Original subtitles

♪♪

Narrator: NASA'S MISSION IS TO EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE UNIVERSE

IS A TINY FRACTION OF WHAT'S ACTUALLY OUT THERE.

Narrator: IN THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS,

IT LAUNCHES ITS SCIENTISTS INTO SPACE.

IT'S CRAFT BEYOND THE LIMITS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S OUT THERE.

Hey, what is that?

THERE MIGHT BE DANGERS LURKING IN THE DARKNESS.

WE RUN ACROSS MORE MYSTERIES THAN DISCOVERIES.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S GOING TO THROW AT US NEXT.

Narrator: THE CREW OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

FACE A CRISIS NO ONE SEES COMING.

270 MILES ABOVE EARTH

WITHOUT THEIR PLANNED RIDE HOME --

THAT'S A SCARY THOUGHT.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS UNCOVER POSSIBLE EVIDENCE

OF AN ALIEN PRESENCE IN OUR SEAS.

IT'S THE FIRST SEQUENCE GENOME FROM SOMETHING LIKE AN ALIEN.

Narrator: AND NASA GEOLOGISTS FIND CLUES

TO WHAT TRIGGERS THE ANNIHILATION

OF NEARLY ALL LIFE ON EARTH.

WE HAVE WHAT IS ALMOST A PERFECT STORM

TO CREATE MASS EXTINCTION ON EARTH.

Narrator: THESE ARE "NASA'S UNEXPLAINED FILES."

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

A WITNESS REPORTS A STRANGE OBJECT

HOVERING IN THE NIGHT SKY OVER VIRGINIA.

WHEN THE WITNESS IS A NASA ENGINEER,

WELL, YOU SIT UP AND PAY ATTENTION.

THE SIGHTING REMAINS UNEXPLAINED FOR ALMOST HALF A CENTURY.

I MEAN, WHAT WAS THAT THING? WHAT WAS IT?

Narrator: CAN NEWLY DECLASSIFIED NASA DOCUMENTS

FINALLY SOLVE THE MYSTERY?

6 P.M...

HAMPTON, VIRGINIA.

DAVID CRIMMINS IS AN 11-YEAR-OLD SCHOOLBOY

DRIVING HOME WITH HIS FATHER.

WE WERE IN THE CAR, AND WE PULLED INTO OUR DRIVEWAY.

THE DOOR WAS HALF OPEN, AND HE STOPPED.

AND HE WAS STARING THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD.

DAD SAID, "GO GET THE BINOCULARS."

BECAUSE HE DID NOT WANT TO TAKE HIS EYES OFF IT.

IT'S A MILE. A GOOD MILE AWAY. IT WAS FLYING.

YOU COULD DEFINITELY SEE THE LIGHTS VERY CLEARLY.

THEY BLINKED IN SEQUENCE.

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE.

AS CRIMMINS DESCRIBES IT, RED AND ORANGE LIGHTS

ON WHAT APPEARS TO HIM TO BE A ROTATING DISK.

AND THEN IT GETS EVEN MORE BIZARRE.

THIS THING ACTUALLY LANDS.

Narrator: IN MANY WAYS, THE HAMPTON INCIDENT

IS JUST ANOTHER U.F.O. SIGHTING,

BUT DAVID'S FATHER IS NO ORDINARY WITNESS.

MY FATHER WAS A SERVICE ENGINEER.

HE WORKED AT LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE AT NASA.

HE BASICALLY NEW THE EXOTIC, ADVANCED EQUIPMENT

THAT NASA USED AND HE COULD GET INTO IT,

FIGURE IT OUT, FIX IT, MAKE IT WORK.

WHEN YOU HAVE A NASA EMPLOYEE REPORTING A U.F.O.,

ESPECIALLY OVER A MILITARY OR GOVERNMENT INSTALLATION,

THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO REPORT IT.

THE U.S. AIR FORCE LAUNCHES

ITS OWN INVESTIGATION INTO THE HAMPTON INCIDENT.

THE AIR FORCE PUT FORTH A THEORY THAT THE OBJECT

THAT WAS SEEN WAS ACTUALLY AN H-3 SEA KING HELICOPTER.

YOU CAN SEE THESE AT NIGHT TIME

WHERE THE BLADE ACTUALLY GIVES OFF

SOME ELECTRIC DISCHARGE.

YOU CAN SEE THE COLORS LIKE A LASER

JUST GOING BACK AND FORTH AND BACK AND FORTH.

BUT THE AIR FORCE EXPLANATION

DOESN'T FIT WITH CRIMMINS' WITNESS

REPORT OF A SILENT CRAFT.

THIS JUST DOESN'T ADD UP.

THE FACT THAT HE AIR FORCE SAID THAT IT WAS AN H-3 SEA KING,

FIRST OF ALL, THE HELICOPTER MAKES A TON OF NOISE.

WE LISTENED, YOU KNOW, HOWEVER HARD YOU CAN LISTEN.

AND NO, WE COULDN'T HEAR ANYTHING.

HE SAID, "IN MY MIND, NOW I KNOW FOR SURE IT'S NOT A HELICOPTER."

Narrator: CRIMMINS PUSHES THE INVESTIGATION FURTHER.

AFTER BEING INTERVIEWED BY THE AIR FORCE,

CRIMMINS ACTUALLY GETS IN TOUCH WITH N.I.C.A.P.

N.I.C.A.P., THE LEADING U.F.O. INVESTIGATION GROUP

AT THAT TIME, OPENS AN INVESTIGATION.

AND THIS IS WHEN THINGS GET REALLY INTERESTING.

Narrator: N.I.C.A.P. INVESTIGATORS

SUGGEST THE LOCATION OF CRIMMINS SIGHTING

COULD PROVIDE AN EXPLANATION.

IN THE VICINITY OF WHERE THESE TWO WITNESSES

HAD THEIR SIGHTING, IS LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE.

COULD THERE HAVE BEEN SOME SECRET TESTING THERE

THAT WOULD EXPLAIN THEIR SIGHTING?

THE AIR FORCE AT THAT TIME,

WAS BUILDING WHAT WE CALLED PROJECT 1794.

AND THIS WAS THEIR FIRST ATTEMPT AT BUILDING

AN ACTUAL FLYING SAUCER.

AT THE TIME OF THE SIGHTING,

PROJECT 1794 WAS DESIGNATED TOP-SECRET.

BUT IN OCTOBER 2012,

THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE RELEASED

DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTATION.

