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[narrator] How could
the weather in space
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00:00:04,833 --> 00:00:08,067
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
[narrator] What secrets
of America's nuclear past
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00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:21,567
lie in the frozen waters
of Greenland?
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00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,167
The fact that people
haven't realized what it was...
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00:00:25,233 --> 00:00:27,167
is mind-blowing.
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00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,700
[narrator] And who is to blame
when a bag of human hands
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00:00:30,733 --> 00:00:33,533
is found on the banks
of a Siberian river?
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00:00:34,567 --> 00:00:37,500
Who are these people?
Whose hands are they?
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00:00:41,167 --> 00:00:44,833
[Jeremy] The underwater
realm is another dimension.
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00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:48,967
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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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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The vast majority of our ocean is
unobserved, unmapped, and unexplored.
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[Jeremy] It's a dangerous
frontier that swallows evidence...
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You have nowhere to run.
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[Jeremy]...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 --> 00:02:04,433
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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00:02:15,500 --> 00:02:19,167
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 --> 00:02:31,333
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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[Michael] 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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[Jeremy] Four days
into her journey,
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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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[Beverly]
How did this happen?
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How come no one came
to the rescue right away?
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Who's to blame?
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00:03:22,167 --> 00:03:25,433
We're still searching for
answers more than 100 years later.
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00:03:27,233 --> 00:03:31,633
[Jeremy] An inquiry begins into
what went so tragically wrong.
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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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[Jeremy] Can Lord Mersey's
newly-disclosed writings
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finally expose the truth?
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00:04:04,867 --> 00:04:07,833
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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[Jeremy] This finding was made
public in the initial investigation.
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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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This puts pressure
on the bulkheads.
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[Jeremy] The journals give us new
insight into how the ship sank so quickly.
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But the full story of how the
collision happened is still a mystery.
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Then, a scientific discovery
in 2020
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gives rise to
a completely new theory,
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something that has never
been considered before.
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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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[Michael] Many of the people
who were rescued said,
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"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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[Jeremy] 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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[Jeremy] 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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[Colin] The magnetic
field guides these particles
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towards the north
and the south poles.
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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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[Jeremy] 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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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 --> 00:07:03,600
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 --> 00:07:08,100
space weather is right up there.
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[Jeremy] So, extreme weather conditions
in space can wreak havoc on Earth.
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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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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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[Jeremy] Could a similar event
have contributed
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to the sinking
of the world's greatest ship?
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00:07:45,900 --> 00:07:47,733
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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If you were sitting on a ship
in the middle of the ocean,
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a wobble to the magnetic field could
make it look like north was somewhere else.
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00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:07,533
[Jeremy] Could the
geomagnetic storm that night
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have affected
the ship's compass so much
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00:08:09,933 --> 00:08:13,200
that it changed
the Titanic's intended course?
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00:08:20,300 --> 00:08:23,100
[Jeremy] By studying the
space weather from that night,
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00:08:23,133 --> 00:08:25,633
Mila made a vital breakthrough.
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00:08:33,667 --> 00:08:36,167
[Jeremy] Most major
solar storms occur
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00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:41,100
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 --> 00:08:49,700
Something else has also been
recently discovered,
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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 --> 00:09:02,500
Sun spots are areas on the Sun where
the magnetic field is much stronger.
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00:09:02,533 --> 00:09:08,767
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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[Jeremy] Is this further evidence
that an intense solar storm
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00:09:17,700 --> 00:09:20,367
played a decisive role
in the tragedy?
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00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:23,867
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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Were there people on the American
West Coast, Alaska, and Norway
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00:09:32,700 --> 00:09:34,900
seeing the same thing?
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00:09:34,933 --> 00:09:39,067
[Jeremy] 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 --> 00:09:45,333
Sensors in Alaska, Canada,
and Scotland
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all are disturbed around
the time of the sinking.
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So, this celestial event was strong
enough to be detected everywhere.
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But did it have
a critical influence
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on the reliability
of the Titanic's compass?
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[Mila speaking]
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[Jeremy] Mila believes that if the
compass was just 0.5 degrees off,
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it could've altered
the Titanic's course,
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and therefore, how it
collided with the iceberg.
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[Beverly] The ship hits
the iceberg on the side,
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and six of the 16 compartments
are damaged.
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If three of the watertight
compartments had been damaged,
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it might have survived.
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00:10:34,233 --> 00:10:36,600
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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00:10:42,867 --> 00:10:46,000
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 --> 00:11:05,066
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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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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in the rescue ship, Carpathia,
finding the survivors.
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Was this a celestial savior
to those in need of rescue?
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23:40 hours, April 14th, 1912.
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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
[Beverly] 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
[Jeremy] If the geomagnetic storm
did affect the Titanic's compass,
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00:12:00,233 --> 00:12:02,900
it could have contributed
to this false reading,
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00:12:02,933 --> 00:12:05,700
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 --> 00:12:14,633
Yet, bizarrely, one ship,
the RMS Carpathia,
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00:12:14,667 --> 00:12:17,600
manages to locate
the stricken lifeboats.
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00:12:17,633 --> 00:12:21,267
How could this be possible if
they received the wrong location?
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00:12:28,633 --> 00:12:31,067
[Jeremy] 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 --> 00:12:38,167
accidentally leading them
straight to the lifeboats.
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00:13:02,067 --> 00:13:05,900
[Jeremy] If the Carpathia had not
been affected by the compass variation,
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00:13:05,933 --> 00:13:09,900
it could've missed the
lifeboats by six nautical miles.
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Because of this,
the Carpathia saves
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00:13:17,067 --> 00:13:20,300
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 --> 00:13:27,700
on why more boats didn't come
to the Titanic's aid?
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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 --> 00:13:49,867
[Jeremy]
Many ships that night
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00:13:49,900 --> 00:13:51,900
record abnormal malfunctions
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00:13:51,933 --> 00:13:53,633
of their
communication equipment.
