All language subtitles for Ancient.Aliens.S20E12.unlocking.the.stargates.2024

NARRATOR: In the 21st century,

scientists
are attempting to bring

every star
in the sky within our reach.

MICHIO KAKU: Stargates are a
shortcut through space and time.

We're talking about
opening up not just the Earth,

but the entire galaxy
for human exploration.

NARRATOR: The concept of stargates
dates back thousands of years.

DAVID CHILDRESS: You have a
huge door cut into solid rock.

And the legends are,
it's a portal to another world.

NARRATOR: And some claim
the U.S. government has been

pursuing this technology
for decades.

RICHARD DOTY:
I saw a wavy orb.

And a scientist who was
standing right next to me said,

"We just opened
the fabric of space."

NARRATOR:
Could we soon obtain the key

to unlocking the stargates,

and find a cosmos
teeming with life?

WILLIAM HENRY:
If we had access

to stargates, this would
completely change everything,

and would lead
to actual irrefutable proof

that we are not alone
in the universe.

NARRATOR:
There is a doorway

in the universe.

Beyond it is
the promise of truth.

It demands
we question everything

we have ever been taught.

The evidence is all around us.

The future is
right before our eyes.

We are not alone.

We have never been alone.

NARRATOR: The pulp magazine
Astounding Stories

publishes a short story called,
"The Meteor Girl."

The tale is centered
around a meteorite

that creates a window in space.

One that allows the protagonists

to travel between
distant locations in an instant.

It is the very first
science fiction reference

to what has become known
as a stargate.

Anybody that's seen or read
any modern-day science fiction,

there's always the story
that somebody walks into...

a gate, a doorway,
a hole in the sky,

some kind of opening,
and they end up

somewhere else or they could be
in another time.

What we're describing here
is going

from some point A
in space and time

to some other point B

in space and time
without traveling

through the normal path
to get there.

Going through a shorter path.

KAKU: Stargates are a shortcut
through space and time.

The galaxy is
100,000 light-years across.

It would take 100,000 years
to go across the galaxy.

But if you have a stargate,

in principle, you could do it
in the blink of an eye.

NARRATOR: Currently,
stargates are only known

to exist in the realm
of science fiction.

But in 1935,
physicists Albert Einstein

and Nathan Rosen proposed
that creating shortcuts

through space and time
is theoretically possible.

TAYLOR: When this idea
was first postulated,

it was in fact called
an Einstein-Rosen space bridge.

So Einstein and Rosen were
working on general relativity,

and they had the idea
that you could create a bend

or warp in space-time,
where you can connect point A

to point B and make
the pathway there much shorter.

NARRATOR: In addition to connecting
two distant points in space,

some scientists have suggested
that stargates

may facilitate an even
more profound type of journey.

TAYLOR: So when we talk
about a stargate,

or a wormhole,

the question is,
is it just from point A

to point B within this universe?

Or could it also be
through those other dimensions

that could possibly exist
or even through other universes?

Just like when Alice fell
through the rabbit hole,

uh, she ended up in Wonderland.

NARRATOR: While terms
like "stargate" and "wormhole"

conjure up visions of the future
and space-age technology,

ancient astronaut theorists
suggest that the idea

of such gateways has existed
in the human consciousness

for thousands of years.

And they say evidence
of this can be found

within religious traditions
throughout the ancient world.

All around the world,
we have myths and legends

of beings coming and going
through gates.

The Anunnaki gods in
ancient Sumeria were constantly

coming and going
through gateways.

In Egypt,
we learn of the portals

of Ptah and the pharaohs,
scaling the ladder to heaven

and going through
the portal of the gods.

This idea of the stargate
is everywhere.

TAYLOR: When I think about
wormholes in the multiverse,

one of the first things
that comes to mind

is the ancient idea of Vishnu.

When he would exhale,

he would excrete beads

of sweat and moisture,

that each one
of these was a universe.

And in many cases,
the description is

that when Vishnu was dreaming,
this is a new universe

that Vishnu is creating.

Now Vishnu then used
many different avatars

and went to many different
of these realities,

universes, multiverses,
and had adventures.

