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Could a
small piece of aircraft debris
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found on a remote desert island
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00:00:07,827 --> 00:00:11,897
finally solve America's
greatest aviation mystery?
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00:00:11,931 --> 00:00:13,831
Is this part
of Amelia Earhart's airplane?
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00:00:16,862 --> 00:00:19,312
Why are space agencies like NASA
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00:00:19,344 --> 00:00:21,934
scouring the deepest parts
of the ocean
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00:00:21,965 --> 00:00:25,335
for signs
of extraterrestrial life?
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00:00:25,379 --> 00:00:28,789
We know more
about the surface of Mars
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00:00:28,827 --> 00:00:32,097
than we know
about our deep seas.
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00:00:32,137 --> 00:00:33,447
And what could explain
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00:00:33,482 --> 00:00:36,452
the hundreds
of mysterious ghost ships
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00:00:36,482 --> 00:00:39,692
washing up
on the shores of Japan?
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00:00:39,724 --> 00:00:43,214
Could the North Koreans be
sending spies to Japan in these boats?
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00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:49,310
The underwater
realm is another dimension.
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00:00:50,517 --> 00:00:53,547
It's a physically hostile place,
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00:00:53,586 --> 00:00:58,306
where dreams of promise
can sink into darkness.
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I'm Jeremy Wade,
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00:01:02,344 --> 00:01:04,104
and I'm searching the world
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to bring you the most iconic
and baffling underwater
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00:01:06,965 --> 00:01:09,405
mysteries known to science.
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The vast majority
of our ocean is unobserved,
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unmapped and unexplored.
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It's a dangerous frontier
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that swallows evidence.
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You have nowhere to run.
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Where unknown is normal
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and understanding is rare.
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It's one of history's most
perplexing disappearances.
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In 1937, aviation pioneer,
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Amelia Earhart, vanishes
over the Pacific Ocean.
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There are no traces
of what happened to her
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or her aircraft.
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This lack of evidence has opened
the door to nearly 100 years of rumor,
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hearsay, and wild
conspiracy theories.
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00:02:06,275 --> 00:02:10,235
But now, can a small piece
of aircraft debris
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00:02:10,275 --> 00:02:13,445
found on the beach
of a remote tropical island
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finally help solve this mystery?
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July 1937,
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Amelia Earhart and her
navigator, Fred Noonan,
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are flying
over the Pacific Ocean
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in their twin engine,
Lockheed Electra.
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00:02:34,620 --> 00:02:37,340
Amelia Earhart
is this glamorous,
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exciting aviatrix,
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00:02:39,482 --> 00:02:42,032
who's breaking glass ceilings
45
00:02:42,068 --> 00:02:45,098
with her adventures
and her flying.
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She had
already become the first woman
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to do a transatlantic flight.
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She was on her way
to becoming the first woman
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to circumnavigate the globe.
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Earhart is 22,000 mile
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00:03:02,206 --> 00:03:04,546
into this
record-breaking journey,
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00:03:04,586 --> 00:03:08,236
only one thing stands
between her and glory...
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The vast Pacific Ocean.
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She was doing the hardest bit,
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2,500 mile, over water flight
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to a tiny island
in the middle of the Pacific
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called Howland Island.
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It's a tiny target
for them to reach,
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00:03:25,551 --> 00:03:27,381
but they're going to need
to refuel there.
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00:03:29,586 --> 00:03:32,996
Luckily, Earhart and
Noonan have a helping hand.
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00:03:34,793 --> 00:03:38,003
Anchored off the coastof the island is the Itasca,
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a U.S. Coast Guard ship
equipped with a radio transmitter
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00:03:41,862 --> 00:03:43,452
to help guide them in.
64
00:03:45,413 --> 00:03:47,553
But as Earhart closes in,
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things start to unravel.
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00:03:51,724 --> 00:03:55,104
We cannot
reach you by radio, on the line 1-5...
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She was unable to get a bearing
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00:03:58,586 --> 00:04:01,616
on the signals sent out
by the Coast Guard.
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00:04:02,965 --> 00:04:05,895
There's a problem
with their radio transmissions.
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00:04:05,931 --> 00:04:09,311
Howland Island wasn't there
in front of them
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00:04:09,344 --> 00:04:10,694
when they expected it to be.
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Earhart isn't receiving
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or responding to the messages
being sent out by the ship.
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00:04:21,448 --> 00:04:23,898
Earhart was calling
in the Itasca.
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00:04:23,931 --> 00:04:26,031
Itasca was replying,
76
00:04:26,068 --> 00:04:28,828
but Earhart was not
hearing their replies.
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00:04:30,413 --> 00:04:33,313
The radio operators
can only listen in horror,
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00:04:33,344 --> 00:04:35,344
as the drama unfolds,
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00:04:36,137 --> 00:04:37,517
until all contact
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00:04:38,310 --> 00:04:39,340
is lost.
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00:04:45,275 --> 00:04:47,925
Where did
they go? What happened to them?
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00:04:47,965 --> 00:04:50,165
It's one of the greatest
mysteries of our time.
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00:04:51,586 --> 00:04:55,376
When Amelia
Earhart was reported as overdue,
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missing,
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00:04:57,034 --> 00:04:58,594
it was huge news
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all over the United States,
all over the world.
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00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:05,310
A massive
rescue effort is launched,
88
00:05:05,344 --> 00:05:07,594
but after weeks of searching,
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00:05:07,620 --> 00:05:11,970
Amelia Earhart is officially
declared lost at sea.
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00:05:13,965 --> 00:05:16,785
It's concluded she must have
crashed into the water
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00:05:16,827 --> 00:05:19,277
somewhere close
to Howland Island.
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00:05:21,482 --> 00:05:24,792
The hunt for her aircraft
deep beneath the waves
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00:05:24,827 --> 00:05:26,717
continues to this day.
94
00:05:26,758 --> 00:05:29,518
Many people believe
this lost at sea theory,
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00:05:29,551 --> 00:05:31,931
but no trace has
ever been found of a crash
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around Howland Island.
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What if Amelia
Earhart and her navigator
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00:05:37,931 --> 00:05:40,281
didn't crash at sea at all?
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00:05:44,206 --> 00:05:46,756
In the days
following her disappearance,
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00:05:46,793 --> 00:05:50,833
something happens that
supports this possibility.
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00:05:50,862 --> 00:05:53,212
People were saying that
they were receiving signals,
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radio signals
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00:05:54,689 --> 00:05:57,479
even after the disappearance
of the airplanes.
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These calls go on
night after night.
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00:06:02,965 --> 00:06:06,755
They're hearing Amelia Earhart
very clearly saying,
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00:06:06,793 --> 00:06:09,003
uh, "SOS, SOS,
this is Amelia Earhart."
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00:06:10,413 --> 00:06:14,173
But after finding no
trace of Earhart or her plane,
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the official search dismisses
these radio messages
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00:06:17,724 --> 00:06:20,104
as false reports or hoaxes.
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00:06:21,931 --> 00:06:23,311
But what if they were real?
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00:06:24,896 --> 00:06:29,546
Did Amelia miraculously
survive and make it to dry land?
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If so, the question is where?
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Our best piece of information
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about what happened
in the final moments,
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hours of Earhart's flight,
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are the radio logs.
