48:29is if it's somehow
00:48:30gotten buried deep down.
00:48:32Now,
00:48:33how did they end up
00:48:34buried in the first place?
00:48:35Well,
00:48:36it's quite the comedy of errors.
00:48:38Ancient cities had a habit
00:48:39of gradually raising
00:48:40their ground level
00:48:41like a kid adding toppings
00:48:42to their ice cream sundae.
00:48:44You see,
00:48:45these settlements were always
00:48:46busy collecting food
00:48:46and building materials
00:48:47to keep up with their
00:48:48ever-growing population.
00:48:50But hey,
00:48:51who has time to deal
00:48:52with waste and rubbish?
00:48:54It wasn't exactly high
00:48:55on their to-do list
00:48:56back in the day.
00:48:57So when it came
00:48:58to building new houses,
00:48:59ancient civilizations found
00:49:01it much easier
00:49:02to save their sweat and tears
00:49:03by piling up the rubble
00:49:04and constructing right on top.
00:49:06But that's not all.
00:49:08Rivers would also
00:49:09occasionally flood
00:49:10and deposit a layer
00:49:11of sediment on the city floors,
00:49:13further encapsulating
00:49:14those ancient constructions.
00:49:16And in those dry regions
00:49:17like the desert,
00:49:18where the wind likes
00:49:19to show off its
00:49:20sand and dust dance moves,
00:49:22you can bet it was
00:49:23a constant struggle
00:49:24to keep the establishments clean.
00:49:26One hilarious example
00:49:27is the Sphinx,
00:49:29which had its head buried
00:49:30in sand until a group
00:49:31of archaeologists
00:49:32unearthed it in 1817.
00:49:36Some ancient towns
00:49:37eventually got covered up
00:49:38because they were
00:49:39completely abandoned.
00:49:40With less human activity
00:49:41to control their expansion,
00:49:43plant seeds couldn't
00:49:44resist the opportunity
00:49:45and sprouted all over the place.
00:49:47They gobbled up carbon dioxide
00:49:48from the air and grew,
00:49:50adding more and more
00:49:51bulk to the ground.
00:49:52Those cheeky roots
00:49:53even decided to stabilize
00:49:54the soil made from
00:49:55decaying plant matter,
00:49:56creating layers upon layers
00:49:58of earthy goodness.
00:50:00It's like the ultimate DIY
00:50:01project Mother Nature
00:50:02embarked on,
00:50:03with plants as her
00:50:04loyal helpers.
00:50:05The act of digging
00:50:06into the secrets
00:50:07of ancient civilizations
00:50:08is not just about
00:50:09unearthing a lost world.
00:50:10It's also an epic quest
00:50:12to reveal the hidden treasures
00:50:13beneath layers of history.
00:50:16But how do archaeologists
00:50:18know where to dig
00:50:19in the first place?
00:50:20If everything is covered
00:50:21in layers upon layers
00:50:22of sediments, debris
00:50:23and plant roots,
00:50:24they must have
00:50:25some sort of system
00:50:26they rely on
00:50:27before embarking
00:50:28on a new project, right?
00:50:29For starters,
00:50:30they're not always
00:50:31the ones suggesting
00:50:32an archaeological dig
00:50:33in a certain location.
00:50:35Let me explain.
00:50:36Let's say you're a contractor
00:50:38and you want to build
00:50:39a new, fancy apartment complex
00:50:41in your city.
00:50:42Some local legislations
00:50:43have certain requirements
00:50:44before your project
00:50:45can start, though.
00:50:46For instance,
00:50:47before anyone
00:50:48starts building
00:50:49on a piece of land,
00:50:50they might need
00:50:51to bring in specialists
00:50:52to check the soil.
00:50:53These clever folks
00:50:54can be archaeologists,
00:50:55geologists
00:50:56or paleontologists
00:50:57and they need
00:50:58to keep an eye
00:50:59on things during development.
00:51:00If any artifacts
00:51:01or ecofacts,
00:51:02fancy word for organic remnants,
00:51:04are discovered,
00:51:05these experts
00:51:06swoop in
00:51:07to excavate
00:51:08and study them.
00:51:10But what about sites
00:51:11that have nothing to do
00:51:12with bulldozers
00:51:13and yellow hats?
00:51:14Archaeologists
00:51:15have more than one trick
00:51:16up their sleeves
00:51:17when it comes to locating
00:51:18ancient hotspots.
00:51:20They dive deep
00:51:21into historic records
00:51:22with a healthy dose
00:51:23of detective work.
00:51:24By sniffing out
00:51:25old documents
00:51:26and maps,
00:51:27they can piece together
00:51:28the puzzle of human activity
00:51:29in a specific area.
00:51:31If a site has been
00:51:32visited before,
00:51:33it's even better.
00:51:34Finding records
00:51:35of past excavations
00:51:37or historical accounts
00:51:38can give archaeologists
00:51:39lots of information
00:51:40on where to continue
00:51:41their treasure hunt.
00:51:44Before archaeologists
00:51:45start swinging their shovels,
00:51:46they engage
00:51:47in a bit of a visual scan mission.
00:51:49Armed with a grid system,
00:51:51they'll stroll around the site,
00:51:53keeping their eyes peeled
00:51:54for any artifacts
00:51:55that might be hiding
00:51:56just beneath the Earth's
00:51:57upper layer.
00:51:58From ground stone tools
00:51:59to historic glass
00:52:00and even ancient garbage dumps,
00:52:02yes, they're all so valuable.
00:52:04These keen-eyed explorers
00:52:06can spot signs
00:52:07of human activity
00:52:08faster than most people.
00:52:09If they stumble
00:52:10upon midden soil,
00:52:11fancy term for a garbage dump,
00:52:13they know for sure
00:52:14that humans once
00:52:15called this place home.
00:52:17Archaeologists
00:52:18don't just rely
00:52:19on their trusty shovels, though.
00:52:20They have an arsenal of gadgets
00:52:22to aid in their search
00:52:23for hidden wonders.
00:52:24Geophysical tools
00:52:25are like their secret weapons.
00:52:27Take the resistivity meter,
00:52:29for example.
00:52:30This clever contraption
00:52:31measures the electrical
00:52:32component of the soil
00:52:33and any buried features
00:52:34or artifacts.
00:52:36A buried wall, for instance,
00:52:37will create
00:52:38a different resistivity reading
00:52:39than the surrounding soil.
00:52:41Magnetometers
00:52:42and ground-penetrating radar
00:52:44work in similar ways,
00:52:45showcasing potential hints
00:52:47of ancient treasures
00:52:48in the soil.
00:52:49And who could forget
00:52:50our trusty old friend,
00:52:51the GPS?
00:52:52It helps archaeologists
00:52:53map out precise locations
00:52:55like a high-tech treasure map
00:52:57leading them straight
00:52:58to their pot of gold.
00:53:01Care to virtually visit
00:53:02some of the most important
00:53:03archaeological sites
00:53:04in the world?
00:53:05Well, follow me.
00:53:07In the United Kingdom,
00:53:08for instance,
00:53:09you'll find this interesting place
00:53:10called Stonehenge.
00:53:12It's one of many henges
00:53:13scattered around.
00:53:14But this one really
00:53:15takes the cake.
00:53:16Picture this.
00:53:17Massive ancient stones
00:53:19standing tall and proud,
00:53:21arranged in a funky outer ring
00:53:23and an inner horseshoe,
00:53:24with some smaller stones
00:53:25thrown in for good measure.
00:53:27And guess what?
00:53:28These amazing stones
00:53:29have been around
00:53:30for over 5,000 years.
00:53:31Talk about a serious case
00:53:33of rock-solid longevity.
00:53:36Now, here's where
00:53:37it gets interesting.
00:53:38According to local folklore,
00:53:40the legendary wizard Merlin
00:53:41whipped out his magic wand
00:53:42and poof!
00:53:43He teleported these
00:53:44massive stones
00:53:45all the way from Ireland.
00:53:46Apparently some giants
00:53:47had assembled them there,
00:53:48but Merlin decided
00:53:49they would look much better
00:53:50at their new location.
00:53:51Others think it's just
00:53:52the ruined remains
00:53:53of an old Roman
00:53:54spiritual edifice.
00:53:56These amazing structures
00:53:57were built by our
00:53:58Bronze Age ancestors.
00:54:00With their simple tools
00:54:01and limited tech,
00:54:02they managed to create
00:54:03this monumental masterpiece.
00:54:05Impressive, right?
00:54:07Unfortunately,
00:54:08there's still so much
00:54:09we don't know about this area.
00:54:11Stonehenge's initial purpose
00:54:12remains a mystery
00:54:13to this day.
00:54:14Sure, there are
00:54:15lots of theories,
00:54:16but scientists
00:54:17have yet to agree
00:54:18on the subject.
00:54:19However, we do know
00:54:20that it's perfectly aligned
00:54:21to catch the sunrise
00:54:22during the summer
00:54:23and winter solstices.
00:54:26The ancient city of Pompeii
00:54:27is an equally amazing
00:54:28archaeological site.
00:54:30Picture this.
00:54:31Mount Vesuvius,
00:54:32a notorious troublemaker,
00:54:34decided to throw
00:54:35a volcanic tantrum
00:54:36and completely covered
00:54:37this ancient Roman city.
00:54:39It turned it into
00:54:40a time capsule
00:54:41located outside
00:54:42present-day Naples
00:54:43in Italy.
00:54:44Fast forward to the year 1748
00:54:46when a bunch of
00:54:47adventurous explorers
00:54:48stumbled upon Pompeii.
00:54:49Lo and behold,
00:54:50they discovered
00:54:51a treasure trove
00:54:52of well-preserved goodies,
00:54:53streets,
00:54:54houses,
00:54:55food
00:54:56probably a bit stale
00:54:57by then,
00:54:58blingy jewelry,
00:54:59fancy sculptures,
00:55:00colorful frescoes,
00:55:01everyday household items,
00:55:03and even animal
00:55:04and human remains.
00:55:05It was like an epic
00:55:06archaeological party.
00:55:08From the looks of it,
00:55:09Pompeii had it all.
00:55:11Fancy houses and villas,
00:55:13a massive 20,
00:55:140-0-0 seat arena,
00:55:16cute little artisan shops,
00:55:18hangouts like taverns,
00:55:19and let's not forget
00:55:20the saucy spots
00:55:21like those luxurious bathhouses
00:55:23for some intense pampering.
00:55:25There's also the sanctuary
00:55:26of Apollo
00:55:27where people used to gather
00:55:28for their daily dose of worship.
00:55:30And of course,
00:55:31the bustling heart of the city,
00:55:32the Forum of Pompeii,
00:55:34where all the cool people
00:55:35used to hang out.
00:55:36And guess what?
00:55:37Pompeii is so cool
00:55:38that it made it
00:55:39to UNESCO's World Heritage List
00:55:40back in 1997.
00:55:42That's like the ultimate
00:55:43Hall of Fame
00:55:44for historical awesomeness.
00:55:46It also includes
00:55:47many other famous buildings
00:55:48and sites
00:55:49like the Taj Mahal in India
00:55:51and the Acropolis
00:55:52of Athens in Greece.
00:55:54It's March 1974.
00:55:57The Betts family,
00:55:58Jerry, Antoine,
00:55:59and their son Terry
00:56:00are walking through the woods
00:56:02at their estate
00:56:03on Fort George Island.
00:56:04As they enjoy their spring walk,
00:56:06little do they know
00:56:07that today
00:56:08they'll come across something
00:56:10that'll change their lives forever.
00:56:12As Terry walks ahead,
00:56:14he can feel something
00:56:15pulling him towards
00:56:16an unknown object.
00:56:18Unsure of what to make
00:56:19of this feeling,
00:56:20but curious to pursue
00:56:21whatever's calling to him.
00:56:23Terry, where are you going?
00:56:25his mother calls out,
00:56:26but he ignores her
00:56:28and frantically tries
00:56:29to find this unknown thing.
00:56:31He wants it.
00:56:32He needs it.
00:56:33And then he can see something.
