Original subtitles

Narrator: THEY'RE WATCHING YOU.

MORE THAN 4,000 SATELLITES CIRCLE THE EARTH.

EVERY DAY, THEY UNCOVER NEW

MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.

DEAD ZONE, USA.

IT'S JUST LIKE THIS GRAY BLIGHT

IN THE MIDDLE OF A FOREST.

WHOA.

IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME.

Narrator: DISCOVERED FROM THE SKIES,

THE 1,900-YEAR-OLD ROMAN ENIGMA.

IT'S ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY THINGS

IN THE ANCIENT WORLD.

Narrator: AND RUSSIA'S WEIRD ZIPPER RIVER.

THE COLD WAR PRODUCES A LOT OF CRACKPOT IDEAS,

AND THIS MIGHT BE THE KING OF THEM ALL.

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA.

MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

**

**

OCTOBER 29, 2018.

HIGH ABOVE THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES,

AN AERIAL CAMERA CAPTURES AN ANOMALY IN MISSISSIPPI'S

RURAL LANDSCAPE.

Morgan: THIS IS A STRANGE THING TO SEE

IN THE WOODS OF CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI.

YOU HAVE THE SUDDEN, JARRING APPEARANCE OF

THIS SORT OF CANCEROUS INFECTION ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH.

Silbey: IT'S NOT A MUDSLIDE -- THE GROUND AROUND

THE AREA IS FLAT.

THERE'S NO PLACE FOR THE MUD TO HAVE SLID FROM.

IT'S VERY MYSTERIOUS.

Narrator: THE DECIMATION FLOWS THROUGH THE TREES

FOR HALF A MILE OR SO.

IT APPEARS TO BE A SUBSTANCE OOZING OUT OF CONTROL.

Hymel: IT'S A DEAD ZONE.

IT'S KIND OF ALARMING.

THE WEIRD FEATURE COMES TO THE ATTENTION OF SCIENTIST,

NICK POLLOCK.

IT'S REALLY STRANGE.

I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHAT THIS IS.

Narrator: POLLOCK IS TRAVELING TO THE MAGNOLIA STATE

TO STUDY THE OOZING GRAY MASS UP CLOSE.

I'VE SEEN THINGS THAT LOOK LIKE THIS,

YOU KNOW, LAVA FLOWS,

BUT WE DON'T EXPECT TO SEE THEM HERE IN MISSISSIPPI.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S FENCED OFF,

AND, YOU KNOW, THAT, TO ME, SUGGESTS

IT'S SOMETHING HAZARDOUS.

**

**

Narrator: THE IMAGE GUIDES POLLOCK DOWN A DIRT ROAD

AROUND 10 MILES WEST OF THE CITY OF JACKSON.

**

[ CAR DOOR SHUTS ]

**

OH, LOOKS LIKE IT'S LOCKED.

GUESS I'LL HAVE TO JUMP.

**

THESE MUST HAVE BEEN THE BUILDINGS THAT I COULD SEE

IN THOSE SATELLITE IMAGES,

BUT THEY'RE WAY MORE RUN DOWN THAN I THOUGHT THEY'D BE.

Narrator: THESE ARE NOT HOMES.

THE DILAPIDATED BUILDINGS HAD SOME OTHER PURPOSE.

Pollock: ROOF'S ALL CAVED IN.

WHOA, AND LOOK AT THIS.

I MEAN, THIS IS SOME SERIOUS ENGINEERING IN HERE.

HUGE, HUGE PUMPS.

THEY MAY BE, LIKE, A FOOT IN DIAMETER.

Narrator: POLLOCK HEADS TOWARDS THE SITE IN THE IMAGE.

AFTER A FEW 100 YARDS, HE GETS HIS FIRST GLIMPSE

OF THE GUNMETAL GRAY RIVER REVEALED FROM SPACE.

Pollock: THIS IS WEIRD.

**

**

IT'S ALL MANMADE.

SOMEONE POURED, LIKE, A TON OF CONCRETE OUT HERE.

IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME.

[ BIRD CRIES ]

**

Narrator: POLLOCK FINDS THE EERIE SIGHT STREWN WITH STRANGE OBJECTS.

THERE'S THIS MESH WIRE THAT'S SCATTERED ALL OVER THE PLACE.

I JUST CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY SOMEONE

WOULD BUILD SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

Narrator: FEATURES ON THE UNDULATING CONCRETE MASS

CATCH THE GEOLOGIST'S EYE.

Pollock: JUST COVERED WITH THESE LITTLE GROOVES.

SOME OF THEM ARE RAISED.

SOME ARE JUST HUGE!

I MEAN, IT DEFINITELY

LOOKS LIKE WATER WAS SUPPOSED TO FLOW DOWN HERE.

BUT WHY?

Narrator: POLLOCK ESTIMATES THE CONCRETE HERE

AMOUNT TO THOUSANDS OF TONS,

BUT THE ARRANGEMENT OF IT IS TRULY BIZARRE.

SOME OF THESE CHUNKS ARE ACTUALLY MOVING.

THESE MUST HAVE BEEN

CAST PIECES OF CONCRETE,

BUT EACH ONE IS UNIQUE.

HUNDREDS, MAYBE EVEN THOUSANDS OF THESE HAD TO BE

PUT TOGETHER LIKE SOME KIND OF PUZZLE.

I MEAN, JUST A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF TIME,

ENERGY, AND MONEY WAS NEEDED TO BUILD SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

**

Narrator: FOR FURTHER CLUES, POLLOCK EXPLORES

THE SURROUNDING WOODS.

**

THIS IS SOME KIND OF INFLOW CONTROLLER.

8,976 GALLONS PER MINUTE.

THAT IS SOME MASSIVE FLOW RATES.

I MEAN, THIS THING HAD TO BE MOVING HUGE AMOUNTS OF WATER.