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00:13:55,333 --> 00:13:58,133
[Simon] 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 --> 00:14:07,633
[Beverly] Baltic couldn't
hear the Mount Temple,
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00:14:07,667 --> 00:14:08,800
but it could communicate
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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
[Michael] The Mount Temple
responds to the SOS,
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00:14:15,900 --> 00:14:19,333
but the Titanic
doesn't get the call.
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00:14:19,367 --> 00:14:22,333
[Jeremy] What dealt the
definitive blow to the Titanic
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00:14:22,367 --> 00:14:26,533
with its 2200 people on board
will continue to confound us.
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00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:29,567
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.
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00:14:34,867 --> 00:14:36,367
It was
just another strike for it.
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00:14:37,667 --> 00:14:40,400
I guess once you say
you have an unsinkable ship,
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00:14:42,067 --> 00:14:44,100
the universe
is gonna turn against you
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00:14:44,133 --> 00:14:46,600
and try to sink ya
at whatever the cost.
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00:14:53,733 --> 00:14:56,067
Every year eight million tons
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00:14:56,100 --> 00:14:58,533
of trash ends up in our oceans.
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00:15:01,067 --> 00:15:04,333
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,
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00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,800
a bag of frozen hands.
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00:15:09,833 --> 00:15:13,267
Where it came from and how
it ended up on this icy beach
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00:15:13,300 --> 00:15:16,667
puzzles locals
and scientists alike.
217
00:15:19,167 --> 00:15:22,633
The Amur river
in the South-East of Siberia,
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00:15:22,667 --> 00:15:25,300
19 miles from
the border with China.
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00:15:26,133 --> 00:15:28,533
On March 8th, 2018,
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00:15:28,567 --> 00:15:32,167
a fisherman
makes a grim discovery.
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00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:34,733
He sees a hand
coming out of the snow...
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00:15:37,067 --> 00:15:39,967
[Jeremy] He searches for clues
as to where it has come from
223
00:15:40,067 --> 00:15:42,800
and makes
an even more disturbing find.
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00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:46,333
When he goes
to investigate it further,
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00:15:46,367 --> 00:15:49,367
he finds 53 more hands.
226
00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:52,400
[Jeremy] The severed,
frozen hands are spilling out
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00:15:52,433 --> 00:15:54,467
of an unmarked bag.
228
00:15:54,500 --> 00:16:00,367
It is not a good day if you stumbled
upon a bag full of frozen hands.
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00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:04,367
[Jeremy] This gory find
sparks intense speculation.
230
00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:09,867
Why would somebody
have a bag of frozen hands?
231
00:16:09,900 --> 00:16:14,667
Who are these people?
Whose hands are they?
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00:16:14,700 --> 00:16:18,767
[Jeremy] Incredibly, body parts
washing up on shores around the world
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00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:20,633
is not a new phenomenon.
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00:16:22,667 --> 00:16:26,667
There were cases
of feet showing up
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00:16:26,700 --> 00:16:28,300
on the coastline in Canada...
236
00:16:29,667 --> 00:16:33,533
15 feet have been found
over 12 years.
237
00:16:33,567 --> 00:16:36,667
[Jeremy] Investigations reveal
the feet have become severed
238
00:16:36,700 --> 00:16:38,267
from the decomposing bodies
239
00:16:38,300 --> 00:16:41,100
of accidental deaths
or suicides,
240
00:16:41,133 --> 00:16:43,167
kept intact by the sneakers
241
00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:45,233
that acted
as floatation devices.
242
00:16:48,467 --> 00:16:51,367
Unique ocean currents
in this wild and remote area
243
00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:53,700
push them all onto
a small strip of shore
244
00:16:53,733 --> 00:16:54,933
in British Columbia.
245
00:16:57,233 --> 00:17:00,100
Can the same science
help pin-point where
246
00:17:00,133 --> 00:17:04,800
the gruesome bag of hands
started its Siberian journey
247
00:17:04,833 --> 00:17:07,933
and lead investigators
to the people responsible?
248
00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:11,233
[Beverly] Were they
brought there?
249
00:17:11,267 --> 00:17:13,567
Did they go through the water?
250
00:17:13,600 --> 00:17:17,867
You could have a, sort of, going
along the bottom in a slower manner
251
00:17:17,900 --> 00:17:20,600
versus the speed at which
it would probably travel
252
00:17:20,633 --> 00:17:21,667
if it stayed on the surface.
253
00:17:22,700 --> 00:17:24,300
[Jeremy] How the bag travelled
254
00:17:24,333 --> 00:17:27,400
would also depend
on the Siberian climate.
255
00:17:27,433 --> 00:17:31,267
[Rob] The water around the
island where the bag was found,
256
00:17:31,300 --> 00:17:35,433
wouldn't have been
fully flowing until April.
257
00:17:35,467 --> 00:17:40,200
So there could be ice jams which
could raise the level of the river...
258
00:17:41,833 --> 00:17:44,467
All of these little pieces
of information and clues
259
00:17:44,500 --> 00:17:47,800
can help
to reconstruct their history.
260
00:17:47,833 --> 00:17:49,567
[Jeremy] Whether
the bag washed ashore
261
00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:52,733
the previous spring
and was then buried under snow
262
00:17:52,767 --> 00:17:57,600
or just travelled a short distance
more recently is unknown.
263
00:17:57,633 --> 00:18:01,567
But this doesn't stop some people
jumping to sinister conclusions.
264
00:18:03,533 --> 00:18:07,900
Clearly they were
collected and put together.
265
00:18:07,933 --> 00:18:11,433
[Jeremy] As the story
breaks wild rumors circulate.
266
00:18:12,700 --> 00:18:14,233
[Peter] This location
is 19 miles
267
00:18:14,267 --> 00:18:16,067
from where the river
borders with China.
268
00:18:17,067 --> 00:18:19,367
Is this the work
of Russian or Chinese mafia?
269
00:18:21,767 --> 00:18:22,767
Could it be evidence
270
00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:25,800
of limbs cut off
to hide their identities?