ACCORDING TO THE DOCUMENTS,

THE CRAFT WOULD HAVE HAD A TOP SPEED OF MACH 4

WITH A CEILING OF OVER 100,000 FEET.

Narrator: THEORETICALLY, THE FLYING SAUCER

WOULDHAVE BEEN ABLE TO PERFORM

THE INCREDIBLE MANEUVERS WITNESSES DESCRIBED.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF V.T.O.L.,

VERTICAL TAKEOFF AND LANDING.

BUT EVIDENCE FROM ANOTHER

U.S. MILITARY FLYING SAUCER PROGRAM,

SUGGESTS SUCH A CRAFT WOULD HAVE BEEN HARD TO BUILD.

THE MILITARY DID BUILD A PROTOTYPE CRAFT

CALLED THE AVROCAR.

BUT IT NEVER MOVED BEYOND THE POINT OF BEING ABLE TO FLY

JUST A FEW FEET INTO THE AIR.

THE PLUG GETS PULLED ON THE AVROCAR PROJECT IN 1960.

WELL, THAT'S FIVE YEARS EARLIER.

SO THAT CAN'T BE THE EXPLANATION.

FOR ALMOST FIVE DECADES

THE HAMPTON INCIDENT REMAINS UNSOLVED.

BUT IN 2012 N.I.C.A.P. INVESTIGATORS UNCOVER DOCUMENTS

THAT COULD OFFER A NEW LEAD.

OUR DRIVEWAY THAT WE PULLED INTO ON WINDMILL POINT,

FACES STRAIGHT ACROSS THIS PLACE CALLED PLUM TREE ISLAND.

NOW, PLUM TREE ISLAND WAS THIS VERY DARK, SCARY PLACE.

IT WAS GOVERNMENT PROPERTY.

IT USED TO BE A BOMBING RANGE, WE WERE TOLD.

Narrator: THE DOCUMENTS REVEAL PLUM TREE ISLAND

WAS ALSO THE SITE

OF HIGHLY CLASSIFIED NASA SPACECRAFT TESTS.

IN THE MID 1960s, NASA WOULD HAVE BEEN DOING

DROP TESTS ON THE GEMINI AND APOLLO SPACECRAFT...

...WHICH INVOLVES LIFTING IT UP

WITH SOME SORT OF CRANE OR A HELICOPTER

AND THEN DROPPING IT DOWN TO TEST LANDING IN WATER,

CRASH LANDING ON THE EARTH,

PARACHUTE TESTS, THINGS LIKE THAT.

SOME OF THESE TESTS WERE DONE IN SECRET.

I MEAN, REMEMBER, IN ALL OF THIS,

AMERICA WAS STILL IN THE RACE TO GET TO THE MOON FIRST.

Narrator: BUT EVEN IF NASA WAS CONDUCTING

SECRET DROP TESTS AT PLUM TREE ISLAND,

THE SPACECRAFT WOULD NOT BE CAPABLE

OF THE MANEUVERS THE U.F.O. PERFORMED.

OKAY. I MEAN, PLUM TREE ISLAND

WOULD HAVE BEEN A FINE PLACE TO DO THAT.

BUT THIS THING WASN'T DROPPING.

YOU KNOW, IT WAS HOVERING.

SURELY NASA ENGINEERS

WOULD HAVE SEEN A DROP TEST BEFORE

AND WOULDN'T MISTAKE THE CAPSULE FOR SOMETHING TRULY UNKNOWN.

Narrator: 50 YEARS ON, DAVID CRIMMINS

IS STILL SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS

TO THE MYSTERY THAT BAFFLED HIS FATHER.

WE ALL HAVE MEMORIES THAT WE CAN IDENTIFY,

YOU KNOW, IN VERY SPECIFICALLY AND IN VIVID TERMS.

THAT'S ONE OF THEM FOR ME.

WE'LL PROBABLY NEVER KNOW WHAT THOSE TWO SAW.

THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS HERE.

Narrator: COMING UP, FBI AGENTS FIND CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS

AT THE HOME OF A NASA SCIENTIST.

HIGHLY PRIZED SECRETS ARE ALL DOWN THERE IN BLACK AND WHITE.

AND THEY'RE ALL FOR SALE.

Narrator: AND NASA ASTRONAUTS STRANDED

ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

ARE RUNNING OUT OF FOOD AND OXYGEN.

THE EXPEDITION 6 CREW HAD TO COME HOME.

THE QUESTION IS, HOW?

♪♪

Narrator: THE FBI ARRESTS A NASA ROCKET SCIENTIST.

THIS IS A MAN WHO WANTED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS

TO SELL OUT HIS COUNTRY.

HAS NASA FALLEN VICTIM TO AN ESPIONAGE OPERATION

FROM A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT?

Narrator: FBI AGENTS INVESTIGATE

NASA DEFENSE SCIENTIST STEWART NOZETTE.

THE FEDS SUSPECT THIS EXCEPTIONAL SCIENTIST

IS DEFRAUDING THE GOVERNMENT OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.

THEY HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE

THAT NOZETTE HAS BEEN BILLING FRAUDULENTLY FOR THINGS

THAT HAVE NO BEARING ON HIS WORK.

HE WAS DEFRAUDING THE GOVERNMENT OF MONEY

THAT HE USED TO BUILD A SWIMMING POOL,

TO PAY FOR VACATIONS, OTHER RELATED EXPENSES.

AND THEY RAID HIS HOUSE FOR THAT KIND OF EVIDENCE.

Narrator: AGENTS FIND PROOF OF FRAUD.

BUT THEY FIND SOMETHING EVEN MORE SINISTER.

AMONG ALL OF NOZETTE'S RECEIPTS, THEY FIND CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS,

DOCUMENTS HE SHOULD NOT HAVE AT HIS HOME.

THE FBI SUSPECTS THEY'VE STUMBLED UPON SOMETHING BIG.

WELL, NOZETTE, HE HAD A CAREER

THAT COVERED THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE,

THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY. THEN HE ALSO WORKED FOR NASA,

WORKED AT THE WHITE HOUSE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.

AND HE HAD ACCESS TO CLASSIFIED INFORMATION

AT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

HE WORKED ON SOME OF THE GOVERNMENT'S

MOST SENSITIVE PROGRAMS, NUCLEAR PROGRAMS,

ANTI-BALLISTIC MISSILE PROGRAM, THE STAR WARS PROGRAM.