00:56:36A shiny silver sphere
00:56:38the size of a bowling ball
00:56:40nestling among the grass.
00:56:42As Terry approaches it,
00:56:43he notices it's eerily untouched
00:56:46with no damage or dirt on it.
00:56:48Terry picks it up.
00:56:49It's heavy,
00:56:50but he holds it tight.
00:56:52Always finding junk
00:56:53where you go,
00:56:54his father laughs.
00:56:56Terry was always collecting
00:56:57strange metallic objects.
00:56:59He found them fascinating.
00:57:01It's just a souvenir,
00:57:02that's all.
00:57:03The three of them
00:57:04look at the ball
00:57:05all intrigued
00:57:06by the perfect shiny sphere.
00:57:08As they walk back home,
00:57:10they excitedly discuss
00:57:11its possible origins,
00:57:13fantasizing the possibilities
00:57:15that maybe it's a cannonball
00:57:17used by conquistadors
00:57:19or that it could have fallen
00:57:20from a NASA satellite in orbit.
00:57:24They arrive home
00:57:25and Terry places the mysterious ball
00:57:27on a windowsill in his room
00:57:29next to many of his other exhibits
00:57:31and it sits there for now.
00:57:35Two weeks pass
00:57:36and Terry has a friend over.
00:57:38They hang out
00:57:39and take turns playing the guitar.
00:57:41Terry strikes a chord
00:57:43and a vibration occurs
00:57:45that comes from the windowsill.
00:57:47The boys sit silently,
00:57:49spooked by the unknown sound.
00:57:51They look around
00:57:52to find where it came from.
00:57:54It's probably just a possum,
00:57:56Terry says calmly.
00:57:58But as he raises his pick,
00:58:00he looks towards the sphere
00:58:01suspiciously.
00:58:03As he strikes another chord,
00:58:05he sees the sphere vibrate
00:58:07and this time
00:58:08it's also emitting a humming sound.
00:58:11Terry puts down the guitar
00:58:13and approaches the ball
00:58:14and as he reaches toward it,
00:58:16the sound slowly fades.
00:58:18Startled,
00:58:19he stands in silence
00:58:21before calling out to his dad.
00:58:23Terry explains the strange
00:58:25phenomenon to his father.
00:58:27Antoine looks at it closely
00:58:29then holds it up to his ear.
00:58:31As he shakes it vigorously,
00:58:33he can feel something
00:58:33inside the ball moving.
00:58:35Shocked,
00:58:36he places it down on a table.
00:58:39Once placed,
00:58:40it begins to roll.
00:58:42Moving towards one edge of the table
00:58:44then circling around.
00:58:46Moving corner to corner
00:58:48in a rectangle
00:58:49endlessly searching for something
00:58:51possibly an exit.
00:58:53Until finally,
00:58:54it rolls back to the middle
00:58:56becoming motionless once more.
00:58:58They all look at the ball
00:59:00puzzled by the display
00:59:02Antoine places the ball on the floor.
00:59:05As soon as it touches the surface,
00:59:07it quickly rolls toward the door.
00:59:09This time,
00:59:10it's clear
00:59:11the sphere wants to make an escape.
00:59:13The thing is too valuable to lose
00:59:15and Terry quickly chases after it.
00:59:18He grabs it
00:59:19before it leaves the house.
00:59:21He places the ball
00:59:22somewhere safe inside a box
00:59:24incapable of another escape attempt.
00:59:27Over the following days,
00:59:28Terry took it upon himself
00:59:30to make his own experiments.
00:59:32He found that when within the sunlight,
00:59:34it appeared to be more active.
00:59:36His opinion was that
00:59:38it reacted to solar radiation.
00:59:40When hit with a hammer,
00:59:42it would ring out loudly
00:59:43as though it felt the strike.
00:59:45Strange things also occurred
00:59:47in the Betts family home.
00:59:49Doors would suddenly slam shut at night
00:59:52and strange organ music
00:59:54played throughout the house
00:59:55even though they didn't own an organ.
00:59:58The family sat down
00:59:59to discuss the sphere.
01:00:01They felt it was something
01:00:02truly extraterrestrial
01:00:04and they required professional advice.
01:00:10The authorities came to review the ball
01:00:13puzzled by the object
01:00:14as it moved in an unpredictable way.
01:00:17But they couldn't recognize what it was
01:00:20or provide an explanation for it.
01:00:22All they could confirm
01:00:23was that it didn't come
01:00:25from another planet.
01:00:26The Betts family disagreed
01:00:28and wanted a second opinion.
01:00:31They sent it to Dr. J. Allen Hynek
01:00:34an astronomer and expert
01:00:35in the extraterrestrial.
01:00:37He spent six hours
01:00:39reviewing the sphere.
01:00:40Through as many examinations
01:00:42the doctor found that
01:00:43the strange sphere emitted radio waves
01:00:46and had its own magnetic field.
01:00:50With this new information
01:00:52the Betts' were interviewed
01:00:53by a reporter.
01:00:54The mysterious sphere
01:00:56quickly became famous.
01:00:58Its story spread in papers
01:01:00throughout the USA
01:01:01and even made the news internationally.
01:01:04Everyone wanted to know more
01:01:06about this mysterious sphere.
01:01:08A television crew
01:01:09soon visited the Betts' house
01:01:11hoping to experience
01:01:12the extraterrestrial object firsthand.
01:01:15The sphere was placed on the ground.
01:01:17It did its usual trick
01:01:19and the visitors stood there
01:01:21speechless at what they were witnessing.
01:01:23The reporters asked
01:01:24to place the family's poodle
01:01:26next to the ball
01:01:27to provide an indication
01:01:28of the sphere's size.
01:01:30As the dog sat next to it
01:01:32it began to whimper
01:01:33and covered its ears with its paws
01:01:35something it had never done before
01:01:37around the ball.
01:01:39The Betts' family felt
01:01:40they had something truly valuable
01:01:42and insured it through Lloyd's of London.
01:01:44And if they left it at home
01:01:46they had someone stay to watch it
01:01:48ensuring no one would steal it
01:01:50or let it escape.
01:01:53But what was the mysterious
01:01:55Betts' sphere really?
01:01:57When responding to the press
01:01:59the spokesman from the authorities
01:02:01revealed the sphere was made
01:02:03from high-grade stainless steel.
01:02:05Although the sphere
01:02:06wasn't something they made themselves
01:02:08it was still likely created
01:02:10somewhere on Earth.
01:02:11If it came from outer space
01:02:13they advised it would be made
01:02:14from different elements.
01:02:16Their review showed
01:02:17the shell of the sphere
01:02:18is one inch thick
01:02:19and high-grade stainless steel.
01:02:22It weighed 22 pounds
01:02:24the exact weight
01:02:25for that amount of stainless steel.
01:02:27It had no seams on it
01:02:29the shell was scuffed in parts
01:02:31and had a small triangular mark
01:02:33three millimeters long.
01:02:35They were sure
01:02:36it was just a steel ball
01:02:38but they wanted to confirm further
01:02:40by using x-rays.
01:02:42They found small beads
01:02:43of residue inside.
01:02:45These beads would have been
01:02:46caught inside the object
01:02:47when it was manufactured.
01:02:50Clarifying why there was
01:02:51a feeling of movement
01:02:52inside the ball
01:02:54they also solved the mystery
01:02:55of the strange movement
01:02:57as it's a perfectly balanced sphere
01:02:59sitting on the slightest
01:03:00uneven surface
01:03:02would cause it to roll.
01:03:03The Betzes house
01:03:04had uneven stone floors
01:03:06and it had only ever been witnessed
01:03:08to move around there.
01:03:10The authority also wanted
01:03:12to cut it open
01:03:13to prove their assessment.
01:03:14However, the Betzes were adamant
01:03:16that it couldn't be damaged.
01:03:19It was identified further
01:03:20that the sphere
01:03:21was just a ball check valve
01:03:23produced by the Bell
01:03:24and Gossett Company.
01:03:26The ball's size, weight
01:03:27and metallurgic composition
01:03:29match perfectly
01:03:30to what they made.
01:03:31Confirming how it managed
01:03:33to make the journey
01:03:34to the Betzes estate
01:03:35three years before
01:03:36the discovery of the sphere
01:03:38an artist, James Durling Jones
01:03:40had collected a few
01:03:41of these ball check valves.
01:03:43He liked to use them
01:03:44in his sculptures
01:03:45with no room inside of his sphere
01:03:47or no room inside of his bust.
01:03:49He put them
01:03:50on the top of the roof rack.
01:03:52His journey took him
01:03:53past the Betzes estate
01:03:54and along the way
01:03:55a few of these balls
01:03:56happened to roll off
01:03:58and were lost
01:03:59at least until Terry
01:04:00came along
01:04:01one fine spring day.
01:04:03But what about the radio waves
01:04:05and odd magnetic properties
01:04:07confirmed by Dr. Hynek?
01:04:09Well, although Antoine claimed
01:04:11that's what was found
01:04:12it was never confirmed
01:04:14to be true with the doctor.
01:04:17The 1970s were a heyday
01:04:19for all things
01:04:20out of our planet
01:04:21and anything related
01:04:22would gain popularity immediately.
01:04:25The authorities
01:04:26only enhanced this
01:04:27by providing monetary rewards
01:04:29for supporting evidence.
01:04:31Finding something
01:04:32extraterrestrial
01:04:33could have been
01:04:34just a ploy by the Betzes
01:04:36for a cash reward.
01:04:37Have you heard
01:04:38about a diamond star
01:04:39that could put all the riches
01:04:41on Earth to shame?
01:04:43Or how about twinkling stars
01:04:45with surfaces made of solid iron?
01:04:47So let's take a look
01:04:48at these weird stars
01:04:50and try to unravel
01:04:51their mysteries.
01:04:54There's a star
01:04:55in the Centaurus constellation
01:04:57that was nicknamed
01:04:58Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
01:05:00Yes, it was named
01:05:01after a Beatles song
01:05:03because it basically
01:05:04is a Beatles song.
01:05:05You see,
01:05:06the star was discovered
01:05:07to have a massive diamond
01:05:09at its core.
01:05:12Now, you may be wondering
01:05:14how big this diamond really is.
01:05:16Well,
01:05:17it's estimated to be
01:05:18about 10 billion trillion
01:05:20trillion carats.
01:05:22That's a one
01:05:23followed by 34 zeros.
01:05:25To put that into perspective,
01:05:27the Hope Diamond,
01:05:28which is one of
01:05:29the largest diamonds on Earth,
01:05:31is a measly 45.5 carats
01:05:33in comparison.
01:05:35Can you imagine
01:05:36the size of the ring
01:05:37you could make
01:05:38with this star diamond?
01:05:39And it's about
01:05:40the same mass as our Sun.
01:05:43But don't get too excited
01:05:45about the prospect
01:05:46of owning this diamond
01:05:47just yet.
01:05:48Even if you were Jeff Bezos,
01:05:50you wouldn't be able
01:05:51to afford it.
01:05:52According to Ronald Winston,
01:05:54CEO of Harry Winston Inc.,
01:05:56the diamond is so big
01:05:58that it would likely
01:05:59depress the value
01:06:00of the market.
01:06:01So you'd have to settle
01:06:02for a much smaller
01:06:04diamond engagement ring.
01:06:07One interesting thing
01:06:08about the Lucy in the Sky
01:06:10with Diamonds star
01:06:11is that it's incredibly dense.
01:06:13In fact,
01:06:14it has the mass of the Sun
01:06:15crammed into an object
01:06:17only a third the diameter
01:06:18of Earth.
01:06:19That's like trying
01:06:20to fit an elephant
01:06:21into a shoebox.
01:06:23And yet,
01:06:24despite its massive size,
01:06:26it's actually quite cool
01:06:28with a core temperature
01:06:29of only about
01:06:3012,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
01:06:32By comparison,
01:06:33the core temperature
01:06:34of our Sun
01:06:35is about 27 million
01:06:37degrees Fahrenheit.