271
00:18:37,300 --> 00:18:39,567
When a bag of frozen hands
272
00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:41,967
washes up from a Siberian river
273
00:18:42,067 --> 00:18:44,066
there's intense speculation
274
00:18:44,067 --> 00:18:47,067
that organized
crime syndicates are involved.
275
00:18:48,233 --> 00:18:50,533
They're infamous
for disposing their victims
276
00:18:50,567 --> 00:18:54,100
in the watery depths
of rivers and oceans.
277
00:18:54,133 --> 00:18:57,933
However, authorities discount
the controversial theory
278
00:18:57,967 --> 00:18:59,400
and announce that the hands
279
00:18:59,433 --> 00:19:02,267
have come from
a local forensics lab.
280
00:19:02,300 --> 00:19:06,300
It's a claim that
raises even more suspicion.
281
00:19:08,833 --> 00:19:12,133
Russian investigators assert
that the hands were severed
282
00:19:12,167 --> 00:19:13,900
during routine autopsies
283
00:19:13,933 --> 00:19:15,500
and kept for evidence.
284
00:19:16,933 --> 00:19:19,933
Why would the hands
even need to be retained?
285
00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:23,933
[Lisa] In some cases when
a dead body is discovered
286
00:19:23,967 --> 00:19:26,400
and you're
unable to identify it,
287
00:19:26,433 --> 00:19:29,200
medical examiners
will retain one of their hands
288
00:19:29,233 --> 00:19:31,233
to hold on to the fingerprints.
289
00:19:31,267 --> 00:19:32,633
This way they hope to be able
290
00:19:32,667 --> 00:19:35,233
to identify them in the future.
291
00:19:35,267 --> 00:19:37,100
Why wouldn't you
just do the fingerprints
292
00:19:37,133 --> 00:19:39,233
with the hands
still attached to the body?
293
00:19:41,500 --> 00:19:44,066
[Jeremy] Forensic labs
elsewhere in the world
294
00:19:44,067 --> 00:19:46,633
have been known
to hold on to body parts.
295
00:19:47,733 --> 00:19:50,267
London in 1989,
296
00:19:50,300 --> 00:19:53,233
in a tragic accident
the Marchioness, pleasure boat
297
00:19:53,267 --> 00:19:57,066
collides with a dredger
on the river Thames and sinks.
298
00:19:57,067 --> 00:19:58,567
51 people are killed.
299
00:20:00,967 --> 00:20:03,067
[Lisa] More than 20 hands
of the victims
300
00:20:03,100 --> 00:20:06,567
of the Marchioness
are severed and retained.
301
00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:09,567
These hands should have been
returned to their rightful owners
302
00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:12,767
and buried along with
the rest of the human remains.
303
00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:14,767
[Jeremy] The hands from
the Marchioness disaster
304
00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:18,167
and the 54 frozen hands
found in Siberia
305
00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:19,833
do have something in common.
306
00:20:21,500 --> 00:20:23,700
They've all been
immersed in water.
307
00:20:25,700 --> 00:20:28,900
You can get expansion
and changes to the skin
308
00:20:28,933 --> 00:20:33,300
that's going to alter
what the prints looked like.
309
00:20:33,333 --> 00:20:35,700
So, to be able to fingerprint
310
00:20:35,733 --> 00:20:39,133
a hand that's gone through
that type of decomposition
311
00:20:39,167 --> 00:20:40,400
is very difficult.
312
00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:44,300
[Jeremy] At the time
of the Marchioness disaster
313
00:20:44,333 --> 00:20:47,800
fingerprinting is the main way
to identify a dead body.
314
00:20:49,433 --> 00:20:51,500
And the only lab
that has the equipment
315
00:20:51,533 --> 00:20:54,133
to take prints
from water-logged hands
316
00:20:54,167 --> 00:20:55,767
has limited storage.
317
00:20:58,367 --> 00:21:00,267
However 30 years later
318
00:21:00,300 --> 00:21:03,133
when the Siberian
frozen hands are discovered,
319
00:21:03,167 --> 00:21:05,300
forensic methods have moved on.
320
00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:10,567
We don't need to sever hands
any more to identify who someone is.
321
00:21:13,900 --> 00:21:16,400
[Jeremy] Today
DNA analysis and other tools
322
00:21:16,433 --> 00:21:19,467
tell us so much more
than fingerprints can.
323
00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:22,567
Radiocarbon dating can be used
324
00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:26,233
to determine when
an individual lived and died.
325
00:21:26,267 --> 00:21:29,200
Stable isotope analysis
allows us to determine
326
00:21:29,233 --> 00:21:31,067
the kinds of things
that they ate.
327
00:21:31,100 --> 00:21:33,067
While strontium isotope analysis
328
00:21:33,100 --> 00:21:35,067
can tell us where they grew up.
329
00:21:36,633 --> 00:21:38,733
[Jeremy] Why would
the frozen hands be removed
330
00:21:38,767 --> 00:21:41,133
when advances
in forensic investigation
331
00:21:41,167 --> 00:21:43,367
means it's no longer necessary?
332
00:21:44,733 --> 00:21:46,867
Storing a body
takes up a lot of space
333
00:21:46,900 --> 00:21:51,767
and it's quite costly in a morgue
or facility that has refrigeration.
334
00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:56,066
So, instead storing
a single hand is much easier
335
00:21:56,067 --> 00:21:57,367
and cost effective.
336
00:21:59,067 --> 00:22:01,567
[Jeremy] If they were
retained for identification
337
00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:04,500
why are they
then found abandoned in a bag?
338
00:22:05,833 --> 00:22:08,833
This is not the way
they dispose of human remains
339
00:22:08,867 --> 00:22:10,133
in any circumstance.
340
00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:13,300
[Jeremy] A day
after the discovery,
341
00:22:13,333 --> 00:22:14,467
in a bizarre twist,
342
00:22:14,500 --> 00:22:17,067
the official narrative
is refuted.
