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How could the weather in space
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00:00:04,833 --> 00:00:08,073
have impacted
the fate of the titanic?
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00:00:08,100 --> 00:00:13,100
A strong geomagnetic storm
can cause havoc on a large scale.
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00:00:15,367 --> 00:00:18,567
What secrets
of America's nuclear past
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00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:21,570
lie in the frozen waters
of Greenland?
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00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,170
The fact that people
haven't realized what it was...
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00:00:25,233 --> 00:00:27,173
is mind-blowing.
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00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,700
And who is to blame
when a bag of human hands
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is found on the banks
of a Siberian river?
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00:00:34,567 --> 00:00:37,497
Who are these people?
Whose hands are they?
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00:00:41,167 --> 00:00:44,827
The underwater
realm is another dimension.
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00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:48,970
It's a physically hostile place
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where dreams of promise
can sink into darkness.
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I'm Jeremy Wade,
and I'm searching the world
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00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:03,430
to bring you the most iconic
and baffling underwater mysteries
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00:01:03,467 --> 00:01:06,267
known to science.
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00:01:06,300 --> 00:01:12,100
The vast majority of our ocean is
unobserved, unmapped, and unexplored.
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00:01:12,133 --> 00:01:16,703
It's a dangerous
frontier 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 a tale we all know.
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April 14th, 1912.
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RMS Titanic collides with
an iceberg and sinks into
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the freezing water
of the North Atlantic.
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More than 1,500 people perish.
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The reasons behind the world's
most infamous ocean disaster
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have been debated
for more than a century,
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from lack of lifeboats
to human error.
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00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,430
Now, could a phenomenon
called space weather
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change everything
we thought we knew
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about the loss
of this unsinkable ship?
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The largest moving
man-made structure on Earth
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set sail from Southampton, heading
to New York on its maiden voyage.
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00:02:25,667 --> 00:02:31,327
Over 2,000 passengers and crew
are on board the Titanic.
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It was the largest and most
luxurious ship that had been built.
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It was supposed to be
the most secure,
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the safest, the most watertight.
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00:02:42,733 --> 00:02:45,303
Everybody
knows the story of the Titanic.
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The greatest ship, the ship that
wasn't made to sink actually sank.
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00:02:49,267 --> 00:02:51,267
Four days into her journey,
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00:02:51,300 --> 00:02:55,230
the Titanic collides
with an immense iceberg.
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The frozen mass towers
100 feet above the water,
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and weighs
an immovable two million tons.
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Only 705 people survive, less
than a third of those on board.
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How did this happen?
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How come no one came
to the rescue right away?
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00:03:20,267 --> 00:03:22,127
Who's to blame?
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00:03:22,167 --> 00:03:25,427
We're still searching for
answers more than 100 years later.
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00:03:27,233 --> 00:03:31,633
An inquiry begins into
what went so tragically wrong.
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00:03:32,967 --> 00:03:36,967
The month-long investigation
is overseen by Lord Mersey
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who takes volumes of notes
in his private journals.
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After the hearings end,
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these journals are kept
locked away by his descendants
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for more than a century.
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It's not until 2020
that they're finally released.
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His journals reveal his
innermost thoughts on the inquiry.
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Can Lord Mersey's
newly-disclosed writings
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finally expose the truth?
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00:04:04,867 --> 00:04:07,827
He mentions in the journal that
the watertight doors in the hull
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were left open
after initially being closed.
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If these doors are left open, then
water can flood the length of the vessel
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and also create instability
as the weight shifts.
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00:04:21,867 --> 00:04:26,167
This finding was made
public in the initial investigation.
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00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:30,900
But the notes also confirm something
that's only ever been speculated.
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Mersey had underlined and paid
special attention to one key detail.
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There was no reduction
in speed following the impact.
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Captain Smith ordered the ship
to move forward at a steady pace
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for another 20 minutes,
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a decision that had
disastrous consequences.
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By keeping going, that means
more water coming into the hull.
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00:04:58,867 --> 00:05:01,327
This puts pressure
on the bulkheads.
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00:05:05,133 --> 00:05:09,773
The journals give us new
insight into how the ship sank so quickly.
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00:05:12,533 --> 00:05:17,303
But the full story of how the
collision happened is still a mystery.
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00:05:19,733 --> 00:05:23,103
Then, a scientific discovery
in 2020
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gives rise to
a completely new theory,
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00:05:26,933 --> 00:05:30,933
something that has never
been considered before.
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00:05:30,967 --> 00:05:36,967
The night that it sank, it was actually a
very beautiful, very cold but very calm night.
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The sea was said
to have been really flat.
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00:05:39,933 --> 00:05:42,203
Many of the people
who were rescued said,
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00:05:42,233 --> 00:05:45,603
"Oh, the aurora borealis
were beautiful that night."
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They fanned through the sky. It
was marvelous, it was spectacular.
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00:05:50,367 --> 00:05:55,097
Behind this beautiful
light show lies formidable power,
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and it's something that weather
researcher, Mila Zinkova,
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believes could have played a
defining role in the Titanic disaster.
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00:06:11,967 --> 00:06:15,497
Geomagnetic
or solar storms are caused by
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00:06:15,533 --> 00:06:18,233
charged particles
shooting towards the Earth
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00:06:18,267 --> 00:06:22,867
at a speed of nearly
200,000 miles per second.
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The magnetic
field guides these particles
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00:06:27,167 --> 00:06:28,927
towards the north
and the south poles.
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00:06:28,967 --> 00:06:33,097
And so, when they come down
to around 100 kilometers or so,
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they bang into
the molecules of the air
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and they cause
light to be emitted.
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00:06:39,167 --> 00:06:42,127
And these
charged particles in the sky
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cause more than
an extraordinary light show.
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A strong geomagnetic storm
can cause havoc,
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and I mean havoc
on a large scale.
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00:06:54,300 --> 00:06:56,400
All this kind of
cloud of particles
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cause the magnetic field to
kind of wobble or to vibrate.
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00:07:00,833 --> 00:07:03,603
And that generates currents
in the Earth.
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00:07:03,633 --> 00:07:06,833
If you look at the global
risks to civilization,
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00:07:06,867 --> 00:07:08,097
space weather is right up there.
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00:07:10,467 --> 00:07:15,197
So, extreme weather conditions
in space can wreak havoc on Earth.
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00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:19,300
1989, a geomagnetic storm
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00:07:19,333 --> 00:07:23,233
causes a 12-hour power outage
in Quebec.
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It damages a nuclear
power plant in New Jersey,
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plunging six million people
into darkness.
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00:07:30,067 --> 00:07:34,367
That solar storm of 1989 was
an immensely powerful storm.
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Big. Bigger than
your average solar storm.