THIS HAS TO BE SOME GOVERNMENT PROJECT,

WHATEVER THIS IS.

**

**

IT LOOKS LIKE SOME KIND OF GIANT WATCHTOWER.

**

Narrator: THE RUSTING FOUR-STORY TOWER APPEARS

TO BE TOPPED BY A VIEWING PLATFORM.

WHOA.

THIS IS NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING TO SEE HERE.

Narrator: COMING UP, THE DEAD ZONE REVEALS ITS DARK STORY.

IT'S ONE OF THE WORST NATURAL DISASTERS

IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES.

Narrator: AND DISCOVERED FROM SPACE,

THE MYSTERY OF SLIME ISLAND.

Kourounis: THERE IS BASICALLY AN ISLAND

THAT MAGICALLY APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE.

**

Narrator: DRAWN BY A STRANGE GIANT GRAY STREAK

SEEN FROM THE SKIES,

GEOLOGY PROFESSOR NICK POLLOCK IS IN MISSISSIPPI.

HE'S DISCOVERED A MASSIVE CONCRETE PUZZLE MARKED WITH

CHANNELS AND A SERIES OF ABANDONED WATER PUMPS.

Pollock: DEFINITELY LOOKS LIKE

WATER WAS SUPPOSED TO FLOW DOWN HERE AT SOME POINT,

BUT WHY?

Narrator: FROM A 40-FOOT-HIGH WATCHTOWER,

IT'S POSSIBLE TO STUDY THE WINDING SHAPE OF

THE CONCRETE STRUCTURE.

Pollock: ALL THOSE CONCRETE CHANNELS --

I HAVE TO IMAGINE YOU COULD OBSERVE

THE WATER AS IT FLOWED,

ALMOST LIKE MODELING HOW

THE WATER MOVED THROUGH A RIVER SYSTEM.

THE QUESTION NOW IS WHAT RIVER WERE THEY WORKING ON?

Narrator: POLLOCK TURNS TO SATELLITE IMAGES FOR CLUES.

I'VE BEEN COMPARING IT TO

RIVER SYSTEMS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES,

AND I'M PRETTY SURE WHAT I'M LOOKING AT HERE IS

BASICALLY A SCALE MODEL OF THE ENTIRE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

Narrator: THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER STRETCHES 2,350 MILES

FROM ITS SOURCE IN LAKE ITASCA,

MINNESOTA, TO THE GULF OF MEXICO.

THE ONLY REASON THAT I CAN THINK THAT SOMEONE WOULD BUILD

SOMETHING ON THIS SCALE WOULD BE TO TRY

AND UNDERSTAND FLOODING.

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER HAS A HISTORY

OF FLOODING GOING BACK HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

Narrator: SINCE RECORDS BEGAN, THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA

HAS EXPERIENCED OVER 40 MAJOR FLOODS.

YET POLLOCK THINKS THE GIANT RIVER MODEL LIKELY HAS

ITS ORIGIN IN THE MOST CATASTROPHIC OF THEM ALL.

Pollock: PERHAPS A MODEL LIKE THIS

MAY HAVE BEEN BUILT FOLLOWING

THE 1927 GREAT FLOOD OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER,

ONE OF THE WORST NATURAL DISASTERS IN THE HISTORY OF

THE UNITED STATES.

Narrator: IN APRIL 1927, FOLLOWING MONTHS OF HEAVY RAIN,

THE MISSISSIPPI'S 1,500 MILES OF LEVEES CAN TAKE IT NO MORE.

WATER SPILLS OVER THE LAND,

ENGULFING 170 COUNTIES ACROSS SEVEN STATES.

Morgan: THERE WAS A POINT WHERE

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER WAS 70 MILES WIDE.

THE FLOOD, IN OTHER WORDS,

BASICALLY CREATED A SERIES OF SHALLOW SEAS.

THE DEVASTATION THAT IT CREATED

CHANGED THE COMPLEXION OF LIFE NOT JUST IN THE DEEP SOUTH,

BUT IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.

Narrator: THE CATACLYSMIC FLOOD COVERS AN AREA GREATER THAN

WEST VIRGINIA,

AND WHOLE TOWNS DISAPPEAR UNDER 30 FEET OF WATER.

IT FORCES 630,000 PEOPLE TO ABANDON

THEIR HOMES AND FLEE THEIR TOWNS,

THE VAST MAJORITY FROM ETHNIC MINORITIES.

Morgan: THE FLOOD AFFECTED EVERYONE

IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA,

BUT IT WAS FELT MORE BY

DARK-SKINNED PEOPLE FROM POVERTY.

Silbey: WHEN RESCUERS CAME, THEY RESCUED WHITE PEOPLE.

THEY LEFT A LOT OF

THE AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHO WERE SIMILARLY AFFECTED.

THEY REFUSED TO PULL THEM OUT.

Narrator: THE OFFICIAL DEATH TOLL OF THE GREAT FLOOD IS AROUND 250.

YET MANY HISTORIANS BELIEVE THAT THOUSANDS OF

AFRICAN-AMERICANS DIED, UNRECORDED AND UNAIDED,

THEIR BODIES BURIED IN MUD OR SWEPT OUT INTO

THE GULF OF MEXICO.

THE REASON THE GREAT FLOOD IS

SUCH A DARK PERIOD IN AMERICAN HISTORY,

IT'S NOT JUST BECAUSE THE FAILURE OF

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO CONTAIN THIS FLOOD,

BUT IT EXPOSES THE SEGREGATION IN THAT PART OF

THE UNITED STATES FOR THE UGLINESS THAT IT REALLY IS.

Narrator: THE WATERS TAKE A FULL TWO MONTHS TO SUBSIDE.

IN TODAY'S MONEY, DAMAGES TOTAL OVER $1 TRILLION.