343
00:22:18,900 --> 00:22:22,533
Both the forensic authorities
and the disposal company
344
00:22:22,567 --> 00:22:25,167
strongly deny any involvement.
345
00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:28,667
They claim their last disposal
was made in 2015.
346
00:22:30,900 --> 00:22:33,200
[Jeremy] Who severed
the hands and why
347
00:22:33,233 --> 00:22:35,533
may never be fully proven
348
00:22:35,567 --> 00:22:36,833
but is there still a chance
349
00:22:36,867 --> 00:22:39,067
of finding out
who they belong to?
350
00:22:40,133 --> 00:22:42,367
DNA is
particularly well preserved
351
00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:44,100
in very cold climates.
352
00:22:44,133 --> 00:22:46,700
Some of the best preserved DNA
we've ever discovered
353
00:22:46,733 --> 00:22:48,533
has come from
the Siberian region.
354
00:22:48,567 --> 00:22:50,867
Even in the case
of ice age animals.
355
00:22:50,900 --> 00:22:53,467
So there's every chance
that this DNA will lead us
356
00:22:53,500 --> 00:22:54,667
to who these people are.
357
00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:58,300
[Jeremy] What
the genetic tests could reveal
358
00:22:58,333 --> 00:23:02,333
and if they will even be
undertaken is still unknown.
359
00:23:02,367 --> 00:23:04,267
And there's still
one big obstacle
360
00:23:04,300 --> 00:23:06,467
to finally solving this puzzle.
361
00:23:07,300 --> 00:23:09,400
If these people aren't on record
362
00:23:09,433 --> 00:23:13,667
and nobody's actively looking for
them this could remain a mystery.
363
00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:26,100
In the early hours
of Sunday, May 31st, 2020,
364
00:23:26,133 --> 00:23:28,667
the megaton oil tanker, Willowy,
365
00:23:28,700 --> 00:23:30,533
is sailing in the South Atlantic
366
00:23:30,567 --> 00:23:33,167
when it puts out
an urgent mayday call.
367
00:23:34,533 --> 00:23:35,833
They've lost control
368
00:23:35,867 --> 00:23:38,233
and they're spinning in circles.
369
00:23:38,267 --> 00:23:39,733
Other ships in the area
370
00:23:39,767 --> 00:23:44,567
are reported to be experiencing
the same bizarre rotating.
371
00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:45,833
What could be causing
372
00:23:45,867 --> 00:23:49,067
this inexplicable
nautical nightmare?
373
00:23:53,967 --> 00:23:57,133
[Rob] The ship carrying
thousands of tons of crude oil
374
00:23:57,167 --> 00:23:59,066
starts spinning in a circle.
375
00:23:59,067 --> 00:24:00,767
[siren blaring]
376
00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:03,400
They lost control.
377
00:24:03,433 --> 00:24:06,333
[Jeremy] Confusion erupts
on the bridge as the captain
378
00:24:06,367 --> 00:24:09,667
desperately tries
to get back on course.
379
00:24:09,700 --> 00:24:12,500
You would be
in a huge state of panic...
380
00:24:12,533 --> 00:24:15,667
It's devastation
waiting to happen.
381
00:24:15,700 --> 00:24:18,833
[Jeremy] What's even more
frightening for the crew of the Willowy
382
00:24:18,867 --> 00:24:20,233
is that four other ships
383
00:24:20,267 --> 00:24:23,533
are reported to be
sailing in circles nearby.
384
00:24:24,967 --> 00:24:27,667
The potential
for destruction is terrifying.
385
00:24:28,700 --> 00:24:30,133
If they don't fix it,
386
00:24:30,167 --> 00:24:32,300
they could
well converge and crash.
387
00:24:34,533 --> 00:24:37,600
[Jeremy] How is it possible
for five gigantic vessels
388
00:24:37,633 --> 00:24:40,800
to be turning in circles
in the middle of the ocean?
389
00:24:42,233 --> 00:24:44,600
To have so many ships
at one time
390
00:24:44,633 --> 00:24:47,667
having the same
human errors seems quite odd.
391
00:24:47,700 --> 00:24:51,533
Perhaps there's some sort of
other physical force at play.
392
00:25:00,500 --> 00:25:03,967
[Jeremy] 300 miles
off the coast of South Africa
393
00:25:04,067 --> 00:25:06,400
the crew
of the oil tanker, Willowy,
394
00:25:06,433 --> 00:25:08,500
are desperately
searching for a reason
395
00:25:08,533 --> 00:25:12,567
as to why they have suddenly
started turning in circles,
396
00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:15,800
dangerously close
to four other ships.
397
00:25:15,833 --> 00:25:18,400
[Alexander] At first
the senior officers assumed
398
00:25:18,433 --> 00:25:19,567
that it's sea currents.
399
00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:24,267
That the oceans itself
are moving the ships around.
400
00:25:24,300 --> 00:25:26,467
[Jeremy] Could the answer
behind this mystery
401
00:25:26,500 --> 00:25:29,133
be down to the sheer power
of the water?
402
00:25:30,567 --> 00:25:34,633
[Lisa] Ocean currents may have
contributed to its spinning a bit.
403
00:25:34,667 --> 00:25:36,167
It's unlikely
that ocean currents
404
00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:39,267
could make
a ship spin continuously.
405
00:25:39,300 --> 00:25:41,267
[Jeremy] With the strength
of the ocean currents
406
00:25:41,300 --> 00:25:44,800
unlikely to be causing these
bizarre nautical rotations,
407
00:25:44,833 --> 00:25:48,667
what else might be behind
this terrifying event?
408
00:25:50,367 --> 00:25:53,100
[Lisa] The ocean
is quite a lawless place.
409
00:25:53,133 --> 00:25:56,066
[Jeremy] Could a new
growing criminal activity
410
00:25:56,067 --> 00:25:57,067
be responsible?
411
00:25:58,067 --> 00:25:59,733
The more connected we are
412
00:25:59,767 --> 00:26:02,167
to the internet
and international systems,
413
00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:05,067
the more likely we are
to experience hacking.