SUDDENLY, WHAT STARTED AS A ROUTINE FRAUD INVESTIGATION

HAS TAKEN A SINISTER TURN.

AND WE'RE IN THE TERRITORY OF ESPIONAGE.

Narrator: FBI AGENTS RUN A FORENSIC EXAMINATION

OF NOZETTE'S HARD DRIVES

TO SEE WHERE THE SECRETS COULD BE GOING.

THEY FIND AN E-MAIL IN WHICH HE OFFERS

TO SELL HIGHLY CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS

TO THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT.

ISRAEL IS A LONG-STANDING ALLY TO THE UNITED STATES.

BUT EVEN FRIENDS KEEP SECRETS FROM EACH OTHER.

IT SHOULDN'T BE A SURPRISE, UNDERSTAND,

THAT SPYING, EVEN BETWEEN ALLIES, GOES ON.

NO INTEL SERVICE COMPLETELY OPENS UP THE KIMONO

TO ANOTHER INTEL SERVICE.

WE'RE NOT GOING TO GIVE THEM THE CROWN JEWELS

OF AMERICAN NUCLEAR AND AIR DEFENSE SECRETS.

SO THEY'RE TRYING TO GET IT FROM US.

ISRAEL WANTS STATE-OF-THE-ART MISSILE ATTACK

AND DEFENSE CAPABILITIES TO PROTECT ITSELF.

IRAN, A NEIGHBOR IN THE MIDDLE EAST,

HAVE SAID THEY WANT TO WIPE IT OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH.

AND ISRAEL WOULD LIKE COUNTER MEASURES

TO PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING.

NOZETTE KNOWS THAT THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT

WANTS THIS SORT OF MATERIAL.

SO HE THINKS, "THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT I CAN SELL TO."

Narrator: THE FBI NEEDS TO CATCH HIM IN THE ACT.

AGENTS TRAIL HIM TO A SECRET RENDEZVOUS.

NOZETTE MEETS WITH SOMEONE

THAT HE BELIEVES TO BE FROM ISRAELI INTELLIGENCE.

HE THINKS THIS IS A MOSSAD AGENT.

IT'S NOT.

THIS PERSON IS AN FBI OFFICER.

Narrator: THE ENTIRE MEETING IS AN FBI STING.

AND NOZETTE TAKES THE BAIT.

NOZETTE STARTS TO BOAST.

EFFECTIVELY, HE SAYS,

"ANYTHING AMERICA HAS DONE IN SPACE,

"I KNOW ABOUT.

YOU WANT IT, I CAN SELL IT TO YOU."

Narrator: NOZETTE'S FBI HANDLER ARRANGES

A TIME AND PLACE FOR A DEAD LETTER DROP.

THE AGENT DEMANDS SPECIFIC DETAILS

OF HIGHLY CLASSIFIED SATELLITE

AND EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGIES.

JUST 14 DAYS LATER, NOZETTE DELIVERS.

THE FBI ARE STUNNED.

IT'S LIKE THE CROWN JEWELS ARE BEING OFFERED.

HIGHLY PRIZED SECRETS

ARE ALL DOWN THERE IN BLACK AND WHITE.

AND THEY'RE ALL FOR SALE.

THIS IS ASTONISHING.

NOT ONLY DOES NOZETTE PROVIDE INFORMATION

ON NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY, HE PROVIDES INFORMATION

ON MILITARY SPACE TECHNOLOGIES AS WELL.

Narrator: WHAT FOLLOWS IS THE FBI'S SECRET RECORDING

OF A MEETING WITH NOZETTE.

IN THIS MEETING, NOZETTE DOESN'T HOLD BACK

AND STARTS DEMANDING A WHOLE LOT MORE MONEY.

OKAY. SO I GAVE YOU, EVEN IN THIS FIRST RUN...

MM-HMM.

...SOME OF THE MOST CLASSIFIED INFORMATION THAT THERE IS.

WELL, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?

THE COST TO U.S. GOVERNMENT WAS $200 MILLION.

SO I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, THEORETICALLY,

I SHOULD CHARGE YOU CERTAINLY...

-HOW MUCH? -...AT MOST, A 1%.

HE SAYS, "I'M GOING TO SAVE ISRAEL BILLIONS WITH THIS.

SO IT'S ONLY FAIR THAT I GET A BIGGER CUT."

SO I THINK WHEN I SAID, LIKE, 50K,

I THINK THAT WAS PROBABLY TOO LOW.

NOZETTE WAS FAIRLY AGGRESSIVE IN HIS DEMANDS FOR COMPENSATION.

THAT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR A TRAITOR

WHO'S MOTIVATED BY FINANCES.

-HERE'S A FIVE AND FIVE. -OKAY. SO THERE'S 10.

YES.

Narrator: THE FBI'S VIDEO EVIDENCE IS DAMNING.

ON OCTOBER 19, 2009, NOZETTE IS ARRESTED.

THEN COMES THE BOMBSHELL.

NOZETTE HAS ACTUALLY BEEN EMPLOYED

AS A CONSULTANT FOR A FIRM CALLED

ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRY FOR 10 YEARS.

ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES IS A COMPANY

THAT SOME INTELLIGENCE EXPERTS HAVE LINKED TO ESPIONAGE.

SO THE QUESTION HAS TO BE ASKED,

HAS NOZETTE PASSED INFORMATION TO THE ISRAELIS ALREADY?

LET'S PUT IT THIS WAY.

IF NOZETTE HAD PROVIDED INFORMATION

TO A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT BASED ON WHAT HE HAD ACCESS TO,

THAT'S SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGING

TO U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS.

Narrator: ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2011, NOZETTE PLEADS GUILTY

TO ONE COUNT OF ATTEMPTED ESPIONAGE.

STATE PROSECUTORS DEMAND A LIFE SENTENCE.

BUT AFTER MAKING A PLEA DEAL WITH PROSECUTORS,

NOZETTE GETS 13 YEARS.

IS THERE SOMETHING ABOUT THIS CASE

THAT WE'RE STILL NOT BEING TOLD?

AND IS THAT WHY NOZETTE GOT AWAY WITH SUCH A LIGHT SENTENCE?

WE'LL PROBABLY NEVER KNOW.

Narrator: COMING UP, AN ASTRONOMER DETECTS

AN UNNATURAL PULSE COMING FROM A NEIGHBORING STAR SYSTEM.