So how did he go
from wherever he was

into these different realities
that he had then created?

There must have been a stargate

that enabled him to go
from universe to universe.

So going back through
thousands of years

across different cultures,
all across the planet...

...we have
these stories of people

traveling to other realms.

It really does suggest
that there is a possibility

that many ancient cultures

had some understanding

of portals or gateways
to other worlds.

There is the story
of the Bifröst bridge

in Norse mythology.

And what this is able to do

is take a person
from out of this realm

into some other place.

NARRATORS: Are ancient accounts
of beings passing

through gates or doorways

descriptions of a form
of stargate travel?

Perhaps further clues
can be found

by examining
a mysterious stone feature

found high
in the Andes Mountains.

Lake Titicaca, Peru.

Carved onto the sandstone face

of the Hayu Marca Mountain

is a T-shaped doorway
known as the Gate of the Gods.

The Gate of the Gods is
a vertical outcrop of sandstone,

which is composed
of three depressions.

The central one,
which is a T-shape,

is about six feet tall.

So a normal human
could stand up in it

and then to the left
and the right

are vertical depressions,

which go from the very bottom
to the very top,

which would be a distance
of approximately 20 feet.

Nobody knows how old it is
and nobody knows who made it.

NARRATOR: While there is no written
record to suggest why it was built,

local legends give
detailed accounts

of people mysteriously
disappearing in front

of the doorway and even
strange beings coming through.

HENRY: Local legends tells us
that the gods would use this

as a stargate, through
which they would come and go.

The myth and legend attached
to it suggests that the key

to this gateway is this
golden disc of the sun god.

And all the stories tell us
that the sun god Inti

came down to Earth

and was worshiped by the Incas.

Perhaps it was Inti himself
who brought this key

to the stargate
to Earth originally.

NARRATOR: While the Inca
believed the Gate of the Gods

was created thousands
of years ago,

there is at least one account
of this gateway

being activated
much more recently

when Spanish conquistadors
arrived

in Peru in the 16th century.

HENRY: According to legend,
when the Spanish arrived,

a priest from a nearby temple

took a golden disc
from that temple

and went
to the Gate of the Gods,

put the golden disc
in the T-shaped gate,

opened it up
and went through it.

It seems that what's
happening today is

that we're coming back around
to understand

the concept of the stargates

just as the ancients did,
and perhaps to duplicate

the technology
that extraterrestrials

were utilizing in opening
these stargates to other realms.

NARRATOR:
Are these ancient stargates

just the product
of our ancestors' folklore?

Or might this kind
of interstellar travel

have actually existed
in the distant past?

Perhaps further clues
can be found by investigating

another site believed
to transport people

through space and time.

NARRATOR:
Central Sri Lanka.

Overlooking the small town
of Aralaganwila,

stands the lush
Danigala mountain range.

Its peak reaches heights
of over 900 feet.

And visible among them
is a strange outcropping

that is almost entirely round.

COLLINS: This is a very
remarkable geological formation,

circular in shape
with a completely flat

platform on the top of it.

NARRATOR: For locals,
the mountain is famous

not just for its unique shape

but for the number of reports

of unidentified
aerial phenomena at the site.

Everybody calls it

"alien mountain" because

this is a UFO hotspot.

At least two dozen UFO sightings

have been reported
in 2023 alone.

And many, many people claim

weird activities
around the mountain.

NARRATOR: The recent sightings
are just the latest

in a string of mysterious
events at the mountain

that date back
hundreds of years.

The mountain is associated

with various different legends
in Vedic tradition.

It's actually said
to be the landing place

of the god Ravana.

It was said
that he could actually

fly this device
and land on the top of it.

NEWMAN:
Danigala Mountain is also

connected
with the Buddha, in fact.

There's a cave
in the side of this mountain

which has a statue of the Buddha

and it's said that he
originally used this area

as a kind of way to explore
the different astral planes.

So, does this suggest

this is some kind
of portal area or stargate?

NARRATOR: The Buddha is
believed to have lived

during the sixth
or fifth century BC,

and according
to ancient Buddhist stories,

he demonstrated the ability
to teleport instantly

from one location to another.