414
00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:09,733
Could someone have
remotely hijacked the ship?
415
00:26:09,767 --> 00:26:13,400
[Jeremy] Hackers can manipulate
a vessel's navigational tools
416
00:26:13,433 --> 00:26:16,900
by overriding its GPS signal.
417
00:26:16,933 --> 00:26:19,733
[Alexander] You are feeding
false data to the ship,
418
00:26:19,767 --> 00:26:23,233
so it thinks
it's doing a correct heading.
419
00:26:23,267 --> 00:26:25,066
It's going in the right way.
420
00:26:25,067 --> 00:26:27,133
So, if you can fool them,
421
00:26:27,167 --> 00:26:29,100
then the ship will go
where you want it to go.
422
00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:33,433
[Jeremy] It's an illegal
practice called spoofing.
423
00:26:34,633 --> 00:26:35,733
But why would hackers
424
00:26:35,767 --> 00:26:39,533
want to manipulate
the Willowy's GPS?
425
00:26:39,567 --> 00:26:44,267
[Rob] An oil tanker could
potentially be the target of spoofing
426
00:26:44,300 --> 00:26:48,300
to alter its course for some
sort of nefarious purpose,
427
00:26:48,333 --> 00:26:52,300
say for example, to run a vessel
aground in a narrow straight.
428
00:26:52,333 --> 00:26:56,133
[Jeremy] The 57,000 tons
of crude oil on the Willowy
429
00:26:56,167 --> 00:27:00,067
could be worth
more than $11 million.
430
00:27:00,100 --> 00:27:05,433
Are criminals trying to reroute it in
an attempt to steal the valuable cargo?
431
00:27:07,500 --> 00:27:09,467
Piracy has not gone away.
432
00:27:09,500 --> 00:27:15,533
It's often connected with large,
multinational criminal organizations.
433
00:27:15,567 --> 00:27:17,500
Huge organizations which have
434
00:27:17,533 --> 00:27:19,300
a lot of money,
a lot of resources...
435
00:27:20,300 --> 00:27:23,800
[Jeremy] In 2020,
GPS data appears to show
436
00:27:23,833 --> 00:27:27,767
more megaton cargo ships
spinning out of control
437
00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:30,367
with scientific investigator,
SkyTruth,
438
00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:34,200
revealing a strange case
of Point Reyes, California.
439
00:27:34,233 --> 00:27:39,167
The data shows many circles, which are
supposed to be the paths of different ships.
440
00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:43,467
[Jeremy] The team monitoring the Californian
data believe these tracks are possibly
441
00:27:43,500 --> 00:27:47,967
the result of large-scale,
GPS manipulation
442
00:27:48,067 --> 00:27:50,333
designed to undermine
a tracking network
443
00:27:50,367 --> 00:27:54,500
called Automatic
Identification System, or AIS.
444
00:27:56,167 --> 00:27:58,767
[Helen] It's a system
that ships have to have now
445
00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:00,567
to track where they are.
446
00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:04,367
It means you can finally see
who's doing what.
447
00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:08,067
[Jeremy] Until AIS started
monitoring criminal activity,
448
00:28:08,100 --> 00:28:11,067
the sea was much
harder to police.
449
00:28:11,100 --> 00:28:15,167
[Rob] There is piracy, there's
illegal contraband smuggling.
450
00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:19,367
There is human trafficking,
there's the trading in arms.
451
00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:22,333
It's really a Wild West.
452
00:28:22,367 --> 00:28:25,800
So, obviously, there is a huge
interest by a lot of criminals
453
00:28:25,833 --> 00:28:29,567
in subverting these systems.
454
00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:34,233
[Jeremy] Extreme manipulation of the
AIS system has also been investigated
455
00:28:34,267 --> 00:28:37,367
along the Chinese coast in 2019,
456
00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:42,167
when the GPS of hundreds of
ships mysteriously malfunctioned.
457
00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:46,567
All of them reportedly close to
valuable targets for criminals.
458
00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:51,500
This seems to often occur near
oil ports and refinery facilities.
459
00:28:52,833 --> 00:28:55,967
[Jeremy] Is this evidence that
powerful entities are determined
460
00:28:56,067 --> 00:29:01,467
to distort the GPS of ships in
order to conceal criminal activity.
461
00:29:01,500 --> 00:29:07,533
International states are engaging in
hacking of all forms more and more.
462
00:29:07,567 --> 00:29:10,700
So there's every chance that
international superpowers
463
00:29:10,733 --> 00:29:12,867
could be responsible
for GPS spoofing.
464
00:29:14,933 --> 00:29:18,200
[Jeremy] No one knows for sure
who is behind the spoofing
465
00:29:18,233 --> 00:29:20,867
of the Chinese
and American coasts.
466
00:29:22,367 --> 00:29:27,300
But is the Willowy a victim
of GPS manipulation.
467
00:29:27,333 --> 00:29:32,100
Where the oil tanker was
sailing may give a tantalizing clue.
468
00:29:32,133 --> 00:29:35,433
[Rob] There's less patrols,
there's less scrutiny on that route.
469
00:29:35,467 --> 00:29:39,367
So it would be much easier to hijack
a vessel off the west coast of Africa
470
00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:42,233
than it would off the coast
of Europe, for example.
471
00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:46,533
[Jeremy] After urgent
investigation, the crew of the Willowy
472
00:29:46,567 --> 00:29:49,867
in communication
with officials on shore
473
00:29:49,900 --> 00:29:54,067
come to a conclusion as to what
is behind this bizarre behavior,
474
00:29:54,667 --> 00:29:57,267
the ship's gyro compass.
475
00:29:57,300 --> 00:30:00,667
It's one of the systems
which the ship relies on
476
00:30:00,700 --> 00:30:04,133
in order to maintain
a steady course.
477
00:30:04,167 --> 00:30:06,100
The gyro compass is wrong.
478
00:30:07,533 --> 00:30:10,167
It's not calibrating.