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Could a similar event
have contributed
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00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:44,070
to the sinking
of the world's greatest ship?
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00:07:45,900 --> 00:07:47,730
In the Titanic era,
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a compass was the most
important navigational tool.
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an instrument that depends totally on the
stability of the Earth's magnetic field.
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00:07:58,100 --> 00:08:00,300
If you were sitting on a ship
in the middle of the ocean,
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00:08:00,333 --> 00:08:04,773
a wobble to the magnetic field could
make it look like north was somewhere else.
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Could the
geomagnetic storm that night
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00:08:07,567 --> 00:08:09,897
have affected
the ship's compass so much
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00:08:09,933 --> 00:08:13,203
that it changed
the Titanic's intended course?
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00:08:20,300 --> 00:08:23,100
By studying the
space weather from that night,
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Mila made a vital breakthrough.
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00:08:33,667 --> 00:08:36,167
Most major solar storms occur
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between 50 and 55 degrees
of geomagnetic latitude,
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the precise region
where the Titanic is found.
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00:08:46,467 --> 00:08:49,697
Something else has also been
recently discovered,
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00:08:49,733 --> 00:08:54,773
a hand-drawn observation of the Sun
from the day before the Titanic sinks
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showing a sun spot.
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00:08:58,233 --> 00:09:02,503
Sun spots are areas on the Sun where
the magnetic field is much stronger.
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00:09:02,533 --> 00:09:08,773
This can cause solar flares and
explosions called coronal mass ejections.
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00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:13,900
These can contribute to even more
powerful geomagnetic storms on Earth.
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00:09:13,933 --> 00:09:17,673
Is this further evidence
that an intense solar storm
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played a decisive role
in the tragedy?
133
00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:23,870
Aurora borealis
happens all the time.
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00:09:23,900 --> 00:09:26,300
Were there people in
the Canadian Maritimes going,
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00:09:26,333 --> 00:09:28,433
"Whoo, this is a light show"?
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00:09:28,467 --> 00:09:32,667
Were there people on the American
West Coast, Alaska, and Norway
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seeing the same thing?
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00:09:34,933 --> 00:09:39,073
Mila's research uncovers
that magnetometers around the world
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did, in fact, pick up the storm.
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00:09:42,667 --> 00:09:45,327
Sensors in Alaska, Canada,
and Scotland
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00:09:45,367 --> 00:09:49,867
all are disturbed around
the time of the sinking.
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00:09:49,900 --> 00:09:54,500
So, this celestial event was strong
enough to be detected everywhere.
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00:09:54,533 --> 00:09:56,403
But did it have
a critical influence
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00:09:56,433 --> 00:09:59,573
on the reliability
of the Titanic's compass?
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00:10:05,033 --> 00:10:09,773
Mila believes that if the
compass was just 0.5 degrees off,
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00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:12,330
it could've altered
the Titanic's course,
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00:10:12,367 --> 00:10:15,467
and therefore, how it
collided with the iceberg.
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00:10:20,333 --> 00:10:22,673
The ship hits
the iceberg on the side,
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00:10:22,700 --> 00:10:26,300
and six of the 16 compartments
are damaged.
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00:10:26,333 --> 00:10:29,503
If three of the watertight
compartments had been damaged,
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00:10:30,067 --> 00:10:31,367
it might have survived.
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00:10:34,233 --> 00:10:36,603
A solar storm
may have contributed
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00:10:36,633 --> 00:10:39,633
to the catastrophic sinking
of the Titanic.
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But further investigation
is showing that its effects
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may not have been
entirely destructive.
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It could even have played
a key beneficial role
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in the rescue of the survivors.
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00:11:01,833 --> 00:11:05,073
More than 2,000
passengers and crew
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00:11:05,067 --> 00:11:08,567
fought for their lives
on the night the Titanic sank.
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00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:13,500
Over 700 of them managed to escape
the icy deaths of the North Atlantic.
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00:11:13,533 --> 00:11:17,173
Many people are still
wondering how they did it.
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00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:21,100
New research suggests
space weather played a key role
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00:11:21,133 --> 00:11:25,803
in the rescue ship, Carpathia,
finding the survivors.
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00:11:25,833 --> 00:11:30,333
Was this a celestial savior
to those in need of rescue?
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00:11:32,367 --> 00:11:37,097
23:40 hours, April 14th, 1912.
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00:11:37,133 --> 00:11:41,333
The Titanic has collided with
an iceberg of unimaginable size.
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00:11:42,767 --> 00:11:45,667
The ship's fourth officer,
Joseph Boxhall
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determines their position
to send out an SOS.
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00:11:49,833 --> 00:11:52,533
Boxhall calculates
a SOS position
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00:11:52,567 --> 00:11:56,067
and he's 13 nautical miles off.
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00:11:56,100 --> 00:12:00,200
If the geomagnetic storm
did affect the Titanic's compass,
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00:12:00,233 --> 00:12:02,903
it could have contributed
to this false reading,
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00:12:02,933 --> 00:12:05,703
with big ramifications
for the rescue.
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00:12:07,067 --> 00:12:10,567
The Titanic's incorrect
position is sent out.
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00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:14,630
Yet, bizarrely, one ship,
the RMS Carpathia,
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00:12:14,667 --> 00:12:17,597
manages to locate
the stricken lifeboats.
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00:12:17,633 --> 00:12:21,273
How could this be possible if
they received the wrong location?
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00:12:28,633 --> 00:12:31,073
As well as
the Titanic's compass,
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00:12:31,100 --> 00:12:34,800
Mila believes the storm
also affected the Carpathia,
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00:12:34,833 --> 00:12:38,173
accidentally leading them
straight to the lifeboats.
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00:13:02,067 --> 00:13:05,897
If the Carpathia had not
been affected by the compass variation,
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00:13:05,933 --> 00:13:09,903
it could've missed the
lifeboats by six nautical miles.
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00:13:14,533 --> 00:13:17,073
Because of this,
the Carpathia saves
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00:13:17,067 --> 00:13:20,297
705 people
from the freezing water.
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00:13:21,933 --> 00:13:24,333
But could the storm
have had a further impact
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00:13:24,367 --> 00:13:27,697
on why more boats didn't come
to the Titanic's aid?
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00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:31,770
The storm that night
might have affected
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00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:34,200
the radio communication
of nearby ships,
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00:13:34,233 --> 00:13:36,533
with cataclysmic effect.
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00:13:48,333 --> 00:13:49,873
Many ships that night
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00:13:49,900 --> 00:13:51,900
record abnormal malfunctions
192
00:13:51,933 --> 00:13:53,633
of their
communication equipment.
193
00:13:55,333 --> 00:13:58,133
La Provence
couldn't contact the Titanic
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00:13:58,167 --> 00:14:00,467
but could hear the Olympic
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00:14:00,500 --> 00:14:04,200
which was 500 miles
further away than the Titanic.