Pollock: THIS MODEL MAY HAVE BEEN BUILT AFTER THAT

1927 FLOOD TO TRY AND BETTER PREDICT HOW FUTURE FLOODS MIGHT

AFFECT AREAS AROUND THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

Narrator: RECORDS CONFIRM THAT FOLLOWING ANOTHER FLOOD IN 1937,

PLANNING BEGINS

FOR A GIANT MODEL AIMED AT PREDICTING AND CONTROLLING

FUTURE DISASTERS.

IT'S A HUGE ENDEAVOR.

IT'S LIKE DECLARING WAR ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER,

AND WHEN YOU DECLARE WAR, YOU GOT TO CALL IN AN ARMY.

Narrator: BY THE TIME THE CONSTRUCTION BEGINS,

AMERICA IS AT WAR,

SO TO BUILD IT, THOUSANDS OF GERMAN

AND ITALIAN PRISONERS ARE PUT TO WORK.

WHAT THE ARMY DOES IS THEY BUILD CONCRETE SLABS OF

SEPARATE SECTIONS OFFSITE,

AND SO ONCE THEY'RE BUILT, THEY BRING THEM AND PUT THEM

TOGETHER LIKE A BIG JIGSAW PUZZLE.

Announcer: MINIATURE LEVEES AND EMBANKMENTS

IN THE FLOODPLAIN ARE BUILT,

SOME WITH REMOVABLE SECTIONS TO REPRESENT BREACHES

OR WASHOUTS.

[ HELICOPTER BLADES WHIRRING ]

Narrator: THE SITE TAKES 26 YEARS TO BUILD

AND METICULOUSLY RECREATES THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI RIVER

AND ITS DOZENS OF TRIBUTARIES.

Morgan: THIS MODEL IS BUILT BASED ON

41% OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

IT IS, THEREFORE, MASSIVE IN SCALE.

IF YOU ADD ALL THE LITTLE SIDE RIVULETS AND BAYOUS,

THAT'S EIGHT MILES OF WATERWAY THAT SITS IN A PARK

200 ACRES IN SIZE.

Narrator: ENGINEERS USE THE HYDRAULICALLY-OPERATED MODEL

TO SIMULATE PAST AND POTENTIAL FUTURE FLOODS

BY RUNNING DIFFERENT VOLUMES OF WATER THROUGH THE SYSTEM.

Szulgit: IT'S REALLY IMPRESSIVE HOW THIS IS DONE.

EVERY GALLON THAT PASSES THROUGH

THE MODEL REPRESENTS 1.5 MILLION GALLONS

IN THE REAL WORLD.

Announcer: FORESTED AREAS ARE SIMULATED

BY DENSELY FOLDED WIRE SCREENS.

THE FLOW OF WATER IN THE MODEL

CORRESPONDS EXACTLY TO THE ACTUAL WATERWAY

IT REPRESENTS.

Narrator: A SINGLE FLOOD SIMULATION CAN TAKE MONTHS TO RUN.

BY STUDYING HOW THE MODEL BEHAVES DURING

DIFFERENT SCENARIOS,

ENGINEERS CAN BETTER IMPLEMENT LIFESAVING ANTI-FLOOD MEASURES

THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN.

IT ALL HAS TO BE INTRICATELY DESIGNED AND PERFECTLY MATCH

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER ITSELF, BECAUSE IF YOU MAKE ONE MISTAKE

OR ONE THING'S NOT TO SCALE,

IT RENDERS THE WHOLE MODEL USELESS.

IT'S OBVIOUSLY FALLEN INTO SOME SERIOUS DISREPAIR,

BUT I HAVE TO IMAGINE THAT WHEN THIS FACILITY

WAS OPERATIONAL,

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SUPER IMPRESSIVE.

Narrator: DURING ITS 24-YEAR OPERATIONAL HISTORY,

THE 600 ENGINEERS HERE RUN 79 FULL-SCALE FLOOD SIMULATIONS.

BY 1973, ITS WORK IS DONE.

SOON, COMPUTER MODELS WILL BE USED FOR JOBS LIKE THIS.

IN THE HALF CENTURY THAT FOLLOWS, THIS EXTRAORDINARY WORK

OF ENGINEERING GENIUS

BECOMES NOTHING MORE THAN A BIZARRE SCAR

ON THE LANDSCAPE.

Pollock: THIS MODEL THAT I CAN SEE HERE TODAY,

IT'S REALLY LEFT AS A TOMBSTONE TO

WHAT ENGINEERING USED TO BE -- REAL, PHYSICAL ENGINEERING.

IT'S REALLY IMPRESSIVE.

**

COMING UP, A DISCOVERY FROM THE DAWN OF CHRISTIANITY.

HOW DID IT GET THERE? WHAT HAPPENED?

Narrator: AND MAKING RIVERS FLOW BACKWARDS WITH NUKES.

THIS IDEA WAS LITERALLY ONE OF

THE GREATEST EXAMPLES OF HUMAN ARROGANCE.

Narrator: SUMMER 2014, NORTHWEST TURKEY.

AS A RECONNAISSANCE DRONE PASSES OVER LAKE IZNIK GOLU,

IT CAPTURES THIS.

Horton: IT'S A VERY REMARKABLE IMAGE.

WE LOOK AT SOMETHING

SUBMERGED UNDERNEATH THE WAVES.

Narrator: IMMEDIATELY, ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK

THE AERIAL FOOTAGE HAS REVEALED

SOMETHING OF IMMENSE HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE.

Janulis: IT'S JUST SITTING THERE RIGHT OFF THE COAST,

IN AN AREA THAT HAS

HISTORY THAT GOES BACK MILLENNIA.

Paul: WHAT WE SEE HERE IS CLEARLY

HUNDREDS OR EVEN THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD.

HOW DID IT GET THERE? WHAT HAPPENED?