01:06:40Since the discovery
01:06:41of Lucy in the Sky
01:06:42with Diamonds,
01:06:43several other crystallized stars
01:06:45have been found,
01:06:46some with diamond hearts
01:06:48the size of Earth.
01:06:49It just goes to show
01:06:50that the universe
01:06:51is full of surprises.
01:06:53And you never know
01:06:54what kind of treasures
01:06:55you might find out there
01:06:56in the vast expanse of space.
01:07:00And this isn't
01:07:01the only weird star
01:07:02we've discovered so far.
01:07:04There are many strange,
01:07:06unexplained things
01:07:07in outer space.
01:07:09For example,
01:07:10let's take Vega.
01:07:12Vega,
01:07:13also known as Alpha Lyrae,
01:07:15is a bright star
01:07:16located in the constellation Lyra.
01:07:18It's one of the brightest stars
01:07:20in the night sky
01:07:21and is easily visible
01:07:22to the naked eye
01:07:23from most parts of the world.
01:07:27Now, Vega may look
01:07:28like a beautiful,
01:07:29bright star
01:07:30to us Northern Hemisphere folks,
01:07:32but little do we know,
01:07:33it's hiding a secret.
01:07:35It's actually
01:07:37quite squashed.
01:07:40You see,
01:07:41Vega's high spin rate
01:07:43causes it to bulge
01:07:44at the equator,
01:07:45kind of like a cosmic belly.
01:07:47It rotates once every 12.5 hours,
01:07:50which is pretty fast
01:07:51for a star,
01:07:52and it throws material out
01:07:54around its waistline.
01:07:55It's almost like
01:07:56the star is hula-hooping.
01:07:58This material is further
01:08:00from the center of the star,
01:08:01so it experiences less gravity,
01:08:04causing it to cool
01:08:05and darken,
01:08:06leading to a gravity
01:08:07darkening effect.
01:08:11So Vega is basically
01:08:13a cosmic fitness guru's
01:08:15worst nightmare.
01:08:16Although for us stargazers,
01:08:18it still looks round
01:08:19because we're looking at it
01:08:20from Earth's pole end.
01:08:22However,
01:08:23if we saw it
01:08:24from a different angle,
01:08:25we'd get a very different view,
01:08:27one that might make us wonder
01:08:29if Vega has been sneaking
01:08:31some cosmic donuts
01:08:32behind our backs.
01:08:34But while we might joke
01:08:35about its equatorial waistline,
01:08:37there's no denying
01:08:38that Vega is still
01:08:39one of the brightest
01:08:40and most fascinating stars
01:08:42in our galaxy.
01:08:46But if you want something
01:08:47actually bright,
01:08:48then how about a supernova?
01:08:53Supernovas are giant space
01:08:55booms that occur
01:08:57when stars reach
01:08:58the end of their life cycle.
01:09:00It's like the grand finale
01:09:01of a movie.
01:09:02It's like the grand finale
01:09:03of a firework show,
01:09:04but on a cosmic scale.
01:09:06They release more energy
01:09:08in a few seconds
01:09:09than our Sun will produce
01:09:11in its entire lifetime.
01:09:15And this is exactly
01:09:16what happened to the next star
01:09:18of our show,
01:09:19this celestial object
01:09:20with a weird name,
01:09:21IPFT-14 HLS.
01:09:25But there's a catch.
01:09:27It isn't your average supernova.
01:09:29Even though this star
01:09:30made a blast in 2014
01:09:32and started to fade away
01:09:34like usual,
01:09:35recently it made
01:09:36an unexpected comeback
01:09:38and brightened once more.
01:09:40Talk about a dramatic entrance.
01:09:44And if that wasn't enough,
01:09:45this thing continued
01:09:46to fade and brighten
01:09:47at least five times in total,
01:09:50which is a bit like a yo-yo.
01:09:52It's like the star
01:09:53just couldn't make up its mind
01:09:54about whether it wanted
01:09:55to stay bright
01:09:56or fade away into the abyss.
01:10:01Also, when scientists
01:10:02measured the supernova's spectrum,
01:10:04they found that it was evolving
01:10:06ten times slower than other stars.
01:10:09Maybe it's a supernova
01:10:10that just wants to enjoy
01:10:12its golden years.
01:10:15All in all,
01:10:16this object is a real mystery.
01:10:21But this is not the only star
01:10:22suffering from the
01:10:23two-in-one syndrome.
01:10:25At first glance,
01:10:26MY Camelopardalis
01:10:28appears to be a fairly
01:10:30common star.
01:10:31But after a closer look,
01:10:33astronomers concluded
01:10:34it was actually two stars in one.
01:10:39These two stars
01:10:40are orbiting each other
01:10:41at over 600,000 miles per hour.
01:10:44It's a contact binary star system,
01:10:47which means that the stars
01:10:48are so close together
01:10:49that they share a common envelope.
01:10:52In other words,
01:10:53they're so close to each other
01:10:54that they're practically smooching.
01:10:58These celestial,
01:10:59Romeo and Juliet,
01:11:00are one of the most
01:11:01massive known
01:11:02binary stars out there.
01:11:04Each of them individually weighs in
01:11:06at a whopping
01:11:0732 and 38 solar masses,
01:11:10respectively.
01:11:13Astronomers also think
01:11:14that they might be
01:11:15on the brink of a stellar merger,
01:11:17which means that one day
01:11:19they might just combine
01:11:20into one giant superstar.
01:11:23Wow,
01:11:24who knew space could be so romantic?
01:11:26Next,
01:11:28introducing another long name,
01:11:30HD 140283,
01:11:33also known as Methuselah's star.
01:11:36This little guy
01:11:37in the constellation Libra
01:11:38has been around for a while.
01:11:40And by a while,
01:11:41I mean a really long time.
01:11:43Actually,
01:11:44scientists used to think
01:11:45it was older
01:11:46than the universe itself.
01:11:49Just imagine
01:11:51if it turned out to be true.
01:11:53But eventually,
01:11:54they figured out
01:11:55that it's actually around
01:11:5614.8 billion years old,
01:11:59a peer of our universe.
01:12:01That's still pretty impressive, though.
01:12:03This star is so old,
01:12:05it remembers
01:12:06when the Milky Way
01:12:07was just a baby galaxy.
01:12:11But despite all that,
01:12:13this star still has
01:12:14some life left in it.
01:12:16It's just starting to expand
01:12:17into a red giant,
01:12:18which is kind of like
01:12:19when you hit your 30s.
01:12:21Talk about getting old.
01:12:23But if all these things
01:12:24are somewhat comprehensible,
01:12:26then how about a star
01:12:27that was literally named
01:12:29WTF star by scientists?
01:12:32No, I'm not kidding.
01:12:33At least, it used to be.
01:12:35Now, it's called Tabby's star.
01:12:38It also has a more scientific name,
01:12:40but that one is
01:12:41a bit of a mouthful.
01:12:45But what's really bizarre
01:12:46about this star
01:12:47is its irregular dimming.
01:12:49It's not like
01:12:51For some reason,
01:12:52it doesn't glow
01:12:53like a normal star,
01:12:54but blinks
01:12:55as if someone turned
01:12:56on and off a flashlight.
01:12:58And it's not just a little dip.
01:13:00We're talking
01:13:01up to a 22% drop in light.
01:13:04So it's not because
01:13:05it sometimes gets blocked
01:13:06by a planet or something.
01:13:10Scientists have come up
01:13:11with all sorts of explanations
01:13:13for this strange behavior,
01:13:14from comets to dust
01:13:16to even an
01:13:17extraterrestrial megastructure.
01:13:20That's right.
01:13:21But before your imagination
01:13:22runs too wild,
01:13:24it's important to note
01:13:25that the most likely explanation
01:13:27is just plain old dust.
01:13:29Perhaps the star
01:13:30is surrounded by
01:13:31some kind of dust cloud.
01:13:32And sometimes,
01:13:33it prevents us
01:13:34from seeing it clearly.
01:13:38Although this explanation
01:13:39is still not 100% confirmed,
01:13:41there are still
01:13:42plenty of mysteries
01:13:43surrounding Tabby's star.
01:13:45One thing's for sure,
01:13:46it may be a bit of an oddball,
01:13:48but that's what
01:13:49makes it so fascinating.
01:13:53So there you have it, folks.
01:13:54We're left in awe
01:13:56of the incredible diversity
01:13:58and strangeness of the cosmos.
01:14:00There's so much more
01:14:01to discover out there.
01:14:02So let's keep exploring
01:14:04and keep being amazed
01:14:05by the wonders of the universe.
01:14:08Professional storage hunting
01:14:09is really quite a gig these days.
01:14:12It's drawn a lot of attention
01:14:13from people all around the world too
01:14:15since there are many TV shows
01:14:17focused on it.
01:14:19But it's not just
01:14:20storage hunters
01:14:21that can hit the jackpot
01:14:22with their findings.
01:14:23One couple from Arizona
01:14:25simply wanted a couch,
01:14:26but they weren't willing
01:14:27to buy a new one
01:14:28or pay a lot of money for it.
01:14:29So they participated
01:14:30in an auction
01:14:31where they made a $10 offer
01:14:33for an old couch.
01:14:35Since that piece of furniture
01:14:36wasn't in the best shape,
01:14:37they ended up purchasing the couch
01:14:39and the container it came in.
01:14:41When going through the storage unit,
01:14:43they had the best surprise.
01:14:45They found an old teddy bear
01:14:47filled with cash.
01:14:48That little toy
01:14:49ended up bringing them
01:14:50about $300,000.
01:14:54In 2011,
01:14:55another man came across
01:14:56an interesting discovery
01:14:57of his own
01:14:58after he examined the contents
01:14:59of a storage locker
01:15:00in San Fernando Valley.
01:15:02What he stumbled upon
01:15:03was a special comic book
01:15:05called Action Comics No. 1.
01:15:08The man didn't really know
01:15:10how valuable his finding was
01:15:11until he took it to an expert
01:15:13for further evaluation.
01:15:15Turned out,
01:15:16the comic book was actually
01:15:17the first one
01:15:18featuring Superman.
01:15:20But as much as he wanted
01:15:21to profit from it,
01:15:22the man had to give it back
01:15:23to the previous owner.
01:15:26The story goes
01:15:27that the comic book
01:15:28was stolen from a famous actor
01:15:29who was himself
01:15:30really passionate
01:15:31about comics
01:15:32and Superman in particular.
01:15:34The actor had reported the book
01:15:35as missing
01:15:36to his insurance company
01:15:37and authorities,
01:15:38but it couldn't be found.
01:15:40The comic book
01:15:41estimated to be worth
01:15:42somewhere around $1 million
01:15:45reunited with its rightful owner
01:15:4611 years after it had been stolen.
01:15:50Another incredible
01:15:51vintage object
01:15:52was found in a storage unit
01:15:53in Melbourne, Australia.
01:15:55It was a 1927
01:15:57Harley-Davidson 8-valve racer
01:15:59with a sidecar.
01:16:01Based on experts' opinion,
01:16:02this fascinating vehicle
01:16:03had been sitting there
01:16:04for over half a century
01:16:05before resurfacing in 2015.
01:16:09It went for sale
01:16:10pretty soon afterwards
01:16:11and was purchased
01:16:12for a whopping $470,000.
01:16:16Some auctions
01:16:17for abandoned storage units
01:16:18are fun
01:16:19just because you have no idea
01:16:21what you're going to find in there
01:16:23and that's regardless
01:16:24of how much profit
01:16:25you'll end up making.
01:16:27It's the story of a couple
01:16:28from Long Island
01:16:29that spent only $100
01:16:31on the best thing
01:16:32they'd ever purchased.
01:16:34Hidden inside their mystery unit
01:16:36was a custom
01:16:371976 Lotus Esprit Sport.
01:16:41Not only was this car special
01:16:42because of its design,
01:16:45but it was also the car
01:16:46that was used
01:16:47in the 1977 James Bond movie
01:16:49The Spy Who Loved Me.
01:16:52At first,
01:16:53the couple had no idea
01:16:54the car was a famous one
01:16:56so they just looked at
01:16:57how they could fix it
01:16:58so they could continue using it.