And as far as ancient astronaut
theorists are concerned,

early accounts of the Buddha
sound very much

like descriptions
of an extraterrestrial.

Some of the earliest
representations

and some of the earliest
recordings of Buddha

does not show or describe Buddha

as the size
of a regular human being,

but, actually,
up to nine feet tall

and with blue skin,

and his arms reached
all the way down to his knees.

And before
the term Buddhism existed,

the original term
for Buddhism was

"The worship
of the cosmic wheel."

The whole concept
of Buddhism began

when this tall,
blue-skinned person came down

in a gigantic wheel of fire,

and then started to teach
mankind in various disciplines.

So that to me is
eternally fascinating

because it would
support the idea

that Buddha was
an extraterrestrial.

NARRATOR: Is it possible that the
Buddha was an otherworldly being

who accessed a stargate
near Danigala Mountain

as told in local legends?

Ancient astronaut
theorists say yes,

and propose
that another site nearby

contains physical evidence
that it too may once have been

the location of a stargate.

This sacred city,
dating back to 377 BC,

is at the heart
of the local Buddhist culture.

It is one of the most
visited places in the world,

drawing pilgrims,

tourists and historians alike
to its ancient domed temples

and massive shrines
known as stupas.

But perhaps the most
intriguing attraction is

a mysterious petroglyph
called the Sakwala Chakraya.

The Sakwala Chakraya
carving in Sri Lanka is

carved onto this rock face

and there's actually carved
stone seats on the opposite side

for people to sit there
and gaze into it.

Now, traditionally,
it's like a cosmological map

that the ancient people there
would talk about,

but could it be something else?

Because the symbols on it
are very unusual.

MOHAN: Locals believe
that this is a stargate.

That Buddha used
this stargate three times

to go to other planets.

And they believe that if you go

and meditate in front
of the stargate,

you can actually
open the stargate

using the power of your mind,

and you can go
to another dimension.

NARRATOR: In the local
dialect of Sinhalese,

Sakwala Chakraya translates
as "universal cycle,"

and according to some scholars,

the unique images are
various astronomical symbols

representing
different parts of the cosmos.

COLLINS: The Sakwala Chakraya was
written about as early as 1911

by a British archaeologist
named Harry Bell,

and he came to the conclusion

that it represented
the cosmos as a whole.

There is an outer ring showing
the primeval waters of chaos.

And inside this are
seven concentric rings,

one inside the other.

And this is
a very typical symbol used

to represent a portal
or stargate.

HENRY: It's been suggested
that the petroglyph

at Sakwala Chakraya is
similar to geometric mandalas.

And a mandala itself is

considered to be a sort
of a consciousness portal,

a mental portal.

NARRATOR: Mandalas are
important components in both

the Buddhist and Hindu faiths.

These elaborate
circular patterns are

a spiritual symbol
for the universe,

but also represent
the realm of the gods.

They act as an aid
in meditation,

and according
to Buddhist mythology,

can be used to transport
oneself across space and time.

Could the fact that
the Sakwala Chakraya carving

resembles a mandala
provide another clue

about its true purpose?

HENRY: The symbols on this
stone, there's lines,

there's geometric figures,

everything we're
seeing here is reinforcing

that this was
a portal of the gods.

NARRATOR: Could the mysterious
carving found in Sri Lanka indicate

the presence
of an ancient stargate,

as legend suggests?

Ancient astronaut
theorists say yes,

and they believe
further evidence

that such stargates
still exist on Earth

can be found at sites
around the world

where people have
mysteriously vanished

without a trace.

NARRATOR:
Five Navy torpedo bombers,

collectively known as Flight 19,

take off for what is supposed
to be a routine training mission

over the Atlantic Ocean.

MIKE RICKSECKER: This flight was
headed eastward toward their mark.

They had actually reached it
and headed north from there.

And then all of a sudden,

bizarre things started
to happen.

Their navigational equipment
went awry.

Their compasses started turning
in different directions.

(alert beeping)

One of the pilots reported
that they had started

flying over land,

and it looked like
the Florida Keys below them,

which were
in the exact opposite direction,

many, many miles away.