Narrator: THE RUIN LIES CLOSE TO A CITY FOUNDED,

ACCORDING TO SOME ACCOUNTS, BY THE ARMY OF

ALEXANDER THE GREAT.

THIS IS IZNIK,

BUT IT WAS HISTORICALLY CALLED NICAEA.

THIS WAS ON THE FRONT LINES OF THE FIRST CRUSADE,

AND AN EPIC BALANCE ENSUED IN THIS AREA.

Narrator: THE BATTLE FOR NICAEA TAKES PLACE IN 1097,

WHEN POPE URBAN II

DISPATCHES A HUGE FORCE TO RECLAIM

THE MUSLIM-OCCUPIED CITY.

Paul: LOOKING AT THE STRUCTURE HERE,

WHAT WE SEE MAY BE A TOWER.

HISTORICAL RECORDS SHOW THAT NICAEA HAS A MASSIVE

FORTIFICATION WITH TOWERS,

AND THIS WAS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO THE DEFENSES.

[ BATTLE NOISES ]

Narrator: BETWEEN MAY 14th AND JUNE 19th

4,000 CRUSADER KNIGHTS

AND 25,000 INFANTRY LAUNCH ATTACK AFTER ATTACK

ON NICAEA'S WALLS.

Ryan: THEY LAY SIEGE TO THE CITY,

BUT NOTHING CAN GET THROUGH THESE THICK WALLS AND TOWERS

MANNED BY THE MUSLIM FORCES.

WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE MAY HAVE BEEN PART

OF THOSE STRONG FORTIFICATIONS THAT HELPED HOLD THE CITY.

Narrator: ARCHAEOLOGIST MARK HORTON STUDIES THE IMAGE.

HE'S NOT CONVINCED IT'S A FORTIFICATION.

THERE ARE TWO AISLES ON EITHER SIDE,

AND THEN A RECTANGULAR ROOM

AT THE FAR END, AND THIS IS THE SORT OF ANTECHAMBER.

WHAT THIS CLEARLY IS IS A CHURCH.

Narrator: HORTON THINKS THE CHURCH'S LAYOUT INDICATES

THAT IT DATES FROM THE DAWN

OF CHRISTIANITY IN THIS REGION,

MORE THAN 1,500 YEARS AGO.

SO WHAT I THINK WE HAVE HERE

IS A ROMAN BASILICA.

A ROMAN BASILICA IS THE NAME GIVEN TO THESE EARLY

CHRISTIAN CHURCHES THAT WERE BEING DEVELOPED IN

THE FOURTH CENTURY.

Narrator: FOR MANY CENTURIES, ROMANS WORSHIPPED

A HOST OF PAGAN GODS AND GODDESSES

AND BRUTALLY PERSECUTED FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST.

[ THROAT SINGING ]

BUT FOLLOWING A VISION OF THE CRUCIFIXION IN 312 A.D.,

EMPEROR CONSTANTINE BECOMES CHRISTIAN

AND CALLS FOR A GREAT MEETING AT NICAEA.

THE CITY OF NICAEA IS WHERE ALL

THE CHRISTIAN BISHOPS ASSEMBLE TO HAMMER OUT

CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE,

WHAT WE CALL THE NICENE CREED.

EVEN TODAY, THEY'RE RECITED WORD FOR WORD IN CHRISTIANITY.

Narrator: THE WORDS OF THE CREED BEGIN WITH,

I BELIEVE IN ONE GOD,

THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH.

THEY ARE SOME OF THE MOST FAMOUS IN HISTORY.

THE DISCOVERY FUELS SPECULATION THAT THIS IS

THE VERY SITE THEY WERE FIRST SPOKEN.

WE HAVE TO LOOK AT NICAEA AND SAY,

HERE IS WHERE CHRISTIANITY, IN A WAY, WAS FORMALIZED.

THIS IS A REALLY CRITICAL PLACE IN THE HISTORY

OF CHRISTIANITY.

Narrator: UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGISTS HEAD OUT ONTO

THE LAKE TO STUDY THE ANCIENT CHURCH.

THEY FIND OUT THAT THE WALLS AND THE FLOOR DON'T LINE UP.

LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE SEVERAL LAYERS HERE,

AND THAT BASILICA IS QUITE POSSIBLY BUILT ON TOP OF

AN EVEN OLDER STRUCTURE.

Hunt: MIGHT THERE BE

A PAGAN TEMPLE UNDERNEATH THE CHRISTIAN BASILICA?

Narrator: ROMAN RECORDS CONFIRM THE PRESENCE

OF A TEMPLE OUTSIDE THE WALLS

OF NICAEA DEDICATED TO THE GOD APOLLO.

Janulis: APOLLO IS OF THE MORE SIGNIFICANT GODS

IN THE ROMAN PANTHEON.

HE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH LIGHT AND HEALING AND JUSTICE.

Narrator: AFTER CONSTANTINE SEES HIS VISION,

THE ROMANS CONVERT OR DESTROY PAGAN TEMPLES,

AND ON THEIR RUINS ARE BUILT THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCHES.

IT'S ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY THINGS IN

THE ANCIENT WORLD,

THE RAPIDITY WITH WHICH CHRISTIANITY BECAME NOT JUST

LEGAL BUT BECAME THE STATE RELIGION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

Narrator: IN GRECO-ROMAN RELIGIONS,

APOLLO'S ALLY, THE GOD POSEIDON,

IS THE CREATOR OF FLOODS AND BRINGER OF DESTRUCTION.

IN 740 A.D., AN EARTHQUAKE RAZES

THE CHURCH, AND IT'S SWALLOWED BY RISING WATERS.

IT REMAINS IN POSEIDON'S REALM FOR ALMOST 1,300 YEARS,

UNTIL IT IS REDISCOVERED ONCE MORE FROM THE HEAVENS.