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00:14:05,300 --> 00:14:07,630
Baltic couldn't
hear the Mount Temple,
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00:14:07,667 --> 00:14:08,797
but it could communicate
198
00:14:08,833 --> 00:14:12,433
with the Virginia
which was further away.
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00:14:12,467 --> 00:14:15,867
The Mount Temple
responds to the SOS,
200
00:14:15,900 --> 00:14:19,330
but the Titanic
doesn't get the call.
201
00:14:19,367 --> 00:14:22,327
What dealt the
definitive blow to the Titanic
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00:14:22,367 --> 00:14:26,527
with its 2200 people on board
will continue to confound us.
203
00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:29,570
But the might of space weather
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00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:33,400
has added a new line of
enquiry to this tragic mystery.
205
00:14:34,867 --> 00:14:36,367
It was
just another strike for it.
206
00:14:37,667 --> 00:14:40,397
I guess once you say
you have an unsinkable ship,
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00:14:42,067 --> 00:14:44,097
the universe
is gonna turn against you
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00:14:44,133 --> 00:14:46,603
and try to sink ya
at whatever the cost.
209
00:14:53,733 --> 00:14:56,073
Every year eight million tons
210
00:14:56,100 --> 00:14:58,530
of trash ends up in our oceans.
211
00:15:01,067 --> 00:15:04,327
In 2018
on a remote Siberian island
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00:15:04,367 --> 00:15:07,167
something turns up
that is truly bizarre,
213
00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,800
a bag of frozen hands.
214
00:15:09,833 --> 00:15:13,273
Where it came from and how
it ended up on this icy beach
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00:15:13,300 --> 00:15:16,670
puzzles locals
and scientists alike.
216
00:15:19,167 --> 00:15:22,627
The Amur river
in the South-East of Siberia,
217
00:15:22,667 --> 00:15:25,297
19 miles from
the border with China.
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00:15:26,133 --> 00:15:28,533
On March 8th, 2018,
219
00:15:28,567 --> 00:15:32,167
a fisherman
makes a grim discovery.
220
00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:34,730
He sees a hand
coming out of the snow...
221
00:15:37,067 --> 00:15:39,967
He searches for clues
as to where it has come from
222
00:15:40,067 --> 00:15:42,797
and makes
an even more disturbing find.
223
00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:46,330
When he goes
to investigate it further,
224
00:15:46,367 --> 00:15:49,367
he finds 53 more hands.
225
00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:52,400
The severed,
frozen hands are spilling out
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00:15:52,433 --> 00:15:54,473
of an unmarked bag.
227
00:15:54,500 --> 00:16:00,370
It is not a good day if you stumbled
upon a bag full of frozen hands.
228
00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:04,370
This gory find
sparks intense speculation.
229
00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:09,870
Why would somebody
have a bag of frozen hands?
230
00:16:09,900 --> 00:16:14,670
Who are these people?
Whose hands are they?
231
00:16:14,700 --> 00:16:18,770
Incredibly, body parts
washing up on shores around the world
232
00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:20,630
is not a new phenomenon.
233
00:16:22,667 --> 00:16:26,667
There were cases
of feet showing up
234
00:16:26,700 --> 00:16:28,300
on the coastline in Canada...
235
00:16:29,667 --> 00:16:33,527
15 feet have been found
over 12 years.
236
00:16:33,567 --> 00:16:36,667
Investigations reveal
the feet have become severed
237
00:16:36,700 --> 00:16:38,270
from the decomposing bodies
238
00:16:38,300 --> 00:16:41,100
of accidental deaths
or suicides,
239
00:16:41,133 --> 00:16:43,173
kept intact by the sneakers
240
00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:45,230
that acted
as floatation devices.
241
00:16:48,467 --> 00:16:51,367
Unique ocean currents
in this wild and remote area
242
00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:53,700
push them all onto
a small strip of shore
243
00:16:53,733 --> 00:16:54,933
in British Columbia.
244
00:16:57,233 --> 00:17:00,103
Can the same science
help pin-point where
245
00:17:00,133 --> 00:17:04,803
the gruesome bag of hands
started its Siberian journey
246
00:17:04,833 --> 00:17:07,933
and lead investigators
to the people responsible?
247
00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:11,230
Were they brought there?
248
00:17:11,267 --> 00:17:13,567
Did they go through the water?
249
00:17:13,600 --> 00:17:17,870
You could have a, sort of, going
along the bottom in a slower manner
250
00:17:17,900 --> 00:17:20,600
versus the speed at which
it would probably travel
251
00:17:20,633 --> 00:17:21,673
if it stayed on the surface.
252
00:17:22,700 --> 00:17:24,300
How the bag travelled
253
00:17:24,333 --> 00:17:27,403
would also depend
on the Siberian climate.
254
00:17:27,433 --> 00:17:31,273
The water around the
island where the bag was found,
255
00:17:31,300 --> 00:17:35,430
wouldn't have been
fully flowing until April.
256
00:17:35,467 --> 00:17:40,197
So there could be ice jams which
could raise the level of the river...
257
00:17:41,833 --> 00:17:44,473
All of these little pieces
of information and clues
258
00:17:44,500 --> 00:17:47,800
can help
to reconstruct their history.
259
00:17:47,833 --> 00:17:49,573
Whether the bag washed ashore
260
00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:52,730
the previous spring
and was then buried under snow
261
00:17:52,767 --> 00:17:57,597
or just travelled a short distance
more recently is unknown.
262
00:17:57,633 --> 00:18:01,573
But this doesn't stop some people
jumping to sinister conclusions.
263
00:18:03,533 --> 00:18:07,903
Clearly they were
collected and put together.
264
00:18:07,933 --> 00:18:11,433
As the story
breaks wild rumors circulate.
265
00:18:12,700 --> 00:18:14,230
This location is 19 miles
266
00:18:14,267 --> 00:18:16,067
from where the river
borders with China.
267
00:18:17,067 --> 00:18:19,367
Is this the work
of Russian or Chinese mafia?
268
00:18:21,767 --> 00:18:22,767
Could it be evidence
269
00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:25,800
of limbs cut off
to hide their identities?
270
00:18:37,300 --> 00:18:39,570
When a bag of frozen hands
271
00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:41,970
washes up from a Siberian river
272
00:18:42,067 --> 00:18:44,067
there's intense speculation
273
00:18:44,067 --> 00:18:47,067
that organized
crime syndicates are involved.
274
00:18:48,233 --> 00:18:50,533
They're infamous
for disposing their victims
275
00:18:50,567 --> 00:18:54,097
in the watery depths
of rivers and oceans.