They should not have been
over the Keys at all.

They decided to swing low

under the clouds...

and were never heard from again.

NARRATOR:
All told, 27 airmen disappeared

during the Flight 19 incident.

(ship horn blowing)

But it is only one

of countless mysterious events

that have happened
in the exact same area,

which has become known as
the Bermuda Triangle.

FOERSTER: It's said
that within that triangle,

all sorts of strange, natural

and unnatural phenomena
have happened.

Several hundred
if not thousands of ships have

mysteriously disappeared.

Airplanes disappeared as well.

NARRATOR: But it's not only
mysterious disappearances

that have been documented
in the Bermuda Triangle.

People have also
reported witnessing

what they believe
could be stargates.

We have many personal stories

of people who've been
involved in this,

who've been even caught up

in vortexes and...
and what they think is

a hyperspace portal
that was going to send them

to another planet,
but they somehow got out of it.

JOHN BRANDENBURG:
There appears to be, in nature,

the possibility of crossing
thresholds of energy,

of electromagnetic phenomenon
associated with thunderstorms,

that can perhaps
open up portals in space-time

that we never
would have thought possible.

An analogy is that lightning
is still poorly understood.

Lightning typically carries
several million volts.

This is not sufficient voltage
to jump from a cloud,

miles above the ground,
to the ground or between clouds.

Yet, nature does it.

Combine that
with the strange location

of the Bermuda Triangle,

the collision point
of these cold and warm currents,

you can have a playground
for exotic physics, I believe.

NARRATOR:
Skeptics propose

that the notoriety
of the Bermuda Triangle

has led people to jump
to extraordinary conclusions

for events that likely
have conventional explanations.

But ancient astronaut
theorists point out

that stories of strange vortexes
and mysterious disappearances

are not only coming
from the Bermuda Triangle,

but have been reported
in numerous other locations.

Northwest Orient Airlines
Flight 2501

departs La Guardia Airport
en route to Seattle.

On board are 58 passengers.

But, five hours into the flight,

as it crosses Lake Michigan,

air traffic control
loses radio contact

and the airplane
mysteriously disappears.

A widespread search
spanned the entire area,

dragging the bottom of the lake

and using sonar technology
to look for debris,

but the wreckage
was never found.

RICKSECKER: Two hours after

the last transmission
of Flight 2501,

two local police officers
reported seeing a red light

over Lake Michigan that
lasted for about ten minutes.

And red lights have been seen

over that particular area
of Lake Michigan

since at least
as far back as 1913.

NARRATOR: The area of the lake
where Flight 2501 vanished

has become known
as the Michigan Triangle,

and has been the site
of bizarre sightings

and unexplained activity
for over a hundred years.

In the Michigan Triangle,
there's a tremendous amount

of UFO activity.

UFOs are seen coming up,
out of the water,

going down into the water.

There's a number of
missing ships

and airplanes in that area.

One of the most fascinating
cases to have occurred

along the Michigan Triangle

is the case of Steven Kubacki.

Now, he's a 23-year-old student

who was cross-country skiing

in February 1978,
close to the lake.

When he didn't return,
the police were called

and they went out looking for
him and did an investigation.

(siren chirping)

NARRATOR: Steven Kubacki's
backpack, skis and poles

were eventually found at
the very edge of Lake Michigan

in the city of Holland.

And nearby, police investigators
found a set of tracks

leading out onto
the frozen lake.

POPE: Now, what's really
interesting is that

the police followed the tracks,

and they went out onto the ice,

and then they disappeared.

There was no sign that
the ice was broken,

no evidence of any scuffle,

the tracks simply vanished.

NARRATOR: The authorities
concluded that Steven Kubacki

had fallen into
the ice and drowned.

But, over a year later,
he suddenly reappeared

more than 600 miles away
in Massachusetts.

POPE: According to
the contemporary reports,

Steven woke up on a grassy knoll

about 40 miles
from his father's house.

So he went home, and of course,

his family were just shocked.

They thought he was dead.

But he was confused
because in his mind's eye,

he'd only been gone for
a few moments.