IT'S A PHYSICAL EMBODIMENT OF THE LAYERS OF HISTORY THAT

HUMANS HAVE LIVED OVER TIME,

AND FINDING IT WAS ONLY POSSIBLE THANKS TO THIS

INCREDIBLE ADVANCEMENT IN AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY.

Narrator: COMING UP, PUTIN'S SECRET WAR ON AMERICA.

LET'S FACE IT -- DE-STABILIZING

THE UNITED STATES IS FOREMOST AMONG HIS AIMS.

Narrator: AND EARTH'S SUBTERRANEAN ZOMBIES.

IF THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE AN ALIEN SPECIES,

I DON'T KNOW WHAT DOES.

Narrator: JUNE 23, 2018.

FLYING OVER SOUTHERN SIBERIA,

THE GeoEye-1 SATELLITE CAPTURES THIS IMAGE.

Carter: THIS IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER RIVER I'VE EVER SEEN,

LIKE A ZIPPER HOLDING TWO SIDES OF THE FOREST TOGETHER.

Ruben: IT'S ALMOST LIKE TETRIS PIECES.

THERE IS NO RIVER THAT SHOULD BE SHAPED LIKE THIS.

Narrator: THE BIZARRE ZIPPER RIVER STRETCHES FOR FIVE MILES.

Munoz: LOOKING AT THE IMAGE, IT REALLY SEEMS LIKE THIS

WAS AN ATTEMPT TO MANIPULATE

THE DIRECTION OF THE RIVER ITSELF.

AND KNOWING WHERE IT'S BEEN TAKEN,

IT REMINDS ME OF A WATER

ENGINEERING PROJECT KNOWN AS THE NORTHERN RIVER REVERSAL.

Narrator: 70% OF RUSSIA'S RIVERS FLOW INTO THE ARCTIC,

BUT WHERE THE WATER IS REALLY NEEDED

IS IN THE AGRICULTURAL SOUTH.

SO, DURING THE COMMUNIST ERA, THE REGIME DECIDES, IN EFFECT,

TO ALTER THE WHOLE GEOGRAPHY OF RUSSIA.

WHAT THE RUSSIANS WERE ESSENTIALLY TRYING TO DO WAS

REVERSE MILLENNIA

OF EVOLUTION TO IRRIGATE WHAT'S KNOWN AS

THE RUSSIAN BREAD BASKET.

Morgan: THE COLD WAR PRODUCES A LOT OF CRACKPOT IDEAS,

AND THIS MIGHT BE THE KING OF THEM ALL.

RIVERS OBVIOUSLY FLOW FROM HIGH GROUND TOWARD LOW GROUND,

AND TO ASK A RIVER TO DO OTHERWISE SEEMS LIKE A THEATER

OF THE ABSURD.

BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SOVIET UNION HERE.

THEY'RE NOT GOING TO SURRENDER TO MOTHER EARTH.

THEY'RE GOING TO USE NUKES.

Narrator: IN 1971, TO TEST THE FEASIBILITY OF NUCLEAR

CIVIL ENGINEERING,

SCIENTISTS DETONATE THREE ATOMIC DEVICES.

THE ULTIMATE RESULT OF THAT EXPERIMENT WAS A HUGE HOLE

LEFT IN THE GROUND

FILLED WITH WATER THAT EXUDES RADIOACTIVITY.

AND IRRADIATED WATER ISN'T SOMETHING THAT

YOU CAN USE TO GROW CROPS.

Narrator: TO REVERSE RUSSIA'S RIVERS,

SOVIET ENGINEERS SAY THEY'LL NEED 3.75 MEGATONS OF

ATOMIC BOMBS.

THAT'S LIKE 250 HIROSHIMAS.

LUCKILY FOR RUSSIA AND THE WORLD, IN 1986,

GENERAL SECRETARY MIKHAIL GORBACHEV CANCELS THE SCHEME.

Morgan: THIS IDEA WAS LITERALLY ONE OF THE GREATEST EXAMPLES OF

HUMAN ARROGANCE,

AND, IN THE END, MOTHER NATURE WON AGAINST THE SOVIET UNION.

Narrator: YET OTHER CLUES IN THE IMAGE REVEAL

THIS CAN'T BE AN ABANDONED SOVIET PROJECT.

Carter: LOOKING AT THIS ROAD, IT APPEARS

THAT SOMETHING'S BEING TRANSPORTED IN OR OUT.

Moran: IF YOU FOLLOW THE PATTERN NORTH, THERE'S A PALE RIBBON

THAT RUNS ALONGSIDE IT THAT SEEMS TO BE INCREASING IN SIZE,

AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT COULD BE FRESHLY DUG UP EARTH.

Narrator: THE MOUNDS OF EARTH ARE FAMILIAR TO GEOLOGISTS.

THESE LONG, PALE AREAS ON THE IMAGE APPEAR TO BE

TAILING PONDS,

GIANT PILES OF UNWANTED ROCK THAT ARE THE RESULT OF

AN INTENSE MINING OPERATION.

Lester: SOMETHING'S BEING TAKEN OUT OF THIS RIVER,

SOMETHING OF INTEREST, PROBABLY SOMETHING OF

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE.

AND THE QUESTION IS, WHAT ARE THEY GETTIN' HERE?

Narrator: ANALYSTS LOOK AT THE GEOLOGY OF THE REGION.

WE KNOW THAT TO THE SOUTH ARE THE ALTAI MOUNTAINS

THAT CONTAIN ROCKS RICH IN ORES OF GOLD.

OVER TIME, THE EROSION AND WEATHERING OF THESE MOUNTAINS

CONCENTRATES THE GOLD,

AND IT GETS FLUSHED DOWN THIS RIVER VALLEY.

Narrator: THE ZIPPER RIVER APPEARS TO BE

A MASSIVE GOLD DREDGING OPERATION.