276
00:18:54,133 --> 00:18:57,933
However, authorities discount
the controversial theory
277
00:18:57,967 --> 00:18:59,397
and announce that the hands
278
00:18:59,433 --> 00:19:02,273
have come from
a local forensics lab.
279
00:19:02,300 --> 00:19:06,300
It's a claim that
raises even more suspicion.
280
00:19:08,833 --> 00:19:12,133
Russian investigators assert
that the hands were severed
281
00:19:12,167 --> 00:19:13,897
during routine autopsies
282
00:19:13,933 --> 00:19:15,503
and kept for evidence.
283
00:19:16,933 --> 00:19:19,933
Why would the hands
even need to be retained?
284
00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:23,930
In some cases when
a dead body is discovered
285
00:19:23,967 --> 00:19:26,397
and you're
unable to identify it,
286
00:19:26,433 --> 00:19:29,203
medical examiners
will retain one of their hands
287
00:19:29,233 --> 00:19:31,233
to hold on to the fingerprints.
288
00:19:31,267 --> 00:19:32,627
This way they hope to be able
289
00:19:32,667 --> 00:19:35,227
to identify them in the future.
290
00:19:35,267 --> 00:19:37,097
Why wouldn't you
just do the fingerprints
291
00:19:37,133 --> 00:19:39,233
with the hands
still attached to the body?
292
00:19:41,500 --> 00:19:44,070
Forensic labs
elsewhere in the world
293
00:19:44,067 --> 00:19:46,627
have been known
to hold on to body parts.
294
00:19:47,733 --> 00:19:50,273
London in 1989,
295
00:19:50,300 --> 00:19:53,230
in a tragic accident
the Marchioness, pleasure boat
296
00:19:53,267 --> 00:19:57,067
collides with a dredger
on the river Thames and sinks.
297
00:19:57,067 --> 00:19:58,567
51 people are killed.
298
00:20:00,967 --> 00:20:03,067
More than 20 hands
of the victims
299
00:20:03,100 --> 00:20:06,570
of the Marchioness
are severed and retained.
300
00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:09,570
These hands should have been
returned to their rightful owners
301
00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:12,770
and buried along with
the rest of the human remains.
302
00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:14,770
The hands from
the Marchioness disaster
303
00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:18,170
and the 54 frozen hands
found in Siberia
304
00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:19,830
do have something in common.
305
00:20:21,500 --> 00:20:23,700
They've all been
immersed in water.
306
00:20:25,700 --> 00:20:28,900
You can get expansion
and changes to the skin
307
00:20:28,933 --> 00:20:33,303
that's going to alter
what the prints looked like.
308
00:20:33,333 --> 00:20:35,703
So, to be able to fingerprint
309
00:20:35,733 --> 00:20:39,133
a hand that's gone through
that type of decomposition
310
00:20:39,167 --> 00:20:40,397
is very difficult.
311
00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:44,300
At the time
of the Marchioness disaster
312
00:20:44,333 --> 00:20:47,803
fingerprinting is the main way
to identify a dead body.
313
00:20:49,433 --> 00:20:51,503
And the only lab
that has the equipment
314
00:20:51,533 --> 00:20:54,133
to take prints
from water-logged hands
315
00:20:54,167 --> 00:20:55,767
has limited storage.
316
00:20:58,367 --> 00:21:00,267
However 30 years later
317
00:21:00,300 --> 00:21:03,130
when the Siberian
frozen hands are discovered,
318
00:21:03,167 --> 00:21:05,297
forensic methods have moved on.
319
00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:10,570
We don't need to sever hands
any more to identify who someone is.
320
00:21:13,900 --> 00:21:16,400
Today
DNA analysis and other tools
321
00:21:16,433 --> 00:21:19,473
tell us so much more
than fingerprints can.
322
00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:22,570
Radiocarbon dating can be used
323
00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:26,230
to determine when
an individual lived and died.
324
00:21:26,267 --> 00:21:29,197
Stable isotope analysis
allows us to determine
325
00:21:29,233 --> 00:21:31,073
the kinds of things
that they ate.
326
00:21:31,100 --> 00:21:33,070
While strontium isotope analysis
327
00:21:33,100 --> 00:21:35,070
can tell us where they grew up.
328
00:21:36,633 --> 00:21:38,733
Why would
the frozen hands be removed
329
00:21:38,767 --> 00:21:41,127
when advances
in forensic investigation
330
00:21:41,167 --> 00:21:43,367
means it's no longer necessary?
331
00:21:44,733 --> 00:21:46,873
Storing a body
takes up a lot of space
332
00:21:46,900 --> 00:21:51,770
and it's quite costly in a morgue
or facility that has refrigeration.
333
00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:56,070
So, instead storing
a single hand is much easier
334
00:21:56,067 --> 00:21:57,367
and cost effective.
335
00:21:59,067 --> 00:22:01,567
If they were
retained for identification
336
00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:04,500
why are they
then found abandoned in a bag?
337
00:22:05,833 --> 00:22:08,833
This is not the way
they dispose of human remains
338
00:22:08,867 --> 00:22:10,127
in any circumstance.
339
00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:13,300
A day after the discovery,
340
00:22:13,333 --> 00:22:14,473
in a bizarre twist,
341
00:22:14,500 --> 00:22:17,070
the official narrative
is refuted.
342
00:22:18,900 --> 00:22:22,530
Both the forensic authorities
and the disposal company
343
00:22:22,567 --> 00:22:25,167
strongly deny any involvement.
344
00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:28,670
They claim their last disposal
was made in 2015.
345
00:22:30,900 --> 00:22:33,200
Who severed the hands and why
346
00:22:33,233 --> 00:22:35,533
may never be fully proven
347
00:22:35,567 --> 00:22:36,827
but is there still a chance
348
00:22:36,867 --> 00:22:39,067
of finding out
who they belong to?
349
00:22:40,133 --> 00:22:42,373
DNA is
particularly well preserved
350
00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:44,100
in very cold climates.
351
00:22:44,133 --> 00:22:46,703
Some of the best preserved DNA
we've ever discovered
352
00:22:46,733 --> 00:22:48,533
has come from
the Siberian region.
353
00:22:48,567 --> 00:22:50,867
Even in the case
of ice age animals.
354
00:22:50,900 --> 00:22:53,470
So there's every chance
that this DNA will lead us
355
00:22:53,500 --> 00:22:54,670
to who these people are.
356
00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:58,300
What
the genetic tests could reveal
357
00:22:58,333 --> 00:23:02,333
and if they will even be
undertaken is still unknown.
358
00:23:02,367 --> 00:23:04,267
And there's still
one big obstacle
359
00:23:04,300 --> 00:23:06,470
to finally solving this puzzle.