01:16:59I mean,
01:17:00it did look pretty cool.
01:17:02After they took it
01:17:03to a repair shop,
01:17:04they found out
01:17:05that there was something
01:17:06special about the vehicle.
01:17:08Soon enough,
01:17:09they discovered
01:17:10where it came from
01:17:11and ended up selling it
01:17:12at an auction in 2013.
01:17:14The price?
01:17:15A mind-boggling
01:17:16$997,000!
01:17:19Another person
01:17:20from Southern California
01:17:21found something
01:17:22incredible
01:17:23in an abandoned
01:17:24storage unit
01:17:25back in 2017.
01:17:27His locker
01:17:28ended up filled
01:17:29with vintage videos,
01:17:30game hardware
01:17:31and game cartridges.
01:17:33After he took them
01:17:34for evaluation,
01:17:35he found out
01:17:36that his findings
01:17:37were worth over $50,000!
01:17:40In 2010,
01:17:41another person
01:17:42paid just
01:17:44$275
01:17:45for a large storage unit
01:17:46that seemed to be
01:17:47filled with
01:17:48simple salon supplies.
01:17:50But,
01:17:51after looking closely,
01:17:52the person discovered
01:17:53a hidden object
01:17:54that ended up
01:17:55being worth a lot.
01:17:57A 1928
01:17:58Marshall & Wendell
01:17:59Salesman Piano.
01:18:01After further evaluation,
01:18:02the price of the
01:18:03musical instrument
01:18:04was estimated
01:18:05somewhere between
01:18:06$10,000
01:18:07and $12,000.
01:18:09Space technology
01:18:10and a forgotten
01:18:11storage unit?
01:18:12This unit was
01:18:13auctioned off
01:18:14in Florida.
01:18:15After inspecting it,
01:18:16the owner realized
01:18:17it contained
01:18:18a NASA rocket
01:18:19and a countdown clock.
01:18:21Apparently,
01:18:22those were put
01:18:23into storage
01:18:24after the program
01:18:25they were supposed
01:18:26to be used in
01:18:27had been discontinued.
01:18:28The finding
01:18:29became so famous
01:18:30that it even
01:18:31made it on TV.
01:18:32Fans of famous
01:18:33singers may get
01:18:34some surprises
01:18:35in abandoned
01:18:36storage units too.
01:18:37Here's a story
01:18:38about a unit
01:18:39containing Aretha
01:18:40Franklin's
01:18:42most of her things
01:18:43were transported there
01:18:44after an incident
01:18:45at her house.
01:18:46She ended up
01:18:47abandoning those items.
01:18:48Later,
01:18:49she admitted
01:18:50she had forgotten
01:18:51about them.
01:18:52At the auction,
01:18:53things like bags,
01:18:54articles of clothing
01:18:55and even receipts
01:18:56in her name
01:18:57were presented
01:18:58to the public.
01:19:00Similarly,
01:19:01tucked away in a
01:19:02locker that used
01:19:03to be the property
01:19:04of Michael Jackson's
01:19:05dad,
01:19:06there were over
01:19:07250 undiscovered
01:19:08and unreleased
01:19:09recordings.
01:19:10During the time
01:19:12Michael Jackson
01:19:13wrote and produced
01:19:14those songs,
01:19:15he was between
01:19:16contracts.
01:19:17So,
01:19:18technically,
01:19:19there was no
01:19:20legal ownership
01:19:21of the songs.
01:19:22More so,
01:19:23the locker contained
01:19:24a huge number
01:19:25of photos of
01:19:26the famous singer
01:19:27and personal objects
01:19:28belonging to the
01:19:29Jackson family.
01:19:30Some of these
01:19:31items were auctioned
01:19:32off,
01:19:33while some others
01:19:34were acquired
01:19:35back by the family
01:19:36at great expense.
01:19:37It goes to show
01:19:38that missing a payment
01:19:39on your storage unit
01:19:40can be detrimental
01:19:41to your life.
01:19:42Every item found
01:19:43in storage units
01:19:44is inanimate.
01:19:45As weird as that
01:19:46may sound,
01:19:47one story has it
01:19:48that a man kept
01:19:49stumbling upon a cat
01:19:50while regularly
01:19:51visiting his
01:19:52storage unit.
01:19:53He couldn't really
01:19:54figure out how she
01:19:55got in there
01:19:56and why she kept
01:19:57coming back to visit.
01:19:58So,
01:19:59he decided to take
01:20:00her home.
01:20:01Never thought you'd
01:20:02find a furry new
01:20:03friend in a storage
01:20:04unit, right?
01:20:05Other storage locker
01:20:06stories are less
01:20:07fortunate.
01:20:08Like this one
01:20:09that happened in
01:20:10an abandoned
01:20:11locker.
01:20:12A security guard
01:20:13saw that the
01:20:14door to the
01:20:15particular locker
01:20:16was open.
01:20:17Since he didn't
01:20:18hear any noise
01:20:19coming from inside,
01:20:20the guard decided
01:20:21to simply close
01:20:22the door.
01:20:23He thought that
01:20:24the owner had
01:20:25mistakenly left
01:20:26it open.
01:20:27Needless to say,
01:20:28the thief got
01:20:29stuck inside
01:20:30and was eventually
01:20:31caught and handed
01:20:32over to the police
01:20:33after he tried
01:20:34to escape.
01:20:35Keeping items
01:20:36in storage units
01:20:37is not easy.
01:20:38So,
01:20:39keeping items in
01:20:40storage units may
01:20:41seem like a great
01:20:42idea when you need
01:20:43some space in your
01:20:44house but don't
01:20:45want to get rid of
01:20:46them just yet.
01:20:47However,
01:20:48you do need to know
01:20:49that there are a
01:20:50couple of rules you
01:20:51need to follow
01:20:52because not every
01:20:53item is safe or
01:20:54legal to keep in
01:20:55storage.
01:20:56Take vehicles,
01:20:57for instance.
01:20:58In the U.S.,
01:20:59most storage room
01:21:00suppliers only
01:21:01accept them if
01:21:02they're fully
01:21:03registered,
01:21:04insured,
01:21:05and in operable
01:21:06condition.
01:21:07And this doesn't
01:21:08apply to boats
01:21:09and even trucks.
01:21:10So you need to be
01:21:11prepared to offer
01:21:12all sorts of
01:21:13supporting documentation
01:21:14before you can move
01:21:15such an item into
01:21:16a storage facility.
01:21:17For obvious reasons,
01:21:18perishable items
01:21:19are a no-go.
01:21:20It includes food
01:21:21that needs to be
01:21:22refrigerated,
01:21:23food that is not
01:21:24kept in airtight
01:21:25containers,
01:21:26and even dry pet
01:21:27food in some cases.
01:21:28Most companies
01:21:29that offer storage
01:21:30space stay away
01:21:31from such items
01:21:32because they can
01:21:33attract bugs and
01:21:34rodents or might
01:21:35encourage bacteria
01:21:36and mold to
01:21:37develop inside.
01:21:38You might think
01:21:39canned food is a
01:21:40no-go,
01:21:41but in most places
01:21:42it's not allowed
01:21:43either.
01:21:44That's because the
01:21:45standard storage unit
01:21:46does not have a
01:21:47specific way in
01:21:48which you can
01:21:49control the
01:21:50temperature inside.
01:21:51And some food cans
01:21:52can burst in
01:21:53high-heat
01:21:54environments.
01:21:55Plants aren't
01:21:56allowed in storage
01:21:57containers either.
01:21:58Not only do they
01:21:59need sunlight to
01:22:00thrive,
01:22:01but they can be a
01:22:02source of bugs
01:22:03and pests too.
01:22:04More so,
01:22:05some plants can
01:22:06cause weird smells
01:22:07if not treated
01:22:08properly.
01:22:09So, it's best if you
01:22:10plant them outside
01:22:11or give them away
01:22:12if you can't fit them
01:22:13inside your house
01:22:14anymore.
01:22:20Do you know that
01:22:21NASA explores not
01:22:22only stars,
01:22:23planets,
01:22:24galaxies,
01:22:25or black holes?
01:22:26Hard to believe,
01:22:27but yes.
01:22:28The agency also
01:22:29works on discoveries
01:22:30here on our
01:22:31home planet Earth.
01:22:33So what has NASA
01:22:34recently discovered?
01:22:35Is there life
01:22:36under the ice?
01:22:38While they were
01:22:39analyzing data
01:22:40recently,
01:22:41they discovered
01:22:42something unbelievable
01:22:43hiding under
01:22:44Antarctica's ice.
01:22:45And this discovery
01:22:46not only changes
01:22:47everything we know
01:22:48about the whole
01:22:49water system of the
01:22:50Earth,
01:22:51but it may also
01:22:52help with research
01:22:53about life in space.
01:22:55Humankind's
01:22:56existence might
01:22:57depend on
01:22:58understanding
01:22:59Antarctica and
01:23:00its secrets.
01:23:01So, the recent
01:23:02discoveries reveal
01:23:03vital information
01:23:04about our survival.
01:23:06But before we continue,
01:23:07let's see how much
01:23:08you know about
01:23:09this place,
01:23:10where it's only ice
01:23:11as far as your
01:23:12eyes can see.
01:23:15Antarctica is one
01:23:16of the world's
01:23:17seven continents
01:23:18in the southern
01:23:19hemisphere.
01:23:20It's the fifth
01:23:21largest continent
01:23:22in terms of total area,
01:23:23and that means
01:23:24it's almost twice
01:23:25the size of Australia.
01:23:26Want to see
01:23:27real meteorites?
01:23:28Go to Antarctica!
01:23:30Due to its dry
01:23:31climate,
01:23:32Antarctica is one
01:23:33of the best places
01:23:34to observe space.
01:23:35But what's even
01:23:36greater is that
01:23:37you can find
01:23:38meteorites on the
01:23:39white surface
01:23:40of the continent.
01:23:41Scientists have
01:23:42already plucked
01:23:43about 45,000
01:23:44meteorites from the
01:23:45ice,
01:23:46and they think
01:23:47they can see
01:23:48another 300,000.
01:23:49Since there aren't
01:23:50many terrestrial
01:23:51rocks there,
01:23:52it's easy for them
01:23:53to spot them
01:23:54thanks to their
01:23:55dark color.
01:23:56Antarctica's dry
01:23:57desert environment
01:23:58also helps preserve
01:23:59them,
01:24:00even the ones
01:24:01that fell to Earth
01:24:03And can you
01:24:04imagine any
01:24:05volcanic activity
01:24:06in Antarctica?
01:24:07It's hard.
01:24:09But this place
01:24:10is where fire
01:24:11meets the ice.
01:24:13West Antarctica
01:24:14is where most
01:24:15volcanic activity
01:24:16occurs.
01:24:18Scientists recently
01:24:19found that
01:24:20138 volcanoes
01:24:21exist in
01:24:22West Antarctica
01:24:23alone.
01:24:24Wow!
01:24:26You would think
01:24:27that Antarctica
01:24:28is always cold,
01:24:29but no!
01:24:30Its coastal regions
01:24:31can get as warm
01:24:32as 50 degrees
01:24:33Fahrenheit.
01:24:35But have you ever
01:24:36wondered what
01:24:37Antarctica would
01:24:38look like if there
01:24:39were no ice?
01:24:41It may seem
01:24:42unimaginable now,
01:24:43but it was not
01:24:44always covered
01:24:45by ice.
01:24:46That was 34
01:24:47million years ago
01:24:48though,
01:24:49so nobody could
01:24:50tell how the
01:24:51continent's surface
01:24:52would be without
01:24:53the ice.
01:24:54But NASA
01:24:55changed that.
01:24:56They generated
01:24:57computer simulations
01:24:58and created the
01:24:59most accurate map
01:25:00of today.
01:25:01What they saw
01:25:02was incredible.
01:25:04The continent
01:25:05was not flat at all
01:25:06like it seemed.
01:25:07It's pretty bumpy
01:25:08with valleys,
01:25:09rolling plains,
01:25:10and high mountains.