SHE FINDS SOMETHING THAT COULD BE

THE GREATEST DISCOVERY OF ALL TIME,

NAMELY THE EXISTENCE OF INTELLIGENCE ELSEWHERE

IN THE GALAXY.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: AN ASTRONOMER RECORDS AN UNUSUAL RADIO SIGNAL

FROM BEYOND OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.

LIKE A HEARTBEAT FROM SPACE.

IT'S SO REGULAR, IT SURELY CAN'T BE ANYTHING NATURAL.

Narrator: COULD THIS EXTRATERRESTRIAL SIGNAL

BE PROOF OF INTELLIGENCE LIFE?

SOMETHING IS SENDING A MESSAGE BACK TOWARDS EARTH.

Narrator: CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND.

JOCELYN BELL IS AN ASTRONOMY STUDENT

EXAMINING RADIO WAVE DATA

FROM THE MOST SENSITIVE TELESCOPE OF ITS KIND.

JOCELYN BELL IS LOOKING FOR QUASARS,

OBJECTS THAT ARE A HUNDRED TIMES BRIGHTER THAN THE MILKY WAY.

Narrator: SHE ANALYZES THE 100 FEET

OF RADIO WAVE DATA GENERATED EVERY NIGHT.

AND IT'S JUST ALL ON CHART PAPER,

I MEAN, MILES AND MILES OF CHART PAPER.

THAT'S THE WAY THEY DID IT BACK THEN.

AND SHE'S GOING THROUGH AND LOOKING FOR,

YOU KNOW, RADIO SOURCES.

WHAT THEY'RE EXPECTING TO SEE IS RADIO EMISSION

AND CONTINUOUS BUT SOMEWHAT RANDOM BURSTS.

Narrator: INSTEAD, SOMETHING ELSE GRABS HER ATTENTION.

[ STATIC SOUND ]

IT'S A REGULAR PULSE.

WHAT SHE SEES IS A SIGNAL SPACED PRECISELY 1 1/3 SECONDS APART.

IT'S VERY REGULAR, LIKE A CLOCK,

BETTER THAN ANY CLOCK, IN FACT, THAT WE COULD BUILD.

THIS IS BEYOND WEIRD.

Narrator: BELL SHARES THE DATA

WITH HER SUPERVISOR, ANTHONY HEWISH.

THE MYSTERIOUS, REPETITIVE PULSE

IS LIKE NOTHING HE'S SEEN BEFORE.

BUT HE DOES NOTICE A PATTERN.

THE PULSES ARE SO PRECISE,

THEY CANNOT BE COMING FROM ANY NATURAL PHENOMENA.

SO IT MAKES SENSE TO ASK,

IS THIS FROM MAN-MADE INTERFERENCE?

THE MOST LIKELY SOURCE WOULD BE THEIR OWN EQUIPMENT.

Narrator: TO RULE OUT EQUIPMENT FAILURE,

HEWISH ASKS ANOTHER TELESCOPE TEAM

TO SEE IF THEY CAN DETECT THE PULSE.

AND THEY FIND THE SAME SIGNAL.

SO IT RULES OUT MAN-MADE INTERFERENCE.

THE ONLY ANSWER WAS

IT WAS ACTUALLY COMING FROM OUTER SPACE.

Narrator: BELL SUGGESTS A CONTROVERSIAL EXPLANATION.

SHE CALLS IT A SIGNAL FROM LITTLE GREEN MEN --

L.G.M.

IT'S SO UNNATURAL,

IT'S ALMOST LIKE IT COULD BE FROM ALIENS

DELIBERATELY TRYING TO SEND US A SIGNAL.

SHE FINDS SOMETHING THAT COULD BE THE GREATEST

DISCOVERY OF ALL TIME,

NAMELY THE EXISTENCE OF INTELLIGENCE ELSEWHERE

IN THE GALAXY.

Narrator: BELL AND HEWISH DIG DEEPER INTO THEIR DATA

TO PINPOINT THE ORIGIN OF THE MYSTERIOUS PULSE.

THEY FIGURE OUT THE SOURCE IS COMING FROM A SPECIFIC PLACE

IN THE SKY, IN A CONSTELLATION VULPECULA.

AND THE SOURCE IS ABOUT 200 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.

VULPECULA IS HOME TO FIVE STARS WITH ORBITING EXOPLANETS.

RECENT RESEARCH REVEALS ONE OF THESE PLANETS

EVEN CONTAIN WATER.

AND WATER CAN MEAN LIFE.

BELL RUNS A MORE DETAILED ANALYSIS OF HER DATA.

SHE BEGINS SEARCHING ELSEWHERE IN SPACE

FOR THESE ODD PULSES.

AND LO AND BEHOLD, SHE FINDS ONE.

Narrator: IT'S ANOTHER PULSING SIGNAL,

THIS TIME ON A DIFFERENT FREQUENCY

BUT TRANSMITTING EXACTLY THE SAME WAVE.

THEN SHE FINDS ANOTHER AND ANOTHER.

NOW, THIS TELLS HER IT'S ODD.

THERE AREN'T MULTIPLE ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS

TRYING TO COMMUNICATE WITH US

AT THE VERY SAME TIME USING THE VERY SAME METHOD.

SHE REALIZES, THIS MUST BE SOMETHING ELSE.

[ STATIC SOUND ]

Narrator: THE MYSTERIOUS PULSE IS NOT FROM LITTLE GREEN MEN

BUT FROM SOMETHING JUST AS INCREDIBLE.

[ CRANKS ]

JOCELYN BELL'S L.G.M.1 SIGNAL

COMES FROM A NEW COSMOLOGICAL PHENOMENON.

IN FEBRUARY 1968,

BELL AND HEWISH PUBLISH THE DISCOVERY OF A SUPER DENSE,

HIGHLY MAGNETIZED CELESTIAL BODY...

A NEUTRON STAR.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A GIANT STAR DIES IS IT COLLAPSES.

AND IT COLLAPSES DOWN INTO A NEUTRON STAR SO DENSE,

A SUGAR CUBE PIECE THIS BIG

WOULD WEIGH MORE THAN 10,000 AIRCRAFT CARRIERS.

AND IT'S SPINNING VERY FAST.

AND BECAUSE IT HAS THESE STRONG MAGNETIC FIELDS,

IT'S SENDING OUT BEAMS OF RADIO ENERGY

AND ALSO LIGHT INTO SPACE.

IT'S GIVING OFF VERY POWERFUL JETS,

ONLY IN TWO DIRECTIONS.