360
00:23:07,300 --> 00:23:09,400
If these people aren't on record
361
00:23:09,433 --> 00:23:13,673
and nobody's actively looking for
them this could remain a mystery.
362
00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:26,100
In the early hours
of Sunday, May 31st, 2020,
363
00:23:26,133 --> 00:23:28,673
the megaton oil tanker, Willowy,
364
00:23:28,700 --> 00:23:30,530
is sailing in the South Atlantic
365
00:23:30,567 --> 00:23:33,167
when it puts out
an urgent mayday call.
366
00:23:34,533 --> 00:23:35,833
They've lost control
367
00:23:35,867 --> 00:23:38,227
and they're spinning in circles.
368
00:23:38,267 --> 00:23:39,727
Other ships in the area
369
00:23:39,767 --> 00:23:44,567
are reported to be experiencing
the same bizarre rotating.
370
00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:45,830
What could be causing
371
00:23:45,867 --> 00:23:49,067
this inexplicable
nautical nightmare?
372
00:23:53,967 --> 00:23:57,127
The ship carrying
thousands of tons of crude oil
373
00:23:57,167 --> 00:23:59,067
starts spinning in a circle.
374
00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:03,400
They lost control.
375
00:24:03,433 --> 00:24:06,333
Confusion erupts
on the bridge as the captain
376
00:24:06,367 --> 00:24:09,667
desperately tries
to get back on course.
377
00:24:09,700 --> 00:24:12,500
You would be
in a huge state of panic...
378
00:24:12,533 --> 00:24:15,673
It's devastation
waiting to happen.
379
00:24:15,700 --> 00:24:18,830
What's even more
frightening for the crew of the Willowy
380
00:24:18,867 --> 00:24:20,227
is that four other ships
381
00:24:20,267 --> 00:24:23,527
are reported to be
sailing in circles nearby.
382
00:24:24,967 --> 00:24:27,667
The potential
for destruction is terrifying.
383
00:24:28,700 --> 00:24:30,130
If they don't fix it,
384
00:24:30,167 --> 00:24:32,297
they could
well converge and crash.
385
00:24:34,533 --> 00:24:37,603
How is it possible
for five gigantic vessels
386
00:24:37,633 --> 00:24:40,803
to be turning in circles
in the middle of the ocean?
387
00:24:42,233 --> 00:24:44,603
To have so many ships
at one time
388
00:24:44,633 --> 00:24:47,673
having the same
human errors seems quite odd.
389
00:24:47,700 --> 00:24:51,530
Perhaps there's some sort of
other physical force at play.
390
00:25:00,500 --> 00:25:03,970
300 miles
off the coast of South Africa
391
00:25:04,067 --> 00:25:06,397
the crew
of the oil tanker, Willowy,
392
00:25:06,433 --> 00:25:08,503
are desperately
searching for a reason
393
00:25:08,533 --> 00:25:12,573
as to why they have suddenly
started turning in circles,
394
00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:15,800
dangerously close
to four other ships.
395
00:25:15,833 --> 00:25:18,403
At first
the senior officers assumed
396
00:25:18,433 --> 00:25:19,573
that it's sea currents.
397
00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:24,270
That the oceans itself
are moving the ships around.
398
00:25:24,300 --> 00:25:26,470
Could the answer
behind this mystery
399
00:25:26,500 --> 00:25:29,130
be down to the sheer power
of the water?
400
00:25:30,567 --> 00:25:34,627
Ocean currents may have
contributed to its spinning a bit.
401
00:25:34,667 --> 00:25:36,167
It's unlikely
that ocean currents
402
00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:39,270
could make
a ship spin continuously.
403
00:25:39,300 --> 00:25:41,270
With the strength
of the ocean currents
404
00:25:41,300 --> 00:25:44,800
unlikely to be causing these
bizarre nautical rotations,
405
00:25:44,833 --> 00:25:48,673
what else might be behind
this terrifying event?
406
00:25:50,367 --> 00:25:53,097
The ocean
is quite a lawless place.
407
00:25:53,133 --> 00:25:56,073
Could a new
growing criminal activity
408
00:25:56,067 --> 00:25:57,067
be responsible?
409
00:25:58,067 --> 00:25:59,727
The more connected we are
410
00:25:59,767 --> 00:26:02,167
to the internet
and international systems,
411
00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:05,070
the more likely we are
to experience hacking.
412
00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:09,730
Could someone have
remotely hijacked the ship?
413
00:26:09,767 --> 00:26:13,397
Hackers can manipulate
a vessel's navigational tools
414
00:26:13,433 --> 00:26:16,903
by overriding its GPS signal.
415
00:26:16,933 --> 00:26:19,733
You are feeding
false data to the ship,
416
00:26:19,767 --> 00:26:23,227
so it thinks
it's doing a correct heading.
417
00:26:23,267 --> 00:26:25,067
It's going in the right way.
418
00:26:25,067 --> 00:26:27,127
So, if you can fool them,
419
00:26:27,167 --> 00:26:29,097
then the ship will go
where you want it to go.
420
00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:33,430
It's an illegal
practice called spoofing.
421
00:26:34,633 --> 00:26:35,733
But why would hackers
422
00:26:35,767 --> 00:26:39,527
want to manipulate
the Willowy's GPS?
423
00:26:39,567 --> 00:26:44,267
An oil tanker could
potentially be the target of spoofing
424
00:26:44,300 --> 00:26:48,300
to alter its course for some
sort of nefarious purpose,
425
00:26:48,333 --> 00:26:52,303
say for example, to run a vessel
aground in a narrow straight.
426
00:26:52,333 --> 00:26:56,133
The 57,000 tons
of crude oil on the Willowy
427
00:26:56,167 --> 00:27:00,067
could be worth
more than $11 million.
428
00:27:00,100 --> 00:27:05,430
Are criminals trying to reroute it in
an attempt to steal the valuable cargo?
429
00:27:07,500 --> 00:27:09,470
Piracy has not gone away.
430
00:27:09,500 --> 00:27:15,530
It's often connected with large,
multinational criminal organizations.
431
00:27:15,567 --> 00:27:17,497
Huge organizations which have
432
00:27:17,533 --> 00:27:19,303
a lot of money,
a lot of resources...
433
00:27:20,300 --> 00:27:23,800
In 2020,
GPS data appears to show
434
00:27:23,833 --> 00:27:27,773
more megaton cargo ships
spinning out of control
435
00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:30,370
with scientific investigator,
SkyTruth,
436
00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:34,200
revealing a strange case
of Point Reyes, California.
437
00:27:34,233 --> 00:27:39,173
The data shows many circles, which are
supposed to be the paths of different ships.