01:25:13But this was
01:25:14nothing next to
01:25:15what they had
01:25:16discovered under
01:25:17Antarctica's ice.
01:25:19So what is it?
01:25:21Drum roll please.
01:25:23NASA found
01:25:24two new
01:25:25subglacial lakes.
01:25:27And what's even
01:25:28cooler about it
01:25:29is that they
01:25:30spotted these lakes
01:25:31from space.
01:25:32How is that?
01:25:34If your answer
01:25:35is high-tech
01:25:36satellites,
01:25:37then you're right.
01:25:39In 2003,
01:25:40NASA launched
01:25:41a satellite called
01:25:42IceSat.
01:25:43It measured
01:25:44ice sheet
01:25:45mass balance
01:25:46and cloud
01:25:47and aerosol heights.
01:25:49The satellite
01:25:50also helped create
01:25:51the ice-free map
01:25:52of Antarctica.
01:25:54In 2010,
01:25:55the European Space
01:25:56Agency launched
01:25:57the second satellite,
01:25:58CryoSat-2.
01:26:00It was for tracking
01:26:01the changes
01:26:02in the thickness
01:26:03of the ice.
01:26:04Then in 2018,
01:26:05NASA launched
01:26:06the third one,
01:26:07IceSat-2,
01:26:09a follow-on
01:26:10to the IceSat spacecraft.
01:26:12It measured
01:26:13ice sheet elevation
01:26:14and sea ice thickness.
01:26:16It was NASA's
01:26:17most advanced
01:26:18Earth-observing
01:26:19laser instrument.
01:26:20It delivered
01:26:21the highest
01:26:22precision data.
01:26:24And when that
01:26:25was combined
01:26:26with the data
01:26:27from the satellites,
01:26:28it was possible
01:26:29to spot these
01:26:30two new lakes
01:26:31near a pair
01:26:32of larger ones.
01:26:33But how is it
01:26:34possible that
01:26:35these lakes exist
01:26:36in the first place?
01:26:38The average
01:26:39thickness of
01:26:40most Antarctica ice
01:26:41is approximately
01:26:421.2 miles.
01:26:43However,
01:26:44it can get
01:26:45over 1.8 miles
01:26:46thick in some places,
01:26:47especially
01:26:48during the winter.
01:26:50So,
01:26:51you might think
01:26:52that there's
01:26:53nothing under there,
01:26:54but science
01:26:55says otherwise.
01:26:57It's not quite possible
01:26:58to see it
01:26:59with your bare eyes,
01:27:00but the continent's ice
01:27:01is slowly
01:27:02but constantly
01:27:03flowing in different directions
01:27:04under the force
01:27:05of its weight.
01:27:07But scientists
01:27:08could not figure out
01:27:09how water moved
01:27:10for many years.
01:27:12That started to change
01:27:13in 2007,
01:27:14when data
01:27:15gathered from the IceSat
01:27:16provided insight
01:27:17into what hides
01:27:18beneath the surface.
01:27:21They first discovered
01:27:22an entire network
01:27:23of meltwater lakes
01:27:24connected under
01:27:25Antarctica's
01:27:26fast-flowing
01:27:27ice streams,
01:27:28and there were
01:27:29hundreds of them.
01:27:31Scripps Institution
01:27:32of Oceanography
01:27:33glaciologist
01:27:34Helen Amanda Fricker
01:27:35figured that
01:27:36the elevation changes
01:27:37measured by IceSat
01:27:38happened because
01:27:39of the dynamics
01:27:40of these lakes.
01:27:42They did not hold
01:27:43meltwater statically.
01:27:45Instead,
01:27:46they were filling
01:27:47and draining
01:27:48continuously over time
01:27:49through a system
01:27:50of waterways.
01:27:51And as they did that,
01:27:52the ice above
01:27:53rose and fell.
01:27:55But where do they drain?
01:27:58The ocean, of course.
01:27:59And it drains a lot.
01:28:02A recent study
01:28:03co-authored by Fricker
01:28:04found that the
01:28:05drainage of one lake
01:28:06flushed as much as
01:28:07198 billion gallons
01:28:09into the ocean
01:28:10in only three days.
01:28:13Countless mysteries
01:28:14about how nature works
01:28:15are still waiting
01:28:16to be solved.
01:28:17But finding the
01:28:18two new lakes
01:28:19will give scientists
01:28:20a better picture
01:28:21of how fast
01:28:22the Antarctic ice sheet
01:28:23changes as the climate
01:28:24gets warmer
01:28:25and how this will affect
01:28:26global ocean currents
01:28:27and sea level rise.
01:28:29The filling
01:28:30and draining cycle
01:28:31of the lakes
01:28:32also cause the ice sheet
01:28:33to suffer cracks
01:28:34and crevices.
01:28:35So,
01:28:36the information
01:28:37they find from
01:28:38these new lakes
01:28:39will also give them
01:28:40a better understanding
01:28:41of the damage
01:28:42on the surface
01:28:43of the ice.
01:28:44They will also be able
01:28:45to assess
01:28:46how this filling
01:28:47and draining system
01:28:48influences the speed
01:28:49at which ice slips
01:28:50into the oceans
01:28:51and seas.
01:28:52This means
01:28:53they can evaluate
01:28:54how the added freshwater
01:28:55may alter
01:28:56marine ecosystems.
01:28:58This discovery
01:28:59may also suggest
01:29:00whether life
01:29:01is under the ice.
01:29:02Wow!
01:29:03Scientists drilled
01:29:04through about
01:29:053,504 feet
01:29:06of ice
01:29:07and found
01:29:08that water samples
01:29:09taken from
01:29:10one of the lakes
01:29:11contained approximately
01:29:1210,000 bacterial
01:29:13cells per milliliter.
01:29:15Such a high number
01:29:16of bacterial life
01:29:17is a good sign
01:29:18because that means
01:29:19the icy waters
01:29:20might also support
01:29:21higher life forms
01:29:22such as micro-animals
01:29:24and one of these
01:29:25new lakes
01:29:26might even be
01:29:27their home.
01:29:28But the most
01:29:29exciting thing
01:29:30is that the new lakes
01:29:31might help them
01:29:32understand
01:29:33whether life
01:29:34on other planets
01:29:35is possible.
01:29:36Scientists believe
01:29:37any life
01:29:38below the frozen
01:29:39surface of the planet
01:29:40Mars
01:29:41might follow
01:29:42the patterns
01:29:43seen in Antarctica's lakes.
01:29:44So,
01:29:45there is a possibility
01:29:46that they might find
01:29:47critical new information
01:29:48on the type of life
01:29:49that may have existed
01:29:50on the Red Planet.
01:29:52You wouldn't want
01:29:53to be there
01:29:54during the winter though.
01:29:56The lowest temperature
01:29:57on Earth
01:29:58you can experience
01:29:59is negative 128 degrees
01:30:00Fahrenheit.
01:30:01In 2010,
01:30:02there was an even
01:30:03lower temperature
01:30:04of negative 135 degrees
01:30:05Fahrenheit.
01:30:07You may feel
01:30:08this cold much worse
01:30:09due to the strong
01:30:10and dry winds.
01:30:12Did you know
01:30:13that the size
01:30:14of the ice surface
01:30:15on Antarctica
01:30:16also changes
01:30:17throughout the year?
01:30:19It's about 1.2 million
01:30:20square miles
01:30:21during the summer,
01:30:22but when it's winter,
01:30:23it grows to
01:30:247.3 million
01:30:25square miles.
01:30:27Yet,
01:30:28despite the change,
01:30:29it remains
01:30:30the largest piece
01:30:31of ice on Earth.
01:30:32Sorry Arctic,
01:30:33you lose.
01:30:35Do you know
01:30:36these cute little penguins?
01:30:37Consider these animals
01:30:38the locals
01:30:39because there is
01:30:40no native population
01:30:41in Antarctica.
01:30:43It's a no-man's land
01:30:44because
01:30:45no single country
01:30:46owns it.
01:30:47But do you know
01:30:48who really owns it?
01:30:49Five different species
01:30:50of penguins,
01:30:51seals,
01:30:52and killer whales.
01:30:53Ha ha.
01:30:55Despite the continent's
01:30:56harsh conditions,
01:30:57you can visit it
01:30:58as a tourist
01:30:59for fishing
01:31:00and research purposes.
01:31:01Around 5,000 people
01:31:02reside on the continent
01:31:03during summer
01:31:04at research stations.
01:31:06But when winter comes,
01:31:07the number
01:31:08naturally drops
01:31:09down to 1,000.
01:31:11Antarctica's ice blanket
01:31:12makes up 70%
01:31:13of the world's
01:31:14freshwater reserves.
01:31:15Imagine what would
01:31:16happen if it melted.
01:31:18The global sea levels
01:31:19would be raised
01:31:20by almost 200 feet.
01:31:22On January 10, 1992,
01:31:25a huge cargo ship
01:31:26sailed somewhere
01:31:27in the middle
01:31:28of the Pacific Ocean.
01:31:29It got caught
01:31:30in a strong storm.
01:31:31Its waves battered
01:31:32the ship frightfully
01:31:34and some of its containers
01:31:35fell into the water.
01:31:37One of them opened
01:31:38and released
01:31:39some 29,000 rubber toys.
01:31:41There were yellow ducks,
01:31:42frogs,
01:31:43and blue turtles.
01:31:44From that moment,
01:31:45their journey
01:31:46of almost 20,000 miles
01:31:48across the world's oceans
01:31:49began.
01:31:51This enormous number
01:31:52of toys survived
01:31:53many years of storms,
01:31:54salt water,
01:31:55encounter with
01:31:56marine animals,
01:31:57and countless days
01:31:58under the scorching sun.
01:32:00The ducks even ventured
01:32:01into the icy waters
01:32:02of the Arctic
01:32:03and swam through
01:32:04the spot
01:32:05where the Titanic sank.
01:32:07Some of the toys
01:32:08settled in Hawaii
01:32:09and some went
01:32:10to the shores of England.
01:32:11Many people watch
01:32:12their journey
01:32:13all the time.
01:32:14Oceanologists studied
01:32:15ocean currents
01:32:16with the help of this
01:32:17migrating flock
01:32:18of rubber duckies.
01:32:19People authored books
01:32:20about these ducks.
01:32:22Each toy is an artifact
01:32:23and somebody managed
01:32:24to find at least
01:32:25one of them.
01:32:27One frog washed up
01:32:28on the coast of England
01:32:29and other toys
01:32:30were found in the ocean.
01:32:32People are looking for them
01:32:33and selling them
01:32:34for thousands of dollars.
01:32:35Until now,
01:32:36these wanderers
01:32:37are floating
01:32:38somewhere out there
01:32:39and you may find
01:32:40one of them sometime.
01:32:42I keep mine close by.
01:32:44You know what ammumite is?
01:32:46It's a kind of a big
01:32:47ancient seashell
01:32:48with a spiral on its back.
01:32:50So, the coast of Washington
01:32:52hides many fossils
01:32:53of these animals.
01:32:55One day,
01:32:56a group of scientists
01:32:57went there
01:32:58to find these
01:32:59prehistoric things.
01:33:00But instead,
01:33:01they found a massive bone
01:33:02of an unknown dinosaur.
01:33:04The problem was
01:33:05that the fossil
01:33:06was stuck in a coastal rock.
01:33:08Paleontologists
01:33:09dragged a stone saw
01:33:10to get the find.
01:33:12They extracted the bone
01:33:13and discovered it belonged
01:33:14to an animal
01:33:15that lived about
01:33:1680 million years ago.
01:33:18It was a theropod,
01:33:19a predatory dinosaur
01:33:20that moved on two legs.
01:33:22T. rex
01:33:23and velociraptors
01:33:24belong to this species.
01:33:26It's not proven exactly
01:33:27who this bone belonged to,
01:33:29but researchers say
01:33:30the descendants
01:33:31of these dinosaurs
01:33:32are modern birds.
01:33:34In 2008,
01:33:35on the shore
01:33:36of Brighton Beach,
01:33:38people discovered
01:33:39probably one of the
01:33:40most unusual things
01:33:41that have ever been
01:33:42thrown on the shore.