Dennie: THE ZIGZAG PATTERN ON THIS IMAGE

LETS THEM CONSUME THE LARGEST VOLUME

OF RICH SEDIMENT THAT THEY CAN AS THEY MOVE ALONG THE RIVER.

Narrator: RUSSIA WILL SOON BE THE LARGEST PRODUCER OF GOLD

ON THE PLANET,

AND IT'S ALSO ACQUIRING HUGE AMOUNTS OF THE PRECIOUS METAL

FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

UNDER PRESIDENT PUTIN'S RULE, THE COUNTRY'S

GOLD RESERVES HAVE EXPANDED MORE THAN SIXFOLD.

RUSSIA IS DIGGING FOR MORE AND MORE GOLD.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE PUTIN IS ON A GOLD SPREE.

Carter: VLADIMIR PUTIN IS VERY SMART.

WHILE HE'S BUYING GOLD BY THE BOATLOAD,

HE'S ACTUALLY DUMPING THE U.S. DOLLAR,

AND THAT'S SOMETHING VERY SINISTER.

[ VOICES OVERLAPPING ]

Narrator: AN ASSAULT ON AMERICAN-LED WESTERN CAPITALISM COULD

BEGIN WITH A SECRET WAR TO UNDERMINE THE DOLLAR.

EVERY U.S. DOLLAR IS BACKED BY

THE FULL FAITH AND CREDIT OF THE UNITED STATES.

MANY COUNTRIES HAVE PURCHASED U.S. DOLLARS

TO BUOY THEIR OWN CURRENCY.

RUSSIA'S ACTUALLY BUCKING THAT TREND.

THEY'RE BUYING GOLD BULLION,

TRYING TO TURN THE SYSTEM THAT'S BEEN IN PLACE FOR DECADES

ON ITS HEAD.

Narrator: SOME ANALYSTS FEAR THAT IF

INTERNATIONAL CONFIDENCE IN THE DOLLAR

WEAKENS AND THE CURRENCY BOTTOMS OUT,

THE WORLD WILL TURN TO GOLD.

IF PUTIN WERE TO SUCCEED IN MORTALLY WOUNDING

THE U.S. DOLLAR, THAT COULD SHIFT

THE POWER FROM THE WEST TO RUSSIA,

AND, LET'S FACE IT, DE-STABILIZING

THE UNITED STATES PSYCHOLOGICALLY,

MILITARILY, AND FINANCIALLY, IS FOREMOST AMONG HIS AIMS.

Narrator: THE WEIRD PATTERN SEEN FROM SPACE COULD BE

PART OF THE OPENING SALVOS IN A TERRIFYING,

MULTI-TRILLION-DOLLAR ECONOMIC WAR AGAINST THE U.S.

AND THE WEST.

Munoz: IF YOU LOOK AT THE IMAGE AGAIN, IN A WAY,

IT KIND OF REPRESENTS SORT OF PUTIN'S FINGERPRINTS

IN THIS LARGE GRAB

FOR POWER THAT RUSSIA'S CURRENTLY ENGAGED IN.

Narrator: COMING UP, THE SOUTH SEAS MAGIC ISLANDS.

THESE ISLANDS WOULD POP UP,

SCARE THE CRAP OUT OF PEOPLE, AND THEN DISAPPEAR.

Narrator: AND WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN WATCHING YOU?

Carter: FOR US, AS INDIVIDUALS,

IT'S ONE OF THE WORST THINGS WE CAN IMAGINE.

Narrator: OCTOBER 13, 2019.

AN IMAGE TAKEN HIGH OVER THE SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN

NEAR TONGA

REVEALS SOMETHING WEIRD IN THE WATERS BELOW.

THERE IS BASICALLY AN ISLAND THAT WASN'T THERE BEFORE,

ALMOST MAGICALLY APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE.

SEEMINGLY OVERNIGHT, A 1,600-FOOT-LONG MASS

HAS RISEN FROM THE SEA.

Kourounis: OF COURSE, THE QUESTION IS,

WHERE DID THIS LAND MASS COME FROM?

Narrator: TALES OF ISLANDS MAGICALLY APPEARING IN

THESE WATERS DATE BACK MANY CENTURIES.

ANCIENT SEAFARERS ACTUALLY DOCUMENTED WHEN THEY WOULD

SEE NEW LAND BEING FORMED.

THESE ISLANDS WOULD POP UP,

SCARE THE CRAP OUT OF PEOPLE, AND THEN DISAPPEAR.

THE LOCALS HERE REFER TO THESE ISLANDS AS

THE PLACE THAT JUMPS BACK AND FORTH.

Narrator: THESE CRAZY MYTHS HAVE NOW BEEN CONFIRMED BY

SATELLITE IMAGERY.

Kourounis: CLEARLY, THIS ISN'T SOME OPTICAL ILLUSION

OR TRICK OF THE EYE.

THIS IS A REAL ISLAND.

Narrator: THE FIRST EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS OF SOMETHING WEIRD

HAPPENING IN THESE WATERS COME FROM DECEMBER 2014.

YOU'VE GOT PEOPLE WATCHING AS

THE OCEAN LITERALLY COMES TO LIFE.

Dennie: IT EXPLODES. IT'S VIOLENT.

THE ENTIRE WATER COLUMN IS

HEAVED UPWARD AS IT FLASHES TO STEAM.

Narrator: AN UNDERSEA VOLCANO ERUPTS,

SENDING AN APOCALYPTIC PLUME OF ASH,

ROCK, AND STEAM FIVE MILES INTO THE SKIES.

AND UNDER THE WAVES,

THE WORLD'S NEWEST LANDMASS IS BEING BORN.

Dennie: SOMEWHERE DEEP UNDERWATER HERE WAS A FISSURE.

THIS ERUPTION PUMPED OUT SO MUCH ROCK

THAT IT ESSENTIALLY JOINED THESE TWO ISLANDS TOGETHER.