438
00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:43,470
The team monitoring the Californian
data believe these tracks are possibly
439
00:27:43,500 --> 00:27:47,970
the result of large-scale,
GPS manipulation
440
00:27:48,067 --> 00:27:50,327
designed to undermine
a tracking network
441
00:27:50,367 --> 00:27:54,497
called Automatic
Identification System, or AIS.
442
00:27:56,167 --> 00:27:58,767
It's a system
that ships have to have now
443
00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:00,570
to track where they are.
444
00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:04,370
It means you can finally see
who's doing what.
445
00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:08,070
Until AIS started
monitoring criminal activity,
446
00:28:08,100 --> 00:28:11,070
the sea was much
harder to police.
447
00:28:11,100 --> 00:28:15,170
There is piracy, there's
illegal contraband smuggling.
448
00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:19,370
There is human trafficking,
there's the trading in arms.
449
00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:22,330
It's really a Wild West.
450
00:28:22,367 --> 00:28:25,797
So, obviously, there is a huge
interest by a lot of criminals
451
00:28:25,833 --> 00:28:29,573
in subverting these systems.
452
00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:34,230
Extreme manipulation of the
AIS system has also been investigated
453
00:28:34,267 --> 00:28:37,367
along the Chinese coast in 2019,
454
00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:42,170
when the GPS of hundreds of
ships mysteriously malfunctioned.
455
00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:46,570
All of them reportedly close to
valuable targets for criminals.
456
00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:51,500
This seems to often occur near
oil ports and refinery facilities.
457
00:28:52,833 --> 00:28:55,973
Is this evidence that
powerful entities are determined
458
00:28:56,067 --> 00:29:01,467
to distort the GPS of ships in
order to conceal criminal activity.
459
00:29:01,500 --> 00:29:07,530
International states are engaging in
hacking of all forms more and more.
460
00:29:07,567 --> 00:29:10,697
So there's every chance that
international superpowers
461
00:29:10,733 --> 00:29:12,873
could be responsible
for GPS spoofing.
462
00:29:14,933 --> 00:29:18,203
No one knows for sure
who is behind the spoofing
463
00:29:18,233 --> 00:29:20,873
of the Chinese
and American coasts.
464
00:29:22,367 --> 00:29:27,297
But is the Willowy a victim
of GPS manipulation.
465
00:29:27,333 --> 00:29:32,103
Where the oil tanker was
sailing may give a tantalizing clue.
466
00:29:32,133 --> 00:29:35,433
There's less patrols,
there's less scrutiny on that route.
467
00:29:35,467 --> 00:29:39,367
So it would be much easier to hijack
a vessel off the west coast of Africa
468
00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:42,230
than it would off the coast
of Europe, for example.
469
00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:46,530
After urgent
investigation, the crew of the Willowy
470
00:29:46,567 --> 00:29:49,867
in communication
with officials on shore
471
00:29:49,900 --> 00:29:54,070
come to a conclusion as to what
is behind this bizarre behavior,
472
00:29:54,667 --> 00:29:57,267
the ship's gyro compass.
473
00:29:57,300 --> 00:30:00,670
It's one of the systems
which the ship relies on
474
00:30:00,700 --> 00:30:04,130
in order to maintain
a steady course.
475
00:30:04,167 --> 00:30:06,097
The gyro compass is wrong.
476
00:30:07,533 --> 00:30:10,173
It's not calibrating.
477
00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:12,570
If it fails,
it could cause exactly
478
00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:15,400
the issues which the Willowy
is experiencing,
479
00:30:15,433 --> 00:30:19,373
potentially resulting
in a crash with a nearby ship.
480
00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:22,600
Luckily, they avoid
a collision by switching
481
00:30:22,633 --> 00:30:24,873
to their secondary gyro compass.
482
00:30:24,900 --> 00:30:28,100
And for further measure, they
then continue on their route
483
00:30:28,133 --> 00:30:31,803
using an old-fashioned
magnetic compass.
484
00:30:31,833 --> 00:30:35,473
But the failed gyro
compass on the Willowy doesn't explain
485
00:30:35,500 --> 00:30:39,100
why the four other ships
are reportedly spinning.
486
00:30:39,133 --> 00:30:42,903
Could a startling new discovery
in the area they are sailing in
487
00:30:42,933 --> 00:30:45,703
hold the key
to unlocking this mystery?
488
00:30:55,667 --> 00:31:00,067
The south Atlantic, where
the Willowy and four other ships
489
00:31:00,100 --> 00:31:02,930
are at risk from
a looming menace,
490
00:31:02,967 --> 00:31:06,667
one that's hidden from view,
but growing by the day.
491
00:31:08,533 --> 00:31:12,903
The planet and everyone on it is
protected from the sun's deadly radiation
492
00:31:12,933 --> 00:31:15,603
by the Earth's magnetic field.
493
00:31:15,633 --> 00:31:20,533
But scientists have detected a
localized weakening of this vital shield.
494
00:31:20,567 --> 00:31:23,827
It's called the South
Atlantic Anomaly.
495
00:31:23,867 --> 00:31:27,697
The South Atlantic Anomaly is
an anomaly over the South Atlantic,
496
00:31:27,733 --> 00:31:29,173
but in space.
497
00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:31,100
The anomaly
allows the sun's radiation
498
00:31:31,133 --> 00:31:34,903
to penetrate deeper into
the Earth's atmosphere.
499
00:31:34,933 --> 00:31:38,773
Between Chile and
Zimbabwe, the earth's protective shield
500
00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:43,800
has deteriorated six percent
in just 50 years.
501
00:31:43,833 --> 00:31:50,173
And the ships reported to be
spinning are located directly below.
502
00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:56,070
Could the extra radiation leaking into our
atmosphere be affecting their navigation?
503
00:31:56,067 --> 00:31:58,467
Above the regions
of the South Atlantic Anomaly,
504
00:31:58,500 --> 00:32:01,070
we can have some problems
with maybe detection
505
00:32:01,067 --> 00:32:04,167
of the signals from the
satellite, accuracy of the signals.
506
00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:06,430
And that's because the medium
between the ground
507
00:32:06,467 --> 00:32:08,467
and the satellite
has been affected.
508
00:32:09,667 --> 00:32:11,427
It's not out of
the realm of possibility
509
00:32:11,467 --> 00:32:15,467
that this could have affected
the ships near the Willowy.
510
00:32:15,500 --> 00:32:20,230
And this growing dent in the
Earth's magnetic field could be a sign
511
00:32:20,267 --> 00:32:23,667
of something potentially
catastrophic for the planet.
512
00:32:23,700 --> 00:32:27,130
Collapse of the Earth's magnetic field
would basically allow all the radiation
513
00:32:27,167 --> 00:32:30,067
which is ejected from the sun
to hit the surface of the Earth
514
00:32:30,067 --> 00:32:31,827
without any form of defense.