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This real-time record
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was transcribed
by the radio operators aboard
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the U.S. Coast Guard vessel,
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and it contains
a tantalizing clue.
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The last thing
they heard her say
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00:06:58,137 --> 00:07:01,447
was, uh, "We are on the line
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00:07:01,482 --> 00:07:04,412
157337,
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00:07:05,482 --> 00:07:08,212
running on the line
north and south."
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00:07:09,655 --> 00:07:12,655
These numbers
refer to a fixed navigation line
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00:07:12,689 --> 00:07:16,169
that runs directly
through Howland Island.
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00:07:16,206 --> 00:07:18,896
Amelia and Noonan
were using it to try
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00:07:18,931 --> 00:07:21,311
and get a fix on their location.
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00:07:21,344 --> 00:07:24,314
So they're running on the
line looking for Howland Island,
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00:07:24,344 --> 00:07:25,524
which is what
they should have done.
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Crucially, around
400 miles to the south
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00:07:30,310 --> 00:07:31,830
on the same line
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00:07:31,862 --> 00:07:34,762
lies another
small piece of land,
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00:07:34,793 --> 00:07:36,173
Gardner Island.
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00:07:37,206 --> 00:07:41,896
Gardner Island is...
Is a very small atoll.
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00:07:41,931 --> 00:07:45,031
It's got fringing reef
and an internal lagoon.
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It's like an elongated triangle.
138
00:07:49,551 --> 00:07:51,071
This uninhabited island
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00:07:51,103 --> 00:07:54,243
was searched back in 1937,
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but only from the air.
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00:07:57,655 --> 00:08:01,165
Is it possible the official
search missed something.
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00:08:03,068 --> 00:08:06,308
For over 30 years, Ric
Gillespie has been leading a team
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00:08:06,344 --> 00:08:08,624
of multi-disciplined
researchers,
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00:08:08,655 --> 00:08:10,655
who think this might be
the case.
145
00:08:14,551 --> 00:08:16,031
In the 1990s,
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00:08:16,068 --> 00:08:19,618
they launched a series
of ambitious expeditions.
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We were the first people
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to go to that island
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and look for signs
of Amelia Earhart.
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00:08:27,793 --> 00:08:32,003
They searched for
clues above and below the water,
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00:08:32,034 --> 00:08:34,624
using everything
from metal detectors
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00:08:34,655 --> 00:08:37,685
to state-of-the-art
sonar technology.
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00:08:38,827 --> 00:08:41,477
And they uncover
profound evidence,
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including a 1930s pocket knife
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and a glass bottle
that used to contain
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00:08:48,655 --> 00:08:51,025
women's anti-freckle cream.
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00:08:51,896 --> 00:08:53,716
What's all this stuff
doing there?
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00:08:56,586 --> 00:08:59,066
But it's not the decisive proof
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00:08:59,103 --> 00:09:02,143
Ric and his team have traveled
all this way to find.
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00:09:03,793 --> 00:09:07,033
Are there any signs
of Amelia's aircraft?
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00:09:07,068 --> 00:09:10,208
Everybody talks about a
smoking gun in the Earhart mystery
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00:09:10,241 --> 00:09:12,831
has to be the plane.
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Everybody wants the plane.
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Initially, there were
no signs of it on the island
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or in the shallow reef
that surrounds it.
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Then finally,
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a breakthrough.
168
00:09:26,310 --> 00:09:29,380
And there's this piece of aluminum
laying right there on the surface.
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00:09:30,344 --> 00:09:33,104
At that point, you don't know
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00:09:33,137 --> 00:09:35,997
whether it's
something important or not.
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The thin metal
sheet, has lines of rivet holes,
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an unmistakable indication
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that it came from an aircraft.
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How did it get
all the way out here
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to this uninhabited island?
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Are these the remains
of Amelia Earhart's airplane?
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Is it the proof that
she crashed somewhere near
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or even on this island?
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00:10:10,379 --> 00:10:13,999
When a team of researchers
scour a remote Pacific island
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00:10:14,034 --> 00:10:17,724
for signs of the long lost
aviator, Amelia Earhart,
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00:10:17,758 --> 00:10:20,548
they find a vital clue.
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A small piece of aluminum
with telltale signs
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that it came from an aircraft,
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00:10:26,068 --> 00:10:27,408
raising the possibility
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00:10:27,448 --> 00:10:30,858
that Earhart crash landed
on the deserted island
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00:10:30,896 --> 00:10:33,826
and lived out her days
as a castaway.
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00:10:35,275 --> 00:10:39,165
Could this possibly be
part of Amelia Earhart's
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Lockheed Electra?
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00:10:41,931 --> 00:10:44,721
Ric's team begin
the laborious task
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00:10:44,758 --> 00:10:47,658
of comparing the rivet
patterns on the aluminum
191
00:10:47,689 --> 00:10:50,449
with aircraft
from the same period.
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00:10:50,482 --> 00:10:52,212
We cannot forget that
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00:10:52,241 --> 00:10:57,311
World War II is virtually
contemporary with Amelia Earhart.
194
00:10:57,344 --> 00:10:59,664
Wreckage from
World War II planes
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00:10:59,689 --> 00:11:01,379
litters the Pacific Ocean.
196
00:11:03,310 --> 00:11:06,970
Does the aluminum
sheet match with a Lockheed Electra?
197
00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:09,620
The pattern doesn't quite fit.
198
00:11:09,655 --> 00:11:12,615
It's like close but no cigar,
and it's got to be perfect.
199
00:11:13,724 --> 00:11:15,074
But it doesn't appear to match
200
00:11:15,103 --> 00:11:17,623
with any other aircraft either.
201
00:11:17,655 --> 00:11:18,785
We were stuck.
202
00:11:18,827 --> 00:11:20,717
We said, we don't know
where this thing came from.
203
00:11:23,241 --> 00:11:25,621
It's a devastating blow.
204
00:11:25,655 --> 00:11:27,515
What this piece of metal is
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00:11:27,551 --> 00:11:30,761
and where it came
from remain unclear.
206
00:11:35,724 --> 00:11:39,004
Could the answer be hiding
in plain sight?
207
00:11:40,275 --> 00:11:42,895
Footage from Amelia's
record-breaking journey
208
00:11:42,931 --> 00:11:45,931
shows one easily
overlooked anomaly.
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00:11:45,965 --> 00:11:48,895
You can see that there was
a repair done to the plane,
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00:11:48,931 --> 00:11:51,411
where there's a piece
of sheet metal that was added
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00:11:51,448 --> 00:11:55,658
that you don't see
in earlier legs of their trip.
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00:11:55,689 --> 00:11:58,859
Earhart's plane
had a small navigation window
213
00:11:58,896 --> 00:12:01,376
in the back right hand side
of the fuselage.
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00:12:03,655 --> 00:12:04,855
But in later pictures,
215
00:12:06,172 --> 00:12:07,242
it's not there.
216
00:12:09,068 --> 00:12:10,688
They took that window out
217
00:12:10,724 --> 00:12:13,034
and covered the hole
with a plain aluminum patch.