479
00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:12,567
[Jeremy] If it fails,
it could cause exactly
480
00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:15,400
the issues which the Willowy
is experiencing,
481
00:30:15,433 --> 00:30:19,367
potentially resulting
in a crash with a nearby ship.
482
00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:22,600
Luckily, they avoid
a collision by switching
483
00:30:22,633 --> 00:30:24,867
to their secondary gyro compass.
484
00:30:24,900 --> 00:30:28,100
And for further measure, they
then continue on their route
485
00:30:28,133 --> 00:30:31,800
using an old-fashioned
magnetic compass.
486
00:30:31,833 --> 00:30:35,467
[Jeremy] But the failed gyro
compass on the Willowy doesn't explain
487
00:30:35,500 --> 00:30:39,100
why the four other ships
are reportedly spinning.
488
00:30:39,133 --> 00:30:42,900
Could a startling new discovery
in the area they are sailing in
489
00:30:42,933 --> 00:30:45,700
hold the key
to unlocking this mystery?
490
00:30:55,667 --> 00:31:00,067
The south Atlantic, where
the Willowy and four other ships
491
00:31:00,100 --> 00:31:02,933
are at risk from
a looming menace,
492
00:31:02,967 --> 00:31:06,667
one that's hidden from view,
but growing by the day.
493
00:31:08,533 --> 00:31:12,900
The planet and everyone on it is
protected from the sun's deadly radiation
494
00:31:12,933 --> 00:31:15,600
by the Earth's magnetic field.
495
00:31:15,633 --> 00:31:20,533
But scientists have detected a
localized weakening of this vital shield.
496
00:31:20,567 --> 00:31:23,833
It's called the South
Atlantic Anomaly.
497
00:31:23,867 --> 00:31:27,700
The South Atlantic Anomaly is
an anomaly over the South Atlantic,
498
00:31:27,733 --> 00:31:29,167
but in space.
499
00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:31,100
[Michael] The anomaly
allows the sun's radiation
500
00:31:31,133 --> 00:31:34,900
to penetrate deeper into
the Earth's atmosphere.
501
00:31:34,933 --> 00:31:38,767
[Jeremy] Between Chile and
Zimbabwe, the earth's protective shield
502
00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:43,800
has deteriorated six percent
in just 50 years.
503
00:31:43,833 --> 00:31:50,167
And the ships reported to be
spinning are located directly below.
504
00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:56,066
Could the extra radiation leaking into our
atmosphere be affecting their navigation?
505
00:31:56,067 --> 00:31:58,467
[Colin] Above the regions
of the South Atlantic Anomaly,
506
00:31:58,500 --> 00:32:01,066
we can have some problems
with maybe detection
507
00:32:01,067 --> 00:32:04,167
of the signals from the
satellite, accuracy of the signals.
508
00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:06,433
And that's because the medium
between the ground
509
00:32:06,467 --> 00:32:08,467
and the satellite
has been affected.
510
00:32:09,667 --> 00:32:11,433
[Michael] It's not out of
the realm of possibility
511
00:32:11,467 --> 00:32:15,467
that this could have affected
the ships near the Willowy.
512
00:32:15,500 --> 00:32:20,233
[Jeremy] And this growing dent in the
Earth's magnetic field could be a sign
513
00:32:20,267 --> 00:32:23,667
of something potentially
catastrophic for the planet.
514
00:32:23,700 --> 00:32:27,133
Collapse of the Earth's magnetic field
would basically allow all the radiation
515
00:32:27,167 --> 00:32:30,066
which is ejected from the sun
to hit the surface of the Earth
516
00:32:30,067 --> 00:32:31,833
without any form of defense.
517
00:32:33,133 --> 00:32:36,200
Without it, we're doomed.
It's that simple.
518
00:32:41,267 --> 00:32:42,267
[sonar ping]
519
00:32:44,733 --> 00:32:47,400
Deep below the surface
of the Pacific Ocean,
520
00:32:47,433 --> 00:32:51,067
a radioactive mystery
is unfolding.
521
00:32:51,100 --> 00:32:55,700
Throughout recent history, the testing of
nuclear weapons by the world's superpowers
522
00:32:55,733 --> 00:32:58,800
has been shrouded in secrecy.
523
00:32:58,833 --> 00:33:03,300
But scientists are now discovering
strange deep-sea creatures.
524
00:33:03,333 --> 00:33:09,233
And hidden inside them, explosive
secrets from the world's nuclear past.
525
00:33:11,633 --> 00:33:15,067
2019, the scientists find in
some of the deepest parts
526
00:33:15,100 --> 00:33:17,267
of the Pacific Ocean
something unusual.
527
00:33:18,167 --> 00:33:19,800
These are huge.
528
00:33:21,267 --> 00:33:25,833
The scientists observe that the
amphipods that are living in deep water
529
00:33:25,867 --> 00:33:29,067
are much larger than what
you see in shallower water.
530
00:33:29,100 --> 00:33:33,067
[Jeremy] And their freakish size
is not the most bizarre discovery.
531
00:33:33,933 --> 00:33:35,667
They are flooded with radiation.
532
00:33:36,900 --> 00:33:38,333
[Jeremy] How can these creatures
533
00:33:38,367 --> 00:33:42,433
dwelling in one of the most remote
places on Earth be radioactive?
534
00:33:43,500 --> 00:33:44,533
[explosion]
535
00:33:44,567 --> 00:33:49,733
Between 1946 and 1958,
the United States runs
536
00:33:49,767 --> 00:33:55,267
numerous nuclear tests in the
Marshall Islands in the Pacific.
537
00:33:55,300 --> 00:34:00,667
[Jeremy] As the Cold War escalates
and fears for American security intensify,
538
00:34:00,700 --> 00:34:05,533
scientists test nuclear weapons
for use against the Soviet Union
539
00:34:05,567 --> 00:34:07,900
over and over
in the south Pacific.
540
00:34:09,500 --> 00:34:13,500
They fundamentally believe
that the biggest possible bang
541
00:34:13,533 --> 00:34:16,567
is the biggest
possible deterrent.