01:33:44This was a big
01:33:458-foot Lego man.
01:33:46He was whole
01:33:47and looked great.
01:33:48It's unknown
01:33:49how long he stayed
01:33:50in the ocean
01:33:51and ended up here.
01:33:52The discovery
01:33:53attracted the attention
01:33:54of locals
01:33:55and the district administration.
01:33:57The Lego man
01:33:58looked so cool
01:33:59on the beach
01:34:00that the people
01:34:01at City Hall
01:34:02decided to leave him there.
01:34:03Nobody knows
01:34:04the true story
01:34:05of this giant toy.
01:34:06Some say
01:34:07that Lego man
01:34:08came from Denmark.
01:34:09There's a Legoland
01:34:10theme park.
01:34:11Maybe the toy
01:34:12came straight from there.
01:34:13Others are sure
01:34:14that it fell
01:34:15from some passing ship
01:34:16– see rubber duckies.
01:34:18But, of course,
01:34:19there's a high probability
01:34:20that this is all
01:34:21part of a PR campaign.
01:34:23Even if it's not,
01:34:24it's still a great ad.
01:34:26In 2010,
01:34:27locals found
01:34:28a giant tree
01:34:29washed up on the beach
01:34:30on the shore
01:34:31of La Push, Washington.
01:34:33Several people
01:34:34could fit inside his trunk.
01:34:36There's enough room
01:34:37for a bed,
01:34:38a table,
01:34:39a TV,
01:34:40and even throw a small party.
01:34:41And the height
01:34:42of the tree itself
01:34:43reached about 200 feet.
01:34:45This is almost
01:34:46the size of a Boeing
01:34:47passenger jet.
01:34:48There were a lot
01:34:49of discarded trees
01:34:50on the shore that day,
01:34:51but this giant
01:34:52was the king among them.
01:34:54High tides
01:34:55and fierce winds
01:34:56brought it ashore.
01:34:57Storms occur
01:34:58often in this region.
01:34:59During this time,
01:35:00rivers flowing
01:35:01through the area
01:35:02spill over the forest
01:35:03and dump large trees.
01:35:05Also, near the beach,
01:35:06there are high slopes
01:35:07with tropical forests.
01:35:09At high tide,
01:35:10the water washes
01:35:11away the trees
01:35:12and brings them
01:35:13to the shore.
01:35:14Now, they didn't know
01:35:15the exact type of tree,
01:35:17but it was like
01:35:18the Sitka Spruce,
01:35:19Red Cedar,
01:35:20and Douglas Fir.
01:35:22In 2020,
01:35:23a giant squid
01:35:24was found
01:35:25on the shore
01:35:26of a South African beach.
01:35:27Such finds are rare
01:35:28because giant squids
01:35:29live in deep,
01:35:30dark waters.
01:35:32The beached sea creature
01:35:33was almost 14 feet long.
01:35:35This is more than
01:35:36the size of a passenger car.
01:35:38Some of these individuals
01:35:39can reach the size of buses.
01:35:41It's not surprising
01:35:42that sailors
01:35:43called these monsters
01:35:44Kraken in the distant past.
01:35:46They have enormous tentacles,
01:35:47beak-like mouths,
01:35:49and the most giant eyes
01:35:50in the animal world.
01:35:52One such eye
01:35:53can be the size
01:35:54of a football.
01:35:56In 2021,
01:35:57a family found
01:35:58an old, closed bottle
01:35:59on a beach in Hawaii.
01:36:01And, of course,
01:36:02there was a message
01:36:03written 37 years ago
01:36:04inside.
01:36:06The letter
01:36:07was written in English.
01:36:08Then it turned out
01:36:09that school students
01:36:10at one Japanese school
01:36:11wrote this message.
01:36:13Back in 1984,
01:36:15the school released
01:36:16about 450 bottles
01:36:17into the ocean
01:36:18to study ocean currents.
01:36:20The letter
01:36:21had an address
01:36:22with a request
01:36:23to give it back.
01:36:24Now,
01:36:25about 50 bottles
01:36:26have been returned
01:36:27to that school in Japan.
01:36:28But this message
01:36:29found on the shore of Hawaii
01:36:30is the first
01:36:31since 2002.
01:36:34Imagine you're walking
01:36:35along the shore
01:36:36and suddenly see
01:36:37something strange
01:36:38in the distance.
01:36:39It looks like
01:36:40a giant starfish
01:36:41with large,
01:36:42dark green tentacles.
01:36:44The center of this star
01:36:45has a strange red glow.
01:36:47The object
01:36:48is fenced with tape.
01:36:49There are people
01:36:50in protective suits around.
01:36:52It happened in May 2022
01:36:54on Bondi Beach, Australia.
01:36:56On that day,
01:36:57journalists
01:36:58and many tourists
01:36:59came to the shore
01:37:00to find out
01:37:01that the unknown creature
01:37:02was just a sculpture
01:37:03made as an ad
01:37:04for one famous
01:37:05American TV series.
01:37:08In England,
01:37:09a 180-million-year-old fossil
01:37:11was found
01:37:12on Charmouth Beach.
01:37:13This was one of the
01:37:14oldest finds
01:37:15in the world.
01:37:16And this was
01:37:17just not a bone,
01:37:18but almost
01:37:19the whole skeleton
01:37:20of a huge
01:37:21underwater lizard,
01:37:22Ichthyosaurus.
01:37:24Let's just call him
01:37:25Icky.
01:37:26The size of this fossil
01:37:27was 40 feet long.
01:37:28It's practically
01:37:29the length of a small bus.
01:37:31The lizard's head alone
01:37:32was 7 feet.
01:37:33That's the average height
01:37:34of a professional
01:37:35basketball player
01:37:36who aren't fossils.
01:37:38Icky was not only
01:37:39one of the oldest,
01:37:40but also
01:37:41one of the most
01:37:42giant ancient skeletons
01:37:43ever discovered
01:37:44by people.
01:37:45Just imagine
01:37:46how it swam
01:37:47in the seas and oceans
01:37:48and terrified
01:37:49all the sea creatures
01:37:50180 million years ago.
01:37:53No thanks.
01:37:54On February 16, 2020,
01:37:57locals found
01:37:58a large cargo ship
01:37:59stuck on a rocky shore
01:38:01off the coast
01:38:02of an Irish village.
01:38:03It was old,
01:38:04rusty,
01:38:05with holes in the body
01:38:06and rotten parts.
01:38:07Kind of like me.
01:38:09The day before, though,
01:38:10it wasn't there.
01:38:11There was nothing
01:38:12valuable or exciting
01:38:13on board,
01:38:14just some old
01:38:15barrels of fuel.
01:38:17People didn't find
01:38:18any records or logs.
01:38:19Who owned the ship?
01:38:21Who was the captain?
01:38:22Where was the whole crew?
01:38:24No one had the answers
01:38:25to these questions.
01:38:27Soon, the press
01:38:28found out about the ship
01:38:29and someone called
01:38:30the village administration
01:38:31and introduced themselves
01:38:32as the owner.
01:38:34That person didn't
01:38:35supply any evidence
01:38:36and hung up.
01:38:37Of course,
01:38:38no one took the ship,
01:38:39but after a while,
01:38:40people began to reveal
01:38:41the story of this
01:38:42mysterious vessel.
01:38:44It's called Alta.
01:38:46Five months before
01:38:47the final stop
01:38:48on the coast of Ireland,
01:38:50it was seen
01:38:51thousands of miles away
01:38:52in the waters
01:38:53of the Atlantic Ocean.
01:38:55That day,
01:38:56the big ship
01:38:57MS Protector
01:38:58was sailing through
01:38:59calm waters
01:39:00and spotted Alta.
01:39:02The MS Protector crew
01:39:03tried to contact it,
01:39:04but no one answered.
01:39:06Even then,
01:39:07the vessel was empty.
01:39:08It was a phantom ship.
01:39:11It's still unknown
01:39:12how it could cover
01:39:13the distance across
01:39:14the Atlantic
01:39:15and surf to the coast
01:39:16of Ireland.
01:39:17Maybe it's just luck.
01:39:18It's also notable
01:39:19that no one else
01:39:20has seen the ship
01:39:21all this time.
01:39:23It just calmly sailed
01:39:24huge distances
01:39:25surviving storms.
01:39:27But then,
01:39:28added information appeared.
01:39:30Alta had changed
01:39:31several captains
01:39:32and flags.
01:39:33It was used by smugglers
01:39:35for illegal purposes.
01:39:37It visited the shores
01:39:38of Africa and Greece.
01:39:40One day,
01:39:41several members
01:39:42of the Alta crew
01:39:43sent a distress signal.
01:39:44They ran out of food
01:39:45and water supplies.
01:39:47There was a breakdown
01:39:48inside the engine.
01:39:49People were rescued
01:39:50and the ship remained
01:39:51wandering in the ocean.
01:39:53The owner of the boat
01:39:54was never found.
01:39:56Imagine discovering
01:39:57an ancient city
01:39:58without leaving the comfort
01:39:59of your home.
01:40:01In 1963,
01:40:02a man in the Nevsehir province
01:40:04of Turkey
01:40:05did exactly that.
01:40:07He was renovating his house.
01:40:09He knocked down a wall
01:40:10in his basement
01:40:11and found
01:40:12a mysterious room.
01:40:14He continued digging
01:40:15and saw a tunnel.
01:40:17This is how
01:40:18Derinkuyu Underground City
01:40:19was found.
01:40:22Derinkuyu is one of the
01:40:23deepest multi-level
01:40:24underground settlements
01:40:25of Cappadocia
01:40:26and in all of Turkey.
01:40:28This engineering masterpiece
01:40:29has eight levels.
01:40:31The inhabitants
01:40:32living on those floors
01:40:33had access to cellars,
01:40:34storage areas,
01:40:35chapels,
01:40:36a school,
01:40:37a study room
01:40:38and other structures.
01:40:41All floors are connected
01:40:42by an extensive network
01:40:43of tunnels.
01:40:45It's believed
01:40:46that the underground city
01:40:47was built as a shelter.
01:40:49You can't see the construction
01:40:50from the outside.
01:40:51Its depth
01:40:52is approximately
01:40:53279 feet.
01:40:55The complex
01:40:56was large enough
01:40:57to shelter about
01:40:5820,000 people
01:40:59plus their livestock
01:41:00and food supplies.
01:41:02There's also
01:41:03a 180-foot
01:41:04ventilation shaft.
01:41:05People used it
01:41:06both for ventilation
01:41:07and as a well.
01:41:09The well supplied water
01:41:10both to the villagers
01:41:11living on the surface
01:41:12and to those hiding
01:41:13in the underground city.
01:41:16Interestingly,
01:41:17those living
01:41:18on the bottom levels
01:41:19were able to cut off
01:41:20the water supply
01:41:21for the upper
01:41:22ground levels.
01:41:23This kept the water
01:41:24safe from potential
01:41:25poisoning.
01:41:27The place was designed
01:41:28for protection.
01:41:30The tunnels could be
01:41:31blocked from the inside
01:41:32with huge round
01:41:33rolling stone doors.
01:41:35The passageways
01:41:36were extremely narrow.
01:41:37Potential invaders
01:41:38had to enter the tunnels
01:41:39one at a time.
01:41:40Seems like they thought
01:41:41of everything
01:41:42in the 7th century BCE.
01:41:45Archaeologists
01:41:46believed the Pharygians
01:41:47were the ones
01:41:48who first built
01:41:49the levels.
01:41:50After them,
01:41:51the structure was used
01:41:52and enhanced
01:41:53in Roman times.
01:41:54This was when
01:41:55the chapels were added.
01:41:56The golden time
01:41:57of Derinkuyu,
01:41:58however,
01:41:59was during
01:42:00the Byzantine era.
01:42:02But how did these people
01:42:03manage to create
01:42:04such tunnels?
01:42:05Well,
01:42:06the rock they carved
01:42:07them into
01:42:08wasn't usual.
01:42:09It was soft
01:42:10volcanic rock.