218
00:12:14,275 --> 00:12:16,135
This reignites interest
219
00:12:16,172 --> 00:12:19,282
in the aluminum sheet found
on Gardner Island.
220
00:12:19,896 --> 00:12:21,656
A custom repair job
221
00:12:21,689 --> 00:12:23,969
might explain
why the rivet markings
222
00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:25,900
don't match
with a Lockheed Electra
223
00:12:26,517 --> 00:12:28,787
or any other aircraft.
224
00:12:28,827 --> 00:12:31,337
Ric and his team
put this theory to the test
225
00:12:31,379 --> 00:12:35,099
by checking the size
and shape of the window patch.
226
00:12:35,137 --> 00:12:37,167
It's almost like
solving a puzzle
227
00:12:37,206 --> 00:12:39,516
and trying to figure out
where the puzzle pieces fit.
228
00:12:40,689 --> 00:12:42,999
They find
that the size of the patch
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00:12:43,034 --> 00:12:45,344
and that of a mystery
piece of aluminum
230
00:12:45,379 --> 00:12:46,899
are a perfect match.
231
00:12:51,137 --> 00:12:53,477
It's the biggest
breakthrough yet,
232
00:12:53,517 --> 00:12:56,407
but not conclusive proof.
233
00:12:56,448 --> 00:12:58,758
For that,
direct evidence is needed
234
00:12:58,793 --> 00:13:01,213
that ties this small piece
of aluminum
235
00:13:01,241 --> 00:13:03,211
to Amelia's aircraft.
236
00:13:03,241 --> 00:13:05,521
Now we can use new technologies
237
00:13:05,551 --> 00:13:09,171
to help us gather
more evidence, and hopefully,
238
00:13:09,206 --> 00:13:10,826
help us solve this mystery.
239
00:13:11,758 --> 00:13:13,168
In 2021,
240
00:13:13,206 --> 00:13:15,066
Penn State University
241
00:13:15,103 --> 00:13:17,663
offered to analyze
the piece of aluminum
242
00:13:17,689 --> 00:13:20,899
using their own nuclear reactor.
243
00:13:20,931 --> 00:13:23,311
The team are using,
244
00:13:23,344 --> 00:13:26,284
uh, neutron activation
analysis to understand
245
00:13:26,310 --> 00:13:28,930
the construction of the metal.
246
00:13:28,965 --> 00:13:31,925
By showering it
with radioactive neutrons,
247
00:13:31,965 --> 00:13:34,685
they may reveal subatomic clues
248
00:13:34,724 --> 00:13:36,724
hidden on the surface
of the aluminum.
249
00:13:38,241 --> 00:13:41,211
Things like tiny traces of paint
250
00:13:41,241 --> 00:13:44,591
or indentations, for example,
from serial marks.
251
00:13:44,620 --> 00:13:48,760
Things like that, which you just
wouldn't be able to see with the naked eye.
252
00:13:50,310 --> 00:13:53,590
We've gotten some preliminary
reports from Penn State.
253
00:13:53,620 --> 00:13:57,310
The researchers,
Daniel Beck and Alison Portanova,
254
00:13:57,344 --> 00:14:01,594
spot hidden inscriptions
etched into the metal.
255
00:14:01,620 --> 00:14:06,550
Their system showed, what
appeared to be, three letters
256
00:14:06,586 --> 00:14:08,826
on the surface of the sheet.
257
00:14:10,241 --> 00:14:13,311
This new discovery
could be a game changer.
258
00:14:13,344 --> 00:14:17,284
If these are tool marks or
even better yet, a serial number,
259
00:14:17,310 --> 00:14:20,790
this could be a direct link
to Earhart's aircraft.
260
00:14:26,310 --> 00:14:29,900
For now, what the letters mean
remains unknown,
261
00:14:29,931 --> 00:14:33,761
but the scientists at Penn
State have plans to apply new,
262
00:14:33,793 --> 00:14:37,863
more refined filters to their
neutron imaging equipment.
263
00:14:37,896 --> 00:14:40,616
With better resolution
and more analysis,
264
00:14:40,655 --> 00:14:43,135
Ric and his team
may be able to prove,
265
00:14:43,172 --> 00:14:45,522
where this piece of aluminum
came from,
266
00:14:45,551 --> 00:14:48,031
and the answer
could finally solve
267
00:14:48,068 --> 00:14:52,308
one of the most puzzling
aviation mysteries of all time.
268
00:15:02,344 --> 00:15:03,794
Over the past decade,
269
00:15:03,827 --> 00:15:06,967
hundreds of abandoned boats
have washed up
270
00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:08,760
on the shores of Japan,
271
00:15:08,793 --> 00:15:10,763
from small wooden rowing boats
272
00:15:10,793 --> 00:15:13,073
to larger steel vessels.
273
00:15:14,689 --> 00:15:16,929
Where they come from and
what happened to their crews
274
00:15:16,965 --> 00:15:19,895
is the subject
of global speculation.
275
00:15:19,931 --> 00:15:22,761
But can breakthrough
satellite technology
276
00:15:22,793 --> 00:15:24,793
finally help solve the mystery
277
00:15:24,827 --> 00:15:27,067
of Japan's ghost ships?
278
00:15:31,793 --> 00:15:33,623
Since 2017,
279
00:15:33,655 --> 00:15:37,515
the number of abandoned boats
arriving on Japanese shores
280
00:15:37,551 --> 00:15:41,071
has increased
to unprecedented levels.
281
00:15:41,103 --> 00:15:45,553
There are sometimes hundreds,
every year, washing ashore.
282
00:15:45,586 --> 00:15:47,896
Where are
these boats coming from?
283
00:15:47,931 --> 00:15:49,411
What has happened to their crew?
284
00:15:50,965 --> 00:15:53,785
Tragically,
they aren't always empty.
285
00:15:53,827 --> 00:15:56,787
Some of these broken vessels
contain the bodies
286
00:15:56,827 --> 00:15:58,587
of those who were sailing them.
287
00:16:00,793 --> 00:16:03,483
These corpses
are occasionally found
288
00:16:03,517 --> 00:16:05,617
in a strange condition.
289
00:16:05,655 --> 00:16:09,135
Some are even
missing their heads.
290
00:16:09,172 --> 00:16:11,032
Heads missing?
291
00:16:11,068 --> 00:16:12,068
Ooh!
292
00:16:13,482 --> 00:16:16,522
Ships are turning up
293
00:16:16,551 --> 00:16:20,101
on the western coast
of Japan full of corpses.
294
00:16:21,551 --> 00:16:22,661
What's going on here?
295
00:16:27,517 --> 00:16:30,137
The first step
in unraveling this mystery
296
00:16:30,172 --> 00:16:33,412
is finding out where these
boats are coming from.
297
00:16:35,689 --> 00:16:39,069
The local police launch
an investigation.
298
00:16:39,103 --> 00:16:41,283
The results are perplexing.
299
00:16:41,310 --> 00:16:42,970
The Japanese authorities
have identified
300
00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:47,070
that the vessels come from North Korea,
because of the artifacts within them.
301
00:16:47,103 --> 00:16:50,553
It's a breakthrough that
only partially solves the puzzle.
302
00:16:51,620 --> 00:16:55,000
North Korea lies
over 600 miles away.