Is it possible
that he got caught up

with a stargate in
the vicinity of Lake Michigan,

which somehow transported him
to Massachusetts?

NARRATOR: Steven Kubacki's
bizarre experience

is one of the most
incredible incidents to occur

in the area of
the Michigan Triangle.

And researchers note
that the location where

he reappeared
is only 150 miles west

of an equally mysterious area

known as
the Bridgewater Triangle.

For centuries,
the local Native American tribes

have claimed that
this 200-square-mile region

is home to otherworldly
beings called Pukwudgies,

beings who suddenly
appear out of thin air.

COLLINS:
The Pukwudgie

is described within
Algonquin folklore.

And it's a type of little people

that have been seen

for hundreds of years
by Native American peoples,

telling us that these entities

can quite literally
walk through portals

into our world.

When we look at what's happened
in the Bermuda Triangle,

the Michigan Triangle,
the Bridgewater Triangle,

it leads to the conclusion
that there are these

naturally occurring stargates
or portals on the Earth.

And there are probably
more out there

that we've yet to discover.

NARRATOR: Is it possible that
stargates already exist on Earth?

And if so, are they the product
of environmental conditions,

or are they gateways
that were created by

extraterrestrials to
travel to our planet?

Perhaps further clues
can be found by

examining research
being conducted by

the U.S. military
to create a wormhole.

NARRATOR: Counterintelligence
officer Richard Doty begins

a new assignment
at the top secret

U.S. military base Area 51.

What he is tasked with
is highly classified,

but years later,
he comes forward

and makes a remarkable claim.

He says that during
his time at Area 51,

he observed
a military experiment

that succeeded in ripping a hole

in the fabric of space and time.

I was some distance away
in a control center

watching the experiment.

I was just an observer.
I'm not a scientist.

And when they
generated this beam

through this magnetic field,

what I saw
was a wavy orb appearing,

and the orb was
moving a little bit.

The background was real wavy,
almost as if you were

looking at a hot, uh,
sidewalk during the summertime.

And it became larger and
larger and larger and larger.

And behind it,
there was a flashing light.

And when I ask a scientist

who was standing right next to
me, "What did we just see?"

he said, "We just
opened the fabric of space."

NARRATOR: Doty claims that
the team used argon gas

and anti-magnetic sheaths

to try to keep the portal open.

It worked for only
a few seconds,

but it was enough time for
researchers to observe

what was on the other side.

DOTY:
The scientists believe that

you open the fabric of space,
you're in a different dimension.

That's an entirely
different dimension,

and possibly
an alternate universe.

That's the way
they explained it to me.

NARRATOR:
After this initial experiment,

Doty was informed
that the research team

successfully replicated
their results.

DOTY: After the first
test, all the scientists

were fascinated and thrilled.

And they wanted to do
more and more and more.

And in a period of
about six weeks,

they did five different tests

similar to the first test,
opening the portal.

Now, they wanted
to use more energy.

They had a high-energy laser.

They wanted to try
a chemical laser,

which is a little bit
different than an energy laser.

They actually built

a brand-new power plant,

and all of that electricity

was being used for
this particular project.

They tried to get
as much energy as they could

to be directed at that one point

to see how much of it
they could open up.

NARRATOR:
According to Doty, this is only

one of many experiments
the U.S. government

has conducted to
try to create portals.

He believes these programs began

over 50 years ago,
and might continue today.

DOTY: Ever since the
Central Intelligence Agency's

Office of
Scientific Intelligence

realized that there were
theories about wormholes,

they engaged in a number
of operations over the years

to try to prove
wormholes were possible.

And there were
a number of operations.

The one that I worked on
was Project Jackknife.

The project,
it started before my time,

probably started
in the early '70s,

and I only was in it
up until about 1990.

After that,
somebody else took over.

But those programs
continued on and on and on.

And I can guarantee you,
even today, that there's

some type of
experiment going on.

NARRATOR: Could it be
that for the past 50 years,

scientists working for
the United States government

have secretly been
attempting to create

a real traversable stargate?

And if so, is it possible
that they have succeeded?