01:42:11It appeared
01:42:12due to a geological
01:42:13process that began
01:42:14millions of years ago.
01:42:16Volcanic eruptions
01:42:17covered the area
01:42:18in thick ash.
01:42:19It then solidified
01:42:20into this soft rock.
01:42:22When the natural forces
01:42:23of wind and water
01:42:24eroded softer parts,
01:42:26only hard elements
01:42:27remained.
01:42:29Fun fact,
01:42:30fairy chimneys
01:42:31are also made of
01:42:32intricately shaped
01:42:33volcanic soft rock.
01:42:35But they formed
01:42:36naturally
01:42:37without any
01:42:38human intervention.
01:42:40I'm still in Turkey,
01:42:41but this time,
01:42:42my destination
01:42:43is Kanakale,
01:42:45where a myth
01:42:46came to life.
01:42:47For 3,000 years,
01:42:48people believed
01:42:49that Homer's Iliad
01:42:50was fiction,
01:42:51and that Troy
01:42:52never existed.
01:42:53In 1863,
01:42:54everything changed.
01:42:57Expatriate
01:42:58Frank Calvert
01:42:59discovered ancient
01:43:00ruins in western Turkey.
01:43:02He was convinced
01:43:03they belonged
01:43:04to the ancient
01:43:05city of Troy.
01:43:06Heinrich Schliemann
01:43:07examined this area
01:43:08in 1868.
01:43:10That's when Troy
01:43:11saw sunlight again
01:43:12after all those
01:43:13centuries.
01:43:14Troy has complex
01:43:15layers.
01:43:16Over the years,
01:43:17nine ancient cities
01:43:18were built
01:43:19on top of one another.
01:43:22Historians say
01:43:23that the area
01:43:24was strategically located
01:43:25between Europe
01:43:26and Asia,
01:43:27so it became
01:43:28a prosperous trade
01:43:29and cultural center.
01:43:30This strategic position
01:43:31made Troy
01:43:32attractive
01:43:33throughout history.
01:43:35After the
01:43:36Trojan Conflict,
01:43:37the city was abandoned
01:43:38between the years
01:43:391100
01:43:40to 700 BCE.
01:43:42Then,
01:43:43Greek settlers
01:43:44rediscovered the area,
01:43:45and Alexander the Great
01:43:46ruled there.
01:43:47The Romans
01:43:48then invaded the city.
01:43:49Speaking of this event,
01:43:50the first thing
01:43:51you would see
01:43:52when visiting the site
01:43:53is a replica
01:43:54of the wooden
01:43:55Trojan horse
01:43:56from a movie
01:43:57shot in 2004.
01:44:00The next stop
01:44:01is Lothal.
01:44:02In the 1950s,
01:44:03Lothal
01:44:04and several other
01:44:05Harappan sites
01:44:06were discovered
01:44:07in India.
01:44:08These new provinces
01:44:09extended the boundaries
01:44:10of the Indus Valley
01:44:11civilization.
01:44:14Lothal was an
01:44:15important part
01:44:16of the Harappan civilization.
01:44:17It had vast
01:44:18cotton
01:44:19and rice fields.
01:44:20Plus,
01:44:21it had
01:44:22a bead-making factory.
01:44:23Beads
01:44:24were made from
01:44:25semi-precious stones
01:44:26like agate.
01:44:27Many of these beads
01:44:28were later found
01:44:29in Mesopotamia,
01:44:30which serves as evidence
01:44:31that Lothal
01:44:32was a thriving
01:44:33trading port.
01:44:35Archaeologists
01:44:36believe that the city
01:44:37was part of an
01:44:38ancient trade route.
01:44:39Traces of agriculture?
01:44:40Check.
01:44:41Traces of trade?
01:44:42Check.
01:44:43What else?
01:44:44The remains
01:44:45of residential buildings,
01:44:46streets,
01:44:47bathing pavements,
01:44:48and drains.
01:44:49Some real city
01:44:50planning.
01:44:51And,
01:44:52impressive examples
01:44:53of early urbanization.
01:44:55The town
01:44:56was well-constructed.
01:44:57There were
01:44:58modern houses.
01:44:59Some of them
01:45:00had six rooms,
01:45:01bathrooms,
01:45:02a large courtyard,
01:45:03and even a veranda.
01:45:04Lothal
01:45:05also had
01:45:06the world's
01:45:07oldest known dock.
01:45:08It linked the city
01:45:09with the Sabarmati River
01:45:10and the trade route.
01:45:13The ancient
01:45:14Mayan city of
01:45:15Calakmul
01:45:16is located
01:45:17in southern Mexico
01:45:18in the tropical forest
01:45:19of the Tierras Bajas.
01:45:21From 500 CE
01:45:22to 800 CE,
01:45:23Calakmul
01:45:24was home to
01:45:25over 50,000 people.
01:45:27There was a central
01:45:28plaza surrounded
01:45:29by outer districts.
01:45:30And,
01:45:31if we count both
01:45:32the inhabitants
01:45:33of all those
01:45:34outer areas
01:45:35and those
01:45:36who lived in the center,
01:45:37Calakmul
01:45:38had a population
01:45:39of more than
01:45:401.5 million people.
01:45:42It was a city
01:45:43that was
01:45:44habitable
01:45:45for 12 centuries.
01:45:46It's believed
01:45:47that the place
01:45:48had more constructions
01:45:49than any other
01:45:50excavated Maya
01:45:51settlements in the region.
01:45:52After 1000 CE,
01:45:53the Maya civilization
01:45:54there
01:45:55faced a downfall.
01:45:56The settlement
01:45:57that was once
01:45:58the center of
01:45:59Mesoamerica
01:46:00was almost
01:46:01completely abandoned.
01:46:02The ancient city
01:46:03was at the heart
01:46:04of the second-largest
01:46:05tropical forest
01:46:06in America.
01:46:07The site is
01:46:08well-preserved,
01:46:09so today,
01:46:10if you were to visit it,
01:46:11you would be able
01:46:12to see what life
01:46:13looked like
01:46:14in ancient
01:46:15Mayan times.
01:46:16The city remains
01:46:17include
01:46:18architectural complexes
01:46:19and sculpted monuments,
01:46:20defensive systems,
01:46:21quarries,
01:46:22water management
01:46:23features,
01:46:24agricultural terraces,
01:46:25massive temple
01:46:26pyramids,
01:46:27and palaces,
01:46:28not to mention
01:46:29a variety of
01:46:30body ornaments
01:46:31and other
01:46:32accompanying objects.
01:46:33It proves
01:46:34that complex
01:46:35state-organized
01:46:36societies
01:46:37lived in this
01:46:38tropical forest.
01:46:39The Mayans
01:46:40depicted nature
01:46:41in their paintings,
01:46:42pottery,
01:46:43sculptures,
01:46:44rituals,
01:46:45and even food.
01:46:47I'm moving on
01:46:48to a place
01:46:49people thought
01:46:50didn't really exist.
01:46:51The city of
01:46:52Thaunus-Heracleion
01:46:53appeared only
01:46:54in a few inscriptions
01:46:55and ancient texts.
01:46:57Turns out,
01:46:58it was waiting
01:46:59to be discovered
01:47:00for thousands of years.
01:47:01Scientists searched
01:47:02the majority
01:47:03of the coast of Egypt,
01:47:04but then,
01:47:05archaeologist
01:47:06Frank Gaudio
01:47:07and his team
01:47:08detected a colossal face
01:47:09looking at them
01:47:10from under the water.
01:47:11The ancient city
01:47:12of Heracleion
01:47:13was discovered
01:47:14completely submerged
01:47:15four miles
01:47:16off Alexandria's coast.
01:47:19In the ruins
01:47:20of the lost city,
01:47:21there were 64 ships,
01:47:23700 anchors,
01:47:24and a treasure trove
01:47:25of gold coins.
01:47:27Archaeologists
01:47:28consider a 16-foot
01:47:29tall statue
01:47:30and the temple remains
01:47:31the most important
01:47:32findings discovered
01:47:33by the expedition.
01:47:35Back then,
01:47:36the city had ceremonies
01:47:37and celebrations
01:47:38that took place
01:47:39in the Temple
01:47:40of Amun.
01:47:42The ruins
01:47:43and artifacts
01:47:44were made from
01:47:45granite and diorite,
01:47:46so they were
01:47:47in good condition
01:47:48even after having been
01:47:49in contact with water
01:47:50for centuries.
01:47:51They give people
01:47:52a glimpse
01:47:53into what life was like
01:47:542,300 years ago
01:47:55in one of the most
01:47:56important trade ports
01:47:57of the world.
01:47:59The city
01:48:00had a network
01:48:01of canals.
01:48:02You can think of it
01:48:03as an ancient
01:48:04Egyptian Venice.
01:48:05The canals
01:48:06linked many
01:48:07separate harbors
01:48:08and anchorages.
01:48:09Towers,
01:48:10temples,
01:48:11houses,
01:48:12and other structures
01:48:13were also linked
01:48:14by bridges.
01:48:15Thanas Heraklion
01:48:16was the country's
01:48:17main port
01:48:18for international trade
01:48:19and the collection
01:48:20of taxes.
01:48:22No one really knows
01:48:23how the city
01:48:24ended up submerged,
01:48:25but archaeologists
01:48:26connect it
01:48:27with natural causes.
01:48:28At the end
01:48:29of the 2nd century BCE,
01:48:31most probably
01:48:32after a flood,
01:48:33Heraklion
01:48:34got covered
01:48:35with water.
01:48:36Then,
01:48:37Alexandria,
01:48:38the city
01:48:39founded by
01:48:40Alexander the Great,
01:48:41became more glorious
01:48:42than Heraklion.
01:48:43Before Alexandria's fame,
01:48:45Heraklion was the
01:48:46main port of entry
01:48:47to Egypt.
01:48:48So,
01:48:49after the disaster,
01:48:50many ships
01:48:51heading for Heraklion
01:48:52had to change
01:48:53their route
01:48:54and go to Alexandria.
01:48:55Heraklion
01:48:56lost its glory
01:48:57until its rediscovery
01:48:58in 1933.
01:49:02Mesa Verde
01:49:03is an American
01:49:04national park
01:49:05in Colorado.
01:49:06The park
01:49:07is the largest
01:49:08archaeological preserve
01:49:09in the U.S.,
01:49:10with more than
01:49:115,000 sites,
01:49:12including
01:49:13600 cliff dwellings.
01:49:14Mesa Verde
01:49:15means
01:49:16green table
01:49:17in Spanish.
01:49:18The name comes
01:49:19from the shape
01:49:20of the mountains
01:49:21in the area,
01:49:22with flat tops
01:49:23and steep sides.
01:49:24The park
01:49:25is an ancestral
01:49:26Puebloan
01:49:27archaeological site.
01:49:29Starting from 7500 BCE,
01:49:31a group of nomadic
01:49:32Paleo-Indians
01:49:33seasonally lived
01:49:34in Mesa Verde.
01:49:35They were hunters,
01:49:36gatherers,
01:49:37and crop farmers.
01:49:38They built
01:49:39the first
01:49:40Pueblos
01:49:41in the region.
01:49:42By the end
01:49:43of the 12th century,
01:49:44the Mesa Verdeans
01:49:45began constructing
01:49:46massive cliff dwellings,
01:49:47which are now
01:49:48the best-known
01:49:49structures in the park.
01:49:52Under the burning sun,
01:49:54among the sand dunes,
01:49:55somewhere in the
01:49:56Sahara Desert,
01:49:57you're walking
01:49:58in search of
01:49:59an ancient treasure.
01:50:00Finally,
01:50:01you find a strange
01:50:02rock in the sand.
01:50:03It's big,
01:50:04looks like a large
01:50:05piece of black coal
01:50:06or rock,
01:50:07but something shiny
01:50:08on its surface
01:50:09makes the rock
01:50:10unusual.
01:50:11This unique find
01:50:12is the oldest thing
01:50:13that has ever
01:50:14been discovered
01:50:15on our planet.
01:50:16This rock
01:50:17was born long before
01:50:18Earth appeared
01:50:19in outer space.