303
00:16:56,724 --> 00:17:00,144
How are these boats
ending up in Japanese waters?
304
00:17:03,655 --> 00:17:05,715
For many Japanese citizens,
305
00:17:05,758 --> 00:17:10,098
large numbers of mystery ships
arriving from North Korea
306
00:17:10,137 --> 00:17:12,657
causes fear and paranoia.
307
00:17:13,862 --> 00:17:16,482
The context here
is that relations between
308
00:17:16,517 --> 00:17:18,717
Japan and North Korea
are very strained
309
00:17:18,758 --> 00:17:20,758
because of years and years
310
00:17:20,793 --> 00:17:22,593
of North Korean
ballistic missile tests.
311
00:17:23,586 --> 00:17:25,276
In 2017,
312
00:17:25,310 --> 00:17:27,790
these missile tests ceased.
313
00:17:29,034 --> 00:17:32,314
Their end coincided
with the dramatic increase
314
00:17:32,344 --> 00:17:36,624
of abandoned boats
finding their way to Japan.
315
00:17:36,655 --> 00:17:40,375
But some people are convinced
this is no coincidence
316
00:17:40,413 --> 00:17:43,623
and that instead of sending
rockets towards Japan,
317
00:17:43,655 --> 00:17:48,515
the North Koreans are now
sending ships full of spies.
318
00:17:59,965 --> 00:18:02,165
As hundreds of abandoned boats
319
00:18:02,206 --> 00:18:04,966
wash up along
the western shores of Japan,
320
00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:08,790
many local residents
suspect foul play.
321
00:18:08,827 --> 00:18:11,517
One new theory suggests
these ghost ships
322
00:18:11,551 --> 00:18:14,621
actually belong to an unlikely
group of people,
323
00:18:14,655 --> 00:18:16,825
North Korean spies.
324
00:18:18,689 --> 00:18:21,479
It's a suspicion,
born from years of distrust
325
00:18:21,517 --> 00:18:23,827
between the two nations
326
00:18:23,862 --> 00:18:28,072
and a long history of North
Korean espionage on Japanese soil.
327
00:18:28,862 --> 00:18:30,312
Over recent decades,
328
00:18:30,344 --> 00:18:33,794
the North Korean state has abducted
people from Japanese coastlines.
329
00:18:35,413 --> 00:18:38,413
No one knows how
many citizens have been taken,
330
00:18:38,448 --> 00:18:42,208
but the authorities believe it
could number in the hundreds.
331
00:18:42,241 --> 00:18:43,451
Are these so-called
332
00:18:43,482 --> 00:18:48,342
ghost ships simply a new
tactic in this dirty war?
333
00:18:48,379 --> 00:18:50,619
Could the North
Koreans now be sending spies
334
00:18:50,655 --> 00:18:52,065
to Japan in these boats?
335
00:18:54,551 --> 00:18:58,411
To find out,
I'm talking to Prof. Araki,
336
00:18:58,448 --> 00:19:00,718
an expert
in North Korean politics.
337
00:19:02,517 --> 00:19:06,027
Have you investigated any of
these ghost ships yourself?
338
00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:14,410
Have you found anything
to support the idea,
339
00:19:14,448 --> 00:19:16,408
they are being used by spies?
340
00:19:21,655 --> 00:19:22,755
Oh.
341
00:19:26,517 --> 00:19:28,997
Do you think
this hat belonged to a spy?
342
00:20:02,827 --> 00:20:04,337
Prof. Araki's theory
343
00:20:04,379 --> 00:20:06,519
is supported
by the fishing equipment
344
00:20:06,551 --> 00:20:09,521
often found onboard
these abandoned vessels.
345
00:20:10,931 --> 00:20:14,381
It also partially solves
another unexplained detail,
346
00:20:15,482 --> 00:20:17,172
why some of these ghost ships
347
00:20:17,206 --> 00:20:21,686
still contain the decomposing
corpses of their crew.
348
00:20:21,724 --> 00:20:24,484
So we know where these vessels
are coming from
349
00:20:24,517 --> 00:20:25,687
and who owned them,
350
00:20:25,724 --> 00:20:28,034
but we still don't understand
what's happening to them.
351
00:20:30,586 --> 00:20:32,236
Accidents at sea
kind of do happen,
352
00:20:32,275 --> 00:20:35,375
but why so many North Korean
fishermen have been lost at sea
353
00:20:35,413 --> 00:20:36,903
defies explanation.
354
00:20:39,551 --> 00:20:41,071
The Sea of Japan
355
00:20:41,103 --> 00:20:43,693
is one of the most
fiercely contested bodies
356
00:20:43,724 --> 00:20:46,214
of water in the world.
357
00:20:46,241 --> 00:20:49,761
The location of international
boundaries is disputed.
358
00:20:49,793 --> 00:20:53,593
And Japan, Russia, China
and both South and North Korea
359
00:20:53,620 --> 00:20:56,030
all compete for the same fish.
360
00:20:58,413 --> 00:21:01,413
To get an edge in this highly
competitive piece of water,
361
00:21:01,448 --> 00:21:03,338
some of these countries
have been accused
362
00:21:03,379 --> 00:21:07,379
of deploying
so-called dark fleets.
363
00:21:07,413 --> 00:21:11,283
They are fishing vessels
that are doing their best
364
00:21:11,310 --> 00:21:12,690
to stay off the radar.
365
00:21:14,482 --> 00:21:18,002
These flotillas can
comprise hundreds of ships,
366
00:21:18,034 --> 00:21:21,384
and they often fish illegally
in other country's waters.
367
00:21:23,413 --> 00:21:25,973
They don't want to be
detected by authorities
368
00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:27,720
or anybody
that's monitoring them.
369
00:21:30,965 --> 00:21:32,715
Now, state-of-the-art
370
00:21:32,758 --> 00:21:35,518
satellite technology
is helping researchers
371
00:21:35,551 --> 00:21:38,341
find these
clandestine fishing fleets.
372
00:21:39,241 --> 00:21:41,451
So the fleets
that were invisible
373
00:21:41,482 --> 00:21:45,522
and very, very hard to track
now become trackable.
374
00:21:47,310 --> 00:21:49,380
Pictures beamed from space
375
00:21:49,413 --> 00:21:52,453
reveal huge numbers
of Chinese fishing vessels
376
00:21:52,482 --> 00:21:55,552
operating in Korean waters.
377
00:21:55,586 --> 00:21:59,786
These illegal fleets are
capable of decimating fish stocks
378
00:21:59,827 --> 00:22:03,827
and displacing
North Korean fishermen.
379
00:22:03,862 --> 00:22:07,282
What we think is happening
are these North Korean vessels
380
00:22:07,310 --> 00:22:10,590
are going further and further
out into the sea
381
00:22:10,620 --> 00:22:13,070
to try and make their quotas,
to try and catch
382
00:22:13,103 --> 00:22:15,523
the amount of fish they need.
383
00:22:15,551 --> 00:22:17,861
Most of these fishing vessels
are not properly equipped
384
00:22:17,896 --> 00:22:19,856
for these sorts of
long distance voyages.
385
00:22:21,034 --> 00:22:23,864
They don't have anything
to send out an SOS
386
00:22:23,896 --> 00:22:25,926
if they get into trouble.