AS THE STAR IS ROTATING, THE SIGNAL,

IF IT'S POINTING TOWARDS US, CAN BE DETECTED.

IT'S KIND OF LIKE A LIGHTHOUSE.

SO AS THE LIGHTHOUSE SPINS,

YOU SEE THE LIGHT, YOU SEE THE LIGHT.

Narrator: THE PULSATING NEUTRON STAR RESPONSIBLE

FOR THE L.G.M.1 SIGNAL GETS THE NICKNAME "PULSAR."

THE THEORY THAT ANTHONY HEWISH PRESENTS

TO THE ASTRONAUTICAL WORLD TURNS IT UPSIDE DOWN

AND IN FACT BRINGS HIM THE NOBEL PRIZE

FOR ONE OF THE GREATEST DISCOVERIES MADE.

Narrator: THE DISCOVERY LAYS THE FOUNDATIONS

OF A PATHWAY THROUGH THE COSMOS.

BECAUSE PULSARS ARE MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER TYPE OF STAR,

THEY ARE BEACONS FOR GALACTIC NAVIGATION.

AS WE'VE BEGUN TO MAP THE UNIVERSE,

WE'VE NOW DISCOVERED OVER A THOUSAND OF THESE PULSARS.

ANY INTELLIGENT SPECIES WILL KNOW

ABOUT ALL THE PULSARS IN A NEIGHBORHOOD.

SO YOU CAN PUT THEM ON SPACECRAFT

AS KIND OF MARKERS ON A MAP.

Narrator: THE NASA TEAMS BEHIND THE VOYAGER

AND PIONEER MISSIONS

INCLUDE MAPS OF THE PULSARS NEAREST OUR PLANET.

IF INTELLIGENT LIFE INTERCEPTS THESE DEEP SPACE PROBES,

THEY'LL HAVE A CLEAR MAP TO US ON EARTH.

WHETHER IT'S A GOOD THING

TO BE ADVERTISING OUR LOCATION IS UNCERTAIN.

COMING UP,

AN INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION CREW

LEARNS THEIR RIDE HOME IS CANCELED.

HOW LONG CAN THE HUMAN BEING LIVE IN SPACE

AND STILL COME BACK HEALTHY?

OR ARE YOU GOING TO LOSE YOUR LIFE?

[ ALARM BEEPING ]

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: THE COLUMBIATRAGEDY SENDS A NATION INTO MOURNING.

THE SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA DISINTEGRATED ON RE-ENTRY,

KILLING ALL SEVEN ASTRONAUTS ON BOARD.

Narrator: NOW, THE CREW

OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FACES

A CRISIS NO ONE SAW COMING.

NASA'S GOT A PROBLEM.

THEIR ENTIRE SPACE SHUTTLE FLEET HAS BEEN GROUNDED INDEFINITELY.

270 MILES ABOVE EARTH,

WITHOUT THEIR PLANNED RIDE HOME, THAT'S A SCARY THOUGHT.

Narrator: THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

ORBITS 248 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH.

COMMANDER KENNETH BOWERSOX,

FLIGHT ENGINEER DONALD PETTIT,

AND RUSSIAN ENGINEER NIKOLAI BUDARIN

ARE EXPEDITION 6.

AFTER 4 MONTHS, THEY'RE PREPARING TO RETURN TO EARTH.

THEIR RIDE HOME IS GOING TO COME

WHEN THE SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS

BRINGS THE NEXT EXPEDITION TO BOARD.

THEY'RE GOING TO SWAP OFF AND TAKE THAT SHUTTLE HOME.

Narrator: BUT JUST WEEKS BEFORE

THEY'RE DUE TO FLY ATLANTIS HOME, TRAGEDY STRIKES.

SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA IS LOST ON RE-ENTRY.

AND ITS SEVEN CREW MEMBERS ARE KILLED.

Narrator: THE NEWS HITS THE I.S.S. CREW HARD.

[ Filtered voice ] WE'VE HAD TIME TO GRIEVE OUR FRIENDS.

AND THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT. WHEN YOU'RE UP HERE THIS LONG,

YOU CAN'T JUST BOTTLE UP YOUR EMOTIONS

AND FOCUS ALL THE TIME.

Narrator: THE CREW LEARNS THE SHUTTLE PROGRAM

IS SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY.

THEIR RIDE HOME IS CANCELED.

NASA'S GOT A PROBLEM.

IT COULD BE 2 YEARS OR MORE

BEFORE THE SHUTTLE FLIES AGAIN, IF EVER.

NO HUMAN HAS SPENT THAT LONG IN SPACE.

NO ONE REALLY KNOWS THE PROLONGED EFFECTS

OF MICRO GRAVITY ON THE HUMAN BODY AND MIND.

HOW LONG CAN THE HUMAN BEING LIVE IN SPACE

AND STILL COME BACK HEALTHY?

OR ARE YOU GOING TO LOSE YOUR LIFE?

THE EXPEDITION 6 CREW HAVE TO COME HOME EVENTUALLY.

THE QUESTION IS, HOW?

THERE MIGHT BE A SOLUTION TO NASA'S PROBLEM

ONBOARD THE SPACE STATION ALREADY -- A SORT OF LIFEBOAT.

IT'S THE SOYUZ TMA-1 SPACECRAFT.

Narrator: BUT USING THE RUSSIAN TMA-1 CAPSULE

IS A RISKY PROPOSITION.

THE RUSSIAN SOYUZ SPACECRAFT

IS A PRETTY BASIC DESIGN VEHICLE

FIRST FLOWN BACK IN THE 1960s.

IT'S SMALL. IT'S CRAMPED,

ESSENTIALLY A PADDED CAPSULE WITH A PARACHUTE ATTACHED TO IT.

THE ASTRONAUTS KNOW THE TMA-1 IS THE FIRST

IN A NEW PRODUCTION LINE OF THE SPACECRAFT.

THIS SPACECRAFT EVEN HAS A NEW EXPERIMENTAL GUIDANCE SYSTEM

THAT NOT ONE OF THE MEN HAS EVER USED BEFORE.

Narrator: THE EXPEDITION 6 TEAM ENDURES

A 3-MONTH EXTENSION TO THEIR MISSION

WHILE ENGINEERS FIGURE OUT

IF THERE'S ANOTHER WAY TO BRING THEM IN HOME.

THE CREW WILL SOON RUN OUT OF FOOD

AND BREATHABLE AIR.