01:50:20The unusual meteorite
01:50:21was found in 2020,
01:50:22in a remote area
01:50:23of the Sahara Desert.
01:50:25Scientists have
01:50:26analyzed the isotopes
01:50:27of magnesium
01:50:28and aluminum
01:50:29on the stone's surface
01:50:30and found that its age
01:50:31is about
01:50:32four and a half
01:50:33billion years.
01:50:34At the moment,
01:50:35this is the oldest
01:50:36sample of magma
01:50:37from space
01:50:38in history.
01:50:39It belongs to
01:50:40a small protoplanet
01:50:41that didn't have time
01:50:42to form completely.
01:50:44It happened
01:50:45a very long time ago
01:50:46when our solar system
01:50:47was forming.
01:50:48Many huge asteroids
01:50:49were floating in space.
01:50:51Some of them
01:50:52were formed into
01:50:53huge celestial bodies,
01:50:54which later
01:50:55became planets.
01:50:56The big rocky planets
01:50:57were absorbing
01:50:58the smaller ones.
01:50:59The rock was part
01:51:00of a little protoplanet
01:51:02that just began
01:51:03its formation,
01:51:04but another
01:51:05huge asteroid
01:51:06destroyed it.
01:51:07The planet shattered
01:51:08into billions of pieces.
01:51:09Some of them
01:51:10became part
01:51:11of other planets,
01:51:12some flew outside
01:51:13the solar system,
01:51:14and one piece
01:51:15that had been
01:51:16wandering in space
01:51:17until our Earth
01:51:18was formed.
01:51:19After that,
01:51:20it hit the planet's
01:51:21atmosphere and fell
01:51:22into the territory
01:51:23now known
01:51:24as the Sahara Desert.
01:51:26The rock was
01:51:27discovered in 2020,
01:51:28but the erosion
01:51:29of extraterrestrial rocks
01:51:30shows that it
01:51:31could have fallen
01:51:32much earlier.
01:51:33This ancient thing
01:51:34weighing around 70 pounds
01:51:35has several pieces
01:51:36of different meteorites
01:51:37inside.
01:51:38In simple words,
01:51:39it's a volcanic rock
01:51:40consisting of lava.
01:51:42It has cooled,
01:51:43solidified,
01:51:44and crystallized.
01:51:45That's why you
01:51:46notice the glitter.
01:51:47Scientists hope
01:51:48that further study
01:51:49of the rock
01:51:50will help to learn more
01:51:51about our solar system
01:51:52foundation.
01:51:53The biggest asteroid
01:51:54discovered in the U.S.
01:51:55is the Willamette.
01:51:56Its size is 84 square feet,
01:51:59and its weight
01:52:00is more than 15 tons.
01:52:01This is half the weight
01:52:02of a bus.
01:52:03Several people
01:52:04can fit on the surface
01:52:05of this outer space object.
01:52:07But the coolest thing
01:52:08is that it's not a rock
01:52:09like most meteorites
01:52:11that were found.
01:52:12Willamette is made
01:52:13of nickel and iron.
01:52:15This massive piece of metal
01:52:17was discovered in 1906.
01:52:19Now, the huge rock
01:52:20is kept at the
01:52:21American Museum
01:52:22of Natural History.
01:52:24The largest meteorite
01:52:25ever found is Hoba.
01:52:27It's located in Namibia,
01:52:28and people have never
01:52:29changed its position
01:52:30because it's too heavy.
01:52:32The weight of Hoba
01:52:33is 60 tons.
01:52:34It's heavier than a tank.
01:52:37The next space-related event
01:52:38occurred on February 28
01:52:40in southwest England.
01:52:42On this day,
01:52:43a huge flash lit up the sky.
01:52:45Then there was a loud crash.
01:52:47Several residents
01:52:48opened the doors
01:52:49of their houses
01:52:50and noticed
01:52:51a black sooty spot
01:52:52on the lawn.
01:52:53They immediately guessed
01:52:54what had happened
01:52:55and reported the discovery
01:52:56to the British Meteorite
01:52:57Observation Network.
01:52:59If you ever find
01:53:00a meteorite,
01:53:01report it to some
01:53:02geological research
01:53:03or space center
01:53:04as soon as possible.
01:53:05The longer a space rock
01:53:06lies on the ground,
01:53:07the faster it loses
01:53:08its value.
01:53:10Rain, dust, snow,
01:53:11wind, scorching sun,
01:53:13all these factors
01:53:14damage the surface
01:53:15of the meteorite.
01:53:16It makes it difficult
01:53:17to study the celestial object.
01:53:20The meteorite
01:53:21found in England
01:53:22looks like coal,
01:53:23but it's way softer
01:53:24and more fragile.
01:53:25It most likely
01:53:26used to contain
01:53:27frozen water.
01:53:28The rock is part
01:53:29of a huge asteroid
01:53:30that clouded
01:53:31through outer space
01:53:32when our solar system
01:53:33hadn't fully formed yet.
01:53:35They found a unique
01:53:36combination of minerals
01:53:37inside the rock.
01:53:38It can help scientists
01:53:39learn more about
01:53:40the origins of the
01:53:41solar system
01:53:42and life on Earth.
01:53:44Now we're heading
01:53:45to Germany,
01:53:46to the small town
01:53:47of Nördlingen,
01:53:48a huge ancient meteorite
01:53:49hidden here.
01:53:50It's very difficult
01:53:51to notice it
01:53:52unless you know
01:53:53the secret of this town.
01:53:54You're walking
01:53:55along the cozy
01:53:56little streets
01:53:57and looking at the
01:53:58buildings with
01:53:59beautiful architecture.
01:54:00You spend the whole
01:54:01day there
01:54:02and don't find anything
01:54:03that reminds you
01:54:04of a meteorite.
01:54:05To solve the mystery,
01:54:06you need to get
01:54:07out of town.
01:54:08So you climb
01:54:09a high hill
01:54:10and see that the city
01:54:11is located
01:54:12inside a pit.
01:54:13For a long time,
01:54:14locals were sure
01:54:15the house was located
01:54:16in the crater
01:54:17of an extinct volcano.
01:54:19If you look at
01:54:20the houses
01:54:21from a certain angle,
01:54:22you may notice
01:54:23an unusual shining
01:54:24coming from them.
01:54:26In the middle
01:54:27of the 20th century,
01:54:28a group of geologists
01:54:29came here
01:54:30and immediately
01:54:31declared that the crater
01:54:32doesn't look like
01:54:33a volcanic one.
01:54:34The town was built
01:54:35on a huge crater
01:54:36left by a meteorite.
01:54:38The huge celestial body
01:54:39fell here
01:54:40about 15 million
01:54:41years ago.
01:54:42It was so hot
01:54:43that the carbon
01:54:44bubbles inside
01:54:45instantly turned
01:54:46into small diamonds.
01:54:48When people were
01:54:49building this city,
01:54:50they didn't know
01:54:51they were using
01:54:52expensive stones
01:54:53since the diamonds
01:54:54were hardly visible.
01:54:55The locals
01:54:56never attached
01:54:57importance to the fact
01:54:58that the city walls
01:54:59shine unusually
01:55:00in the sun.
01:55:01Now they believe
01:55:02this place was
01:55:03built from diamonds
01:55:04that had fallen
01:55:05from the sky.
01:55:07Our next stop
01:55:08is in the UK again.
01:55:09This time,
01:55:10the rocks are of
01:55:11an earthly origin.
01:55:12The famous Stonehenge.
01:55:14People place
01:55:15circles of rocks
01:55:16here in a certain order.
01:55:18Everyone knows
01:55:19about this archaeological
01:55:20monument,
01:55:21but no one knows
01:55:22the reason for
01:55:23its creation
01:55:24for certain.
01:55:25Another construction
01:55:26built out of
01:55:27mysterious rocks
01:55:28was discovered
01:55:29just 2 miles away.
01:55:30It's called
01:55:31Superhenge.
01:55:32It's bigger,
01:55:33heavier,
01:55:34and takes up
01:55:35more space.
01:55:36Each plate here
01:55:37is 15 feet,
01:55:38which is about
01:55:39the height
01:55:40of two floors.
01:55:41Once,
01:55:42the stones
01:55:43stood vertically
01:55:44and formed
01:55:45a huge semicircle.
01:55:46But someone
01:55:47pushed the stones
01:55:48over about
01:55:494,500 years ago.
01:55:50It was a college
01:55:51student.
01:55:52That's why they
01:55:53couldn't be detected
01:55:54for a long time.
01:55:55Scientists still
01:55:56can't solve
01:55:57the mystery
01:55:58of Superhenge,
01:55:59but they believe
01:56:00the standing
01:56:01vertical stones
01:56:02were part of
01:56:03some huge monument.
01:56:04Some other
01:56:05amazing rocks
01:56:06are located
01:56:07in the south
01:56:08of Costa Rica.
01:56:09There are big
01:56:10ones the size
01:56:11of a human,
01:56:12and there are
01:56:13smaller ones
01:56:14the size
01:56:15of bowling balls.
01:56:16And they all
01:56:17have a perfectly
01:56:18round shape.
01:56:19These giant
01:56:20rocks are
01:56:21polished using
01:56:22stone tools
01:56:23to get the
01:56:24perfect round shape.
01:56:25These balls
01:56:26are incredibly heavy
01:56:27but can easily
01:56:28roll like a
01:56:29basketball.
01:56:30All the rocks
01:56:31are of a
01:56:32different age.
01:56:33Some of them
01:56:34were created
01:56:35about 2,500 years
01:56:36ago.
01:56:37Most of them
01:56:38are made of
01:56:39molten volcanic
01:56:40magma.
01:56:41Until now,
01:56:42scientists don't
01:56:43know for what
01:56:44purpose these
01:56:45stones were used.
01:56:46They were found
01:56:47in different parts
01:56:48of Costa Rica,
01:56:49specifically to
01:56:50show the greatness
01:56:51of local kings.
01:56:52Also,
01:56:53many experts
01:56:54believe the rocks
01:56:55were used as a
01:56:56tool for studying
01:56:57astronomy.
01:56:58The people who
01:56:59knew their purpose
01:57:00of the rocks
01:57:01had disappeared,
01:57:02and the history
01:57:03of the stones
01:57:04was lost along
01:57:05with them.
01:57:06Let's finish our
01:57:07journey with the
01:57:08coolest archaeological
01:57:09find.
01:57:10You're walking
01:57:11through the desert
01:57:12of Peru and
01:57:13climbing a low
01:57:14hill.
01:57:15You look down
01:57:16and notice the
01:57:17surface of the hill
01:57:18from far away
01:57:19and see a huge
01:57:20cat on the hill.
01:57:22Such a drawing
01:57:23is called a
01:57:24geoglyph.
01:57:25Its length is
01:57:26around 120 feet,
01:57:27which is about
01:57:28half the size of
01:57:29a Boeing commercial
01:57:30jet.
01:57:31Archaeologists
01:57:32discovered the
01:57:33giant cat in 2020
01:57:34and found out
01:57:35that it had been
01:57:36created somewhere
01:57:37between 200 and
01:57:38100 BCE.
01:57:39This huge drawing
01:57:40is part of a
01:57:41mysterious group
01:57:42of different
01:57:43pictures.
01:57:44In addition to
01:57:45the cat,
01:57:46there are other
01:57:47famous plants
01:57:48and fantastic
01:57:49figures.
01:57:50All of them
01:57:51were found
01:57:52in the desert
01:57:53of Peru.
01:57:54The kitten
01:57:55was found by
01:57:56chance.
01:57:57Archaeologists
01:57:58didn't see it
01:57:59at first because
01:58:00natural erosion
01:58:01on the hillside
01:58:02had almost erased
01:58:03the silhouette.
01:58:04That's it for today,
01:58:05so hey, if you
01:58:06pacified your
01:58:07curiosity, then
01:58:08give the video a
01:58:09like and share
01:58:10it with your
01:58:11friends.
01:58:12Or if you want
01:58:13more, just click
01:58:14on these videos
01:58:15and stay on