387
00:22:25,965 --> 00:22:28,095
That crew, once they are
beyond sight of land,
388
00:22:28,137 --> 00:22:29,787
are completely on their own.
389
00:22:34,724 --> 00:22:37,314
Equipment failure
and dangerous seas
390
00:22:37,344 --> 00:22:39,384
may go some way
towards explaining
391
00:22:39,413 --> 00:22:42,033
Japan's ghost ships.
392
00:22:42,068 --> 00:22:45,338
But one strange question
remains unanswered.
393
00:22:46,413 --> 00:22:49,243
Why are some of the corpses
found on board
394
00:22:49,275 --> 00:22:51,165
missing their heads?
395
00:22:51,206 --> 00:22:53,476
Around the world,
fishing conflict
396
00:22:53,517 --> 00:22:54,897
is increasingly common.
397
00:22:56,862 --> 00:23:00,212
Have the international
disputes on the Sea of Japan
398
00:23:00,241 --> 00:23:02,381
turned violent?
399
00:23:02,413 --> 00:23:05,383
Or is there
a less sinister possibility?
400
00:23:05,413 --> 00:23:09,593
Could there be a natural
explanation for this phenomenon?
401
00:23:09,620 --> 00:23:12,170
It's thought
many of these ghost ships
402
00:23:12,206 --> 00:23:15,826
spend months at sea before
reaching the Japanese coast.
403
00:23:15,862 --> 00:23:18,662
Some people have suggested
that these heads were removed
404
00:23:18,689 --> 00:23:20,859
through natural
decomposition processes.
405
00:23:24,655 --> 00:23:26,895
The tale of Japan's ghost ships
406
00:23:26,931 --> 00:23:30,141
is something straight out
of a horror movie.
407
00:23:30,172 --> 00:23:32,792
But satellite technology
has revealed that
408
00:23:32,827 --> 00:23:36,137
this real life story
may in fact be about
409
00:23:36,172 --> 00:23:39,342
our overexploitation
of the oceans,
410
00:23:39,379 --> 00:23:43,309
and by exposing and
clamping down on illegal fishing,
411
00:23:43,344 --> 00:23:47,864
we may be in sight of bringing this
gruesome phenomenon to an end.
412
00:23:57,931 --> 00:24:01,691
In 2019, a swimmer
off the coast of Israel
413
00:24:01,724 --> 00:24:04,144
spots something unusual
on the seabed.
414
00:24:06,586 --> 00:24:09,896
Beneath him
is a strange stone tablet
415
00:24:09,931 --> 00:24:12,831
covered in what looked like
ancient hieroglyphs
416
00:24:12,862 --> 00:24:16,032
from the time
of the Egyptian pharaohs.
417
00:24:16,068 --> 00:24:18,068
Can an ongoing investigation
418
00:24:18,103 --> 00:24:21,693
help reveal
what this bizarre artifact is?
419
00:24:21,724 --> 00:24:25,384
Is it genuine? And if so,
how did it find its way
420
00:24:25,413 --> 00:24:26,903
to the bottom of the sea?
421
00:24:31,310 --> 00:24:34,070
After his incredible
underwater discovery,
422
00:24:34,103 --> 00:24:38,143
Rafi Bahalul alerts Israel's
antiquities authorities,
423
00:24:38,172 --> 00:24:41,722
who dispatched a team to
inspect and recover the artifact.
424
00:24:44,379 --> 00:24:46,519
The preservation is amazing.
425
00:24:46,551 --> 00:24:49,831
When you look at it, it almost
looks as if it was made recently.
426
00:24:49,862 --> 00:24:51,722
Like, perhaps
it could be a fake,
427
00:24:51,758 --> 00:24:54,548
but in fact, it's just very,
very well-preserved.
428
00:24:54,586 --> 00:24:57,786
If genuine, it's a
wonder how this tablet has survived
429
00:24:57,827 --> 00:25:01,857
in such good condition, but
that's not the only mystery.
430
00:25:01,896 --> 00:25:04,656
It is covered in,
what is unmistakably,
431
00:25:04,689 --> 00:25:06,339
ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
432
00:25:08,413 --> 00:25:10,663
Deciphering
these markings may help
433
00:25:10,689 --> 00:25:13,139
reveal more about
this strange stone
434
00:25:13,172 --> 00:25:15,312
and perhaps even its age.
435
00:25:18,206 --> 00:25:21,716
Only a handful of characters
are carved into the rock,
436
00:25:21,758 --> 00:25:25,278
giving Israel's leading
scholars very little to go on
437
00:25:25,310 --> 00:25:27,340
to decode this puzzle.
438
00:25:30,655 --> 00:25:32,615
Amazingly, they are able to use
439
00:25:32,655 --> 00:25:34,655
the style of the hieroglyphs
440
00:25:34,689 --> 00:25:37,519
to date the tablet
to a specific era.
441
00:25:37,551 --> 00:25:39,661
The iconography
and the inscription
442
00:25:39,689 --> 00:25:41,519
that was made on that slab
443
00:25:41,551 --> 00:25:43,621
was done over 3,000 years ago.
444
00:25:45,482 --> 00:25:47,622
It dates from the New Kingdom,
445
00:25:47,655 --> 00:25:50,095
a golden age of ancient Egypt,
446
00:25:50,137 --> 00:25:53,587
when this once mighty empire
was at its zenith.
447
00:25:54,896 --> 00:25:56,376
The markings on this stone
448
00:25:56,413 --> 00:25:59,343
refer to an ancient Egyptian
goddess called Seshat.
449
00:26:01,448 --> 00:26:04,618
Seshat is the goddess
of wisdom and knowledge,
450
00:26:04,655 --> 00:26:07,405
a lesser known deity
seen less frequently
451
00:26:07,448 --> 00:26:09,548
in ancient
Egyptian hieroglyphics.
452
00:26:11,068 --> 00:26:12,518
She's usually only mentioned
453
00:26:12,551 --> 00:26:15,141
in very important temples
that were built by pharaohs,
454
00:26:16,172 --> 00:26:17,862
so her appearance on a tablet
455
00:26:17,896 --> 00:26:19,996
found underwater
is very mysterious.
456
00:26:23,413 --> 00:26:25,663
This vital clue suggests
457
00:26:25,689 --> 00:26:28,689
that the stone tablet
is a small piece
458
00:26:28,724 --> 00:26:31,664
of an ancient Egyptian temple.
459
00:26:31,689 --> 00:26:33,659
Could the rest of it
still be here
460
00:26:33,689 --> 00:26:36,379
in the same patch of seabed?
461
00:26:36,413 --> 00:26:38,483
Is it a remnant of a lost city,
462
00:26:38,517 --> 00:26:39,717
of a lost settlement?
463
00:26:41,241 --> 00:26:43,831
Is it an Egyptian version
of Atlantis?
464
00:26:56,379 --> 00:27:00,279
A strange stone tablet
is found on the sea floor,
465
00:27:00,310 --> 00:27:02,210
close to the coast of Israel,
466
00:27:03,275 --> 00:27:06,275
and some people think
its discovery might point
467
00:27:06,310 --> 00:27:08,240
to a lost settlement
468
00:27:08,275 --> 00:27:09,895
hidden beneath the water.