CHILDRESS: It's a
fascinating thought

that the U.S. military
has been working on

stargates and wormholes
and portals.

And we might imagine that,

if they've poured enough
money and resources

into creating these stargates,

that maybe they already
have this technology,

and have refined it to a point

where they're able to

teleport people and objects

from place to place.

POPE: This isn't just science
fiction, this isn't just

technology that would be fun
or nice to have.

Sad to say, of course,

a lot of this probably
would be weaponized.

I mean, imagine
not having to launch

a nuclear missile,

which can be detected, tracked,

intercepted,

and then the opposition

press the button
and it's Armageddon.

If you could just send

your atomic weapons
through a portal

and instantly destroy

the other nation's
offensive capabilities.

This is war-winning technology,

and that explains the secrecy.

NARRATOR:
But, according to Doty,

the potential dangers
of a stargate

are far greater
than its use as a weapon.

DOTY:
Once that portal opens,

what if something
from the other side

comes in our dimension?
What do we do then?

How do we handle these entities
or whatever they are?

This is really difficult
to understand,

but what if we opened a portal

and it dealt with
a parallel universe,

and now we got people
from that parallel universe

stepping into this universe?

What would happen to us?

NARRATOR:
According to most scientists,

even if some secret
government program

has managed to open
a small window

in the fabric of space,
as Richard Doty claims,

it's unlikely
they have advanced to the point

of creating
a traversable wormhole.

But some researchers suggest

there may be another way
to reach distant places

in the universe or
alternate dimensions,

by using the power of the mind.

NARRATOR: Seattle, Washington.
November 1975.

Fungi expert Paul Stamets

has come upon
a recently discovered breed

of psilocybin mushrooms.

Curious about the mushrooms'
psychedelic effects,

he consumes them.

RICKSECKER: When
he ingested this,

he had this fascinating vision
of these dead cows in a field.

Days later,
as he was driving down the road,

he saw off on the side
this field full of dead cattle.

So, the question becomes,

when he ingested
that hallucinogenic,

did he travel to some other
dimension to see this?

Or even another point in time?

NARRATOR: Is it merely an
extraordinary coincidence

that Paul Stamets had a vision
of dead cows in a field

and then saw the exact same
scene with his own eyes

just a few days later?

Or might the psilocybin
mushrooms he ingested

have opened a mental gateway
that gave him a glimpse

into another place
in space and time?

For the longest,
it was assumed that,

when you take these
hallucinogenic drugs,

that your brain
is going hyperactive.

And that's why you're seeing
things that aren't really there.

Turns out, recent experiments
tell us that's not the case.

What we see
is right the opposite.

During the hallucinogenic
phase of this,

your brain activity
actually decreases to levels

as if you were in
hyper-meditative states.

So, the question is, then,
if your brain

isn't being very active...

...why are you experiencing

these strange hallucinations?

It's been discussed
as a, as a real possibility

that opening
portals and gateways

has a psychedelic or
a hallucinogenic connection.

(group chanting)

NARRATOR: In many religious
traditions around the world,

it is believed that entering
a hyper-meditative state

can allow the mind to travel
to otherworldly realms.

RABBI ARIEL BAR TZADOK: This is something
which is known as astral projection.

People who,
through the power of mind,

can experience these other
realms and dimensions.

These other realms

are as populated as our own,

and this is practiced
in traditions,

India and China,

amongst Native Americans
and the like.

MOHAN:
Buddha.

He was the master
of astral travel.

He could go to the heavens,
come back to the Earth,

he could reach
many other dimensions

using the power of his mind.

TZADOK:
This is not symbolic. It's real.

And with proper training,

we are taught how to experience

the realities around us outside
of the limitations of the body.

In that form,

we can and do
see other entities.

It could be our
extraterrestrial visitors

who are watching us

from the safety
of a parallel world.

We can go
and interact with them.

NARRATOR: The concept that it is
possible to travel to distant locations,

other points in time,
or even other dimensions

while the body
remains in one place

has existed in cultures
around the world

for thousands of years.

And this astral travel
often involves

an altered state of mind.

In Mexico and Central America,

we have examples of statues

and amulets in the shape
of psilocybin mushrooms.