Narrator: IN OCTOBER 2018,

A TEAM OF NASA SCIENTISTS HEADS TO THE ISLAND.

WHEN THEY REACH SHORE,

WHAT THEY FIND BAFFLES THEM.

THEY'RE EXPECTING TO FIND BLACK SANDY BEACHES,

BUT INSTEAD THEY ENCOUNTER THIS SLUDGY, MUCUSY

KIND OF SUBSTANCE.

Narrator: A TWO-INCH-THICK CARPET OF SLIME

SPROUTING PLANT LIFE COVERS

MUCH OF THE SLOPES AROUND THE VOLCANO.

Phoenix: THERE'S A LOT OF UNKNOWNS ABOUT THIS SLIME,

AND WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHERE IT CAME FROM.

THE QUESTION IS, COULD THIS BE SOME SORT OF

PRIMORDIAL OOZE THAT'S COME UP FROM SOME DEEP PLACE?

Narrator: THIS RAISES A FRIGHTENING POSSIBILITY.

THIS COULD MEAN THAT THIS SLIME IS ALIVE.

I KNOW IT CAN SEEM IMPOSSIBLE, BUT WE ACTUALLY FIND LIFE AT

PLACES AROUND THE GLOBE,

INCLUDING UP TO A MILE UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE OF

THE OCEAN, NEAR VOLCANIC VENTS.

Narrator: UNDER THE EARTH'S SURFACE,

THERE IS A VAST HIDDEN WORLD OF ORGANISMS.

SCIENTISTS CALL THESE SUBTERRANEAN CREATURES

DEEP LIFE,

AND THERE IS UP TO 25 BILLION

TONS OF THEM LIVING IN OUR PLANET'S DEPTHS.

Phoenix: THEY ARE SOME OF THE OLDEST LIFE FORMS ON EARTH.

THEY FLOURISH IN THE MOST INHOSPITABLE,

HARSH CONDITIONS YOU CAN THINK OF.

THEY ARE TRULY THE SUPERHEROES OF THE BIOLOGY WORLD.

Narrator: SOMETIMES CALLED ZOMBIE CREATURES,

THESE ORGANISMS ENDURE EXTREME CONDITIONS BY EXISTING

IN A TRANCE-LIKE STATE.

THE LATEST RESEARCH SUGGESTS THESE ZOMBIE CRITTERS

ARE A SNAPSHOT

OF HOW LIFE FIRST EVOLVED SOME 3.7 BILLION YEARS AGO.

Kourounis: THEY LIVE UNDER INTENSE PRESSURES

AND INCREDIBLE HEAT AND SURVIVE

BY METABOLIZING THESE CHEMICALS THAT ARE PRODUCED BY

THE VOLCANO.

IF THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE AN ALIEN SPECIES,

I DON'T KNOW WHAT DOES.

Narrator: VOLCANIC ACTIVITY IN OUR DISTANT PAST

MAY HAVE PROVIDED THE HEAT AND GASES NECESSARY

FOR THE CREATION OF AMINO ACIDS,

THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE.

Phoenix: WHETHER IT'S VOLCANIC VENTS OR IT'S UNDER THE CRUST ITSELF,

THOSE ARE THE AREAS WHERE WE'RE MOST LIKELY TO FIND

THE KEY TO UNRAVELING WHERE LIFE BEGAN ON EARTH.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THIS SLIME BROUGHT UP FROM THIS VOLCANO

POTENTIALLY COULD BE AN ANCESTOR OF

OLD LIFE FORMS ON EARTH?

IN THIS CASE, I DON'T THINK THAT IS TRUE.

THEY WOULD PROBABLY BE DESTROYED DURING

THE MASSIVE EXPLOSION

THAT CAUSED THE ISLAND TO FORM TO BEGIN WITH.

Narrator: BUT THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S PUZZLING

ABOUT THIS WEIRD LANDMASS.

Kourounis: AN INTERESTING THING THAT HAPPENS WITH NEW ISLANDS IS

THEY DON'T LAST VERY LONG

AND SWIFTLY GET ERODED BY THE POWER OF THE SEA.

BUT THIS ISLAND, IT'S VERY PERSISTENT.

IT'S CLINGING ON.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GIVING IT THE ABILITY TO STICK AROUND.

IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE FIND OUT,

BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND YET.

Narrator: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, THE FIRST OF ITS TYPE DISCOVERED

DURING THE SATELLITE ERA,

HAS MANY MORE SECRETS TO REVEAL.

COMING UP, STONE GHOST, THE SUPERCOMPUTER STEALING

YOUR SECRETS.

THIS CONTAINS SOME OF THE MOST ADVANCED

COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY FOUND ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

Narrator: JUNE 1, 2018.

A SATELLITE PASSING OVER NEW SOUTH WALES,

AUSTRALIA, CAPTURES THIS IMAGE.

Ruben: IT IS REALLY STRANGE.

I MEAN, IT'S A -- IT'S ORDINARY FARMLAND.

BUT THEN IN THE MIDDLE IS THIS CIRCLE

WITH A LOT OF STRANGE SHAPES RADIATING OFF OF IT.

Narrator: THE ISOLATED STRUCTURE MEASURES SEVERAL

THOUSAND SQUARE FEET.

ONE OF THINGS THAT IT DOES ACTUALLY REMIND ME OF IS

SOMETHING IN PRISONS,

SORT OF CENTRAL AREA FOR A GUARD SURROUNDED BY SPOKES RADIATING

OUT WHERE THE PRISONERS MIGHT BE.

Narrator: MILITARY HISTORIAN, DAVID SILBEY,

TURNS TO AUSTRALIAN PENAL RECORDS.

DURING WORLD WAR II, THE ALLIES ACTUALLY BUILT

A PRISONER OF WAR CAMP

IN NEW SOUTH WALES THAT LOOKS VERY SIMILAR

TO THIS STRUCTURE.