469
00:27:11,103 --> 00:27:14,483
Could it be that
here we have a newly found
470
00:27:14,517 --> 00:27:17,137
ancient Egyptian temple
or even a city
471
00:27:17,172 --> 00:27:18,242
on the seabed?
472
00:27:22,793 --> 00:27:25,693
It's a tantalizing possibility,
473
00:27:25,724 --> 00:27:28,904
but the hopes of finding
an Egyptian Atlantis
474
00:27:28,931 --> 00:27:32,141
are quickly dashed
by one critical anomaly
475
00:27:32,172 --> 00:27:34,762
located at the bottom
of the stone tablet.
476
00:27:35,689 --> 00:27:38,589
It has a hole cut
or shaped into its side.
477
00:27:38,620 --> 00:27:41,550
This circular feature
is a giveaway sign
478
00:27:41,586 --> 00:27:43,996
of the stone tablet's
true purpose.
479
00:27:46,103 --> 00:27:49,973
What we have is an almost
square, rectangular stone
480
00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:51,790
with a large hole cut
through it.
481
00:27:53,482 --> 00:27:56,552
In the Bronze Age, all
anchors looked exactly like this.
482
00:28:01,241 --> 00:28:05,311
It's a revelation that
helps explain why this stone tablet
483
00:28:05,344 --> 00:28:06,934
was found under water,
484
00:28:08,586 --> 00:28:11,026
but something
still doesn't make sense.
485
00:28:13,172 --> 00:28:15,592
Most other ancient
Egyptian anchors
486
00:28:15,620 --> 00:28:19,030
are plain and simple in design.
487
00:28:19,068 --> 00:28:22,998
The mystery here is actually
the quality of the tablet itself.
488
00:28:24,241 --> 00:28:26,931
The hieroglyphs
are beautifully carved.
489
00:28:26,965 --> 00:28:29,685
They're very, very detailed
and very clear.
490
00:28:29,724 --> 00:28:33,724
They must have been carved
by a highly-skilled stonemason.
491
00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,520
They say to us that this is
something very special indeed.
492
00:28:39,827 --> 00:28:41,927
You might want to ask
the question, well,
493
00:28:41,965 --> 00:28:45,585
if it's this
beautiful inscription, why,
494
00:28:45,620 --> 00:28:48,000
why do something
so mundane with it?
495
00:28:49,827 --> 00:28:53,137
Could the answer lie
in ancient Egypt's reputation
496
00:28:53,172 --> 00:28:55,902
as a seafaring powerhouse?
497
00:28:55,931 --> 00:28:59,171
Ancient Egypt is one of the first
maritime cultures in world history.
498
00:29:01,344 --> 00:29:04,794
Then, as now, ships are great
symbols of wealth and power,
499
00:29:04,827 --> 00:29:08,547
so often Egyptian pharaohs like
building really grandiose vessels
500
00:29:08,586 --> 00:29:11,406
to display the monumentalism
of their reign.
501
00:29:13,172 --> 00:29:15,592
Is this stone anchor
from a mega yacht
502
00:29:15,620 --> 00:29:17,380
of the ancient world,
503
00:29:17,413 --> 00:29:20,483
perhaps even one
belonging to a mighty pharaoh?
504
00:29:22,586 --> 00:29:24,476
It's an exciting theory,
505
00:29:24,517 --> 00:29:28,027
but not one that
everybody is ready to accept.
506
00:29:28,068 --> 00:29:30,308
So if you look
closely at this stone,
507
00:29:30,344 --> 00:29:33,934
it's very clear that some of
the words are cut off in half.
508
00:29:36,551 --> 00:29:38,451
Israel's antiquities experts
509
00:29:38,482 --> 00:29:40,932
also noticed this subtle detail
510
00:29:40,965 --> 00:29:41,995
and more.
511
00:29:44,620 --> 00:29:46,280
At the bottom of the stone,
512
00:29:46,310 --> 00:29:49,790
the face of the goddess
appears to have been purposely
513
00:29:49,827 --> 00:29:50,997
chiseled away.
514
00:29:52,068 --> 00:29:54,858
What could explain
this unusual damage?
515
00:29:56,172 --> 00:29:57,972
This is a common thing
that we see,
516
00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:01,310
where certain iconography
that has meaning or has
517
00:30:01,344 --> 00:30:04,484
some kind of religious
or spiritual power
518
00:30:04,517 --> 00:30:05,787
might be removed,
519
00:30:05,827 --> 00:30:08,477
usually by people who don't
believe in the same thing.
520
00:30:09,931 --> 00:30:13,411
Unfortunately, this was all
too common in ancient Egypt,
521
00:30:13,448 --> 00:30:15,378
when one deity
became less popular
522
00:30:15,413 --> 00:30:17,173
or for political reasons,
523
00:30:17,206 --> 00:30:20,066
people would go around
defacing images of them.
524
00:30:22,137 --> 00:30:25,307
If this stone tablet
is originally from a temple,
525
00:30:25,344 --> 00:30:26,974
how did it end up in the sea?
526
00:30:29,758 --> 00:30:33,338
This was clearly an architectural
element from a building
527
00:30:33,379 --> 00:30:35,379
that was ripped off the building
528
00:30:35,413 --> 00:30:39,763
and cut up to be reused
as a stone anchor.
529
00:30:39,793 --> 00:30:42,453
This appears to be
some form of ancient recycling,
530
00:30:42,482 --> 00:30:44,102
where a sailor needed an anchor
531
00:30:44,137 --> 00:30:46,027
and found this abandoned stone
532
00:30:46,068 --> 00:30:47,718
and then created
an anchor out of it.
533
00:30:50,137 --> 00:30:52,927
The story
of this strange stone tablet
534
00:30:52,965 --> 00:30:54,785
appears to be solved.
535
00:30:55,724 --> 00:30:59,174
But one detail
remains unanswered.
536
00:30:59,206 --> 00:31:01,996
The one piece that's missing from
this discussion is actually about the ship
537
00:31:02,034 --> 00:31:03,144
that the anchor came from.
538
00:31:05,034 --> 00:31:07,454
The identity
of this vessel is unknown,
539
00:31:07,482 --> 00:31:11,722
but archeologists suspect
it may have sunk in a storm,
540
00:31:11,758 --> 00:31:15,448
explaining how this anchor
finally came to rest
541
00:31:15,482 --> 00:31:16,522
on the seabed.
542
00:31:18,275 --> 00:31:21,965
This stone tablet remains
an unparalleled discovery,
543
00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:26,450
one of the best preserved ancient
Egyptian anchors ever found,
544
00:31:26,482 --> 00:31:29,282
and researchers are planning
to return to the site
545
00:31:29,310 --> 00:31:30,860
where the anchor was found
546
00:31:30,896 --> 00:31:33,276
hoping to unearth more treasures
547
00:31:33,310 --> 00:31:35,310
from the same shipwreck.
548
00:31:35,344 --> 00:31:37,834
New findings may finally reveal
549
00:31:37,862 --> 00:31:41,212
where the anchor came from
and who it belonged to,
550
00:31:41,241 --> 00:31:45,001
thereby solving the last
pieces of this puzzle.