THERE IS NO PLAN "B."

BOWERSOX, PETTIT, AND BUDARIN CRAM

INTO THE SOYUZ IN PREPARATION FOR THE RETURN TRIP.

THE NASA ASTRONAUTS HAVE NEVER FLOWN IN A SOYUZ BEFORE.

THEY MUST BE PRETTY APPREHENSIVE.

THEY HAD GOOD REASON TO WORRY, AS IT TURNED OUT.

THE SOYUZ WITH EXPEDITION 6 DEPARTING THE STATION.

Narrator: THREE HOURS INTO A TEXTBOOK DESCENT...

I have a problem.

Narrator: DISASTER STRIKES THE RUSSIAN CRAFT.

AS THE CRAFT BEGINS ITS RE-ENTRY THROUGH EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE,

FLAMES APPEAR AT THE WINDOW.

THEN THE UNTHINKABLE HAPPENS,

AND THE SPACECRAFT START SPINNING.

THEY GET A WARNING LIGHT THAT THEY'RE JUST FALLING

BALLISTICALLY THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE.

♪♪

THE GUIDANCE COMPUTER HAS GONE INSANE.

IT SWITCHES THE TRAJECTORY OF THE SPACECRAFT

FROM THE NORMAL ROUTINE

TO THE BALLISTIC DESCENT,

WHERE IT SIMPLY GOES DOWN UNDER THE FORCES OF GRAVITY.

Narrator: THE CAPSULE HURTLES UNCONTROLLED TOWARDS THE GROUND

AT 17,000 MILES AN HOUR.

TEN TIMES THE FORCE OF EARTH'S GRAVITY CRUSHES THE ASTRONAUTS.

BODIES NOT USED TO PULLING ANY G's,

YOU'VE BEEN FLOATING FOR 5, 6 MONTHS.

NOW YOUR HEART HAS TO REMEMBER

TO GET THE BLOOD TO THE BRAIN SO YOU DON'T BLACK OUT.

YOU CAN HARDLY TAKE A BREATH.

IT SUCKS.

AT THAT POINT, THE RUSSIAN COSMONAUT

BEGINS RECITING THE ADVICE HE'D BEEN GIVEN

IN CASE THAT HAPPENED. SAYING THINGS LIKE,

"YOU'VE GOT TO COUGH TO MAKE YOURSELF BREATHE.

YOU'VE GOT TO COUGH, COUGH."

BECAUSE IF YOU EXHALE,

YOU CAN'T REINFLATE AND INHALE.

SO YOU COUGH TO BOOST YOUR ABILITY TO BREATHE.

Narrator: THE ASTRONAUTS NEED TO CONTACT MISSION CONTROL

TO TELL THEM THEIR BALLISTIC FREE FALL MEANS

THEY'RE WELL OFF TARGET.

BUT THEY CAN'T. THE SPACECRAFT'S ANTENNA HAS BEEN RIPPED OFF

BY THE SHEER FORCE OF RE-ENTRY.

AND THAT CREATES CONSIDERABLE ANXIETY AMONG EVERYBODY

WHO IS MONITORING THE MISSION.

♪♪

Narrator: THE CAPSULE CRASH LANDS SOMEWHERE

IN THE 500 SQUARE MILES

OF THE REMOTE KAZAKHSTAN LANDING ZONE.

THE RUSSIANS MOUNT A MASSIVE RESCUE EFFORT.

THEY FIND THE BATTERED SOYUZ CAPSULE

300 MILES OFF COURSE WITH NO SIGN OF LIFE.

IS IT TOO LATE?

HAVE THE ASTRONAUTS BURNED UP IN THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE?

THE DOOR TO THE SPACECRAFT OPENS,

AND THE CREW IS ALIVE INSIDE.

NASA HAS MANAGED TO GET ITS MEN HOME.

Narrator: THE U.S. ASTRONAUTS OF EXPEDITION 6

ARE THE FIRST TO LAND IN A RUSSIAN SOYUZ SPACECRAFT.

TODAY, EVERY INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ASTRONAUT

RIDES A SOYUZ BACK TO EARTH.

♪♪

COMING UP, SCIENTISTS EXAMINING THE D.N.A.

OF A SHADOWY SEA CREATURE

DISCOVER GENES THEY CANNOT EXPLAIN.

THIS IS JUST LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF "X-MEN."

THE EARTH GETS SPRAYED WITH RADIATION.

AND LIFE MUTATES INTO STRANGER, NEW, MORE POWERFUL FORMS.

♪♪

Narrator: SCIENTISTS DISCOVER

UNIDENTIFIED D.N.A. IN THE OCTOPUS.

IT'S THE FIRST SEQUENCE OF GENOME

FROM SOMETHING LIKE AN ALIEN.

THE MOST BIZARRE ANIMAL I'VE EVER SEEN.

THE EVIDENCE RAISES THE POSSIBILITY LIFE ON EARTH

IS SHAPED BY MYSTERIOUS COSMIC FORCES.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT LIFE COULD HAVE EVOLVED IN SPACE?

Narrator: THERE ARE MONSTERS AMONG US.

BLUE BLOOD, THESE LARGE COMPLEX EYES,

SKIN THAT CAN CHANGE COLOR AND TEXTURE,

ARMS THAT ARE LINED WITH THESE SUCKERS.

YOU CAN WATCH ONE MOVE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.

AND WITHIN A SECOND, IT DISAPPEARS.

♪♪

I THINK EVERYBODY WOULD AGREE THAT OCTOPUSES ARE WEIRD.

I MEAN, THEY'RE UNLIKE ANY OTHER CRITTER

THAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE IN THE LOCAL AQUARIUM.

THEY'RE VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE SEE IN OTHER ANIMALS.

AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES THEM SEEM SO ALIEN.

Narrator: IN DECEMBER 2014,

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO GENETICISTS

LAUNCH AN INVESTIGATION TO UNCOVER THE SECRETS

BEHIND THE OCTOPUS' OTHERWORLDLY ABILITIES.

THEY DISCOVER IMPORTANT SECTIONS OF THEIR GENES

ARE UNLIKE ANY OTHER LIFE FORMS.

GENETICISTS HAVE RECENTLY DISCOVERED

THAT THE GENOME FOR OCTOPUSES IS QUITE A BIT DIFFERENT

FROM THAT OF THEIR FELLOW MOLLUSKS.

WE'VE FOUND AROUND 10% OF THE GENES

DIDN'T HAVE A MATCH TO GENES IN OTHER ANIMALS.