542
00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:19,667
[Jeremy] It should have taken
centuries for our ocean currents
543
00:34:19,700 --> 00:34:24,200
to carry this nuclear fallout to
the deepest marine trenches.
544
00:34:24,233 --> 00:34:29,067
But it turns out the radiation
has spread much more quickly.
545
00:34:29,100 --> 00:34:35,933
Radioactive carbon is now making
its way into the marine food chain.
546
00:34:35,967 --> 00:34:39,367
[Jeremy] Science has revealed
that organisms at the sea's surface
547
00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:45,167
have been ingesting this so-called
bomb carbon since the 1950s.
548
00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:50,667
And the organic matter from these surface
organisms falls to the deepest sea beds,
549
00:34:50,700 --> 00:34:53,133
where creatures like
amphipods consume it.
550
00:34:54,133 --> 00:34:55,333
[explosion]
551
00:34:55,367 --> 00:34:58,200
[Jeremy] It's evidence that
the Cold War nuclear fallout
552
00:34:58,233 --> 00:35:00,967
could now be in every corner
of our oceans.
553
00:35:02,300 --> 00:35:05,066
But whether radioactive
material is the reason
554
00:35:05,067 --> 00:35:09,367
behind the amphipods'
extraordinary size is contested.
555
00:35:10,867 --> 00:35:13,867
Size difference could be
for a few different reasons.
556
00:35:13,900 --> 00:35:15,900
And it may not be
affecting them in any way.
557
00:35:17,733 --> 00:35:20,200
[Jeremy] In 1963,
the nuclear testing
558
00:35:20,233 --> 00:35:25,400
that created so-called radioactive
amphipods comes to an end.
559
00:35:25,433 --> 00:35:29,066
But 60 years later, on
the other side of the world,
560
00:35:29,067 --> 00:35:32,200
a discovery from deep under
the arctic ice sheet
561
00:35:32,233 --> 00:35:36,700
reveals another secret part of
America's nuclear operations.
562
00:35:39,967 --> 00:35:43,133
In 2019,
at the University of Vermont,
563
00:35:43,167 --> 00:35:47,600
climate scientist Drew Christ
makes a life-changing discovery.
564
00:35:48,700 --> 00:35:50,567
For me, as a climate scientist,
565
00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:52,567
receiving these samples
in the lab
566
00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:54,567
was like holding the Holy Grail.
567
00:35:54,600 --> 00:35:57,600
- [camera shutter clicks] - [Jeremy]
It's the remains of an ice core
568
00:35:57,633 --> 00:36:00,633
drilled from deep within
Greenland's ice sheet.
569
00:36:00,667 --> 00:36:03,833
An ice core is actually
a tube of ice
570
00:36:03,867 --> 00:36:07,700
which contains in it
sediments and bits of rock.
571
00:36:07,733 --> 00:36:10,467
[Jeremy] And this one
has a very peculiar history.
572
00:36:12,067 --> 00:36:16,167
What's so unusual about this particular
ice core is that it bounced around
573
00:36:16,200 --> 00:36:20,500
between various research institutes
around the world over a number of years.
574
00:36:20,533 --> 00:36:23,867
[Andrew] They were in these,
like, scientific cookie jars
575
00:36:23,900 --> 00:36:26,700
that had these old labels
that were written that said,
576
00:36:26,733 --> 00:36:28,667
"Camp Century's sub ice"
on them.
577
00:36:29,767 --> 00:36:32,066
[Jeremy] Camp Century
is an American military
578
00:36:32,067 --> 00:36:34,833
research base
in northern Greenland.
579
00:36:34,867 --> 00:36:38,833
But until recently, its operations
have been veiled in secrecy.
580
00:36:40,133 --> 00:36:42,667
What was its true purpose?
581
00:36:42,700 --> 00:36:45,667
And what is the significance
of the mysterious ice core
582
00:36:45,700 --> 00:36:48,900
taken from deep
beneath the camp?
583
00:36:48,933 --> 00:36:53,267
The fact that this has been
going around for nearly 40 years,
584
00:36:53,300 --> 00:36:55,600
and people haven't
realized what it was
585
00:36:57,800 --> 00:36:59,067
is mind-blowing.
586
00:37:10,067 --> 00:37:12,133
It's the height of the Cold War,
587
00:37:12,167 --> 00:37:15,167
and the two great adversaries,
America and Russia,
588
00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:20,200
are separated by only two and a
half miles at the narrowest point.
589
00:37:20,233 --> 00:37:25,667
This threat leads the US Army to undertake
one of its most secretive missions,
590
00:37:25,700 --> 00:37:29,100
25 feet under
the Greenland ice sheet.
591
00:37:30,467 --> 00:37:34,900
What does this mysterious
place deep below the frozen water
592
00:37:34,933 --> 00:37:38,800
reveal about America's
secret nuclear past,
593
00:37:38,833 --> 00:37:42,400
and, surprisingly,
the future of our planet?
594
00:37:44,367 --> 00:37:49,633
The background to this story is very
weird and kind of like science fiction.
595
00:37:49,667 --> 00:37:52,400
[Jeremy] Imagine
a network of 21 tunnels
596
00:37:52,433 --> 00:37:54,833
with a total length
of nearly two miles
597
00:37:54,867 --> 00:37:57,066
underneath Greenland's ice.
598
00:37:57,067 --> 00:38:00,067
All powered by
a nuclear reactor.
599
00:38:00,100 --> 00:38:03,300
To the public,
it's a climate research base.
600
00:38:03,333 --> 00:38:07,300
But Camp Century is actually
the location of a top secret initiative
601
00:38:07,333 --> 00:38:10,900
called Project Iceworm,
whose goal is to establish
602
00:38:10,933 --> 00:38:15,333
a missile launch site within easy
striking range of the Soviet Union.
603
00:38:15,367 --> 00:38:21,833
All hidden beneath the ice and capable
of unleashing 600 nuclear warheads.