551
00:31:54,758 --> 00:31:57,278
Are we alone in the universe?
552
00:31:57,310 --> 00:31:59,480
It's one of life's
greatest mysteries.
553
00:32:01,965 --> 00:32:04,715
With recent advancements
in space exploration,
554
00:32:04,758 --> 00:32:07,658
we've never been
closer to knowing.
555
00:32:07,689 --> 00:32:10,929
To find out where to look for
extraterrestrial life
556
00:32:10,965 --> 00:32:12,615
and what it might look like,
557
00:32:12,655 --> 00:32:16,235
astronomers are now turning
their telescopes around
558
00:32:16,275 --> 00:32:18,445
and pointing them,
not at the stars,
559
00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:23,760
but down into the depths
of the unexplored oceans.
560
00:32:28,310 --> 00:32:30,450
2013,
561
00:32:30,482 --> 00:32:33,342
an ROV operating
in the Indian Ocean
562
00:32:33,379 --> 00:32:37,409
near a drilling site
records something strange.
563
00:32:40,551 --> 00:32:42,171
What am I looking at here?
564
00:32:43,344 --> 00:32:44,344
Is it an animal?
565
00:32:46,827 --> 00:32:50,337
It morphs shape
in front of their eyes...
566
00:32:56,448 --> 00:32:59,828
...before putting on
a dazzling light display.
567
00:33:01,448 --> 00:33:04,168
It's only once the footage
gets back to the surface
568
00:33:04,206 --> 00:33:06,066
that this creature is identified
569
00:33:06,103 --> 00:33:10,003
as a potentially rare
shape-shifting ctenophore.
570
00:33:11,379 --> 00:33:15,139
This alien-looking life form
is known to science,
571
00:33:15,172 --> 00:33:16,972
but what other strange creatures
572
00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:18,970
could remain undiscovered
573
00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:22,170
in our vast underwater world?
574
00:33:22,206 --> 00:33:24,756
Seventy percent of
the surface of Earth
575
00:33:24,793 --> 00:33:26,453
is covered in ocean,
576
00:33:26,482 --> 00:33:30,412
yet 80% is unexplored,
577
00:33:30,448 --> 00:33:32,138
unobserved and unmapped.
578
00:33:35,551 --> 00:33:37,311
The underwater realm
579
00:33:37,344 --> 00:33:41,484
includes some of the world's
most extreme environments,
580
00:33:44,241 --> 00:33:47,101
and it's filled
with bizarre creatures.
581
00:33:49,758 --> 00:33:52,028
If we can find life,
even the smallest,
582
00:33:52,068 --> 00:33:53,718
simplest examples of it
583
00:33:53,758 --> 00:33:56,998
in unexpected places
on our planet,
584
00:33:57,034 --> 00:34:01,104
this does raise the notion
that we could perhaps
585
00:34:02,172 --> 00:34:05,282
find it in other places
within our solar system.
586
00:34:12,379 --> 00:34:13,929
2017,
587
00:34:13,965 --> 00:34:17,095
a survey team
drills holes to the seabed
588
00:34:17,137 --> 00:34:20,617
through 3,000 feet
of Antarctic ice sheet.
589
00:34:21,793 --> 00:34:24,663
It's a very, very
extreme situation,
590
00:34:24,689 --> 00:34:27,279
both in terms of
temperature and lack of light.
591
00:34:28,448 --> 00:34:31,518
These pitch black subzero waters
592
00:34:31,551 --> 00:34:34,621
are one of the most hostile
environments imaginable
593
00:34:34,655 --> 00:34:38,065
and an unlikely place
to find signs of life.
594
00:34:40,172 --> 00:34:44,282
The scientists are here to collect
mud samples from the sea floor,
595
00:34:44,310 --> 00:34:46,760
but they are stunned
by what they find
596
00:34:46,793 --> 00:34:49,003
hidden away beneath the ice.
597
00:34:51,344 --> 00:34:54,794
They spot
22 unidentified organisms,
598
00:34:54,827 --> 00:34:58,967
unknown to science,
clinging to the side of a rock.
599
00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:01,000
Somehow in the darkness,
600
00:35:01,965 --> 00:35:04,065
organisms managed to survive.
601
00:35:04,827 --> 00:35:06,827
How is this possible?
602
00:35:06,862 --> 00:35:09,522
What are these
unknown creatures?
603
00:35:21,034 --> 00:35:23,144
When researchers drill holes
604
00:35:23,172 --> 00:35:25,592
beneath the thick Antarctic ice,
605
00:35:25,620 --> 00:35:29,450
they find something
no one can explain.
606
00:35:29,482 --> 00:35:33,172
What researchers see
underneath the Antarctic ice sheet
607
00:35:33,206 --> 00:35:36,026
are living creatures
608
00:35:36,068 --> 00:35:41,308
that are kilometers inside
the edge of the shelf.
609
00:35:43,931 --> 00:35:46,141
These mysterious lifeforms
610
00:35:46,172 --> 00:35:51,312
appear to be unidentified
types of sea storks and sponges.
611
00:35:51,344 --> 00:35:54,724
Scientists do not expect to
see animals in this environment.
612
00:35:56,551 --> 00:35:59,791
People are most familiar
with photosynthesis,
613
00:35:59,827 --> 00:36:02,137
where organisms on planet Earth
614
00:36:02,172 --> 00:36:04,212
get their energy from the Sun,
615
00:36:04,241 --> 00:36:07,071
that would be your plants,
your algae, your phytoplankton.
616
00:36:08,310 --> 00:36:10,970
Finding life here
is so strange because
617
00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:13,070
unlike most other food chains,
618
00:36:13,103 --> 00:36:16,553
no light penetrates this far
beneath the ice sheet.
619
00:36:18,482 --> 00:36:21,282
Right now,
scientists can only speculate
620
00:36:21,310 --> 00:36:23,030
how these creatures survive,
621
00:36:23,068 --> 00:36:25,688
but they think they might have
evolved a unique way
622
00:36:25,724 --> 00:36:27,004
of gathering energy.
623
00:36:28,586 --> 00:36:30,476
We call it chemosynthesis,
624
00:36:30,517 --> 00:36:35,717
the ability for organisms
to get energy from chemicals
625
00:36:35,758 --> 00:36:39,548
that they're surrounded with, as opposed
to getting energy directly from the Sun.
626
00:36:41,689 --> 00:36:44,029
If life can survive on Earth
627
00:36:44,068 --> 00:36:47,658
in even the coldest
and darkest environments,
628
00:36:50,103 --> 00:36:54,973
could it also survive
in places even more extreme?
629
00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:58,030
The bottom of the ocean
is a very mysterious place,
630
00:36:58,068 --> 00:37:01,338
about which we know very little.
631
00:37:01,379 --> 00:37:05,929
Its deepest parts are well
over six miles beneath the surface.
632
00:37:05,965 --> 00:37:07,825
In this hostile environment,
633
00:37:07,862 --> 00:37:09,832
it's not just the lack of light
634
00:37:09,862 --> 00:37:13,172
that makes it so hard
for life forms to survive.
635
00:37:13,206 --> 00:37:16,586
They have to be able to cope
with the high pressure,
636
00:37:16,620 --> 00:37:20,860
because of all of that water
weight coming from above.