THE OCTOPUS IS LIKE NOTHING THAT WE'VE EVER SEEN.

GENETICALLY, HE LOOKS EXCEEDINGLY ALIEN.

Narrator: GENETICISTS CALL THESE CRITICAL

SEGMENTS OF D.N.A. DE NOVO GENES.

SO THE STUDY OF DE NOVO GENES

IS A VERY NEW FIELD

OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL BIOLOGY.

AND IT'S PRETTY CUTTING EDGE STUFF.

Narrator: SOME SCIENTISTS DEVELOP A CONTROVERSIAL THEORY,

THAT THIS UNEXPLAINED GENETIC MATERIAL

COULD ORIGINATE IN SPACE.

THE SUDDEN EMERGENCE OF DE NOVO GENES

IN THE OCTOPUS,

I THINK, MEANS THAT THESE HAVE COME FROM OUTSIDE THE EARTH.

I THINK ALMOST EVERY NEW DEVELOPMENT

IN THE HISTORY OF LIFE ON EARTH HAS A SPACE CONNECTION.

IF THERE'S A NEW TRAIT EMERGING IN A SPECIES,

IT HAS TO COME FROM OUTSIDE OF THE SYSTEM.

SCIENTISTS PROPOSE THESE MYSTERIOUS GENES

FIRST EVOLVED WITHIN ALIEN MICROBES.

THEY HITCH A RIDE THROUGH SPACE ON THE THOUSANDS

OF ASTEROIDS HURTLING THROUGH OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

SOME CRASH LAND ON OUR PLANET.

IN AUGUST, 2011,

NASA SCIENTISTS DISCOVER EVIDENCE

THAT COULD SUPPORT THE CONTENTIOUS THEORY.

THEY FIND THE AMINO ACID

BUILDING BLOCKS OF D.N.A. IN SAMPLES

FROM AN ANTARCTIC ASTEROID.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT D.N.A. EVOLVED IN SPACE

COULD HAVE INFILTRATED LIFE HERE ON EARTH?

I THINK THAT HAS TO BE

CONSIDERED VERY SERIOUS PROPOSITION

AT THE PRESENT TIME.

BUT NOT ALL SCIENTISTS FIND THE THEORY CONVINCING.

IT'S TRUE. METEORS, ASTEROIDS --

THEY DO HAVE SOME BIOLOGICAL BUILDING BLOCKS

AS PART OF THEIR NATURAL CONTENT.

BUT WHAT ARE THOSE BUILDING BLOCKS?

THERE'S NO D.N.A. IN ASTEROIDS OR METEORS.

THERE ARE NO PROTEINS --

JUST THESE VERY SIMPLE AMINO ACIDS.

Narrator: ASTRONOMERS DEVELOP A THEORY THAT

A DIFFERENT KIND OF COSMIC EVENT MAY ACCOUNT

FOR THE OCTOPUS' STRANGE MUTATIONS.

THEY PROPOSE THE ANIMAL'S GENES WERE MUTATED BY

AN EVENT MILLIONS OF LIGHT-YEARS AWAY --

A SUPERNOVA.

♪♪

A SUPERNOVA HAPPENS WHEN A STAR DIES.

IT RUNS OUT OF FUEL,

AND IT STARTS COLLAPSING IN ON ITSELF.

AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, BANG.

IT FIRES OUT A SHOCKWAVE AND LOTS OF RADIATION.

SUPERNOVA RADIATION ARRIVING ON EARTH, FOR EXAMPLE,

COULD EFFECT BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION.

WE KNOW THAT RADIATION PRODUCES MUTATION.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THEY'VE FOUND A PATTERN.

PERIODS OF RAPID EVOLUTION ON EARTH COINCIDE

WITH DATES OF NEARBY SUPERNOVA EXPLOSIONS.

THIS IS JUST LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF "X-MEN."

THE EARTH GETS SPRAYED WITH RADIATION,

AND LIFE MUTATES INTO STRANGER,

NEW, MORE POWERFUL FORMS.

Narrator: BUT SKEPTICS AREN'T CONVINCED

A SUPERNOVA'S RADIOACTIVE BLAST

COULD MUTATE DEEP OCEAN LIFEFORMS.

WELL, OKAY.

A SUPERNOVA WOULD PRODUCE A LOT OF RADIATION.

BUT IF YOU'RE AN OCTOPUS, YOU'RE UNDERNEATH THE WATER.

SO YOU DON'T SEE THAT RADIATION.

THE WATER IS PROBABLY A VERY EFFECTIVE BARRIER

TO MOST RELATIVELY HIGH ENERGY RADIATION

AND AT LEAST THE STUFF THAT'S RELEVANT FOR BIOLOGY.

Narrator: WHETHER A DISTANT SUPERNOVA IS RESPONSIBLE

FOR MUTATING THE OCTOPUS' INEXPLICABLE GENES

REMAINS A CONTROVERSIAL THEORY.

THE SECRETS OF WHAT MAKES AN OCTOPUS AN OCTOPUS

ARE IN THAT GENOME SOMEWHERE.

IT'S HARD TO EXTRACT THE ANSWER.

BUT THE INFORMATION AND PRINCIPLE IS THERE.

Narrator: COMING UP, SCIENTISTS FIND CLUES

ABOUT WHAT TRIGGERED THE ANNIHILATION

OF NEARLY ALL LIFE ON EARTH.

WE HAVE WHAT IS ALMOST A PERFECT STORM

TO CREATE MASS EXTINCTION ON EARTH.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: GEOLOGISTS DISCOVER ALIEN DEPOSITS

ON THE EARTH'S SURFACE.

HOW DID THIS GET THERE 250 MILLION YEARS AGO?

Narrator: THE ANSWER COULD SHED LIGHT

ON THE CAUSE OF THE GREATEST EXTINCTION

IN THE HISTORY OF OUR PLANET.

THE GREAT DIE OFF WAS NOT CAUSED BY ONE SINGLE EVENT.

THERE MUST HAVE BEEN SOMETHING ELSE THAT HAPPENED HERE.

♪♪

GEOLOGISTS MAKE AN ALARMING DISCOVERY.

BIZARRE SULFUROUS DEPOSITS,

WHICH SHOULD LIE BEYOND REACH 10 MILES DEEP,

ARE INSTEAD FUSED INTO THE SURFACE ROCK.