AUSTRALIA BUILDS THE COWRA INTERNMENT CAMP TO HOUSE 4,000

PRISONERS OF WAR IN 1941, MOST OF WHOM ARE JAPANESE.

ACCORDING TO THE PLANS, THE CAMP WAS SEPARATED

INTO DIFFERENT AREAS,

SO THEY SEGREGATED THE PRISONERS INSIDE

THEIR OWN AREA OF THE CAMP.

THE JAPANESE PRISONERS THINK IT WAS SHAMEFUL TO

BE TAKEN PRISONER AND HELD IN CAPTIVITY.

Narrator: ON AUGUST 5, 1944, 1,104 JAPANESE

POWs ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE THE COWRA CAMP,

THE LARGEST BREAKOUT IN MILITARY HISTORY.

THESE PRISONERS ARE NOT MESSING AROUND.

THEY ARM THEMSELVES WITH WHATEVER THEY

CAN USE TO ATTACK THE GUARDS.

THE AUSTRALIAN GUARDS RESPOND WITH NO TOLERANCE.

Narrator: DURING THE JAIL BREAK,

231 PRISONERS AND FOUR GUARDS ARE KILLED.

Wawro: MAYBE THIS KIND OF RADIAL CONSTRUCTION

WITH A FACILITY AT THE END

OF THE SPOKES MIGHT HAVE BEEN TO HOLD PRISONERS OF

DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES.

Narrator: BUT OTHER ANALYSTS REVEAL THAT

THE FACILITY SERVES A DIFFERENT PURPOSE.

THERE APPEARS TO BE SOMETHING RIGHT IN THE CENTER

OF THAT BUILDING THAT LOOKS LIKE IT IS BEING PROTECTED.

Moran: YOU CAN SEE A FAINT LINE OF SHADOW RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE.

THIS SUGGESTS THAT THERE'S SOME KIND OF TALL,

NEEDLE-LIKE STRUCTURE, PROBABLY A RADIO MAST.

Narrator: LOCAL LAND RECORDS INDICATE

THE MYSTERY STRUCTURE SITS ON MILITARY-CONTROLLED LAND.

JOURNALIST SARA CARTER DIGS DEEPER.

THIS ACTUALLY BELONGS TO THE AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE FORCE

AND CONTAINS SOME OF

THE MOST ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

FOUND ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

Narrator: CARTER LEARNS THE GOVERNMENT

BUILDS THE COMPLEX IN 2001,

PURPORTEDLY TO RELAY MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS.

YET A 2013 INVESTIGATION BY UNDERCOVER JOURNALISTS

REVEALS IT SERVES A SECONDARY PURPOSE.

WHAT THEY DISCOVERED WAS THAT IT WAS PART OF AUSTRALIA'S

DEFENSE SIGNALS DIRECTORATE,

WHICH IS BASICALLY THEIR SPY AGENCY THAT

INTERCEPTS COMMUNICATIONS.

THE SITE IS PART OF THE FIVE EYES ALLIANCE,

A HIGHLY CLANDESTINE NETWORK ESTABLISHED

IN 1946 AND OPERATED TODAY BY AUSTRALIA, THE U.S., CANADA,

NEW ZEALAND, AND THE U.K.

THE FIVE EYES WAS SO SECRETIVE

THAT NOBODY KNEW OF ITS EXISTENCE UNTIL 2010.

Moran: THE NAME COMES FROM THE NOTION

THAT THESE FIVE NATIONS WILL BE

THE ONLY ONES WHO HAVE EYES ON THE INFORMATION

THAT THEY'RE SHARING AMONG THEMSELVES.

Narrator: INTELLIGENCE SUGGESTS THE AGENCY SHARES

INFORMATION VIA A COMPUTER SYSTEM

CODE-NAMED "STONE GHOST."

Moran: AS WE GET MORE TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED,

WE HAVE MORE AND MORE PERVASIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE

WAYS OF COLLECTING WHAT WE CALL

SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE LISTENING IN.

Narrator: DOCUMENTS LEAKED BY EX-NSA CONTRACTOR,

EDWARD SNOWDEN, REVEAL STONE GHOST'S TERRIFYING CAPABILITIES.

THEY SUGGEST FIVE EYES ARE

USING THE SUPERCOMPUTER TO HACK INTO OVER 50,000

GLOBAL NETWORKS

AND HARVEST COMMUNICATIONS

AND DATA BELONGING TO PRIVATE CITIZENS.

ALL OF THIS INFORMATION IS REALLY BEING HOOVERED UP BY

INTELLIGENCE SOURCES AS THEY LOOK

FOR THAT NEEDLE IN THE HAYSTACK THAT'S GOING TO

POINT TO SOME KIND OF IMMINENT THREAT.

Narrator: THE SNOWDEN DOCUMENTS CLAIM FIVE EYES OPERATIVES

CAN SNOOP ON THE PERSONAL EMAILS

AND MESSAGES OF 3.5 BILLION

SMARTPHONE OWNERS WORLDWIDE.

Carter: FOR US AS INDIVIDUALS,

IT'S POSSIBLY ONE OF THE WORST THINGS WE CAN IMAGINE,

BECAUSE WE THINK, WELL,

OUR GOVERNMENTS HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO SPY ON US

SO EASILY.

Narrator: THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT DENIES THAT

THE STRANGE SIGHT REVEALED

FROM SPACE IS ENGAGED IN ESPIONAGE AGAINST THE PUBLIC.

Moran: INSTALLATIONS LIKE THIS SITE ARE NECESSARILY SECRET.

THEY HAVE TO BE, BECAUSE WE'RE GRAPPLING

WITH SO MANY REAL THREATS.

THE SCARY CRUX OF IT, THOUGH, IS

WHO'S WATCHING THE WATCHMEN?