604
00:38:24,667 --> 00:38:28,100
- How did they go about that?
- They didn't understand
605
00:38:28,133 --> 00:38:32,267
the fundamental properties
of the ice.
606
00:38:32,300 --> 00:38:37,233
[Andrew] So, they went there and
funded a lot of really incredible science
607
00:38:37,267 --> 00:38:41,367
to study what ice does.
How it behaves.
608
00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:44,267
[Jeremy] To do this,
they drill a mile down
609
00:38:44,300 --> 00:38:46,900
deep into the Greenland
ice sheet.
610
00:38:46,933 --> 00:38:52,633
They recovered all these cylinders of
ice in about 1.5 meter long segments.
611
00:38:52,667 --> 00:38:56,233
[Jeremy] And what they learn
forces them to abandon their hopes
612
00:38:56,267 --> 00:38:58,300
for a missile launching base.
613
00:39:00,100 --> 00:39:04,167
The problem is
ice is really not very stable.
614
00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:09,767
It changes, it warms up,
it melts, it solidifies.
615
00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:13,066
And it's a really bad thing
to put nuclear missiles
616
00:39:13,067 --> 00:39:15,500
on an unstable, ice surface
617
00:39:15,533 --> 00:39:19,333
that can move around, potentially
damaging those missiles.
618
00:39:19,367 --> 00:39:21,867
[Jeremy] With the added weight
of falling snow,
619
00:39:21,900 --> 00:39:26,733
tunnels that start as 20
feet wide slowly collapse.
620
00:39:26,767 --> 00:39:31,700
Sort of like when the walls in the trash
compactor scene in Star Wars happens.
621
00:39:31,733 --> 00:39:35,233
Slowly over time
it started to compress in.
622
00:39:35,267 --> 00:39:39,433
[Jeremy] But with the end of the Cold
War, America's need for a missile site
623
00:39:39,467 --> 00:39:42,700
at Camp Century
comes to an abrupt halt.
624
00:39:43,667 --> 00:39:45,167
But 60 years later,
625
00:39:45,200 --> 00:39:49,066
the discovery of the long-missing
Camp Century ice core
626
00:39:49,067 --> 00:39:53,567
warns of a new and potentially
more devastating threat.
627
00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:56,200
What else is to be revealed
about this top-secret base?
628
00:39:57,433 --> 00:39:59,999
[Jeremy] Using advanced
analytical techniques,
629
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:00,067
[Jeremy] Using advanced analytical techniques, Drew probes
the sediment at the bottom of the Camp Century ice core.
630
00:40:00,068 --> 00:40:04,100
Drew probes the sediment at the
bottom of the Camp Century ice core.
631
00:40:05,067 --> 00:40:07,367
[Dijanna]
Ice cores record history.
632
00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:12,500
They give us a little stamp on what
was happening in the atmosphere
633
00:40:12,533 --> 00:40:16,633
and the environment
at a given time in the past.
634
00:40:16,667 --> 00:40:21,733
The further down you drill into the ice,
the further back in time you are going.
635
00:40:21,767 --> 00:40:23,533
[Jeremy] What Drew finds
at the bottom
636
00:40:23,567 --> 00:40:26,800
of this time capsule
is truly mind-blowing.
637
00:40:28,300 --> 00:40:29,867
[camera shutter clicking]
638
00:40:29,900 --> 00:40:31,867
It was one of
the eureka moments.
639
00:40:31,900 --> 00:40:34,100
I thought that that didn't
happen to scientists.
640
00:40:34,133 --> 00:40:36,167
I thought that was just something
that happened in movies.
641
00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:39,333
[Jeremy] In the sediment
are traces of plant fossils,
642
00:40:39,367 --> 00:40:45,533
proving that within the last million
years, Greenland was once ice free.
643
00:40:45,567 --> 00:40:51,433
For the first time, we saw just
how dynamic Earth's climate can be,
644
00:40:51,467 --> 00:40:53,633
um, and how quickly
it could change.
645
00:40:53,667 --> 00:40:57,467
We knew that this was a new
chapter in the story of Camp Century.
646
00:40:58,733 --> 00:41:01,066
[Jeremy] This discovery
proves that Greenland
647
00:41:01,067 --> 00:41:03,066
is more susceptible
to climate change
648
00:41:03,067 --> 00:41:04,667
than we previously thought.
649
00:41:05,733 --> 00:41:08,833
It's not a case of
if the ice sheet is melting,
650
00:41:09,567 --> 00:41:10,667
but how fast.
651
00:41:10,700 --> 00:41:11,933
[camera shutter clicking]
652
00:41:11,967 --> 00:41:15,567
[Jeremy] The ice core
exposes a very real threat
653
00:41:15,600 --> 00:41:19,700
to all those people who live along
the coasts of the world's oceans.
654
00:41:20,933 --> 00:41:23,533
[Andrew] It's a massive store
of frozen water
655
00:41:23,567 --> 00:41:26,067
that can raise sea level
as much as seven meters.
656
00:41:28,533 --> 00:41:31,967
As a scientist, this sort of
information is really fascinating,
657
00:41:32,067 --> 00:41:36,067
but of course, as a citizen and a human
living on this planet, it's horrifying.
658
00:41:39,167 --> 00:41:41,400
[Jeremy] All this from
a scientific analysis
659
00:41:41,433 --> 00:41:44,433
of a long-forgotten
ice core sample.
660
00:41:44,467 --> 00:41:49,233
And the discovery of the
microscopic evidence hidden inside.
661
00:41:49,267 --> 00:41:52,367
[Rob] Camp Century has
been invaluable for science,
662
00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:55,200
but not in the way
that it was intended.
663
00:41:55,233 --> 00:41:58,300
[Jeremy] The legacy of US
nuclear ambitions in Greenland
664
00:41:58,333 --> 00:42:02,333
reveals a critical and
unexpected truth about our oceans,
665
00:42:02,367 --> 00:42:08,233
one that may help scientists help us
combat the threat of climate change.
54811
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