SCIENTISTS DEVELOP A THEORY,

AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL FORCE COULD BE RESPONSIBLE.

IT REALLY POINTS THE FINGER

THAT AN ASTEROID MUST HAVE BEEN INVOLVED.

IF WE HAVE A LARGE IMPACTOR COMING IN

AND DESTROYING PART OF THE EARTH'S SURFACE,

WHAT IT CAN ACTUALLY DO IS EXCAVATE MATERIALS

FROM MUCH DEEPER IN THE PLANET.

SUCH A POWERFUL IMPACT WOULD HAVE SPREAD MATERIAL

FROM THE EARTH'S MANTLE ACROSS THE SURFACE --

MATERIAL WE COULD FIND TODAY.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS MEASURE THE DECAY

OF RADIOACTIVE ELEMENTS TRAPPED IN THE ROCK SAMPLES.

THE RESULTS INDICATE A GIANT ASTEROID

IMPACTS THE EARTH 250 MILLION YEARS AGO.

EVEN IF YOU WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO SURVIVE THE ORIGINAL IMPACT,

THE EFFECTS AFTER THE ASTEROID IMPACT

WOULD BE REALLY DEVASTATING.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DUST BEING THROWN UP INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

THE SUN WOULD BE COMPLETELY BLOCKED OUT.

SO THERE'D BE MASSIVE CHANGES

HAPPENING TO THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH.

THERE WOULD ALSO BE CATASTROPHIC

GLOBAL WARMING AND TOXIC RAIN.

Narrator: IF GEOLOGISTS HAVE UNCOVERED EVIDENCE

OF A DEADLY ANCIENT ASTEROID,

IT COULD SOLVE A MYSTERY

THAT'S BAFFLED SCIENTISTS FOR DECADES.

WHAT CAUSED THE EARTH'S

MOST CATASTROPHIC GLOBAL EXTINCTION?

WELL, THE GREAT DYING OR END PERMIAN EXTINCTION IS,

TO OUR KNOWLEDGE, THE GREATEST,

MOST SEVERE EXTINCTION IN THE HISTORY OF LIFE.

70% OF LAND-BASED VERTEBRATE SPECIES WENT EXTINCT.

96% OF MARINE ANIMALS WENT EXTINCT.

THIS IS THE ONLY TIME IN EARTH'S HISTORY

THAT EVEN INSECTS HAD A MASS EXTINCTION.

NO FORM OF LIFE WAS LEFT UNTOUCHED.

Narrator: BUT NOT EVERYONE IS CONVINCED A MASSIVE

EXTRATERRESTRIAL BODY CRASH LANDED ON EARTH

250 MILLION YEARS AGO.

MANY SCIENTISTS DON'T BUY IT.

FIRST OF ALL, THERE'S NO GIANT CRATER

THAT'S BEEN LEFT BEHIND.

IT MAY BE THAT THAT'S A CRATER WILL NEVER BE FOUND.

IT MAY BE THAT THAT'S A CRATER HAS BEEN WIPED OFF

OF THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH.

Narrator: A NEW SUSPECT FOR THE CAUSE

OF THE GREAT DYING SURFACES IN SIBERIA,

ONCE A VERY DIFFERENT PLACE TO TODAY'S ICY WASTELAND.

250 MILLION YEARS AGO,

THE AREA EXPERIENCES UNPRECEDENTED VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

AT THE END OF THE PERMIAN,

WE HAD THE BIGGEST GEOLOGICAL ERUPTION OF LAVA

IN THE LAST 500 MILLION YEARS.

ENOUGH WAS RELEASED THAT WOULD, IN PRESENT DAY,

COVER THE WHOLE OF THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES.

CARBON DIOXIDE SPEWING INTO THE ATMOSPHERE,

ASH CLOUDS COVERING THE ENTIRE PLANET,

CHOKING OUT THE SUN, CHOKING OUT LIFE ON THE SURFACE.

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN HELLACIOUS.

Narrator: BUT IT'S DOUBTFUL THE ERUPTIONS ON THEIR OWN

COULD TRIGGER GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE.

SIBERIA'S VOLCANISM AT THIS TIME PERIOD

WOULD NOT HAVE RELEASED ENOUGH CO2

OR METHANE TO ACCOUNT FOR WHAT WAS IN THE ATMOSPHERE

AT THAT TIME -- NOWHERE NEAR ENOUGH.

SO WHERE DID THESE EXTRA GASSES COME FROM?

Narrator: IN 2014, NASA-FUNDED GEOPHYSICIST DANIEL ROTHMAN

CLAIMS AN UNUSUAL LIFE FORM MAY BE TO BLAME

FOR PUMPING THE ATMOSPHERE WITH KILLER METHANE.

MY COLLEAGUE HAD DONE RESEARCH AS A GRADUATE STUDENT

THAT SUGGESTED THAT A PARTICULAR KIND OF METHANE-PRODUCED MICROBE

EVOLVED SOMETIME LESS THAN 450 MILLION YEARS AGO.

THESE MICROBES METABOLIZE NICKEL,

AND THESE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS IN SIBERIA

WOULD HAVE PROVIDED EXACTLY THAT NICKEL THAT THEY NEED.

Narrator: ROTHMAN BELIEVES

THE VAST AMOUNTS OF NICKEL BLASTED OUT

BY THE SIBERIAN VOLCANOES

POWERS A POPULATION EXPLOSION IN THE KILLER MICROBE.

THE MORE NICKEL YOU PROVIDE IT, THE MORE HAPPY IT BECOMES

AND THE MORE IT'S ABLE

TO MAKE METHANE FROM AN ORGANIC SUBSTRATE.

WE HAVE WHAT IS ALMOST A PERFECT STORM

TO CREATE MASS EXTINCTION ON EARTH.

Narrator: BUT FOR SOME SCIENTISTS,

IT'S SIMPLY TOO EARLY TO BE CERTAIN

THE KILLER OF 90% OF LIFE ON EARTH IS A MICROBE.

DESPITE ALL OF THIS EVIDENCE, THERE'S NOT QUITE A SMOKING GUN.

NASA RESEARCHERS HAVEN'T PROVEN THAT THE MICROBE

IS DEFINITIVELY THE CAUSE OF THE GREAT DYING.

AS LONG AS THE PERPETRATOR REMAINS A MYSTERY,

WE SCIENTISTS CAN'T BE SURE

IT WON'T COME BACK TO STRIKE AGAIN.

--Captions by VITAC-- www.vitac.com