In North America,
we have traditions of cultures

using peyote and mescaline
and other types of cactuses.

In South America, we have
the famous ayahuasca plant.

FOERSTER:
The Inca used--

and the descendants
of the Inca still use--

ayahuasca and extract
from the San Pedro cactus

to get into alternate states
of consciousness.

Some believe that
it is so powerful

that you can actually
create or enter

into a portal of some kind.

Shamans from every part
of the world

all had similar processes to get
into an altered state

using psychoactive substances

to somehow connect

with parallel existences
and parallel worlds.

And this is how they were able
to make contact

with celestial beings,

with divine ancestors,

and perhaps
even extraterrestrials.

TZADOK:
Why is it so deeply etched

in the human psyche

that, from ancient times
and in cultures

around the world,
they're all describing

other dimensions, other realms,
and astral travels?

And it makes us question
whether, in the ancient world,

the ability to expand
consciousness, to experience

other realms, other dimensions

was the natural and normal
practice of the peoples.

And that was etched
deep into our consciousness

and stayed with us
to this very day.

NARRATOR: Is it possible
that the transportive power

of the mind could actually allow
us to peer into other worlds

and even communicate with
the beings that reside there?

Some researchers suggest
that scientists

may be getting close
to developing stargates

through which
we can physically travel.

NARRATOR: A team of physicists,
led by Caltech professor

Maria Spiropulu, conducts
an extraordinary experiment.

Using Google's
powerful quantum computer,

they successfully create

an observable
and traversable wormhole.

Recently, there's been a great
concept for an experiment

where some scientists are using

the Google Sycamore
quantum computer

to simulate a wormhole.

They set up a model
of the universe

inside the quantum computer,

and then, when they turned on
the program to run,

it would transfer information
from one processor

to another processor
via a wormhole.

That's fantastic.

How do we go from inside
a simulated universe

to out here in reality
where there's portals

and stargates that we can
actually use to go

from here to wherever
you want to go?

That's the next step.

KAKU: Modern science is now
taking us beyond Einstein.

Now we're talking about
the fact that space and time

could be curved.

Curved to the point where it may
be possible to create gateways,

gateways to other parts
of the galaxy.

Stephen Hawking,
the great cosmologist,

looked into this and said,
"Well, it would be difficult,

but, yes, it may be possible
to build stargates."

HENRY: We're suddenly
returning to ideas

found in the ancient world about
traveling through stargates,

going to other worlds
by opening doorways.

Our science is now geared
towards opening these stargates.

We now know that
the idea of a stargate

is real, it's real science,
and it's very desirable.

NARRATOR: Some scientists believe
it is only a matter of time

before we are able
to create a stargate

through which humans
can safely travel.

But if we do open a stargate
to another world,

how might that change
the course of humankind?

If wormhole travel
ever becomes possible,

it would be one of
the greatest breakthroughs

in the history
of the human race.

We're talking about opening up
not just the Earth

but the entire galaxy
for human exploration.

Think of the impact
to navigate to the stars.

If we're able to create
an artificial stargate today,

this would change everything.

Suddenly
we would be able to make

instantaneous journeys
to the Moon,

instantaneous journeys to Mars,

and instantaneous journeys
to other planets

and solar systems as well.

As long as you were able
to create, you know,

the computer coordinates
for where you wanted to go,

you'd be able
to just make that jump.

Stargates can benefit us
in a number of different ways.

Whether it is
understanding better

the inner workings
of the universe,

how the various dimensions work,

or if we unlock
stargate technology,

the skies, or rather the stars,
are the limit.

HENRY: And if we had
access to stargates

and interdimensional travel,
it's beyond our comprehension

how this would completely
change everything.

It would be a brand-new
beginning for the human race.

And it's one I hope to see
in my lifetime.

NARRATOR:
Is humankind on the precipice

of an incredible new reality?

One in which the most distant
stars are within our reach?

And possibly even stars that are
in entirely different universes?

Perhaps only when
we find the key

to unlocking the stargates

will we once again
come face-to-face

with our alien ancestors.

CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY
A+E NETWORKS