637
00:37:20,896 --> 00:37:24,926
It's a place that even
scientists struggle to reach.
638
00:37:24,965 --> 00:37:27,855
At these depths,
the pressure is the equivalent
639
00:37:27,896 --> 00:37:30,966
of putting one ton of weight
on the tip of your finger.
640
00:37:32,758 --> 00:37:38,308
It takes specialized,
reinforced submersibles to explore,
641
00:37:38,344 --> 00:37:41,144
but the few people brave
enough to venture this deep
642
00:37:41,172 --> 00:37:44,242
have reported weird
and wonderful encounters.
643
00:37:45,241 --> 00:37:47,071
Life in the deep ocean
644
00:37:47,103 --> 00:37:50,073
takes on forms
that sometimes are even
645
00:37:50,103 --> 00:37:51,723
beyond our imaginations.
646
00:37:53,862 --> 00:37:56,412
And incredibly,
it's not just in the water,
647
00:37:56,448 --> 00:37:59,308
where we are making
groundbreaking discoveries.
648
00:38:01,448 --> 00:38:04,968
In 2020, scientists examine
core samples
649
00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:08,340
taken from hundreds of feet
below the sea floor
650
00:38:08,379 --> 00:38:10,829
in a remote part
of the Pacific Ocean.
651
00:38:13,793 --> 00:38:16,213
What emerges stuns them
652
00:38:16,241 --> 00:38:19,381
and biologists around the world
653
00:38:19,413 --> 00:38:23,483
and could reshape
our understanding of life.
654
00:38:34,517 --> 00:38:37,587
When a team of scientists
drill down deep beneath
655
00:38:37,620 --> 00:38:39,450
the floor of the Pacific Ocean,
656
00:38:39,482 --> 00:38:42,342
they find something
they never expected,
657
00:38:42,379 --> 00:38:44,099
life.
658
00:38:44,137 --> 00:38:47,997
The core samples that emerge
contain colonies of bacteria,
659
00:38:48,034 --> 00:38:51,594
somehow thriving
in ancient volcanic rock
660
00:38:51,620 --> 00:38:53,720
below the seabed.
661
00:38:55,482 --> 00:38:58,862
We're talking about rock that
could be anywhere from ten million
662
00:38:58,896 --> 00:39:01,136
to 100 million years old.
663
00:39:02,931 --> 00:39:05,591
Stranger yet,
the bacteria were found
664
00:39:05,620 --> 00:39:09,100
more than 400 feet
beneath the sea floor...
665
00:39:10,862 --> 00:39:13,692
Leaving the puzzle
of how they got here
666
00:39:13,724 --> 00:39:16,414
and how they survive.
667
00:39:16,448 --> 00:39:20,278
When these rocks formed
and then cooled on the seabed,
668
00:39:20,310 --> 00:39:24,970
microcracks appeared, which
were later infilled by clay minerals.
669
00:39:26,862 --> 00:39:28,722
Trapped deep underground,
670
00:39:28,758 --> 00:39:31,858
it's speculated that
the bacteria extract energy
671
00:39:31,896 --> 00:39:34,166
from chemicals
in the surrounding clay.
672
00:39:36,793 --> 00:39:39,283
Their discovery could have
radical implications
673
00:39:39,310 --> 00:39:42,030
for our search
for extraterrestrial life.
674
00:39:43,103 --> 00:39:45,033
The key thing here is that
675
00:39:45,068 --> 00:39:47,718
conditions in
the deep ocean beds
676
00:39:47,758 --> 00:39:51,278
are quite similar to some of
the conditions on Mars.
677
00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:53,620
All evidence suggests
678
00:39:53,655 --> 00:39:56,925
Mars was once a water world,
679
00:39:56,965 --> 00:40:00,615
and though it lost its vast
oceans billions of years ago,
680
00:40:00,655 --> 00:40:04,475
it could still have similar
types of rock below its surface.
681
00:40:05,827 --> 00:40:09,237
If life can manage to survive
within rocks
682
00:40:09,275 --> 00:40:12,655
that are ten
to 100 million years old
683
00:40:12,689 --> 00:40:16,209
in the deepest parts
of the ocean, then certainly
684
00:40:16,241 --> 00:40:18,621
they should be able to handle
the conditions that we see
685
00:40:18,655 --> 00:40:20,855
on many other planets.
686
00:40:20,896 --> 00:40:24,306
The discovery of
these incredibly hardy bacteria
687
00:40:24,344 --> 00:40:28,624
could also add weight to
an even more radical theory.
688
00:40:28,655 --> 00:40:31,965
Could life survive
in the vacuum of outer space?
689
00:40:33,586 --> 00:40:35,306
Some scientists speculate
690
00:40:35,344 --> 00:40:38,724
that simple life could be
incubated on asteroids
691
00:40:38,758 --> 00:40:40,658
and other space debris
692
00:40:40,689 --> 00:40:43,339
in a similar way
to the bacteria found beneath
693
00:40:43,379 --> 00:40:45,379
the Pacific Ocean.
694
00:40:45,413 --> 00:40:47,623
We know that life first
emerged on Earth
695
00:40:47,655 --> 00:40:50,375
at least 3.5 billion
years ago,
696
00:40:50,413 --> 00:40:52,173
but the exact mechanisms
697
00:40:52,206 --> 00:40:54,166
and nature behind the emergence
698
00:40:54,206 --> 00:40:57,926
of the first Earth life forms
remains mysterious.
699
00:40:59,655 --> 00:41:02,995
The conventional
theory is that life emerged
700
00:41:03,034 --> 00:41:04,214
deep in our oceans,
701
00:41:05,034 --> 00:41:07,384
around hydrothermal vents,
702
00:41:07,413 --> 00:41:09,413
which spewed minerals and heat
703
00:41:09,448 --> 00:41:10,968
into the surrounding water.
704
00:41:12,482 --> 00:41:14,242
But there are alternative
705
00:41:14,275 --> 00:41:15,895
and more controversial theories.
706
00:41:17,172 --> 00:41:20,102
There's one
theory called panspermia.
707
00:41:20,137 --> 00:41:24,027
That's the idea
that life could potentially
708
00:41:24,068 --> 00:41:27,858
travel from one planetary body
to the next.
709
00:41:27,896 --> 00:41:32,856
The idea of panspermia doesn't
have a lot of evidence right now.
710
00:41:32,896 --> 00:41:37,336
However, some believe
that this might actually be
711
00:41:37,379 --> 00:41:40,999
a reasonable explanation
on how life
712
00:41:41,034 --> 00:41:42,384
began here on Earth.
713
00:41:44,413 --> 00:41:47,933
Discoveries being made in
the deep corners of our oceans
714
00:41:47,965 --> 00:41:50,585
are radically changing
our understanding
715
00:41:50,620 --> 00:41:53,970
of where and how
life can survive.
716
00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:57,620
And these insights are helping
scientists continue their search
717
00:41:57,655 --> 00:41:59,855
for life elsewhere
in the cosmos,
718
00:42:01,068 --> 00:42:04,098
and may soon even
lead us to the discovery of
719
00:42:04,137 --> 00:42:06,827
alien life on other worlds.
56321
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