515
00:32:33,133 --> 00:32:36,203
Without it, we're doomed.
It's that simple.
516
00:32:44,733 --> 00:32:47,403
Deep below the surface
of the Pacific Ocean,
517
00:32:47,433 --> 00:32:51,073
a radioactive mystery
is unfolding.
518
00:32:51,100 --> 00:32:55,700
Throughout recent history, the testing of
nuclear weapons by the world's superpowers
519
00:32:55,733 --> 00:32:58,803
has been shrouded in secrecy.
520
00:32:58,833 --> 00:33:03,303
But scientists are now discovering
strange deep-sea creatures.
521
00:33:03,333 --> 00:33:09,233
And hidden inside them, explosive
secrets from the world's nuclear past.
522
00:33:11,633 --> 00:33:15,073
2019, the scientists find in
some of the deepest parts
523
00:33:15,100 --> 00:33:17,270
of the Pacific Ocean
something unusual.
524
00:33:18,167 --> 00:33:19,797
These are huge.
525
00:33:21,267 --> 00:33:25,827
The scientists observe that the
amphipods that are living in deep water
526
00:33:25,867 --> 00:33:29,067
are much larger than what
you see in shallower water.
527
00:33:29,100 --> 00:33:33,070
And their freakish size
is not the most bizarre discovery.
528
00:33:33,933 --> 00:33:35,673
They are flooded with radiation.
529
00:33:36,900 --> 00:33:38,330
How can these creatures
530
00:33:38,367 --> 00:33:42,427
dwelling in one of the most remote
places on Earth be radioactive?
531
00:33:44,567 --> 00:33:49,727
Between 1946 and 1958,
the United States runs
532
00:33:49,767 --> 00:33:55,267
numerous nuclear tests in the
Marshall Islands in the Pacific.
533
00:33:55,300 --> 00:34:00,670
As the Cold War escalates
and fears for American security intensify,
534
00:34:00,700 --> 00:34:05,530
scientists test nuclear weapons
for use against the Soviet Union
535
00:34:05,567 --> 00:34:07,897
over and over
in the south Pacific.
536
00:34:09,500 --> 00:34:13,500
They fundamentally believe
that the biggest possible bang
537
00:34:13,533 --> 00:34:16,573
is the biggest
possible deterrent.
538
00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:19,670
It should have taken
centuries for our ocean currents
539
00:34:19,700 --> 00:34:24,200
to carry this nuclear fallout to
the deepest marine trenches.
540
00:34:24,233 --> 00:34:29,073
But it turns out the radiation
has spread much more quickly.
541
00:34:29,100 --> 00:34:35,930
Radioactive carbon is now making
its way into the marine food chain.
542
00:34:35,967 --> 00:34:39,367
Science has revealed
that organisms at the sea's surface
543
00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:45,170
have been ingesting this so-called
bomb carbon since the 1950s.
544
00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:50,670
And the organic matter from these surface
organisms falls to the deepest sea beds,
545
00:34:50,700 --> 00:34:53,130
where creatures like
amphipods consume it.
546
00:34:55,367 --> 00:34:58,197
It's evidence that
the Cold War nuclear fallout
547
00:34:58,233 --> 00:35:00,973
could now be in every corner
of our oceans.
548
00:35:02,300 --> 00:35:05,070
But whether radioactive
material is the reason
549
00:35:05,067 --> 00:35:09,367
behind the amphipods'
extraordinary size is contested.
550
00:35:10,867 --> 00:35:13,867
Size difference could be
for a few different reasons.
551
00:35:13,900 --> 00:35:15,900
And it may not be
affecting them in any way.
552
00:35:17,733 --> 00:35:20,203
In 1963, the nuclear testing
553
00:35:20,233 --> 00:35:25,403
that created so-called radioactive
amphipods comes to an end.
554
00:35:25,433 --> 00:35:29,073
But 60 years later, on
the other side of the world,
555
00:35:29,067 --> 00:35:32,197
a discovery from deep under
the arctic ice sheet
556
00:35:32,233 --> 00:35:36,703
reveals another secret part of
America's nuclear operations.
557
00:35:39,967 --> 00:35:43,127
In 2019,
at the University of Vermont,
558
00:35:43,167 --> 00:35:47,597
climate scientist Drew Christ
makes a life-changing discovery.
559
00:35:48,700 --> 00:35:50,570
For me, as a climate scientist,
560
00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:52,570
receiving these samples
in the lab
561
00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:54,570
was like holding the Holy Grail.
562
00:35:54,600 --> 00:35:57,600
It's the remains of an ice core
563
00:35:57,633 --> 00:36:00,633
drilled from deep within
Greenland's ice sheet.
564
00:36:00,667 --> 00:36:03,827
An ice core is actually
a tube of ice
565
00:36:03,867 --> 00:36:07,697
which contains in it
sediments and bits of rock.
566
00:36:07,733 --> 00:36:10,473
And this one
has a very peculiar history.
567
00:36:12,067 --> 00:36:16,167
What's so unusual about this particular
ice core is that it bounced around
568
00:36:16,200 --> 00:36:20,500
between various research institutes
around the world over a number of years.
569
00:36:20,533 --> 00:36:23,873
They were in these,
like, scientific cookie jars
570
00:36:23,900 --> 00:36:26,700
that had these old labels
that were written that said,
571
00:36:26,733 --> 00:36:28,673
"Camp Century's sub ice"
on them.
572
00:36:29,767 --> 00:36:32,067
Camp Century
is an American military
573
00:36:32,067 --> 00:36:34,827
research base
in northern Greenland.
574
00:36:34,867 --> 00:36:38,827
But until recently, its operations
have been veiled in secrecy.
575
00:36:40,133 --> 00:36:42,673
What was its true purpose?
576
00:36:42,700 --> 00:36:45,670
And what is the significance
of the mysterious ice core
577
00:36:45,700 --> 00:36:48,900
taken from deep
beneath the camp?
578
00:36:48,933 --> 00:36:53,273
The fact that this has been
going around for nearly 40 years,
579
00:36:53,300 --> 00:36:55,600
and people haven't
realized what it was
580
00:36:57,800 --> 00:36:59,070
is mind-blowing.
581
00:37:10,067 --> 00:37:12,127
It's the height of the Cold War,
582
00:37:12,167 --> 00:37:15,167
and the two great adversaries,
America and Russia,
583
00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:20,200
are separated by only two and a
half miles at the narrowest point.
584
00:37:20,233 --> 00:37:25,673
This threat leads the US Army to undertake
one of its most secretive missions,
585
00:37:25,700 --> 00:37:29,100
25 feet under
the Greenland ice sheet.
586
00:37:30,467 --> 00:37:34,897
What does this mysterious
place deep below the frozen water
587
00:37:34,933 --> 00:37:38,803
reveal about America's
secret nuclear past,
588
00:37:38,833 --> 00:37:42,403
and, surprisingly,
the future of our planet?
589
00:37:44,367 --> 00:37:49,627
The background to this story is very
weird and kind of like science fiction.
590
00:37:49,667 --> 00:37:52,397
Imagine a network of 21 tunnels
591
00:37:52,433 --> 00:37:54,833
with a total length
of nearly two miles
592
00:37:54,867 --> 00:37:57,067
underneath Greenland's ice.
593
00:37:57,067 --> 00:38:00,067
All powered by
a nuclear reactor.
594
00:38:00,100 --> 00:38:03,300
To the public,
it's a climate research base.
595
00:38:03,333 --> 00:38:07,303
But Camp Century is actually
the location of a top secret initiative
596
00:38:07,333 --> 00:38:10,903
called Project Iceworm,
whose goal is to establish
597
00:38:10,933 --> 00:38:15,333
a missile launch site within easy
striking range of the Soviet Union.
598
00:38:15,367 --> 00:38:21,827
All hidden beneath the ice and capable
of unleashing 600 nuclear warheads.
599
00:38:24,667 --> 00:38:28,097
- How did they go about that?
- They didn't understand
600
00:38:28,133 --> 00:38:32,273
the fundamental properties
of the ice.
601
00:38:32,300 --> 00:38:37,230
So, they went there and
funded a lot of really incredible science
602
00:38:37,267 --> 00:38:41,367
to study what ice does.
How it behaves.
603
00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:44,270
To do this,
they drill a mile down
604
00:38:44,300 --> 00:38:46,900
deep into the Greenland
ice sheet.
605
00:38:46,933 --> 00:38:52,633
They recovered all these cylinders of
ice in about 1.5 meter long segments.
606
00:38:52,667 --> 00:38:56,227
And what they learn
forces them to abandon their hopes
607
00:38:56,267 --> 00:38:58,297
for a missile launching base.
608
00:39:00,100 --> 00:39:04,170
The problem is
ice is really not very stable.
609
00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:09,770
It changes, it warms up,
it melts, it solidifies.
610
00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:13,070
And it's a really bad thing
to put nuclear missiles
611
00:39:13,067 --> 00:39:15,497
on an unstable, ice surface
612
00:39:15,533 --> 00:39:19,333
that can move around, potentially
damaging those missiles.
613
00:39:19,367 --> 00:39:21,867
With the added weight
of falling snow,
614
00:39:21,900 --> 00:39:26,730
tunnels that start as 20
feet wide slowly collapse.
615
00:39:26,767 --> 00:39:31,697
Sort of like when the walls in the trash
compactor scene in Star Wars happens.
616
00:39:31,733 --> 00:39:35,233
Slowly over time
it started to compress in.
617
00:39:35,267 --> 00:39:39,427
But with the end of the Cold
War, America's need for a missile site
618
00:39:39,467 --> 00:39:42,697
at Camp Century
comes to an abrupt halt.
619
00:39:43,667 --> 00:39:45,167
But 60 years later,
620
00:39:45,200 --> 00:39:49,070
the discovery of the long-missing
Camp Century ice core
621
00:39:49,067 --> 00:39:53,567
warns of a new and potentially
more devastating threat.
622
00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:56,200
What else is to be revealed
about this top-secret base?
623
00:39:57,433 --> 00:40:00,003
Using advanced
analytical techniques,
624
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:00,070
Using advanced analytical techniques, Drew probes
the sediment at the bottom of the Camp Century ice core.
625
00:40:00,068 --> 00:40:04,098
Drew probes the sediment at the
bottom of the Camp Century ice core.
626
00:40:05,067 --> 00:40:07,367
Ice cores record history.
627
00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:12,500
They give us a little stamp on what
was happening in the atmosphere
628
00:40:12,533 --> 00:40:16,633
and the environment
at a given time in the past.
629
00:40:16,667 --> 00:40:21,727
The further down you drill into the ice,
the further back in time you are going.
630
00:40:21,767 --> 00:40:23,527
What Drew finds at the bottom
631
00:40:23,567 --> 00:40:26,797
of this time capsule
is truly mind-blowing.
632
00:40:29,900 --> 00:40:31,870
It was one of
the eureka moments.
633
00:40:31,900 --> 00:40:34,100
I thought that that didn't
happen to scientists.
634
00:40:34,133 --> 00:40:36,173
I thought that was just something
that happened in movies.
635
00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:39,330
In the sediment
are traces of plant fossils,
636
00:40:39,367 --> 00:40:45,527
proving that within the last million
years, Greenland was once ice free.
637
00:40:45,567 --> 00:40:51,427
For the first time, we saw just
how dynamic Earth's climate can be,
638
00:40:51,467 --> 00:40:53,627
um, and how quickly
it could change.
639
00:40:53,667 --> 00:40:57,467
We knew that this was a new
chapter in the story of Camp Century.
640
00:40:58,733 --> 00:41:01,073
This discovery
proves that Greenland
641
00:41:01,067 --> 00:41:03,067
is more susceptible
to climate change
642
00:41:03,067 --> 00:41:04,667
than we previously thought.
643
00:41:05,733 --> 00:41:08,833
It's not a case of
if the ice sheet is melting,
644
00:41:09,567 --> 00:41:10,667
but how fast.
645
00:41:11,967 --> 00:41:15,567
The ice core
exposes a very real threat
646
00:41:15,600 --> 00:41:19,700
to all those people who live along
the coasts of the world's oceans.
647
00:41:20,933 --> 00:41:23,533
It's a massive store
of frozen water
648
00:41:23,567 --> 00:41:26,067
that can raise sea level
as much as seven meters.
649
00:41:28,533 --> 00:41:31,973
As a scientist, this sort of
information is really fascinating,
650
00:41:32,067 --> 00:41:36,067
but of course, as a citizen and a human
living on this planet, it's horrifying.
651
00:41:39,167 --> 00:41:41,397
All this from
a scientific analysis
652
00:41:41,433 --> 00:41:44,433
of a long-forgotten
ice core sample.
653
00:41:44,467 --> 00:41:49,227
And the discovery of the
microscopic evidence hidden inside.
654
00:41:49,267 --> 00:41:52,367
Camp Century has
been invaluable for science,
655
00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:55,200
but not in the way
that it was intended.
656
00:41:55,233 --> 00:41:58,303
The legacy of US
nuclear ambitions in Greenland
657
00:41:58,333 --> 00:42:02,333
reveals a critical and
unexpected truth about our oceans,
658
00:42:02,367 --> 00:42:08,227
one that may help scientists help us
combat the threat of climate change.
53340
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